By Maria Aparis

Search the web and you will find plenty of sites on how to find your perfect match. Turn on the TV and you will find many shows with advice on how to meet that person of your dreams. Everywhere you look these days you can find information on how to find your one true beloved.

According to one dating site you should:

1. Don’t wait for him to come to you

2. Spend some time thinking about what you want

3. Accentuate what is wonderful about you

4. Don’t be afraid to approach him

I love the fact that we put so much thought into what our heart needs and wants as this is a huge part of our overall health and wellness however, when it comes to finding a physician or what I rather like to call my health partner, we fall short on spending the time to find THE ONE that matches our needs.

So, lets use the above dating advice and use it to help us find our Dr. Right.

1. Don’t wait for him to come to you.

This is actually great advice! Don’t wait for a medical emergency to find your Dr. Right. You could end up making a bad relationship choice just because he/she was there and you needed them at the time. We all know breakups can be awkward so it’s best to avoid them in the first place.

2. Spend some time thinking about what you want

What kind of doctor are you looking for? What specialty? Male? Female? Does it matter how close their practice is to where you live? How accessible is he/she? How many years have they been in practice? Are they a pill pusher or do they really care about your health and want to find out exactly what could be going on with your body? I went on plenty of doctor referral blind dates set up by my friends only to find that the doctor was not for me.

3. Accentuate what is wonderful about you

When you have that first meeting it is really important to have time to get to know each other. This is a great time to really talk about you. Your eating habits, how much you exercise, how hands-on you are with your health and what your vision is on your healthcare and how you both can work together to develop your game plan. If the doctor is rushing you out of the room to get to the next patient or has a prescription pad in hand before you even sit down then this should be a fish that is thrown back into the sea!

4. Don’t be afraid to approach him/her

Often times I have heard from my clients that they accept the doctor’s advice without any questions and take every pill they prescribe without any thought as to what complications could arise from it. Take caution with this, as there are many prescriptions out there that cause more harm than good. Please ask questions. The doctors are there to provide you with a service, a service to keep you healthy. If they feel you need a prescription make sure you ask them about the side effects, how long you will need to take it and if there are any natural alternatives that could work as well. This is your life; you get to be in charge of what is right for you.

For me it was a bit like Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears. One wasn’t a match for me because he was too busy to move on to the next patient and let me walk out of his office with extreme anemia! Another one wasn’t right because she wanted me to take her endless bottles of supplements, which never worked. Another was so far away that it took me hours just to see him and when I did have an appointment he was always running late.

My Dr. Right actually found me! Hard to believe but he reached out to me to get information on essential oils! He had me at hello! He wanted to incorporate the essential oils into his practice! Now this was a doctor I had to get to know. I hope you are sitting down as you read this because what I am about to tell you will shock you.

There is a place called The Columbia Center for Integrative Medicine, CCIM for short and it is the heart and soul of what I believe to be true health care at its finest. As a patient you will first meet with their Wellness Director, the lovely and astute Elaina Holland who reviews your health history. She will ask you comprehensive questions that lead right up to why you are there. This initial encounter will take approximately 30 minutes.

Elaina then preps Dr. Dushyant Viswanathan, Dr. DV for short, who is the Chief Medical Director of CCIM. Dr. DV is best described as young, hip and cool with an old soul. You get the feeling that you are meeting with the elder of an ancient tribe yet who’s thinking is cutting edge in all things medical. You will then have a full comprehensive visit with Dr. DV which can take anywhere between 2 to 4 hours. You will have the time to discuss details of your medical history and what your current health challenges are. You get his full-undivided attention for as long as it takes for him to assess which tests are needed to best serve you.

What I personally find so appealing is that his tests aren’t just the ordinary blood test. He will order saliva tests, hair samples and stool tests. All of these are high on my list as they give you the right kind of data that you need to accomplish real results in your health.

Once your tests are back, you will sit down with Dr. DV and Elaina to develop your plan. Dr. DV specializes in Functional Medicine, this means that he looks at your body as an interconnected system. Instead of the Dr. who specializes in just one area, Dr. DV looks into your entire system and like a detective he searches for all clues until he finds exactly what is wrong. He also will recommend healthy alternatives to pharmaceuticals and only prescribes pharma for a short time until the condition is corrected and only if it is absolutely necessary. Together, as a team you will embark on a health journey like no other as they correct food issues, recommend yoga postures, breathing exercises, affirmations and mantras, and say things like “get a weekly massage” and meditate.

They are the self proclaimed “most detailed medical service in the world” and I have to say I agree with them. They offer a monthly membership for $550 and if you would like that membership to include house calls its $750. It may sound pricey to some but when you get customized health care that will even come to your home the price becomes invaluable. After all, what do you have if you don’t have your health?