Lois Johnson is a different kind of doctor who has a different kind of office with it's own unique pharmacy.
Her pharmacy is like Rosemary's Garden meets Dollar Drug. Her office resembles a living room more than a cold surgery room. But that doesn't mean she's not a qualified MD.
My impression of the practice: I would expect to find her in Sebastopol or Occidental, and on my first visit I was taken aback by many things, but mostly to find her practicing in Santa Rosa. As far as holistic practitioners, she goes way beyond Hill Park and Brian Bouch in Petaluma. And if they seem "heavy handed" as the one bad review stated, it is to stress the importance of taking the prescribed medication as directed, and making follow-up appointments.
You have to have confidence in alternative medicine or you may not feel comfortable paying for the treatment. When I went, the practice was self-pay (did not accept my insurance) and pretty expensive for me, including the prescribed medications from the pharmacy. And there were refills that were equally expensive. The prescriptions are almost certainly not going to be covered by any insurance.
I saw Lois Johnson at a time when I had exhausted all other options. I had a "successful" cancer treatment that had left me permanently disabled with nerve damage. No doctor would believe I had a problem, let alone treat it. I saw Lois, she was understanding, listened and believed I was in pain. That was very important to me at the time, but she didn't have the answer for me other than just acceptance of lifelong pain and loss. I later found help from a western medicine specialist in San Francisco. That's my story. I wasn't really impressed.
But my mother saw Lois for a different issue with a lot of success (she doesn't write Yelp reviews). Mom had been given a medication by her primary care doctor to help with hot flashes. An SSRI or an SNRI. The side effects were not tolerable so she tried to stop taking it. But she couldn't. She had horrible withdrawals when she tried to stop. No other doctor would even believe my mom, let alone help her. Lois saw her and their pharmacy compounded the medication in very small doses so my mom could reduce the medication more slowly. It made a huge difference and she successfully tapered off.
So, 3.5 stars. One of a kind holistic MD with a compound / herbal pharmacy that practices alternative medicine and helps with unique medical issues if you can afford it. read more