ALTERNATIVE DOCTOR, LLC

Frequently Asked Questions

Here the doctor will post some of the most interesting and challenging questions submitted to him.  He will post questions and answers that appear to be of the greatest general interest.

What is “Alternative Medicine”?

Alternative Medicine is the phrase used to describe any health care or treatment not traditionally taught in Medical Schools.  This is a very imprecise term, and has connotations depending on your training and philosophy.  For many physicians, or medical doctors, the term is pejorative, and means generally treatments not found at most physician’s offices.  However, for the public, the term signifies treatments that they would try on their own, from a variety of practitioners.  And so the term will probably stay in the lexicon for some time.  Other similar terms are “Complementary” Medicine, or “Complementary and Alternative” Medicine, or “Integrative” Medicine.  An older term is “Holistic” Medicine.

What is “Traditional Medicine”?

Traditional Medicine is a term used to describe the Native, or Indigenous Healing practices of a region, which can include various modalities.  The term is used by the task force on Traditional Medicine of the United Nations, and various other groups.  However, the term is confusing in that many allopathic physicians, medical doctors, call their medical practice “traditional medicine.”

What is an Electronic Medical Record?

In the past, a patient would  rely on his physician to record all the pertinent facts about his/her medical history, and to keep an accurate record for the patient.  Unfortunately for patients, health care now is extremely fragmented, and so medical recordkeeping should now be the primary concern of educated patients.  A typical patient may see several specialists, who may not necessarily communicate with each other, and go to several different healthcare facilities for procedures or tests, sometimes duplicating tests.  Lists of medications may not be complete, nor shared between all providers.  Even though every patient should have a PCP, or primary care physician, often this physician functions only as a gatekeeper to obtain referrals, and not necessarily the repository for the complete medical record.  And then if a patient sees alternative practitioners, the lines of communication are often even more indistinct, with little sharing of information between physicans and alternative practitioners and vice versa.  And then the patient may be taking medications over the counter, or herbal medications or supplements or vitamins, and the PCP may not be aware of these, nor record in the chart.  So it is imperative for a patient to have a record of all his pertinent medical information.  With discs, portable discs, the internet, data sharing, all of this should be possible electronically.  Ideally, the patient would have copies of all Xrays, laboratory work, EKGs, medications, test results, and consult in his/her possession, so this data could be shared with all providers, and updated at each providers office with each visit at the doctor’s office or the hospital or at the alternative provider’s office.

How do I select a Alternative Practitioner or Physician?

Most patients choose a physician based on recommendation of family or friends.  However, with the rise of HMOs and managed care, a PCP is often assigned, or a panel of doctors is provided.  With regard to alternative practitioners, usually patients will decide based on recommendations of a friend or a family member.  It is still unusual for physicians to recommend particular alternative practitioners, for several reasons.  The first reason is that most physicians are unaware of the alternative practitioners in their area, and so thusly are unqualified to give a recommendation.  The second reason is that even if physicians are aware of alternative practitioners, they usually are reticent to recommend a therapy that is not medically based.

So the first question you should ask is- is this therapy a licensed therapy in my State?  For example, Chiropractic is licensed in all States; Massage Therapy in most States, and Naturopathy is licensed in only a few states (approximately fourteen).  Herbalists, Homeopathists,  Ayurvedic Physicians, and Chinese Traditional Medical Doctors are not licensed in any state.  Acupuncture has a variable licensing requirement, depending on the state.  Although physicians (medical doctors) may practice acupuncture in all states under their MD license, most are not qualified to do so.  Once you ask this question, then the next question is Is this practitioner licensed in my state?  If so, then at least he/she has met the minimum requirement.  The next thing to do should be to call the practitioner, and inquire about his/her training, fees, scope of practice, and possibly arrange an initial encounter, or phone encounter, to explore the therapy, and possibly ask for references.  Of course, a very important question, which is very difficult to answer, is Is this therapy beneficial to my complaint?  Will it help me?  Ideally, this is a question which www.alternativedr.com will help you decide.  If the answer is unclear, it is important to discuss your decision with your medical doctor, to see if there is a possible some other therapy may be beneficial.