Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, is a family medicine doctor at The Center for Health and Healing and uses the integrative medicine method of treating patients. This form of treatment is a combination of conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Here, Dr. Kligler gives tips on how you can talk with your medical doctor about the different kinds of treatments you receive from other practitioners.

Q: How can I begin a conversation with my biomedical doctor about my use of CAM if they do not practice integrative medicine?

A: Patients sometimes have a hard time talking with their doctors about their use of CAM especially if their doctor is old fashioned, not open minded or inclined to say "that is a lot of baloney."

However, as more and more doctors are open to hearing from patients about the different treatments their patients use, certainly younger doctors are hearing about this in medical school, it is becoming more standard for doctors to assume that they should talk with their patients about their use of CAM.

I don't think it's fair to expect that your doctor will know a lot about any particular CAM treatment, or that they will necessarily want you to use CAM, but it's certainly fair for you to try these different ways to break the ice about your use of CAM:

1. "Dr. [your doctor's name], I am doing [what treatment], using [what treatment/medicine] and [another treatment/medicine]. I think it is important for you to know about it. I realize that you may not feel that you know a lot about it to advise me, but I think you should know about it anyway."
2. "There's so much out in the press, in magazines and on the Internet about how popular these treatments are, and they say it is important it is to talk to your doctor about them".
3. "I read in [newspaper] and [GetHealthyHarlem.org] that this is important for you to know about this treatment. I don't know what you think about it, but everybody is telling me that I should tell you, so I am."

Most doctors will appreciate your honesty and they may say that they don't know about the treatment and can't tell you to do it or not do it. They might encourage you to try the treatment and ask you to tell them what the results were. Your doctor might also tell you that certain treatments aren't good for your particular situation.

Q: How can I help my doctor understand more about the types of CAM I use?

A: Doctors have access to facts, databases and information to help them deal with any questions that come up when working with patients. For example, if a patient is taking herbal medicine or a supplement that may interact with a pharmaceutical medication they are taking, the doctor can look up these medicines in a database to be sure they are safe to use together. Most doctors know where they can find that information and if they don't, the information is not hard to find.

One excellent government website you can share with your doctor if you are discussing herbal remedies is the website of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). This website has all kinds of information that will help them answer your questions about herbal medicines or supplements. 

Read more from Dr. Kligler by clicking the links below:

• Integrative medicine
• Information that should be shared with your doctor and CAM provider
• The difference between CAM and conventional medicine
• Dr. Kligler's path to integrative medicine

To listen to our interview with Dr. Ben Kligler, click here for our podcast page.

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with Harlem health experts, written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.