Thomas Cowan, MD

I saw Dr. Cowan. He offered me a diet to try. He seemed intelligent and like a good doctor. He was honest (perhaps to the point of being unhopeful) that he may not be able to help me with my condition. I did not experience help or healing from the disease. He had a horrible bedside manner and left me with the feeling that he did not want me to return, like I was wasting his time.

Like another reviewer we also had a mixed experience with Doctor Cowan.
We took our twin boys in to see Thomas when they were six months. We have his books and had been feeding them a W. Price whole milk formula so my wife was excited to see him and get his advice.
He came across as reserved, tired, and somewhat smug. He showed little interest in our boys, in us, or our role as parents of twins, showing a lack of charisma and a poor bed side manner. He showed little empathy/​connection with our family, as if the visit was a chore that he didn’t feel much excitement about.
He did respond to our questions, and offered grounded common sense advice. Yet it felt odd that it was our first visit (375 $ for 40 min) and he did not ask us any questions about the boys history (other than their diet) or our home life. Our boys were very healthy when we went in and our main concerns were constipation for one, and weak muscle tone for the other. He gave us good advice, discussing the benefit of colostrum, introducing more solid foods for constipation, and showing confidence that the weaker muscle tone was only relative to our other super vital boy.
We left feeling that as good as his vision is, he doesn’t fully walk his talk. His fourfold path in practice was more like a half fold path, answering our questions in a self-​assured manner while waiting for the day to end.
To be certain, compared to a mainstream doctor with an amazing bedside manner he does carry holistic wisdom, it just would be amazing if this wisdom came with human warmth and… the gnawing question: how effective and accurate is such wisdom if he doesn’t take time to get to know his patient? There is a big difference between sharing mental knowledge as a medical ‘expert’ and allowing one’s knowledge to emerge from being truly attuned, present, and receptive to another living being.

We took our kids in for check ups and Dr. Cowan was very thorough, knowledgeable and kind. He listened to us and asked questions as he examined them. The staff was friendly and helpful and we felt well taken care of.

There is nothing holistic about Dr. Cowan. He is expensive, and doesn’t accept insurance. You pay out of pocket for medical advice that is not much different than you would get from any regular MD: Undergo standard medical procedures… then he will give you an «alternative» supplement protocol that will cost you your entire month’s salary for the next five years of your life. He is arrogant and smug, has no empathy and isn’t open to feedback. I went to him looking for alternative approaches to breast cancer. He told me to have surgery, just like every other doctor/​oncologist. When I was distraught and angry over having had the extremely traumatizing surgery, he said I should go find myself another doctor. Thanks? This guy sucks; don’t waste your money. And don’t put your life in his hands.

Dr. Cowan is not only an incredible physician, in my professional opinion, he’s the doctor of the future! While some people complain about his «bedside manner» or that he can have an «attitude» and is «very expensive», I don’t see him or his practice in this way at all. I’ve known him for years, and he is the only doctor I will see for just about anything. His book, «The Fourfold Path to Healing» is one the most comprehensive, valuable, and unique holistic health /​medical books I’ve come across and a book I think anyone interested in improving their health and well being should read. His knowledge and experience are unsurpassed and I feel that every conventional medical doctor should learn from him and the way he practices medicine. He can heal the most complicated cases and «undo» the damage from conventional medical drugs and protocols! Although the reality is he can’t «fix» everyone, I feel that he’s your best shot for whatever healing you may need — from the common cold to stage 4 cancer, he has the tools and skills to tackle it! His staff is also wonderful. Thanks Doc! –Ashley Hathaway, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

Dr Cowan and Sabine Luis are nothing short of amazing… he is treating both my brother in stage 4 lymphoma and now my husband who has been diagnosed w Graves’ disease and diabetes. Considering we live on the East Coast Dr Cowan was so accommodating to our needs, and office staff coordinating shipment of medications accurately and timely. Dr Cowan was open to our current health status and did coordinate his diagnosis with our current physician respectfully… I am glad to report 3 years after his expertise and office staff’s guidance and protocols my husband has eliminated all but one traditional medications and has reversed his diabetic diagnosis and has continued to controlled his Graves symptoms. Many of the protocols are now just simply our lifestyle. This physician’s office and demeanor is of high quality and extremely professional! I highly recommend!!!

I took my 5-​year-​old daughter to see Dr. Cowan in 2011. She had all sorts of symptoms, including autism, digestive distress, allergies, etc. She was having a ‘good’ day on the day we went, so he didn’t believe me on any of her symptoms. He told me I was a paranoid parent and that I was depriving my child by keeping gluten, dairy, grains & sugars out of her diet. I told him that this was the only diet under which she could function. He didn’t believe me.
I did convince him to give us a lab script for Lyme testing, and told him that she had 2 previous tick bites. It came back positive on Band 41 and he wrote «No evidence of Lyme» on the results.
Fast forward 2 years and this child has been crippled by Lyme disease. It turns out that Band 41 is the first band to show up when someone contracts Lyme disease. Apparently Dr. Cowan had no idea. Had we treated this child back then, her prognosis would’ve been much brighter than it is right now.
Furthermore, Thomas Cowan has an arrogant attitude. It doesn’t matter if you’ve done research and are a well educated parent who’s come a long road. He knows everything and you know nothing.
He says he supports the WAPF diet, but my experience is that he only supports the still-​sugar-​addicted version of the diet.

I’ve had nothing but good experiences here. I began seeing Dr. Cowan regularly when I first received a diagnosis for stage 4 cancer. Between the time of the diagnosis and the time the full round of tests were completed at SF General (approx 1 month) Dr Cowan sat down with me numerous times and not only helped me to fully understand my situation and potential treatment options but also helped me to really make sense of all the info and pressure I was getting bombarded with from SF General. I couldn’t have been more grateful to have had his guidance and insight on my side prior to walking into the appointment with the Oncologist that day who insisted I begin chemo right away, even though it’s known to be useless with my type of cancer.
With his, and his staffs guidance on diet, detox and natural protocols, my oncologist was was shocked with in a few visits by the progress I was able to make under Dr. Cowan’s guidance. I was told ”what ever you’re doing keep it up, it’s more than we would have even hoped for ‘with’ the chemo“
Not only did they set me on the right path but suggested, and even helped facilitate access to other doctors and treatments they currently didn’t provide. Truly the complete opposite of what I was getting from the hospital.
He has since begun providing a number of different treatment options in conjunction with some pretty advanced diet and lifestyle changes, that have been highly successful in helping me manage and control such advanced cancer to where I’ve returned to a pretty normal life.
True not all of what he said was what I wanted to hear, but he pulled no punches and told it like he saw it. That kind of honest straight forwardness was uncomfortable at first but in my opinion now, exactly what was needed to save valuable time in getting my health in check during very uncertain times. And honestly nearly all he prescribed from diet to treatment plans showed positive results once I stopped resisting changes I didn’t ‘want’ to make and carefully followed his advice.
As far as the expense some others have mentioned I agree that it can all add up quickly but they did a monthly pay what you can type arrangement (I think it’s called something like the community health fund) with many of us to help afford the visits and some of the treatment protocols. By comparison to what the cost of the conventional medicine approach would have been the difference is astronomical. In fact there is really no comparison. And it’s all been with no horrific side effects of the chemo and radiation.
There is really no way around some degree of expense but I found Dr Cowan to be generous nearly to a fault. I believe he genuinely and honestly cares about everyone of his patients and seemed to do all he could to make a positive difference for myself and everyone doing the more advanced therapies.
So I say if you want someone to baby you he’s probably not the one for you, but if you want a doctor with vast knowledge ranging the full gamut of western to completely natural medicine then I believe he’s one of the best.
I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to work with/​learn from him and his whole staff. They’re all great, the woman who helps patients with therapeutic diet consultations to the nurses to the friendly ladies at the front desk. I never could have wished for a better team on my side through these years of learning to manage cancer naturally and safely than I’ve found in Dr Cowan and his whole staff.

Dr. Cowan is direct and highly knowledgeable. He is an active listener and compassionate. I went in for gastrointestinal issues and when other doctors will push you aside about your symptoms. Dr. Cowan is an encyclopedia of traditional healing methods.
Thanks for getting me in the right direction.

My family has been part of Dr. Cowan’s practice for over seven years. In response to a previous reviewer, although the supplements can be expensive, they are usually temporary and are used to get your body back in balance. His diet is very clearly spelled out on his website and in his book. It’s a simple diet: eat the way your grandparents used to eat. My experience has been that if you follow his dietary protocol, you rarely need to see him.
I email him when something concerns me (e.g., 104 fever for 5+ days) or as follow-​up to an appointment and he always responds promptly (and I’m never charged).
I have sent friends who have not been able to resolve their health problems with traditional medicine to Dr. Cowan with great success. If you want a quick fix, i.e., pharmaceuticals, this is not the practice for you.
If you want to get to the root cause of your health problems, take a systems approach to your body and switch to a more traditional diet (minimal sugar and refined foods, but plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and liberal saturated fat) you will have great success in this practice. Nutrition is the cornerstone of his practice (and I don’t mean low-​fat, egg whites, energy bars and steamed vegetables — quite the opposite.)
He has excellent bedside manner and is kind and thoughtful. He asks questions, listens, and reflects in appointments that are much longer than you’re used to. He is versed on the latest research and well-​ahead of mainstream physicians (Vitamin D supplementation, probiotics, low-​dose Naltrexone, etc.).
We are fortunate to have a practice like this in the area.

I have really mixed feelings about Dr. Cowan’s practice. On the one hand, some of the people who work there are great, especially the nurses. On the other hand, it’s expensive, and I’m not really sure what Dr. Cowan or some of the other people who seem to work there do.
The intake was pretty comprehensive, but then I got put on a treatment plan that was expensive to maintain and a diet that was not explained to me. When I e-​mailed him and told him I didn’t understand the diet, he wrote back that we should talk. I didn’t know if I was supposed to make an appointment to talk to him or what.
Another time I e-​mailed him because my numbers seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Again, he said we should talk, and again, I did not know how to do that.
I was told by his staff that he prefers e-​mail, but when I e-​mailed him, I got no response.
I think in the general scheme of things, Dr. Cowan’s treatments are probably helpful. I wasn’t cured, but I feel better than when I first went there. What I don’t know if it was due to his treatment or the many other things i’ve been doing for my own healing.
If you decide to see Dr. Cowan, be prepared to pay some major bills. Don’t expect a friendly, helpful doctor.

Considerate, thoughtful, and committed. Great professional colleagues as well – explore this practice if you’re looking to break away from more traditional medical services. See his
website also. Missed key gluten related problem, however.