# Met my Primary Care Provider for the 1st time; she recommends homeopathy. Should I trust her? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161 "2015-11-10T02:54:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/61 "2015-11-11T19:30:00Z")
You’re doing it wrong!! He said to view the path of Love, not to plug into it. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/62 "2015-11-11T20:22:28Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > She’s not a MD but a FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner?). Oh, so she’s not a doctor then. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/63 "2015-11-12T03:29:51Z")
Thank you, Jackmanii > [@LSLGuy](#): > > How does one find these warning letters? Is there a handy section on the FDA website? If you lose the link, go to the Home Page [[FDA.gov](http://FDA.gov)], and there is a link right there. You can search by the company name, or by the Subject, which is trickier. You don’t want the one’s about marketing claims (because the FDA will cite a company for claiming willow is good for head-aches and companies will claim willow will cure cancer). Look for cGMP/Dietary supplement. (The letters can be really entertaining once you know how to read them; FDA can snark.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/64 "2015-11-12T12:42:22Z")
> [@j666](#): > > (The letters can be really entertaining once you know how to read them; FDA can snark.) Yes! It’s good to know that there is oversight, but it’s kind of scary reading about what they turn up. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/65 "2015-11-12T12:58:22Z")
PCP almost universally stands for, Personal Care Physician. For some reason this clinic has changed it to, Personal Care Provider. (Red Flag!) They have provided a nurse practitioner to someone seeking a doctor. ( Red Flag) Find a Doctor, and don’t look back, is my advice. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/66 "2015-11-12T13:18:55Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Yes! > > It’s good to know that there is oversight, but it’s kind of scary reading about what they turn up. There was one recently that included [an open pit for a urinal](http://chemjobber.blogspot.com/2015/11/warning-letter-of-week-doesnt-everyone.html). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/67 "2015-11-12T13:26:52Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > PCP almost universally stands for, Personal Care Physician. > > For some reason this clinic has changed it to, Personal Care Provider. (Red Flag!) > > They have provided a nurse practitioner to someone seeking a doctor. ( Red Flag) > > Find a Doctor, and don’t look back, is my advice. PCP almost universally means Primary Care Provider, and can mean MD, DO, Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. And in my experience, while I see more NPs dabbling in woo, MDs and DOs are not automatically going to be woo-free either. NPs and PAs can be very competent providers, and I’d trust some of my ‘mid level’ providers (a sometimes disdained term used for NPs and PAs) over a lot of docs I know and have worked with. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/68 "2015-11-12T13:50:28Z")
Agreed, **QtM**. I’ve been treated by some truly excellent NPs. My GYN and I had a hilarious exchange about using herbal stuff to help with menopause symptoms. (I live in an area with a lot of crunchy types who don’t trust big pharma, but still see doctors.) My doc phrased it as something like, “Some women don’t like to use pharmaceutical HRT, and use herbs such as…[she lists the herbs]. Anecdotal reports are that they are helpful.” “But hasn’t the FDA found that herbal preparations have widely varying amounts of the herbs, sometimes even in the same bottle?” “Well, yes.” “Um, ok. Given my other medical issues, I think I’d like to talk about real drugs with proper testing and manufacturing oversight, please.” She didn’t quite laugh, but there was quite a smile. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/69 "2015-11-12T14:17:42Z")
I’ve also been treated by some excellent NP’s, but I an still more comfortable with a doctor for my pcp. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/70 "2015-11-12T15:08:44Z")
> [@ashtayk](#): > > This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. There is really nothing called “stomach flu.” Influenza symptoms rarely include anything to do with the stomach. However there may be other viruses responsible for stomach issue such as diarrhea and vomiting, but not the Flu virus. > > Its fine if lay people use the term stomach flu, but a medical practitioner using it gets my goat a little bit. > > Apart from all the homeopathy talk of course. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Whether or not she said “homeopathy”, what she recommended was a popular herbal remedy which might possibly help, is very unlikely to hurt, and probably packs a decent placebo effect. That’s much less of a red flag than if she suggested actual homeopathy, which has been pretty thoroughly debunked. > > I’d probably shop for another PCP, but my prior PCP once recommended a treatment which I thought was probably bunk (I forget the name right now) and I asked her if it hadn’t failed to be found effective in studies, and she said it might just be the placebo effect, but she felt it had helped her. Then she talked a bit about the value of placebos – and that’s NOT bunk. > > So I stuck with her until she retired, and I don’t regret it. > [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Yeah, it sounds to me like she just doesn’t know what “homeopathy” means, and thinks it’s a synonym for “herbal medicine” or something. It would probably bother me, because I think people should know what words mean if they’re going to use them in a professional context, but it’s less dodgy than recommending actual homeopathy. 1. She doesn’t know the proper term for her diagnosis (Stomach flu?) 2. She doesn’t know that herbal remedies are not homeopathic 3. She doesn’t know the difference between “Evidence-based” and a single anecdotal point “It worked for me.” You’d probably be better off getting medical advice from a caring neighbor, mother, or friend. All the tea and sympathy, and hopefully less of the misinformation. Honestly, I’m surprised you would even consider going back to her. I’m sure she’s quite sincere, and that’s endearing, but it’s not medically useful to you. And given the lack of discernment she’s already shown, I’d be concerned that she might not recognize when you were in real trouble and needed real medical help urgently. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/71 "2015-11-12T16:47:29Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > PCP almost universally stands for, Personal Care Physician. > > For some reason this clinic has changed it to, Personal Care Provider. (Red Flag!) > > They have provided a nurse practitioner to someone seeking a doctor. ( Red Flag) > > Find a Doctor, and don’t look back, is my advice. To echo **QtM** , Primary Care Provider is standard. I’ve been to my PCP, an ARNP (advanced registered nurse practitioner), for many years and have had only the best care. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/72 "2015-11-13T01:23:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > It’s good to know that there is oversight, but it’s kind of scary reading about what they turn up. If you find the pharma letters scary, don’t, whatever you do, read the ones on food. > [@asterion](#): > > There was one recently that included [an open pit for a urinal](http://chemjobber.blogspot.com/2015/11/warning-letter-of-week-doesnt-everyone.html). Remember the one about the frogs in the pharma facility? Did you see the recent one about the guy grabbed one of the HPLC computers _and ran away?_ I can’t remember if that one was drug or device. Sometimes I love my job. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/73 "2015-11-13T04:05:54Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > PCP almost universally stands for, Personal Care Physician. > > For some reason this clinic has changed it to, Personal Care Provider. (Red Flag!) > > They have provided a nurse practitioner to someone seeking a doctor. ( Red Flag) > > Find a Doctor, and don’t look back, is my advice. Actually, it is Primary Care Provider. At least in Oregon. For someone with a non-complicated health history, a midlevel (NP or PA) is perfectly fine to have as your PCP. Some differences (as I understand them) is that PAs practice on the license of the Physician they assist (thus Physician Assistant.) A Nurse Practitioner has a stand alone license. S/he can have their own practice without a Physician on site. A PA can’t. A PA is usually standard western medical type medicine. NPs come from a more holistic tradition and tend to treat the whole patient, not just the symptom. Both have full prescribng priviledges, and can order all the tests you need and send all the referrals you need. There is NO reason why a midlevel can’t be a good primary care provider. And there simply aren’t enough Physicians to go around. You may also run into a Physician who is a DO. From what I understand, the things they can do are equivilent to what an MD can do, but they also have a more holistic approach. They also sometimes will do chiropractic manipulations. Some I have known do. Some don’t. Mostly because they don’t have the time. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/74 "2015-11-13T13:46:41Z")
> [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > You may also run into a Physician who is a DO. From what I understand, the things they can do are equivilent to what an MD can do, but they also have a more holistic approach. They also sometimes will do chiropractic manipulations. Some I have known do. Some don’t. Mostly because they don’t have the time. LOL, I know a few DOs who will blow a gasket if they hear you describing what they do as “chiropractic” manipulation. And most DOs I know don’t do manipulation because they don’t think it has much real benefit, not due to time constraints. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/75 "2015-11-13T14:03:43Z")
I would avoid any practitioner who bills him/herself as “holistic” and says they “treat the whole person”. At its best this is a deceptive marketing tool, and at worst a cover for large shovel-fulls of woo. Any good physician is “holistic”. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/76 "2015-11-13T15:56:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > LOL, I know a few DOs who will blow a gasket if they hear you describing what they do as “chiropractic” manipulation. > > And most DOs I know don’t do manipulation because they don’t think it has much real benefit, not due to time constraints. Similarly, very few allopaths (M.D.'s) are inclined to balance humors anymore, whether or not they have the time. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/77 "2015-11-13T16:15:09Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Any good physician is “holistic”. Then there are an awful lot of bad physicians. Narrow-focus treatments seem to be more the rule than the exception. Harmful interactions between prescriptions from different specialists, or even a single GP, is far too common. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/78 "2015-11-13T17:27:00Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I would avoid any practitioner who bills him/herself as “holistic” and says they “treat the whole person”. > > At its best this is a deceptive marketing tool, and at worst a cover for large shovel-fulls of woo. > > Any good physician is “holistic”. Yes, but there are a lot of bad physicians, and unfortunately, “treating the whole person” isn’t the norm. I wouldn’t avoid a physician who advertised that. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/79 "2015-11-13T17:56:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yes, but there are a lot of bad physicians, and unfortunately, “treating the whole person” isn’t the norm. I wouldn’t avoid a physician who advertised that. What about if they advertise that they’re “wholistic”? Seriously, I see that word used a lot. I hates it. [sub]I’m not that fond of “holistic” either, frankly[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/80 "2015-11-13T18:49:05Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yes, but there are a lot of bad physicians, and unfortunately, “treating the whole person” isn’t the norm. Apparently all those specialists who go to a great deal of trouble to collect accurate patient histories and document past/present illnesses, medications and allergies are not “treating the whole person”. And maybe the orthopedist you go to for intractable knee pain is paying too much attention to your problem and not addressing your overall mind-body connections. Hard to say. :dubious: In my own (and my family’s) experience, most physicians are least competent and if your problem needs specialized attention, know how to refer you to the right people. A few docs are superlative and a few are lousy\*. All too often I see examples of people who encounter a lousy doc (or someone they believe to be so), and instead of seeking out a competent (or hopefully, excellent) doc, they turn to woo. Based on the kinds of practices that come up when one Googles “holistic physician”, warning bells should sound. For instance, one of the first links I spot is to a local university-affiliated “integrative practice” that specializes in: _traditional western medicine whole medical systems mind-body medicine biologically-based practices manipulative and body-based practices energy medicine_ The cacophony of misleading buzz-phrases is overwhelming, starting with the insulting premise that evidence-based medicine is “western” (ignoring the great number of excellent evidence-based physicians and facilities in non-western nations who are lumped in with traditional/Ayurvedic practitioners). Go for it if reiki and “energy healing” are what you want. What such offerings tell me is that the practice either is not founded on sound medical principles, or is cynically exploiting patients for financial gain. Which is what the OP’s question relating to homeopathy centers around. \*The nicest and most caring primary care doc I ever had was, unfortunately, not the best diagnostician. Such skills can be important. \*\*the large vet practice where we’re currently having our dog’s lymphoma treated also offers glop like pet reiki. That bothers me, but choices are limited here and the vet oncologists aren’t pushing woo on us. \*\*\*[This guy](http://www.10news.com/news/north-county-holistic-care-provider-robert-young-faces-charges-012414) is one of my favorite holistic medical practitioners. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161.md?page=5)