Years ago the doctor could be negative and discourage patients from using alternative medicine without risking the success of their practice. Let us begin with a story of a patient who went to see an orthopedist for low back pain. The orthopedist took the history and asked the patient to describe any previous therapy he had for his back. When the patient mentioned his visit to a chiropractor, the insulted physician immediately responded with, “What did that fool tell you?” The patient replied, “Well, he sent me to you!”
There is a consistent increase in the number of patients that are turning to alternative medicine for the treatment of their illnesses and conditions. Alternative medicine is becoming mainstream, and it is hear to stay. Every doctor has seen dozens if not hundreds of patients who have self-treated themselves with saw palmetto, use yohimbine to treat their erectile dysfunction or use echinacea to treat the common cold.
Alternative or complimentary medicine is any nontraditional health care treatment used by physicians to replace the popularly accepted and practiced type of treatment; these alternatives are usually not taught in medical schools or practiced by conventional allopathic physicians. Examples of alternative medicine include acupuncture, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic medicine, herbal and nutritional supplements, homeopathy, and even prayer.
What are the trends or the facts?
In 1997, 40% of America sought a complementary or alternative medicine to aid with an illness or pain-related complaint.
An estimated 27 billion dollars was paid for these services out-of-pocket.
The number of visits to alternative practitioners increased 50% between 1990 and 1997.
700 million visits were made to these providers in 1999, while only 340 million visits were made to physicians practicing conventional medicine.
Patients are willing to pay out of pocket for alternative medicine and now some insurance companies are even agreeing to pay for certain kinds of alternative medicine.
Published newsletters, written by physicians, are dedicated to alternative medicine, such as Journal of American Medical Association
In 1998, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was established (NCCAM).
National Institute of Health (NIH) has earmarked millions of dollars to study alternative medicine.
Duke University has established a center for integrative medicine with an annual conference on alternative medicin
Make alternative medicine an ally not an adversary.
Think about unconventional therapies as an opportunity to incorporate alternative medical options into your conventional medical therapy. Consider alternative medicine as complimentary medicine, using these nontraditional treatments as a complement to the ordinary treatment. Using the conventional medicine as the primary method, allow the other forms to support your patient and your practice. The most popular integrative approaches include physical therapies such as yoga, massages, chiropractic services, and acupressure treatment. Mind-body techniques such as biofeedback, hypnotherapy, and meditation are also common. Patients often turn to nutritional therapy and osteopathic medicine for additional health benefits.
Don’t let your patients get caught in the web of the Internet
Many studies have demonstrated that patients learn about alternative therapy from the Internet. You can demonstrate your acceptance and knowledge of this subject by having articles and information on your web site and links to reliable alternative medical resources. Also, offer a pamphlet with websites you have visited and you trust. Make sure to provide websites that are truthful, unbiased, informative, and relatively easy to use. Try to lead them to sights that are strictly for information, rather than trying to sell their product. The sites that try to sell the product do not mention potential side effects and dangers. Information sites are more comprehensive and offer an unbiased approach.
Examples of this include:
Acupuncture.com (www.acupuncture.com/experiences/exp/htm)
Alternative Health News Online (www.altmedicine.com)
Alternative Medicine Connection (www.arxc.com/arxchome.htm)
American Botanical Council (www.herbalgram.org/directory.html)
Chiro.org (www.chiro.org)
HealthWorld Online (www.healthy.net)
HealthWWWeb (www.healthwweb.com)
The Herb Research Foundation (www.herbs.org)
The Herbal Information Center (www.kcweb.com/herb/welcom/htm)
The Moss Reports (www.ralphmoss.com)
NCCAM (http://altmed.od.nih.gov)
Office of Dietary Supplements (http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov)
OsteopathOnline.Com (www.osteopathonline.com)
Vita-Web (www.vita-web/com)
Be sure someone in your practice checks the sites you recommend every couple of months to make sure they are still reliable and effective sites.
Bottom Line
Alternative medicine is attracting thousands and even millions of Americans. More patients continue to seek alternative treatments. Perhaps physicians have to do a little soul searching and recognize that we are not meeting the needs and wants of our patients and they are turning to alternative providers for help and assistance. We can turn this trend around by making an effort to embrace the alternative therapies and incorporate certain aspects of their philosophies into conventional medicine. Some physicians have become very successful by embracing alternative medicine and incorporating it into their practices, examples include prestigious doctors such as Andrew Weil and Depok Chopra.
Let alternative medicine be an opportunity, and not an obstacle, for you to reach similar success.
