Dr. Marvin Portner
One of my earliest memories, when I was about 4 years old, is of putting my hands on someone’s knee and feeling pain in my knee as their pain diminished. This first experience as a healer inspired my fascination with the human body and its energy systems.
Once I finished my training medical training, I served an officer in the Navy where I realized that when at sea, my breathing was easy and free of congestion. On land, however, my nose was always stuffy and my chest often felt congested. This recognition of the role of allergies and of the immune systems response to allergies became an important motivator in my pursuing additional residency training in Allergy and Immunology. As the saying goes: “Healer, heal thyself.” Thus, my mission in my medical career has been to facilitate the well being of my patients so they remain healthy and achieve the highest level of health possible for them.
I entered private practice and was acting chief of Allergy and Immunology at the V.A. Hospital Long Beach (UCLA). Dr. Robinett (my senior associate) had allowed farmers in Minnesota to do allergy shots (AIT) at home for years with success. We did a study in our Los Angeles practice and found that both groups had benefit without complications but had more consistent treatment at home with greater satisfaction and time and travel saved. We adopted Home Allergy Treatment (HAT) as our standard approach. In use for greater than 100,000 patient years we saw no complications and great benefit.
In 1978, I no longer wanted to practice traditional medicine in a traditional medical setting. I left my medical practice, giving it to my practice partner, and went to India to meditate and delve more deeply into the spiritual components of healing and health.
In India I met my soul mate, Eleanor Haspel-Portner, Ph.D. who had been guided to travel to India. Although we knew many of the same people and were involved in healing work, we had never met in California, despite living a mile from each other. Since our meeting on August 14, 1978, we have remained life partners, and legally married in 1979. Eleanor encouraged me to pursue my medical practice in ways that honor myself, my patients.
My practice is unique in that I do not have a large office staff; I prefer to relate directly to my patients and to spend time doing a thorough history and physical so I can collaborate with them in their medical care.
To Make an Appointment or find out more CALL or TEXT: (310) 266-3050 or email: mportner@portnermedical.com.