Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
When people are searching for a different way of handling their healthCARE, they generally come across some form of alternative medicine. But don’t let the name fool you. Alternative medicine used to be mainstream medicine just 100 years ago. These practitioners can often be a wonderful resource of treatments that most people have never heard of, and often they are able to help the healing process along in a way that supports the body rather than destroy it.
Many people throw the term ‘alternative’ around and mean different things by it. There are a dozen other names that alternative practitioners can go by, including:
Nutritionist/dietician
Herbalist
Naturopath
Acupuncturist
Functional medicine provider
Integrative medicine doctor
As with everything, there is another side to the coin, so a few words of caution on alternative medicine practitioners.
Keep in mind that some alternative medicine doctors are just as bad about prescribing natural remedies, as mainstream doctors are at prescribing drugs. Just because it is natural doesn’t mean it can or should be used. Alternative medicine practitioners often use untested treatment methods and can be just as resistant to change as other doctors. You should ask for the studies used by these doctors to support their treatment protocols. Just because it is new, or old, does not mean that it is better.
When dealing with these practitioners, (or really any doctor), you need to learn to spot what is called, reductionism. Reductionism is the act of looking at the benefit or risk of one isolated nutrient (or drug) without concern for other factors, which, as a whole, play a much bigger role in the health or lack thereof of a patient. For example, reductionism can make it seem as though a single benefit of wine outweighs multiple known risks, or that the benefit of one vitamin taken in isolated form can give you the benefit of a plant-based food eaten as a whole (think vitamin C). This type of practice can be dangerous as it leads the consumer to think that they are helping their bodies when in reality, they are causing even more serious side effects.
You can recognize alternative practices by their use of names such as:
Holistic
Integrative
Homeopathic
Naturopathic
They pride themselves on being early adapters to unconventional practices. Some of which are good, and some of which are expensive roads to nowhere with no scientific proof of success. Often they promote practices such as thermography or vitamin D supplementation which has no scientific backing. Don’t get caught in the trap of doing something just because you can!
Alternative practitioners are often preferred by their patients because they harken back to a time when patients were heard, time was spent in understanding their diagnoses and many treatments they give are perceived as less harmful. But we’re not going for less-harmful, right? We’re going for better outcomes that resolve a health issue and increase the longevity of our lives. Not just pretty blood tests or less toxic drug options.
You may find what you’re looking for a lot easier from one of these types of doctors but don’t get lazy in your research or questioning just because a doctor is holistic. Remember, you hold the power here!
In your search for alternative practices, you may try chiropractic. Chiropractors are typically used for pain relief and to address musculoskeletal issues and the nervous system. Chiropractors are a little more mainstream, as far as acceptance, than some other forms of alternative practice but there are still some good guidelines to use when choosing one that works for you.
Good questions to ask would be:
How do you assess patients? How often do you see new patients? What is the duration of care for most patients?
Be cautious your chiropractor recommends long‐term or lifetime regular treatment or makes claims that chiropractic care can cure “everything”.
Lastly, let’s cover mental health doctors. Most mental health therapy doesn’t accomplish much when it comes to the patient actually recovering and finding healing from past trauma and toxic mindsets. Often times therapy can devolve into an unhealthy dependency on the counselor’s advice and insight rather than learning and applying the tools yourself. When it comes to mental health, I would recommend cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of therapy brings success quicker than other kinds of therapy and focuses on getting the patient to view their issues from a more objective point of view. You do not need to be in therapy for years on end. And if you are, you need to seek help from a different therapist. Cognitive behavioral therapy very rarely incorporates drugs and it helps you to evaluate and change your emotional responses and become your own therapist by learning the tools to identify the thoughts and emotions that are affecting you and to change them.
The CBT model goes as such:
• Events have no meaning. Humans attach meaning to events
• The way we perceive and process events leads to responses
• Perceptions and processing can be changed in order to change emotional responses
• Patients learn how to become their own therapists – identify their thoughts, assess, and change when necessary
• Positive change usually begins within in a few weeks
Your therapist may claim to offer CBT but you should interview them further to make sure that what they offer truly is CBT. You guessed it! There are some good questions to ask and the replies you should be looking for.
Why do you think CBT is the best therapy?
Works quickly, empowers patients to help themselves, drugs not used, duration of therapy not long, low recidivism rate
What training have you received in cognitive therapy?
Reading, seminars, continuing education programs, internship, certification programs through Beck Institute or allied organizations
Tell me what to expect.
Patients learn to help themselves, are given assignments and are taught to observe their own thoughts and behaviors, most work is done in between sessions by patient, journaling and workbooks are common
What do you think of drugs?
Never or almost never a good idea
How long should I expect to be in therapy?
Varies from person to person but 14‐24 sessions is average
So, there are lots of questions to ask when it comes to choosing your doctor, and lots of things to keep in mind. But, you have the power to question the experts and make your own decisions, and as you do this, you will find your confidence and comfortability growing.