How to Find Out Whether Your Insurance Covers Homeopathy

The cost of medical treatment is skyrocketing. It's no wonder, then, that many people are seeking less expensive options to traditional medicine. More and more people are turning to homeopathy to save money when treating allergies, depression and serious diseases. Homeopathy uses diluted natural products to trigger the body's immune response to disease. As the science behind this becomes more widely accepted, more insurance companies are beginning to offer individuals the option to choose a plan that covers homeopathy as well as traditional medical treatment.

Instructions

Find Out Whether Your Insurance Covers Homeopathy

1

Ask your insurance agent. Your agent is the best resource you have for questions regarding individual coverage. If you have employer-sponsored insurance, ask your company's HR Manager to give you the appropriate contact names and numbers.

2

Be persistent. It may take several attempts to find out whether your insurance covers homeopathy, especially if your agent is unfamiliar with alternative medicine. You might explain the cost-efficient nature of homeopathic treatments to an agent who is interested in learning more.

3

Speak with someone else. Insurance agents are human and do not have all the answers. If you don't like what you're hearing, ask to speak to a supervisor or manager.

4

Form an alternate plan. If your insurance doesn't cover homeopathy, consider switching to a plan or broker that does cover homeopathy. If you have employer-sponsored insurance, work with your Human Resources representative to find out how many company employees would be interested in homeopathy coverage. There is always room for negotiation in company-sponsored plans.

How to Use Neuro Linguistic Programming to Change Behaviors

With its roots in the human potential movement of the 1970s, the neuro linguistic programming self-help curriculum seeks to induce change in behaviors by altering mental "maps." It seeks to change how we view our experiences: past, present and future. Supposedly, a person reshapes his or her map through modeling, matching behavior and outlook to those of successful people. It is said that people can use NLP to change bad behavior like overeating, smoking, nail-biting or excessive drinking.

Instructions

Find Out if NLP is Right for You

1

Search the Internet for information on the history and practice of NLP. The NLP Basics Web site is a great place to start (see Resources below).

2

Think about the behaviors in your life that you would like to change. Add these to your search criteria to find out how NLP addresses these problems.

3

Try some of the exercises you find at the NLP Marin Web site (see Resources below). Focus especially on those exercises involving guided imagery.

4

Determine in your own mind how comfortable you feel with this experience. If you are "turned off" or "don't get it," NLP may not be the best choice for you.

Decide How to Use Neuro Linguistic Programming

5

Gather the facts you have learned about NLP in relation to your own needs. Test out those techniques that can safely be self-taught. For instance, you can learn a popular technique known as "the Swish" at the Speak Like a Pro Web site (see Resources below). You can practice basic eye accessing cues at the Smart Driving Web site (see Resources below).

6

Seek out a practitioner if your particular behaviors are best addressed by professional help rather than self-help.

Choose a Practitioner and Change Your Behaviors

7

Write down any questions you would like to ask a practitioner about NLP and your particular goals.

8

Use a directory (telephone or Internet) or ask a friend to help lead you to a practitioner. Contact one or more of the people listed, preferably by phone, and ask your questions.

9

Make an appointment with the person who seems most satisfactory.

10

Cooperate fully with your practitioner for best results.

11

Expect private sessions to range in price from moderate to expensive.

How to Treat Skin Problems With Folk Medicine

Use herbal remedies discovered through the development of folk medicine to treat skin problems like excema inexpensively. These herbs are available as tea or as topical applicants from many from different parts of the world. Follow these steps to find the best remedy for you.

Instructions

Educate Your Consumption

1

Learn that your diet can contribute to skin problems.

2

Lower the amount of preservatives you eat each day. Folk medicine experts believe that skin problems are a direct result of preservative-packed snack foods that are full of calories and high in sodium.

3

Trade carbonated, sugar-filled soft drinks for herbal teas. These days, they're available in bottles for those times when you're "on the go."

4

Use herbal teas to cleanse skin from the inside out, as they've done for hundreds of years in Asia and other parts of the world.

Apply These Topically

5

Try tea tree oil, honey, vinegar or a paste of salt and water to ease itchy skin.

6

Apply a mildly thick mixture of ground nutmeg and milk for an hour or two directly onto your acne. This may benefit your skin problems within 3 days.

7

Mix honey and cinnamon powder together into a light paste, then apply to face before bed. Don't remove until morning. Continue nightly for 2 weeks.

Treat With Produce

8

Apply and wear on the face or hands ripe tomato innards for an hour each day to relieve skin problems.

9

Position against the skin a section or the trimmings of a freshly-cut potato. It's said that it can extract pollutants from the skin.

10

Treat regular skin problems by mixing lime juice with boiling milk. Apply to blackheads or excessively dried skin.

11

Rub a freshly-cut clove of garlic around acne developments for a few days. You may see results soon.

How to Check If Your Insurance Covers Alternative Medicine

In recent years, the popularity of alternative medicine, which is defined as treatments not normally used in "conventional medicine," has skyrocketed. With this rise in demand for alternative therapies, many insurance companies have begun to cover certain treatments. One of the biggest determinants insurance companies use when deciding whether they'll cover an alternative medicine treatment is whether it's medically necessary. The most common treatments covered are those that require official licensing by the state or government. Certain therapies, like aromatherapy and herbal treatments, can also be covered. When insurance companies don't cover alternative therapies, you can always try to pick up a supplemental discount medical card. These cards provide discounted, negotiated rates on medical services. There are several companies that offer cards targeted at alternative medicine patients. Follow these steps to learn more.

Instructions

Check if Your Insurance Covers Alternative Medicine

1

Browse through your insurance plan booklet, if available. Alternative medicine, like chiropractic and massage services, may be listed inside.

2

Call your insurance representative to ask whether your specific plan covers alternative medicine. To speed the process along, it may be a good idea to have 1 or 2 specific procedures already in mind.

3

Read through any supplemental clauses concerning alternative medicine very carefully. You may find loopholes in your insurance policy as well as with specific prohibited specialties.

4

Ask your alternative medicine provider whether he or she accepts any type of insurance coverage. You can then consult with these companies to see if they offer supplemental plans for individuals.

5

See if your employer has a flexible spending account, also known as a "Section 125" plan. These plans, which are designed to cover excess medical and dependent care costs, will sometimes cover alternative medicine services.

6

Work with your alternative medicine doctor to pay the costs of treatments not covered by your insurance. Some doctors allow patients to make monthly payments to cover service costs.

7

Find out more about insurance coverage and alternative medicine by visiting the "National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine" Web site (see Resources below).

How to Research Folk Medicine Remedies

Use the limitless power of the Internet to research folk medicine remedies. The term "folk medicine" refers to traditional and/or natural remedies that have been handed down anecdotally. They may or may not have been scientifically tested. Visit your local library or bookstore for more in-depth knowledge of free, time-tested folk remedies. Follow these steps to prepare for your research.

Instructions

List Your Interests

1

Write out your search objectives before beginning an Internet search for folk medicine remedies.

2

Find information quickly by entering small, concise search parameters. Limit your descriptions to three words or less, like the following: "home bursitis remedies."

3

Know that when you commit to an Internet search, online companies will frequently target you for sales. They'll do this by offering a small amount of the information you want, then leading you to a product they want to sell you. Noncommercial sites like the UCLA Folk Medicine Archive (see Resources below) are more likely to give unbiased information.

Visit the Public Library

4

Find in-depth folk medicine history and suggestions in a library book. The public library is a free resource available in most towns. Many libraries will also let you use personal computers to do an Internet research for free.

5

Perform research by locating medical books. Search the library's computerized database for books on folk medicine. Research is easy in a library, especially with the help of the qualified librarian who's there to help the public.

6

Bring writing paper to take notes. While a public library may provide free computer usage, they will not typically provide free notebook paper. Arrive prepared to write down what you learn.

Interview Experts

7

Read through your local phone book to seek out holistic health practitioners. Research their techniques and discover that much of holistic health is based on folk medicine.

8

Locate health food specialists in your area that may provide less-popular ingredients for folk medicine treatments. Research your needs, then find treatment ingredients like raw potato juice and bulk ginger, grown organically for natural purity.

9

Speak with conscientious health food store employees to access free and frequently useful information with a smile.

How to Use Mexican Folk Medicine

Derived from a combination of Aztec, Native American and Spanish influence, Mexican folk medicine is indeed multicultural. With many treatments enlisting the use of popular herbs and vegetables, common cures are quite affordable. Known as "curanderismo," Mexican folk medicine is still popular today. It includes treatments like ground rattlesnake meat for healing cuts and sores. Follow these steps to learn more.

Instructions

Locate Materials

1

Use rosemary, a broadly available herb said to effectively treat earaches, skin rashes and various minor illnesses. It's known to possess many powerful healing properties. You can find it among the fresh spices at your grocery store.

2

Explore the many-faceted popularity of "yerba buena," a form of mint used in tea. Drinking the tea may aid in curing indigestion and other common forms of stomach discomfort. In the folk tradition, whole leaves are boiled along with the water for the tea.

3

Purchase ground rattlesnake in capsule form to fight serious illness. Known more likely in Mexico than in the United States, rattlesnake meat is used to treat a number of maladies from indigestion to erectile dysfunction to cancer. The ground powder is also applied externally to wounds to speed healing. Use with recommendation of a "curandero," or folk healer.

Apply Appropriately

4

Be aware that in many of the Mexican folk healing traditions, the healing process must be spiritually oriented. In the past, a healer would be brought in to determine what in the spirit world had caused an injury or illness to appear.

5

Find recommended practices and literature in a "Botanica," which is a store where "curanderismo" items may be found. In many cases, a "bonafide curandero," or Mexican folk healer may be found on the premises. Ask for advice while you're looking.

6

Know that the spiritual side of "curanderismo" must be respected and represented for best results in Mexican folk medicine. When traditions are followed to the letter, success tends to follow more consistently. Learn more by reading Eliseo Torres' book "Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing" (see Resources below).

How to Use Herbs as Alternatives to Prescription Drugs

Herbal remedies have been in use far longer than prescription medications. In fact, the original intent behind pharmaceutical companies was to capture the active ingredients found in herbs. Over time, this gave way to the creation of synthetic ingredients that are the main component of many types of prescription medications today. Since the original prescription medication was a more potent form of herbs, it's possible to use herbal remedies as alternatives to more conventional approaches. In recent decades, herbal remedies have become viable alternatives to prescription drugs in the minds of many Americans. That's why there's been a spike in the demand for herbal products, which can now be found in grocery and health food stores across the country. You can't just stop taking your prescription drugs, though, and pick up any old herb. Instead, you have to know what you're looking for and how to use it once you've found it. Follow these steps to learn more.

Instructions

Use Herbs as Alternatives to Prescription Drugs

1

Discuss the possibility of using herbal remedies in place of prescription medication with your doctor. This is especially important if you decide to forgo conventional treatment, as your doctor needs to be aware of any changes in your health.

2

Identify the prescription medications your doctor recommended, as well as their uses. Some of the more common prescription medications are antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills.

3

Research available herbs very carefully. There are thousands of different types of herbs from all over the world. You'll need to know what herbs are out there as well as what they can do before you begin. A good place to start is the "Herb Research Foundation" Web site (see Resources below).

4

Decide which herbs you want to take, being careful to consider recommended dosage, possible side effects, availability and price.

5

Buy your herbs either online from an organic grower or at your local health food store.

6

Take the herbs as indicated on the packaging. Any deviations may reduce the effectiveness of the herbs.