It is essential to knock the doctor or naturopath or chiropractor off their pedestal and establish an equal relationship. If your doctor doesn't listen or treats you in a patronizing manner, then change doctors or at least get a second opinion.
Read everything you can get your hands on, ask a lot of questions, find out, listen to tapes, go to courses, talk to as many women as you can, make use of local experts.
Educate your doctor as well. Bring him or her appropriate reading materials, especially articles from the medical literature or newsletters from self-help organizations.
Solidify your network of family and friends. Women with health problems, chronic illness, pain, or disability have to learn how to say no, to delegate tasks to other family members, to know how to communicate their needs and how to ask for help. Most of all, women have to put their own health needs first.
Join a self-help group or form your own branch. Many groups have accumulated more research than most doctors will ever find time to read and offer the invaluable support of other women with the same problem. They also investigate the natural alternatives as well unusual or innovative treatments.
When women turn to alternative therapies, they are using systems of healing that work to stimulate the body's own natural healing abilities. They are working with a system that assumes that normal biological milestones in a woman's life are a healthy and even enjoyable part of life. They learn to listen to and trust their bodies. More importantly, they take control of their health and put it into their own hands.
Remember the following when seeking alternative care: