3 Misconceptions About Working with a Natural Health Consultant

A natural health consultant works in — and across — a variety of fields with the primary aim of providing complementary and alternative health care options for people seeking whole-body wellness. Unlike conventional medical personnel, who focus primarily on curing disease, natural health consultants work to identify the root cause of disease so that they can prevent it. They work one-on-one with their patients to understand the role that individual genetics, as well as specific environmental and lifestyle choices, play in disease progression with the belief that such knowledge will enable their patients to restore vitality and optimal function to their bodies as a whole, including their minds and their souls. 

While natural health consulting might seem contradictory to western medicine, when practiced properly, it actually integrates science-based laboratory and diagnostic tools into its patient-centered care, creating the opportunity for patients to achieve lasting wellness. Take a look at some of the misconceptions (and realities) of working with a natural health consultant:

Myth: Natural Health Consultants are All the Same

Many people assume that all natural health consultants provide the same type of care. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. There is no standard course of educational training for natural health consultants. For this reason, patients must carefully review the credentials of potential natural health care providers, choosing to work with only the ones who have formal degrees and/or certifications in natural health care from reputable institutions.

Here at The Institute of Natural Health, for example, our natural health consultants are professionally-degreed with years of experience in offering a variety of testing, diagnostic, and treatment services to patients. Our staff includes registered nurses, medical assistants and a board-certified physician (all with formal medical training), as well as professionals with advanced degrees and clinical practice in many functional medicine fields such as biological, manipulative and body-based therapies. When patients choose to partner with us on their health care journey, they know they will receive the highest quality of care.

Myth: Working with a Natural Health Consultant is an “Either/Or” Decision

Many people believe that they can either work with a natural health consultant or a doctor; the truth is they can do both.  No legitimate care provider will inhibit patients from partnering with other health professionals. A trustworthy natural health consultant listens and works with his or her patients to coordinate their treatments with other care providers when needed, as well as when requested. Indeed, natural health solutions coupled with traditional treatments often provide the most robust care options, both curing and preventing chronic disease for functional medicine patients.

Myth: Natural Health Consultants Can’t Provide as Good of Care as Conventional Doctors

Natural health treatments are neither untested nor ineffective. In fact, there are thousands of studies, as well as an entire department within the National Institutes of Health, which provide evidence for the efficacy of complementary health products and services. Ongoing research supports the services we offer; moreover, our individualized focus of care means our patients here at The Institute of Natural Health often receive the attention needed to properly uncover the root cause of their ill health or disease and not simply the medication or treatment to alleviate its symptoms.

Want to Learn More?

For more information about choosing and working with the right natural health consultant, please contact The Institute of Natural Health. Our dedicated health care consultants are highly skilled, as well as widely experienced, and work to provide quality, patient-centered — not disease-centered — medicine. With holistic, natural health care options, our patients have access to the best functional medicine care and have the potential to achieve optimal health and well-being.