Dr. Dooley's Practice
Homeopathy is a system of medicine which uses very small non-toxic doses of natural medicines to stimulate a healing reaction in a person. In homeopathic practice, it's not a cliche to say that the whole person is treated.
To accomplish this you'll find that I spend more time with you than most doctors -the first visit may be one and a half hours. I need to get to know and understand you as a person, not just a disease.
The following information is to acquaint you with some of the details of my practice.
- Book
- What I do
- Results
- Costs
- Professional fees
- Cancellation policy
- Insurance
- Location
- Questions About Your Treatment in Between Office Visits
- San Diego Office Hours
- San Diego Office Dates
Book
I have written a book to guide you as a homeopathic patient. Homeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine, it is available on-line at www.beyondflatearth.com, through my office and in many stores.
What I do
As discussed in my book, I practice classical homeopathy, sometimes called constitutional prescribing. In homeopathy, for any given disease, there are hundreds of remedies that might be used. For any given patient, however, only one or two of these remedies will cause a good response.
The goal in homeopathy is to find one single medicine that treats the whole person. The specific disease conditions then resolve as the patient responds. This is true not only for chronic problems, but for acute diseases as well.
I specialize in homeopathy and most patients come to me for natural healing. I occasionally recommend conventional medicines, vitamins, or some other therapy. I sometimes request lab work or referral to another practitioner for diagnostic workup.
Results
As with all physicians, I cannot guarantee results. Most of my patients do well with homeopathy. Unfortunately, there are others who, despite my best efforts and their full cooperation, get few results.
Patients with chronic problems on the right remedy will usually have positive results within 4-6 weeks. Thereafter, month by month improvement generally occurs as the body heals. I usually see patients with chronic problems every 4 to 6 weeks or so until they have reached a level of health where they can come in as needed.
The distinction between remedies for a given patient is often subtle. Occasionally, a few prescriptions are necessary before a good response is obtained. This is true for all homeopathic practitioners. For best results with homeopathy, I usually take patients off as many other medicines as possible (often including vitamins and herbs).
Costs
Homeopathy is cost effective. At my current fee schedule, a full year of treatment (for both professional fees and medicines) averages around $720, about $60 per month. Many patients actually save money over what they were paying for herbal/vitamin programs and for treatments they no longer need.
Professional fees
Initial appointments for a chronic condition are $360. Please allow up to an hours and a half hour for the initial consultation. Initial appointments for children twelve and under are generally $240. Allow up to one hour. Initial appointments for children under 1 year are $180. Allow up to 45 minutes. Routine follow-up visits are $92. The charge for other appointments varies.
Cancellation policy
I schedule one patient at a time and need to know at least 48 hours in advance if you can't make it. Otherwise, there is a $50 no-show fee for first visits, $25 for return visits. Since there are often patients waiting for first appointments, payment in full is required prior to rescheduling you if you miss your first appointment without advance notice.
Insurance
By choice, I do not participate at this time in any insurance program, including Medi-cal. Those patients with health insurance that covers the services of any M.D. can send in my statement to their insurance company for reimbursement, if applicable. I do accept Medicare. You may be responsible for billing your supplemental insurance carrier.
Location
I maintain an office in Hillcrest at 3446 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92103. It's a few blocks north of the zoo on the corner of Park and Myrtle.
Coming from the north, take the University Exit off of 163. Turn left on University and right on Park. After you go through the signal at Robinson, take the 4th right on Myrtle. Turn left into the parking lot at the rear of the building.
Coming from the south, take I-5 to 163. Take the Richmond Exit. Turn right on Upas and left on Park. Make the next left on Myrtle. Turn left into the parking lot at the rear of the building.
Questions About Your Treatment in Between Office Visits
Once you are a regular patient of my practice many problems can be dealt with over the phone. My wife Ming, a trained homeopath and licensed acupuncturist, assists me. If you leave a phone message and do not receive a return call, please call again. (Perhaps your message wasn't clear. Always leave your name and number.)
Questions? Most of your questions are answered in my book, Homeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine. Please obtain a copy, read it, and keep it for reference.
San Diego Office Hours
Office Phone Hours
We usually answer the phone during scheduled appointment times. Otherwise, we return calls within one business day, except when we are traveling.
Appointment Hours
Tuesday and Thursday 1:15 - 5:00
Wednesday and Friday 9:30 - 2:00
Saturday 9:30 - 4:00
No hours on Sunday and Monday
Hours vary slightly over the summer
When Dr. Dooley is not seeing patients in San Diego, he is doing social service work in Arizona, other parts of the United States and India. Hours may be subject to change.
Office Dates
September Appointments
Saturday, September 1 through Friday, September 14, Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28
October Appointments
Tuesday, October 1 through Saturday, October 13
November Appointments
Friday, November 2 through Saturday, November 17
December Appointments
Thursday, December 6 through Saturday, December 22
January/February Appointments
Friday, January 18 through Saturday, February 9
March/April Appointments
Thursday, March 13 through Saturday, April 5
May Appointments
Friday, May 9 through Thursday, May 22
When Dr. Dooley is not seeing patients in San Diego, he is doing social service work in Arizona, other parts of the United States and India. Hours may be subject to change.
