[theretohere]

I have to say that I love our current care provider- a chiropractor who is also a DO.
It's really worth it if insurance providing you can see an alternative provider, but I know that's not feasible for everyone.
Our experience with the Dr is much better then the peds we've seen.

 

[spero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowpansy Who said I was throwing stones? I have been very respectful.

Maybe I'm just sensistive and not reading your "tone" correctly.
But these sorts of broad statements raise my hackles a bit.

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I am always mystified by the threads about peds dropping people as patients. Vaccination is pretty standard medicine in the MD world. If you don't want to vax, why not see an alternative practitioner?

Quote:

I guess my point is that if I were totally antivax I would not even try to find a pediatrician for my children.

You said the above even after posters had explained that it's often an insurance issue and not their ideal choice.

My youngest has a serious medical condition. The peds are on call 24/7 and can help if we have an after hours situation. Their office is open on weekends and evenings, saving us the hassle of going to the emergency room. NO FP in this area has that kind of flexibility.

Quote:

Why choose an MD who is provax when you are not? Other than insurance issues.

It's great that you do, but some of us just don't have a lot of doctor options. Some of us live in areas where the general tone of the entire medical community supports vaccination - and for whatever reason we cannot trek miles and miles to find someone who is more open minded.

 

[LoveChild421]

I am a receptionist for a naturopath, so my son sees him as his primary practitioner. We see eye to eye on things. He does not recommend vaccinations for children in developed countries such as the US. He is not anti-vax so much as he sees the complex issues and how vax can affect the systems and balance of the body. ds also sees a pediatrician (MD) for check-ups. I simply made it clear that we do not vaccinate and she has never threatened to drop us as patients. I like to have a good working relationship with an MD just in case ds ever breaks a bone or something that is out of the scope of an ND's practice.

If ds gets sick, I take him to the ND. We have to pay out of pocket for anything he recommends (herbs, homeopathics, etc) but to me, having seen the dramatic difference and lasting results, its worth it. I don't care that Medicaid would give ds all the albuterol he could ever want, I was happy to spend some money to address the root cause so that he no longer needs heavy duty meds.

 

[EFmom]

My experience with several DOs over the years is that they are no more "alternative" than MDs. Really, other than what it says on their diplomas, there was no difference at all in the way they practice medicine.

 

[LoveChild421]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EFmom My experience with several DOs over the years is that they are no more "alternative" than MDs. Really, other than what it says on their diplomas, there was no difference at all in the way they practice medicine.

that has also been my experience. My gyn. is a DO and he didn't stike me as very alternative at all, he just has a better bedside manner than MDs I have seen and knows accupressure.

 

[savienu]

My son's first pediatrician was an Osteopath, and she was VERY pro-vax. Now we are seeing a family practitioner who is also an Osteopath, and he is fine with delaying, and he even said he delayed vax for his own children. I think it probably has more to do with pediatrician verses family doctor than anything else. If there were NDs around here, I'm sure I'd see one of them, although I am happy with our current doctor.

 

[delphiniumpansy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spero M It's great that you do, but some of us just don't have a lot of doctor options. Some of us live in areas where the general tone of the entire medical community supports vaccination - and for whatever reason we cannot trek miles and miles to find someone who is more open minded.

I just asked a question. You do not need to get so defensive.

 

[wallacesmum]

Here is what we do, and here is why: We see an ARNP who is a naturopath, an herbalist, and a homeopath. She does not take insurance, which we don't have. We only go when we are sick. It is a very reasonable cash price for real, hands-on care. She is anti-vax, but I was the one who brought it up. She believes in homeopathy, and, while I don't know quite what I think of it, it does no harm and certainly seems a gentle first approach to medical issues. When I had a staph infection, she gave me an antibiotic. For a skin condition, a homeopathic salve.

I think maybe, YP, what your asking is, why hire someone that disagrees with you? Is that the root of your question? For me, I hire someone if I think their expertise is most focused on the area in which I need their assistance. That might mean we totally disagree in some other area, and it might even be closely related.

Pedi's are also easy to find. When my son was a week old and the midwife suggested someone look at his cord stump, I went to a pedi first. Now I know more about what is available in my area and what my options are.

 

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theretohere I have to say that I love our current care provider- a chiropractor who is also a DO. It's really worth it if insurance providing you can see an alternative provider, but I know that's not feasible for everyone. Our experience with the Dr is much better then the peds we've seen.

that would be awesome!!! i'd love to have that option here.

 

[junomama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowpansy ... So, why not see alternative practitioners and just forget MDs unless you have a need for a specialist or an emergency? Seems like it would save a lot of heartache.

Like others, our insurance does not cover alternative practitioners, and we don't have the money in our budget to pay full price for it. I have to admit (and this is not a flame or a jab), I was a little mystified that the money issue didn't occur to you when you asked the question.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spero Yes, you are lucky. And I would venture so far as to say that your situation is probably not the norm.

I agree.

 

[spero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowpansy I just asked a question. You do not need to get so defensive.

Yeah, but you keep asking the same question - albeit, in different forms - even though ppl have patiently explained their answers.

I'm sorry, but the way you are asking just needles me. Like the rest of us are somehow less "enlightened" b/c we don't have the options that you have.

 

[Scattershoot]

Quote:

Vaccination is pretty standard medicine in the MD world. If you don't want to vax, why not see an alternative practitioner?

This is such a wonderful question. I tell people pediatricians and vaccines do not exist. Of course they look at me like I'm on serious medication. Reality is what we believe it is.

I have families tell me quite often that they are tired of all yelling in the house. I say, "Why don't you stop yelling?" It's interesting the looks I get from that one.

 

[sunnybear]

I'd love to find an alternative medicine practioner, but they're pretty much non-existant here. People in general around here are extremely mainstream...pro-vax, high c-section rates, no doctors into alternative medicine, women having to fight to get a local hospital to even discuss the possibility of water birth, etc...it is a large part of why we hope to move back to Colorado in the next 2-3 years.

 

[AnnaLaughs]

We see a DO who is fine with not vaxing but does need some enlightenment when it comes to an intact penis

 

[TanyaS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowpansy If you don't want to vax, why not see an alternative practitioner?

These two posts sum up my reasons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvmybean We live in a pretty small town with no options besides MDs. So we don't go to WBVs or anything, and won't go to a doctor unless we have a specific need/emergency.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spero Some of us live in areas where the general tone of the entire medical community supports vaccination - and for whatever reason we cannot trek miles and miles to find someone who is more open minded.

I tried to go into the city to find a pediatrician who is at least respectful of my choice to not vax. For an interesting read on what one "respected" pediatrician said to me, check out this thread. He was rude and condescending.

FWIW, I thought I would have to go to the city to find one progressive enough to be willing to let me be the parent, but I was lucky enough to find one in my town. I think I'm the only nonvaxing family in the entire practice. And I'm ok with the fact that they do vax. I'm not there to change their minds. All I want is a physician who I can go to when my kids are sick, whether MD, DO, ND, etc, who will be respectful of my rights and role as a parent. Is that too much to ask? Really?

 

[crittersmom]

For me its part insurance,expense and location.Some areas of the country are not filled with alternative care providers.I was stationed in WA in the area we were in was pretty limited.I would have been doing an awful lot of distance driving to find one.
The other thing is that sometimes its a gradual realization that a ped is not what you need.When I had my first baby I thought I was supposed to take him to a ped since they should know the best about how to treat a baby and have the most practice.I figured out that hey I seem to know more than this ped and my family Dr has better bedside manner so I'm gonna switch.When I moved here we had an option to choose a ND so I chose one.I really just need someone to look my kids over and back me up when I say they are fine or sick.
Not every mama starts out knowing ahead of time what her vaxing choice will be until after a Dr has bullied her.

 

[chaoticzenmom]

I am near Seattle and use a naturapath and a chiro for all of our needs. I'm really lucky to have such a wide range of choices for healthcare. When I lived in Jonesboro, Arkansas, I had like 2 choices and neither of them were any good and it took me over an hour of waiting in the waiting room to even be seen. Some people really don't have much of a choice.

Maybe in the 7 years since I've been gone from Arkansas, there has been a huge growth in the availability of natural healthcare providers. I wouldn't know.

I also agree that a naturapath is not the same as a homeopath. I wouldn't see a homeopath (did once and quack was an understatement). I'm sure that there are good ones, but I don't have time to filter through them. Most naturapaths that I've heard of are pretty evenly placed between natural medicine and modern medicine. They can also write prescriptions and give referrals. I wouldn't go back to a pediatrician, or dr. There is that much of a difference.

Lisa

 

[Proverbs31]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amnesiac I guess for me, if I'm going to take my kids to a medical person then I want it to be someone very experienced in that particular medical field. That's why I don't choose family practitioners for my kids - where I live they just don't see many little kids & kids are not just little adults as far as meical care is concerned. And I can't even think of any osteopaths around here that are pediatricians - most of the DOs are family practice. We have seen chiros & NDs before but I do sometimes find value in seeing our MD pedi.

That's been my experince with FPs, as well. We go to this particular family practive because our primary doctor is supportive of not vaxing (very hard to find around here) and is awesome to work with. BUT, is a large practice so for sick visits you get who you get. We've had 2 sick visits since we've been at this practice and BOTH times (with 2 seperate doctors) neither doctor even knew how to handle my 2.5 year old. They both inquired why he wasn't seeing a pediatrician, and I'm like "This is a family practice, no?"

:

 

[MilkTrance]

We see an ND, but we don't have insurance (Canada) and it costs a LOT. So if, say, DS came down with a severe illness, it'd be off to the GP, not the ND.

 

[CarrieMF]

Quote:

I am always mystified by the threads about peds dropping people as patients.

for us there are no peds here so we see a General/Family dr. There are no ND's or DO's either. The Dr's are not the ones who do shots here, they are done by a group of gov't nurses in a completely different area of town. My dr has never talked to me about vax's except the 1 time I asked him his opinion on a certain one. The nurses in my dr's clinic when I asked about the purpose of a cp vax(when it first came out & we would have had to pay for it), they told me to not bother as it is a riduculous vax. Even the nurses in the place that do vax's said the same thing about it..

We have no reason to ever go to the place where the vax'ing nurses are so it is never an issue for us. They will be calling because my youngest is of "K booster" age. I'll tell them we're not doing them & that'll be the end of the discussion.