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Guest Bio: Marvin Portner, MD

One of Marvin Portner, MD’s earliest memories is of a time when he put his hands on someone’s knee and felt pain in his knee as their pain diminished. This first experience Dr. Marvin had as a healer inspired his fascination with the human body and its energy systems and led to his lifelong dedication as a healer.

He finished his medical training at the University of Michigan and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. While in the Navy, Dr. Marvin noticed that while at sea, his breathing was easy and free of congestion, but when on land his nose was always stuffy and his chest often felt congested. This recognition of the role of allergies and of the immune system response to allergies became an important motivator in Dr. Marvin’s pursuing additional residency training in Allergy and Immunology. As the saying goes: “Healer, heal thyself.” Thus, Dr. Marvin’s mission has been to facilitate the health and well being of patients so they remain healthy and achieve the highest level of health possible for them.

After becoming Board Certified in both Allergy and Internal Medicine, Dr. Marvin went into private practice in Century City and Newhall where he was CEO of a medical group and hospital. Practicing medicine in traditional medical settings and seeing patient after patient was not gratifying to him. He wanted to know his patients, facilitate their health, and minimize their medical expenses. Thus, he developed a protocol for home allergy care that changed his practice and moved him in the direction of integrated, holistic medical care.

In 1978, no longer wanting to practice traditional medicine in a traditional medical setting, he left his medical practice, giving it to his practice partner, and went to India to meditate and delve more deeply into the spiritual components of healing and health.

In India he met his soul mate, Eleanor Haspel­Portner, Ph.D. who had been guided to travel to India. Although they knew many of the same people and were involved in healing work, they had never met in California, despite living a mile from each other. Since meeting on August 14, 1978, they have remained life partners, and legally married in 1979. Eleanor encouraged Dr. Marvin to pursue his medical practice in ways that honor himself, his patients, their lifestyle, and consciousness.

Dr. Portner's practice is unique in that he do not have a large office staff; he relates directly to his patients and spends time doing a thorough history and physical so he can collaborate with them in their medical care.

Dr. Portner is a member of the American Medical Association, Co­-Founder of the Los Angeles Erickson Institute, Approved Consultant for the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, Certified in Clean Language, Reiki Master/Teacher, Energy Healer. He lives with his wife Eleanor, their four cats, Labradoodle, and four pet ducks. He enjoys time with his family and grandchildren as well as hiking, swimming, singing in a choir, and reading.