Alternative Doctors – Be Careful, Be Selective
First of all know that I’m not writing this from an “all doctors who don’t follow traditional allopathic medical protocols are quacks” perspective. To the contrary. I avoid allopathic physicians like the plague. Since I’ve been searching for a nutritional solution to a physical problem for eight years now I’ve seen a lot of non-traditional doctors and have noticed a disturbing trend. And it’s not a good one.
When you enter an alternative doctor’s office you enter their world. They have their own way of doing things. In the initial exam the doctor tells you that in order for him to diagnose your problem properly you need tests. The non-traditional doctor will order up a vast array of tests, which you pay for, so that he can make his analysis. The problem is that you don’t know exactly how relevant all these tests are. Urine tests, blood tests, scans, etc., can easily run over a thousand dollars. Be careful. Be selective.
Since I’ve been through this many times I now ask for the prices of all these tests and then ask the doctor to recommend the most critical tests he needs for half the total price. If he says he needs them all, I’m out. I figure, if he can’t work within a budget, he’s probably going to goose me the whole way.
You have entered their own private universe where they rule. They rule the patients and they rule the staff. There are rarely any other doctors around to question their authority. They have their own protocols, they KNOW they are right, and they can easily intimidate you with their medical school knowledge. However, it IS your body. Don’t just let them run over you.
After the diagnosis treatment usually involves nutritional supplements. Many doctors have their own brands. I can’t knock a doctor for wanting to make a buck on nutritional supplements, but many alternative doctors will think nothing of loading you up with 20-40 pills per day! That’s off the scale NUTS! They know that too many nutrients will just pass right through their patients and create no harm but really, do you have to prescribe the whole kitchen sink?! And of course they’ll insist that their vitamins are the best, contain only the finest pharmaceutical grade components, and that is why they cost so much. Just be careful. Be selective.
As with medical tests, I ask the doctor what are the three most important nutrients he is recommending and I buy those when I leave. Then I go home and research all the nutritional products I passed on to find out if they really pertain to my problem or whether the doctor is just giving me a blanket array of nutrients. Armed with that knowledge I then buy more nutritional supplements or not. It’s way too easy, upon leaving the doctor’s office, to just say “Yes” and take everything. Don’t do that!
In the end, alternative doctors can help you. You just have to weave your way through the maze they’ve created to enhance their own financial condition. Some show more avarice than others and all deserve to earn a good income. Just be careful. Be selective.
Muhammad Aqib