A shortage of primary care doctors may leave patients looking for alternatives, such as naturopathic physicians.
But before you opt for a naturopathic physician, there are some things to consider.
Naturopaths say they base their practice on a specific principle: Start with the most natural remedy possible to treat illness or maintain health.
But there is a lot of confusion about what a naturopathic physician is.
"So, that is someone who has also completed a four-year naturopathic training program and has passed a licensing exam," said Consumer Reports health editor Jeneen Interlandi.
Others, just called naturopaths, are unlicensed, but can still practice as long as they stick to giving basic lifestyle advice. But even the license has limitations.
"In some states, people that have passed the licensing exam can write some prescriptions for hormone therapy and for some other things. In other states, they can't," Interlandi said.
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians wants all states to recognize the physicians as licensed medical professionals and wants them to be able to prescribe medication and diagnose diseases.
But critics say that isn't right because naturopathic physicians haven't actually gone to medical school.
"So what you are effectively doing by giving them uniform licensure recognition is allowing them to practice medicine without actually having been trained medically," Interlandi said.
One appeal of naturopathy is personalized care.
But Consumer Reports warns that treatments such as IV vitamin infusions and botanical medicines have not been supported by scientific evidence.
"Some of these things can be unsafe and people can be harmed and have been harmed by them, so it's not necessarily as safe or as natural as it sounds," Interlandi said.
Vitamins and supplements aren't usually covered by insurance.
If you choose to see a naturopath, Consumer Reports recommends doing so in conjunction with seeing a primary care doctor.