Kent Said:

As an alternative medicine doctor, what would you have prescribed to King of Pop Michael Jackson?

We Answered:

Anyone answering this question reveals themselves to be a quack. If you can prescribe treatment without examining a patient then you're a huge fraud who doesn't care if their patients get better or not.

Cody Said:

Why should doctors NOT be trained in alternative medicine?

We Answered:

This question is an opinion question and not reducible to "facts".

Training in any medical therapy takes a great deal of time and expense for the trainee (if only in "down time" for training and not being able to practice and make a living).

Medical school training requires four years of college, four years of medical school, time in internship and residency and another five years or so for a medical specialty.

People in medicine and their teachers don't think that time spent in alternative training is necessary or desirable. To be proficient in acupuncture, Chinese medicine or homeopathy have their own time requirements and no one can be truly "trained" in them without study and background similar to what a medical doctor must do.

Maybe I am being naive and I would think that medical doctors must have some coverage of the history of medical science in their curriculum and should be aware and respectful of alternative modalities that have stood the test of time (say thousands of years).
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Annie Said:

What is the issue with Alternative Medicine and why is that some doctors are less open up to it?

We Answered:

Because the accumulated evidence shows that most alt-med doesn't work.

For example: Homeopathy seems to be one of the more popular forms.

However, homeopathic remedies continually fail the clinical trials "western medicine" is required to pass. The common excuse used by homeopaths is "homeopathy is holistic, therefore can't be tested". Yet it appears to be perfectly testable and homeopaths can't explain WHY homeopathy can't be tested.

To believe in homeopathy you have to believe in the following:

1. water (or lactose) has a memory
[a homeopathic remedy contains no active ingredients and is simply a bottle of water or a lactose tablet]

2. diluting something makes it stronger

3. so-called "potentised" water is chemically distinguishable from "normal" water

4. like cures like (i.e. faeces causes cholera, therefore a remedy "containing the memory of" faeces cures cholera)

1 to 3 are nonsense scientifically. There is not a shred of evidence for 4 .

Remember : unlike most quacks doctors have a strong scientific training. Some medical doctors may use alt-med for its placebo effect in suggestive patients but others view this as unethical.

Roland Said:

How much does it cost to go to a holistic healing/ alternative medicine 'doctor'?

We Answered:

It's going to depend alot on where you live, and what exact kind of doctor you are going to. Expect to spend around $100-$200 for the first session, and then some modalities will charge slightly less for follow-up sessions.

One thing you can do to help deal with the costs is check and see if there are any teaching clinics near you for the modality you are looking for. For acupuncture, naturopathy, shiatsu, herbalism, and homeopathy, I will usually go to the student clinic where I get excellent care under several doctors (a student and usually 1-2 supervising doctors) rather than just one. These clinic prices are usually around $25-$40 per session, and often offer further discounts if you pre-pay for several sessions up front. This saves you ALOT of money, while still providing you with good care.

I have gotten more and more frustrated with regular doctors over the years - I still go for check ups and lab work, but for most other things I will always see a alternative/holistic practitioner. My health has improved dramatically in the last 5 years that I have been handling my health this way. I find acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropractic, and massage the most helpful for my conditions - but you may likely be different.

If you are looking for a holstic practitioner to be your primary caregiver, I would suggest a naturopath.

Good luck!

Francisco Said:

Why do you think doctors are biased against alternative medicine?

We Answered:

There are two major schools of thought on this, I've noticed.

Many people believe it's because doctors, the FDA, and/or the drug companies are just too greedy and ignore natural remedies (along with any combination of those groups). Along those lines, some people say the doctors want to keep people a little sick, or keep them coming back so they can make more money.

The actual facts behind it (which can be overly used, unfortunately) is because different people respond differently to different natural products. It's unfortunate, but it's true.
The big thing that many people don't realize above that is that natural products work to help the CAUSE of a problem, while drugs work to help the SYMPTOMS of a problem. Think about that....

Natural products actually give nutrients to your body that you may be lacking. When the body is lacking certain nutrients, it can break down some aspect of health.

With drugs, they typically turn off some natural process in your body to get a desired result. That's why they are effective in 90%+ of the population... but that's also why there are SO many side effects. After all, randomly shutting off a natural process in your body isn't usually a good idea, as it's there for a reason. Like how acid blockers that stop the production of acid also make it harder to digest foods.... because you NEED stomach acid to digest your food.


For a good overall example of this thought process, let's look at joints. When the joints lack nutrients, they break down and eventually start causing joint pain. If you supplement the nutrition that's lacking, the joint health will be repaired by your body's natural processes and the joints won't hurt anymore because they aren't damaged anymore. The drugs just mask the pain, while the lack of nutrition is still there.