Dr Hulstedt IS a miracle worker, a true oracle of information regarding health and care. First Do No Harm is the oath he abides by! He diagnosed my son's condition in 1 hour, after my 5 months of searching and meeting with 3 other doctors. The Drs told me my son was fine!! He was not fine.... I took his advice and demanded our pediatrician "think" and look at all the red flags Dr Hulstedt pointed out - Dr Hulstead Saved my boy's life! Thank you forever and always Dr Hulstedt!! Weston is doing well... You have many jewels in your crown. M Bennet - read more

Dr Hulstedt turned my child's life around. I saw with my own eyes what he did for my son. He has a wealth of knowledge and is one in a trillion and not replicable. I'm sickened that they have taken our rights away to choose him as a pediatrician and doctor . read more

Dr. Hulsted is a cut above most any doctor these days! He is caring, observant and intelligent. And willing to say what he sees. Thank you!

I highly respect this man as a true real doctor and man of God, who cares about human beings! I was delighted to bump into him and his wife over the weekend and showed him my personal lab results I had done recently, and he gave me advice. I research real health deeply myself, I try to save money by studying myself but I do want to go to him when I hit some blocks. We need more doctors like this, not afraid to speak truths and who uses true wisdom to protect our most precious children. read more

Dr. Hulstedt is a phenomenal and gifted doctor. This is truly his vocation and, quite frankly, it is a service to humanity. He is knowledgeable and keeps up to date. He is kind and he listens. We have been just so grateful for him. Yes, his office staff could be better. But don't let that deter you - he's worth it. One in a million. read more

Dr Hulstedt is the best pediatrician I've ever seen. My husband and I fully trust him. He is very knowledgeable and knows how to explain things well. When we have doubts or questions he explains things with great depth. He is down to earth and a great man. A true gem, very rare to find. We hope he can see all of our future kids. I feel it has being much easier to reach his office lately. read more

So thankful for Dr. Hulstedt! He's been a life saver for my son with autism. He's a bit of a drive for us but it's worth it. The first doctor to truly listen to me about my concerns with my son and pursue answers. Also, he's got such a kind heart. So incredibly glad we have found him. (I have to add, after reading previous reviews, that I understand the frustrations with the office staff. I find it hard to get calls back promptly or even get someone to answer the phone, but it's not deserving of 1 stars. Also, my sons previous pediatrician charges for any document I needed signed or records released. So that's pretty standard. So yes, the office itself could use a lot of improvement.) read more

A Pediatrician that does the right thing for your heart. A caring soul. We need more doctors like him.

recommended by my gyno and his entire nursing staff said he was also their pediatrician. yes, he gives you a laundry list of supplements at your first meeting, initial response is, is this guy for real?! Over time I did my own research and now continue about 2//3 of the list, do what's right for you... He's got a great personality, takes time to explain things and answers my questions. And I truly value his opinion. A lot of the bad reviews seem to be about his staff... though I have never had an issue with them, it really comes down to the care of the doctor, not the staff. read more

Dr. Hulstedt is a truely excellent doctor. He looks at the whole person. I highly recommend.

Met with Dr. Hulstedt today with my 4 year old son. He hadn't been to a doctor for about 2 years. I have heard such great things about him, I really wanted to get his check up there. I was blown away by how much knowledge Dr.Hulstedt had. He was very patient with my son and gave me great recommendations for vitamins and great advice. I thought my son would be afraid of a doctor, but he loved him. I plan to make him my son's primary pediatrician, even though we live about 25 miles away. I would not hesitate to recommend him to any parents out there. I wish more Dr's were like him, with patients health their #1 priority. I found the front desk staff extremely accommodating and nice. Even with my son running around behind them!! They were great letting me know what was needed prior to the visit too. read more

Dr Hulstedt has been the primary care doctor for both my daughters and I couldn't be happier with him. He's a great doctor with a very warm personality. read more

Amazing doctor. The bad reviews come from people that don't do their research. That's not the doctors fault. He is very attentive and thorough, I highly recommend! read more

Let's just say that this is no longer my child's pediatrician. We moved to Monterey a few months ago and we chose him from a list of our approved providers. Big mistake... I should know to always do my homework. Here are my *primary* complaints: * The doctor does not have an answering service for after hours. He gives you his cell phone number... so on a Saturday around 2 pm, my daughter was running a 103 fever. We called and left a voicemail. Within 30 minutes, it was up to 104... and creeping higher. After an hour, we just went to the hospital where they clocked her at 104.5. He didn't call back until after 11 pm at night. I don't call often after hours but in an emergency, I need some support. * My daughter was sick for about 8 weeks straight. Only in the last 2 weeks did I convince him to give an antibiotic. He's really into natural stuff and pushes you to buy stuff from his family store. He gives you a list of all the supplements that you should be using as well as recommendations (no plastic, no microwave, etc.). I can understand maybe promoting all natural and organic products but to specificially tell patients to buy it at his store? I find that to be a conflict of interest. * The final straw may seem silly to others but I know other moms will understand. My daughter had pinkeye so I took her straight from daycare to his office so she could get a prescription. No diaperbag in tow because I was coming straight from work. Of course, she has a whopper of a dirty diaper while we're there. Now, I had an extra diaper in the car but no wipes. The office had NO BABY WIPES. NOTHING. This is a PEDIATRICIAN for god's sake. The nurse gave me some little squares of gauze? What the hell am I going to do with that? Seriously. I left that afternoon and changed doctors. This was about 4 weeks ago and I'm still in disbelief. A pediatrician with nothing to help a diaper disaster but 2 inch gauze squares. No thank you. read more

I enjoy Doctor H's sense of humor and the way he talks to my children. Unlike other reviewers, I agree with most of the advice given and my eyes have been opened by some of his advice I previously would not have considered. This doctor is not for all though. If you are strictly mainstream, then you will probably be happier somewhere else but whenever I have friends ask me where to go to get good care and advice from a doctor that won't over medicate their kids, I highly recommend Dr. H. I remove one star because since his move to his new office, they've had some issues with their staff which has made billing an issue at times. But even with that issue, I'm willing to be patient, because I would not want to take my kids to their previous pediatrician who would routinely prescribe antibiotics and other interventions for every little thing. In regards to other reviewers - I have never been encouraged to buy products from any particular store. He has mentioned certain products that are available at Whole Foods, but I'm quite certain he does not own Whole Foods. I actually did research on my own multi-vitamins and took in some information on what I looked into and he approved. He could definitely be the right doctor for you if you are natural and open minded. read more

I love dr hulstedt and give him five stars without considering his office staff, his diaper and wipes supplies or how good his business capabilities are. Hes a caring individual with a wealth of alternative experince which I love. He gives me the option to choose which route I would like to take and without going into too much detail has helped change my sons life which is my main goal in choosing a paediatician. Other paediaticians have 5 stars and I read about how attentive they are and how great they are at emailing back and how great their staff are, but they did almost zero for my boy. On top of everything Dr H has given me his cell number and I have called him at all different hours with no problems. read more

I owe Dr Hulstedt the reason why my son can talk and it's recuperating from his autism. When no one could helped me and didn't believe my story Dr. Hulstedt was the only one that listen to me and believe on what I said. Thanks to him we have done lots of different methods that have help my son in many ways. The staff and the dedication of everyone it this practice it's impecable completely recommend them read more

Just know that he's anti-vaccine before you go! Because of this perspective, he does not do vaccination at all!. Be aware!

Dr. Hulstedt is my daughter's and son's pediatrician and I really like his recommendations and suggestions for alternative medicines. He does not push buying them at any certain store as other reviewers have mentioned. I also really appreciate the lists of vitamins and supplements he recommends...I feel they have been very beneficial for both my children. He leans towards prevention and maintaining good health which I like. He does not hesitate to prescribe mainstream prescriptions when needed though, as in the case of pink eye, etc. when natural meds just won't do the trick. My only issue is with the unorganized office staff. So many times we have come in for a specific check-up, a one-year appointment for example, and they always ask why we are there when we go back to the room- shouldn't they have a note of this? Also, when we are there for just a shot with the nurse, they start weighing and measuring and then ask -"oh, you're just here for a shot?" Again, I shouldn't have to tell them this, it should be notated. All in all, a good experience, but as others have mentioned, if you are not into alternative medicines and treatments, he may not be for you. read more

Dr, Hulstedt is a great doctor. His use of alternative medicine is fantastic. If he says I need an antibiotic, I know it's because we've exhausted all other means. On the down side, the front desk isn't as professional as most doctors offices. If you can get past that, it's fine. I've been able to be seen day-of and within minutes of my appt time, but Gloria (his wife) is not the most organized person. read more

Today was the last straw... incidents included: The assistant being unable to read the height chart properly - I had to help her out. Kind of basic to be able to record height correctly isn't it? Waiting one hour for the doctor to come... it wasn't even busy.. In the end I had to leave to go to work.. The one child ahead of me went in at 10.15 and we were still waiting at 11.15. When I asked the receptionist MARY she couldn't care less. The same Mary later hung up on me when I called to ask to pick up my child's medical records which by the way, they charge $10 for... read more

Dr Hulstedt is great. He was an option on our list of providers when we first moved here. I originally chose a different doctor, but when I had to make appointments, there was never any availability for several weeks. The other provider also wouldn't let me schedule more than one child in the same day (I have 4 children-- 4 different trips? No thank you!) So I switched to Dr Hulstedt. His receptionist is very friendly and scheduled everyone for that same day! The Dr is very personable and provides good work. But here's what seals the deal for me: When my 6 month baby had to get immunizations, the physicians assistant is so skilled that my baby didn't even cry when she gave her 2 shots. She just kept smiling! Priceless. read more

What a fantastic doctor! We were so excited to find a pediatrician who was so knowledgeable about new practice few in bringing up healthy children. Dr Hulstedt was also very knowledgeable about familial autoimmune disease and best practices for whole families to pursue healthy lives. Additionally, he has the best sense of humor of any doctor I've met. Could not recommend him enough. read more

I'd give NO stars if I could. Two Doctors recommended it take my daughter, who has 7 years old at the time, and has a condition very similar to Autism, to Dr. Hulstedt. However, whoever answers his telephone wasn't even professional enough to call me back after she said she would check to see "what he wanted to do with this one." She did say how lucky my daughter must be to have me to want to get her this kind of care, but she didn't bother to follow up? Even when I called back after a couple of weeks, and left another message to see what was going on, I got no response. Ended up going all the way to Santa Cruz for the same type of care, but it's a shame that I couldn't get the help my daughter deserved locally. read more

Please reconsider before making an appointment at this office! While Dr. Hulstedt was nice enough, we were charged $260.00 for a regular office visit. No insurance accepted. If this wasn't bad enough, after we were told by Dr. Hulstegt to leave, because the receptionist was gone for the day, and they would send us a statement; his nurse Gloria, ran out into the parking lot as we were leaving, banged on our car window, and demanded we go back in and pay. When we explained that the Dr. had said a statement would be mailed, she replied, "well he doesn't handle that... we do!" Very unprofessional to say the least. read more

I can't thank Dr. Hulstedt enough. He truly treats my child as though she was his own child. He listens, takes his time and sincerely cares. He advocates for our youth and is an incredible man. I'm so glad he is in practice her on the Monterey Peninsula. read more

My suggestion to people considering choosing Dr. Hulstedt as their child's pediatrician is to use your common sense. If you're not comfortable with a more alternative caregiver, then don't go to him. With that being said, I've really enjoyed having him as my son's doctor. I've never had a problem with him or his office staff. All of our appointments have run smoothly with reasonable waits. Dr. Hulstedt is friendly and professional. He was neutral yet helpful when I brought up my wanting to delay our son's vaccines. He's never been pushy in any way, and always has time for my questions and concerns. I honestly have no complaints. read more

A very funny and outgoing man, however not for us. We went to the Dr for my 2 year old daughter who had symptoms of an ear infection and cough that was keeping her awake for 3 days. This fantastic "doctor" recommended some holistic approach to cure her and then kindly advised me to go and pick up his recommendations at his daughters store. Funny thing is, he listened to a set of lungs, didn't prescribe any real fix or anything to help comfort her or help her sleep. We ended up going to a real doctor who determined she had an ear infection and treated her. The crazy thing is, I am not against holistic medicine, I am however against getting a 200$ bill for you to listen to a chest and tell me to drink honey with lemon. I guess if this is your cup of tea, great! But be aware if you expect medicine or treatment, you will likely not get it. read more

I just wanted to back up everyone else on here whose reviews are filtered to say: yep, one of the worst experiences with a physician to date. I could go into it all, but everyone else has covered much of it, and you get the idea. read more

So thankful to God to be lead to this amazing care giver by my midwife . We use alternative medicine & we found Dr.Hulstedt to be very knowledgeable, so kind, & very well educated . He truly cares about my family's health . Again, we are just so thankful to God for the care of Dr.Hulstedt . Looking forward to making Dr.Hulstedt our doctor for life . read more

Highly unprofessional experience. I drove over an hour for my appointment. When i arrived the office was locked, i sat on the floor by the door with my 3 year old who has autism, waiting and trying to call their office. 10 minutes after my appointment time, a lady arrives, and tells me the doctor :is not in today" I reply , impossible because I have an appointment, to which she replies in a unconcerned voice , "sorry, we wanted to call you but we didn't have your phone number" my 6th grader could come up with a better excuse than her pathetic reply. I find this unacceptable medical practice, and service and if this is his LACK OF COMMITMENT before I even met him, I should be thankful i didn't have to trust my special needs child with his medical care!!! read more

We will never go back there! He was my son's pediatrician since birth, and we were quite happy when he was the pediatric group. We took all his suggestions with a grain of salt ( sure multivitamin, and some supplements, but a b12 shot on a regular basis because he had a speech delay?) We were less satisfied when he moved to his own practice, but just assumed things would get better after he was more settled there. We made an appointment because my son had an ear infection, and they were accommodating. We sat in the waiting room for 10 minutes with another sick kid, and then were shown back to the room. We waited for just under an hour with no word from anyone about what was going on. My husband kept going out to see if anyone was there, but the receptionist had left, and he couldn't even find the nurse. We were fed up, so we left, and called the next day to complain. The receptionist was not apologetic, and complained to me that there were 2 highly contagious kids that had had to be quarantined. Hey, was that the kid we were sitting right next to in the waiting room!? yep it was. We were shocked they could be so unprofessional. And just last week i received a $150 bill for that visit, it said it was 90 days past due, but that was the first bill i received. read more

While Dr Hulstedt is a good doctor, his front office is an absolute nightmare. I was told by the receptionist that Tricare wouldn't cover my son's 2 month vaccines because they were given a couple days before he was actually 2 months old. Absolutely inaccurate!! She also said that Tricare hadn't paid their claims. I called Tricare, no claims were submitted! As for getting in touch with the office, I've never been able to get someone on the phone. I've had to leave a message every time and then wait 3-4 days for my call to be returned. Doesn't give me much confidence if I need an appointment immediately. read more

I absolutely love Dr. Hulstedt. He has a great sense of humor, he actually listens to concerns, he takes his time with patients instead of rushing them, and I do personally like his holistic approach. HOWEVER, it is very hard to get in touch with his office, and they don't return messages. After leaving messages and calling for over a week to get my daughter's vac. records for daycare, I finally just went in and they wanted to charge me $20 for a copy! No thanks! I would have switched doctors sooner because it is hard to get a hold of them, but I do absolutely adore the doctor himself. I will be switching doctors now though. I'm not looking forward to it, but I've had enough. read more

while I DO agree with the mom about the diapers/wipes and the others about the office staff, I love Dr. Hulstedt. After Doctors on Duty prescribed antibiotics for brochitis for me and my daughter, Dr. H. prescribed one that actually WORKED. Ten weeks of coughing finally ended. He also prescribed natural remedies for coughing. He is a font of knowledge on alternative medicines and has a posting on his wall to remind folks to take probiotics every time they take antibiotics, which most mainstream doctors don't do. I also appreciate the list of don'ts regarding plastics, microsaves, etc. He has a great bedside manner and is gentle and patient with children. And, to be honest, I've almost never come across a front-office staff that is as good at what they do as the doctors - sorry to say - but I almost always have problems with front office everywhere, so that would never deter me. I've had doctors who have performed miracles while having bad front office staff; and had I let that deter me, I would never have received their excellent care. Not an excuse and should be fixed, but trust me: this is a great doctor. read more

Dr H is amazing. He took the time to listen to all my questions and concerns with my 27-week preemie. He took all of his medical history into account, which many pedi's seem to brush off. He was thorough and patient and I really felt like my son got individualized care. read more

Staff was extremely helpful in getting us prepared for our first visit. Office is clean, bright and uncluttered. My son's visit with Dr. Hulstedt was thorough. He asked great questions to get the full picture of our family's health. He is a great listener and I left feeling well informed. He believes in the future of our children and made it clear to me that their wellbeing is his highest concern. read more

Loved Dr. Hulstedt, so sad that we have moved out of state! I have to assume it is just ignorance and lack of experience that has led to the negative reviews. Yes, he recommends a natural approach to keep the child healthy... if he refused antibiotics it's because it was not necessary. I was never once told to go to his family store to purchase anything. It amazes me that parents would prefer a antibiotic quick fix and put their child's long term immunity at risk. I wish more Dr's would take the time to educate the parents like Dr. Hulstedt does. Do your homework on the medications and immunizations main stream Dr's are giving your children and be a responsible parent! read more

Dr. Hulstedt is absolutely Amazing Pediatrician! He takes the time to explain what is going on, and it quickly becomes clear that he truly has his patient's best interests at heart, and knows exactly what he's doing. Im blown away by his knowledge, and how caring and talanted he is. He made my daughter smile all the time. He was highly recommended and after my long search i finally found the Best Doctor for my Daughter! read more

Okay so Dr. Hulstedt is AMAZING. He is the only doctor I would ever want to see around here and have for 9 years. That said, the receptionist/assistant is a nightmare and sours the entire experience. I've just dealt with it over the years having many subpar experiences with the staff since Dr. Hulstedt is my doctor, and GOOD at what he does, but today was the final straw. I will gladly UPDATE this review if I find out that the staff member is no longer working there. 1. I called in several weeks before to schedule today's appointment. 2. When I arrived, 5 minutes before the scheduled time, the receptionist/assistant informed me that she didn't know why I was there since I had no appointment. I waited an hour to see him, since she hadn't written me on the schedule when I called earlier in the month. 3. After the appointment was over and I was collecting my Referal/Rx form, I was informed that they stopped taking Tricare(my insurance). No one informed me either in writing or over the phone or in person or any other way when they stopped taking it, or before my appointment, or at my appointment, but after the appointment was done and I was being asked to pay out of my pocket. I asked the receptionist why I wasn't informed that they stopped taking my insurance and she said "I did tell you, when you called" which is very interesting since an hour and half earlier she said she didn't remember me calling in at all to make an appointment and was confused as to why I was in the office at all. When I reiterated that she didn't tell me about that, and that no one else informed me either, she said "I did tell you, I remember. You knew." Basically both calling me a liar and proving herself to be a liar. Either she didn't remember me calling to schedule the appointment or she remembers since she thinks she also told me that they don't take Tricare. Both can't be true. 4. Anyway, she demanded hundreds of dollars of payment (when I am and have been 100% Tricare covered in their office) in cash or check before she would hand over my referra forms, and a) I needed to be informed that they no longer accept my insurance prior to charges being assessed and b) I wasn't carrying my checkbook as I have insurance. I told her I would need to talk to Dr. Hulstedt about what happened but in the mean time I would need those referral to go through. She then said, "He's really busy for the rest of the afternoon. Anyway, how come you paid $238 last time you came in if you didn't know that we don't take Tricare? You did know." I said, "I didn't, Tricare paid all charges. No one informed me until 5 minutes ago that this office no longer accepts Tricare." She said, "No, you paid it, it's right here on this screen." I said, "Show me." She then pointed to the screen and proceeded to scroll up and down on the amount billed and I said "Show me where it says who paid that? And explain to me why I would have paid that when in February Tricare was accepted and only since April Tricare is no longer accepted?" She said, "well, I don't know. I can't find the receipt that says who paid. Anyway I don't understand all the billing stuff. I'm not the biller." I then calmly said, "I understand that. I didn't pay the bill that Tricare paid. I'm sure you can have the biller explain that to you further when the biller returns. At this moment, my appointment is over, as scheduled, with a referal, and I need it photocopied and sent to the referred physicians." She said, "you need to pay right now first." I said, "I don't even have my checkbook on me since I was not informed that you stopped taking Tricare. Are you going to refuse to give me the referrals that the doctor just wrote for me?" She said, "Fine, I'll give them to you, but don't come back here again. Have a nice day." I have never been so horribly treated by any receptionist in my life, and after 9 years of my whole family seeing Dr. Hulstedt and having always paid our bills, through insurance, always on time, (did I say for 9 years?) this is horrid. I want to write Dr. Hulstedt to tell him what happened with her since I'm sure she wont give him the facts, but I'm afraid she'll throw the letter in the trash before he sees it. I will make sure he finds out becuase, all said and done HE IS A GOOD DOCTOR. I know it's hard to find good receptionists/assistants in Monterey as all the Dr's here have trouble finding but I'm scared this office wont be around much longer when his receptionist is treating his clients like shit, calling them liars, insulting to their face. I have had and still have insurance. Showed up like I always have for a regular appointment and literally illegal things were done by the receptionist. If I hear that his receptionist has been replaced by someone competant, and that he is again accepting Tricare or my secondary insurance, I will be back. Even would save money to pay cash if I had to, as he is a good doctor. But I wont show up to be treated like shit by any receptionist. read more