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How Holistic is Your Doc?
By Victoria Dolby Toews, MPH
Finding a doctor? Easy. Finding the right doctor? That’s trickier. These
five guidelines can help
In the fast-paced, insurance-managed world of conventional medicine, here’s what often happens: You hand over your co-pay, get six minutes of face time with your doctor, and leave—often with a prescription in hand. If you’re lucky, you remembered to bring up the sinus infections, low back pain, and sleep trouble that have been plaguing you for the last year. If not, there’s always next year.
“For decades, options have been limited for those seeking a true partnership with their health care adviser,” notes Andrew Weil, M.D., a Harvard-educated physician and author of best-sellers including Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being. “More often, physicians tell patients what they should do, without complete explanations as to why.” That has made for an unsatisfactory experience for patients—and, worse, lapses in care.
Recently the healing landscape has begun to change, though, thanks to an approach Weil and countless other providers have embraced: integrative medicine. A relatively recent concept, it pairs a solid scientific medical base with an emphasis on prevention—and helping the body heal itself. As Roberta Lee, M.D., medical director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City, explains, “Integrative medicine isn’t a specialty, but rather a perspective that synthesizes the best of 21st century conventional medicine with the wisdom of ancient medical practices.”
Providers embracing this perspective run the gamut from naturopaths to mainstream physicians (see “Choosing Your Doc,” below). In fact, an increasing number of M.D.s are open to the healing power of therapies ranging from nutrition and herbs to stress-reduction methods and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
If you love your doctor, you’re in luck. But if you’re looking for a practitioner who’s in sync with your own healing philosophy and sees you as a whole person, read on. We’ve asked top integrative medicine practitioners to tell us what qualities mark a holistic doc. Consider how your current practitioner measures up—and if she comes up short, use these criteria to find someone new.
1 | You get the time of day.
As a general rule, holistically inclined practitioners spend a longer amount of time with their patients, especially on the first visit, says Ronald Stram, M.D., director and founder of the Center for Integrative Health and Healing in Delmar, New York. If the practitioner dashes off a prescription and ushers you out, this is not holistic treatment. An hour is generally a reasonable time to expect for an initial appointment, says Stram, but keep in mind that office policies and insurance-reimbursement rules may dictate shorter times. Of course, an inadequate doctor can spend hours with you and still not be effective; likewise, a top-notch practitioner might address all your concerns in a short amount of time. Ultimately, it’s the content of the appointment that matters most. As Weil explains, holistically minded doctors tend to ask patients about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits, stress level, emotional well-being, and even spiritual beliefs and practices. In other words, they assess you as a whole person, not just the symptoms that brought you in.
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Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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