Unfortunately in regard to mast cell disease, this philosophy just won't work. Seeing a local doctor who just doesn't know mast cell disease (which is 99% of the doctors) won't help anyone get better and just prolongs the condition. If it is a patient with anaphylaxis, that means a risk of life and death. To assume a local doctor will recognize this and be able to help is great in an ideal world. However the reality of the situation is that even if a doctor has heard of mast cell disease and can recognize symptoms of it, they still won't have the knowledge or specialized facilites of how to properly test for it. I went TEN years undiagnosed, sick, and searching for answers. That is ten years of feeling like I had the flu, being too sick to do things, and having the worry that something was terribly wrong with me. I saw doctors in Indianapolis and Chicago, to no avail. It was only through the advice of online people who had the same thing (specifically Nancy Gould) that I got put on the right path and found Dr. Akin, one of the top specialists. Thus the reason that I created this forum so that others did not waste years with local doctors who may be nice but not equipped to help.
As you see I feel strongly about this and this am replying as such, not so much in regard to your friend and her daughter (because she is going to do what she feels easiest), but in regard to all the new members or readers of this forum. I have a responsibility as forum owner to jump in and share my opinion (yes, it is simply my opinion) if I feel that new people could be led astray by what I consider faulty thinking. I don't mean that you are faulty, by any means. I mean your friend's thinking...but once again that is my personal opinion although I think that you would see agreement from our veteran members and forum advisors who have been up and down these paths before.

In regard to Dr Castells only taking referral patients, that may be the official word, but we have seen plenty of people self refer and be approved for phone consults with Dr Castells. This is a good alternative if someone is too worried about traveling. In a perfect world, we could find a local doctor who wanted to consult and be guided by Dr Castells or Dr Akin, but so far I have only heard reports of doctor egos getting in the way of that.

Clearly you are not grasping anything that I am saying. However you are entitled to your opinion. I don't like that you are posting things as if they are facts rather than your opinion, when in reality, they are OPINIONS.  We will consider this discussion closed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. At this point you have hijacked the original poster's thread. Therefore, I am locking this one. Sorry to the original poster.