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Now Accepting New Patients (With Caveats)

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I am re-opening my practice to new patients that live in California and are able to come to my Berkeley, CA office for the case review appointment.

Accepting new patients
Now accepting new patients! mum_ble/istock/Thinkstock

Note: Due to the overwhelming response we received, Chris has had to close his practice to new patients. We expect to open again later this year or at the beginning of next year. If you’d like to be notified when he begins accepting new patients again, please sign up for his newsletter at ChrisKresser.com.

I’m ready to open my doors again to new patients. However, there are three important caveats:

  • You must be a legal resident of California (and currently reside here) to apply. 
  • You must come to my office in Berkeley, CA for the case review appointment. (Follow-up appointments may be in-person, or via phone/Skype.)
  • You must be open to seeing Dr. Amy Nett, and/or future clinical associates that I train, for at least some of your follow-up appointments.

There are a few reasons for these requirements; in general they are related to my ongoing initiative to mentor and train other practitioners and expand the number of patients we can serve directly.

I did not make this decision lightly, and I know that it will disappoint a lot of people. I’m sorry that some of you who live out-of-state and have been hoping to work with me directly may not have that opportunity.

The good news is that both Dr. Sunjya Schweig, my co-director at the California Center for Functional Medicine, and Dr. Amy Nett, the clinical associate that I have recently trained, are able to work with patients that live elsewhere in the continental US. (However, they both do require an in-person visit initially.) Sunjya is currently accepting new patients on a limited basis, and although Amy is full at the moment, she’ll be re-opening to new patients very soon. To learn more about how Sunjya works with patients, and to apply to become his patient, visit the CCFM website

In the near future, CCFM will hire another clinician to train and work with me, and within the next 18 months we hope to hire a third, and possibly even a fourth, clinician. This will significantly expand our ability to serve the high demand for skilled functional medicine practitioners with an ancestral perspective.

How to Apply to Become My Patient

If you live in California, are willing to see me in person for the case review appointment, and are willing to see Dr. Nett or a future clinical associate for at least some of your follow-up appointments, please follow these steps to apply:

  1. Read the section entitled “Working with Chris Kresser and Dr. Nett” on the New Patients page of the CCFM website thoroughly. Make sure you are familiar with all of the procedures and fees before you apply.
  2. Fill out this application form*. After you submit your application, you will receive some forms from our clinic.
  3. Promptly complete, sign, and return the forms. You will then receive instructions on how to register for our electronic patient portal.
  4. Once you’ve registered for the portal, the staff will contact you to schedule your initial consultation.

Important note: you must complete steps 1–3 above in order to become a patient and schedule your appointment. If you do not complete all of these steps, we’ll assume you’ve lost interest and move on to the next application.

Given that we’re doing things differently this time (limiting to CA residents and requiring an in-person visit), I’m not sure how quickly the wait list will fill up—or if there will even be a wait list. Hopefully we’ll be able to just keep my practice open without doing these crazy open enrollment periods.

That said, if we get so many applications that the case review appointments are starting to be scheduled more than 4–5 months in advance, we’ll probably have to close the practice as we have in the past.

With this in mind, please do not apply unless you 1) meet the criteria I established above, and 2) are 100% committed and ready to begin.

I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating holiday season.

*Due to the overwhelming response we received, Chris has had to close his practice to new patients. We expect to open again later this year or at the beginning of next year. If you’d like to be notified when he begins accepting new patients again, please sign up for his newsletter at ChrisKresser.com.

Affiliate Disclosure
This website contains affiliate links, which means Chris may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. You will pay the same price for all products and services, and your purchase helps support Chris‘s ongoing research and work. Thanks for your support!

88 Comments

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  1. Why do I live so faraway!!! Any Functional Medicine doctors/health workers you know of in Australia?

  2. I agree Chris can only adequately see so many patients. I used it live in ca but am back home in Colorado and the universe keeps guiding me to functional based doctors. Chris I LOVE your articles. They help me ask the right questions to my Doctors. Keep up the good work. I am so excited to see functional medicine grow and I am glad you have the passion and drive to bring it to all of us chronic health sufferers. I also appreciate your level headed (not extreme) approach to paleo and diet!! There are some militant approaches and your whole approach is refreshing!!

  3. How long after I fill out the application should I expect to see the forms from your clinic? Thanks and I am very excited.

    • We can’t give you an exact estimate, it could be weeks or it could be a few months. We’ll send all the applicants more information soon.

    • Both my clinical associate, Dr. Amy Nett, and my co-director/partner, Dr. Sunjya Schweig, accept out-of-state patients. I supervise Dr. Nett directly and she has been trained in my methods. Dr. Schweig has a very similar approach and several years of experience. They are both fantastic choices.

      Amy isn’t accepting new patients right now, but she will be soon.

  4. Fabulous work… Just need to be able to access FM support or the risk is worsening symptoms and confusion… Staying positive in Australia… Judy we need a link or contact details to let us Aussies know how to find the FM trained medicos Thankyou a big bunch !

      • Thanks Judy !
        This work is interesting, however there seems to be a focus on mental health / ADHD, etc. I’m looking for Functional Medicine support in Australia for digestive issues (ulcerative colitis) and wish to treat holistically – do you have any knowledge of any Australian practitioners that work from this perspective ? Many thanks !

  5. I’m very interested in finding a doctor like yourself and your coworkers. Do you know of any doctors that service Vancouver BC Canada? Or if there is a list of practices that offer a similar approach?

    • I wish there was. One of my big initiatives this year is to start a clinician training program and remedy this problem!

      • Thank you Chris, I am in need of help with SIBO and other issues, seeing a functional dr who said to go to you, here in canada… its almost impossible to find a dr who will treat with the antibiotic protocol.. been searching for almost 7 yrs, and until i met anthony d. had not known of you. thank you… i will write about seeing amy if i can not see you.. Vancouver or Toronto would be a great place to start in canada.

  6. Hi Chris, Thanks for all the amazing info you put out there…I’m an avid reader of your work! I’d love to do some training with you. I’m an MD, just starting my own practice doing integrative and functional medicine for adults and kids, and I’m in Berkeley CA too!

    Also wanted to let you know that the “New Patients” links on your site aren’t working….

    Thanks for all that you do to make this world a healthier place! Yasmin

  7. Chris, I am thinking of signing up with your office. I just found out that I have B Duncani and Babesiosis. Do you treat these? Also I have a chronic fungal infection I can’t seem to get rid of. I need help with this.

    • Hi Marjorie,

      My co-director, Dr. Sunjya Schweig, has more experience treating Lyme and co-infections than I do—so he might be a better fit in this case.

  8. I cannot tell if any of the expenses, tests, etc might be covered by health indurance. Can you tell me if they are?

    • The practice does not accept insurance, but can provide a superbill to submit to your insurance.

  9. Chris,
    What credentials are you looking for in the practitioners you plan to hire? I’m a physician assistant working in Monterey. Could I send you my resume to see if I am the right type of candidate for your training and practice?
    Thank you!
    Theresa

    • Hi Teresa,

      At present, we’re not looking to hire a PA. But that could certainly change in the future! I’ll announce any available positions here on the blog (and on the email newsletter), so that’s the best way to stay informed. Thanks for your interest.

  10. Yes I agree! I live in Virginia and sadly most of the highly recommended doctors who specialize in Hashimotos, celiac, digestive system, adrenal gland issues live on the West Coast. I prefer a functional medicine doctor but can’t find one. Do you know of any good doctors in Virginia that you could recommend? I feel like I’m self diagnosing and testing on myself all the time because I can’t find guidance. I started the autoimmune paleo diet which has eliminated all the inflamation throughout my body but my digestion seems worse. It would be so nice to find someone to help me through it!

  11. I wish I never moved out of the country. I used to live in L.A. I hope to find a doctor like you here where I live in the U.K.

  12. How can I find a Dr. Like Dr. Kresser in my area (Indianapolis Indiana)?
    Is there a doctor website that I can look at? What title should I put in to make sure I get a doctor like Dr. Kresser?

    • I’m on it! This year I plan to launch a clinician training program that will be offered mostly online, so people all over the world can take it. There will also be some optional in person/live events for those that are interested, but they won’t be required for the training.

      • Wonderful! I would be very interested to learn more about your training program. As a cancer survivor, I now understand the importance of functional medicine. The Paleo lifestyle is what my family is all about. Houston, TX is in need of more FM trained health care professionals. Looking forward to more information.

      • Yay! Do you mean for people who are already acupuncturists/ other practitioners? Would there be CEUs?

      • I’d be very interested in training – been struggling.g to find decent courses that don’t the old food pyramid at you and insist you need grains to be healthy…

      • Just wanted to let you know that our volunteer group in Australia brought out some USA experts in mental health and autism and have trained 140 doctors in Australia on a similar path to you – rebalancing biochemistry using vitamins and minerals. Wonderful response from the doctors – the demand is there both from doctors and patients. It was slow at first, but now we almost have to close the number of doctors we take each training session.

        • Hi Judy
          I posted to ask if you can give us Aussies some more info so we can make contact with FM trained Drs here in Oz for support
          Thankyou Vanessa

        • Judy Nichols,
          Would you please email me with a link for the Functional Mental Health clinicians in Australia?
          [email protected]
          I practice Functional Medicine Psychiatry, and like Chris Kresser, have requests from all over that I cannot accommodate.
          I just had one this week from Australia who was desperate to find a Functional Psychiatrist for her husband.
          Many thanks!

    • yes please, exactly what she said! Can’t believe how much I pay for medical insurance that is totally worthless…

  13. Wow, such arrogance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an attitude from a purported medical provider. Like applying for a private club or something. I suggest you tone this down, big time.

    • You obviously know nothing about Chris’ work and the huge demand for his services. Private club? Hardly. Just a normal limit to the number of patients, existing and new, that he can serve. Chris has reported that past notices like this have filled up the available new patient slots in 10 minutes!

    • You do realize all practitioners a d doctors have a limit of the number of clients they can take in?

      All businesses do! (other than some webapps).

      • Kudos to Chris for requiring that prospective patients be 100% committed to implementing the principles of functional medicine. If you believe that anything written in the article represents arrogance, you’ve never struggled with how to “know your customer” and focus your efforts on the minority who really value your service.

    • Dear notimpressed,

      In reference to your comment, it is quite obvious to me from whence the arrogance exudes from. I can only assume that your chiding blanket exhortation stems from an affiliation to the mainstream allopathic community of naysayers and skeptics. You may want to invest a little time to review the history of successful medical advances and observe the trail of cutting edge innovations that were intially lambasted by critics quick to defend the status quo.

      Sincerely,

      Not impressed with not impressed

      • Yolanda Share,

        LOL, what assumptions you are making, knowing nothing about me! I was merely commenting on the tone of the post, which I felt was extremely elitist.