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North and West Palm Beach County Edition Fall 2019

FEATURED ARTICLES

(see The Eyes Have It, page 4)

THE DRY EYE SPA® & V.I.P. LASER EYE CENTERCLIFFORD L. SALINGER, MD

HELAYNA BROWN, MD

The Eyes

Have ItLaser surgery

delivers bright, clear visionBarbara

“Barbie” DiMatteo

B arbara “Barbie” DiMatteo, 44, has dedicated her life to the Maddie’s Fight Foundation, named for her daughter

Madison who passed away at the age of ten from a form of bone cancer known as osteosarcoma. � e foundation supports children and their families battling that and other types of cancer.

“I have another daughter, McKenzie, so my time is spent running the foundation and taking care of McKenzie, who is now a teenager,” Barbie says. “While I’m origi-nally from New Jersey, I’ve lived in South Florida for more than twenty years now.”

Working with the Maddie’s Fight Foundation has made Barbie keenly aware of her own health. She recently engaged in a � ght to correct the vision problems she’d had since her childhood.

“I was probably in sixth grade when I started having eye issues,” Barbie recalls. “I was nearsighted. I couldn’t see far away. It was so bad, I couldn’t go without glasses or contacts. Over time, my eyes got worse, and it looked like there was a haze over everything; even the TV was fuzzy.

“A few years ago, I got an eye infec-tion. It was really bad, and I couldn’t wear my contacts. I had to wear glasses. I realized when I went to read something on my phone or the computer, I put my glasses up on top of my head.

“Then, to see far away, I put my glasses back down. It got so annoying that I eventually decided to look into getting corrective surgery on my eyes so I wouldn’t have to wear glasses or contacts.”

� e procedure Barbie had in mind to correct her vision is LASIK® laser sur-gery. LASIK corrects vision by reshaping the cornea, which is the clear layer that forms the front of the eye. Reshaping the cornea changes its focusing power.

During LASIK, surgeons use a laser to create a thin � ap on the cornea surface. � en, the laser removes some of the tis-sue underneath to reshape.

While conducting an internet search for a physician who performs LASIK sur-gery, Barbie found � e Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center in Palm Beach Gardens and decided to go there for the procedure. At her consultation appoint-ment, she was given a thorough eye evaluation by the center’s founder, Cli� ord L. Salinger, MD, a cornea specialist.

“Dr. Salinger was very personable,” Barbie describes. “He talked to me like we were friends for years and explained every-thing. We went over the results of my eye exam, discussed the things that were wrong with my eyes and ways they could be � xed.

“But he didn’t want to do the LASIK procedure. To prevent other issues with my eyes, he said another laser surgery with a slower healing process would be better for me. He went over the pros and cons of that procedure, and I agreed with his recommendation.”

“Barbie came to us with nearsight-edness and a little astigmatism in both eyes,” Dr. Salinger notes. “She was look-ing to become less dependent on glasses and contact lenses. Because she had some pre-existing dry eye disease, we deter-mined a procedure without a � ap called

LASEK, also known as PRK, was the bet-ter option for her.

“While LASEK heals a little more slowly compared to LASIK, it has less chance of dry eye complications over time, both short-term and long-term.”

During LASEK, surgeons remove the cornea’s surface layer, then apply the laser to reshape the cornea. A bandage contact lens is placed on the eye for better comfort and to assist healing. Typically, the eye surface heals within a week after surgery. � e bandage contact is then removed and vision continues to improve for weeks to months following the procedure.

Perfect Eyes“I didn’t have surgery right away,” Barbie relates. “Dr. Salinger wanted to get my eyes perfect � rst. Because I wore contacts for so long, I had changes like inden-tations in my eyes. I had to go without contacts for several months before my eyes were ready for surgery.”

Over-wearing or sleeping in contacts can cause the cornea to develop an unnat-ural contour in its shape, Dr. Salinger informs. To achieve the best results, laser vision surgeons must wait until the cor-nea relaxes to its natural contour before attempting corrective surgery.

“If we move forward with surgery while the cornea has an unnatural contour, we won’t get the results we want or the results the patients want,” Dr. Salinger explains. “We would be aiming at a moving target.

“� at was what we were looking at with Barbie, so before we could proceed with her surgery, we needed her to be out of her contacts for an extended period of time to allow her corneas to � nd their natural contours.”

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Laser Vision CorreCtion

Andrea Zotovas, MD, is board certifi ed in physical medicine and reha-bilitation. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI and her medical degree from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Montserrat, British West Indies. She completed an internship in internal medicine at St. Joseph Hospital-Chicago, IL and residencies in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and neurology at University of Illinois Hospitals in Chicago. Dr. Zotovas is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Academy of Physician Life Care Planning and Florida Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

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ANDREA ZOTOVAS, MD

O n a warm afternoon in 1999, Renee* was cruising the back roads of South Carolina with a group of

people on Ducati Monster motorcycles. Renee was relatively inexperienced with that style of bike and could barely handle it, so when she hit a pothole going 80 miles per hour, she lost all control of the vehicle.

“I went down on my left side with the bike on top of me and rolled down a � fty-foot embankment head over feet,” the New York native remembers. “When I � nally opened my eyes, my ankle was facing the wrong way, there was a big hole in my knee, my pinky � nger was ripped open from knuckle to knuckle and my � ngernail was broken o� in the middle.

“My boyfriend was riding behind me and saw the whole thing. He told me he thought he watched me die. We were in the middle of nowhere, so it would’ve been di� cult for an ambulance to � nd us. My boyfriend dragged me up the embankment, put me on the back of his bike and took me to the hospital.”

Over time, Renee’s ankle, knee and � nger injuries healed, but the accident also damaged her back and neck, causing chronic pain that wouldn’t go away. She was eventually placed on muscle relaxants and narcotic pain medication.

Renee took the narcotic medications for a while but wasn’t happy with their potential for addiction, so she chose to wean herself o� them. Unfortunately, with-out medication, she was left to su� er with the chronic back and neck pain once again.

“Most of the time, it was a constant, aching pain, but if I bent over or moved the wrong way, the pain it caused took my breath away,” she describes. “My neck crunched when I moved it from side to side, and there were a couple of herniated discs in my lower spine.

“I went through physical therapy and did yoga regularly, but those things didn’t take the pain away completely, so I just had to deal with it. Being in pain became my new normal.”

Renee’s “new normal’’ lasted until December 2018, when her situation worsened due to a torn ligament in her right arm. When she refused to take pain medication for that injury, her doctor

referred her to Andrea Zotovas, MD, at South Florida Medical Marijuana MD in North Palm Beach and Stuart.

“After working so hard to transition o� of narcotic pain medication, Renee came to us looking for an alternative for her pain relief,” Dr. Zotovas reports. “In light of the problems associated with opioids, medical marijuana is an excellent alternative, so I certi� ed Renee to use it for her arm and back pain.”

Similar Conditions“There’s a great deal of misinforma-tion out there about medical cannabis,” Dr. Zotovas notes. “As a doctor who rec-ommends it to appropriate patients, I must be an educator. It’s my role to explain the components of the marijuana plant and how they work, as well as the di� erent methods of administering cannabis so that patients receive its full health bene� ts.”

� ere are more than 100 components of the marijuana plant. � e two major and most well-known are THC and CBD. � e various marijuana components work in the body to maintain homeostasis, a natural state of equilibrium.

“The human body has its own endocannabinoid system,” Dr. Zotovas explains. “We have receptors in our bod-ies that are prepared to accommodate the components of marijuana. As part of this system, the body actually makes its own THC and CBD, but in some people, these substances are depleted or out of balance.

“Medical cannabis restores that balance. It restores homeostasis of the endo-cannabinoid system so patients feel better. Many patients using medical cannabis report that they simply feel normal again.”

� e Florida statute on medical mari-juana use lists speci� c medical conditions approved for treatment with cannabis. � ese include Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Crohn’s disease, cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) glaucoma, HIV and AIDS once the con-dition is diagnosed by any physician other than the physician issuing the medical marijuana certi� cation, and chronic pain from these conditions.

“Medical cannabis has been shown to improve the symptoms of those con-ditions,” Dr. Zotovas discloses. “And in some cases, it’s able to slow the progres-sion of the condition.”

The statute also approves medical marijuana for use with conditions similar to those speci� cally listed.

“Crohn’s disease, for example, is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine. It’s similar to ulcerative colitis,

which is an in� ammatory condition of the large intestine,” Dr. Zotovas informs. “Under the ‘similar conditions’ category, patients with ulcerative colitis and other in� ammatory bowel conditions qualify for treatment with medical marijuana.

“We follow the similar conditions category to include various neurological conditions, chronic pain, anxiety, insom-nia and similar disorders.”

Dr. Zotovas points out that it’s com-mon for patients su� ering with chronic pain to have related anxiety and insomnia. Pharmaceuticals to treat these conditions are associated with adverse side e� ects, dependence and potential for overdose due to suppression of breathing. � ere is no such danger with medical marijuana.

“� ere are no marijuana receptors in the respiratory system; therefore, it’s impossible to overdose on medical mari-juana,” the doctor stresses. “With medical cannabis, patients get relief from their pain, as well as the anxiety and insomnia consequences of that pain.”

“A Normal Life”“I had really bad anxiety,” Renee admits. “I couldn’t even have a regular conversa-tion with people. I broke out in a sweat, and my heart beat really fast. � e medical marijuana calmed my anxiety, so it’s much better now. I can even talk to strangers with no problem.”

Once Renee began using medical marijuana following her arm injury in December, she was dumbfounded by its e� ectiveness. Not only did it ease the pain of her torn ligament, it relieved her back and neck pain as well.

“I said, Holy cow! � is stu� really works. I’m not in pain anymore,” Renee raves. “Medical marijuana is the best thing I’ve tried for my pain. It also relieves my anx-iety and insomnia. I’m really happy with my decision to try medical marijuana.”

A former cigarette smoker, Renee chose to take the medical marijuana in pill form. Dr. Zotovas also prescribed a transdermal application that she can use if her back pain becomes acute so that she doesn’t have to double up on the pills.

“I’m excited about medical marijuana because it has fewer side e� ects than pain medication, and you don’t get addicted,” says Renee, who is once again enjoying her favorite activities in comfort.

“I like to read, swim and do yoga,” she says. “I take a yoga class twice a week, and I’m much more comfortable doing the poses now. � at’s why I absolutely recommend medical marijuana to others struggling with pain, especially in lieu of narcotics.

“With the opioid crisis the way it is nowadays, medical marijuana is a won-derful alternative for relieving pain and anxiety. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done because now, I live a normal life.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Marc Edwards. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at her request.

Andrea Zotovas, MD, consults with a patient

Naved Fatmi, DMDChristiane Murillo, DMD

A s it is with a jeweler, a watch-maker or a surgeon, the job of assembling the injection pens that a diabetic or someone

with epilepsy might use requires a delicate touch and a highly trained hand, the kind Charles Mungin possesses.

Charles, 48, spends his days manufac-turing not only injection pens but other small, personal medical devices for a major pharmaceutical company. His interests away from work suggest there is a more rugged, adventurous side to Charles’ nature as well.

“I’m a football fan,” Charles reveals “My favorite college team is Florida State University, and my favorite pro team is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other than that, I like to go to the movies a lot. I especially like action movies.”

Though not to the same degree as those encountered by action movie pro-tagonists, Charles nevertheless faced a harrowing challenge all his own not long ago. It was a challenge that began one night while he was enjoying a quiet dinner at home.

“I don’t remem-ber what it was that I was eating, but I took a bite, and part of one of the teeth on the right side of my mouth just broke off,” Charles says. “But that wasn’t all. I had a � lling in that tooth, and when the tooth broke, the � lling fell out.”

Like an undaunted action-movie hero, Charles tried at � rst to carry on as normal and ignore the discomfort caused by his broken tooth and lost � lling. After a couple of days, though, he decided discretion was indeed the better part of valor.

Town Square Dentistry is accepting new patients. For more

information or to schedule an appointment, call or visit their

o� ce in Boynton Beach at:

1250 Federal Hwy.Suite 101

(561) 286-7434(561) 732-9727

Naved Fatmi, DMD, is a highly trained general, restorative and cosmetic dentist who received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Florida College of Dentistry in Gainesville. He founded Regency Court Dentistry

in and is a member of the American Dental Society, the Florida Dental Society and the Palm Beach Dental Society.

Christiane Murillo, DMD, is a general, restorative and cosmetic dentist who received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her dental degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Murillo performed

her residency at the Bruce W. Carter Miami VA Health Care System.

Visit Town Square Dentistry on the web at boyntonbeachtownsquaredentistry.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/townsquaredentistryboyntonbeach

Emergency treatment plan earns practice new patient for life

Charles Mungin

“I just kind of dealt with it for a cou-ple of days, mostly eating on the other side of my mouth, but if air got in there or I drank something cold, it really agi-tated that tooth and made it even more uncomfortable,” Charles says.

“I decided I needed to see a dentist. � e only problem was, I didn’t have a regular dentist at the time. I hadn’t been to one in several years, so I started looking for a den-tist near me. � at’s how I found Dr. Fatmi.”

Dr. Fatmi is Naved Fatmi, DMD. He is the founder of Town Square Dentistry in Boynton Beach, where emergency cases such as the one presented by Charles are welcomed, and specialties such as cos-metic and implant dentistry are practiced.

Lifetime Dental Care “When someone comes in with an emer-gency or is in a great deal of discomfort the way Charles was, we do what we can to accommodate that patient and squeeze them into the schedule because we understand what they’re going through,” Dr. Fatmi says.

“Tooth pain and discomfort are not easy to deal with, so instead of reappoint-ing them for the next week and giving them antibiotics to get them through the next few days, we’ll move things around so we can get them out of discomfort that very same day.

“Once we’ve done that, we try to make them a patient of record with our

practice and adopt them i n t o w h a t we cal l our Lifetime Dental C a r e p r o -gram, which i s de s i gned to adjust and grow with each patient as their needs change.

“ T h a t ’ s the best way to avoid these weekend emer-

gencies and make sure your hygiene is up to date and your � llings and crowns, if you have any, are not fracturing or deteriorating. It’s a unique approach to comprehensive dentistry that can be applied to individuals as well as whole families.”

Dr. Fatmi’s initial goal in treating Charles was to get him out of his emer-gency situation. � at required the repair of not one but two broken teeth – an

upper right second molar and an upper right second bicus-pid. Before beginning work on those teeth, D r. Fa t m i w a s apprised of another issue.

� ough there is never a good time for someone to suf-fer a broken tooth, the timing of the two breaks Charles su� ered came not a moment too soon because his den-tal insurance was

scheduled to run out in a matter of days.� at and the fact that Charles needed

some general maintenance done but wanted to avoid dragging the repair work out over a long series of appointments added a sense of urgency to the equation. It was a problem Dr. Fatmi was totally prepared to solve.

By sharing the workload with his associate, Christiane Murillo, DMD, Dr. Fatmi was able to complete all the work that needed to be done to bring Charles’ oral health back into proper order in the short time frame he had to work in.

Good Timing That work began with the repair of Charles’ two broken teeth. Both of the breaks were extensive, Dr. Fatmi reports, too extensive to be repaired with � llings. As a result, Dr. Fatmi opted to repair both teeth by putting crowns on them.

“We opted for crowns to avoid doing root canals,” Dr. Fatmi explains. “If a tooth is broken and it’s caught early, a crown can save the tooth. If it’s delayed and the fracture of the tooth is deeper, you end up needing to do root canals.

“So anytime someone breaks a tooth, even if there’s not a great deal of pain or discomfort associated with it, it’s always bene� cial to come in and get it repaired and get the crowns done as soon as possi-ble before it turns into a root canal.

“So Charles was smart to come in when he did, and he was fortunate that we were able to take care of both of the broken teeth and get him out of his dis-comfort. � en, over the next few days, we were able to complete the treatment plan.”

� at plan included replacing some old � llings, perfecting Charles’ bite by improving the connection between several upper and lower back teeth and complet-ing a deep cleaning of Charles’ teeth and gums. He has since been placed on a reg-ular maintenance schedule.

Charles says that prior to meeting Dr. Fatmi, he had a strong aversion to dentists. � at’s one of the reasons he hesi-tated to seek help for his broken teeth and had previously gone so long without visit-ing a dentist. � at aversion is now gone.

“I love the people at Town Square Dentistry and highly recommend them to anyone,” Charles enthuses. “� eir cus-tomer service is excellent, and everyone is very professional. � ey did a great job with me, and I couldn’t be happier.

“� at’s why, as far as I’m concerned, Dr. Fatmi is my dentist now. I won’t go see anyone else.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo courtesy of Charles

Mungin. mkb

In addition to addressing emergencies, Town Square Dentistry provides a vast

array of dental services, including:

Implants and RestorationsPreventative Care

Cosmetic DentistryFacial Treatments

Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3MediCaL MarijuanaCosMetiC and iMpLant dentistry

(continued from page 1)

Barbie’s successful laser vision surgery has made playtime with

her dog Anika more enjoyable

Visit The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center on the web at www.TheDryEyeSpa.com

Cli� ord L. Salinger, MD, is the recipient of the “Heroes in Medicine” , awarded by the Palm Beach County Medical Society for his international volunteer work for more than years. He is a board-certifi ed ophthalmologist with sub-specialty certifi cation in corneal and refractive surgery, and dry eye. In addition to his volunteer work, traveling over-seas on many occasions, he is on the Board of Directors for SightLife, an organization he works with to teach cornea transplant surgeries in developing countries and to establish programs to prevent treatable, avoidable corneal blindness

worldwide. After completing his undergraduate degree at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he received his medical degree from UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Salinger completed an ophthalmol-ogy residency at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Cornea Society and the Florida Society of Ophthalmology. He lectures extensively nationally and abroad. He has been the education chairman for the Florida Society of Ophthalmology for more than years.

Helayna Brown, MD, is a fellowship-trained ophthalmol-ogist who is originally from Long Island, NY. She specializes in corneal, anterior segment, cataract and refractive sur-gery. She attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA for both her undergraduate and medical training as part of a seven-year combined BS/MD program. After complet-ing an internship at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Dr. Brown started her residency training at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she was elected chief resident. She completed an extra year of fellowship training at Corneal

Associates of New Jersey. Dr. Brown has published and presented her research at national conferences. She is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Convenient Location!Dr. Salinger is proud to present the latest breakthrough

medical technology for dry eye disease. He off ers consultations in Stuart and Port St. Lucie. The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center is located in Palm Beach

Gardens at:

11020 RCA Center Drive, Suite 2001

(561) 624-7878

As they reach middle age, many people notice that reading

newspapers or books or seeing any object up close clearly becomes increasingly difficult. That’s due to a nat-ural but frustrating change called presbyopia.

Presbyopia is a loss of elasticity in the eye’s natural lens, making it too stiff to focus up close.

Reading glasses are the most popular remedy for pres-byopia, but now there’s a revolution-ary breakthrough technology for alle-viating or reducing the need for reading glasses called the KAMRA® Inlay.

� is incredible technology is now being o� ered at V.I.P. Laser Eye Center.

The KAMRA Inlay is an FDA-approved since 2015 surgical treatment that restores everyday vision,

provides a more natural range of vision and o� ers long-term performance to help people enjoy clearer overall vision, especially at near.

“The KAMRA Inlay is like a contact lens, only smaller and thinner, inserted into the cornea,” informs Dr. Salinger. “It has an open-ing in its center, which gives it a pinhole aperture e� ect.

“This effect enables the KAMRA to more

tightly focus light coming into the eye, which restores near vision while m a i n t a i n i n g

distance vision.“Reading glasses

may still be necessary for peo-ple to see � ne print in dim light or do close-up tasks for an extended period of time. But this new technology is ideal for people who want to signi� cantly reduce or elim-inate their dependence on reading glasses.”

Tired of Reading Glasses? Now, There’s a Solution

Prior to surgery, Dr. Salinger also explained how it becomes more di� cult for people as they age to see close up, a condition called presbyopia. Barbie doesn’t have presbyopia yet, but she worried about getting it in the future.

“� at’s why we decided to correct my eyes for monovision,” Barbie reports. “Dr. Salinger corrected my left eye for near vision, so I can see clearly for reading phones, computers, anything close-up. My right eye is corrected for distance vision.”

“Barbie wanted to leave one eye a little under-corrected for near-vision purposes,” Dr. Salinger veri� es. “She would need to wear

readers if we corrected both eyes for perfect distance vision.

“Not everyone can handle monovision or mini-monovision,where there’s just a little bit of help up close, so we test very carefully ahead of time to make sure the individual is a candidate. Because Barbie was only in her early forties, mini-monovision was su� cient for her.”

Blue Skies, Green Trees The laser vision correction Dr. Salinger performed for Barbie changed her life. She no longer sees a haze over everything she

looks at. Instead, her vision is crisp and clear.“Since my laser vision surgery, I’ve noticed how bright life is,”

she marvels. “When I walk outside, the sky is so blue and the trees are so green. I also see perfectly at night, and I had problems with that before. Now, it’s like I never had any eye issues at all.

“My vision is amazing now. Dr. Salinger said it’s 20/15. I see perfectly both at night and during the day, and I wake up feeling great. I have eye drops to use so my eyes don’t get dry, but I don’t need them that often.”

Barbie is so happy with the results of her treatment, she can’t stop telling people about it. She’s also pleased with the care she received from Dr. Salinger and his sta� .

“My surgery was fantastic, de� nitely a success,” Barbie enthuses. “I’ve recommended it to so many people, and about � ve of the people I’ve told have gone to Dr. Salinger to have the procedure done.

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“Everyone at � e Dry Eye Spa and V.I.P. Laser Eye Center is knowledgeable. � ey de� nitely know what they’re doing, and they’re really personable. � ey know my name and always ask how my day’s going when they check my eyes. Dr. Salinger and his sta� are amazing.” FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

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Add Hearing Test to Routine Screening Schedule

Long Island native Henry Resling is a retired investiga-tor for the New York State Police. During his career in

law enforcement, the 76-year-old was regularly exposed to sirens and other loud noises. � e constant, intense sound even-tually had an impact on his hearing.

Hearing Life provides comprehensive services to meet

the hearing care needs of the residents of Palm Beach County

and its surrounding areas. For a free consultation and

testing, stop by one of their two locations or call to schedule an

appointment:

Palm Beach Gardens9121 N. Military Trail

Suite 108

Greenacres6801 Lake Worth Road

Suite 114

(561) 508-6535Visit them online at Hearing4Lifetime.com

“My wife kept saying that my hearing was getting bad, and it was,” Henry admits. “I was missing some words when people talked to me, and I had a ringing in my ears for a long time. My wife also complained about my television being too loud. My volume level was a lot di� erent than hers.

“Initially, I didn’t believe I had a hearing problem, so when I heard about Hearing 4 Life, I didn’t pay much atten-tion to it. Then, a woman from the hearing center called me, so I decided to schedule an appointment for testing. My wife and I both went and got tested, and it was very evident I had a hearing loss.”

At Hearing 4 Life in Palm Beach Gardens, Henry consulted with hearing aid specialist Sandra Maras, HAS.

“Henry came in initially for a hearing evaluation because he noticed some issues with his hearing,” Sandra notes. “His prob-lem was mostly that he wasn’t hearing clearly in crowded situations, and he couldn’t make out certain words in conversation.

“Through testing and evaluation, I determined he had a high-frequency loss, the type of loss is called sensorineural hearing loss. � ere’s no medication or sur-gery to treat this type of hearing loss. � e only treatment is appropriate hearing aids determined by test results.”

Henry says he is often wary of store owners trying to sell him something, but he didn’t get that feeling from Sandra. Instead, he quickly developed a strong trust in her.

“Sandra was fantastic,” Henry raves. “She has a great bedside manner, so to speak. She’s very knowledgeable, and I was very impressed. She gave me a comprehen-sive evaluation and testing. It took almost two hours, then I got my hearing aids.

“Before I chose them, though, Sandra explained how different hearing aids worked, and we tested a few of them. Sandra had my wife go down the hall, and I could hear her all the way out in the front o� ce. Without the hearing aids, I could barely hear her outside the door, so it was a considerable di� erence.”

After Henry and Sandra reviewed several hearing aid models, Henry chose

a model that goes behind his ears with very slim tubes that go down into his ears. Henry learned that his hearing aids will help him in two ways.

“Sandra explained that these hearing aids will not only improve my hearing now, they’ll also stimulate my nerve endings to prevent my hearing from getting worse,” Henry relates. “I wear these hearing aids every day. � ey’re � esh-colored so they aren’t very visible. No one’s noticed them since I’ve had them, not even my kids.”

life. Unchecked hearing loss has been linked to a number of physical and emotional health disorders.

“Many studies have shown a direct link between hearing loss and Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” Sandra asserts. “When people can’t hear, they’re not processing sound, so the brain begins to forget specific sounds. And without sound, the brain is not being e� ectively stimulated, and it loses some of its ability to function.”

side e� ect of a medication, noise exposure or a combination of those factors.”

When people come to Hearing 4 Life, Sandra � rst completes her thorough evaluation and testing to determine which type of hearing loss they have and whether or not ampli� cation is needed. If Sandra determines that ampli� cation is needed, she then recommends hearing aids appro-priate for their hearing loss type.

“The most important thing is for people to come in and have their hearing tested, whether they’re having trouble or not,” she urges. “Many people wait years to take action on their hearing issues when a simple test can point them in the right direction to correct them.”

Volume ReversalAfter Henry got his hearing aids from Hearing 4 Life, he was amazed by the clarity of the sounds around him. He is extremely pleased with his hearing aids and points out the best part about having them.

“I can hear,” Henry marvels. “And yes-terday, my wife asked me, How’s the ringing in your ears? It was then I realized I didn’t have the ringing in my ears anymore. I don’t know what the hearing aids do for the tinnitus, but it’s not a problem anymore. Until my wife mentioned it, I’d forgotten about it, and it used to be very bad.

“� e volume on my television is down,” he adds. “Now, my wife sits next to me and asks if I can turn it up. It’s funny because the volume situation has been reversed.”

At Hearing 4 Life, a hearing aid purchase is not the end of the person’s relationship with Sandra. She provides a comprehensive maintenance plan as a complimentary ser-vice to all of her hearing aid patients.

“After you get your hearing aids, Sandra schedules you every three months for maintenance,” Henry veri� es. “She checks your hearing aids, cleans them out and replaces the battery. It’s all part of her service, and you don’t have to pay for that, which I think is fantastic.

“Being in law enforcement for as long as I was, I got to where I could size up people pretty well, and Sandra is the real deal. I absolutely recommend her and Hearing 4 Life to anybody.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

SANDRA MARAS, HAS

Henry came to realize the importance of having a hearing test.

Hearing 4 Life For Quality

Of Life

Sandra Maras, HAS, President of HearingLife, takes great pride in providing second-to-none hearing care services and treatment to the hearing impaired. She has helped thousands of patients over the years improve their quality of life through better hearing. Sandra’s focus is on fi tting and selling hear-ing aids but also on educating the general public and the hearing impaired regarding the negative eff ects of hearing loss. This is what separates her practice from others in the community. Sandra has a wide variety of products consisting of almost every make, brand and model available today to fi t ones hearing care needs, lifestyle and budget. In addi-tion, Sandra provides in-home care as well transportation to and from her offi ces whenever needed and keeps fl exible offi ce work hours. Sandra speaks fi ve languages - Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Macedonian and Turkish.

Hearing ScreeningsHearing is one of the body’s � ve major senses. It’s a key factor in human com-munication, and it helps people stay connected to the world around them. Sandra stresses the importance of main-taining good hearing. She recommends people add hearing testing to their routine health screenings.

“Not everyone has a hearing loss, but everyone should check their hearing regularly, just like they check their blood pressure,” Sandra suggests. “We go for annual physical exams to make sure every-thing about our health is normal, and if something is not, we take care of it.

“Hearing should be a part of that annual routine as well. We should be sure our hearing health is normal, and if it’s not, we can take steps to address it.”

Allowing hearing loss to progress without treatment can have a damag-ing effect on many areas of a person’s

Depression and social isolation are also directly linked to hearing loss. There are several likely reasons that loss of hearing leads to these condi-tions in so many people.

“Communication, which is vital to social interactions, becomes a source of stress when someone strains to hear oth-ers speak,” Sandra explains. “� e frequent misunderstandings that occur can result in embarrassment.

“Because of this, people often start to refrain from social engagements to pre-vent the embarrassment. � ey begin to isolate themselves socially, and that leads to loneliness and depression.”

Further, low-frequency hearing loss is associated with and could be considered an early indicator of a higher risk for heart attacks and stroke. Hearing loss is also tied to a three-fold higher incidence of injury-causing falls, as well as more frequent and longer hospital stays.

� ere are several types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hear-ing loss and mixed hearing loss. All three types can be treated with hearing aids.

“Conductive hearing loss results from a problem with the inner and middle ear,” Sandra educates. “Sensorineural hearing loss is the deterioration of nerves in the cochlea, and mixed hearing loss is a com-bination of both.

“Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common. About ninety percent of people with hearing loss have the sensorineural type. It can be caused by trauma, aging, the

Page 4 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

Mike DeckerAssociate 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

Gary SmithAldy Laracuente

Dennis RepDistribution

ZaQuan EverettAlliyah LawrenceShyan Blaze ClarkTrevon Williams

Interns

The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye CenterLaser Vision Correction

Town Square DentistryCosmetic and Implant Dentistry

South Florida Medical Marijuana MD

Medical Marijuana

Hearing 4 LifeHearing

Active Health CenterNeck Pain

Institute of Health & WellnessAesthetics

Acute Wound CareCompression Therapy

Retinal Eye Care AssociatesOphthalmology/Retina Specialist

Back In Action Medical CenterStem Cell Therapy/

Neuropathy Treatment

Physician Partners of AmericaPain Management/Spine Surgery

Lighthouse Health GroupPsychiatry

215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 989-1330

Florida Health Care News

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RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE

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Laser Vision CorreCtion Hearing

70Seventy Years of Combined Patient Care

Lower back painNeck pain

Neck stiff nessUpper back pain

Arm painLeg pain

Knee painWrist pain

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Herniated discs

Whether you have aches and pains from a motor vehicle accident, an old injury, a slip and fall or just feeling pain from the trials of daily life, the

physicians at Active Health Center will help you feel young and get active again. In business for more than years, the doctors off er pain relief for:

ALSO OFFERING:

Marc A. Weinberg, DC, completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and went on to graduate cum laude from Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, GA. He is approved by the National University of Health Sciences to per-form Manipulation Under Anesthesia, a procedure that is proving to be eff ective in relieving and correcting the causes and complications of many painful conditions. He has been certifi ed by the Southeastern Back Institute to perform hands-on spi-nal decompression. In , he was appointed Alternative Medicine Research and Development Director for the American Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Association. He has also authored two chapters in a medical textbook on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Dr. Weinberg has been a constant student, healer and avid lecturer for the past years and makes sure that he always puts his heart, as well as his knowledge and expertise, into the care of his patients.

Colin O. Behrue, DC, completed his undergraduate studies in molecular/micro-biology at the University of Central Florida and went on to receive his Doctor of Chiropractic degree, cum laude, from Palmer Chiropractic College Florida in Port Orange. He has completed postgraduate education in neurology and is certifi ed to perform NCV, EMG, H-refl ex, SEP and evoke potentials. Dr. Behrue is a native of Palm Beach County and looks forward to serving the community.

Bryan T. Hunte, DC, earned his undergraduate degree in fitness and cardiac rehab/exercises science and biology from Ithaca College. He received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from National University of Health Sciences. He is currently working toward his diplomate.

Forrest Harvey, DC, completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Pennsylvania’s Westminster College before earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange, Florida. He treats patients of all ages but as a former two-sport collegiate athlete, Dr. Harvey especially enjoys working with athletes.

Adam Holleman, DPT, earned his undergraduate degree in exercise science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, VA. He received his doctorate in physical therapy from Winston-Salem State University. He performed research in biomechan-ical analysis of golf swings of patients following total hip replacement. Dr. Holleman is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and orthopedic section. He is pursuing advanced certifi cations as a strength and conditioning specialist, an orthopedic specialist and in spinal manipulation.

Sandy McLean, DC, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Northwestern Health and Sciences University in and earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the same school. She opened her fi rst practice in Marquette, Michigan shortly after her graduation and opened two more satellite clinics soon thereafter. She later opened a practice in Jupiter before joining the team at Active Health Center.

For more information, visit Active Health Center online at www.activehealthctr.com, or on their MCU informational website at www.mcunow.com

MARC A. WEINBERG, DCCOLIN O. BEHRUE, DC

BRYAN HUNTE, DCFORREST HARVEY, DC

ADAM HOLLEMAN, DPT SANDY MCLEAN, DC

Advanced Technology for Neck PainPhysicians at Active Health Center are proud to present the most eff ective and complete system for the diagnosis and treatment of patients suff ering from neck pain, headaches, whiplash disorders and general cervical spine disorders, including arthritis and herniated discs, with the MCU (Multi-Cervical Unit). Active Health Center is located in North Palm Beach at:

Northlake Blvd., Suite F

(561) 842-2273

Peggy Ganzman and Rosie

Ryan Spencer

After years of su� ering, noninvasive therapies provide long-sought relief

One such escapade happened back in her hometown of Havre de Grace, Maryland, where she was tasked one night with watch-ing the two children of a couple who lived in a two-story walk-up above a liquor store.

“I was about fourteen, and one of the children I was babysitting was a nine-month-old girl,” Peggy, now 87, remembers. “� e other was a two-year-old boy, and he and I were downstairs in the living room playing when the baby woke up crying.

“I went upstairs to get her, leaving the toddler downstairs. He had been playing with some toy cars and just like in the car-toons, I came down the steps, stepped on a car that had been left on a step and both of my feet went out from under me.

“� e good news is, I never let go of the baby, so she was � ne. But I came crashing down on my back and wound up sliding down the rest of the stairs, all the way to the bottom. Ever since then, I’ve had a lot of back and neck problems.”

One of the problems is spinal stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing

of the spaces in the spinal canal around the nerve root. � e narrowing puts pressure on nerves, which results in pain in both the back and neck.

� at and an array of other issues forced Peggy to undergo back surgery in 1982 for a ruptured disc. She once contemplated having neck surgery as well but eventually opted against it out of fear it would debilitate her too much.

“This was back in the Fifties, and I would have had to wear one of those big neck collars,” Peggy reveals. “I didn’t want to do that because it would have restricted me too much and because I’m a bit claustro-phobic. So, I just fought through it.

“I’ve always done that. Even with my back pain. � e surgery didn’t really help me much, so I’ve always just toughed it out because I’ve always been very active. Even now, I stay busy helping to build houses for Habitat for Humanity® and things like that.”

Peggy also likes to put jigsaw puzzles together, but her neck pain became so intense recently that no matter what she was doing, whether it was simply working on a puzzle or painting a house, she struggled to complete the task.

“� e pain in my neck was just excruci-ating,” Peggy reports. “And it was driving me nuts. It was going into my shoulders, and it never stopped. It even hurt when I slept. Or maybe I should say tried to sleep, because it kept me up at night a lot, too.

“Driving was another problem. I couldn’t turn my head to see around me, and I actually got kind of scared to drive.

� en one day, I was in a doctor’s o� ce, and I read an article about a treatment in Florida Health Care News.

“� e article was about this girl who had been in a lot of neck pain just like I was, and I thought to myself, I’ve tried everything else to get rid of this; I may as well give this treat-ment a try and see what it does.”

� e treatment Peggy read about is deliv-ered through a unique medical device called a Multi-Cervical Unit, or MCU machine, and is available exclusively at Active Health Center, which has its o� ces in North Palm Beach.

Unique, Nonsurgical Device � e MCU is a unique, nonsurgical device that isolates and strengthens the muscles around the neck and provides a comprehensive assess-ment of the patient’s physical progress while the patient receives the therapy.

A tool in what doctors refer to as evidence-based medicine, the MCU records 16 di� er-ent ranges of muscle movement for strength to determine the speci� c areas of the neck where there are weaknesses, imbalances or a loss in range of motion.

Once that data is revealed, a customized treatment program is designed that allows the MCU to correct those problems. Considered the most complete and e� cient system for assessment and rehabilitation of the neck, the MCU has proven to be a highly e� ective tool.

According to Active Health Center, studies show that after receiving MCU therapy, patient pain levels decreased by 66 percent while strength levels increased by more than 70 percent, with more than 90 percent of patients making a full recovery.

Intrigued by what she read of the MCU machine, Peggy visited Active Health Center, where she was placed under the care of Colin O. Behrue, DC. During her � rst visit, Peggy was given a thorough examination that included tests to determine her candidacy for MCU therapy.

“What we learned from our examina-tion was that Peggy had some pretty severe arthritis,” Dr. Behrue reports. “So, we started her on the MCU machine, and after a few sessions, she was starting to get better. � en she had a bit of a setback.”

� e setback was the result of a tumble Peggy took over a friend who had fallen in front of her while walking through a hos-pital parking lot. The impact of the fall erased a lot of the progress Peggy had made during those � rst few sessions on the MCU machine.

“The doctors at the hospital wanted to look at me there, but I told them I was already seeing a chiropractor and that I’d just go there and have them look at me,” Peggy says. “� at’s when I found out it was pretty much back to square one for me.”

It was indeed back to square one for Peggy, but had she not been receiv-ing MCU therapy prior to the fall, she may have suffered a far worse setback, Dr. Behrue informs. Her prior experience on the MCU machine proved bene� cial in another way as well.

“Because she had already built up some stability, she responded a lot quicker once we started the treatment again,” Dr. Behrue says. “So it wasn’t long after we started again that she completed her work on the MCU and was feeling much better.”

Resistance Training Peggy was better but still not great. She was still experiencing lower back pain and leg weakness, enough to make it difficult to walk her dog. To help her with that issue, Dr. Behrue set her up for treatment on the Eccentron™ Negative Resistance Trainer.

“� ough she had undergone back sur-gery, where they removed some bone to relieve pressure on the nerve, nobody ever taught Peggy how to get her back and legs strong again,” Dr. Behrue explains. “So, I put her on the Eccentron.

“� e Eccentron looks like a leg press and a bicycle combined, and on that machine, you do eccentric exer-cises, which are what you do when you’re lowering a weight or going down during a push-up. Ultimately, the Eccentron mea-sures how much weight you can resist.

“And just l ike the MCU machine, the Eccentron records results as the patient exercises. From those results, a treatment regimen appropriate for the patient is created. What’s really great about it is that it helps with the whole cadence, or walking mechanism.”

A typical workout on the Eccentron begins with a one-minute warm-up, fol-lowed by three minutes of exercise and a one-minute cool-down period. � e exercise period increases as patients gain strength and make progress.

“� e exercises on both machines seem a little hard at � rst, but after you’ve done them for a while, they get easier,” Peggy shares. “And then they add more weight. What I liked about both of them is that you can actually feel yourself get stronger.”

T h e d r i v e from Peggy’s home to Active Health Center takes 35 minutes, but Peggy says those long drives were well worth it because the time she put in on the MCU and Eccentron have her feeling better than she has since she was a teenager.

“� ey really got me squared away,” Peggy says. “When I � rst started going to Active Health Center, those drives were very di� cult. It hurt to drive for that long. But I haven’t felt any real pain in ages now.”

Seventy-Five-Foot FallLike Peggy, Ryan Spencer’s neck pain was the result of an accident that occurred during his youth. � e only di� erence is that Ryan injured his neck while he was at play in college, whereas Peggy was at work.

“A bunch of us went out to this river one day, and there was this big tree that we would jump off of into the river,”

Ryan explains. “Well, I climbed up to the very top, and as I was jumping off, my pants got caught on a twig or something, and I got spun around.

“I more or less fell out of the tree, and when I landed in the water some seventy-� ve feet down, I landed right on my neck. I was actually pretty lucky because I didn’t go to the hospital or anything. I rested for a couple weeks and eventually got back to normal.”

Normal didn’t last for long. Within a few months, Ryan began to experi-ence nagging neck pain and stiffness. Then, about three years ago, he began

to experience occa-sional flare-ups of pain and stiffness that made it all but impossible to move around normally.

“When I had a flare-up, it would usually be about ten days to two weeks where I couldn’t move my neck to

look left or right,” Ryan, now 32, says. “I literally had to move my whole body to look left or right, which made it hard to do almost anything.

“I’ve always been active. I like to go boating; I go � shing, play basketball and go to the gym, but when I had those � are-ups, I couldn’t do those things. I was usually very limited and then it would subside. But any-thing could trigger a � are-up.”

Now the chairman of his family’s moving and storage company, Ryan was impacted by his neck pain at work as well. So much so that he eventually sought help from a chiropractor, who discovered the root of Ryan’s pain to be three bulging and

three herniated discs.

“ O n c e h e d i scovered the problem, the chi-ropractor started doing some stan-dard adjustments,” Ryan expla ins . “And I did get some relief from those adjustments. But they were just treat-ing the symptoms. � ey really weren’t getting to the root of the problem.”

R y a n w a s wondering if any-one would ever get to the root of

his problem when he met Forrest Harvey, DC, of Active Health Center at a busi-ness function and inquired about the treatments he provided for nagging and occasionally debilitating neck pain.

“He told me to come in and see him, and when I did, I told him all about my history, and he started doing some evalua-tions,” Ryan says. “One of the things he did was apply pressure to my head as I lowered my chin down to my chest.

“As soon as he did that, I immediately went into a spasm. What’s supposed to hap-pen there, I guess, is that your neck muscles

should just tire out before they spasm. But I immediately went into a spasm. � at’s when he told me about the MCU machine.”

“A Diff erent Approach”Ryan’s � rst visit to Active Health Center was in July 2018. After his initial examina-tion, Ryan was given a diagnostic test on the MCU machine that showed his neck muscles were very weak. It was then that Dr. Harvey recommended treatment on the MCU machine.

“The diagnostic test was very reveal-ing because it showed where I was compared to people in the general pop-ulation who have strong, healthy necks,” Ryan says. “It was after that that I started the regimen of going three times per week for work on the MCU.

“One of the things I really liked about it is that it was a di� erent approach to man-aging neck pain. � e whole idea is that it’s strengthening the neck muscles, and most of those muscles are muscles that you really didn’t use before.”

Ryan says he began to feel the e� ects the MCU machine had on him almost immedi-ately. After two or three weeks of care, he was feeling less pain and sti� ness, and over time, that pain and sti� ness all but disappeared.

“When Ryan � rst came in, he was experi-encing pain that was about a seven on a scale of one to ten and was having those incidents where his neck would just lock up on him,” Dr. Harvey relates. “� ose incidents are gone, and his pain has been greatly reduced.

“� is is a treatment that anyone in any age group can bene� t from, and Ryan is a good example of that because his pain level is now about a two at its worst. And he’s no longer waking up with pain and sti� ness in his neck.”

Ryan says the best result from his work on the MCU machine at Active Health Center is an improved quality of life.

“Because of the nature of the injury to my neck, I think I’ll always have a little bit of an aching in there,” he says. “But it’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be. � e pain level used to be about a six or seven, and it was constant. Now, it very tolerable.

“I’ve gotten a lot of relief from my time on the MCU machine, and I highly recom-mend it for anyone who is having neck pain of any kind. It’s really a di� erent approach to repairing the problem. And I highly recom-mend Active Health Center as well.

“Everyone there is super nice. I chatted with them about all kinds of stu� , like Game of � rones and stupid things like that. But when it came down to business, Dr. Harvey was always very professional and upfront with me, and I appreciated that.

“He always gives it to you straight and tells you just how it is, so again, I would de� nitely recommend them because they’re great people, great doctors and they’ve got a lot of di� erent pieces of equipment and therapies that really help people.”

Peggy can attest to that.“They’re all wonderful people,” she

exudes. “And they treat you like you belong there, like you’re family. It’s a very friendly group, and I really enjoyed going there. To tell you the truth, I’m going to miss visiting them. � at’s how great everyone is.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by Marc Edwards. mkb

Like a lot of young girls, Peggy Ganzman spent several of her teenage years babysit-ting. And, much like

a lot of teenage babysitters, she has an adventure or two in babysitting that she will remember for as long as she lives.

Page 6 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7neCk pain

Visit Acute Wound Care on the web at

www.acutewoundcare.com or call them directly:

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Are You Su� ering From Chronic Limb Swelling?

ACUTE WOUND CARE

Treating Venous Disease and LymphedemaCompression

pumps receive physician’s stamp

of approvalW arren Swee, MD, of Palm Vascular Center of Delray Beach, is a nationally recognized

leader in minimally invasive procedures to treat blocked arteries of the legs, known as peripheral artery disease, or PAD. He also treats many patients with venous disease and lymphedema of the legs, which often leads to leg swelling.

“A large portion of my patients have swelling and pain in their legs, which can be very debilitating,” Dr. Swee states. “Initially, we recommend patients elevate their legs and wear compression stockings. However, some patients don’t respond to that treatment. � is population does espe-cially well with compression pumps.

“Patients with lymphedema defi-nitely do well with the pumps,” he adds. “Lymphedema is a persistent swelling that can occur in the legs due to an abnormality in the lymphatics. Those are small channels that drain � uid out of the tissues. If there’s a problem with the lymphatics, fluid can build up in the legs, which causes the swelling and discomfort.”

Leaking leg veins from venous dis-ease can also cause the legs to swell. Pat ients with

lymphedema and venous disease are e x c e l l e n t candidates f o r t h e

hospital-grade compression pumps available from Acute Wound Care, an in-home, quality-accredited supply com-pany. Acute Wound Care also provides specialty wound care dressings.

their legs or arms. � e sleeves have mul-tiple chambers, and each chamber � lls up with air, from the foot to the groin or hand to the shoulder. � en, each cham-ber releases, and the pattern repeats in a sequential motion.

“In addition to the circulation boost, this rhythmic movement permits � uid to flow properly through the body,” Tom observes. “Many patients will see a noticeable di� erence in the swelling and in the size of their limbs after their � rst forty-� ve-minute pumping session.

“Patients generally use the pumps daily for forty-five minutes, with an interval of at least two hours between treatments, so it is usually done in the morning and in the evening. While using the pumps for the legs, patients simply sit back with their limbs raised to assist with circulation.”

“Nothing but Positive”After evaluating his patients with leg swelling, Dr. Swee often refers them for compression pumps from Acute Wound Care. The doctor is pleased with the e� orts of the in-home supply company, and with the results he’s seeing in his patients using their products.

“Acute Wound Care has been excel-lent and very accommodating in terms of working closely with physicians so that we understand how the pumps work best for our patients,” Dr. Swee says. “� ey also do a good job of reaching out to patients, setting up the devices in their homes and showing them how to use the pumps. I’ve received nothing but positive comments

about the compression pumps from my patients.

“More than ninety percent report they have significant improvement in their leg swelling as well as a dramatic decrease in leg discomfort and heaviness. I’m very happy with Acute Wound Care’s compression pumps. � ey’re making a big di� erence in our patient population at Palm Vascular Center of Delray Beach.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos courtesy of Acute

Wound Care. mkbRhythmic Movement“Our compression pumps mimic the body’s lymphatic system and promote lymphatic � ow by moving � uid through the body in the proper direction,” describes Tom Snyder, a certi� ed compression ther-apist with Acute Wound Care.

“� e pumps reduce pain and swelling and are an excellent treatment for people who’ve tried elevation, diuretics, massage therapy and compression stockings but have gotten little to no relief from those approaches.”

Compression pumps increase circula-tion in the arms and legs while alleviating many painful symptoms and are both highly e� ective and noninvasive. For the legs, they are much easier to use than compression stockings.

To begin treatment with the com-pression pumps, patients wear sleeves on

Deborah A. DeMarta, MD, FACS, FAARFM, is a col-orectal surgeon and functional medicine specialist. Dr. DeMarta completed her medical internship and residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She completed a research and clinical fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Fort Lauderdale in and

is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. DeMarta is the founder and principal of the Institute of Health & Wellness. As a functional medical practitioner, she works with patients to identify the underlying causes contributing to chronic health issues. She then develops individualized programs to restore natural balance using nutrition, supplements and lifestyle changes.

Visit the Institute of Health & Wellness online at www.InstituteHealthWellness.com

Excellence in Functional Medicine

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call or visit the Institute,

located in historic downtown Stuart at:

SW Atlanta Ave.

(772) 539-9556

INSTITUTE OF HEALTH & WELLNESSDEBORAH A. DEMARTA, MD, FACS, FAARFM

Forever YoungInnovative technology improves complexion, erases signs of aging

Every day is a beach day for Anna*. � at’s how it is when you make your living coaching the fast-growing sport of beach volleyball.

“I started playing beach volleyball in college and became a coach after that,” Anna says. “I like that I’m giving something back to the sport because I love everything about it.”

Well, almost everything. Anna, who is rather light skinned, has never cared for the constant exposure to the sun that her skin gets.

“It’s caused a lot of damage,” she says. “I have a lot of sun spots and my skin is kind of rough. I heard, though, that there’s a treatment for that, so I decided to look into it.”

Anna’s search led her to the Institute of Health & Wellness in Stuart, where the practice’s founder and director, board-certi� ed colorectal surgeon Deborah A. DeMarta, MD, FACS, FAARFM, specializes in integrative and anti-aging medicine.

Following an aesthetic consultation to determine her speci� c skin type, Anna began receiving BroadBand Light (BBL™) skin treatments, which are designed to treat a variety of skin conditions, including sun spots, � ne lines and wrinkles and rosacea.

“� e treatment is called Forever Young BBL™, and in addition to e� ectively removing solar damage, it is also one of the most cost-e� ective ways to complete the goal of anti-aging for skin on any part of the body,” Dr. DeMarta explains.

“� e way it works is simple. � e broadband light heats the tissue, and part of the response, which has been proven through real science, is that collagen is actually rejuvenated and grows. So, it serves as a great, natural � ller for your face.

“Clinical studies have been done proving that having two or three Forever Young BBL treatments in a year can remove as much as eleven years of aging from your face. It’s really a lovely and versatile procedure.”

Quick, Easy, No DowntimeForever Young BBL treatments are painless, can be completed in an hour or less and begin with the technician performing a skin cleansing to remove any residual oils. � e technician then applies a colorless gel that keeps the skin cool.

� e treatment itself is performed using a hand-piece that has a crystal-chilled applicator attached to it. Depending on the skin type and treatment objective, adaptors and � lters are used to ensure the treatment delivers the desired results safely and e� ectively.

“� ere’s a speci� c � lter that targets brown spots such as freckles, age spots and hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage,” Dr. DeMarta educates. “Another � lter tar-gets redness, as in rosacea and broken blood vessels and another � lter treats acne. We also treat other areas of the body such as the neck, chest, arms, hands and back.”

Upon completion of the procedure, patients can return to normal activities within 24 hours. Forever Young BBL treatments require no downtime for recovery, and most patients begin to see the effects within a week or two.

� at’s how it was with Anna, who says her sun spots began to � ake o� . � at prompted her to get a second treatment, after which she began to notice a positive change in the texture and appearance of her skin.

“� e Forever Young treatments took care of my sun spots and made my skin look and feel younger,” Anna relates. “It’s a great treatment that I recommend to any-body who has sun damage or just wants to look younger.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at their request

Peter J. Lowe, MD, is a board-certifi ed ophthalmologist who specializes in retinal and vitreous disease. After completing his undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, he received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School. Dr. Lowe completed an internship at Cook County Hospital prior to completing an ophthalmology residency at Michael Reese Hospital, both in Chicago. He continued his education with a fellowship at Harvard University, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infi rmary, where he specialized in retinal and vitreous diseases. With more than years in practice, he is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Palm Beach County Ophthalmology Society, the Florida Society of Ophthalmology and the Palm Beach Medical Society.

Visit Dr. Lowe and Retinal Eye Care Associates online at www.retinaleyecare.com

Dr. Lowe now off ers VIP Urgent Care

for patients with wet macular degeneration, diabetic retinal

diseases and other vascular disorders of the eye.

PETER J. LOWE, MD

Painless procedure vaporizes obstructive � oaters

Be Floater Free!Dr. Lowe is proud to offer laser vitreolysis, a nonsurgical method to vaporize vitreous floaters. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please visit Retinal Eye Care Associates at these locations:

Lake Worth S. Congress Ave., Suite L

(561) 967-8000Delray Beach

Linton Blvd., Bldg. E, Suite

(561) 637-3003

Rick Tufano

L ast fall, Rick Tufano visited his eye surgeon to have his cataracts removed. Once that was done, he thought he was good to go

with his vision. Not so. A few months after surgery, while he was driving, a large, white spot slowly moved across his left eye. He knew the spot was an eye � oater because he’d had them in the past.

“I’ve had floaters all my life, and they’re mostly just small, annoying specks in my vision,” Rick shares. “But this one was like an opaque window shade � oat-ing across my iris. For about a second, which is a long time when you’re driving, I couldn’t see out of my left eye. � ere was a pickup truck turning the corner on my left. My wife saw it, but I didn’t. � at woke me up that this � oater was not just annoying, it was dangerous.”

For advice, Rick returned to his cat-aract surgeon, who recommended he visit Peter J. Lowe, MD, a board-certi� ed ophthalmologist at Retinal Eye Care Associates who subspecializes in diseases of the retina and vitreous. Dr. Lowe uses a noninvasive procedure called laser vitreo lysis to remove eye � oaters from his patients’ eyes.

An eye � oater is essentially the debris that’s left after what Dr. Lowe calls “a vitreous detachment.”

“� e vitreous is a cellophane-like lin-ing on the inside of the eye,” Dr. Lowe describes. “As the eye naturally ages, or after surgery, most commonly to remove cataracts, the cellophane lining will sometimes come loose. Typically, it stays in small, almost completely transparent sheets. Sometimes, however, it clumps up into larger debris � elds and casts shadows against the retina. � ose are eye � oaters.”

During Rick’s consultation appoint-ment, Dr. Lowe answered all of Rick’s

questions and was honest with him about the procedure and its potential outcomes. � is made a positive impression on the retired attorney.

“My wife and I both really liked Dr. Lowe,” Rick states. “He was a straight shooter. He tells it like it is, and he didn’t make promises. He explained every step of the procedure. When he was done, I felt comfortable with him using a laser to vaporize my � oater.

“� e vitreolysis procedure was similar to laser cataract surgery in that Dr. Lowe viewed my eye through a machine. He dilated my pupil so he could see the entire inside of my eyeball. He also put a lens over my eye so he could magnify the � oaters.

treatment. While I still have some small � oaters in front of my eye, it’s just annoy-ing and no longer dangerous.”

When Dr. Lowe began performing the � oater vaporization procedure, he did not consider patients with coexistent eye disease, such as macular degeneration and epiretinal membranes, or those with intra-ocular lens implants, to be candidates. As he gained more experience, however, he became comfortable treating these patients.

“At � rst, I didn’t want to treat patients with coexistent disease because I was con-cerned the laser might have an e� ect on or in� uence the course of the existing dis-ease,” Dr. Lowe explains. “But with time and experience, I realized that people who

have had previous eye surgery fared as well as those who had not.

“I have not experienced any of the complications that patients have been most concerned about. As a result, I am able to perform this procedure on any patient whose � oaters obstruct their � eld of vision.”

Rick was one of those patients with a coexistent condition. In addition to his disabling floater, he also had an epiretinal membrane, or scar tissue, in the macula of his left eye. With the technology and expertise Dr. Lowe now possesses, that didn’t disqualify Rick as a candidate for vitreolysis.

Many people with � oaters expect their vision will be perfect following cataract surgery, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes, cataract surgeons unaware of the visual disabling e� ects of � oaters tell their patients they will just go away on their own. When that doesn’t

happen, some become dissatis� ed with the premium, multifocal replacement lenses they chose to have implanted during cataract surgery.

“Instead of seeing more clearly, these patients see their � oaters more distinctly because they have very high-resolution lenses in their eyes,” Dr. Lowe informs. “The multifocal lenses actually make � oaters more disturbing because patients can now see them in all ranges of vision – near, intermediate and distant. With standard monofocal lenses, which correct for one range of vision only, the � oaters can be disturbing as well.

“But we can make patients with any style of lenses happier with their choices by eliminating their annoying floaters with vitreolysis.”

Absolute Success For now, Rick is waiting to see how his vision responds to the two treatments he has received. If he is not completely satis� ed Dr. Lowe has o� ered to per-form a third treatment to treat what remains of the small vitreous � oaters to ultimately satisfy the patients visual concerns. Still Rick is very pleased in the improvement in his vision.

“Mine was a pretty severe case,” he notes, “but the � oater went from a com-plete window shade to a clear, plastic window wiper that occasionally � oats across my � eld of vision. It’s irritating, but it doesn’t obstruct ninety-eight percent of my vision like before.

“My treatment at Retinal Eye Care Associates was absolutely successful. I went from being afraid of crashing to just being mildly annoyed.

“Vitreolysis was a great procedure for me. � ere were no after e� ects, no sore-ness or loss of vision. I’m hoping it will turn out to be one hundred percent e� ec-tive in getting rid of the portion that’s still � oating around. I absolutely recommend Dr. Lowe’s vitreolysis to others. It’s well worth it if they’ve got � oaters that are obstructing their vision.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson.

Sun graphic from kisspng. mkb

“I didn’t feel anything during the procedure, but I could hear the machine clicking when Dr. Lowe pulled the trigger on the laser.”

Not to Worry Vitreolysis takes ten to 15 minutes to com-plete, requires no incisions and causes no discomfort. Dr. Lowe estimates he has performed more than a thousand such procedures over the past six-plus years.

It can take more than one procedure to completely vaporize an eye floater. Rick’s treatment began in January. He underwent two procedures performed two weeks apart, and the result, was a signi� cant improvement in his vision .

“� e procedures greatly reduced the size of the � oater in my left eye,” Rick confirms. “I’d say Dr. Lowe cut it by two-thirds. He said I will have to wait before he can determine if I need a third

Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9

CoMpression tHerapy

aestHetiCs opHtHaLMoLogy/retina speCiaList

Sarah Sabol, DC

Hal M. Tobias, MD, is board certified in neurology by the American Academy of Neurology and in pain medicine by the American Academy of Pain Medicine. He earned an undergraduate degree in biol-ogy from the State University of New York at Bu� alo and received his medical degree from Sackler School of Medicine/Tel Aviv – Division for New York State Students. Dr. Tobias served his internship in internal medicine at St.

Thomas Hospital Medical Center in Akron, Ohio. He then completed his neurology residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he served as chief resident and founded the Movement Disorder Clinic. Dr. Tobias is a Fellow of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a member of the American Academy of Neurology and a board member of the American Association of Sensory Electrodiagnostic Medicine and the Florida Society of Neurology.

Back In Action Medical Wellness Center is staffed by skilled and experienced medical professionals who offer a full range of services to meet your medical needs, and they look forward to serving you. For more information or to make an appointment for a free consultation, call or visit their office in Palm City at:

2351 SW Martin Highway

(772) 261-6509

W hen Sarah Sabol, DC, decided to take on a new life challenge four years ago, she took on one of the most grueling. With her sights set initially

on a race in Lake Placid, New York in 2015, she began training for an IRONMAN® triathlon, a three-event race consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run done all in one day.

Visit Back In Action Medical Center online at backinactionmedical.com

Stem Cell Solution

Get Back in action

Negating NeuropathyAdvanced therapy program relieves condition’s painful symptoms

HAL M. TOBIAS,

MD

Here’s something to think about. Sixty to 70 percent of people with diabetes expe-rience burning, tingling and numbness in their feet that often keep them up at

night. � ese are all symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, the most common type of a larger condition known as peripheral neuropathy.

An estimated 20 million people in the United States su� er with some type of peripheral neuropathy, a condition caused by damage to the body’s peripheral nervous system. � e peripheral nervous system is the vast network of nerves that transmits information to and from the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord – and the rest of the body.

� ere are many symptoms of neuropathy, and they vary depending on which types of nerves are damaged.

“� ere are three types of nerves in the body: motor, sen-sory and autonomic nerves,” explains Hal M. Tobias, MD, a board-certi� ed neurologist at Back In Action Medical Center in Palm City. “Most causes of neuropathy involve all three types of nerves, although patients may only be aware of one or two, even as their condition advances.”

Motor nerves control voluntary muscle move-ment. Damage to these nerves most often results in muscle weakness, twitching, painful cramps and shrinking of muscle tissue.

“Our program uses multiple treatment modalities, speci� cally tailored to an individual’s needs,” Dr. Tobias describes. “� ese may include special nerve stimulation, injections, nutrition, laser therapy, stem cell therapy, vibration treatment, physical-type therapy and med-ications. All of these modalities help relieve painful neuropathy symptoms.

“� ose who wish to get o� of their neuropathy med-ication can try this new approach and may � nd relief without medication.

“� e bottom line is, these patients need their neu-ropathy pain treated. � is multi-dimensional approach was developed to try to relieve their pain and give them a better quality of life. Now, there is hope for patients su� ering from neuropathy.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Sarah’s photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

damage. Generally, one injection is su� cient to obtain the desired results, but the treatment can be repeated if necessary. Sarah only needed one injection to return to her training schedule.

“Since I had the stem cell injection, there’s no more visible swelling,” reports Sarah. “I get a little sti� ness in my knee once in a while, but it’s not really painful. Actually, my left knee feels no di� erent than my right knee now.

“My activity level since the injection is good. I’m back to full mileage. Right now, I’m training for a qual-ifying marathon for Boston this December, then I’m going to run IRONMAN Texas next year in April, so my training volume has increased signi� cantly.

“I de� nitely recommend stem cell therapy at Back In Action Medical Center to people who have knee prob-lems like mine.”

“After that, I kept on training, although I should have known better because my knee was still swell-ing,” she admits. “It kept getting bigger, and then it started feeling unstable when I ran. I decided it was time to get an MRI.”

� e MRI showed that the cause of the swelling and instability in Sarah’s knee was a partial tear of her anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, the major stabilizing compo-nent in the knee joint.

“Even after six months off from training, the nagging issues with my knee were still there,” Sarah relates. “� e sta� at Back In Action Medical Center, where I work as a chiropractor, recommended stem cell therapy as a treatment.

“I � gured, I’ve got nothing to lose, so they placed a stem cell injection into my left knee. After about six weeks, I started to notice a di� erence.”

Regenerative MedicineStem cells are the body’s construction workers. � ey have the capability to transform, or di� erentiate, into cells with a speci� c function in the body. For example, stem cells that are placed where a ligament is damaged can become new ligament cells that repair the damage. Stem cell therapy is also referred to as regenerative medicine.

“Because they can di� erentiate, stem cells are used to regenerate or repair various diseased organs and tissues,” con� rms Dr. Tobias. “Stem cell therapy is e� ective for pain relief and for achieving better joint function. It has become an integral part of our rehabilitation process for joint pain, tissue growth, repair and healing.”

At Back In Action Medical Center, stem cell injec-tions are given using live ultrasound guidance to ensure the healing cells are placed directly into the site of the

Sensory nerves transmit information to the brain, which is then interpreted as a feeling of comfort or pain. � ere are a wide variety of symptoms when sensory nerves are compromised, but most common is a general decrease in sensation, especially in the legs and feet.

Autonomic nerves control automatic organ activ-ities, such as breathing, digestion and heart function. Symptoms of autonomic neuropathies include loss of bladder control, inability to sweat and a sudden drop in blood pressure when going from sitting to standing.

“High glucose [sugar] levels in the blood can damage nerves in people with diabetes, but there are many other causes of neuropathy as well,” acknowledges Dr. Tobias. “� ese include nerve compression or entrapment and certain medical disorders, such as kidney and endocrine disorders, as well as some autoimmune diseases, cancers and infections.

“Exposure to toxins, including heavy alcohol con-sumption, and genetic mutations are other potential causes of neuropathy. Sometimes, however, the cause is simply unknown.”

Although there are excellent chemotherapy treat-ments for cancer, sometimes there can be painful neuropathy side e� ects from those treatments. Dr. Tobias may be able to help with these side e� ects.

Treatment AdvancementAccording to Dr. Tobias, treatment for neuropathy over the years was predominantly limited to medications.

“When I started practice, amitriptyline was essentially the only medicine used to treat patients with neuropa-thy,” he says. “Now, we basically use three medicines – gabapentin, pregabalin and duloxetine – that are anti-seizure and antidepressant medicines.”

Recently, Dr. Tobias asserts, there was an advance-ment in neuropathy treatment that allows for neuropathy’s uncomfortable symptoms to be managed in a new way through a multi-dimensional program that is now o� ered by Back In Action Medical Center.

“My goal was to � nish in under seventeen hours,” she relates. “I was successful and actually made it to the podium at my � rst race. I felt pain in my left knee while I was running but just brushed it o� . � e next day, when I tried to walk up to get my award, I was limping because my left knee had blown up to four times the size of my right knee.

“I took six months to rest and wait for the swelling to subside. I � nally started running, biking and swimming again, but the knee pain and swelling came back. It got so bad, it was really hard to bend my knee at all.”

By this time, it was 2016 and Sarah was prepar-ing for IRONMAN Florida. Before the race, she visited an orthopedist who injected a steroid into her knee. The injection improved her pain dramati-cally, and she was able to complete the IRONMAN contest feeling great.

DreamsSweetEnd back pain

with minimally invasive laser procedures

Laura Wall

JAMES ST. LOUIS, DOSTEFAN PRADA, MD

James St. Louis, DO, earned his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. He received his osteopathic medicine degree from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, and completed his surgical training in the US Army and at Kennedy Medical Center in Cherry Hill, NJ. Dr. St. Louis is a member of many medical organiza-tions including the American Osteopathic Association, American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, American Medical Association and American Association of Physician Specialists.

Stefan Prada, MD, earned, in a combined six-year program, his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and his medical degree from Albany Medical College. He served in the US Navy, alternating military service with his medical education. While serving, he completed an internship in general surgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, and an orthopedic residency at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Prada is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, North American Spine Society and the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

Leaders in Interventional Pain Management and

Minimally Invasive Laser Spine Surgery

To learn more, visit them online at PPOAMEDICAL.com (877) 331-6603

Wellington Medical Park Blvd., Suite

Boynton Beach Hagen Ranch Rd.

Boca Raton Central Park Boulevard North

Physician Partners of America is committed to providing the highest levels of compassionate, patient-centered care possible. They have locations across Florida to serve you. To schedule a consultation with one of their pain management or minimally invasive laser spine specialists, call or visit one of their offices:

T he nightmare began five years ago for Michigan native Laura Wall. � at’s when the former Ford Motor Company

employee � rst experienced stabbing pain in her lower back. Her doctor diagnosed the problem as spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal and neuroforamen, in the areas where nerves exit the spinal cord though the vertebrae.

“It was an excruciating, throbbing, sharp pain in my lower back, and it was getting very achy,” Laura, 64, shares. “And it was constant. It didn’t last just for � ve min-utes. � e pain was present every hour, every day, whether I was sitting or lying down.”

Over the years, Laura’s spinal ste-nosis deteriorated further, and her back pain intensi� ed. Two years ago, the pain became so unpleasant, it began interfering with her daily endeavors. By that time, Laura had retired and was looking ahead to a long, active retirement in the warmer Florida climate. But her back condition threatened to derail those plans.

“� e pain increased until I couldn’t walk very far without holding my back in extreme agony,” Laura relates. “I could hardly walk to the mailbox from my house, which is only six houses

down, without pain. I couldn’t swim. I could hardly stand up, but I couldn’t sit for very long, either. � e pain was a ten on a scale of one to ten.”

In search of a solution to her ago-nizing back problem, Laura turned to several spine specialists for their expert guidance. She visited one specialist while still living in Michigan and two others after she moved to Florida. None had good news for her.

“The doctors said they couldn’t help me,” she recalls. “They said I would have to have major surgery on my discs, and it probably still wouldn’t help with the pain. I cried when I heard that. I thought, Here I am retired, and I can’t do anything because of my back. My life was just terrible at that point.”

Laura’s fortunes began to change in early 2018 after she heard about a seminar on minimally inva-sive spine surgery that was o� ered by the spine special-ists at Physician Partners of America. She decided to attend the seminar, and there she met James St. Louis, DO, director of Physician Partners of America’s Minimally Invasive Spine Group. Dr. St. Louis gave Laura what the other doctors did not: hope.

A f t e r r e v i ew ing he r MRI , Dr. St. Louis told Laura she didn’t need major surgery on her discs. Instead, he

could perform a min-imally invasive spine procedure that would relieve her pain. Laura was ecstatic and agreed.

Sparing MusclesWhen it comes to surgery, the term “minimally invasive” is typically equated with a procedure performed through smaller incisions than those used during open surgery. But with minimally inva-sive spine procedures, there’s more to it than that. � ese procedures are mus-cle-sparing as well.

“During traditional open surgery on the back or neck, the muscles are cut away from the bone so that the surgeon can visualize the area and see what he or she is doing to the spine,” describes Dr. St. Louis, who is a pioneer in the � eld. “And once a muscle is cut, it is damaged forever and can no longer function appropriately.

“During minimally invasive spine surgery, the muscles are not cut at all. Instead, we insert special dilators between the muscle � bers and simply push

the muscles aside. � is way, we preserve the muscles and their function.”

Because surgeons spare the muscles, and use smaller incisions during mini-mally invasive spine surgery, there is less bleeding, less pain and a quicker recov-ery. It can be performed as an outpatient procedure rather than requiring a several-day hospital stay.

Surgeons at Physician Partners of America can also use minimally invasive techniques to perform procedures such as laminotomy and foraminotomy using a laser. � ese procedures make room for nerves that are pinched at the openings between the discs or at the neuroforamen.

“We use various instruments to move past the muscles and get to the bone,” explains Stefan Prada, MD, another Physician Partners of America minimally invasive spine surgeon. “Guided by the patient’s MRI, we assess what is pinching the nerve. It could be a bone spur, a thickened ligament, a cyst or a piece of herniated disc material. We use a laser to free up the nerve by removing whatever is pinching it.

“Using this technique, patients gen-erally have signi� cant improvement

in their pain. And the proce-dures are performed through

an incision that is typically an inch or smaller.”

“A New Life”Laura had a laminotomy and foraminotomy to

relieve her agonizing back pain. Dr. St. Louis used a laser

that enabled him to target the speci� c area of her low back that was the source of her problem: lumbar discs three and four.

“Apparently, swollen nerves were wrapped around my spinal cord,” Laura describes. “During surgery, Dr. St. Louis shaved a little bit o� of my spine to make room for the nerves. I walked out of the hospital the same day. I received excellent care, and after two days, I felt fantastic.”

Laura underwent her minimally inva-sive spine procedure in March 2018. Now, more than a year later, she’s still amazed by the surgery’s overwhelming success.

“It’s been a new life for me since I had this surgery,” Laura raves. “Now, I can sleep, I can bend over, I can sit for hours. Everything I couldn’t do before I can do now. And my pain level is zero. It was zero two days after surgery.

“Now, I can walk to the mailbox and walk long distances. I couldn’t walk very far for � ve years. Now, I walk � ve miles a day. Since my surgery, I can do every-thing without any back pain whatsoever. And it’s been wonderful. I’m going to be sixty-� ve in September, and I’m having the time of my life.”

� e other doctors Laura visited gave her little hope of � nding relief from her agonizing back pain, but she de� ed their dire prognoses. She’s especially pleased that her retirement plans are back on schedule. Her nightmare is back to being a sweet dream.

“Getting this minimally invasive laser spine surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Laura enthuses. “It changed my whole retirement life. Now, I can swim. I can play with my grandkids. I can sit and do my pottery. I like to shop, and now I can. I can walk in the park and on the beach. I can do anything I want.

“What’s better than walking out the front door after surgery and going home, relaxing for a day or two, then carrying on with your life the way you want? � ere’s no better way to deal with severe back pain than that. So yes, I think min-imally invasive spine surgery at Physician Partners of America is fantastic. I really appreciate what they did for me.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11steM CeLL tHerapy/neuropatHy treatMent pain ManageMent/spine surgery

Modern Approach to PsychiatryFull-service practice provides advanced treatments in tranquil setting

T o people on the outside look-ing in, Donna* would appear to have a great life. She has a stable job doing what she

loves, a nice home and a new car. She’s blessed with a healthy son, many friends and a close extended family. To any casual observer, she would seem to have every-thing she needs and wants.

On the inside, however, Donna is tormented by extreme mood swings. She shifts from periods of deep depression and fatigue to periods of heightened energy and agitation. � ere are times when she is nearly disabled by her condition, which was diag-nosed by a psychiatrist as bipolar disorder.

Donna has not responded fully to her current doctor’s treatment plan, and her family has encouraged her to seek another psychiatrist’s opinion. But Donna is hesitant, mainly because she believes psychiatric o� ces are stark, cold and unfriendly. She dreads the thought of sitting in a sterile environment while being asked a multitude of probing ques-tions. � is image in her mind makes her anxious, which makes her feel worse.

“Our clinic is not like that at all,” assures Edward Zawadzki, DO, a board-certi� ed forensic and adult psychia-trist at Lighthouse Health Group in Jupiter. “Ours is a spa-like setting that’s very calm-ing and relaxing. Our o� ce is decorated with bright, soothing colors, so it’s com-fortable and welcoming for patients.

“And when we perform our eval-uations, we don’t pepper patients with clinical questions, which can be awk-ward and unpleasant for them. Instead, our evaluations are very conversational, which puts patients at ease and makes them more comfortable with the treat-ment process. We � nd patients respond really well to that approach.”

Lighthouse Health Group is still a full-service psychiatric practice offer-ing both traditional and leading-edge treatments for patients with men-tal health disorders. In addition to a board-certified psychiatrist, the staff includes a certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, doctoral level psycholo-gists and master’s level therapists.

“At our clinic, we spend a good amount of time with our patients, longer than typical psychiatric prac-tices, and we take an individualized approach to each person’s situation,” Dr. Zawadzki describes. “I see patients for

EDWARD ZAWADZKI, DO

Lighthouse Health Group provides patients with a calming atmosphere during care.

Edward Zawadzki, DO, is board certifi ed in psychiatry and neu-rology, and forensic psychiatry. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University in College Park, PA, and a Master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from California School of Professional Psychology in Fresno, CA. He then received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, NY. Dr. Zawadzki completed residencies in psychiatry at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine at Cabrini Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in New York, and then a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

A Modern Approach

Lighthouse Health Group takes a modern approach to mental health and off ers counseling and wellness in one location to better serve you. To make a consultation appointment,

contact them at their offi ce in Jupiter at:

4600 Military TrailSuite 103

(561) 249-7400Learn more by visiting them on the web at lighthousehealth� orida.com

“We treat patients with many issues, including anxiety spectrum disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder,” Dr. Zawadzki observes. “We also treat people with trauma histories as well as major mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

“While we use medication to treat many of these conditions, not all patients are treated with medication,” Dr. Zawadzki stresses. “Patients often con-sult with a therapist or psychologist � rst, and they can recommend medication. But as the psychiatrist, I decide if patients need medication, psychotherapy or both. Treatment is speci� c to the individual.”

Totally TMSDr. Zawadzki and his sta� at Lighthouse Health Group use a mixture of science-based psychiatry and traditional psychotherapeutic methods to treat their patients. Traditional methods they employ include individual and family therapy. � e sta� also use leading-edge techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS.

minutes to an hour. During that time, Dr. Zawadzki maps the brain to determine the exact location for magnet placement. Subsequent sessions take about 30 min-utes to complete.

“TMS is typically reserved for patients who struggle with medica-tions, who’ve had only partial response to medications or can’t take medications due to side e� ects or another issue,” Dr. Zawadzki reports. “� e nice thing about TMS is it bypasses the pill-taking process and focuses treatment directly on the area of the brain that we believe is involved in depression.

“Most patients start feeling better around the two-week mark after begin-ning TMS therapy. But for some patients, it takes a little longer to feel signi� cant relief of their symptoms.”

Rapid ReliefAnother leading-edge treatment o� ered at Lighthouse Health Group is esketamine, which is a new medication that helps people su� ering from depressive disorders rapidly achieve symptom relief.

“Esketamine is an analog of ket-amine, an anesthetic that’s been around for many years,” Dr. Zawadzki explains. “But esketamine has been reformulated as a treatment for depression. We use esket-amine as a nasal spray, and we administer it in our o� ce. It’s not something patients take home with them.

“Esketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist, which is a complicated way of saying it works on neurotransmit-ters in the brain that are involved with

depression and other emotional states. By modulating those neurotransmitters with esketamine, we can help people feel dra-matically better very quickly.

“� e exact way esketamine works is complicated. But essentially, it operates through a variety of mechanisms primarily concerned with glutamate transmission. [Glutamate is a speci� c neurotransmit-ter]. With esketamine, patients enter a dissociative anesthetic state, during which symptoms of depression go away.”

Initially, esketamine is administered twice a week for one month, after which patients enter a maintenance phase. During maintenance, patients are treated once per week for a speci� c number of months determined by how each patient responds to the treatment.

Like TMS, esketamine therapy is typically considered after patients fail to achieve significant symptom relief using medications.

Patients with mental health disorders sometimes su� er physical pain as well. Lighthouse Health Group o� ers a ser-vice to support patients in that situation. To ease patients’ pain, a board-certi� ed physiatrist is on site at the clinic to address their painful conditions.

“We’re not a pain clinic, but our physiatrist, Dr. Ellen Babinsky treats patients for many types of musculoskeletal complaints, including back pain and joint injuries,” Dr. Zawadzki states. “As a phys-iatrist, she can address any type of muscle or bone issue patients may experience.”

People don’t have to be mental health patients to make an appointment with the physiatrist at Lighthouse Health Group.

Hearing about Lighthouse Health Group was excellent news to Donna’s ears. She was thrilled to learn of a psychiatric clinic with a soothing atmosphere and concierge-like service. It took away the anxiety of seeking a second opinion on her bipolar disorder treatment plan. Donna was surprised to � nd out that Lighthouse Health Group is not brand-new.

“We’ve been around for close to � ve years,” Dr. Zawadzki shares. “And our patients are our priority. Our ultimate goal is to provide really good care to our patients at all times.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Marc Edwards. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at her request.

an initial evaluation for about an hour, then follow-up visits with me are twenty minutes or longer.

“All of the counselors take time to listen and get to know their patients and what’s going on in their lives, then we use that information in the treatment process. Knowing all about our patients helps us gauge how they’re doing with their treatment and determine if any adjustments are necessary.”

� e counselors at Lighthouse Health Group assist people with a broad range of mental health disorders. Many of their patients are diagnosed with depression and anxiety, but they address other con-ditions as well.

“During TMS, a high-strength mag-net is placed on the head over an area of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,” Dr. Zawadzki describes. “This area of the brain is considered important in the development of depression. It has been shown on MRI studies to be under-functioning in people who have depression.

“Pulsing the magnet over that section of the brain induces a small electrical charge that forces the neurons in that area to � re. � is essentially wakes up the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex so it functions normally again, which relieves depression symptoms.”

A course of TMS therapy is gener-ally 36 sessions over approximately one month. � e initial TMS session lasts 45

Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition psyCHiatry