alternative health care providers, what are my choices?

[MissRubyandKen]

I've been unable to find a family doctor who is flexible about vaccinations in my area. I really don't know much about alternative health care providers. I've heard about naturopaths, but I'm not really sure what one does. I've also heard some chiropractors are open to seeing children in a well visit capacity. Can someone please list my alternatives and explain what they are? TIA!

[tanyalynn]

It really depends on what you want a HCP to do for you.

If you need someone to sign off on school/activity-type physical forms, you'd need someone your state recognizes to do that. Pediatricians, FPs, GPs, even DOs, would work--though I'm guessing you've checked out all of those that you can find-- I think some states let chiropractors do that as well, and I think it varies from state-to-state for naturopaths too. Naturopaths aren't licensed in some states.

If you want someone who can prescribe drugs, I think the top of that list would also be your only bet--not sure if naturopaths can do that in states that they're licensed in.

And if you just want someone to help you keep your kids healthy, help manage illnesses, then your choices are pretty wide and if it were me, I'd choose based on their overall approach and how well they listen rather than their specialty. But in terms of approaches, you could consider acupuncturists/practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (I've had good results from this approach), a chiropractor (there's a huge variation in how they practice so you need to evaluate each one on an individual basis), I haven't ever seen a naturopath but it sounds like there are good ones out there, homeopaths (either ones who just do homeopathy, or someone else who uses homeopathy as part of their practice), and that's all I can think of for the moment.

You may want a couple HCPs. We have a pedi that we rarely see, but it's helpful to have someone that takes insurance for the stuff that insurance covers, including referrals, and she's not picky about how often we come in and she's shockingly good about recognizing that vaccination is my responsibility to choose or not, and then we have a DO who does mostly osteopathic manipulation and an acupuncturist.

[zmom2010]

Chiropractors

I am a chiropractor.

We do see children, however....if you want ANY shots, we can not do them in any state in the US. We also cannot prescribe any medication.

Also, While we all get pediatric training in school, if you choose to go this route, I would find one who is certified by the ICPA ( www.icpa4kids.com )

Even as a chiropractor myself, I go to a nurse practitioner in a family med practice for my baby's well check ups. I find it's always helpful to have a different medical view from my own.

NDs are licensed in many states (but not all). If you have exhausted all the resources with family medicine (not pediatricians) and even looked into DO (Doctors of Osteopathy) and NP(Nurse practitioners) then I might go here next. That being said, I do adjust my DS and believe that it helps strengthen his immune system, so IMO, I would get your child adjusted as well.

Good luck with your Search!

[phathui5]

If I could bring myself to pay for it, I would use a naturopath for our family. My mother in law started going to one regularly because she had fibromyalgia and it's basically a non-issue for her now. They take a holistic approach to healthcare, looking at nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, etc.