Questions to Ask At Your First Visit with an Alternative Health Provider

Your first meeting with a prospective practitioner is important. It will give you a chance to ask questions and gauge your comfort with them, as well as allow you to evaluate their credentials and knowledge. Being prepared with a list of questions can help you be sure to get all the answers that you need to evaluate whether this therapy – and this practitioner – are right for you.

1. What benefits will I get from this therapy?

o Ask for specifics. Will it strengthen muscles, improve balance, improve immune system function? Evaluate the answers that you get in light of your own research. Beware a practitioner that makes extravagant claims for the therapy he practices.
o What are the risks associated with this therapy?
o Again, evaluate in light of your own research. Do they seem knowledgeable and open even when discussing risks?

2. How can this therapy affect my particular condition?

3. How often do you treat people with my medical history?

4. Are the benefits great enough to outweigh the risks for my particular situation?

5. Will there be side effects? What are they? What are the chances that I’ll experience them?

6. Will I have to change my daily activities?

7. How many patients do you see in a day? How much time do you spend with each one?

8. How long is the treatment expected to last? How often will you assess my progress?

9. Can you point me to research about this treatment and my condition?

10. Do I need to be concerned about the treatment interacting with conventional treatment?

11. Are there any contraindications for using this therapy?

12. What insurance do you accept?

Pay attention not only to the responses that you get, but the demeanor of the practitioner as he answers your questions. There are some warning signs to watch out for:

1. The practitioner is rushed and in a hurry to get the interview over with.

2. He or she doesn’t have the certifications and credentials that your local professional board recommends.

3. You feel that he’s being evasive in his answers.

4. He doesn’t ask questions about your condition, and your attitudes toward treatment.

5. He doesn’t seem knowledgeable about your conditions and implications of treatment.

6. He can’t cite any research or studies to support the use of the therapy with your condition.

7. He’s adamant that this be your ONLY form of treatment.

8. He doesn’t ask if you have any questions.

The interview is a two-way process. If you’re not satisfied with the answers that you receive, push for clarification. If you still don’t understand, consider whether this is the right practitioner for you. If you’re not comfortable asking questions, again, this might not be the right care provider. Your comfort with the health care provider that you choose can be the deciding factor in how successful the therapy or treatment is.