Pediatric Alternatives

Incredible care and attention– care that’s well worth the membership fee AND the drive over the bridge. We see Dr. Lindy Woodard and I cannot say enough amazing things about her and this practice. I can happily say that our son has been able to fight sickness off completely naturally– he has never had to take antibiotics and I accredit that to all that I have learned about nutrition and supporting the immune system from PA. We are very grateful and feel blessed to be able to send our child there in sickness and in health. If you live in the Bay Area and are considering integrative care for your child, you shouldn’t look any further because this practice is the best!

I grew up with a doctor who prescribed antibiotics at almost every visit. Today many of us know the harm that this can do and I’m so thankful that educated, intuitive medical pioneers like the doctors of PA are available and accessible for my children. The doctors we’ve seen (Stacia Lansman and Lindy Woodard) have an extensive knowledge of effective, alternative care which will not compromise your child’s overall health. Although they have the ability to prescribe antibiotics, it gives me comfort to know they will not do this unless absolutely necessary. Emphasis is also placed on keeping the child healthy through proper diet and supplements. They look at the whole picture, rather than just treat the illness.

First, the positives. We love Dr. Sarabenet. She is an amazing doctor and we completely trust her and love her. She has helped us out on many occasions. The other doctors are generally very good, as well. That’s the positive and its the main reason why we stick around. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
The negative is all around payment, administration and helpfulness by the billing staff. It is truly like pulling teeth to get them to give you bills that actually reflect what the charge to insurance company was and what you paid. The billing team seems to have no understanding of the requirements of dealing with Flexible Spending Accounts (meaning, I need well-​defined bills that explain exactly what I used my FSA card for). The net result has been very sloppy bills, hours of time spent interpreting the bills, and still facing regular rejections from my insurance company. It doesn’t help that the billing staff is sometimes not polite and at times quite hostile.
They also seem generally unwilling to even CONSIDER changes that might be very helpful to people paying for their services. For example, many practices that charge an annual fee enable you to submit the fee as a legal FSA reimbursement claim by giving you a simple statement that you are paying for access to an electronic medical records system. This is perfectly legal and is very normal. I could not even get the billing team to even understand what I was talking about, let alone consider whether what I was asking was a reasonable request. Every doctor right now has some form of their records system in an electronic format so… what’s the problem here. It’s particularly galling because their annual fee for access to the practice is pretty stiff — at nearly $ 400 per family per year.
I would gladly give this practice Five Stars for care, as they deserve it. I just hope that in the near future the good doctors can do a bit more to help patients who are not rich people and need to use FSA to pay for this high quality care by making it easier for us with understandable bils and more consideration in listening to our requests.

We love everything about Pediatric Alternatives –they partner with parents to make minimal, yet important decisions about their children. I am impressed with the options and respect I am given when weighing the options for my child. My kids love the environment and are always excited to see Dr. Stacia. The staff has done a great job making the doctor’s office an inviting and peaceful place to be.
We are happy to pay a yearly fee for a practice like this. I had previously worked with Dr. Yee at Prima and was very disappointed and wanted to find a practice that was balanced between the conventional medical model and alternative methods. Most of all, we wanted to make informed choices in a non-​dramatic way and know that the staff was working with us to do that. Pediatric Alternatives has done just that. Now I just need to find an adult practice for myself that has the same level of respect, partnership, and moderation.

i have a somewhat limited experience with lindy woodard. my step-​daughter sees her and given that we now have a one year old, it would have been preferable to keep all the kids under one pediatrician. in my time with LW, i can say that she’s a nice doctor and that she’s definitely alternative. she’s not quick to prescribe a typical OTC or prescription medication. that i like about her.
here’s why she gets one star:
BACKGROUND
when i starting dating my now husband his five year old had been co-​sleeping with him and his ex-​wife for a number of years. it’s obviously all water under the bridge at this point, but he was not an advocate of co-​sleeping. he and his ex were definitely divided on this issue and from what i understand, sleeping in separate beds (ex and daughter in one bed and him in another) was a direct result. anyhow, after they split, he tried to remedy the issue both for his daughter’s sake as well as his sanity. (try explaining to a date that your child has to be in the same bed.) Separately, they would both put her to bed in her own bed, but it was required that they stay until she fell asleep before they could leave the room. if she woke in the middle of the night, the process was repeated. my SD (step-​daughter) has seen two certified child psychologists (in case she needed help with the divorce) and both recommended that the parents not co-​sleep with the kid. «she has to be able to put herself to sleep, confidence issues will develop as a result, furthermore, sleep issues will arise from this and the fact that each household has a different rule». needless to say, nothing changed.
DR. WOODARD:
the ex then went to see LW. she has been caring for my SD since birth, so she was a trusted family advisor. LW gladly agreed that co-​sleeping was a good idea. the next week when we saw my SD, she pronounced, «daddy, dr. woodard said it was okay for me to sleep in the same bed with you and mommy». how could LW do this? my husband thought there may be more to the story, so he tried to talk to LW to confirm. the request to talk on the phone or via email was refused. he was required to make a paid appointment ($ 75 ON TOP of the «secret garden» $ 450 membership fee renewal) with LW to ask her clarification on the appointment. her response: «your ex was going to do it anyway. she’s going to do what she wants to do. she doesn’t have the courage to stand up to your daughter.» that is verbatim.
PRESENT:
three years later, at ten years of age, my stepdaughter has horrible sleep issues. but before that started, everything the psychologists said would happen did happen. my SD had confidence issues. she followed us around EVERYWHERE we went. she would wait in front of the bathroom if we were in it. about an hour or so before bedtime, she would start to get frantic and nervous. she would beg to sleep with us and if that didn’t work, she would beg for us to stay until she fell asleep. today, my SD still sleeps with her mom (at ten years old, 5’1″, 90 lbs!), but certainly not with us. my SD’s sleep issues now manifest in various ways. one example is she runs to the bathroom three or four times at bedtime – diarrhea from nervousness, anticipating sleeping alone.
RATIONALE:
OK. obviously LW is nor responsible for my SD’s sleep issues. her parents (my husband included) are. no young kid can succeed at anything if both parents have divergent points. it’s NOT lindy woodard’s fault. however (and this is a big however), is it medically irresponsible for her to contradict two certified psychologists? she knew about them and their opinions but she contradicted them anyway. she didn’t have to say it was OK. there’s a dozen variations on what she could have or should have said. she validated co-​sleeping and contradicted two professionals. medically irresponsible.

I interviewed many pediatricians when pregnant with my 17 month old daughter and they were all the same — standard practices and eager to prescribe medication for any problem. I was reluctant to go to PA because of the membership fee, but once I interviewed Dr. Sarabenet, I knew there was nobody else I would want caring for my child. This practice is truly remarkable and so refreshing to be a part of. I would not trust any other practice with my children. I feel so lucky to have found it. The membership fee is worth every penny!

i wish there were a 10-​star option.
i can’t imagine having to take my children to another pediatrician’s group! the doctors at PA have pioneered an incredible model for healthcare and i applaud them for their vision and diligence in delivering preventative care while empowering parents to advocate for their children.
i have learned so much about keeping my children healthy from the doctors here. in 11 years, we have never ONCE been prescribed antiobiotics for an ear infection.
the entire staff have never been anything less than extremely kind and incredibly responsive.

I can’t say enough great things about Pediatric Alternatives. The doctors are brilliant, amazing and nurturing. Exactly what I want in a physician for my children. They consistently go above & beyond taking such good care of us, we feel like family. We are so lucky to have them.

For quality of care, access to the doctors and services, and the community programs they offer, you cannot get a better pediatric practice. Our son is likely more healthy because of the care he’s received here. One caveat which is popping up more often these days with medical programs is the annual fee they charge to be part of their special programs. It may not be required. I don’t know and this is of course a luxury for many but if you can swing it for your little ones, this is a great medical practice. AND, sometimes, they might even give you a little medical insight for your health and well being.

We are absolutely blessed to have this practice in our community. MD’s with a holistic view on health and illness, i.e., they don’t just throw a pill, cream, inhaler at every problem, they try to get to the root cause. I always recommend this practice to friends whose children have autoimmune issues (allergies, eczema). There is an emphasis on nutrition which I think is sorely lacking in other practices. The fee to join the practice allows them to stay in business. These aren’t wealthy doctors driving fancy cars.

I almost didn’t give it 5 stars due to the up-​front $ 900membership fee, and annual $ 450 fee thereafter. That said, we finally gave in and paid the $$$ as we just weren’t finding any practitioners who truly offered a balanced, holistic approach in their care.
I understand the rationale for boutique medicine, as insurance has essentially regulated physician visits to a «get-​em-​in-​and-​get-​em-​out» type factory mentality. It’s just a bummer that it’s come to this in order to receive quality care.
Their goal is alternative, minimal invasion first, and only escalating up the chain to harder, «conventional» pharmaceuticals when needed.
Example: they”ve NEVER prescribed antibiotics for ear infections and thus none of their patients have ever required ear tubes, etc. Their belief is to support the body in it’s healing while managing any discomfort and the body will do the work needed to fix the problem. (If you read most recent research, antibiotics did not provide relief
any better than placebo)
The are also very open to those who do not vaccinate or who follow an alternate schedule.
So all-​in-​all, they’re worth the boutique medicine fees if you can afford it.

This is an amazing practice. Great doctors, great holistic approach and wonderful with kids. From the moment you walk in the door, your kids feel comfortable (chalk and bubbles outside, books and toys inside). Dr. Woodard, specifically, has been incredible. The only «con» is that you have to be holistic yourself and really believe in this stuff. The approach combines traditional and non-​traditional medicine.

Fantastic holistic approach. I heard Dr. Lindy Woodard from this practice discussing vaccines on The Balancing Point radio show, she has a very down to earth and balanced way of looking at children’s health. A great resource for parents. If you missed the show and want to hear her talk about her approach to kids health it is available via podcast on