One of the barriers to referrals from other health care professionals is their perception of you and your modality. Allopathic medical professionals in particular live in an environment of increasing litigation that is resulting in a fear of the “unknown”. Add to that the fact that anyone who refers is putting their own credibility on the line, and it’s easy to see why other health care professionals might not choose to refer to a CAM / holistic practitioner.

For most of these professionals, their comfort level with alternative medicine is determined by knowledge of whether the proposed treatment or modality is a) effective and b) safe.

The higher you can present your practice on each of these scales, the more comfortable all professionals will be when referring to you. Look for specific evidence from established sources that support the treatments you use, and put your qualifications, training, continuing education, code of conduct and other professional indicators front and centre whenever possible.