Greener Health Care Options & Resources

There is much you can do to green your health care routine. Here’s an excellent round-up of resources to ponder if you’re looking for earth-friendly health care ideas and options…

Earth-friendly care providers:

When you’re first looking for a greener health care practitioner, your best bet is to check out the natural / alternative health care providers in your area.  NOTE: natural does not equal green but you’re more likely to find a good green provider via the natural providers than you will by looking up traditional health care providers.

• If you live in or near Salt Lake City, Portland OR, or Denver, check the health & wellness category of the ReDirect Guide for tons of natural care practitioners.
• See the health pages (products, services, and more) of the National Green Pages.
• Find an eco-friendly dentist plus learn how you can ask your own dentist to go green.
• Find members of Health Care Without Harm – such as nurses, organizations, and clinics. Health Care Without Harm’s mission is “To transform the health care sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment,” thus members are in line with green care.
• Read “Selecting a CAM Practitioner” a guide to choosing a complementary or alternative medicine provider.

Green health care tips and extras:

• Talk to your local pharmacy about the green pharmacy program.
• Visit Practice Greenhealth to find eco-friendly medical care products and services.
• Visit Health Care Without Harm to get news updates on greener health care and current medical eco-baddie hazards you should be aware of.  There’s a lot of cool info on this website.

Make smarter, greener lifestyle choices:

• If you’re already sick check out some eco-friendly flu fighting options.
• Exercise daily but make your workout as green as possible.
• Avoid negative health issues from the start by making sure your baby care products are safe and toxic free.
• Make an earth-friendly first aid kit.

[Image © Bob Stockfield Courtesy: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine]