Once You Decide To Consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Professional, What Can You Do in Advance To Select the Best Possible Match for Your Needs?
Here at Vitamin Insider we have explored strategies to identify qualified, accessible TCM professional practitioners. Using those resources, how should you move forward in narrowing down your choice of a provider? Which expert(s) are likely to offer the best results? What can you do in advance to assure that you and your provider are likely to be compatible? How might you coordinate professional care to reach your wellness goals? Read on for practical suggestions to make your selection process efficient and rewarding.
Questions and Concerns To Resolve in Advance
Before choosing any practitioner — TCM professional or conventional healthcare provider — it is almost always best for you to discuss in advance your specific needs and health problems. What else? Be sure to inquire about fees for services. Ask about other issues that impact the situation. In addition, determine the provider’s treatment style and qualifications. If you have done your research beforehand, then likely you know some of this important information already. You should also screen in advance for education, training, licensing and certifications. Remember: the credentials required for complementary health practitioners can vary tremendously from state to state and from discipline to discipline. Generally speaking, “buyer beware” is good advice.
You are well within your rights to request a conference in advance of your first appointment. How? You can ask for a meeting either by phone or in person. Just make sure that you arrange a convenient time. Provide advance notice of your intention of course. Ask in advance, too, to determine that you will not be charged for the preliminary consultation.
Areas To Cover During the Preliminary Meeting
1.) Find out whether the TCM professional is willing to work with your current conventional health care providers. Why? For safe, coordinated care, all of the professionals will need to communicate and cooperate with each other. Inability or unwillingness to do so should raise a red flag immediately.
2.) Find out about the practitioner’s training and prior experience in treating the diagnosis. Choose a professional who understands how to work with your specific needs. Disclose all your health conditions. This recommendation applies even if general well-being is your only immediate goal. Remember: Certain health conditions can affect the safety of complementary approaches. For example, if you have glaucoma, certain yoga poses may not be safe for you. Be prepared to ask about long-range effects of therapies you are considering.
Caution: Beware of those providers pushing extreme plans or trying to sell complicated, expensive packages at the outset. Ask the practitioner to tell you about some success stories of other patients at the office. If it sounds as if the very same steps are taken and the same advice is offered to every patient, be cautious. You need treatment tailored to your specific situation, not a “cookie cutter” approach.
3.) Equally important, tell your conventional health care provider about all the complementary approaches you are considering. Also ask for particular advice or precautions based on your prior medical history. In other words, look at both sides of the coin before you undertake a new treatment approach. Keeping all your health care providers fully informed will help you stay in control to manage your health effectively.
4.) Any other areas of specific concern to you.
Some Final Considerations
- The TCM professional you are considering might boast impeccable credentials and display a long roster of happy clients. Ultimately, though, very little of that will matter if the two of you don’t have good chemistry together. You should feel that the practitioner genuinely listens to what you say, understands and cares about your situation. It is important that you come away from the preliminary meeting feeling energized and hopeful. You should not feel burdened or obligated.
- Don’t assume that your current health insurance will cover this practitioner’s services. Ask what specific insurance plans are honored at this office. Contact your health insurance provider beforehand and ask specifically what coverage and reimbursements might be available. Remember: Insurance plans differ widely in coverage of complementary health treatments. Even if your plan does cover a particular approach, some restrictions may still apply. In summary, be certain of your financial obligations before you commit to a course of therapy.