I majorly struggled with today’s title because I haven’t blogged for so long I forgot how to write there’s multiple names for the same idea (case in point: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine recently changed to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health).

I personally do this whole head swivel/hippie hand thing whenever I mention Prayers and Apples-style research (with a disclaimer that whatever I’m about to say involves “mind/body/spirit stuff”) – but hey, that might just have more to do with me wishing I was Penny Lane from Almost Famous than anything else ;)

(Public service announcement: Almost Famous is now on Netflix!!)

But no matter what you call it (holistic health, complementary medicine, alternative medicine, integrative health, mind/body/spirit stuff, homeopathic medicine or just plain old “natural cures”), chances are you may have a problem finding a doctor who speaks your language.

That’s why I wanted to share the information below ♥ While it’s in no way a comprehensive guide, it’s definitely a good starting point (and when you’re stressed out about your health, every lil bit of info helps!).

*Side note: Totally not shooting down “normal” doctors/medicine… just wanted to provide some alternatives for any of you who may be hitting a wall! :) For advice on talking to your regular doctor about medical approaches that incorporate the mind, body and spirit, check out these tips from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health!

Holistic Health Directories

*Please note: I do not have personal experience with any of these doctors/institutions (nor am I a doctor myself!).

As always, I tried to only include legit sources ;) …but for more info on determining who’s good and who’s not, check out this article by the National Institutes of Health (run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services): Credentialing CAM Providers: Understanding CAM Education, Training, Regulation, and Licensing.

They also have a ton of other articles on how to be an informed patient here!

• American Association of Naturopathic Physicians¹
• American College for the Advancement of Medicine ¹
• Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
• Institute for Functional Medicine
• John Hopkins Center for Integrative Medicine
• Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine
• The Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine ²

1. Found via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2. Part of the National Cancer Institute

Complementary and Alternative Approaches Towards Cancer Treatment

I spent a lot of time putting together the Prayers and Apples Cancer Project, which includes 75+ research articles (divided into: Mind/Body, Nutrition, Spirituality, Alternative Therapies and Exercise topics) as well as resource links for finding a doctor :)

I’ve copied and pasted some medical centers below, but definitely recommend checking out the full project if you have a chance! ♥

• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Zakim Center for Integrated Therapies
• Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
• MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Program
• University of California San Fransico Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

Natural Treatments for Depression and Anxiety

Ok, so you know we talk about non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression and anxiety a lot around these parts. (Understatement of the year, maybe? lol) So since it’d be wayyy too much to include in this post, I’ve organized everything you could ever want to know (overstatement of the year?) into separate pages :)

Each page includes DSM diagnostic criteria, statistics, a list of related blog posts and additional resources (including websites and books). I’ll work on adding more as I go, but hopefully this will help make your search a little bit easier!

Holistic Help for Obesity

I’ve also created a page for obesity information:

Each page also features easy access to the mind/body/spirit research database :) (If you really feel like getting your inner-nerd on!)

Email Me with Questions!

One of my favorite parts about having this blog is researching questions for readers ♥ So please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions! …I might not have the answer, but I’ll always try to point you in the right direction of someone who does ;) 

*This hat makes me feel like Inspector Gadget… which, for some reason, made me think it’d go with the whole investigative research thing (where are those lil laughing/crying emojis when you need them?! lol) What can I say, it was either that or this:

And I dunno, I just didn’t feel like Minnie Mouse would inspire a lot of confidence in my mad researching skills lol ;)

*Side note: It’s almost Halloween!! :) Which means it’s almost my birthday, yay! And speaking of birthdays…

Happy Birthday, Chet!

Today’s my brother’s birthday! (He’s basically a regular guest star here at Prayers and Apples haha #lifegoals #accomplished)

(I mean, who could forget last year’s Justin Timberlake birthday mashup?!) Love you, Chet!

…But if today is my brother’s birthday, that means that yesterday was…

The Third Year Blog-iversary of Prayers and Apples!!

I seriously can’t believe it’s already been three years!?! Craziness!! ♥ ♥ ♥

(You know what’s even crazier?? That meal prep post – the one with all the lil lunch boxes – has over 70,000 shares on Pinterest!! That blows my mind!!)

With that being said…

Thank you sooo much for reading!!

It really, really means a lot!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at all (seriously!) – I’m here to help!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

xoxo Jessica ♥