ALTERNATIVES TO

CONVENTIONAL
PRACTITIONERS

Kimberlee Gann
 Nurse Practitioners
• Trained as a registered nurse plus more education
• Can help with suggesting healthy practices
• Can prescribe medications, perform in-office procedures, give you a diagnosis, and order
and interpret diagnostic tests
• Holistic or not
• Can work in doctors offices, independently
Traditional Chinese Practitioner

• Uses herbs, acupuncture, cupping, Gua Sha

• Evolved over a thousand years
• Tai Chi is usually recommended
• Be cautious and tell your primary care doctor
LICENSED
HERBALIST
• Someone uses plants for healing
• Try to find root cause of problem
• Inspect different parts of body
• Teas, capsules, bath salts, oils, or
skin cream/ointments might be
recommended
Homeopathy
• 1st visit may take 1-3 hours
• Talk to you about physical,
emotional or mental complaints
• Details of symptoms important
• Looks for patterns
• Might give immediate remedy or
one within a week
• May want to monitor you
Naturopath

• Primary healthcare is available, specialize in preventative care

• They look at health, history, symptoms, lab tests and physical
examinations to see patterns
• They believe the body is capable of healing itself
References
• (2021). What does a nurse practitioner do?
• https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/nurse-practitioner/
• NCCIH. (2019). Traditional Chinese Medicine: What you need to know.
• https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/traditional-chinese-medicine-what-you-need-to-know
• Brennan, D. (2021). What is an herbalist?
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-an-herbalist
References Continued
• (2016). What can I expect in a first visit for homeopathy?
• https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/homeopathy/what-can-i-ex
pect-first-visit
• Chen, A. (n.d.). What to know about naturopathic doctors.
http://www.thenddc.com/what-to-expect-from-a-naturopathic-doctor/