c articles low back breakthrough 3 - florida health care ... · cnbi, the breast care navigator at...
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Winter 2019
(see Low Back Breakthrough, page 4)
DR. CRAIG S. ADERHOLDT
Joyce Broom
Unique, nonsurgical therapy eliminates patient’s pain
Low Back Breakthrough
A Maryland native who relo-cated to Florida nearly 30 years ago, Joyce Broom was preparing to return home for
a brief visit this past spring when she ran into an excruciating roadblock.
“I was supposed to leave for the air-port on Wednesday, March 28th, but on Tuesday evening, I started having intense lower back pain,” Joyce recalls. “I’ve had lower back pain for thirty years or more, but it was never this intense.
“It doesn’t take much for my back to go out. It could be that I lifted too much or twisted or turned the wrong way. It could be anything, but I never felt pain like this before. It was sharp pain in my lower back that I even felt in the front, in my abdomen.”
� e pain kept Joyce awake all night. When it persisted into the next morn-ing, she concluded that she’d never be able to sit on the plane for the trip to Maryland. Disappointed, she cancelled her � ight and made an appointment with her family physician.
“From my description of the pain, my doctor thought I had kidney stones,” Joyce recounts. “He thought I passed one because the pain wasn’t as bad then as it had been in the middle of the night. � e doctor gave me medication in case I needed to pass another one.
“When I got back from the doctor, the pain got worse, and I couldn’t even stand. � e only comfortable position was
lying on my back with my legs elevated. I couldn’t walk or do anything; I just had to lie there in pain. On a scale of one to ten, my pain was a � fteen.
“� is continued through the week-end, so I called my former chiropractors, and no one could see me. My husband heard about Back Pain Institute of West Florida and told me about them, so on Monday morning, I called them, and they got me in.”
Back Pain Institute of West Florida is where Dr. Craig S. Aderholdt provides the most advanced treatments for patients in severe pain. Among them is a unique, nonsurgical treatment called VAX-D® Therapy, which is a patented, FDA-approved medical decompression technique for alleviating pressure on the discs of the spine.
“Joyce had a very painful back condit ion, and for her, as with many patients with similar painful conditions, I recommended VAX-D Therapy,” observes Dr. Aderholdt, who is one of the few doctors in the country who offers this unique treatment.
“Dr. Aderholdt said that VAX-D � erapy should help me, and I could start immediately if I wanted to,” relates Joyce. “I was in so much pain that I said, I’ll do it.”
Revolutionary TechnologyWhile VAX-D Therapy is a medical decompression technique, it is not a trac-tion device, emphasizes Dr. Aderholdt. It works di� erently and achieves signi� -cantly better results, the doctor ensures.
“For many patients, chiropractic adjustments alone can actually relieve the pain,” he asserts. “However, for select people with sciatica or herniated, bulging or degenerated discs, VAX-D � erapy has proven extremely e� ective.”
During VAX-D � erapy, the patient relaxes on a comfortable, computer-controlled table, secured with a pelvic belt or patented cervical collar, depend-ing on the area to be treated. Carefully speci� ed tension and pressure changes guide the use of VAX-D, allowing the therapist to focus decompression at the exact level of spinal dysfunction.
Because the VAX-D system is comput-erized, it enables the table to make subtle but targeted movements, which create a powerful vacuum within the disc space. � is vacuum gently draws the disc back to its proper orientation, which pulls nutrient-rich spinal � uid into the disc and stimulates repair cells that e� ectively mend the disc.
Siesta Dental Mighty Minis
South Florida Eye ClinicEye Floater Laser
Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center On Pointe
Johnson Medical CenterLoosen Up!
Advanced RejuvenationReverse Hearing Loss
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Helping Hand
Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota
5Are You at Risk for
a Hernia?
Back in the Swing
Stem Cells For Your Feet
Repair Bone Loss
3David A.
Napoliello, MD, FACS
6Advanced
Rejuvenation
OsteoStrong
10
ChiropraCtiC
Physicians are on the medical sta� of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, but with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the non-discrimination notice,
please visit our website at lakewoodranchmedicalcenter.com.
To make an appointment with a physician on staff at the hospital, call
Direct Doctors Plus® at
(941) 708-8100
Clinical Expertise, Exceptional Care
Since it opened its doors in 2004, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has earned the Gold Seal of Approval for its commitment to performance standards and an “A” safety rating from the Leapfrog Group. Its patients have access to more than 550 physicians and allied health professionals who practice in a comprehensive range of specialties and use the hospital’s advanced medical technology. To learn more, call or visit the hospital at:
8330 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.Lakewood Ranch
(941) 782-2100To learn more, please visit www.lakewoodranchmedicalcenter.com
Navigator eases journey for women � ghting breast cancer
I t’s not unusual for Judy Phillips to � nd a lump in her breast. She has a condition that causes benign growths to form there. She and her doc-tor carefully monitor them, of course, and she’s
had numerous biopsies to ensure none of the lumps are cancerous. When one lump did begin to grow, however, her doctor gave it special consideration.
“� at lump was under my left arm,” describes Judy, a Keysville native. “It was deep and against the wall of my chest, and it hurt once in a while. I think the lump had been there for a while, but when they found it, it measured two centimeters.”
Concerned, Judy’s doctor referred her for a mammo-gram at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center in Bradenton. � e imaging showed an area of concern. � e radiologist performed a biopsy of Judy’s lump, and the test results came back positive for cancer.
It was during her appointment for the biopsy that Judy was introduced to Michelle Lynch, RDMS, CVT, CNBI, the breast care navigator at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center’s Breast Health Center.
A breast care navigator’s role is to support and guide women facing breast cancer through the complex maze of medical appointments and complicated terminology associated with the disease’s diagnosis and treatment.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without her,” Judy says of Michelle. “She was there from the beginning, and she helped me set up a time for surgery, but then it got delayed, and she was the one who kept things rolling and helped get the surgery done.”
Breast Health CenterMichelle is a newcomer to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, which recently relocated its Breast Health Center from the � rst � oor of the hospital to the Medical Arts Building on the medical center’s campus. The new location provides more space for new services and tech-nologies. � e center provides comprehensive care for breast cancer patients throughout the continuum, from diagnosis through surgery and breast reconstruction.
The Breast Health Center is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including two 3-D mam-mography machines and a 3-D image-guided prone breast biopsy system, the � rst in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Ultrasound-guided breast biopsies are per-formed at the center, and a radiologist is on sta� all day. � e center’s spa-like environment is calming and comforting to its patients.
“Breast navigation was introduced by Harold Freeman in the 1990s at a Harlem, New York hospital,” Michelle relates. “Its primary purpose is to eliminate bar-riers to caring for women facing a breast cancer diagnosis, and there are many barriers.
“� ere are communication barriers due to a lack of understanding, or fear. � ere are medical system barriers such as missed appointments and lack of follow-up. As a navigator, I follow the patients. I call them when they have appointments; I’m there with them.
I’m with them during their biopsies. I hold their hands throughout the entire process.”
If a woman detects a lump in her breast, she may come to the Breast Health Center for a diagnostic mam-mogram and ultrasound. With a radiologist on sta� , she will get the results of that study before she leaves the center. Her personal physician will decide her next step.
“Typically, if the area is concerning, the radiologist will recommend a biopsy, and that’s generally the time I meet the patient for the � rst time,” Michelle explains. “Much of what I do is make sure patients don’t fall through the cracks. � at basically involves following up with each patient.
“Once the radiologist suggests a biopsy, I work with the patient to schedule the procedure. It’s important to me to make sure the patient is being treated and provided the support she needs.”
As a navigator, Michelle guides patients through the breast cancer treatment process by serving as a point of contact with the patients’ specialty physicians. She also connects the patients with the American Cancer Society and attends the biweekly cancer con-ferences where patients’ cases are discussed among the various cancer specialists.
“When patients don’t have great support systems around them, I support them when they go to their phy-sician appointments,” notes Michelle. “I can translate the often confusing medical terminology for patients in ways they can understand.
“Judy had great support from her family, but she didn’t have a lot of under-standing when it came to some of the medical information she was getting. � at’s one of the reasons it was important that I was at her appointments with her.”
Positive PrognosisDuring Judy’s surgery, the surgeon removed Judy’s breasts, lymph nodes and surrounding tissue to elim-inate all traces of the cancer. In follow-up testing, no cancer cells were detected, and Judy was given a positive prognosis.
“� e doctor said they got all of the cancer,” Judy con� rms. “� ey sent a piece of tissue to California for a special test. It gives a percentage chance of whether the cancer is going to come back or not. I don’t know my exact results, but I do know it all looks good for me.”
Judy is now nearing the end of the reconstruction phase of her surgery, which includes having tissue expand-ers put in place. Gradually, the reconstructive surgeon will add � uid to the tissue expanders to enlarge them. Once the expanders get to the desired size, they will be removed and replaced by reconstructive implants.
“I’ve got one more procedure to go through to � nish the reconstruction,” Judy says. “Michelle said she’ll be there for that, too. She’s been so faithful, and that really helps because she explains everything and tells me what to expect. � at makes things a lot easier to go through.”
Facing a breast cancer diagnosis can be daunting, especially if a patient has to do it on her own. With the help of people such as Michelle, the Breast Health Center at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center makes sure no woman has to tackle that process alone. Judy says she will forever be grateful for the comforting hand Michelle gave her.
“Michelle was right there the whole time,” Judy marvels. “She sat there and explained what the doctors were going to do, and rubbed my hand and calmed me. She took the scariness away. � ere are very few people who can do what Michelle does, and she does an excel-lent job of it. She’s a blessing.
“As my navigator, Michelle answered my questions and talked me through the entire breast cancer treatment process. She’s been to almost every appointment with me and helped explain what the doctors say in medical language I don’t always understand. She’s been a very in� uential person in my life.
“Michelle and the rest of the sta� in the Breast Health Center have really made things easier for me, and it’s been a positive experience. I think the main thing is to have a good attitude, and Michelle helps bring that out. She reminds me that breast cancer isn’t always terminal.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. Hand photo from
Pixabay. mkb
Judy’s fight with breast cancer was made easier by her breast care navigator.
“As my navigator, Michelle answered my
questions and talked me through the entire breast
cancer treatment process.” – Judy
Helping Hand
THE BREAST HEALTH CENTER
Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2019 | Sarasota Edition MediCal Center
DAVID A. NAPOLIELLO, MD, FACS
For more information, please visit www.DavidNapolielloMD.com
David A. Napoliello, MD, FACS, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He earned his undergraduate degree at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, and his med-ical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Napoliellocompleted his residency in general surgery at Penn State–Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, and a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. He is past chief of surgery for Venice Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Napoliello was voted one of the top general surgeons in Sarasota and Manatee Counties by his peers and patients for the Castle Connolly list of America’s Top Doctors ten years in a row.
Learn MoreDr. Napoliello and his sta� look forward to answering your questions. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the number below or visit them at one of their two o� ce locations:
Lakewood RanchMedical O� ce Building 1
8340 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.Suite 101
Venice411 Commercial Court
(941) 388-9525
Are You at Risk for a Hernia?Learn the facts and � gures in this Q&A
N early one out of every ten people will su� er some type of a hernia during their lifetime, and while hernias most often occur in men over the age of 40, women and children are not immune.
Men, women and children alike can develop hernias as a result of heavy lifting, straining, coughing or any unusual stress that causes a sudden increase of intra-abdominal pressure. � at’s
why more than a million hernia repairs are performed each year in the United States.Some hernias are congenital, or present at birth, whereas others develop as a result of a predisposition for hernia,
and anyone who has surgery may experience a weakening of tissue at the incision site that could result in a hernia.Because everyone is at risk, Florida Health Care News turns to a specialist in minimally invasive surgery, David
A. Napoliello, MD, to learn more about hernia repair. Dr. Napoliello, practicing in Venice, Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
FAQsAccording to Dr. Napoliello, a her-
nia is a defect of the abdominal wall that allows a protrusion of an organ or structure through the wall that normally contains it.
Q: Dr. Napoliello, what is the most common type of hernia?A: � e most common type of hernia is called an inguinal hernia. It is a defect or weakness in the abdominal muscle wall through which intestine and fat layers protrude, forming a visible bulge in the groin area.
To visualize the dynamics of it, think of an automobile tire. The abdominal wall is like the thick outer wall of the tire. Should the tire get damaged, the inner tube can push through the weakened area or crack and form a small bubble. If the abdominal wall becomes weakened, the thinner, � exible tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen and holds the intestines in place, called the peritoneum, can bulge into the outer wall. In the tire, it is easy to see that the inner tube can become stran-gled by the pressure of the edges of the crack through which it is protruding. It is the same with a hernia.
Q: What are some of the other common types of hernias?A: An umbilical hernia takes place when abdominal contents protrude through the naturally occurring tiny opening behind the belly button. Incisional hernias can take place when a previous surgery leaves an abdominal wall defect that allows the abdominal contents to protrude through it and bulge out.
Q: Will a small hernia ever heal itself?A: No, a hernia does not heal itself or improve over time without intervention. � e only exception to this may be small umbilical hernias in young children.Q: What treatments are available for hernias?A: Surgeons may choose one of several hernia repair techniques today, depending on the patient and the size of the hernia.
In the past, the only hernia repair option available was called a tension repair. In this open surgical procedure, the physi-cian makes an incision at the site, pushes the protruding tissue back into place, and stitches the tissue layers together. The potential disadvantages of this type of sur-gery are relatively long recovery periods, relatively high recurring rates and discom-fort following surgery.
Today, we can o� er a variety of both minimally invasive open procedures and laparoscopic procedures.Q: Please describe the minimally invasive open procedures.A: Unlike the tension repair, minimally invasive open procedures are tension free because the stitches or sutures used do not put tension on the sides of the defect to keep it closed. Instead, special mesh patches are used that limit the size of the required inci-sion. � ese procedures o� er lower recurring rates, quick recovery and only minor dis-comfort following the surgery. Additionally, the minimally invasive approach allows the patient to avoid general anesthesia.Q: How do the laparoscopic surgeries di� er?A: � ere are two main options for lap-aroscopic surgery. In the transabdominal approach, the physician makes a small incision and slides the laparoscope, which is a thin telescope, through the abdominal wall into the abdomen. For the preperito-neal approach, the laparoscope slides in between the tissues of the abdominal wall. With both approaches, the doctor views the hernia and surrounding tissue on a video screen.Q: What are the advantages of laparoscopic surgery?A: Depending on the patient, of course, there are several. Because it requires only small incisions, it will likely mean less pain and a shorter recovery time for patients, and because the physician has
the advantage of looking through the lap-aroscope, previously undiagnosed hernias may be discovered. Additionally, the lap-aroscopic approach allows us to manage recurrent hernias and to optimize any repeat surgery because we do not have to go through the same incision site.Q: Is this surgery done on an outpatient basis?A: Yes, and it is usually performed in under an hour.Q: Have there been any improvements to these surgical techniques in recent years?A: De� nitely. Scienti� c improvements to help hernia repair include the addition of very lightweight arti� cial meshes and bio-logic meshes such as processed skin grafts. Other improvements to decrease chronic pain associated with hernia repairs include the addition of absorbable tacking devices and dissolvable sutures, which help to decrease the risk of nerve entrapments.
These improvements are mainly geared toward decreasing pain and improving the repair, thereby shortening recovery time.Q: Once the surgery has healed, will the patient experience any diminished quality of life?A: No, most patients will be able to return to a normal routine. In fact, data show that within a week’s time, most people will feel well. Because I am conservative, I recommend that my patients avoid any physical strain for four weeks.FHCN staff article. Main stock photo from Pixabay. Hernia
graphic from kisspng. LINX device graphic courtesy of TORAX®
Medical. mkb
Slick as a LINX®The back� ow of stomach acids
into the esophagus is a com-mon, painful condition called
gastroesophageal re� ux disease, or GERD. Cases of GERD that can’t be controlled with medications are sometimes treated with a Nissen fun-doplication. During this procedure, the surgeon wraps the upper portion of the stomach around the esophagus, tight-ening the opening and keeping stomach acids in the stomach.
Now, there is a new option for GERD treatment that is less invasive and proving to be equally, if not more e� ective than fundoplication in reducing GERD symptoms. � is technique uses a re� ux-preventing device called the LINX Re� ux Management System.
“� e LINX device is a small, � exi-ble, circular band of interlinked magnetic beads made of titanium,” describes Dr. Napoliello. “The device is placed around the base of the esophagus, and it
essentially acts as a new, arti� cial lower esophageal sphincter, or
LES, the opening into the stomach.
“The beads in the device form a strong mag-netic bond, which holds
this arti� cial LES tightly closed. When patients swal-
low, the movement of food passing through the lower part of
the esophagus breaks that bond and allows food to pass from the esophagus into the stomach. After that, the mag-netic bond quickly reforms, which resists gastric pressures and prevents acids from � owing backward.”
Q: How does a person know when he or she has a hernia?A: A person may suspect a hernia if he or she notices a bulge under the skin. Additional symptoms may include discomfort or pain during any of the fol-lowing: lifting heavy objects, sneezing or coughing, straining while using the toi-let, standing or sitting for long periods of time. Because delayed treatment can sometimes result in the intestine being trapped inside the hernia sac, resulting in gangrene, any bulge should be brought to a physician’s attention immediately so diagnosis and treatment can begin. If left untreated, some complications from her-nias can be fatal.
Sarasota Edition | Winter 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3MiniMally invasive General surGery
(continued from page 1)
I n keeping with his mission of decreasing pain and achieving patient wellness, Dr. Aderholdt o� ers the state of the art in electromedicine called Hako-Med Horizontal® � erapy.
“Electromedicine is a discipline within the � eld of med-icine that deals with the use of electricity to aid in the treatment of many physical ailments,” Dr. Aderholdt describes. “Electricity is found naturally in all of us, and we know that certain electrical impulses in our bodies help with healing. Electromedicine works by triggering these healing impulses.”
Hako-Med Horizontal � erapy is the latest breakthrough in the science of electromedicine and the most advanced and e� ective
form of bioelectric treatment available to date. It has been used successfully around the world, and its acceptance and use in the United States has grown in recent years as many clinical studies have documented its bene� ts.
“Hako-Med � erapy is proven highly e� ective in treating a variety of disorders,” reports Dr. Aderholdt. “It has been shown to be bene� cial in treating back pain, neck pain, knee pain, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, complex chronic pain, post-surgical pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and other conditions, espe-cially circulatory disorders.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos by Jordan Pysz. mkb
New Therapy Uses Electricity to Stop Pain
Craig S. Aderholdt, DC, received his under-graduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University, State College, a n d h i s D o c to r o f Chiropractic degree from
Life University School of Chiropractic, Marietta, GA, where he graduated cum laude. Dr. Aderholdt also holds certi� cation in Chiropractic Adjunctive Physiotherapy from New York Chiropractic College and completed extensive postgraduate training in ther-apeutic modalities at National-Lincoln School. He is a member of the Florida Chiropractic Association and American Chiropractic Association and is a certi� ed VAX-D Therapy consultant. He was also voted the Bradenton Herald People’s Choice Awards Winner for 2008, the Manatee Herald-Tribune Awards winner for 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune � nalist for 2016 and 2017.
Bradenton5221 26th St. West
Sarasota7345 International Place, Suite 101
Lakewood Ranch
(941) 756-5528
Get “Back” to Wellness … Naturally!
î VAX-D Therapy î Cervical (neck) VAX-D
Therapy î Back and neck pain î Headaches î Spinal stenosis î Sciatica î Kinesiology î Manipulation Under
Anesthesia (MUA) î Automobile accident
injuries
Call Back Pain Institute
of West Florida today for more
information about:
Please visit www.backpaininstitutew� .com
If your MRI shows disc herniation, a bulging disc or degenerative disc disease, you may be a candidate for VAX-D
Therapy. It may be the treatment that helps you avoid an unnecessary surgery. For additional information or to schedule a free consultation, call or visit one of these Back Pain Institute
of West Florida locations:
“I felt almost one hundred
percent better after three
weeks of VAX-D
Therapy, and I feel one hundred
percent now.”
– Joyce
“I consider VAX-D one of the most e� ective nonsurgical medical treatments for low back pain, neck pain and sciatica today,” declares Dr. Aderholdt. “� is revolutionary technology is one more tool I can o� er my patients as we work toward relieving pain and maintaining the health of the lumbar and cervical spine.”
Activities Resumed“Nothing else can create such a powerful vacuum,” stresses Dr. Aderholdt. “� at is what makes VAX-D such a valuable tool for pain relief. � ere are imitators, but the vac-uum e� ect is the most powerful one known. It doesn’t allow the muscles to contract like other machines might. In fact, VAX-D is the only nonsurgical treatment that has been clinically proven to reduce disc pressure to negative levels.”
VAX-D Therapy has a long track record of leaving customers satis� ed, notes Dr. Aderholdt. Long-term studies have shown that VAX-D is e� ective in more than 88 per-cent of patients who go through the treatment.
“� e treatment wasn’t uncomfortable, it was just di� erent,” reports Joyce. “I’m a � d-gety person, so I don’t like to stay in one place
for very long. � e treatment takes between a half hour and forty-� ve minutes, so that was the hardest part for me – staying still for that length of time.
“But even after the � rst treatment, I felt some relief. Dr. Aderholdt says that’s not typical. For most people, it takes several sessions for them to feel relief, but I felt at least some relief after the � rst session. I went for sessions � ve days a week and made continual improve-ment after every session.
“I felt almost one hundred percent better after three weeks of VAX-D � erapy, and I feel one hundred percent now. My pain level now is a zero. I don’t even have my regular lower back pain anymore.
“With therapy, I initially went from not being able to walk to walking ten steps without intense pain, and it just got better and better over the course of treatment. I like to walk my dog, bike and swim, and I’ve been able to resume all of those activ-ities without pain.”
In addition to treating Joyce with VAX-D Therapy, Dr. Aderholdt and his team also educated her about suitable exercises and life-style habits to protect her fragile low back.
“I learned not to overextend myself because I don’t want to ruin the work Dr. Aderholdt has done,” she says. “I don’t lift � fty pounds anymore. If something is over twenty pounds, I think twice and lift carefully. I know my limits.
“I still go to Back Pain Institute of West Florida for adjustments, to keep things in place, but since VAX-D Therapy, my back is fine.”
Joyce raves that her VAX-D � erapy was a success. She was so happy with her results that she recommended the treatment to an 87-year-old friend who had it and also experienced signi� cant pain relief.
Joyce also raves about Dr. Aderholdt and his commitment to his patients. She says he was always there for her VAX-D Therapy
sessions, o� ering encouragement and advice. He told Joyce just what to expect from the treatment and answered all of her questions.
“He’s a great guy,” Joyce states. “He’s very knowledgeable and wants to help people. I think that’s his main goal. I don’t think he’s in this for any other reason except to help people, and he looks for opportunities to do that.
“� e sta� at Back Pain Institute of West Florida is great as well. I’m pleased with the entire process. I recommend them and their VAX-D � erapy.”
Joyce began feeling relief from her back pain after her
fi rst VAX-D treatment.
Low Back BreakthroughPage 4 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2019 | Sarasota Edition
Barry LevineExecutive Publisher
Gina L. d’AngeloCFO/HR
Roy CummingsEditorial Supervisor
Michelle BrooksCreative Director
Brian LevineProject Coordinator
Patti DiPanfiloAnnette MardisEditorial Staff
Laura EngelProduction Assistant
Nerissa JohnsonGraphic Designer
Nerissa JohnsonJordan PyszFred BelletPhotography
Steve TurkMario Hill
Kent BoothRobert MizeRick Bowser Distribution
Back Pain Institute of West Florida, P.A.
Chiropractic
Lakewood Ranch Medical CenterMedical Center
David A. Napoliello, MD, FACSMinimally Invasive General Surgery
Atlas Chiropractic of SarasotaChiropractic
Advanced RejuvenationStem Cell Therapy
Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center Podiatry
South Florida Eye ClinicOphthalmology
Advanced RejuvenationLaser Therapy
OsteoStrongOsteoporosis Treatment
Siesta Dental General, Cosmetic and
Emergency Dentistry
Johnson Medical CenterSedative Stretching
215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617
(813) 989-1330
Florida Health Care News
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Winter 2019
ChiropraCtiC
Back in the SwingUpper cervical procedure relieves low back pain
R ob Bischofberger is all about golf. For 15 years, he played as a professional, then he worked as a club pro. He has
remained in the golf business ever since but now works on the technology side, dealing with GPS and � eet telematics on golf carts and coach buses. He still plays routinely, as well.
Back in 2010, when Rob was still playing as a club pro, he began to expe-rience some discomfort in his back. It bothered him most when swinging his golf clubs and when leaning over to assist people in the pro shop. It was a situation that threatened his livelihood.
“Golf is a strenuous activity on the back,” he observes. “I developed lower back pain from practicing and trying to stay on par with my competitors. Part of the reason for the pain was the stress my golf swing put on my back. Part of it was the bending down and di� erent angles that went into giving people lessons.
“� e pain got progressively worse – to the point it took me thirty minutes to get out of bed. I’d have to stretch, which alleviated some of the pain. But then, I would go out and practice and put more stress on my back, and the pain returned. It a� ected my golf game and my daily activities.
“I also had shooting pain going down my legs. I felt like I had a cement block in my lower back so that bending down gave me a cramping sensation. Bending also locked up my back, and it took me thirty seconds to catch my breath and slowly straighten myself out and get in to a comfort-able position just to be able to walk.”
Rob’s pain got worse the more he practiced, played and worked. He visited several chiropractors who adjusted his spine the traditional way, but that only
gave him limited relief. When the doctors started talking about back surgery, Rob started focusing on � nding a di� erent treatment for his back pain. A few of his golf buddies recommended Stephen R. Zabawa, DC, and his practice, Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota.
Dr. Zabawa takes a unique approach to adjusting the spine to relieve b a c k p a i n a n d o t h e r disorders. An upper cer-vical chiropractor board certi� ed in orthospinology, Dr. Zabawa uses gentle, precise adjustment protocols known as Orthospinology and Atlas Orthogonal procedures to treat misalignments of the spine.
Unexpected ConnectionsThe atlas adjustment pro-cedure, which Dr. Zabawa suggested for Rob, maintains the precise alignment of the atlas vertebra. The atlas is the � rst vertebra in the neck that connects the head to the cervical spine. It controls the balance of the entire body.
“� e body has a re� ex to keep the eyes and brain level,” explains Dr. Zabawa. “� e spine will distort itself all the way down the body to keep the head level. If there’s a mis-alignment of the upper cervical vertebrae, the low back will compen-sate. � e hips will torque and put pressure on the back.
“The atlas adjustment takes the pressure o� . � e head
becomes balanced, so patients no lon-ger have the torque on their lower backs. Many of my patients have no neck symp-toms at all. � ey have low back problems, but adjusting the neck takes care of the back.”
“I was a little skep-tical at � rst,” admits Rob. “I tried many chiropractors. � is procedure worked for
to their proper positions, interference is removed thus taking pressure o� the nervous system. By removing that pres-sure, balance is restored to the body. It’s an e� ective approach without any extreme manipulations.”
“I enjoyed the treatment itself,” reports Rob. “It’s not about cracking bones like normal chiropractic. It’s a simple, pain-free procedure where the doctor barely touches you. After three or four treatments, I was feeling one-hundred-percent better. I felt mobility I hadn’t felt in years.”
Scratch Golf� e increased mobility Rob experienced following his atlas procedures put him back in the game. He was able to do more of the everyday activities with his family, and gol� ng became more comfortable.
“My daily life definitely changed because of my treatment with Dr. Zabawa,” marvels Rob. “Without the pain, I can bend over and play with my kids. I can help my wife do the yard work and landscaping and be con� dent I’m not going to be in pain the next day.
“I golf three to four times a week, all pain free. It’s enjoyable again to play. It’s good to be able to golf without the pain that used to restrict me. Now, my swing is great. I’m still a scratch golfer.”
As Rob golfs regularly, stress contin-ues to be placed on his lower back. � e di� erence is now he knows how, why and what to do if that stress leads to lower back discomfort. He still goes to Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota once a month for maintenance adjustments.
“I used to worry about the pain I got from swinging a golf club,” relates Rob. “Now, I’m pain free and have been since 2010. I cannot ask for anything better than the treatment I receive from Dr. Zabawa.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo courtesy of
Rob Bischofberger. mkb
my gol� ng buddies, but would it work for me? I went into it with a mindset of there’s a fifty-percent chance it might help, or I might have to look elsewhere.
“But after Dr. Zabawa took the x-rays and explained just what he did and why he con-
c en t r a t ed on that area of the spine, I left the office feeling I had more like a ninety-p e r c e n t c h a n c e . I thought, This is actually going to work for me.
It was a different ave-nue, and I believed Dr. Zabawa’s explana-tion over what the other chiropractors told me.”
The balance of the head on the neck controls the body’s posture, so this balance is essential to good health. Misalignment of the atlas vertebra causes the spine to
twist in an attempt to maintain balance. � is twist can pinch nerves and put pressure on the spinal cord or brain stem, a� ecting the nervous sys-tem. In turn, the pressure can cause a variety of symptoms and problems, many of which can appear to be unassociated with the cervical spine.
When a patient first arrives at Atlas Chiropractic
of Sarasota, Dr. Zabawa conducts a complete examina-
tion to check for subluxation.“Subluxation is just a
big word meaning two bones are out of position and you have nerve pressure,” informs Dr. Zabawa. “If there is sublux-ation and we’ve determined that a patient is a good candidate for the atlas proce-dure, then we take a series of extremely detailed, three-dimensional x-rays. Since the adjustment is highly precise, the measurements we take and the analysis we make are also meticulous. When I know the exact angle at which a patient is misaligned, I know how to adjust them.”
� e gentleness of the adjustment is what makes upper cervical chiropractic unique, asserts the doctor. “Unlike other chiropractors, I don’t ‘snap-crackle-pop’ you. Here, you lie on your side and gently – it almost feels like a pu� of air touching you – using one instrument, I realign your whole spine. An upper cervical correction is very controlled so there is no pulling or jerking of such a delicate area.
“When I adjust the upper cervicals, I’m actually adjusting the full spine, including the pelvis and sacrum. Once the spine, head and neck have returned
Patients of every age have experienced great results from the safe, gentle method of upper cervical adjustment available at Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota.
In addition to increased range of motion, slower degeneration of problem areas and overall improvements in general health, patients have also found relief for:
♦ Back & Neck Pain ♦ Numbness & Tingling
♦ Joint & Muscle Pain
♦ Migraines ♦ Ménière’s
Disease ♦ Seizures/Epilepsy
♦ Asthma ♦ Trigeminal Neuralgia
♦ Bed-Wetting
♦ MS Symptoms ♦ Scoliosis ♦ Digestive Disorders
♦ TMJ Problems ♦ Reproductive Issues
Stephen R. Zabawa, DC, is board certi� ed in Orthospinology and is certified by the Upper Cervical Academy. He received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg,
South Carolina. Dr. Zabawa currently serves as a board member and instructor for the Society for Chiropractic Orthospinology.
Visit Dr. Zabawa’s practice on the web at www.AtlasChiroSarasota.com
Dr. Zabawa looks forward to hearing from the readers of Florida Health Care News. For more information or to
schedule a consultation, call or visit his offi ce in Sarasota at:
2831 Ringling Blvd.Bldg. A, Suite 102
(941) 955-4755
Safe, Gentle SolutionsPain-Free Living Is Just a Phone
Call Away
And many more...
STEPHEN R. ZABAWA, DC
Sarasota Edition | Winter 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5ChiropraCtiC
Ronald S. Bramson, DPM, PA-C, received his under-graduate degree from the University of South Florida in 1974. He attended the Illinois College of Podiatry Medicine, where he gradu-ated in 1978. He later went on to obtain a degree at
Essex University in Maryland as a physician assistant in 1997. Dr. Bramson worked as both a podiatrist and an orthopedic physician assistant for close to 15 years for an orthope-dic practice in Fort Washington, Maryland. He has extensive experience in orthopedics that includes assisting in hundreds of sur-gical procedures such as total knee and hip replacements. He is now “playing for the other side,” using PRP, stem cells, prolotherapy and Prolozone® to stimulate the body to repair itself. With his extensive background as a podi-atrist, he brings a great advantage to Advanced Rejuvenation’s lower extremity cases, such as lower back, hip, knee, foot and ankle pain.
J o h n L i e u ra n ce, D C , DACNB (Board Eligible), received his Doctor of C h i r o p r a c t i c d e g r e e from Parker College of Chiropractic and his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree through St. Luke’s Medical School. He is also
a board-eligible chiropractic neurologist through the Carrick Institute of Neurology. Dr. Lieurance is trained in Advanced Ultrasound techniques through the Gulf Coast Ultrasound Institute. He has practiced in Sarasota for the past 20 years.
RONALD S. BRAMSON, DPM, PA-CJOHN LIEURANCE, DC, DACNB
(BOARD ELIGIBLE)
For health and comfortThe staff of Advanced Rejuvenation looks forward to meeting the readers of Florida Health Care News. To learn more about laser therapy or other rejuvenation options, contact the holistic health and chiropractic center. Mention this article and receive a FREE consultation. Their offi ce is located in Sarasota at:
2033 Wood St.Suite 210
(941) 330-8553To learn more about all the treatments available at Advanced Rejuvenation, visit them on the internet at advancedrejuvenation.us
Stem Cells For Your FeetStem cell therapy provides long-sought relief from chronic foot, ankle pain
The first step Josephine Calvi remembers taking was a pain-ful one. So was the second, the third and most every one
that followed thereafter for more than 40 years. Having contracted juvenile rheuma-toid arthritis as an infant, Josephine’s walk through life has largely been an exercise in perseverance.
“Rheumato id a r th r i t i s i s an autoimmune disease, so the body more or less attacks itself and degenerates the joints,” Josephine, now 47, explains. “In my case, the arthritis attacked both my ankles and knees, and it really limited me in terms of what I could do physically and socially as a child.
“My brother, for example, had to carry me sometimes when we were on family vacations or whatever, and even though we only lived three blocks from school, I always had to be driven to school. � ere were also times at school when I was really young when I wasn’t allowed to go out for recess.
“When I got older, I wasn’t allowed to get involved in any of the sports or out-door activities that other kids were doing, except for swimming. I was allowed to swim, so I pretty much became a rock star swimmer. For the most part, though, I was always very isolated as a kid and was left out of a lot of the normal social scenarios.”
Jo seph ine , who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, spent almost as much time visiting doctors as she did playing with or hang-ing out with friends during her youth. � e monthly visits for blood work and arthritis treatments didn’t necessarily make her life any better, though. In fact, they may have made it worse.
Help, Hope and Rejuvenation
Pain relief has allowed Pamela to travel the world comfortably, including conquering a glacier in Alaska.
Josephine says she is now living a cautiously active lifestyle.
Beginning as an infant and on into adulthood, Josephine was treated with pharmaceutical-grade medications designed to suppress her immune system and control the arthritis. � e only problem was, those medi-cations often sparked side e� ects that caused Josephine more anguish than the arthritis.
“I came to call it the rinse and spin cycle of Western medicine,” Josephine reveals. “I’d go on the arthritis medication, but then I’d have liver failure or kidney failure, or a rash or an ulcer would crop up. So, I’d go o� the arthritis medication so we could heal the liver or kidney problem, but then the arthri-tis would � are back up again.”
Josephine remained caught in that cycle until she was well into her 30s. By then, the degeneration of the cartilage in her left ankle had reached its lowest point, leaving her in an excruciatingly painful bone-on-bone situation. It was then that Josephine first began looking for alternatives to the common healing methods that had largely failed.
As part of a major lifestyle change in which she and her hus-band moved to Costa Rica and opened a natu-ral healing retreat called Farm of Life, Josephine � rst tried using human growth hormone. � at helped alleviate some of her pain, but not enough to end her search for the right remedy, which she eventually found more or less by chance.
“I had started get-ting platelet-rich plasma
treatments where they take your blood and your own growth factors and growth hormones and re-apply them to the ankle,” Josephine explains. “I had also started get-ting ozone treatments where they inject these really high levels of oxygen into the ankle.
“I was looking into getting another ozone treatment, and because I was going to be visiting my parents in Sarasota, I began researching ozone treatments in Sarasota. This was about five years ago, and that’s when I found a place there that not only does platelet-rich plasma and ozone treat-ments but stem cell treatments as well.”
The place Josephine found was Advanced Rejuvenation, a state-of-the-art wellness clinic, where a highly trained team of physicians has been specializing in regen-erative injection treatments for nearly two decades and is now considered to be at the forefront of nonsurgical regenerative therapy.
“Josephine came to us with signi� cant arthritis in not just her ankle but her foot as well,” recalls Ronald S. Bramson, DPM, a podiatrist and physician assistant who spe-cializes in treatment of the foot and ankle through stem cell therapy. “What was unique about her case, however, was that there was also a component of autoimmunity there.
“� e use of stem cells has proved to be very e� ective in treating any type of autoim-mune condition because stem cells have an ability to calm the autoimmune response. � e same goes for any other type of autoim-mune arthropathy for that matter.”
Building Block BasicsStem cells are the most basic of the human body’s building blocks. � ey are the foundation of all the body’s tissues and organs and can be collected either from the patient or from placenta tissue. Dr. Bramson has experience with both types of cells and understands which option is best for each condition.
“Stem cells harvested from the placenta tissue can be a good option, but people should be leery about doctors promoting these types of cells because most of the companies selling them are not legitimate,” Dr. Bramson informs. “We do use those types of stem cells here, but they have been highly vetted and sent for outside testing.
“Often we prefer the patient’s own stem cells, and we do perform those collection procedures here. Using a mini-liposuction, we are able to collect a small amount of fat from around the belly. Because one out of every one hundred cells in that fat is a stem cell, fat can have a very rich population of stem cells, and they can be used in a variety of ways.”
When injected into damaged tissue, stem cells support the natural healing pro-cess by regenerating the damaged tissue
and calming down chronic inflammation. That’s why more and more physicians are beginning to use them as an alternative to joint replacement surgery for failing knees, hips and ankles.
Stem cells can also be used to regenerate cartilage, tendon, muscle and new tissue in the shoulders, wrists, spine, pelvis and feet, etc. In addition to its versatility, one of the major advantages of stem cell therapy is that the simple injection treatments can be done in a doctor’s o� ce, after which patients are able to return to normal activity within days.
Most patients receiving stem cell therapy notice a reduction in pain and an increase in comfort within a month of the treatment and continue to feel the e� ects well beyond that period. Josephine is among the many Adavanced Rejuvenation patients who have noticed a miraculous change.
Living Life ComfortablyWhen she first arrived at Advanced Rejuvenation, tests indicated that Josephine’s left ankle pain was the result of her having lost almost all the cartilage in that ankle. Since she began receiving stem cell treat-ments, however, she has generated nearly two millimeters of cartilage, leaving her with near normal levels for the ankle.
“She has actually laid down cartilage where there wasn’t any before,” con� rms John Lieurance, DC, whose role during the treatment process is to perform ultra-sound scans that allow for greater precision during the actual injection. “I’ve done pre- and post-treatment scans of her, and we’ve seen a tremendous improvement in the health of her joints.”
Likewise, Josephine has experienced a tremendous improvement in her qual-ity of life. Since � rst receiving stem cell injections at Advanced Rejuvenation � ve years ago, she has returned twice for what
she refers to as booster shots. � e results, she says, have allowed her to enjoy life in a way she never thought possible.
“I was at a point where all the doctors were telling me the only thing I could do for my ankle was to have fusion surgery,” she says. “Stem cells weren’t anything I had available to me at the time, but they have been a fabulous solution for me. I’ve con-tinued getting them, along with the ozone and platelet-rich plasma treatments, and they’ve really worked.
“Especially this past year, my ankle joint has been mostly pain free. Now, I’m not out there running marathons or anything like that, and I’m still not heavily active on the ankle, but I am cautiously active. � anks to the great doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation, I’m leading a very comfortable life now.”
Location, Location, LocationPamela Kirscher was living a comfortable life in Hawaii until one day in 1980, when she accidentally fell into what would eventually be the deep end of a pool that was under construction in her back yard. � e broken left ankle and sprained right ankle she suf-fered that day were just the beginning of her long ordeal with pain in her ankles and feet.
“� e right ankle, in particular, became a problem for me because there were times after it had supposedly healed when out of nowhere it would just sort of give out on me,” the longtime � tness instructor relates. “At � rst, it just gave out, but after a while, it would give out and cause me to fall, and twice, I actually fell and broke that ankle.”
At the same time that her right ankle was causing her to fall, arthritis was develop-ing rapidly in Pamela’s left ankle. So much so that on occasion, the sharp pain would force her to stop dead in her tracks. � en, in 2006, on the day she began taking English horse-riding lessons, Pamela broke her right foot when a horse inad-vertently stepped on it.
In time, the com-bination of al l her foot and ankle injuries soon took such a toll that at times a simple walk from her bed to the bathroom became painful. Not only that, but working became virtually impossible for Pamela, who had since moved to Sarasota and opened her own � tness studio.
� e move and the location of that stu-dio proved pivotal in her recovery because the studio happened to be in the same building as Advanced Rejuvenation. One day, after visiting a podiatrist who suggested she undergo surgery that would keep her o� her feet for a couple of months, Pamela sought out the advice of the doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation.
After an ultrasound scan revealed she was su� ering from arthritis in her right
ankle and arthritis throughout both feet, Pamela was � rst treated through a process called prolotherapy in which natural sub-stances such as dextrose, a natural sugar; and ozone are injected into the damaged area to stimulate healing.
Leaders in the FieldThe prolotherapy treatments helped, Pamela reports, but it wasn’t until the doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation began treating her with stem cell injections that she found the pain relief and tissue rejuve-nation she’d been looking for. Now, after receiving another injection in April, she’s back to living not only a comfortable life, but an active life as well.
“I remember my orthopedist telling me once that I might never be able to walk much again, which was devas-tating to hear,” Pamela recalls. “I mean, I’m a very active person and I could see where he was coming from, because I was in so much pain, but that’s why the stem cell treatments have been nothing short of amazing.
“It wasn’t long after I received the first injection a few years
ago that I went out, and I was able to walk on the beach for twenty minutes. That may not seem like much, but I was at a point where I couldn’t walk from my bedroom to my kitchen and stand there and make myself something to eat.
“I just recently moved to Idaho because I love to hike in the mountains, and thanks to the doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation and the stem cell therapy, I can do that now. I have that freedom again, which means I have the quality of life back that I was looking for. I was afraid I might never get that back.
“I highly recommend Advanced
Rejuvenation for anyone dealing with arthritis, or
foot or ankle pain. The work they do
there is incredible.”
- Pamela
“Thanks to the great doctors at
Advanced Rejuvenation,
I’m leading a very
comfortable life now.”
- Josephine
� at’s why I highly recommend Advanced Rejuvenation for anyone dealing with arthri-tis, or foot or ankle pain. � e work they do there is incredible.”
Josephine echoes those sentiments. She spent the � rst 40 years of her life searching for a solution to her chronic ankle pain, and she � nally found it through the stem cell treatments she received at Advanced Rejuvenation, where she says the level of expertise is truly second to none.
“Dr. John is exceptional at reading the ultrasounds and providing a guide for the injections,” she states. “Believe me, I’ve been exposed to a lot of needles in my life, and I know what it’s like when a doctor misses the target. But I know when I go there that they’re hitting the mark right where the injection needs to go.
“But that doesn’t surprise me. I mean, they’ve been in this field since before it became a fad. � ey’re leaders in this � eld. And I see a lot of stem cell doctors popping up everywhere nowadays, but I would never go to them. I’m sticking with Advanced Rejuvenation. � eir work, their knowledge and their expertise far surpass all others by years and years and years.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Josephine’s photos by Jordan
Pysz. Pamela’s photo courtesy of Pamela Kirscher. mkb
At Advanced Rejuvenation, our integrative sta� and physicians use a variety of modalities, including laser therapy, acupuncture and functional chiropractic neurology, to treat a number of injuries and conditions, including:
m Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint condition m Hearing loss m Tinnitus m Balance disorders m Degenerative neurological disorders, e.g.
Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimers m Arthritis
Advanced Rejuvenation also offers: m Advanced stem cell treatments using LumoStem
Activation m Prolotherapy with dextrose-based injections m Whole body cryotherapy using nitrogen gas to lower
the skin’s surface temperature for several minutes m Medical ozone injections m Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves
breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room m Intravenous laser therapy for Lyme disease
Josephine Calvi
Page 6 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2019 | Sarasota Edition steM Cell therapy
Ronald S. Bramson, DPM, PA-C, received his under-graduate degree from the University of South Florida in 1974. He attended the Illinois College of Podiatry Medicine, where he gradu-ated in 1978. He later went on to obtain a degree at
Essex University in Maryland as a physician assistant in 1997. Dr. Bramson worked as both a podiatrist and an orthopedic physician assistant for close to 15 years for an orthope-dic practice in Fort Washington, Maryland. He has extensive experience in orthopedics that includes assisting in hundreds of sur-gical procedures such as total knee and hip replacements. He is now “playing for the other side,” using PRP, stem cells, prolotherapy and Prolozone® to stimulate the body to repair itself. With his extensive background as a podi-atrist, he brings a great advantage to Advanced Rejuvenation’s lower extremity cases, such as lower back, hip, knee, foot and ankle pain.
J o h n L i e u ra n ce, D C , DACNB (Board Eligible), received his Doctor of C h i r o p r a c t i c d e g r e e from Parker College of Chiropractic and his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree through St. Luke’s Medical School. He is also
a board-eligible chiropractic neurologist through the Carrick Institute of Neurology. Dr. Lieurance is trained in Advanced Ultrasound techniques through the Gulf Coast Ultrasound Institute. He has practiced in Sarasota for the past 20 years.
RONALD S. BRAMSON, DPM, PA-CJOHN LIEURANCE, DC, DACNB
(BOARD ELIGIBLE)
For health and comfortThe staff of Advanced Rejuvenation looks forward to meeting the readers of Florida Health Care News. To learn more about laser therapy or other rejuvenation options, contact the holistic health and chiropractic center. Mention this article and receive a FREE consultation. Their offi ce is located in Sarasota at:
2033 Wood St.Suite 210
(941) 330-8553To learn more about all the treatments available at Advanced Rejuvenation, visit them on the internet at advancedrejuvenation.us
Stem Cells For Your FeetStem cell therapy provides long-sought relief from chronic foot, ankle pain
The first step Josephine Calvi remembers taking was a pain-ful one. So was the second, the third and most every one
that followed thereafter for more than 40 years. Having contracted juvenile rheuma-toid arthritis as an infant, Josephine’s walk through life has largely been an exercise in perseverance.
“Rheumato id a r th r i t i s i s an autoimmune disease, so the body more or less attacks itself and degenerates the joints,” Josephine, now 47, explains. “In my case, the arthritis attacked both my ankles and knees, and it really limited me in terms of what I could do physically and socially as a child.
“My brother, for example, had to carry me sometimes when we were on family vacations or whatever, and even though we only lived three blocks from school, I always had to be driven to school. � ere were also times at school when I was really young when I wasn’t allowed to go out for recess.
“When I got older, I wasn’t allowed to get involved in any of the sports or out-door activities that other kids were doing, except for swimming. I was allowed to swim, so I pretty much became a rock star swimmer. For the most part, though, I was always very isolated as a kid and was left out of a lot of the normal social scenarios.”
Jo seph ine , who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, spent almost as much time visiting doctors as she did playing with or hang-ing out with friends during her youth. � e monthly visits for blood work and arthritis treatments didn’t necessarily make her life any better, though. In fact, they may have made it worse.
Help, Hope and Rejuvenation
Pain relief has allowed Pamela to travel the world comfortably, including conquering a glacier in Alaska.
Josephine says she is now living a cautiously active lifestyle.
Beginning as an infant and on into adulthood, Josephine was treated with pharmaceutical-grade medications designed to suppress her immune system and control the arthritis. � e only problem was, those medi-cations often sparked side e� ects that caused Josephine more anguish than the arthritis.
“I came to call it the rinse and spin cycle of Western medicine,” Josephine reveals. “I’d go on the arthritis medication, but then I’d have liver failure or kidney failure, or a rash or an ulcer would crop up. So, I’d go o� the arthritis medication so we could heal the liver or kidney problem, but then the arthri-tis would � are back up again.”
Josephine remained caught in that cycle until she was well into her 30s. By then, the degeneration of the cartilage in her left ankle had reached its lowest point, leaving her in an excruciatingly painful bone-on-bone situation. It was then that Josephine first began looking for alternatives to the common healing methods that had largely failed.
As part of a major lifestyle change in which she and her hus-band moved to Costa Rica and opened a natu-ral healing retreat called Farm of Life, Josephine � rst tried using human growth hormone. � at helped alleviate some of her pain, but not enough to end her search for the right remedy, which she eventually found more or less by chance.
“I had started get-ting platelet-rich plasma
treatments where they take your blood and your own growth factors and growth hormones and re-apply them to the ankle,” Josephine explains. “I had also started get-ting ozone treatments where they inject these really high levels of oxygen into the ankle.
“I was looking into getting another ozone treatment, and because I was going to be visiting my parents in Sarasota, I began researching ozone treatments in Sarasota. This was about five years ago, and that’s when I found a place there that not only does platelet-rich plasma and ozone treat-ments but stem cell treatments as well.”
The place Josephine found was Advanced Rejuvenation, a state-of-the-art wellness clinic, where a highly trained team of physicians has been specializing in regen-erative injection treatments for nearly two decades and is now considered to be at the forefront of nonsurgical regenerative therapy.
“Josephine came to us with signi� cant arthritis in not just her ankle but her foot as well,” recalls Ronald S. Bramson, DPM, a podiatrist and physician assistant who spe-cializes in treatment of the foot and ankle through stem cell therapy. “What was unique about her case, however, was that there was also a component of autoimmunity there.
“� e use of stem cells has proved to be very e� ective in treating any type of autoim-mune condition because stem cells have an ability to calm the autoimmune response. � e same goes for any other type of autoim-mune arthropathy for that matter.”
Building Block BasicsStem cells are the most basic of the human body’s building blocks. � ey are the foundation of all the body’s tissues and organs and can be collected either from the patient or from placenta tissue. Dr. Bramson has experience with both types of cells and understands which option is best for each condition.
“Stem cells harvested from the placenta tissue can be a good option, but people should be leery about doctors promoting these types of cells because most of the companies selling them are not legitimate,” Dr. Bramson informs. “We do use those types of stem cells here, but they have been highly vetted and sent for outside testing.
“Often we prefer the patient’s own stem cells, and we do perform those collection procedures here. Using a mini-liposuction, we are able to collect a small amount of fat from around the belly. Because one out of every one hundred cells in that fat is a stem cell, fat can have a very rich population of stem cells, and they can be used in a variety of ways.”
When injected into damaged tissue, stem cells support the natural healing pro-cess by regenerating the damaged tissue
and calming down chronic inflammation. That’s why more and more physicians are beginning to use them as an alternative to joint replacement surgery for failing knees, hips and ankles.
Stem cells can also be used to regenerate cartilage, tendon, muscle and new tissue in the shoulders, wrists, spine, pelvis and feet, etc. In addition to its versatility, one of the major advantages of stem cell therapy is that the simple injection treatments can be done in a doctor’s o� ce, after which patients are able to return to normal activity within days.
Most patients receiving stem cell therapy notice a reduction in pain and an increase in comfort within a month of the treatment and continue to feel the e� ects well beyond that period. Josephine is among the many Adavanced Rejuvenation patients who have noticed a miraculous change.
Living Life ComfortablyWhen she first arrived at Advanced Rejuvenation, tests indicated that Josephine’s left ankle pain was the result of her having lost almost all the cartilage in that ankle. Since she began receiving stem cell treat-ments, however, she has generated nearly two millimeters of cartilage, leaving her with near normal levels for the ankle.
“She has actually laid down cartilage where there wasn’t any before,” con� rms John Lieurance, DC, whose role during the treatment process is to perform ultra-sound scans that allow for greater precision during the actual injection. “I’ve done pre- and post-treatment scans of her, and we’ve seen a tremendous improvement in the health of her joints.”
Likewise, Josephine has experienced a tremendous improvement in her qual-ity of life. Since � rst receiving stem cell injections at Advanced Rejuvenation � ve years ago, she has returned twice for what
she refers to as booster shots. � e results, she says, have allowed her to enjoy life in a way she never thought possible.
“I was at a point where all the doctors were telling me the only thing I could do for my ankle was to have fusion surgery,” she says. “Stem cells weren’t anything I had available to me at the time, but they have been a fabulous solution for me. I’ve con-tinued getting them, along with the ozone and platelet-rich plasma treatments, and they’ve really worked.
“Especially this past year, my ankle joint has been mostly pain free. Now, I’m not out there running marathons or anything like that, and I’m still not heavily active on the ankle, but I am cautiously active. � anks to the great doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation, I’m leading a very comfortable life now.”
Location, Location, LocationPamela Kirscher was living a comfortable life in Hawaii until one day in 1980, when she accidentally fell into what would eventually be the deep end of a pool that was under construction in her back yard. � e broken left ankle and sprained right ankle she suf-fered that day were just the beginning of her long ordeal with pain in her ankles and feet.
“� e right ankle, in particular, became a problem for me because there were times after it had supposedly healed when out of nowhere it would just sort of give out on me,” the longtime � tness instructor relates. “At � rst, it just gave out, but after a while, it would give out and cause me to fall, and twice, I actually fell and broke that ankle.”
At the same time that her right ankle was causing her to fall, arthritis was develop-ing rapidly in Pamela’s left ankle. So much so that on occasion, the sharp pain would force her to stop dead in her tracks. � en, in 2006, on the day she began taking English horse-riding lessons, Pamela broke her right foot when a horse inad-vertently stepped on it.
In time, the com-bination of al l her foot and ankle injuries soon took such a toll that at times a simple walk from her bed to the bathroom became painful. Not only that, but working became virtually impossible for Pamela, who had since moved to Sarasota and opened her own � tness studio.
� e move and the location of that stu-dio proved pivotal in her recovery because the studio happened to be in the same building as Advanced Rejuvenation. One day, after visiting a podiatrist who suggested she undergo surgery that would keep her o� her feet for a couple of months, Pamela sought out the advice of the doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation.
After an ultrasound scan revealed she was su� ering from arthritis in her right
ankle and arthritis throughout both feet, Pamela was � rst treated through a process called prolotherapy in which natural sub-stances such as dextrose, a natural sugar; and ozone are injected into the damaged area to stimulate healing.
Leaders in the FieldThe prolotherapy treatments helped, Pamela reports, but it wasn’t until the doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation began treating her with stem cell injections that she found the pain relief and tissue rejuve-nation she’d been looking for. Now, after receiving another injection in April, she’s back to living not only a comfortable life, but an active life as well.
“I remember my orthopedist telling me once that I might never be able to walk much again, which was devas-tating to hear,” Pamela recalls. “I mean, I’m a very active person and I could see where he was coming from, because I was in so much pain, but that’s why the stem cell treatments have been nothing short of amazing.
“It wasn’t long after I received the first injection a few years
ago that I went out, and I was able to walk on the beach for twenty minutes. That may not seem like much, but I was at a point where I couldn’t walk from my bedroom to my kitchen and stand there and make myself something to eat.
“I just recently moved to Idaho because I love to hike in the mountains, and thanks to the doctors at Advanced Rejuvenation and the stem cell therapy, I can do that now. I have that freedom again, which means I have the quality of life back that I was looking for. I was afraid I might never get that back.
“I highly recommend Advanced
Rejuvenation for anyone dealing with arthritis, or
foot or ankle pain. The work they do
there is incredible.”
- Pamela
“Thanks to the great doctors at
Advanced Rejuvenation,
I’m leading a very
comfortable life now.”
- Josephine
� at’s why I highly recommend Advanced Rejuvenation for anyone dealing with arthri-tis, or foot or ankle pain. � e work they do there is incredible.”
Josephine echoes those sentiments. She spent the � rst 40 years of her life searching for a solution to her chronic ankle pain, and she � nally found it through the stem cell treatments she received at Advanced Rejuvenation, where she says the level of expertise is truly second to none.
“Dr. John is exceptional at reading the ultrasounds and providing a guide for the injections,” she states. “Believe me, I’ve been exposed to a lot of needles in my life, and I know what it’s like when a doctor misses the target. But I know when I go there that they’re hitting the mark right where the injection needs to go.
“But that doesn’t surprise me. I mean, they’ve been in this field since before it became a fad. � ey’re leaders in this � eld. And I see a lot of stem cell doctors popping up everywhere nowadays, but I would never go to them. I’m sticking with Advanced Rejuvenation. � eir work, their knowledge and their expertise far surpass all others by years and years and years.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Josephine’s photos by Jordan
Pysz. Pamela’s photo courtesy of Pamela Kirscher. mkb
At Advanced Rejuvenation, our integrative sta� and physicians use a variety of modalities, including laser therapy, acupuncture and functional chiropractic neurology, to treat a number of injuries and conditions, including:
m Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint condition m Hearing loss m Tinnitus m Balance disorders m Degenerative neurological disorders, e.g.
Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimers m Arthritis
Advanced Rejuvenation also offers: m Advanced stem cell treatments using LumoStem
Activation m Prolotherapy with dextrose-based injections m Whole body cryotherapy using nitrogen gas to lower
the skin’s surface temperature for several minutes m Medical ozone injections m Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves
breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room m Intravenous laser therapy for Lyme disease
Josephine Calvi
Sarasota Edition | Winter 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7steM Cell therapy
Dawn Chiu, DPM, AACFAS, is a board-quali� ed podiatric surgeon and Associate of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. She graduated from the
University of California, Davis with a degree in zoology and received her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. Dr. Chiu completed her podiatric surgical residency at Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia.
Arthur D. Clode, DPM, AACFAS, is a board-quali� ed podiatric sur-geon and Associate of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He earned a degree in biological sci-
ences from Florida International University and a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. He completed his podiatric surgical residency at Golden Glades Regional Medical Center in Miami.
SARASOTA FOOT AND ANKLE CENTER
DAWN CHIU, DPM, AACFASARTHUR D. CLODE, DPM, AACFAS
Make the Call
To learn more about the PinPointe FootLaser, visit www.sarasotafoot.com
There’s no need to drive to Fort Myers or Tampa for laser toenail fungus treatment. FDA-approved PinPointe FootLaser is available at Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center, which has three locations: Sarasota
th Street(941) 366-4888
Englewood Old Englewood Road(941) 366-4888
Sun City Center Rickenbacker Dr.
(813) 634-8980
On Pointe Safe, in-o� ce laser therapy neutralizes
nail fungus
Like a lot of young girls, Amanda* grew up dreaming of one day becoming a ballet dancer. Unlike most of those
girls, Amanda lived that dream for nearly 20 years, until marriage and motherhood forced her to rearrange her priorities.
By then, the damage to Amanda’s feet had been done. All those years of dancing in pointe shoes ravaged Amanda’s toes, leaving them calloused, disjointed and riddled with an unsightly nail fungus that discolored her nails for years.
“At � rst, I didn’t think much about it,” Amanda, 64, says of the fungus. “I guess I just wasn’t all that self-aware back then. After a while, though, I
realized the fungus wasn’t going away and then, no matter what treatment I tried, it never got any better.”
Amanda spent several years trying to get rid of the nail fungus that damaged and discolored her toenails but eventually tired of the e� ort. She was never comfort-able with the way her toes looked.
“It was probably thirty years later that I � nally said, Okay, enough; it’s time to do something about this,” Amanda shares. “I didn’t really know where to turn, though, and then one day, I read an article about a doctor who treats toenail fungus in Florida Health Care News.”
The doctor Amanda read about is Arthur D. Clode, DPM, a board-quali� ed podiatric surgeon at Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center, where stubborn fungal infections are often treated with PinPointe™ FootLaser® therapy.
Pointe TakenThe PinPointe FootLaser therapy has become Dr. Clode’s preferred weapon of choice for eliminating persistent nail fun-gus because it requires no blood tests, kills the underlying fungus, causes no side e� ects and can be done in the doctor’s o� ce.
� e in-o� ce treatments take only a few minutes, during which time the laser is passed over the nail in a crisscross pat-tern to ensure full coverage. � e patient usually feels a warm sensation on their toe while the laser is passed but no pain.
Afterward, the patient can walk out of the o� ce and resume normal activi-ties. Dr. Clode recommends the patient return for follow-up visits every three months for a year, which is the length of time the nail needs to fully grow out as a clear nail grows in.
When combined with topical oint-ments, the laser treatment has an 80 percent success rate, states Dr. Clode, who recommended the treatment for Amanda, who eventually had the treatment done on all ten of her toes.
“It’s been a little more than a year now since I had the treatment done, and most of my toes look like they were never infected at all,” Amanda reveals. “� e others have improved greatly, and my plan is to have Dr. Clode continue to monitor those.
“If necessary, I’ll get another treat-ment for those that aren’t completely healed yet, but as of right now, I am absolutely thrilled with the procedure and the results, and I couldn’t be hap-pier with Dr. Clode.
“He did a great job, and the staff at Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center is so friendly and accommodating. I’d
recommend them and Dr. Clode to any-one who has a problem with their toes like I did.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Stock photos from
Pixabay. mkb
For Eye Floater SolutionsSouth Florida Eye Clinic is located
in Fort Myers at:
4755 Summerlin Rd. Call Dr. Geller at:
(239) 275-8222or toll-free at:
(877) 371-3937
Scott L. Geller, MD, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Rush Medical College. While in medical school, he was awarded a student fellowship to study tropical medicine at a missionary hospital in India, and pursued additional studies at the famous Brompton Hospital in London, England. He interned at Presbyterian Hospital, Paci� c Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, and completed his residency in ophthalmology at Sinai Hospital of Detroit, which was a� liated with Wayne State Medical School and Kresge Eye Institute. Dr. Geller was fellowship-trained in anterior segment and refractive surgery with Dr. William
Myers of the Michigan Eye Institute. Dr. Geller is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and has presented papers on eye � oater laser treatment at the International Congress of Ophthalmology, European Congress of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, European Congress of Ophthalmology and the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.
SOUTH FLORIDA EYE CLINICSCOTT L. GELLER, MD
Dr. Geller has performed more than 15,000 documented � oater laser sessions.
Scott Geller, MD, teaches the technique worldwide
“L aser treatment of eye � oat-ers is fascinating,” says Scott Geller, MD, a board certified ophthalmologist
with a specialty clinic in Fort Myers. “I look forward to doing this every day. And our
reputation has become worldwide with the advent of the internet. We’ve had a steady � ow of patients from Europe, Canada, and even Russia, China, Arabia, and Israel.”
Dr. Geller can rightly claim to have started this niche area of ophthalmic surgery, with the largest, continuous clinical series, having performed more than 15,000 documented eye � oater laser sessions.
“I’m always asked why this useful treatment modality is not more widely available, or why some doctors try it but give it up,’’ Dr. Geller explains. “The answer is simple: there are no courses for training, and there is a lack of proper equipment.”
Dr. Geller was trained directly by the professor who researched laser inside the human eye at the famous University Eye Clinic in Bern, Switzerland.Dr. Geller adds: “� ey never thought this would be applica-ble to eye � oaters, but I proved them wrong.”
Dr. Geller uses the Swiss made Lasag laser.
“I have tried others, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind this is the most versatile and precise instrument,’’ he notes. “In fact, I have two of them, and
I � y in the engineers from Switzerland to update and service them yearly.”
A Doctor and an EducatorDr. Geller has personally trained the most experienced ophthalmologists in the US, as well as the top surgeons from Italy and Holland, who have visited his Florida facility.
“I am concerned about colleagues rushing into some-thing new without having a formal preceptorship,’’Dr. Geller says. “It is easy to push the button, but not so easy to get the optimal result and avoid complications.”
To improve physician education, Dr. Geller gave an hour-long course this year at one of the country’s major ophthalmology associations.
“This was the first course of this quality anywhere in the US,’’ notes Dr. Geller. “And I am going back to Italy, where I was invited to lecture at a major
SCAN THIS TO YOUR
SMARTPHONE TO SEE ACTUAL
PATIENTS
See what Dr. Geller’s patients say about the Eye Floater Laser at www.vimeo.com/eye� oaters and on the Scott Geller MD YouTube channel.
ophthalmology meeting. � is is the fourth invitation, and I will also consult and treat patients there, as I have in the past.”
Dr. Geller welcomes other ophthalmol-ogists to come and observe, and to call if they need advice on di� cult cases.Article submitted by Scott Geller, MD. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb
is not
acceptable.”
“Live with it
Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2019 | Sarasota Edition podiatry
ophthalMoloGy
John Lieurance, DC, DACNB (Board Eligible), received his Doctor of C h i r o p r a c t i c d e g r e e from Parker College of Chiropractic and his Doctor of NMD degree through St. Luke’s Medical School. He is
also a board-eligible chiropractic neurologist through the Carrick Institute of Neurology. Dr. Lieurance is the developer of Functional Cranial Release, and teaches and certi� es these meth-ods to physicians around the world. He has practiced in Sarasota for the past 20 years.
JOHN LIEURANCE, DC, DACNB
(BOARD ELIGIBLE)
For Health and Comfort
Th e s t a f f o f Ad va n ce d Rejuvenation looks forward to meeting the readers of Florida Health Care News. To learn more about laser therapy or other rejuvenation options, contact the holistic health and chiropractic center. Mention this article and receive a free audiometric evaluation. Their offi ce is located in Sarasota at:
In addition to hearing loss, tinnitus and balance disorders, Advanced Rejuvenation treats various musculoskeletal, neurological and chronic diseases, including:
• Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint condition• Chronic sinusitis• Snoring• Sleep apnea• Degenerative neurological disorders, i.e. Parkinson’s• Arthritis of joints and spine
Advanced Rejuvenation also o� ers:• Stem cell treatments using LumoStem Activation• Prolotherapy with dextrose based injections• Prolozone• Whole body cryotherapy• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy• Intravenous laser therapy to irradiate white blood cells
W ith her 80th birthday approaching, Mary* began experiencing hearing difficulties all
too common for people her age.
Reverse Hearing LossLumomed™ laser rejuvenates damaged ear cells
To learn more about Lumomed laser therapy, visit Advanced Rejuvenation on the internet at advancedrejuvenation.us
“When I would be talking to some-one, I would only catch half of what they were saying,” she recalls. “I’d have to ask over and over again, I’m sorry, what did you say? Or if I answered them wrong, they’d give me a funny look and then I’d explain, I didn’t totally hear you.”
Her inability to carry on a conversa-tion without constantly asking people to repeat themselves was especially frustrat-ing for her husband, Mary says.
She had her hearing tested and bought hearing aids. But she soon found them to be a nuisance.
“I was constantly turning them up higher, down lower,” Mary complains. “It was a pain in the neck, but I had no choice. Some people talk louder, some people talk softer, and that was a pain in the neck, too.”
By the time she began her eighth decade of life, she was resigned to the idea she’d need to wear such devices for the rest of her life.
� en one day, Mary’s husband picked up a copy of Florida Health Care News in a doctor’s o� ce.
� e publication included an article about an innovative inner ear treatment performed by John Lieurance, DC, to reverse hearing loss.
“I read it and I said, Hmm, sounds pretty good that he can help people,” Mary shares.
Dr. Lieurance is a chiropractic neurologist and naturopath, as well as a certi� ed provider of Lumomed sound laser therapy, which is designed to reju-venate damaged ear cells. Treatments have been clinically shown to improve hearing loss, as well as to reduce the e� ects of many balance disorders and tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.
Mary made an appointment with Dr. Lieurance at Advanced Rejuvenation, a regenerative medical practice in Sarasota. She reports the doctor was “very, very thor-ough” during her initial examination and consultation, which included a hearing test.
“He explained everything – how the laser therapy worked and what I could expect as far as getting my hearing back,” Mary adds.
Dr. Lieurance scheduled her for a course of therapy, which consisted of 15 thirty-minute laser treatments on each ear.
Healing EnergyAdvanced Rejuvenation is the only center in the United States approved t o u s e Lu m o m e d ’s p ro t o c o l s . Dr. Lieurance had been treating hear-ing loss, balance disorders and tinnitus
for many years through his functional chiropractic neurology practice when he heard about Lumomed from one of his patients. While in Germany, she received the treatment from Dr. Amon Kaiser, who has worked with lasers for more than 30 years.
“My patient got in touch and told me, Hey, this doctor is doing won-
derful work in Germany for inner ear regeneration. It would be such a great adjunct to what you’re doing in Florida,” Dr. Lieurance relates.
He contacted Dr. Kaiser and traveled to Germany to study the science they had discovered and the methods for the treat-ment protocols.
“I was so impressed that I brought this back to Sarasota,” Dr. Lieurance states. “It’s phenomenal. I’m constantly looking for the best and most e� ective technologies to help people with con-ditions that are considered untreatable. When someone tells me, You can’t do it, it makes me want to do it even more.”
Dr. Lieurance explains the science behind Lumomed this way: Special nerve cells in the inner ear, called hair cells, allow for the perception of sound and are essen-tial for balance. If those cells are damaged, an individual may su� er hearing loss, tin-nitus or a debilitating balance disorder such as vertigo.
“We have a great deal of technology today, such as cell phones, iPods® and com-puters,” he expounds. “� at technology, along with sirens and various machines in our environment, make di� erent, high-pitched sounds that are very loud. As a result, the hair cells are highly stressed.
“When these cells are constantly over-whelmed by noise and stress, they cannot process energy correctly,” Dr. Lieurance continues. “With low or depleted energy, the auditory and vestibular cells in the ear lose their ability to do their jobs, and disease results, whether it’s a hearing loss, dizziness or tinnitus.”
� e hair cells have their own energy source, which is adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. It is produced by structures inside the cells that act as power plants, called mito-chondria. Maintaining the ears when they’re stressed requires vast amounts of energy. Without it, the cells begin to break down.
“Studies have shown that hair cell regeneration is possible,” Dr. Lieurance asserts. “Inner ear laser therapy is performed with specialized laser equip-ment set at very specific settings. The Lumomed laser showers energy into the ear in the form of photons. This energy is then used by the hair cells to repair themselves.”
No More Hearing Aids� e therapy is most e� ective for younger patients, who are “developing their language based on what they hear,” Dr. Lieurance points out. “If we can � x their hearing at a young age, they don’t develop a lot of speech impediments.”
The laser, which is applied while patients wear goggles and lie on a treat-ment table, emits very little heat. Some people feel the sensation of sunshine, while others feel nothing.
Some patients notice an improve-ment in their hearing within the � rst few sessions, Dr. Lieurance informs. For oth-ers, it takes longer.
“After the first two treatments, I was told not to wear my hearing aids anymore,” Mary remembers. “I should just trust that my hearing was slowly getting better, and it did get better” with each treatment.
Today, Mary says she can hear as well as she did years ago. She’s living proof that it is possible to turn back time, and that hearing loss is reversible.
“If I hadn’t met Dr. Lieurance I would still be wearing hearing aids,” Mary shares. “People are telling me, Your hear-ing is back! Your hearing is back! I am very, very happy.”FHCN article by Annette Mardis. mkb
*Patient name withheld at her request.
2033 Wood St.Suite 210
(941) 330-8553
Sarasota Edition | Winter 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9laser therapy
Reverse Bone Loss
OsteoStrong leverages scienti� cally proven osteogenic-loading methodologies to help
all ages and � tness levels. It was created using research in cellular
biology, anti-aging, longevity and bone mass.
For more information or to schedule your two FREE sessions, call or visit their Downtown Sarasota offi ce at:
1702 Ringling Blvd.(941) 210-3832
A once-weekly 15-minute strengthening program can rebuild bone
A fter suffering for years with endometriosis, Shirley* and her husband turned to infertility treatments to
help them conceive.While those treatments were not
successful, Shirley and her husband still got the child they always wanted through adoption.
“My numbers kept going down,” Shirley recalls. “I felt like there had to be something out there that would help.”
In 2015, through online research, Shirley found a unique program called OsteoStrong that helps rebuild bone through once-a-week, 15-minute ses-sions using specialized strengthening equipment.
“It is di� cult to explain the di� er-ence between our equipment and that used at a traditional gym,” educates Marc Cannon, owner of OsteoStrong in Sarasota “� is equipment is isometric, which means tension is developed with-out contraction of the muscle. � ere is no
Marc loves to share stories that high-light the program’s long-term value.
“I met Shirley at an OsteoStrong conference in Albuquerque and after hearing her story, we connected instantly because in my view, her story is a suc-cess,” Marc says. “� e program utilizes a concept called osteogenic loading, which is a � fteen-minute, once-a-week, resis-tance-based session that increases bone density, prevents fractures and strengthens muscle tissue.”
Shirley admits that initial ly, she was uncertain about how well a 15-minute workout, once a week, could rebuild bone.
“In the � rst six months, I had a sig-ni� cant bone increase in my hips because of the OsteoStrong program,” she con-tinues. “I was in tears when my latest bone scan results showed that increase. I had not had a gain in twelve years.”
Shirley’s life has been so dramati-cally improved because of OsteoStrong that she and her husband invested in a franchise.
“My husband and I were looking for a business venture, and after experi-encing OsteoStrong, and with my own personal situation, we decided to buy a franchise ourselves.
“� e important thing is, my num-bers are increasing now, and I owe it all to OsteoStrong,” she says. “It’s been a miracle for me and has changed my life!”
Because of her signi� cant improve-ment in her bones, Shirley says she likely will start having bone scans every other year once she turns 55.
“We’ve already had success stories in our center even though it’s been open for a short amount of time,” Shirley shares. “I tell women who come to our center here – we can reverse bone loss and you don’t have to be in fear of having a fracture.”
It is important for those who suf-fer from osteoporosis to consider that OsteoStrong is a program that caters to all age groups.
“Osteoporosis is not just something that only happens to old people. We have clients from young to old and everything in between. We have a lot of women in our center that are younger than I was when I was diagnosed.
“Men aren’t immune either,” she adds. “When they start losing their testosterone, their bone loss becomes more rapid.
“OsteoStrong wants to help educate people about bone loss. � e framework is the most important part of your body and you need to take care of it and be aware of changes to it.”
While there are many factors in a person’s life that can cause osteoporosis, thankfully programs like OsteoStrong can help a person reverse the damage.
“OsteoStrong has been a mira-cle for me and has changed my life!,” Shirley raves.FHCN staff article. Photo courtesy of OsteoStrong. mkb
*Patient’s name withheld at their request.
For more information, please visit their website at www.osteostrong.me/osteo-locations/� orida-sarasota/
During an OsteoStrong workout, patients apply pressure on patented equipment designed to stimulate the
body’s natural impulse to rebuild bone.
force pushing against you, which means that you create the force. On the leg press, for example, I’ve had ladies in their eight-ies weighing one hundred pounds who can press a thousand pounds. Because it is isometric, it is di� erent.
To understand the difference he describes, Marc invites people to come in and try the equipment for themselves.
“We o� er one free session so that people can see what we mean by isometric,” Marc shares. “� ey have the opportunity to use the equipment and see exactly what it is like.”
“Osteoporosis is a silent disease that most people are unaware they have until they fracture a bone,” educates Marc Cannon, owner of OsteoStrong in Sarasota. “Statistically, one in two women and one in four men over age � fty will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.”
A Proven Solution Marc says OsteoStrong is a proven, e� ec-tive, natural solution to reverse bone loss for all age groups. “� is is an amazing concept that culminated after twelve years of research that looked into the body’s own adaptive response to growing new bone and muscle structure and improving the density of the bones we have.”
“At � rst, I was skeptical, but after I read a lot about it and researched its success, I was convinced,” she says. “� e patient applies pressure on the patented equipment through short, acute activ-ities that stimulate the body’s natural impulse to rebuild bone and tissue loss. Once the tissue growth process has been triggered, the body will naturally rebuild tissue and bone.”
Sessions are deliberately scheduled once a week.
“Studies have determined that doing an OsteoStrong session more than once a week doesn’t promote any addi-tional bene� t,” Marc explains. “Overall, studies have found that OsteoStrong improves people’s bone density by about seven percent a year.”
Better Late Than NeverShirley knows that had she found OsteoStrong years earlier, her bone loss would not have been as substantial.
“I’ve already lost twenty percent of my bone in my hip and twenty four per-cent of bone in my arm,” Shirley explains. “If I were to lose another twenty-� ve to thirty percent, I would have the bones of a signi� cantly older woman who could have a fracture at an early age.
In the aftermath of the infertility treatments, however, Shirley was left with a serious side e� ect resulting from prolonged use of infertility drugs – osteoporosis.
Bones are made of tissue that is con-stantly broken down and replaced. But when new bone creation does not keep up with degeneration, osteopenia and osteo-porosis can occur.
About 54 million Americans have osteoporosis and low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Breaking a bone is a serious complication of osteoporosis, especially as we get older. Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely to occur in the hip, spine or wrist, but other bones can break too. In addition to causing permanent pain, osteoporosis causes some to lose height. When osteo-porosis a� ects vertebrae, or the bones of the spine, it often leads to a stooped or hunched posture.
“I had a friend of mine, who was a nurse, advised me to get a bone density screening because she knew that many women on the same infertility drug had severe bone loss,” Shirley recalls. “So, I had my � rst bone scan performed when I was thirty-eight.
“� e results indicated I was osteo-penic, which means I had early onset of osteoporosis.”
� at was 13 years ago.“At that time, doctors told me to do
weight-bearing exercises and increase my calcium and Vitamin D intake. � ey had no answers and no real plan.”
When a friend’s mother died of oste-oporosis, Shirley vowed she would not succumb to the condition herself.
“I have a child, and there is just no way that after everything I’ve been through I will allow osteoporosis to win,” Shirley says. “It isn’t going to happen like that for me.”
Despite joining a gym and following a rigorous exercise regimen, she contin-ued to see her bone density scans get worse each year.
Diseases and Conditions That Can Cause Bone Loss
include: � Autoimmune disorders � Digestive disorders � Breast or prostate cancer � Stroke � Celiac disease � Lupus � Parkinson’s disease � Spinal cord injuries � Diabetes � Scoliosis � Poor posture and poor diet
Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2019 | Sarasota Edition osteoporosis treatMent
ALEXANDER GAUKHMAN, DMD
Please visit Dr. Gaukhman’s website at www.SiestaDental.com
Alexander Gaukhman, DMD, earned his dental degree at Nova Southeastern Univers i t y Col lege of Dentistry, Ft. Lauderdale. He completed his undergradu-ate studies at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. Dr. Gaukhman is a diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and a member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry, Florida Dental Association, Sarasota Dental Association and American Dental Association.
Mighty MinisThinner implants have wide range of bene� ts
N ew York native Michael Gallagher moved to Florida in 1990 and began a con-struction company. He and
his crew specialize in custom carpentry and � nishing quality kitchens, bathrooms and interior remodels. Michael is a natural leader, having been in construction for nearly 30 years. He knew what he wanted when it came to building up his teeth as well.
“I’ve had problems with my teeth over the years, mostly decay, cavities – just nuisance stu� ,” Michael describes. “More recently, I became embarrassed of my teeth because of all the cavities, and I was uncomfortable with my smile because I was missing a tooth. I got tired of all the problems with my teeth, so I started shop-ping around for a dentist to � x them.”
� ough Michael considered his den-tal issues to be a nuisance, he found his search for a dentist to be equally, if not more, annoying.
“I shopped quite a few dentists, at least six or seven,” he reports. “It was like buying a car; it was all about price. � e dentists’ prices were ridiculous. A� ordable dentures were not a� ordable. To make matters worse, these dentists threw out a lot of terminology I didn’t understand.”
Despite his frustration, Michael refused to give up on his search. Eventually, after hearing about Alexander Gaukhman, DMD, of Siesta Dental, he decided to give that dentist a chance. Michael soon learned that Dr. Gaukhman is a skilled and experienced dentist who o� ers exceptional and a� ordable general, cosmetic and restorative dentistry at his o� ces in Sarasota, Venice and Osprey.
“Half of my life, I drove cars for General Motors, and the other half, I spent building houses, so I’m no schmuck,” Michael stresses. “I did a lot of research. Plus, Siesta Dental is right on Siesta Key where I live, so they’re close to me.
“When I got to their o� ce, I was very happy with what I perceived as a very e� cient and professional operation. Dr. Gaukhman was really good about explaining things and answering my ques-tions. He recommended a complete set of upper and lower dentures, and he was willing to negotiate the price.”
“When Michael came to see me, he’d just broken a tooth on the lower left side of his jaw,” notes Dr. Gaukhman. “He also had abscesses in several teeth on both his upper and lower arches. I rec-ommended dentures because the teeth he had were not worth saving.
Dr. Gaukhman is accepting new patients and welcomes the opportunity to help you improve your smile and bite
function. He invites the readers of
Florida Health Care News to visit or call Siesta Dental.
Sarasota Avenida Navarra
Venice US Hwy. Bypass S.
Osprey S. Tamiami Trail, Suite F
(941) 270-8060
“Some dentists believe you shouldn’t extract teeth while they’re infected, but while the teeth are in the jaw, they act like splinters in the � ngers. � e infection will never go away until the source of the infection is removed. I believe in extract-ing the teeth, the source of the infection, then putting patients on antibiotics. � at’s what I did with Michael.”
Secure Benefi tsDentures are often used to replace natu-ral teeth that are lost due to tooth decay, gum disease, infection or injury. In most cases, upper dentures � t securely because the palate enables the creation of su� cient suction to hold the appliance in place.
“Lower dentures are often more di� cult to keep stable,” observes Dr. Gaukhman. “� is is because there is no palate in the bot-tom jaw, due to the location of the tongue, and less suction is produced. Securing a lower denture with dental implants is the most e� ective way to stabilize it.
“I recommended four implants to secure Michael’s lower denture. I gener-ally don’t encourage implants for upper dentures unless there’s an issue with the denture covering the palate, which can a� ect taste, speech and overall comfort.”
Dental implants are surgically placed into the jawbone and serve as the founda-tion for replacement teeth. Implants are made of a titanium alloy that fuses with the patient’s bone to become a solid unit. When secured by implants, dentures don’t rock or move; they stay in place when wearers speak and eat.
At Siesta Dental, implants are often placed on the day of tooth extraction. � e dentures are also created at that time.
“Another bene� t of mini implants is that surgery to place them is less invasive, so there’s less disturbance of the bone and surrounding tissues. � at translates to less discomfort,” informs the dentist. “In addition, there are fewer complications with mini implants due to improved sur-gical techniques.”
Happy Hook-UpWhen Michael’s permanent lower denture was ready, it required several adjustments to � t correctly over his mini implants. Fortunately, Siesta Dental has a dental lab
on site that made the slight adjustments as needed. Michael didn’t mind the
brief delay in getting the results. He says he was made to feel very
comfortable by the dental sta� .“Eventually, we got the
denture all straightened out, and now, everything’s fine. It took a lit-tle longer than expected to get the outcome, but it’s fantastic,” Michael raves. “They did a great job. I’m very happy with my dentures.
“� e sta� at Siesta Dental is � ne. Every question I brought up, they had an answer for me. � ey took care of all of my concerns.”
Michael has positive things to say about Dr. Gaukhman as well. He’s grate-ful to the dentist for explaining the entire process in terms he could understand and for giving him a smile he’s proud of.
“� e bottom line is, I had problems with my teeth, Dr. Gaukhman hooked me up with a set of dentures, and I’m happy with them,” Michael enthuses. “He did everything he said he was going to do, and I understood everything that was going to happen because he explained it all to me. Dr. Gaukhman did a great job.
“I’m happy with my smile now, and I’m happy with Dr. Gaukhman and Siesta Dental. I have no problem recommend-ing them to others.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb
• Dental implants• Extraction of
teeth• Crowns• Deep cleaning
• Bleaching• ZOOM!®
whitening• Root canals• Laser surgery
• Invisalign®• Dentures• Partials• Bridges
Siesta Dental specializes in all aspects of dentistry, including but not limited to:
“Once the patient’s problem is diag-nosed and the treatment is determined, I take the impressions,” relates Dr. Gaukhman. “When the dentures are ready, which is usually on the same day or the next day, I extract the teeth and put the dentures in right away. � e dentures act like a ban-dage. � ey stop bleeding and limit swelling.
“For the next three to six months, the patient wears temporary dentures until the implants fuse with the jawbone and the gums heal. � en the temporary dentures are replaced with the permanent appli-ances. In Michael’s case, I recommended mini implants, rather than standard implants, to secure his lower denture.”
Mini implants are like standard implants in almost all ways. � ey di� er from standard implants, however, in that they are smaller in diameter; they are slightly thinner. � is o� ers a number of advantages to patients.
“With mini implants, patients heal faster, so treatment can be � nished quicker,” Dr. Gaukhman explains. “We can use mini implants in medically com-promised patients and in patients who don’t have su� cient bone to secure stan-dard implants. In general, mini implants are also more a� ordable.
“Michael wanted to shorten the time of his treatment, and his bone was slightly compromised, so I chose to use mini implants with him.”
Because mini implants can be used when less bone is available, they reduce the need for time-consuming and costly bone grafts before implants can be placed.
Better Bite, Better Smile
Michael is happy to show off his new smile
Sarasota Edition | Winter 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11General, CosMetiC and eMerGenCy dentistry
Donna and her husband, James, are reaping the benefi ts of Sedative Stretching.
Loosen Up!Unique stretching protocol increases fl exibility, eliminates pain
JEFFREY P. JOHNSON, DC
Je� rey P. Johnson, DC, is a member of the National Academy of Manipulation Under Anesthesia Physicians and has performed more than 1,000 procedures to date. He is also a graduate of Life Chiropractic University in Marietta, GA, with additional training through the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago. His training included: Manipulation Under Anesthesia, proprietary substances and chiropractic adjunctive physiotherapy. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Johnson holds certi� cation from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, the Florida Chiropractic Association, the American Board of Disability Analysts and other professional and civic organizations. He has been in private practice since 1986.
Stop the Pain
For more information, please visit www.DRJPJ.com
For a consultation appointment, please contact Johnson Medical Center, located in Venice at:
401 Johnson LaneSuite 101
(941) 484-5333
“I exercise twice a day and sometimes just touch my toes
because I can.” – Donna
A fter selling their chemical distribution com-pany in Atlanta in February, Donna Boldt and her husband decided that instead of retiring, they’d start another business in
Florida, where they relocated. � eir new endeavor, selling a craft project called DIAMOND DOTZ®, was imme-diately successful, and Donna found herself working at least 40 hours a week.
A 56-year-old Cincinnati native, Donna preferred her new schedule over the grueling, 80-hour workweeks she put in with her former business. Even the shorter workweeks proved to be challenging, however, partic-ularly after she was diagnosed in 2000 with multiple sclerosis, a disease that took a drastic toll on her physically.
“As part of the MS, I tended to drop one foot and guard one side of my body,” Donna describes. “Over the years, this made me less and less mobile. � e MS also left me in constant pain. � e constant pain was a four or � ve on a scale of one to ten. If I tried to do anything active, my pain went up to an eight out of ten.
“I couldn’t sleep at night because my hips were fro-zen. If I turned on my side, they would ache and wake me up. If I tried sleeping on my back, my lower back would ache and wake me up. I had to constantly adjust, but there was really no comfortable position. In the morning, my feet, ankles, knees and hips were so tender I had to shu� e to the bathroom.
“� e pain a� ected my activities. I couldn’t do yard work because I couldn’t get up and down. If I needed to reach for something a little behind me, I had to get up and turn around. I like to comb my dog’s hair every night, but to get up and down from the � oor was extremely painful. I was also having terrible headaches from tightness in my neck.”
Donna underwent chiropractic treatment while she lived in Atlanta and before moving to Florida, she began looking for a chiropractor to continue treatment here. Several friends she knows in the area recom-mended Je� rey P. Johnson, DC, of Johnson Medical Center in Venice.
“For two months, Dr. Johnson stretched me and worked on me with a laser and other treatments, which helped a little,” states Donna. “One day, I read a pam-phlet in his o� ce about Sedative Stretching and asked him about it. I also asked several people who had the procedure about it, and they all told me they had good experiences with it. I � gured, What have I got to lose?”
Developing AdhesionsSedative Stretching is an expanded and comprehensive form of Manipulation Under Anesthesia, or MUA. Many people with various painful muscle and joint conditions can bene� t from Sedative Stretching. Ideal candidates are those with conditions such as unresolved neck and back pain, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, sciatica, frozen
shoulder, acute and chronic muscle spasm, headaches and failed back surgery syndrome. � e procedure can also bene� t people who want to regain lost � exibility or those who are “sick and tired of being sti� and sore.”
� e sooner a person addresses the cause of their con-dition, the better. � e chronic sti� ness, tightness and pain cause excessive wear and tear on the joints of the spine and extremities, resulting in permanent degener-ation and arthritis.
“People start losing flexibility when their typ-ical daily activities cause a minor injury that leads to chronic, low-grade in� ammation,” informs Dr. Johnson. “Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing process, which lays down a mesh of connective tissue, commonly known as scar tissue.
“Over time, layer upon layer of scar tissue can form in the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joints, restricting the joints’ ability to move properly. � ese lay-ers of scar tissue are called adhesions.”
Symptoms and warning signs generally associated with adhesions include the slow and insidious loss of � ex-ibility, as well as an increasing achiness and soreness. Most people will attribute this to normal aging. While it’s very common to become sti� and sore with age, it’s not normal.
Sadly, many people wait until signi� cant damage from excessive wear and tear has occurred before seeking appropriate care. Often, patients will utilize over-the-counter and prescriptive medications, which help alleviate their symptoms. Unfortunately, this gives the patient a false sense of being cured while the underlying scar tissue continues to cause excessive damage.
Mobilizing JointsAs part of the Sedative Stretching protocol, the patient is put under light sedation, sometimes called twilight sedation. With the patient relaxed, the a� ected joints are brought through their normal full range of motion, free-ing the adhesions that have developed between the joints and are causing the pain.
“While the patient is sedated, we use light, compre-hensive stretching techniques,” notes Dr. Johnson. “Since we don’t have to contend with tense, guarded muscles, we are able to free up the scar tissue and mobilize the joints
without causing the patient any dis-comfort. � is would be impossible to do without the use of sedation.”
Typically, there are a couple of weeks of rehabilitation following the procedure itself that are designed to reinforce the increased movement obtained from the treatment. During this time, patients are instructed how to perform stretching exercises to pre-
vent the condition from recurring, o� ers Dr. Johnson.“Patients regain the � exibility they had decades before
by following this protocol, and typically, they return to activities they haven’t done in years,” he notes. “� is is truly correcting the original cause of their conditions.”
Back in Business� anks to Sedative Stretching, Donna’s back and neck pain subsided quickly. She continues to stretch daily to maintain the � exibility and mobility she gained from the procedure and says the protocol has made her 40-hour workweeks less challenging.
“Now, I feel great,” Donna states. “I don’t have the headaches I was having before. I constantly stretch my neck because it still gets a little tight. I think that’s because I sit and look at the computer a lot. I exercise
twice a day and sometimes just touch my toes because I can. If my pain level is a one during the course of the day, that’s a lot. I’m just not in pain.
“I do everything now. Before Sedative Stretching, I couldn’t hook a bathing suit in the back, and now I can. I wasn’t able to French Braid my hair before, because I couldn’t hold my arms up that long. Now, my hair is even longer, and I can braid it with no problem.
“I’m even doing yard work again. I can get up and down without pain. I can sit anywhere and comb my dog. I have so much more energy now. Before, the pain was draining the energy out of me. I sleep great now; I don’t toss and turn, which probably helps with my energy level. In the morning, I run to the bathroom.”
Donna is among the many patients who have achieved significant, positive results from Sedative Stretching. She credits her freedom from pain to Dr. Johnson, his sta� and his unique treatment protocol.
“I’m telling everyone about Dr. Johnson and Sedative Stretching,” says Donna. “I tell them even if they don’t ask. I’ve recommended the treatment to a lot of people. My husband went, our daughter went and I’m taking my eighty-seven-year-old dad next week.
“I really believe that if people know about Sedative Stretching and understand it, they will sign up. I think everyone can bene� t from it. And if they do it, their quality of life will be so much better.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb
Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2019 | Sarasota Edition sedative stretChinG