Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
establish a CAM clinic By Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa patients to CAM practitioners elbows all day long. The credibility of the group practice depends on the reputation of each of its practitioners, so the competencies of every practitioner involved must be ready to stand the test of time. Increasingly, such clinics are being established as a commercial enterprise by people with a business background. This sign of the times has its advantages and disadvantages. You may be a skilled entrepreneur, but your trade skill in this healing field allows your customers to sense authenticity, consistency, and hands-on knowledge. A "manager from a distance" may not resonate with this clientele. and trend reports tell us that Dream It What an exhilarating time to be practicing complementary health care. More than ever, clients are exploring complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to help them achieve a state of balanced health and a life of greater wellbeing. Physicians are referring one of the best businesses to start is an alternative health center or day spa. Wellness centers offer one-stop shopping for holistic healing services. Having an assortment of practitioners operating together in the same clinic offers better coverage of the schedule, convenient referrals to colleagues under the same roof, the chance for a team approach to the case using the combined brain trust, and a healing atmosphere for the client. This cadre of highly trained specialists will practice at a common office site, probably rubbing Anyone who tells you that starting a clinic is easy is either lying or lying. We're all too familiar with the concept of health and business as a double-edged sword. Many small business people work long, hard, albeit flexible, hours. The buck stops with you. A pipe bursts in the middle of the night. Who gets out of bed? You guessed it. For the record, being an entrepreneur is not everyone's game. Some are better suited to working for someone else and going home at night to relax. Not only is the clinic, in fact, a business, it is also a complex balance of commercial organization and fulfilling higher expectations with higher standards. A holistic clinic can do quite well financially, but—bottom line—do not open the center with the vague idea that you want to make a lot of money. You'll be a businessperson. Those who stick it out are those with integrity and sincerity and an affinity for healing and helping others, while managing the needs of a variety of people including, last but not least, your own. Think of it as a koan of sorts, the sort of adventure that knocks you on the head with its serenely ridiculous fulfillment. A whole lot of people are just so done with the "find a bug, use a drug" style of modern medicine. Your clients are eager, though, to discover empowerment and a bond of community spirit. Your group practice can be this heart connection for them—a safety zone where people from all layers of society can relax and find support. The Natural Marketing Institute has identified one of the key trends having a significant impact: "The Age of the Individual" is a major trend in reaction to mass marketing and a declining trust in traditional authorities, driving a culture of consumer-generated demands, products, and services that are "made just for me." That's where customized holistic clinics excel. Go Team What's your attitude about herbs, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, or even hypnosis? Which therapies will you want to work into the selection of your clinic?