Healing passion for doctor of ‘complementary’ medicine
Dr. Holly Carling, 48, is not your average doctor. She terms her profession as “alternative” and “complementary” to standard medical practice.
Carling is passionate about her work, saying she loves to help patients heal and to educate. Her resume includes “award-winning speaker and writer,” noting appearances on radio and television and lectures to international audiences.
Holding two doctoral degrees, plus certifications and degrees in nontraditional medical practices, she treats patients in her Coeur d’Alene office and teaches in the North Idaho College community education program.
Carling considers herself a “professional student,” taking more than the required continuing education courses for her certification, figuring, “if I learn just one thing that helps just one patient, it’s worth my time and money.”
For fun, she enjoys the “challenge of flying” as a private pilot.
What is your job title? “Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist.”
How long have you been doing this? “A Master Herbologist and Nutritionist, 26 years. As Doctor of Oriental Medicine and Licensed Acupuncturist, 15 years. As Doctor of Naturopathy, 6 years.”
How did you choose this line of work? “I have been interested in healing since I was a young child. I started out in the nursing field and then transitioned to this more complementary form of medicine. There were a couple of reasons for the transition. First, I was disillusioned with Western medicine as a source of healing. It was great for emergency care and critical care, but it wasn’t healing. Then there was the desire to treat my family naturally and to find a field of medicine which complemented my first husband’s (a chiropractor) practice. Then most important, to do what was necessary to save my son’s life. He was born with severe and complex heart defects of which no child had lived more than three days. I was determined to find something to keep him alive. He is now 22 and a full-time college student.”
Are you paid: (a) well; (b) more than you are worth; (c) slave wages, (d) could be better? “None of the above. I’d say about average.”
What is the best thing about your job? “Helping patients heal. The greatest reward is finding a patient who is limited by their health (whether simply fatigue or more complex health challenges) and now they can enjoy life again. I also love to educate. I love to give tools that will help my patients make informed decisions about their health.”
What is the worst thing about your job? “When I am confident I can get someone well, and they quit treatments too early. It took time for the body to get ill, and it takes time for it to heal. Most stick with it, and the benefits pay off, but for those that don’t, it is discouraging.”
Do you plan on doing this job (a) until retirement; (b) until something better comes along? “Definitely (a). I love this work and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Having said that, I would love to teach at a University level, but only part time. Healing is my first love.”
Do you have any on-the-job funny stories? “This happened within a few weeks of starting my acupuncture practice. After placing the needles in a patient’s back and neck (she was lying face down on the treatment table), she was resting the usual 20 minutes. Well, before those 20 minutes were up, she had to go to the bathroom. She didn’t want to yell down the hall, so she decided to take her own needles out. She laid them on the treatment table nearly exactly how they had been placed in her back and neck. When I returned after 20 minutes to remove them, you can imagine my surprise when the only thing on the table was the needles and no patient! My mind quickly envisioned the wicked witch in the “Wizard of Oz,” when she melted, leaving only her clothes behind. It took several minutes to figure out where she was and what had happened!”
Any bad experiences? “Only a potentially bad one. One patient in particular had called stating only that her mom wasn’t feeling well and had come home from the hospital the day before, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Could she bring her in? Not suspecting anything serious, I said yes. On the drive over, the mother died. Having a patient die in my office would be a horrific experience. It was just too close for comfort.”
If there was a movie made about you and your job, what actor should play you? ” Meryl Streep. She plays parts that are typically funny (or cheerful), witty, professional, loving, full of life and human.”