Doctor Resources

For important medical decisions, people are used to the idea of getting a second opinion. What they often don’t realize is that when they consult a second doctor who also went to a mainstream medical school and is being routinely educated by the same drug companies, what they are really getting is the same opinion 2 different times. That is why I think everyone should have an “alternative” practitioner on their team so they can make informed decisions with a broader base of information. (Please read the page on Quacks.)

One important concern is to make sure your doctor isn’t being unduly influenced by financial incentives from the makers of drugs and devices. The government provides the Open Payments database where you can search for any such connections your physician has.

Some of the associations linked below have a practitioner locator utility on their sites. Another approach is to ask a local independent health food store or compounding pharmacist who they get good reports on.

Integrative / Functional medicine

Functional Medicine Institute

The International College of Integrative Medicine

American Holistic Health Association

American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine (ABIHM)

American College for Advancement in Medicine

The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA)

Patients’ site on Integrative Medicine

Environmental medicine
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine

Naturopathic medicine
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Bastyr University (of naturopathic medicine)

Nutritionists

The International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists