Finding a great doctor is important. Integrative/holistic doctors are scientists, they LOVE learning and researching. Most reg. doctors do NOT do this.

My integrative doctors tell me we are partners in my healing. They want me to learn and share anything I can find and they will tell me if it might work.

The mindset of holistic doctors is very different. They are not robots. They do not just write prescriptions. That is used only if there is no choice. Prevention and actual healing is what they help with.

That is how I learned so much about diet and of course, supplements. I thought I ate healthfully, but I now do much better. I also do a ton of research and reading. I lost weight on the food I eat and it is delicious. Hubby is an amazing cook. We love to eat out at great places also, but our choices are good.

My favorite restaurant has a wonderful grilled salmon with grilled scallops on top over a bed of cooked spinach with a wonderful leek sauce. I love another dish at a great place too. Miso salmon soup with mushrooms, grilled calamari salad with avacado and a great dressing. I had grilled fish tacos and a shrimp cocktail for lunch out with hubby today. I leave the corn tortillas, don't eat that part, but if I wanted to, I could eat a little of that.

It all pays off. It is fun to learn how to eat nutritious food, low carb, no junk. The sugar I eat is coconut palm sugar or honey, small amounts. No fake sugars. Almond flour, no white stuff. There are so many wonderful products.

I have to use regular doctors since I have insurance. My insurance (as far as I know) does not recognize holistic doctors and therefor I have to use more 'traditional' avenues for treatment. I don't have money to go out and pay several hundred dollars on an appointment and treatment. Perhaps when I get SSDI (ha like that'll happen, I've been fighting with the government for 7 years to get approved) I can afford alternative medicine.

Insurance should pay. Just depends on what you have I guess. They are all MD's.

i use a DO instead of an MD and insurance accepts DO. Plus there are regular MD's that are open to working with patients and alternative options, you just have to do your research and find them.

I'll have to do some research. How would I go about doing that? Do I call their office and ask the receptionist if their doctor(s) are able to do alternative medicine?

When insurance issues arise it is usually the DOCTOR who does not accept the insurance. Insurances often reduce payment amounts for doctors...and so then some doctors are declining to participate and are only accepting cash now. I see some posts on our boards occasionally from posters who see specialists.

Insurances DO have the last say about a treatment and its coverage. Example, Anodyne for PN used to be covered with no problem, and now is being denied. Many insurances balk at IVIG for some indications too.

Well when I was looking for a doctor who prescribes natural desicated thyroid hormones I started with google. I got a list of doctors and started calling and asking.

Then I read online at a site that the best way to find info is from your local pharmacy. Google is so amazing, how did we ever live without internet? So I went to walgreens as asked the pharmicist, do you carry NatureThroid perscription? He said yes. I said, can you tell me which local doctor here prescribes it? And he gave me the doctors name and even told me where he was located.

Local pharmacists are amazing. They no ALL about the local doctors.

Dr. Weil has a school for MD's to learn more so they can help with many other therapies and deal with the whole person.
http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/


Another place to find integrative MD's. Just look on the list.
http://www.anh-usa.org/

I am sure there are other lists also.