Bloem Alice Lee, MD

I believe eastern, traditional medicine combined with western medicine can work miraculously as it has done wonders for me. In Dr. Lee’s case, I would agree that she had purely monetary motives and that because she wholesaled all of the medicine, she was clearly incentivized to put patients on as many supplements as she could. Whenever I challenged her, she questioned my logic and/​or turned it into a therapeutic «trust» issue which left me feeling despondent and not knowing where to turn. My uncle, who was highly concerned with the amount of time and money that were being spent, asked her some direct questions, and she would either ignore him or try to antagonize in a manner that was highly inappropriate and unprofessional. I had been on several medications so, like the others, she managed to instill a tremendous amount of fear in me that I would medically relapse if I stopped her treatment. The first few months were amazing; I managed to get off of everything, my skin cleared up, and my energy levels and sleep patterns were greatly improved. As time went on, I started pressing her to take me off because it was such a financial strain and she insisted it was «worth» it, that other holisitic psychiatrists would charge me even MORE. Eventually I stopped feeling as well and I was extremely constipated, I believe as a direct result of being on so many supplements. I started researching them and some seemed practical while others were totally bogus; one of which was essentially a $ 40 bottle of chlorinated water. In many ways she broke Hippocratic Oath, including, but not limited to, the fact that I ended up processing her credit cards (as that was my profession). I didn’t realize at the time, that this was highly illegal and could be one of many reasons that she could get disbarred. It’s a shame that whoever it was that originally tried to sue her failed in their attempt, as it will make it next to impossible to sue her in the future (she also made me sign an agreement not to sue, which was a large red flag from the beginning…). That case she covered up as a conspiracy against her. For anyone seeking a holistic solution, I would be sure to seek out recommendations and accreditations. The going rate is usually $ 300/​session and $ 100-​$ 150 thereafter.

A year after first seeing Dr. Lee I was still on 31 different supplements. Following the régime of different pills and powders morning, noon and night was complicated but I was committed. I did successfully get off the antidepressants under her care, but according to her muscle testing system, I still needed to be taking that many supplements (and paying her a LOT OF MONEY) a year later. She offered no end in sight. Desperate to get out of the situation but afraid of falling back into depression, I found another doctor who also takes patients off of antidepressants and uses blood tests, therefore physical proof, to make the diagnosis of what their body needs. This new doctor had me detox off all the supplements Dr. Lee had me on and then started on a few things that again were proven by the tests we ran to be necessary. I feel so much better and am taking less than a third of what I was under Dr. Lee’s care.

This doctor seems to be in it for the money over the health of the patient. I was told I would need $ 600 of supplements a month on top of the $ 400 office visits. Then I was offered to «rent» a DVD on holistic medicine for $ 75.00. I guess my $ 1000 a month wasn’t enough. I disputed the initial office charge with my credit company to no avail. They said they could only reach her voicemail. So, now I’m out $ 450. Glad I got out when I did. To make matters worse, she spent time waving her hands around me calling it energy medicine. It felt more like voodoo medicine. Do not go to this «doctor.»

My loved one was treated by orthomolecular medicine, energy medicine and other holistic psychiatry techniques. After having been stable on minimal Geodon for more than 5 years (with a stable romantic life, living independently and months away from a doctoral degree), my loved one was withdrawn abruptly from Geodon and placed on dozens of expensive nutritional supplements and a regimen of energy medicine. As a direct result of this shift in treatment, my loved one experienced severe psychotic episodes and has spent more than two years recovering, living dependently, unable to return to school, her wedding engagement broken.
Although I protested multiple times to the practitioner that my loved one’s symptoms were returning, the practitioner ignored my complaints and condescended me. Sadly, I read too late about a case exactly like my loved one’s: In 2008, another person who was treated with holistic psychiatry unsuccessfully sued Dr. Alice Lee Bloem for holistic psychiatry causing psychosis. Perhaps, had this case not been dismissed, fewer people would tout holistic psychiatry and lives, including my loved one’s, would have been saved.
I practice integrative medicine and am acutely aware that some complementary and alternative treatments are ineffective and dangerous. Based on public complaints, research and my experiences, I believe holistic psychiatry may be ineffective and dangerous for some patients.
The possibility that this treatment might destroy your life and reignite your symptoms in an unprecedentedly severe way should be thoroughly considered. Of course, there’s also the possibility you could be «miraculously» cured by holistic psychiatry. I am not aware of a proven metric to determine which patients will do well or have their lives decimated by holistic psychiatry, and when I repeatedly asked my loved one’s practitioner what metric she uses, she refused to answer.