Raphael Stricker, MD

I traveled from British Columbia, Canada to San Francisco, California. From the moment I entered Dr. Stricker’s office I was greeted and treated with nothing but respect! It was my pleasure to be in the Dr’s capable hands. He was kind, understanding and very helpful. He gave me the feeling that he truly cared about my dillema and left me feeling that all hope was not lost. He is truly an amazing doctor and I believe it’s special people like Dr. Stricker that truly make a difference in this world giving people such as myself our lives back. Thank you Dr. Stricker!

If you have a Lyme diagnosis or wondering if you have Lyme and confections then Dr. Stricker is the best. I feel very fortunate to have him here in SF and have made vast improvements under his care. I will say that anyone with this diagnosis must take control of their diet and overall health. You can’t just coast through this. Stricker has been able to put me on the minimal medication I need to beat this and I’ve done the rest.

Extremely knowledgeable and easy to talk to. Office staff is always very nice and helpful!

Dr. Stricker knows lyme disease and the confections, when most western medical dr’s do not. He treats with antibiotics, so I suggest also seeing an acupuncturist, or alternative holistic dr to boost the system if you have lyme with health eating, supplements and probiotics, as he does not deal with that, but he does know the disease itself and which abc to use if you need. He is kind– never rude.

Dr. Stricker is the best lyme doctor in California. He saved my daughter’s life and I am forever grateful for him. Several people complain about the wait time in his office but he treats some extremely ill patients and he, himself is extraordinarily busy because he is testifying, writing journal review articles, or speaking at conferences to advocate for those suffering from Lyme and other related horrid diseases. As many lyme sufferers know, it is an uphill battle to obtain any medical help and he is on the forefront fighting the medical establishment for treatment. For those that complained about the expensive cost of labs NOT covered by your insurance, this is one of the biggest problems and why we need advocates like Dr. Stricker.
For the reviewer who gave one star due to purported falsified studies, you should know that Dr. Stricker has training as a hematologist and immunologist and has written MANY peer reviewed journal articles re lyme. He was also a champion of those suffering from AIDS and advocated for long term anti-​viral therapy LONG before it became accepted practice. He is one of the most experienced and intelligent doctors involved in Lyme disease in the country and arguably the world.
For those that have difficulty reaching him (we did too), try calling first thing in the morning. The staff is incredibly busy (fighting with insurance companies for drug treatment coverage and the many patients that come from out of state. Please keep trying.

Best!!! Hands down.
H
Dr. Stricker can help you if you should ever have Lyme disease.
–I mean he REALLY can help you !

Dr. Stricker saved my life. I am now 100% free of Lyme disease after suffering for 3 years before diagnosis. I couldn’t walk, think, or function really by the time I was diagnosed, and I have now completed 6 triathlons including a ½ Ironman. It took me 3+ years to recovery. This takes time.
Yes, he’s hard to get a hold of, he is in high demand. Yes, he is expensive. He is the best at what he does and you get what you pay for. He is worth every single penny. He also spends time with his patients, so yeah, you may have to wait! if he accepted insurance he would be dictated about how much time he could spend and what types of treatments he could use. This is the downside of having Lyme. These folks on here complaining about his manners (I think he is one of the sweetest men I have ever met!), or that they have to wait for him is ridiculous. You clearly are not that sick if that is your biggest issue.
If you ARE that sick, I am sorry but you have to be patient. Too many people suffering Lyme and not enough doctors. He is one man. If you can’t get in then educate yourself and your doctors about Lyme.
Thank you Dr. Stricker!!!

Dr. Stricker is very nice and I have been going to him for years. He is always thorough in treatments and I have never had a problem with him. I also see many, many happy patients in his office from all over the country (and sometimes from outside of the country).
I recommend him if you have Lyme, you won’t be sorry.
I dinged one star because sometimes it is difficult to get a hold of them and because you need to submit your claim to your insurance, paying for the visit up-​front. I don’t really know if he does this because insurance companies are complete pains-​in-​the-​butt and he has had issues with them in the past for rejecting Lyme submissions, or if he would just rather not deal with them. I suspect the former but I have never asked.

Anyone considering going to Stricker might want to read the
article «Lyme Inc.» by David Whelan (Mar. 12, 2007) which reports Stricker was dismissed from UC San Francisco in 1990 for falsifying data in AIDS research and that Igenex, the lab Stricker uses, was fined $ 48,000 for being noncompliant. Further details of his dismissal are documented in the «Final Findings of Misconduct», National Institutes of Health Guide, Vol. 22, No. 23, June 25, 1993. Had I gotten this information in time, I would never have gone to see him and thus spared myself considerable grief and money.
In the course of my initial visit, when he seemed to be questioning the validity of a positive result of a Western Blot test, my friend (there for support) asked him for clarification. Stricker said I didn’t have lyme… yet he continued to talk as if he were dealing with a lyme patient. A few minutes later, my friend again interrupted him and asked him «Were you being sarcastic?» to which he answered (with a half smile) «yes.» Though thoroughly shaken by his unbelievably flippant attitude towards a vulnerable patient, I persisted through the appointment, thinking I had already spent $ 650 just to secure it.
At the end of the visit I asked him how much the blood tests he ordered would cost me. He could have told me to call the three labs (not just one, as I had thought) and told me which labs would be doing which tests, so that I could call them one by one and get a detailed invoice, even if that would’ve taken a considerable amount of my time. Or, he could just have just said that he didn’t know. He said neither of these things. Instead he said, «about $ 700». Yet when the credit card bills for the blood work came through, they totaled almost $ 1500, and it was going to cost me another $ 350 just to have a 30-​minute visit with the doctor to get the results. This is from a doctor who orders these tests all the time.
Needless to say, I never back to him. I have no idea whether Stricker is competent to treat lyme of not. What I do know is that he is unethical, unprofessional, and mercenary and I am now hoping for better luck in someone else’s care.

Only doctor around that treats Lyme, but my goodness, he has horrible manners. Never on time. You sit in the waiting room for at least an hour. The office staff is the complete opposite of proactive. I wish there was another Lyme doctor around.

I saw this great doctor for many years before I moved out of state and couldn’t get back to him. He’s the best. He actually ‘listens’ to you. And he knows how to treat Lyme, not just for those paltry 1 – 2 months that ID doctors will treat Lyme patients with.
I would recommend anyone to go to him, and I do. And someone mentioned David in the office. Yay! I agree.

I have called multiple times and gotten voice-​mail every time. I have left multiple messages and have received NO call back. I’m sick. I need a Lyme literate doctor and his office has completely blown me off. How hard is it to call a person back to make an appointment or to just say you’re not taking new patients? Heck, how about putting that on your outgoing message so people who are desperate for help know to keep on looking?

In 2008 I was bitten on the back of my neck at Lake Berryessa while training for my 3^rd Triathlon with Team in Training (which raises funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). Without going into great detail, I can tell you thru some unfortunate circumstances the tick stayed on me for over 48 hours, and I went to Kaiser to have it removed. KAISER did NOT give me anything after taking the tick out. I took the tick home and had the County of Napa test. They said it definitely was a Lyme carrying tick (Xiodes Pacificus) (sp?) but there was not enough fluid on it to know if it had Lyme. Although Kaiser said the Lyme test was negative, my friend took a photo of the bullseye rash on my neck. I was so sick I did not think I would live. Through the LLS word got out that I had been bitten by a tick and very sick. Do not rely on Kaiser to help. I got 3 weeks of antibiotics from my Dr at about 6 weeks in, and although it helped I stiil never felt well. I found my way to Dr Stricker about 5 months after the bite. I not only had Lyme but a nasty case of Babesiosis. Although out of work for 8 months, I got back to work thanks to Dr Stricker. After several years on Antibiotics, I did my own experiment (dumb) weaning myself off of my drugs and taking a turn for the worse. It seemed to hit me neurologically this time. I am back on track after being diagnosed with another co-​infection (Rickettsia) but it is a slow process. I am a HUGE supporter of Dr. Stricker. He saved my life. I am not doing Triathlons yet, and I still have a bit of a recovery process ahead of me, but I am grateful that people who have experienced Lyme and are card carrying Kaiser members contacted me and said «Do not rely on Kaiser for help». The thing is with Lyme is that small window of time. The longer it takes to get it diagnosed, the sicker you become. Thank God for Dr. Stricker. He is an amazing Diagnostician and not afraid to take on the cynics. Trust me… if the cynics get bitten by a tick and become ill they will be calling him too. Also… he has the best clock in his office!

Contracted lyme disease, went to a GP and was put on antibiotics for 2 weeks and was told I was cured, even though I still had symptoms. 7 months later I found Dr. Stricker through a lyme help group and he literally saved my life. After being tested at a lyme savy lab, Dr. Stricker started treatments, and within a week, I felt sooooo much better. After 4 months, I was really cured. Think of him every Thanksgiving since. He is very understanding, listens, and cares!

Dr. Stricker not only gave me back my life, he gave back my daughter’s as well. He is a highly intuitive diagnostician!

If you have Lyme disease or suspect that you do, Dr. Stricker is a very good option in these parts. To treat Lyme, you need to understand it inside-​out, be able to interpret the test results correctly, and, above all, understand that the tests are oftentimes inaccurate, which means you must make up for that in your clinical diagnostic skills. These are all things that Dr. Stricker excels at.
If you’re looking for herbal treatments, holistic treatments, etc., you might want to supplement your visits with a more integrative healthcare provider (like I do). Dr. Stricker will treat you, for the most part, with prescription drugs, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and Lyme is definitely not something you want to play around with if you want to save your brain and nervous system (or your joints, or your heart, etc.).
Dr. Stricker is also very politically involved with Lyme disease and is a strong advocate for Lyme patients and reforming the conventional treatment of Lyme.

After visits to a couple dozen doctors, it was Dr Stricker who figured out what was wrong — he is an independent thinker who listens to what you say and doesn’t pigeonhole you.
He is kindly and friendly, and his staff is very supportive and helpful. The first appointment was for an hour (!) and follow ups are a half hour each. When’s the last time you got that much attention from a doctor?
Thank you, Dr Stricker, and your staff.