How To Find A Natural Doctor -- When You Don’t Know Where To Start

Finding a doctor you really feel comfortable with and get along well with can be hard for any family. But when you add in the fact that you want them to be natural-minded, it can be even harder! Sometimes it can feel downright impossible, especially if you don't even know where to start.

Decide What You're Looking For

When it comes to finding someone natural-minded, you actually have more options than you might think.

You can find:

• A holistic practitioner (either a nurse practitioner RN/NP or a Naturopathic Doctor ND) who specializes their whole practice in natural methods.
• Natural-minded chiropractors, nutritionists, etc as well. When you see these specialists, you know you're going to get a certain approach; however, they are harder to come by in some areas.
• A natural-minded RN/NP or MD who treats mainstream patients every day but respects your choices to make natural decisions and is knowledgeable (or willing to do some research) to better help you with those natural choices. Integrative/Functional Medicine doctors often fall in this category. Another likely place is neighborhood clinics that have low appointment fees and do not accept most insurances.

The other thing to ask yourself is whether your family needs regular doctor appointments. Many families that don't vaccinate do not do well-child visits either – in which case, you would only need to get a doctor for those issues you couldn’t solve yourself or when emergency care is needed.

Once you decide what type of doctor you're looking for (or willing to settle for), you can start your search.

Online

Turn to good ol’ Google. Sometimes, a simple search for natural doctors in your area will turn up results, especially if you're in a larger city. In Columbus, check Ohio Holistic Health groups on Facebook.

Some resources are:

• naturopathic.org American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
• https://ahha.org/ American Holistic Medicine Association

Ask Other Parents

Ask other parents you know! Even if they do not see a natural-minded doctor, they might be able to point you in the right direction or might know someone who does. Word of mouth can give you an inside look at whether that office is a good fit for you.

Call Around

If you can’t find (or afford) a wholly holistic doctor you can call around to your local offices and find out if any of the doctors there are willing to accept your parenting choices (co-sleeping, non-vaxing, extended breastfeeding, etc.).

If they seem to be open to your parenting style then you can move to set up an appointment to treat as an interview. That would better allow you to decide if that doctor matches well with your family.

Ask the doctor, “How do you approach families that make natural-minded health decisions, like choosing not to vaccinate?” Some doctors will show their true colors right away so you know who you can be comfortable with.

You can ask about what kind of research or training have they done outside of their required curriculum. Also, consider asking, “Do you support natural remedies alongside conventional care?” or “How do you handle non-traditional parenting choices?”.

You’ll Know When You’ve Found Them

No matter what doctor you decide on, you can easily know if they are a good fit for your family. Some questions to ask yourself are:

Do I trust this doctor to take care of my family AND respect my decisions? You want to feel like your doctor is sound in his medical knowledge, and also understands that you might do things differently from the mainstream (and be ok with that).

Do you feel that if you are honest with the doctor, they will pass judgment? You should feel like you can voice your opinion to your doctor without them passing judgment. Many patients have been let go from practices for not vaccinating.

Has the doctor made his beliefs upfront? Has it been made clear between you that the doctor is accepting of natural remedies, or would be alright with you bringing your child in for diagnosis and then carrying out the treatment at home? These are important things to find out before you're in the moment with a screaming child.

Finding your natural-minded doctor may take time, but it’s worth it for your family’s peace of mind. Keep searching, ask questions, and trust your gut. For more natural wellness tips, check out our blogs and natural health guides, because your family deserves care as unique as you are!