For holistic care, you can choose from so many holistic practitioners, including naturopathic physicians, physicians certified in anti-aging medicine, integrative physicians, and homeopathic physicians.
There's some degree of overlap among their roles; often the choice of holistic practitioner is based on patient preference, word-of-mouth referral, and/or prior patient or family experience with a certain type of holistic practitioner. You may choose to add more than one holistic practitioner to your team.
A naturopathic physician
A naturopathic physician is trained in naturopathy, a distinct field of medicine whose focus is on natural treatments, including the use of botanicals, homeopathic preparations, and nutrition to enable the body to heal itself.
In some states, naturopathic physicians are licensed to prescribe medications; however, these physicians usually choose to prescribe natural remedies and lifestyle changes in most cases. The naturopathic physician's goal is to use approaches that support the natural healing of the body.
People often choose a naturopathic physician to provide a complementary approach to treating the conditions for which they also see their “regular doctor.”
Naturopathic physicians undergo four years of premedical school training and then four years of post-graduate naturopathic medical school training. A graduate from this type of school has undergone rigorous classroom work in addition to bedside teaching and clinical rotations, just like doctors graduating from medical school.
For a listing of naturopathic physicians in your area, please visit Naturopathic Physicians.
An anti-aging specialist
One of the most exciting new fields in medicine is anti-aging. The anti-aging specialist is trained in a holistic approach to body function, including hormone testing, which is one of the reasons that these specialists are excellent resources for people with adrenal fatigue. They've been specially trained to evaluate all aspects of adrenal function and to prescribe personalized treatment plans.
Anti-aging experts seek to treat, prevent, and reverse medical conditions that shorten life span and to improve quality of life as people age.
Anti-aging specialists provide a comprehensive approach to care that can benefit everyone. That being said, because of their added expertise in adrenal function and hormone testing, women very much benefit from seeing this type of healthcare practitioner. Anti-aging specialists’ expertise in bioidentical hormone replacement can dramatically improve the quality of life for many women.
A certified anti-aging specialist has completed a training program in anti-aging medicine. The University of South Florida has an excellent program. Note that many healthcare practitioners, including medical doctors (MDs), osteopathic physicians (DO), physician assistants (PA), nurse practitioners (NP), and PhDs, can undergo training in this field of medicine. You can find information on anti-aging training programs at The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
For help finding a practitioner certified in anti-aging medicine, visit WorldHealth.net.
A practitioner of homeopathy
A practitioner of homeopathy doesn't prescribe drugs or surgery. Homeopathy is based on prescribing as little as possible to give the body just enough of what it needs to begin to heal. Homeopathy is similar to naturopathy in that practitioners of both forms of medicine believe that the body has an innate ability to heal itself.
The homeopathic practitioner, however, often prescribes a natural substance in smaller amounts. Compared to the dosage of a natural supplement, homeopathic dosages are extremely minute. Homeopathic practitioners don't prescribe in terms of milligrams or grams; they prescribe in terms of dilutions (a dilution is likely exponentially smaller than a milligram).
Homeopathy can be especially helpful for patients who don't tolerate medications.
To find a practitioner of homeopathy, visit the National Center for Homeopathy.