Where are the Integrative Medicine Doctors?

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Today's QuestionWhere are the Integrative Medicine Doctors?

 

I'm 58. My physician of 30 years who tolerated my interest in Alternative

approaches to health issues retired. Since then, I have gone through four

doctors who have expressed both outright anger and subtle ridicule. How do I

find an MD who will work with me?

 

-- Anonymous

Today's Answer(Published 02/20/2004)

In conjunction with the launch of the new Mind/Body/Spirit section on

DrWeil.com, we are presenting a week of Mind/Body/Spirit Q & As. The following was

originally published 02/19/2002.

 

I wish I had a quick and easy answer to your question or, better yet, could

provide a referral list of physicians for you to choose from. I hope that a

long-range solution to your problem is in the works as programs in Integrative

Medicine such as the one here at the University of Arizona begin to proliferate

throughout the country. As more doctors graduate from these programs, we'll have

a larger supply of physicians willing to expand the horizons of medicine by

focusing on the body's natural healing potential, by regarding the mental,

emotional and spiritual dimensions of patients in addition to their physical

bodies, and by drawing on the rich diversity of other therapeutic systems.

 

While demand for the kind of doctor you want greatly exceeds supply, it has

resulted in increasing pressure on medical schools and on those who administer

government funding of medical education to put more emphasis on Integrative

medicine. So I think the chances are good that in the future more doctors will

be out there who think this way.

 

I realize that welcome as these changes may be, they aren't going to help you

find an Integrative physician right away. A possible way to find one would be to

contact the medical school nearest your home to ask if there is a program in

Integrative or Alternative Medicine. If so, you might call the office of the

program director to ask for a referral. If your local hospital has an

Integrative or Alternative Medicine department (some do!) you could ask for a

referral in the same way.

 

Also, The American Holistic Medical Association lists some practitioners on its

site (although the list is not confined to physicians and is poorly organized).

Hang in there and make your desire known. Things will get better.

 

Andrew Weil, M.D.

www.drweil.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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