Dr. William Nicol Guddal, MD

very poor listening skills, and bedside mannner

Dr. Guddal has been my regular doctor for a few years now, ever since he absorbed the patient load from the osteopathic doctor who used to be in the Goleta office of Jackson Medical Group. Getting appointments with him is typically fairly easy to do. I usually have to wait a few minutes in the lobby and then a few minutes more in the examination room before I finally see him, but I don't think I have ever been in this office for more than an hour altogether. I have also left phone messages for him before and I always get a return phone call in the same day. I usually get the feeling that he is in a hurry, but I must say that if there is a point I really need him to hear or if I really need clarification about something, he will take the time to slow down and hear my concern or answer my question. If you are to see Dr. Guddal, my advice would be to write down any questions you have before going in, so that he doesn't slip away before you get those questions answered. Otherwise, he is a… decent family doctor. One other gripe I might have about him is that he may not be accepting of new research. I had decided to follow a ketogenic diet to control prediabetes and lose weight. He said this was a diet that would not be good for me, in spite of the fact that I had read several articles touting the benefits of low carb diets in general, and their benefits for diabetics in particular. I disregarded his advice and I lost over 50 pounds while bringing all my blood test measurements back to normal levels, so hopefully I changed his mind about ketogenic diets, but that might be an indication that he can be stuck in his old fashioned ways sometimes.