What is a Holistic Doctor?
A holistic doctor is like any medical doctor, except that they have obtained extensive skills and knowledge in one or more complementary therapies in addition to a medical degree. This health professional practises holistic medicine, which employs the whole-person approach in the treatment of disease. A holistic doctor focuses not only on treating the symptoms of disease but also on identifying its root cause and educating the patient to revive their health and overall wellbeing.
What are the Benefits of Consulting a Holistic Doctor?
By combining conventional medicine with natural therapies to treat a patient, a holistic doctor addresses the obvious symptoms of their health issue while preventing these from recurring. Depending on their area of specialisation, a holistic doctor may prescribe lifestyle modifications, exercise, herbal remedies, energy healing or other natural medicine, or combine these with standard medical treatments or procedures, to improve the condition of their patient. This approach is beneficial to everyone and can treat a host of health issues, including:
- Digestive problems
- Hormonal imbalances
- Arthritis
- Viral infections
- Skin conditions
- Stress-related disorders
- Cancer
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Lifestyle diseases
How Much Does a Consultation with a Holistic Doctor in Melbourne Cost?
The price of a consultation with a holistic doctor in Melbourne depends on which suburb you live in or plan to receive care. It typically ranges from $190 to $340, but the actual figures can go lower or higher, depending on what goes into your treatment plan. Additionally, many holistic health clinics in the city offer a discounted price to concession cardholders as well as those who book online consultations with holistic doctors.
How Many Holistic Doctors Practise in Melbourne?
Thousands of Australian general practitioners have qualifications in different types of complementary medicine and have long embraced the holistic approach to treating or preventing disease. In fact, several professional associations for medical practitioners in Australia recognise the importance of natural therapies in patient care and their potential role in mainstream medical practice.
A survey conducted in Melbourne shows 70% of medical doctors at a Victorian public teaching hospital rated acupuncture, yoga, meditation and massage as effective complementary therapies (Braun, 2007). This explains the increasing number of GPs working as holistic doctors; 30 to 40% of them incorporate complementary therapies into their practice.
How Many People in Melbourne Consult a Holistic Doctor?
A 2007 national survey on the use of complementary medicine in Australia shows that the estimated number of visits to complementary medicine practitioners in a 12-month period is 70 million, which is equal to the number of visits to medical practitioners in the same period. Apparently, holistic doctors get a higher number of visits as they specialise in a wide range of medical procedures and natural therapies as well.
Residents of Melbourne and other cities in Victoria have a higher prevalence of visits to holistic health practitioners than other states. According to statistics, over 67% of patients in Melbourne would consult a holistic health practitioner due to rheumatoid arthritis.
