CFS/ME doctors in Los Angeles?

[Gingergrrl]

I apologize if there is already a thread on this topic, and I didn't see one?! I asked this question in my introduction post but wanted to put it here as well.

Does anyone have a doctor recommendation for an ME/CFS specialist in the greater Los Angeles area? I got one name this morning of someone in Orange County and am gathering further info before I decide to make an appt.

I am too ill to travel anywhere by plane right now but am still open to referrals.

Thank you in advance!

 

[minkeygirl]

I live in OC. Who is the doc?

 

[Gingergrrl]

Her name is Chitra Bhakta (I am not sure of the spelling) but I have not seen her or ever called her office. Her name was mentioned to me twice by different people as a CFS specialist but the trip to Santa Ana is a little far for me by car (although I am considering it.) I wish there was someone right here in L.A. Has anyone on the board ever seen her?

 

[minkeygirl]

Yes, I couldn't remember her name. She's in Santa Ana. She is very big on Methylation and I think someone here has seen her, but that was awhile ago. Put her name in the search bar. Rich Vank who is well respected for his Methylation protocol has mentioned her but again, I've never heard one person mention her as the Go to in OC.

IMO she is not a specialist. She works a lot with autism. If you go to Yelp for reviews they are not all that great. That's why I didn't go see her and I'm very close.

 

[minkeygirl]

Here's a link from here. I have not read it through.

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/dr-chitra-bhakta.19937/'

Here's her website.

http://ocimc.com

 

[Gingergrrl]

Thank you and I read the thread. I am conflicted about seeing her b/c it will be at least an hour drive and it sounds like her focus is on autism and lyme disease (which I do not have.) She may be great and I don't want to waste an opportunity. It's just that I have been to SO many doctors (as I know we all have) and want to choose wisely b/c of my limited energy and money.

 

[minkeygirl]

I agree. I'm that close and I decided not to go to her. I read some reviews a few years ago that she forced people to buy supplements from here office, I forget what else.

Like I said, I have never heard her name mentioned by anyone as one of the Specialists to see for ME/CFS. There just isn't anyone around her. The guy in Irvine, Sosin? but I think he's just integrative.

Stick with your NP imo. Mine is Koren Barrett in Costa Mesa. Best thing I did was to see her.

 

[NK17]

Hi @Gingergrrl43 and welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear you're not well and looking for a ME/CFS doctor in the great Los Angeles area.

I second completely what my fellow sufferer @minkeygirl has said.

Somebody mentioned Dr. Bhakta to me last year and after a bit of research I decided that she wasn't the right match for me.

I would give one limb to have a real serious ME/CFS specialist in LA, but unfortunately to my knowledge there are none.

If you have a GP or internist or any other doctor that is willing to look up the right sources (Stanford website for example) I would try to work with him or her for a start.

Just like you I don't have Lyme, so many md who focus on that as dr. Bhakta seems to do, are not right for me.

I've been diagnosed by Dr. Andreas Kogelnik up in Mountain View and had it confirmed by Dr. John Chia in Torrance.

If I was you and if you have some preliminary blood tests (Herpes viruses and/or enteroviruses) done, I would go see Dr. Chia in Torrance.

I understand that you can't travel to see Dr. Kogelnik up north at the moment, so he is out of the picture right now (but he sees new patients and there is a new internist that works with him at the Open Medicine Institute, Dr. David Kaufman).

I have to say that the best doctors I've found in LA are the UCLA ones, they might not know a thing about ME/CFS, but so far I've never been put down and they have all, more or less, tried to help.

 

[Gingergrrl]

@NK17 Thank you so much for all your feedback and I really appreciate it. I have an excellent ND that I have been working with and she is very knowledgeable about CFS. It seems like the consensus from everyone I have talked to on this forum is to stick with what is working and not worry about seeing a "CFS specialist" in LA b/c there doesn't seem to be one. I don't think Dr. Chia would be the right fit for me as he seems to be focused on enterovirus which I don't think pertains to my case (although he sounds like a brilliant doctor and researcher.) I was given the name of a doctor in SLC, Utah who sounds excellent but this is way too far for me to travel at present. I am not actually sure where Mountainview is but I will keep the referrals that you mentioned for the future. Thanks again!

 

[NK17]

@NK17 Thank you so much for all your feedback and I really appreciate it. I have an excellent ND that I have been working with and she is very knowledgeable about CFS. It seems like the consensus from everyone I have talked to on this forum is to stick with what is working and not worry about seeing a "CFS specialist" in LA b/c there doesn't seem to be one. I don't think Dr. Chia would be the right fit for me as he seems to be focused on enterovirus which I don't think pertains to my case (although he sounds like a brilliant doctor and researcher.) I was given the name of a doctor in SLC, Utah who sounds excellent but this is way too far for me to travel at present. I am not actually sure where Mountainview is but I will keep the referrals that you mentioned for the future. Thanks again!

@Gingergrrl43 you are very welcome .

Mountain View is south of San Francisco, next door to Palo Alto where Stanford University is located (where Dr. Montoya and Dr. Ron A Davis are doing state of the art research and translational medicine with Dr. Kogelnik too).

Please keep us posted if you can.

On another note it looks like your avatar is of a dachshund dog, is it yours? It's adorable, I have a weakness for dachshunds .

 

[Gingergrrl]

@Gingergrrl43 you are very welcome .

Please keep us posted if you can.

On another note it looks like your avatar is of a dachshund dog, is it yours? It's adorable, I have a weakness for dachshunds .

Thanks @NK17 and I will keep you posted. I found the avatar on-line but it looks exactly like my mini-dachshund, Ginger. When I saw it, I wondered when Ginger had time to go do a private photo shoot LOL