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Step 1
Ask your friends or people who practice holistic lifestyles--such as health food shop owners, yoga instructors, non-denominational spiritual centers and new age book shop clerks--where to find a good holistic practitioner in your area.
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Step 2
Ask your family physician or give a call to your local hospital's referrals center, and ask about alternative practitioners that may be affiliated with the hospital in some way.
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Step 3
Pick up a health and wellness newsletter at your local health foods store, and search the "holistic services" section in the back of the paper for a local resource guide. Call around and ask questions about each practitioner's methods, training, experience and references. Call the Better Business Bureau to find out if any complaints have been lodged against the business, and ask around to find out if anyone you know has visited the practitioner and what their experience was like.
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Step 4
Visit an online holistic practitioner directory (links in the Resources section below to get local like listings, as well as links to comments from patients, information about the types of therapies they practice, insurance co-pays and other helpful information.
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Step 5
Call your insurance company to find out if it has in-network alternative practitioners, such as osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists or massage therapists. Though most carriers still do not provide coverage for many alternative medicines, some have expanded their plans to offer at least some types of non-traditional medical services to members in recent years.
