Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a pediatrician and a pediatric allergist in the Berkeley/Oakland/Alameda area that accepts Health Net. My 2-year-old daughter struggles during the rainy season with allergies, which often result in congestion and frequent ear infections. She had ear tubes put in this past July, however they have since fallen out, resulting in more ear infections. My hope is to reduce/prevent the frequent congestion that often results in ear infections, rather than have more tubes put in. From what I have read, having tubes put in more than 1-2 times, can result in scar tissue that can be more damaging than the infections themselves. I would also like to prevent her from being pumped with antibiotics for the next few years. I am very disappointed with how her current pediatrician is treating my daughter's health issues (Just pumping her with anti-biotics). Any recommendations for another pediatrician and allergist would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! susan

Does anyone have a favorite allergist and/or ENT specialist? My allergy issues seem to be related to sinus issues, so I'm not sure which to try first, but I'm really, really tired of coughing and being stuffed up every night (though generally fine during the day-and it doesn't really seem to be related to my bedding). I have blue cross/blue shield PPO so can access a fairly wide range of doctors, but would probably favor either someone close to Oakland/Berkeley or someone with an enthusiastic recommendation. Some of the allergists that I know are on the list: Nancy Mozelsio, James Nickelson, William Lenoir. There are some very old and enthusiastic recommendations for Nickelson on the website, (also mentioning how busy he is). but nobody else. Some of the ENTs: William Lewis, Wade Cartwright, Fred Rosen, Robert Weman, Sheldon Kabaker, John Carrigg. There isn't much on the website about ENTs generally, and what's there is old Thanks Janet

Re: Allergist/nutritionalist for son's allergies

Hi - Dr. Jim Nickelson in Berkeley was great with my son. He sees both adult and pediatric patients. His office staff were very helpful. My son had some of the same issues your son had. I never found the pediatricians very helpful either, perhaps because my son's allergies were never extreme, but rather constant and annoying. Dr. Nickelson took a lot of time to discuss the concerns I had about my son. He did allergy testing and explained the results well.

He also diagnosed my son's not so serious scalp condition as a type of eczema. One treatment with the elocon (sp?) ointment, and it disapeared. It has returned, but is much more mild. I had been told that it was dandruff by his pediatrician. It wasn't a big deal, but it was nice to have an answer after 3 years with a flakey spot and thinning hair! anon

We would like to see an allergist to find out what we are allergic (often quite severe attacks) to. The one our regular doctor recommended is not giving appointments till May and the postings on the website are 3-4 years old. Thanks, Rajesh

I see an allergist, Dr. Jim Nickelsen, who has been recommended by myself and many others on this list. He's great with both adults and kids, and is on many insurance plans. What is less well-known is that his wife, Julie Nickelsen, is (I believe) a GP. So it is possible to get coordinated care in their office, with your son seeing "Dr. Julie" for checkups and other routine (or emergency!) concerns, and seeing "Dr. Jim" should any specific allergy/asthma concerns arise. They are located at Woolsey and Telegraph, which is a quick shot into Berkeley down 13 (in non-rush hour traffice) from Montclair. The phone number for the office is 644-2316. Good luck, Dawn