Thursday, August 13, 2009

How Do Complementary Health Practitioners Work With Regular Doctors?

By Peter Benalla

According to a recent study, the number of people visiting complementary health practitioners has risen by fifty percent in the last ten years. What is a complementary health practitioner? Do they work well with "regular" doctors? Why would someone choose to visit a complementary health practitioner"isn't a "regular" doctor enough? This article will answer all of these questions.

Complementary Health Practitioner Defined

A complementary health practitioner is a professional that provides patients with a variety of rehabilitation and treatment services that can be used to supplement the treatment a person is already getting from his or her regular medical doctor. A complementary health practitioner practices in a variety of fields: osteopathy, chiropractics, physiotherapy, acupuncture, etc.

Why do Patients Choose Complementary Health Practitioners?

Believe it or not sometimes "regular" doctors will advise their patients to seek the help of a complementary health practitioner to help speed the patient's recovery process. Many physiotherapists, for example, work alongside regular medical professionals in hospitals and doctors offices. Patients are also referred to Osteopaths and Chiropractors for extra therapy.

Sometimes, however, a person will choose to visit a complementary health practitioner before visiting a "regular" doctor and this is why there are rumours of animosity between the two types of medical professionals. There are a number of reasons that a person would choose an osteopath or alternative medicine professional instead of a traditional western medicine doctor.

Some people do not trust or are afraid of "regular" doctors. Others have more faith in alternative therapies. In many cases a person will not have enough money to visit a traditional doctor, but can afford to see a complementary health practitioner as their services are usually offered at a much lower rate than those of a "regular" doctor.

How Could the Relationship Between Complementary Health Practitioners and Regular Doctors Be Described?

There are strong rumours that complementary health professionals and traditional doctors have a hard time getting along but those rumours are false. The two schools of thought are complimentary and it is not unheard of for a "regular" doctor to send his patient to a complementary health professional for extra treatment and therapy. This is also true for complementary health practioners.

The same can be said of the complementary health practitioners. Many osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists will refer their patients to "traditional" medical professionals when they find that their patients are in need of specific treatments that only a "regular" doctor is licensed to provide. - 14130

About the Author:

No comments: