I unfortunately have had a similar experience to the other folks who have posted 1-star reviews. My first few appt or two seemed to go well, but after a short time I began to experience quite a bit of the guilting others have mentioned and feeling like Dr. P was not listening to me AT ALL nor interested in my answers to his questions to inform a treatment protocol that should be unique to every patient affected by CIRS. The last straw was trying to refill my cholesevelam in the fall before I moved to the desert and left my home pharmacy, him refusing to refill it and instead demanding an appointment before he'd write the refill. This was very confusing and contradictory because--in spite of my tent I'd been living in for 5 mos. in the background of the last video visit--I was told not to contact him again for my next visit until I had left my moldy circumstances (something I had been actively trying to do for several mos. at the time). I had told him this, but he managed to forget every time we met, when he'd ask me again if I rented or owned my home. Moreover, he committed several of the major blunders of MDs in the environmental illness arena: ordering thousands of dollars of testing without explaining much of that testing to me (like Nagalase?)--some of which I had to take entire days off of work and drive hours to the "right" lab to get--and being generally quite insensitive to my financial constraints (I am in academia and have a limited budget, so I was living in a tent since Jan. 2023); refusing treatment (but then badgering me via his office manager for a follow-up appointment?); overcharging by $250 for my last appointment with him because I didn't want to be rude and tell him he was repeating himself with information from a prior video visit and I was disconnected for a few minutes because--guess what--I was trying to follow doc's orders and live outside at the time; and approaching me, particularly in my final appointment, with bullying and a "my way or the highway" attitude. I had reported no discernible health benefits from doing an extremely restrictive diet and instead a jump in my MMP-9 lab and a noticeable decline in quality of life, as I love to cook and I was already eating high quality foods and avoiding gluten, cow dairy, and processed foods before partaking of the special diet. Yes, many folks with CIRS have a mast cell issue, but I don't think I'm one such patient, and I've frankly noticed benefits from other and less restrictive diets like no-amylose and paleo, which I already emulate in my everyday life. Every patient is different, but he seemed to be ignorant of this and got very, very angry at me when he asked me to do the diet for another 12 mos. and I refused. He made some discouraging remarks to me that made me cry after my appointment (bc like many folks with CIRS, I am very type A, was diligently following every other protocol, and tend to be a "people pleaser" and rule follower ... so bucking an MD is no small thing to someone like me), telling me I wouldn't "get well" without doing as he said. He also asked me how my "hives" had been since doing the diet, and I felt VERY alarmed--it was clear he hadn't reviewed my intake paperwork, in which I indicated it had been years since I last got hives--and felt also increasing alarm about having been asked the same questions over and over about owning my home. He also managed to forget that I was based in Southern Cal when he made some Bay Area recommendations to me. It became abundantly clear in my last visit that this doctor--who charged 700+/hour--had NO IDEA who I was, and seemed not to care nor remember anything about me. It also became clear when he refused a refill and demanded a follow up that he had already forgotten his last words to me. I have no doubt that Dr. P has helped a lot of people, particularly folks who are extremely sensitive or suffer from debilitating Lyme. If you like a dictator for a doctor, he's your man. He's also struggled with Lyme and mold himself, but then again, so have many other practitioners in this field. I am now seeing an ND who is also very well-versed and has had personal experience with mold toxicity. She has an excellent bedside manner, is less than half the cost of Dr. P, sees me as a human, and is reachable and responsive by email if I have follow up questions, but indeed I'll be the first to admit that most of my improvements in health have been a result of educating myself and my own diligence and dedication to getting well. Most of my Shoemaker labs as of February this year have returned to normal and nearly all of my worst symptoms have dissipated completely, but with little help from Dr. P as my last visit with him was almost exactly a year ago, this past June (when he got angry and refused care). If you want a collaborator in your health and someone who cares about patient education and sees their patients as individuals and humans, find someone else. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Patel for a little over two years. The 4 years prior to seeing him, I had been living in a house with mold, but I didn't know about it. I had been slowly declining: less energy/enthusiasm for life, constant headaches, poor sleep, poor digestion, I was constantly getting ill with this or that. I saw a number of doctors, one of which told me I had mono (it seemed to fit). Almost two years later my wife found Dr. Patel and I went to see him. He was the first doctor who really listened to me. If I told him about a new symptom, he took it seriously. His testing was thorough. After being diagnosed with mold illness and Marcons, I began treatment. It has taken two years, but I feel more energetic than I have in a loooong time. My brain works again, I can work out again, I can get the occasional bad night's sleep and still function, my headaches are nearly gone, I sleep through the night. To say it is a complete transformation would almost be an understatement. I deeply respect and appreciate Dr. Patel. I feel like I have an ally and friend in my doctor for the first time since moving to California 12 years ago. read more

Dr. Patel is an excellent physician and the only person I have trusted with my care. I initially spent about 10 years chasing a diagnosis and getting treatments from practitioners who would give up when they got stuck or said my case was "too complicated." My experience with Dr. Patel has been the complete opposite of that. He is incredibly knowledgeable and tailors his approach to each person, listening closely, pivoting, and solving issues in each appointment. He is direct, kind, and deeply cares about what he does as does his staff. I've also benefited from the fact that he understands DNRS (he has done the program), since I have been able to pair my protocol with my brain retraining. I've gone from having a life that was on pause and very restricted to feeling calm, healthy, strong, and not only getting my dream job, but thriving in my career. This type of recovery takes time and dedication from patients. If you can afford it and are committed, I recommend Dr. Patel and his staff wholeheartedly. read more

I am impressed with Dr. Patel. He took the time to review my past medical records and take a thorough history, and he is the first doctor I've ever had who felt he could make sense of my history and chart a path forward to heal my issues, not just apply a virual "band-aid" to them. I have a lot of respect for Dr. Patel. Regarding Regan M.'s , who took umbrage at Dr. Patel's diagnosis of Lyme without Lyme showing up in the tests, I expect that that patient was misled by the lack of positive Lyme lab test results, when in fact it is very common for Lyme to not test positive, but for patients to have a constellation of symptoms that prove they do have Lyme. It appears that Regan M is the one who is not listening to Dr. Patel, rather than the other way around. Regarding Dr. Patel's staff, the nursing staff in particular sometimes seems inefficient and perhaps a tad inconsiderate, but they get the job done. I highly recommend Dr. Patel. read more

Dr. Patel is the most knowledgable doctor I have ever seen. I have struggled with a number of undiagnosed issues for years, and have seen doctors who are suppose to be the best in their specialty. Yet none of them could help. Dr. Patel diagnosed my condition. Because of Dr. Patel I feel significantly better, and I am able to lead a much fuller life! read more

This is a much abbreviated review in order for it not to be a book!! We find Dr. Patel caring, very experienced, educated, open, patient and humorous(that's needed!) We first visited Dr Patel with my daughter who had been sick for a few years with debilitating pain, fatigue, insomnia and anxiety. I also shared these symptoms but had them a little more under control. We had seen many doctor between the two of us and were sent there with the possibility of mold illness. However within minutes of hearing my daughters symptoms he felt strongly that it was Lyme disease. Which tests confirmed. That really made us feel confident and gave my daughter hope. Over the next three years she was treated with natural(mostly) treatments that slowly improved her pain, fatigue and anxiety. What I appreciate about Dr Patel is his obvious experience coupled with continuous research that gives him an Arsenal of treatment options. He also utilizes other medical professionals to support your progress. He is open to your ideas, thoughts and feeling, does not push you to do things you do not want to do, and offers other options if you request it. While sometimes there are so many additional treatment regimes available that it is overwhelming, he doesn't criticize if you cannot manage time wise, mentally or physically to do them all. They are offered as help if you can afford and/or manage them. I truly believe he cares and that is obvious in our visits. And when after three years of treatment despite much improvement, my daughter still had issues he steered us toward a new (but expensive..therefore not for all) treatment that has really made a huge difference. I'm very glad he was up to date and open to new treatment options. In reference to some of the negative comments on this site, while I do agree that the cost of a visit is very high, it is comparable with other similarly trained and experience Lyme Literate doctors. I don't know how much it costs to run the business so I can't judge. But the treatment has been worth the cost for us. Also you May want to inquire and clarify who will be treating you. His assistant Dr Thalia is well trained and has her specialties also. So I imagine for many seeing them as a team works well(it has for us). But they are also helpful separately. I agree with one reviewer that it would be nice if we received a written health plan to walk out the door with each visit, instead of relying on our notes. However, they are quite open to written or phone questions after the visit and his assistant Suzie is easy to reach and quick to respond. His energy, knowledge and desire to help (all in the brief span of the visit) makes it quite a lot to take in. But once digested and put into place(with additional questions answered if needed) it is pretty clear. Some may be uncomfortable asking for adjustments to the routine based on personal needs, but with Dr Patel you can do that. Somethings are not negotiable, but many are. So to conclude we feel very blessed to have been put in contact with Dr Patel. My daughter, originally as a very sick 14 year old girl and through her teens always felt safe and confident in his treatment, and that means a lot!! We are seeing the end of the tunnel as far as going from incapacitation to an active young adult and we are all thrilled. read more

Be vigilant, be weary, be thorough in your research of this provider. This is a for-profit-focused provider vs. a caring health professional who has your best interest at heart. Allow me to explain. First the basic housekeeping: He charges close to $700 per visit. He is typically late and doesn't stay the full hour. You will be charged in full. Half of the time, he will route you to his Naturopath Doctor to do your follow up. She is not an MD, and more of a note-keeper, but you will still be charged the same rate for a session with a less experienced, not MD provider. This is done to allow Patel to travel more and to have more flexibility to get his name associated with top Lyme / Mold doctors and to reel in new $700 a pop customers. But if you are an older school patient who believes that doctors are an unquestionable authority, this might work for you. Next, in terms of bedside manner. He will strategically guilt you. He will tell you based on the nature of your ailment, that you must either get out of mold(sell you home), eat the healthiest diet including never left overs, ground your kid from EMF, etc. I say "strategically" guilt you because this is done to ensure he can't be questioned if things go wrong. He will tell you, it's on you since you didn't follow his instruction of selling your home or eating air. Dr. Patel doesn't bother to document the protocol for you, nor will you have any follow up if anything goes wrong. It really doesn't matter if you are an elderly, a sick, or a kid, and how bad the protocol he gave you impacts you. He is not to be reached until the next appointment where you will be charged another $700. You might get a call back a week later from his naturopath doc, who will tell you something of little value-add in an expert voice. If this sounds like a good experience to you, on a dangling carrot promise that you might be in that lucky and occasional group of people who he sometimes was able to help despite the above, then he is the right provider. Otherwise, look for someone who actually has a real relationship with patients that goes beyond business manipulation and a financial gain. read more

Dr. Patel's office staff is unfriendly and inefficient. Furthermore, he did not listen to me and did not have my best interests at heart. He misdiagnosed me. He refused to treat me effectively: he chastised me, bullied me, did not listen to me and made me feel like I had no input in my health care, whatsoever. He also did not respond to the letter that I sent him regarding how rude his office staff was to me and the major blunders that they kept making regarding my health care. Dr. Patel is the kind of doctor that asks you how you are doing and does not care to hear the answer. I spent well over a thousand dollars seeing him and I warn anyone, who values their health, to think twice about seeking 'treatment' from him. read more

I tried to get in to see him and was told I couldn't see him for 3 months...and I'd have to pay $535 to hold my spot. $535 only covers a consultation with him...nothing else. He might be an amazing doctor (from what I've read / heard), but this is absolutely taking advantage of sick people!! I've had mold toxicity for over a year now and cannot find the help I need. I'm a single mother of 2 and cannot afford $535 for ONE visit. Ridiculous and sad!!! read more

I've been under Dr P's care for just over 2 years now. In that time I've gone from being completely bed bound and on disability, to working full time and recently I've been able to return to working out and yoga. Dr P and his staff have managed my ups and downs, medical complications and set backs. I can't say the journey didn't come with doubts, or that it was easy, but I'm coming out on the other side and I owe my life and health to him. I very highly recommend him to anyone seeking help for mold, lyme & co-infections, or any sort of mystery illness that your doctors haven't been able to figure out. Thank you Dr Patel and Suzy for all you do! Us lymies can be emotional, pains in the a**, but we wouldn't get better without your patience, and we appreciate you. read more

For the previous 10 years, I had been spinning through the medical system being very sick at times, but pronounced healthy. I was prescribed barbiturates for pain and SRI's to just make me feel good...about being really sick. Then, through a referral by a friend, I saw Dr Patel. CIRS. The diagnosis fit. Dr Patel guides you through the recovery process, which is long, and requires tremendous personal sacrifice. Diet, belongings, job, mental outlook. All of these things require tearing down and rebuilding your entire outlook on life / disease. Dr Patel gives the advice and treatment to manage a complex illness to a successful end. He has the years of experience to successfully guide you to back health. There are no corners to be cut, no rules can be bent. I have always appreciated his candid manner, and reflect back on my own `flexible' interpretation of his advice. I thank Dr Patel, for always giving sound advice / medicine and re-enforcement that all of the life adjustments being asked for are just as important, if not more important than the medicine itself. Dr Patel understands the complexity of these illnesses and prescribes the medicine that you need to recover from complex chronic illness. I cannot give him a higher recommendation. read more

Something was seriously wrong with me and no one could tell me what it was. I sought out every specialist that would see me, and everyone looked perplexed and said they had no idea what was going on with my health. I knew I had Lyme disease...I had been treated for it for years...but this wasn't part of the Lyme... I finally stumbled across Dr. Raj Patel, and for the first time, someone knew exactly what was wrong with me. I had toxic mold exposure. It explained all the symptoms I was having, and we even tested the buildings at my college where I spent the most time, and sure enough--toxic black mold. So we finally had the diagnosis, but I soon learned that it was going to be a really long and REALLY slow road ahead. Dr. Patel is extremely thorough, and explained that we needed to go after the viruses, bacteria, Lyme, and mold, to finally get me feeling good again. And he insisted that above all I needed to completely limit my exposure to all mold. I couldn't live in mold. Work in mold. Spend time in any place that had mold...or my treatment just wouldn't work, and I would only get worse. For the first year of seeing him, I didn't follow his advice. I took every single medicine, but I continued to be in buildings I knew had mold. I had been dealing with Lyme disease for 10 years...I knew how to fight through things... But it became apparent that this wasn't something I could just fight through. I became worse and worse, until I couldn't function. Finally, a year ago, I hit rock bottom. I was too weak to lift my arms up. Brush my hair. Make food. Too weak to do anything but lay in bed. Finally after discussing it with my parents, we decided to do things his way. We had wasted a year only getting worse. I had nothing left to lose. Dr. Patel explained that if I truly wanted to get better, I now had to stop going into buildings entirely. He said even 2 minutes at the grocery store might expose me to too much mold, and mess up our treatment protocol. He said for the next 6-9 months I couldn't go anywhere except doctors appointments, and during those I would wear my charcoal face mask. And thus started my year of doing nothing but trying to get well. I followed what Dr. Patel said down to the smallest details. I was taking medicine nearly every fifteen minutes all throughout the day. I completely changed my diet. I wanted to get better, and this man truly believed I would. For months I didn't feel better. It was so hard to keep following the protocol when I didn't see any improvement. But I just kept doing it. Slowly we checked different viruses and bacteria off the list, and made our way towards starting the medicine VIP, which was the final stage of treatment. Then everything changed. I had energy. I started to be able to exercise--something the Lyme had prevented me from doing for the past 10 years. I could run. Do yoga. Climb stars. And the most amazing part was that my recover time had gone from needing days in bed after a 4 minute walk, to just resting on the couch for 5 minutes after a 10 minute RUN! By treating both the Lyme and the mold together, my symptoms became almost nonexistent. I was on antibiotics for the Lyme for ten years before seeing Dr. Patel. I couldn't get off of them without having a full relapse, but Dr. Patel told me and my family in our first appointment that he would get me off of them. We had no idea that that's exactly what he would do. I have been off antibiotics for 8 months now and feel fantastic. Dr. Patel has truly saved my life. I feel healthier now than I ever have before. And I know now how important it will be from here on out for me to limit my exposure to mold. There were so many times I wanted to stop my mold treatment because it wasn't helping, but I am SO grateful that I kept going. I have my life back, and it's because of Dr. Raj Patel. read more

In my early 20's I was experiencing strange and seemingly unrelated medical symptoms. Each series of doctor visits would play out the same, beginning with a doctor telling me that it was strange for a girl my age to be experiencing such maladies and reassuring me that they would get to the bottom of it. After a few tests, the doctor would say that there was nothing wrong with me and send me away. Then each indication would disappear on its own and a new one would appear about a month later. After a while, the doctors started looking at me sideways and I began to wonder if I was just being a baby. I wondered if these were just aches and pains of daily living and if I should just learn to "suck it up." So that's what I did. Until my mom almost died from a mysterious illness. She found Dr. Patel in the nick of time who diagnosed her with Lyme Disease and she began treatment. It was then that I found out what typical Lyme symptoms were and began to wonder about myself. Then there was a realization that my mom has had Lyme for much longer than we previously thought. I went to Dr. Patel and tested positive for Lyme and a few co-infections. Dr. Patel is unbelievably thorough in his testing and treatment protocol. It is obvious that his goal isn't only to heal your ailment, but to make your overall health better than you could ever conceive of. We are still doing some clean-up work, but I am Lyme free for the first time in my life and it's great. I feel better and have more energy than I have in a really long time and we're still moving forward. I can't imagine how fantastic I'll be feeling when he's done with me, and wait to see what that looks like. I have learned so much about myself along the way, have a new appreciation for life, and will never take this body of mine for granted again! Thank you Dr. Patel for helping me and for saving my mom's life. I am eternally grateful for you and wish there were more doctors like you who are kind, brilliant and genuinely care about their patients. Everybody deserves a Dr. Patel in their life! read more

I was fortunate enough to land in Dr. Patel's care after many years of mysterious symptoms that escalated to a debilitating illness in January 2009. After baffling numerous reputable and skilled doctors who shook their heads and washed their hands of me, Dr. Patel was the one who took the time, listened and showed unbelievable compassion for the misery that I was feeling....I knew right away that I had finally found the medical professional who was going to help me...what a relief! In February 2009 I tested positive for Lyme disease and several coinfections. It was during that appointment that Dr. Patel explained that the healing process would be long (1-2 years, maybe more) and then promised to give me my life back. I am here to say that this man keeps his promises! He has demonstrated a remarkable understanding of Lyme, appropriate and customized treatment along the way and amazing care and attentiveness that, in my opinion, far surpasses the care of most physicians (I've been around the block with docs and have enough visits under my belt to say this with confidence). I would also like to comment that Dr. Patel's staff goes above and beyond the call of duty as well...from the nurses, office staff and front desk, everyone is so helpful, efficient, caring and kind. I can't imagine having traveled this road in any other place! The journey has been a long one but I am here to say that I feel better than I can ever remember feeling in my entire adult life. How exciting, tomorrow is finally a gift! A note to the poster from Marina...I must confess that I did not study much about Lyme in the beginning. One thing I have learned since then is that not all Lyme patients test "positive' under the CDC guidelines, when in fact they do have Lyme. If you have the symptoms AND tested positive for a Lyme "coinfection" you might just be infected. I hope you have found the help that you needed, best wishes to you! read more

Dr. Raj Patel was incredibly rude, condescending and defensive when my husband I asked him to defend his diagnosis of Lyme disease when the data from all the test results did not suppot his diagnosis. Further he told me he was angry with me, a mother of four children, because I had not maintained a spreadsheet of the unbelievable number of homeopathic remedies he expected me to give my 11 year old daughter, multiple times a day. He is clearly a chauvanist as he never would have chastised a man the way he insulted me when my husband was not present. He charges an outrageous amount of money and doesn't even write down your prescriptive treatments in an easy to follow, easy to implement program. He may be successful in treating the few patients that truly have lyme but he should not be blinded by the data that indicates patients that do not have Lyme disease and need to be treated for other ailments. He also could use a significant improvement in his organizational and social skills. I will never go back to this doctor. read more