A Santa Clarita pediatrician has established the first multi-disciplinary mitochondrial disease clinic in Southern California– possibly in the entire United States, according to officials.

Dr. Rochelle Feldman

Dr. Rochelle Feldman of Prima Pediatrics is assembling a team of medical experts from a variety of specialties to both test for and treat mitochondrial disorder, a disease that causes chronic symptoms commonly dismissed by doctors in the past, such as headaches, fatigue and stomach aches.

“We have established the very first of its kind, I believe, anywhere,” Feldman said. “Certainly in Southern California, more likely in the United States… It’s going to be a bunch of specialties together, all of us putting our heads together to figure out the best care and treatment for these kids.”

The mitochondria, which Feldman described as the “powerhouses of the cell,” are responsible for the production of energy, and recent studies indicate both children and adults can be missing some, or all, of the components necessary for the body to function properly.

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“It’s their job to take two energy molecules and turn them into 26,” Feldman explained. “And it takes about 37 enzymes in the mitochondria– and another several hundred to a thousand that are in the nuclear portion –for the cell to have this whole apparatus work.”

“If you don’t have it all,” she continued, “then maybe you’re not going to make 26 (energy molecules). You might only make 20. Or if you’re really sick that day, 15– maybe even 10.”

The result can be chronic, unexplainable fatigue, migraines or abdominal pain that Feldman said doctors in the past have been quick to dismiss as being “not really real” or “in your head.”

“Sometimes it’s just a virus; however, if a kid’s really having problems and it’s lasting longer than three or four months, those kids need to be looked at,” she said. “None of this information was even available five years ago… The research has just exploded in the last five years.”

Thanks to this recent research, pediatricians like Feldman can now test for, diagnose and treat children with mitochondrial disorders by identifying exactly which enzymes are missing and replacing them.

“We are having very significant results and very good success,” Feldman said.

One patient recently diagnosed and treated successfully was an SCV honor student on the swim team who was “falling apart for no good reason,” according to Feldman.

By simply obtaining and testing a sample of saliva, Feldman was able to diagnose the patient with a mitochondrial disorder and prescribe a variety of supplements, vitamins and other medications to give her enzymes the boost they needed to perform properly, and with good results:

“She just made junior varsity,” Feldman said.

For more information, contact the medical professionals at Prima Pediatrics by calling 661-424-9000.