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I am a firm believer in finding an alternative way to cure an illness, whether it is the common cold or a stubborn back that just won’t stop aching. I’ll lean on essential oils, certain foods, hot tea or some light yoga when I am feeling under the weather.

That’s why I think it is interesting to consider consulting an alternative doctor when an ailment is out of my hands. Don’t get me wrong – conventional docs know their stuff. But they are also keen on writing on the Rx for pain killers or antibiotics.

The goal in finding an alternative medicine doctor is to ease stress and approach your health with complete well-being in mind. But choosing a doc can actually cause more anxiety – how do you know who to choose? What should you look for in a doctor? And so on.

I have learned there are a few tactics that can help cure some of that unease. Just like any doctor, you are going to want to do your research. Start by locating a few health practitioners in your area and checking their credentials. Make sure he or she is licensed or certified by a notable school, board, federation or organization.

A few to consider:

*Chiropractors will be certified by the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Board [http://www.fclb.org/].

*Look for Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork [http://www.ncbtmb.org/] (NCTMB) when consulting a masseuse.

*A homeopath will have a Certificate in Classical Homeopathy (CCH). If he or she is already a medical doctor, then you will see (DHt) from the American Board of Homeotherapeutics [http://www.homeopathyusa.org/specialty-board.html].

You can also rely on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [http://www.fda.gov/] to check up on a doc’s validity.

As always, use your intuition when choosing an alternative health doctor. If he or she starts offering a “miracle cure,” then you may want to consider someone else. Remember that there’s always a good reason why your gut is telling you to choose wisely. Lesson #1 in achieving total health? Trust your intuition.

Source: Discovery Health [http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/medtrends/practitioners.html]