New clinic offers a plethora of alternative healthcare services.

Playa del Carmen is a veritable hub for alternative medicine and healthcare. There is magnet therapy, egg therapy, tapping therapy, chiropractics, nutritionists, acupuncturists, herbalist, massage therapists, Chinese Medicine, and everything in between. It can be difficult to wade through all of the practitioners to find the right fit for you. There is now a new alternative health care clinic in Playa del Carmen that is “one stop shopping” so to speak. The Mayan Planet, is located in Playa del Carmen, and offers a plethora of services and alternative health care options: Asian Medicine, Modern Healing, Hands on Healing, Therapeutic Massage, Classes, and the list goes on….So who is behind this new clinic? Meet Doctor Alfred....

Dr. Jose Alfredo Barajas Banda, or Dr. Alf for short, was born in Mexicali, Baja California, but moved to the Los Angeles area when he was just 2 years old. An only child, he was schooled in Southern California, and although he grew bored in school, which reflected in his grades, he was a creative child. His parents encouraged him and his creativity and he began playing guitar when he was just 6 years old, and he daydreamed of being a musician.

Once he graduated high school, in 1982, he attended Valley College in Southern California, but this wasn’t quite the right fit.  He ended up back in Mexico, in Guadalajara, where he attended medical school for 3 years. He then applied his medical credits to achieve his NMD (Naturopathic Medical Doctor), and simultaneously received his Masters in Chinese Medicine back in the United States. Although everyone thought he was too old he was not satisfied to simply have his NMD and his MSOM (Master of Science in Oriental Medicine), and his mentor in Chinese Medicine recommended Doctor Alfred to a PHD program to get his doctorate in homeopathy. After taking his national licensing exam, and having every possible acronym under his belt, in 1993 he decided to return to Mexico to practice in Jalisco.

 He practiced there for 2 years, but it was very difficult to locate the natural medicines he needed to treat his patients. He eventually found his way back to Mexicali and practiced at a cooperative natural health clinic for the next 5 years. After doing research he decided that Boulder, Colorado embraced naturopathic medicine, and he could get licensed there to practice the full scope of his education. This is where the original Mayan Planet was born. Originally a retail space that specialized in alternative medicines it soon developed into a flourishing practice.

After a divorce in 2003 the Mayan Planet was disbanded in Colorado, and reestablished in Los Angeles. But his heart was being drawn back to Mexico, and he wanted to find a permanent home for both himself and his business, and after much research and consideration he decided the Rivera Maya was the perfect fit for both himself and his business, and arrived in Playa del Carmen in 2005. The Mayan Planet opened in June of this year, and he is already so busy he can not keep up. He is currently in a temporary space located on 30^thAvenue between 14^th and 16^th Street. He hopes to find a more permanent space that will give him room to grow his practice and eventually a retail space as well. So if you are looking for a doctor that can treat your whole body rather then just your symptoms, Doctor Alfred is your man. He works by appointment only and can be reached at: 984-129-8369 or by e-mail at:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  Check out his website too! www.mayanplanet.com

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