Friday, February 20, 2009

Complementary Health Practitioners Work with Regular Doctors

By Andrew Mitchell

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.

Who are Complementary Health Practitioners?

Complementary health practitioners are professionals who offer people treatments and therapies that are often used in tandem with therapy prescribed by "regular" doctors to help speed up the patient's recovery process. Complementary health practitioners offer patients things like acupuncture, alternative medicine therapy, physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractics.

Why do Patients Choose Complementary Health Practitioners?

Readers might not believe this but "regular" doctors do sometimes tell their patients to find a complementary health practitioner to help them keep their recovery progressing at a rapid pace. A physiotherapist can work in the same office or hospital as "regular" doctors and will often work alongside the medical team to make sure a patient recovers from his/her injury. Patients can also be sent to Chiropractors and Osteopaths for additional help.

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.

The truth is that some people just do not trust a "regular doctor." Some people believe that alternative medicine has a higher success rate than western medicine. Sometimes a person simply does not have the funds to visit a "regular" doctor and chooses to seek the help of a complementary health practitioner whose services are more financially acceptable.

What is the Relationship between Regular Doctors and Complementary Health Practioners?

Most people think that "regular" doctors and complementary health practitioners are rivals and do not get along. This could not be more false! Complementary health practitioners and regular doctors have a wonderful working relationship! This article has already mentioned that regular doctors will often refer their patients to a complementary health practitioner for extra therapy or additional treatment. Complementary health practitioners will regularly refer their patients to "regular" doctors as well. Sometimes an osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor will send his patient to a traditional doctor for additional testing or to determine if a different course of therapy is needed"treatment that he might not be licensed to provide.

The truth is that a patient can find a lot of benefit in visiting both a "regular" doctor and a complementary health practitioner. This way the patient can feel comforted in knowing that he is receiving all of the therapy and treatment they can get! - 16004

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