Taking the Holistic Road after years of being a guinea pig.

HISIRISHGEM · 04-29-2003, 10:15 PM

I'm planning on going to a holistic Dr. where the first visit will be 3 hours and 365.00. Since its pricey and not covered under insurance I thought I would ask you ladies some questions.

Have any of you gotten your hormones balanced, gotten pregnant, lost weight, etc. were you using tinctures or regulary form? Are you still visiting or did you only have to go for a certain amount of visits?

Is 365.00 pretty normal for this? They go to 80.00 after the first visit.

What advice would you give me or questions should I ask this alternative dr??

I'm a diabetic, hypothyroid, high prolactin count, hormonal imbalance, ttc.

Help!

Ajani · 04-29-2003, 11:53 PM

I just want to say "HI!!! WELCOME TO THE ALT MED FORUM!" Now we have another forum to hang on together.

The price you have seems high, but it really varies from place to place. I'm sure that some gals here can recount their experiences with a professional naturopath.

HISIRISHGEM · 04-30-2003, 12:30 AM

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeey Girl!!

I'm wondering if she charges because she's the only NPD here in the Falls area.

Are you doing this?? Do you like the results you've been getting??

MyJourney · 04-30-2003, 03:33 AM

I can't really comment on the price, although it does seem pricey to me.

But, I can comment on results...
I did about 9 months of accupuncture and Chinese herbs, in conjunction with starting a moderate carb diet and keeping at the gym.
I started Oing regularly, and my hormones have gone from classic PCOS (LH:FSH 2.7:1) back to normal. I think there is less hair growth as well.

I am a firm believer in the holistic approach, because it sees the body as a whole, and examines the total effects of anything done.

Good Luck on your new path.
Oshrat

lucie_nc · 04-30-2003, 04:29 PM

Hi there,

Good for you for deciding to take a more active role in your health care! I wish you the very best....

When you say "holistic doctor", what do you mean? Is it simply an MD who uses alternative medicine techniques as well?

Here in Charlotte we have a "Center for Integrated Health", and there is an MD who trained with Andrew Weil (the best-known "holistic" MD). I went to see him after seeing the naturopath. He lit candles and said Namaste to me - like that make him new age or something - but then it turned out he was pretty conservative, and didn't believe in anything the naturopath had told me. He did believe in Chinese traditional medicine, though, which is weird. Somehow naturopathy is treading too close on his territory, but TCM is far enough out there for him to believe it.

Anyway - I was going to say, $365 sounds like you have a traditional MD (at traditional prices) who dabbles in alternative stuff. He might be great, he might be goofy like the guy here. I would call and ask specifically what his credentials are. Ask to hear testimonials from past patients (if he's any good, his office will have compiled that info). Ask around in your community - does anyone know him or recommend him?

Lastly, in terms of alternative stuff, there's a LOT out there: holistic medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, TCM, the sky's the limit. Make sure you know what approach he's using, and that you agree with it.

My naturopath only charges $150/hour, by the way. Much cheaper than the MD, and I got MUCH more specific advice that was useful to me. I'm not "cured" yet, though - still struggling.

Good luck, keep us posted re: how it goes.
Hugs,
Lucie

HISIRISHGEM · 05-01-2003, 12:44 AM

Ok, heres what i have.......Her name is Karin Cseak, D.O. in Family Holistic Health. They do the classical Homeopathy, Osteopathic manipulations, Acupuncture, nutritional counseling and if they feel that conventional issues are needed will refer you to a specialist physician outside their office.

I've never gone through and don't know what all of those are accept for what they tell me in the pamphlet. I will call tomorrow and ask for more information as well as go to the homeopathic.org website they referred to in their pamphlet.

What kind of approach is recommended. Is this chinese medicine?

I'm so confused. The appointment isn't until June so I can cancel at anytime and find a new dr.

Is anyone in or near the Akron or Cleveland Ohio area that can recommend someone if this isn't a good appointment??

ellialex · 05-01-2003, 04:20 AM

Since their are so many Holistic Dr's in Berkeley, the prices here are a little lower...(but the cost of living is so high!)

I starting seeing an Accupuncture for herbs, advice and treatment and I can say that after 4 years of infertility treatment, no ovulation, I ovulated for the first time. Over the past year I lost weight on a Whole Foods diet; but I am still learning. I brought quiet a few books too...

lucie_nc · 05-01-2003, 09:51 AM

Hello!

First off, I am definitely not judging your doctor. I think there are all sorts of approaches that might give you relief. You should check out the books in the resources sticky and see what they say about all these different techniques and PCOS.

OK, DO is an osteopath. I'm not surprised that they combine osteopathy and homeopathy. Interesting that they do acupuncture. TCM includes acupuncture, but acupuncture with homoepathy, etc., is not TCM.

I'm not surprised now at what she charges - DOs are often plugged into the conventional healthcare system (my last insurance [not the current one, unfortunately] covered DOs but not NDs or homoepaths). My understanding is a DO has medical training, and like chiropractors learns manipulation techniques, but also has nutritional training, etc. See if your insurance will cover any of it - DOs are often included along with chiropractors.

I would read up on osteopaths and what they do. I've never been to one. I think some people really like them because they combine approaches from a lot of different areas (and it sounds like your doc does). Again, I would just talk to people in your area about her practice. Do you have a local health food store? if so, do they have a newsletter? Look at their bulletin board - that's always a good way to get some info on local practitioners.

Good luck!!!
Lucie

Ajani · 05-01-2003, 03:00 PM

The nice thing about natural doctors is that they are often trained in a wider scope of treatments, and will create a treatment programme based on your individual profile. For me, when I could afford it, I was treated with homeopathy, chinese herbs and accupuncture. For others it's massage and homeopathy. For others it's something else. It is very different to our western allopathic medicine where everyone gets pretty much the same thing, in different doses.

Let us know how it goes.

HISIRISHGEM · 05-02-2003, 01:07 AM

Hmm, I think I want a more chinese medicine, acupuncture, related approach with herbs and more natural outside the medical techniques used in MD. I think that maybe I'll keep trying because when I asked the lady at the desk if she knew what PCOS is, she didn't know. Hmm. Anyone have a listing online site of certified ones in the Northeast Ohio area?

Thank you all for all your time!