Does Your LAc Know Your CPT?

Are you firmly on the self-care bandwagon yet? If not, you’re one of the few.

Most recent figures on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) put the out-of-pocket costs for these therapies (including acupuncture, chiropractic, therapeutic massage and other practices) at $34 Billion annually. Add the fitness ($27B) and nutrition/weight loss ($20B) industries and you can see that this trend is here to stay.

But, while the combination of these practices is referred to widely as integrative health care, there is an inherent disconnection between the practitioners and practices you may be patronizing. Gone are the days when you counted on your family M.D. to cover all aspects of your health needs with one coordinated effort. For many of us, gone are the days of the days of the family M.D.

So how do we create a consistent, cohesive approach and philosophical foundation that unites our efforts to stay healthy and fit?

Here are some guidelines that can help:

1. Start with managing your own sleep, hydration and stress management disciplines. All practitioners will support mastering these basic fundamental health habits.

2. Learn about the licensing, certification and registration requirements of the practitioners you are considering using.

3. Research your prospective practitioner online using resources like Healthgrades.com , Yelp and Facebook for gyms, trainers and yoga or Pilates studios.

4. Ask friends and respected colleagues for recommendations.

5. Encourage your practitioners to connect with each other if they do not already have a working/referral relationship.

Number 5 is critically important if you’ve already established a confidence and trust in a given wellness care provider. This could be the most valuable source of knowledge you can obtain to ensure a compatible, well-designed preventive health care team and enjoy life-long wellness.

With synergy and transparency both elevated in your wellness journey, everyone wins.

To facilitate just this sort of collaboration among local integrative health practitioners, a luncheon mixer is being held for practitioners on March 17th. Feel free to pass this onto your practitioners.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They offer personal training and small group fitness solutions and an innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.