Are there doctors that work for their patients rather than Big Pharma, Big Government, and insurance companies? Are there doctors who are mold competent? Let's talk about how to find good healthcare providers. This information can be really valuable because you don't know what you don't know (ie. you wouldn't know to search for something that you're not familiar with).

Conventional medicine has rightfully earned a bad reputation. Many doctors treat patients like merchandise on a factory conveyor belt. They're just performing the way they were taught in medical school and operating under regulations and controls imposed by government and insurance companies. Anything outside of those realms and they are worse than useless (and there are a lot of heath issues outside of those realms). Worse because they will often prescribe drugs even when they don't know if they will help, but you're the one who suffers the side effects.

Some of the best doctors are those who've had health challenges themselves (or a loved one) and discovered the hard way that Big Medicine doesn't know how to help them. They discover there are whole other realms of medicine that they were taught nothing about. Some of these doctors go on to become integrative doctors (aka. functional doctors) because they integrate modalities into their practice that helped them.

Naturopathic doctors not only have to learn naturopathy, they also have to learn conventional medicine. Among other things, naturopaths are trained to use herbs that have been used effectively all over the world for thousands of years before patent-able synthetic versions came along. Herbal remedies have little to no side effects and are now backed up by thousands of scientific studies. But certain herbs and drugs taken together can create adverse reactions in patients. This is just one reason naturopaths have to learn both.

Conventional doctors are taught little to nothing about seeking the cause of the problem (treating symptoms instead), nutrition, herbs and other natural treatments, or environmental toxins that can cause things like Mold Toxin Illness. They are much better at treating acute problems (eg. broken bones) than they are at treating chronic illnesses - much to the dismay of millions of patients who have experienced endless runarounds with countless doctors who couldn't help. Reportedly, 1 in 4 Americans are now afflicted with at least one chronic illness. For these problems you'd likely be better off seeking help somewhere other than conventional medicine.

In a previous post I explained the process of self-diagnosis using the internet. Unfortunately, the internet is becoming increasingly unwieldy as it is being overloaded with unreliable information. In any case, finding a trustworthy professional can give you access to knowledge, experience, and diagnostic tools that are otherwise out of reach. After we've done our own research about a problem, if we need further diagnostic help, we usually seek a direct pay provider.

Direct pay healthcare providers work for their patients rather than insurance companies or government bureaucrats. This saves on staff expenses doing endless paperwork and gives the doctor more time to spend with their patients. By cutting out the middlemen and paying the doctor directly, you'll typically save lots of money and get much better service without faceless bureaucrats dictating what treatments you can and can't have. Also known as cash pay, everything is very transparent and you'll often know prices up front. Many of these patient-centered doctors even post prices online so you can shop around - like you can for pretty much any other product or service. Direct primary care is a related model where you pay a flat monthly fee for constant access to your doctor. The fee is typically less than you'd pay for insurance. 

This is free market healthcare. Get government out of your business and you can get the best products and services for the best prices. We have used cash pay / direct pay providers multiple times over the years and have always been satisfied with the service. Plus we've saved enormous amounts of money!

How do you find these healthcare providers?

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons has generously compiled a directory as well as a list of other directories and resources. This can all be found right here: https://aapsonline.org/direct-payment-cash-friendly-practices/

Many of those providers aren't functional, integrative, or naturopathic doctors, nor are they necessarily mold-literate. But just because we get their help with diagnostics, doesn't mean we use their services for treatment. We consider all the options and usually try our own treatment plan, starting with the simplest, least invasive and least expensive options. If that doesn't work, we can always seek other help.

Here are a couple of resources for finding integrative, functional, and naturopathic practitioners: 
- https://anh-usa.org/find-an-integrative-practitioner/
- https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/

What about mold-competent providers?

There are a couple of professional organizations that specialize in environmental toxicity, which includes mold toxins, and they list integrative and naturopathic physicians as well as other professionals: 
- https://iseai.org/find-a-professional/
- https://www.aaemonline.org/find-a-practitioner/

Here are a few other resources for mold-competent healthcare:
- https://paradigmchange.me/practitioners/
- https://www.survivingmold.com/shoemaker-protocol/find-a-physician-in-my-area
- https://survivingtoxicmold.com/mold_doctors___practitioners

Finally, Dr. Jill Crista, who wrote the excellent book, Break the Mold, has an impressive directory of her certified mold-literate doctors: https://drcrista.com/doctor-finder/

What did I miss? Are you aware of other directories or resources? Please share in the comments below.

With this list of resources hopefully you'll be able to find help near you that aligns with your unique needs and preferences. If not, many doctors now offer telemedicine. I do want to point out that I'm not endorsing any specific provider that may be listed on any of those directories. 

Let me tell you a Bible story: “A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse-- after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, 'If I just touch His garments, I will get well.' Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.” (Mark 5:25-29)

Sadly, this woman's experience with doctors 2000 years ago is still all too common. The more things change, the more they stay the same. There's nothing new under the sun. Frankly, there are quacks and snake oil salesmen in every profession. Buyer beware! Do your own research with an open mind and critical thinking.