Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Doctors  

Most people don’t understand fluoroquinolone toxicity; however, there are fluoroquinolone toxicity doctors able to help. They don’t understand the complexity or severity of chronic illness brought on by fluoroquinolone antibiotics. They don’t understand the pain. Furthermore, they don’t understand the timeline – that it takes a long time to heal from getting “floxed,” and that some people don’t heal at all. They don’t understand delayed reactions, or continuing decline. They don’t understand the mechanisms of fluoroquinolone toxicity. Not only that, but they don’t understand how a pharmaceutical, an antibiotic no less, can cause multi-symptom, chronic illness.

The only people who really, truly, completely understand, are the people who have been through it themselves. Fluoroquinolone toxicity is a complex issue, resulting in full system dysfunction, and traditional doctors really don’t get it.

Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Doctors Who Were Poisoned

I, personally, trust someone more who understands fluoroquinolone toxicity (FQ) and has gone through it themselves. Moreover, it signifies that they too know how scary it can be and how fast things get out of control. Did you know that there are practitioners who have been through FQ toxicity?

That, more than anything else (in my opinion), is what makes these two medical practitioners (one D.O. functional medicine practitioner, and one pharmacist functional medicine practitioner) uniquely qualified to treat fluoroquinolone toxicity patients.

They have been floxed themselves. They know what it’s like and how hard it can be. Not only that, but they understand the pain, the fear, the complexity, the lack of resources available, the horror of a bomb going off in their body, etc. They know what it’s like to go from healthy and active, to being in a wheelchair because of a disabling reaction to Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, or any fluoroquinolone antibiotic. They understand because they have been there. Furthermore, they truly have empathy for victims of fluoroquinolones because they too are victims, sufferers, and survivors of these drugs.

The two featured medical practitioners have also healed. Their healing journeys are different, but their results are the same–recovery.

Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Doctors Recovery

These two practitioners used intuition, help, and guidance to get their health back on track during the reaction to a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. After they healed, they decided to so something to help the “floxie” community, and devoted their practices (or at least a portion of their practices) to helping people to overcome fluoroquinolone toxicity. I am hopeful that their services will help hundreds, if not thousands, of people to heal from fluoroquinolone toxicity.

The two medical practitioners that I’m referring to are Dr. Mark Ghalili, D.O. of Regenerative Medicine LA, and Sujata Patel of Journey with Sujata and Wellness With Sujata.

Dr. Mark Ghalili, D.O. of Regenerative Medicine LA:

On the Regenerative Medicine LA web site, Dr. Ghalili’s bio states:

Dr. Ghalili’s passion lies in teaching his patients about chronic disease, prevention, and finding the underlying reasons for an illness. At an early stage in his career, he noticed the future of medicine becoming a medication cure-all for all patient’s ailments. Dr. Ghalili realized that the traditional methods and ideologies used in Western Medicine that were taught to him failed to provide any insight into functional and regenerative medicine. He realized millions of American’s are suffering from chronic disease and need a whole body approach taken in order to heal. Dr. Ghalili has dedicated his life towards offering care to people living with medical conditions that are not being improved by traditional medicine; his own personal journey will allow him to positively impact patient’s lives.

I have spoken extensively with Dr. Ghalili, and I know that his ordeal with fluoroquinolone toxicity was harrowing and traumatic, and that he has made a remarkable recovery. Dr. Ghalili has agreed to write a recovery story to be published on Floxie Hope, and he will also be featured in a podcast episode here. 

Sujata Patel of Journey with Sujata and Wellness With Sujata:

You can read about Sujata’s journey through fluoroquinolone toxicity on Sujata’s Story – Cipro Poisoning and Recovery. In her story, Sujata describes how active and healthy she was before she took Cipro, and how she ended up in a wheelchair after getting “floxed.” She describes how Western Medicine let her down, by both failing to have answers and failing to give her acknowledgement. She tells us what things she has done, and continues to do, to heal her body, mind, and spirit. It’s a wonderful story, and I encourage you to read it.

You can read more about Sujata, and her journey through fluoroquinolone toxicity, on Journey with Sujata. Here are some highlights:

My name is Sujata, and I am excited to share my story and journey through fluoroquinolone toxicity, fibromyalgia, hope, recovery, and ultimately reclaiming my life. I hope that through my journey and the results of my research and development, I will be able to offer you that same hope so that you can reclaim a joyful, hopeful, vibrant and healthy life.

Given my age and my excellent health, I had no idea this could impact my life so drastically. I started noticing tendonitis in various areas of my body, which progressed to all of my tendons. Over the course of a week, it began impacting my nervous system, all of my muscles, my joints, and my cognitive (brain) function.

This is when my quest for information began. I was determined to figure out what the root cause of this side effect was and how I could treat and reverse it. So many of the symptoms of fluoroquinolone and fibromyalgia overlap, and I started finding the congruencies between each. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. This was my inspiration to find anything and everything I could to reverse this life altering condition. I had to think outside of the box, using my pharmacy background, my knowledge of biochemistry and medicinal chemistry, and really thinking about what was happening at a cellular level. It was not as simple as searching “cure for fibromyalgia” or “reverse fluoroquinolone toxicity” on the internet. I wanted to understand how to stop the progression of this illness, rid the toxins that contribute to the progression of the illness, and how to rebuild healthy cells to regain health and vitality.

I could have kept my findings to myself. But as I read through message boards and blogs of no hope and lives of devastation, it literally brought me to tears. I simply must share my findings, insights and products with anyone who could possibly benefit. It is my mission to educate and help as many people as I can who are suffering from fibromyalgia and fluoroquinolone toxicity. It is my mission to offer hope, clarity, and an avenue to recover and heal.

I have regained my mental clarity, my vitality and thirst of adventure in my life. I have come out of a two and a half year long depression, I have re-ignited the spark within me that makes me want to experience everything life has to offer, and I know that if I can do it, so can you. I want that for you. I want you to feel the hope, I want you to walk the steps of healing yourself, and I want you to live again. Furthermore, I want you to feel empowered within yourself and KNOW that you, too, can live the life you are meant to and WANT to live! Journey with Sujata is here to support you, guide you, and walk with you as you journey to health.

Thinking Outside The Box, To Heal

Both Dr. Ghalili and Sujata Patel practice medicine in ways that are outside the normal allopathic medicine. They are not typical medical practitioners who approach the world in a typical way. This is probably a good thing, seeing as most “floxies” have not been able to find help or answers from typical mainstream doctors (though some have – there are good and bad medical practitioners of all types). They are both Functional Medicine Practitioners, which, according to Dr. Mark Hyman, means that:

Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.

It should be acknowledged that consultations and treatments from both Dr. Ghalili and Sujata are more expensive than most traditional doctor visit co-pays. Medical providers who practice outside the traditional system tend to be more expensive for consumers (in part because none of their business expenses are covered by insurance payments/reimbursements). The hefty price-tag that comes with their services does not make them greedy, and it does not mean that they are praying on people. I’m certain that they both have good reasons for the amounts that they charge, and, from what I’ve heard, their fees are in-line with those of other Functional Medicine Practitioners.

I have decided to sell fluoroquinolone awareness bracelets, and attire to fundraise for patients to get treatment by one of these practitioners. Every year, proceeds from the Floxie Hope store will help fund a treatment for one individual to regain their life by one of the fluoroquinlone toxicity practitioners. You can visit the store here.

Both Dr. Ghalili and Sujata Patel saw that there was a need for medical practitioners who understood fluoroquinolone toxicity, and they did something about it–they became Functional Medicine Practitioners who specialize in fluoroquinolone toxicity. They are using their extensive medical training to help “floxies” and their help is appreciated!

Hopefully more medical practitioners will start recognizing, and even treating, fluoroquinolone toxicity. I don’t hope for anyone to get “floxed,” and I hope that the desire of other medical practitioners to help people heal from fluoroquinolone toxicity stems from our collective advocacy efforts, rather than the horrifying experience of going through fluoroquinolone toxicity themselves. But, with that noted, medical practitioners who have personally been through fluoroquinolone toxicity can empathize with “floxed” patients, and they have a perspective that is unique and valuable. I appreciate both Dr. Mark Ghalili and Sujata Patel, and I hope that both of their practices are successful and that they help many people to recover from fluoroquinolone toxicity.

Are There Doctors Targeting Floxies?

First, I must preface this with, I only want this information to help protect those from the hurt and pain of having a hopeful bias that they will heal from seeing a practitioner and not seeing results. Any medical procedure has risk, and benefits, and for some those benefits may be marginal.

However, there are doctors targeting fluoroquionolone toxicity patients in some less than ideal practices. Moreover, these doctors have not been through it, nor do they understand how complex this situation can be in my opinion.

Of course, no doctor or human is perfect, and I assure you I do not assume their intentions are coming from a purely monetary. Also, I have spoken to both of these practitioners whom I feel have no place targeting or treating fluoroquinolone patients.

In 2015, I sat down with Dr. Jess Armine after seeing a YouTube video on how he cures fluroquinolone toxicity. After a few sessions at $300 per hour while he sat on a zoom call in a very cluttered office with sweatpants on, I found that he was not qualified at all to treat my issue. Secondly, he sent me a lot of Dr Ben Lynch’s work to help guide me to heal. I was definitely “dooped” I paid someone to help me, and he gave me another practitioner’s findings.

The second practitioner I firmly believe has no place treating floxies is chiropractor Hugh Wegworth of Bandana Wellness. I use the term doctor here loosely for two reasons, one he is a chiropractor, which yes that is a doctor, but he is not a functional medical doctor which he claims. I spoke to Hugh Wegworth in 2018 (I have the emails and call records to prove it) to gauge his potentional to offer my guidance. On the call, I struck up questions to rate his knowledge of FQ toxicity. Guess what? Hugh Wegworth was unable to answer simple questions about the mitochondrial issues and or some of the simple fundamentals of FQ toxicity.

Recently, his practice also uses Google ads, Youtube ads and Adsense to target those suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity. I recently typed in google “Floxie Hope” and his add pops up with a statement of “100% Full Recovery” shown below. That seems so wrong to me to provide false hope and expectations to someone in pain and just trying to get their lives back. Also you can see his response to followers on his Youtube channel as less than ideal. 

bad Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Doctors
Doc Hugh Wegworth

Again, I am not trying to label these practitioners as bad, but I am saying to be cautious when working with either of these two as they have proven to me to be less than compassionate, capable and understanding of the issues with FQ toxicity.

Disclaimer – I am not financially affiliated with either Dr. Mark Ghalili/Regenerative Medicine LA, but I do coach some of his patients. Also, I am not affiliated with Sujata Patel/Wellness with Sujata/Journey with Sujata in any way. I’m not receiving any money from either of them for writing this post. I Jason Sousa, do not receive any monetary sum for posting their practice info or highlighting them as floxie practitioners.