THE COST OF YOUR HEALTH
Oooooooo…all the juicy, catchy phrases that can be used to entice us into spending money for the sake of our health. Promises, guarantees, testimonials, accreditations (that may or may not be worth anything)…all packaged up with bright pictures of beaming health with a hefty price tag…that often has you gagging at the price…but somehow willing to take out a loan or remortgage your house in order to reap the benefits of limited time offers
Cure…heal…secret to…the only…don’t regret…bonus…exclusive….
Some self-proclaimed gurus pay no attention to the legal guidelines set by regulatory bodies in their country and state, and some are ignorant that that they even exist…and they do all the things they are not supposed to do to win your attention and have you spend your hard-earned cash with them, whilst others, more familiar with the legalities, painstakingly try to ensure they do the right thing, which often means less beguiling language and the non-appearance of those oh so enticing promises and testimonials.
I posted on a forum recently what I charge for a naturopathic consultation and the remark of a health coach was “I wouldn’t trust a practitioner who was that cheap!” She charges triple what I do! Apart from the fact the forum admin deleted my post (as they rightly should because I forgot I was on a forum that was run by an organisation that has their very own certified practitioners who charge more than twice what I do, despite being an open forum and with people sharing what they spend on naturopaths!?!)…it seemed a consensus that only the ‘good ones’, who cost an arm and a leg, are worth ‘investing’ in.
Really?
A huge fee has nothing to do with a practitioner’s expertise or experience. That being said, experience can be difficult to quantify, as years in practice does not mean much if the practice is not aligned with what is going to be in your best interests.
I often read that we should charge what we believe we are worth…and thus if you charge too little it means you don’t have faith in yourself. So, if you charge a fortune…does that mean people are just paying for your ego?
What is a fair price for anything, let alone a price to get your health back?
At the end of the day, the answer is…probably…what you can AFFORD to pay.
It has to be affordable…for you…because, taking care of your health is an ongoing gig, not a once off event. If you are going to pay someone else to help you do it then it’s best to ensure that repeat visits are going to be financially manageable.
So…before handing over your money you would serve yourself well to make sure that the practitioner not only fits your budget, or is worthy of your stretched investment, but that they are also a good fit for you (do you feel good talking with this practitioner?) and that they are suitably qualified, not fakes or dodgy.
Fakes or dodgy…yes they do exist as we recently spotted on Groupon. As Jules Galloway, fellow Naturopath said: “This is why you should ALWAYS ask to see your naturopath’s qualifications! Sadly, some people can get their “qualifications” from a (non-Gluten Free) Weeties box and call themselves a Naturopath in Australia and New Zealand. It’s downright dangerous.”
Here are her tips on how to protect yourself from fake practitioners (and for your interest, I’ve listed MY answers in brackets):
- Ask to see your practitioner’s degree or advanced diploma (I have a Diploma in Naturopathy, Homoeopathy, Herbal Medicine, Remedial Therapies, Zen Shiatsu, Refexology).
- Google the college they went to and make sure it’s legit.
Hint: If that “college” doesn’t have a phone number that you can call easily – they’re probably dodgy. (I went to Nature Care College in NSW). - Ask them how many years they had to study to become qualified (I did 4 years full time, plus another 3 years of associated study at Nature Care).
- Ask whether they’re a member of an association (I’m with ATMS and have been since 1990, and they only accept the highest quality of trainings).
- Ask to see proof of that association membership. (Mine is ATMS #3692).
- Find out if their association requires them to do continuing practice education (CPE points) every year (mine does and we are audited to show proof).
As Jules said: “If your would-be practitioner is acting cagey about any of these above questions, DO NOT TRUST THEM and take your business somewhere else.
Your naturopath needs to be across not just herbs, diet and supplements, they also need to have a solid foundation in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathophysiology, pharmacology, counselling and more. You don’t get that from a Groupon course. By the way, this is happening with nutritionists too.
AVOID these fakes. Your health is too precious to trust someone who hasn’t done the hard yards.
If they don’t give a damn about getting a proper education, then they don’t give a damn about YOU.”
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