Hi! I was just curious to see if anyone here has ever tried a Naturopath/Holistic doctor and if you've ever actually had success with them. I live in D.C. and there seem to be alot of praised holistic doctors around here but I've never thought to give them a try and thought I should ask around before making an appointment.
If you have actually seen one, what was the appointment like and what did they prescribe? Did it help?
Hi! I was just curious to see if anyone here has ever tried a Naturopath/Holistic doctor and if you've ever actually had success with them. I live in D.C. and there seem to be alot of praised holistic doctors around here but I've never thought to give them a try and thought I should ask around before making an appointment.
If you have actually seen one, what was the appointment like and what did they prescribe? Did it help?
To be honest, I've had great success and learned enormous amounts from my current HCP (she is a chiropractor/natural health care practitioner) but it wasn't easy to find a good one. I went through 2 naturopaths and 1 chiropractor and researched loads of other HCPs before I came across my current one.
I'm in Canada but I imagine the treatment process would be quite similar in D.C. Initial visit is a consultation (ranges from 30-60ish minutes) where you go into detail about all your health concerns/problems, current diet, lifestyle, any kind of trauma or accidents you've been through, etc etc. From there, the HCP will take all of your information, sum it up and present you with what they believe is/are the cause(s) of your problem(s) and present you with a treatment plan. They'll typically ask that you make an appointment a week or so following your initial consultation so that they have time to go through your information and prepare a course of treatment. You can tell a lot about the HCP based on these 2 first visits; if you don't feel they really care about your health or that they aren't equipped or qualified to meet your needs then by all means seek out another HCP. Don't get caught up thinking that their feelings will get hurt or anything like that; it is your health and your money.
What the HCP will prescribe will vary based on their belief system/training. Whether or not it helps also depends on the treatment, but be sure to expect and demand results. If what they initially gave you isn't working, and you still feel as though they are qualified and have your health in mind, be sure to express your discontent with your current treatment and ask for other options.
Best of luck.
Hi! I was just curious to see if anyone here has ever tried a Naturopath/Holistic doctor and if you've ever actually had success with them. I live in D.C. and there seem to be alot of praised holistic doctors around here but I've never thought to give them a try and thought I should ask around before making an appointment.
If you have actually seen one, what was the appointment like and what did they prescribe? Did it help?
To be honest, I've had great success and learned enormous amounts from my current HCP (she is a chiropractor/natural health care practitioner) but it wasn't easy to find a good one. I went through 2 naturopaths and 1 chiropractor and researched loads of other HCPs before I came across my current one.
I'm in Canada but I imagine the treatment process would be quite similar in D.C. Initial visit is a consultation (ranges from 30-60ish minutes) where you go into detail about all your health concerns/problems, current diet, lifestyle, any kind of trauma or accidents you've been through, etc etc. From there, the HCP will take all of your information, sum it up and present you with what they believe is/are the cause(s) of your problem(s) and present you with a treatment plan. They'll typically ask that you make an appointment a week or so following your initial consultation so that they have time to go through your information and prepare a course of treatment. You can tell a lot about the HCP based on these 2 first visits; if you don't feel they really care about your health or that they aren't equipped or qualified to meet your needs then by all means seek out another HCP. Don't get caught up thinking that their feelings will get hurt or anything like that; it is your health and your money.
What the HCP will prescribe will vary based on their belief system/training. Whether or not it helps also depends on the treatment, but be sure to expect and demand results. If what they initially gave you isn't working, and you still feel as though they are qualified and have your health in mind, be sure to express your discontent with your current treatment and ask for other options.
Best of luck.
Thanks for the advice! Yes, I did my homework and found a female naturopath (im a girl so i feel more comfortable with that) and i've talked to her through email and she seems really eager to help me out and seems like someone i could really work with. I have an appointment for next week and i'll keep everyone posted on what happens!
I went to a holistic practictioner once, and all they did was try to sell me a bunch of supplements. Didnt seem any different than a normal doctor who feels the solution to the problem lies in some magical pills. Hopefully you find a good one and be very cautious about buying the supplements I am sure they will push on you. Chances are you could get them cheaper elsewhere if you decide to go that route. good luck.
I had a really bad experience with a holistic doctor. She (obviously) told me not to take accutane..and told me that if I don't start eating meat I'm going to die within the next ten years. WTF? But I had a good experience with a homeopath once when I got poison ivy head to toe. He gave me some natural stuff and it went right away.
lol, she obviously was suffering from mad cow disease, way too many burgers.
I also had a bad experience when I was 19, got ripped off so just be careful. I took some Chinese herbs a while back and my acne did improve but her advice made so much sense and helped alot. I don't take any thing for my mild acne currently just eat healthy and live well and In my case dont think too much about my skin and keep my mind busy. I find my skin stays clear most of the time.
Don't worry, im really aware of rip offs! I've already gone through most supplementation regimens already though...i've done Omega 3,6,9 pills, zinc, cod liver oil, b5, etc and none of these worked when taken in correct dosages for a few months at a time...Plus i'm a vegetarian and haven't drank milk or had dairy in months so i think i have the healthy lifestyle down pretty well!
what i really want from her is stuff like candida tests, hormone level tests, food allergy tests, maybe a colon cleanse, etc. I can't get this stuff from my regular doctor (Kaiser Permanente) because they suck and really don't believe in anything besides their own pharmaceuticals 
It won't hurt trying...I really hope it goes well though i'm running out of options!!!
I've been to three and to be honest, they all say the same ish and throw the same supplments with no science to back it up. A lot of what you can find on the forum for FREE, they charge 100+. The ones i've been to wanted to :
detox my liver (did it, still have acne)
reduce my stress (did it, still have acne)
balance my hormones without even testing to see if I had a hormonal imbalance
The worst was a holistic derm who actually is a licensed derm that gave me a supplement that almost put me in the hospital and then had me taking hormonal stuff that my GP said was not ok for me to take, all because muscle testing told him to do it. What a crock of $#!^.
I think if you've never explored the holistic side of things, then you might be impressed with the standard advice and may not get as overwhelmed since its one on one. But like all things in life, don't go into it with ANY expectations.