Advice for You
Before You Commit to a Complementary Therapy
If you’re going to experiment with
unproven therapies, be sure to protect yourself. Remember the basic principle of
conventional treatment that all physicians observe: First, do no harm.
More Information
Tip-Offs to Rip-Offs
Seven Danger Signs
To minimize the chance that you
might unintentionally harm yourself, here are some common-sense suggestions to consider
before you decide to try a complementary therapy.
Get an accurate diagnosis. Make
sure you know from your physician specifically what type of arthritis or musculoskeletal
disorder you have, so you know what you’re treating. Ask your doctor. Is this a
therapy that might help my condition? Will there be any interaction between this therapy
and the medications or other treatments you’re giving me? (See Working with Your Doctor and Complementary
Medicine and Nature's Remedies.) Get information. Check out
resources for any therapy, and contact professional organizations to learn more about the
therapy. Your local library is a good source. (See Resources.) Check references. Talk to others
who have gone through the treatment – both those treated recently and those treated
in the past. Ask their opinions about the advantages and disadvantages, risks, side
effects, costs and their results. Check qualifications. If the
therapy is regulated, does the practitioner have a license or certificate? Is he or she
certified by a professional organization? Where did the practitioner get his or her
training? Consider the cost. How much time
and money do you have to invest? Ask how much it costs and how many treatments you’ll
need to see some effect. Complementary treatments are not usually covered by health
insurance.
This information was excerpted from The Arthritis Foundation's Guide to
Alternative Therapies.
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