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North and Central Pinellas County Edition Fall 2019

FEATURED ARTICLES

(see Honor and Privilege, page 4)

Honor and Privilege

Dr. Robert Weinstock (left)

with Dr. Schwartz

Doctors know where to go for cataract surgery

STEPHEN M. WEINSTOCK, MD, FACSJEFFREY S. SCHWARTZ, MD

LEONARD S. KIRSCH, MD, FRCS (C)RICHARD J. HAIRSTON, MD, FACS

ROBERT J. WEINSTOCK, MDNEEL R. DESAI, MD

JASMINE MOHADJER, MDJANIE A. HO, MD

SANDRA M. JOHNSON, MDSTEVEN E. KANE, MD

VASILIOS F. DIAKONIS, MD

Glaucoma specialist Jeffrey Schwartz, MD, is now a year into his third decade as a member of the team of

vision care experts at � e Eye Institute of West Florida. It’s a decade that got o� to a rather interesting beginning.

In early January 2018, Dr. Schwartz noticed he was no longer seeing as clearly as he was accustomed to out of his right eye, which had long been the eye that needed the stronger prescription contact or eyeglass lens to bring his overall vision to 20/20.

“I wear contact lenses about ninety per-cent of the time, the major exception being when I operate,’’ Dr. Schwartz explains. “When I operate, I don’t wear contact lenses or glasses because I can see better through the microscope without them.

“What I noticed, however, was that with or without my contact lenses or glasses – and my glasses were fairly new at the time – I wasn’t seeing as well out of my right eye as I was out of my left eye. Naturally, that concerned me a little bit.”

Dr. Schwartz’s concerns prompted him to get a routine eye examination, which showed that the vision in his right eye had indeed deteriorated a bit. A new pair of glasses did not correct the problem, however.

“� at’s when I began to assume the worst,’’ Dr. Schwartz reveals. “I was worried I might have a retina problem or possibly even glaucoma. � ankfully, further exam-inations showed there was no pathology. What there was, however, was a cataract.”

How Cataracts DevelopCataracts develop naturally as a result of either a breakdown of the eye’s lens � bers or a clumping of the eye’s proteins or both. � ey usually result in blurred vision, an increase in the eye’s sensitivity to light and/or a reduction in the vibrancy of colors.

He has since turned those duties over to other physicians at the practice. After learning of his diagnosis and deciding he needed to correct the problem immedi-ately, he knew exactly whom he wanted to perform his surgery.

“I’m an unusual patient in that I have knowledge that most people don’t have about cataract surgery,” Dr. Schwartz reveals. “� at’s why I always recommend that people opting for cataract surgery see someone who specializes solely in refrac-tive cataract surgery.

“I believe experience and technology lead to the best outcome, and I know for certain that The Eye Institute of West Florida has not only the most experienced surgeons but also the state-of-the-art tech-nology that allows for that outcome.”

A Matter of TrustOne of those surgeons is Robert J. Weinstock, MD, a board-certified, fellowship-trained cataract and refractive surgeon who has been practicing at � e Eye Institute of West Florida since 2001 and is now the director of cataract and refractive services at the center.

Dr. Weinstock has performed cata-ract surgery on many fellow eye surgeons and physicians, but he says it was a special honor to be chosen by Dr. Schwartz to perform a procedure so important to his life and his life’s work.

� ere is no known way to prevent or slow the development of cataracts, which typically form as part of the natural aging process. But surgery to remove cataracts has become one of the more common procedures in all of medicine.

More than four million cataract surger-ies are performed each year in the United States alone, and up until about � ve years ago, Dr. Schwartz was performing some cataract surgery at The Eye Institute of West Florida. However, cataract surgery has become more sophisticated, with advanced techniques, specialized laser technologies and customized intraocular lens solutions.

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5Tackling Joint Pain

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12

Rene M. Reed, DC, DABCO, NMDGame Changer

OphthalmOlOgy

Specializing in Good Results

Through his unique approach to alternative medicine, Dr. Reed treats diffi cult cases and people who have been unable to find a solution to their problems elsewhere. If you fi t this category, call or visit Dr. Reed. Good results are his specialty.

Clearwater611 Druid Rd. East, Suite 308

(727) 286-6163

RENE M. REED, DC, DABCO, NMD

Visit them on the web at rene-reed-dc.business.site and at practice.gainswave.com/dr-rene-reed

Rene M. Reed, DC, DABCO, NMD, has been in practice for years and has a long history of using leading-edge technologies for his patients’ health and welfare. He graduated from an integrative medical school and rotated through the Cook County Hospital Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Reed began private practice in in Evergreen, Colorado and later became an acupunc-turist with a sub-specialty in nutrition. He has studied IV and nutrient therapies and has a degree as a Naturopathic Medical Doctor. He has continued his edu-cation in genetic studies and hormone therapies and currently treats people from around the world, matching individual genetics to nutritional programs

geared to provide the best care for his patients, along with hormone balancing, orthopedic care, GI studies, blood and lab testing and acoustic wave therapy for better optimal sexual function. Doctor Reed is licensed in Florida as a chiropractic physician practicing as an orthopedic special-ist, acupuncturist. He utilizes his medical education to provide the most up-to-date care for his patients, including acoustic wave therapy for patients with sexual function issues.

Advanced, drug-free treatments improve sexual performance

By the time the dot-com bubble burst shortly after the turn of the cen-tury, Allen* had already made his first million dollars. Most of that

money is gone now, but what the software engineer made over the course of the next 16 years allowed him to retire early.

“I turned � fty just last year and, for my � ftieth birthday, I decided to quit working and start traveling,” Allen says. “My wife and I have always wanted to bike our way across Europe, and I � gured If we’re going to do that, we better get started before we’re too old.”

An active outdoorsman, Allen’s trav-els began about six months ago with a cross-country trip from Silicon Valley to Clearwater where his wife grew up. � e couple is now in the process of building a home there, but all is not perfect in what Allen refers to as “paradise.”

“The problem actually started about a year and a half ago – just as I was seriously starting to consider retir-ing early,” Allen says. “All of a sudden, as if out of nowhere, I started having some trouble with fatigue.

“I was feeling a little run-down and was having trouble getting through my workouts. I figured at first that it was probably just stress from work and thinking about retirement, but then the problem became more intense because I started having trouble in the bedroom.”

� e trouble Allen had in the bed-room is called erectile dysfunction. � at’s the name given to a condition that keeps men from either establishing or maintain-ing an erection suitable for sex. Allen, of course, is not alone in his plight.

Studies show that more than half of all men will experience some form of erec-tile dysfunction during their lifetime and that men su� ering from hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease are even more likely to experience dysfunction.

Smoking, heavy consumption of alcohol, and drugs (either illicit or prescription) can also cause erectile dysfunction, which is typically the result of circulatory impairment in the blood capillaries of the penis or other urogenital areas.

For years, medications such as VIAGRA® and CIALIS® have been the � rst line of defense against ED. If those proved unsuccessful, the next treatment option has generally been injections into the penis. If that failed, the last resort has long been a penile implant.

But there is now a revolutionary, non-invasive and highly e� ective treatment that treats erectile dysfunction through the use of acoustical waves that is per-formed in Clearwater by Rene M. Reed, DC, DABCO, NMD.

Acoustic Wave Technology Dr. Reed is a practicing chiropractic orthopedic specialist and naturopathic medical doctor who specializes in inte-grative medicine. He recently added the acoustic wave therapy to his menu of treatment options because of the great need he sees for it.

“I do the acoustic wave treatments because I’ve seen erectile dysfunction, or ED, destroy relationships and devastate men,” Dr. Reed explains. “I’ve literally had grown men cry in front of me over it.

“But I also do genetic testing to deter-mine if genetic defects are contributing to the ED. Acoustic wave therapy may work more e� ectively if the underlying genetic issues are treated. So, we look at all the players in the game responsible for good erections and sexual function.”

In Allen’s case, that deeper dive that Dr. Reed always takes with his patients included a genetic test that revealed his fatigue and erectile dysfunction were due at least in part to a hormonal imbalance. In particular, Allen was su� ering from a loss of testosterone.

“Every year after the age of forty, testosterone levels drop by about ten to twenty percent,” Dr. Reed reports. “� at’s what we found with Allen. His testoster-one was very low, so what we did was treat him for his low testosterone and give him acoustic wave therapy.”

To boost Allen’s failing testosterone levels, Dr. Reed recommended a treatment called bio-identical hormone replacement ther-apy. Also known as BHRT, it is a treatment designed to boost hormone levels through the application of a natural testosterone crème to the inner thighs or scrotum.

“With patients such as Allen, I look to regulate the sex hormones and then combine that with the acoustic wave therapy,” Dr. Reed clari� es. “It is often a combination of these treatments that works the best for patients.”

Acoustic wave therapy is delivered through a small, handheld device that delivers the waves in a series of short, painless pulsations that break up the plaque and calcium that have built up inside the blood vessels in the penis.

Remarkable ResultsAcoustic wave treatments also stimulate the growth of new nerve tissue, which is vital for achieving and maintaining healthy erections. � ey can even be used to treat Peyronie’s disease, a condition in which tis-sue build-up causes an abnormal bend to the penis, usually to the right or left. But acoustic wave therapy is not just for men.

“Women can benefit from it, too, because the anatomy and physiology of the female genitalia is the same as the male,’’ Dr. Reed reports. “And, just like men, when women get older, their labia and clitoris shrink up just like the man’s penis shrinks up.

“So, just as it does with men, acoustic wave therapy can improve the blood sup-ply to that area and reinvigorate the nerves and put some spice back into a woman’s life so that she’s not one of two people just living together.”

Acoustic wave therapy treatments last about 30 minutes with patients typ-ically receiving two such treatments per week for a span of six weeks. Allen, who � rst saw Dr. Reed last May, followed a slightly di� erent schedule.

After receiving two treatments in a week, he waited another month before receiving a third and fourth treatment. He then waited several months before receiv-ing a � fth treatment and another month or two before receiving a sixth.

“One of the reasons I waited to go back after receiving the � rst two treat-ments was because the � rst two treatments worked so well!” Allen exclaims. “Almost immediately after that second treatment, I noticed a di� erence.

“My erections were suddenly much stronger and longer lasting and that, of course, made my wife very happy. And it wasn’t long before I started feeling a lot more energetic, too. Dr. Reed told me that was the hormone therapy working.”

Allen was initially directed to see Dr. Reed by his wife who has several friends who have visited him for a variety of health issues. Allen admits he was a bit apprehensive about making the � rst visit, but he’s glad that he did.

“Dr. Reed is a natural health doctor, and I would consider him one of the best doctors I’ve ever dealt with,” Allen raves. “One of the things that I really like about him is how personable he is. He’s a great guy, and you can tell he really wants to help you.

“He’s a doctor who really cares about his patients. He’s not there just to give you a pill and see how it works. He really works hard to get to the root of your problem and � nd a solution for it. � at’s why I so highly recommend him.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at his request.

Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition alternative medicine

Derrick Brooks

Joint PainginlkcaHall of Fame linebacker � nds relief for lingering soreness, discomfort

P erhaps it was good fortune. Or maybe he just got lucky. However you choose to cat-egorize it doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that during his 14-year National Football League career, Derrick Brooks never missed a game because of an injury.

� at doesn’t mean the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker didn’t play hurt. Or injured. He surely did. Across a span of 235 straight games, the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee played through a lot of pain.

But in a league where the players all know that it’s not a matter of if you get hurt but when you get hurt, Derrick man-aged to beat the odds and kept on playing. It wasn’t until he was out of the game that the odds � nally caught up to him.

“Through engaging and disengag-ing blockers, grabbing and tackling ball carriers and falling and things like that, I developed some wrist injuries while play-ing that lingered on into post-retirement from the game,” Derrick reveals.

“And it was about three years ago now that it got really bad. I literally started to have di� culty grabbing and holding onto things. It eventually got to a point where I couldn’t grip anything heavier than a pen, so even writing became a problem for me.

“For years, even back to my playing days, I was being treated for my wrist problems by an orthopedist, and when this happened, he said we needed to look into getting this treated in a more aggres-sive manner to relieve my discomfort.”

Individualized Quality Care

At Sports & Regenerative Medicine Centers, patients work directly with Dr. Lox. Every patient is treated to their individual needs with a strong emphasis on quality care. To learn more or schedule a consultation, call or visit the offi ce in Clearwater at:

Drew Street (727) 462-5582

Beverly Hills, CA(310) 975-7033

Derrick Brooks is one of dozens of former professional athletes who have been treated by Dr. Lox. 

Visit them on the web at www.drlox.com

One of those more aggressive options was surgery, but Derrick never had to undergo surgery during his playing days and wanted to keep that streak intact. With that in mind, he was advised by his orthopedist to visit Dennis M. Lox, MD.

Wide Spectrum Dr. Lox is a board-certi� ed physical med-icine and rehabilitation specialist who specializes in sports medicine. He treats a wide spectrum of patients that includes everything from weekend warriors to retired pro athletes such as Derrick.

“I treat a lot of young, teenage ath-letes, but just the other day, I also treated a ninety-nine-year-old who is going to be one hundred in October,” Dr. Lox says. “I recently treated two marathoners, both of whom are in their sixties, so I see all types.”

Dr. Lox began his care of Derrick, then 43, the same way he does with all his patients – by conducting a thorough examination. In this case, the examination revealed the cause of Derrick’s wrist pain to be cartilage damage and an advanced case of arthritis.

“With Derrick, someone might hear arthritis and think, Well, he’s too young to be suffering from arthritis,” Dr. Lox explains. “But arthritis can start with an initial injury such as the kind Derrick dealt with as a player, and over time, it just gets progressively worse.

“Arthritis always starts as aches and pains in the joints and then, eventually, it progresses and gets to a point where there’s no joint left. I see a lot of people in their seventies, for example, who have no hip left. � at’s the end-stage of arthritis.

“Derrick’s arthritis wasn’t at that stage yet, and what I do with patients like that is stop the breakdown caused by the arthritis and repair the joint. It’s the same with carti-lage degeneration. We treat both in a way that builds up the joint and stops the breakdown.”

Derrick says he was initially a bit apprehensive about the treatment Dr. Lox recommended. In time, though, he developed a great deal of con� dence in both Dr. Lox and the recommended treat-ments, so much, in fact, that he agreed to give them a try.

“What really convinced me to stay in this particular lane regarding my treat-ment options was not just the therapy itself, but Dr. Lox,” Derrick says. “He really took his time to educate me on the process all the way through.

“It wasn’t like he was trying to rush me in, get me treated and move on. We had a few visits even before the treatment started where his goal was to educate me about the process and get me to a point where I was comfortable with it.

“That’s one of the main reasons I went ahead with it. Being comfortable with the treatment and knowing it was the right � t for me was one thing. But being comfortable with Dr. Lox and being able to develop a personal relationship with him was another.

“� at was a huge factor for me in terms of having peace of mind going forward, because when you know some-one like that, you know they have your best interest in mind. � at’s something Dr. Lox and his sta� develop with every-one that walks through their door.”

Another thing that gave Derrick peace of mind was the expected results of the repair treatment. Dr. Lox says results vary depending on the activity level of the patient receiving the therapy, but in Derrick’s case, he always expected a superior outcome.

“The thing about athletes is, a lot of them are still beating themselves up,” Dr. Lox says. “With the two marathoners, for example, their results are going to be di� erent because they’re going to go right back out there and run marathons again.

“� e di� erence with Derrick is that he’s not tackling anybody anymore. He’s taking better care of himself now. So we always expected his outcome to be very good, and that success rate, whatever it may be, is something I always discuss with the patient.”

“Incredible” Results After hearing another professional football player, former Buccaneers teammate Ian Beckles, discuss Dr. Lox, Derrick inquired further. He also consulted with his per-sonal orthopedic surgeon, who gave him the green light on the treatment.

Armed with those endorsements, Derrick received Dr. Lox’s repair treat-ment on both his wrists in July 2016. Within a month, Derrick says he was feel-ing the positive e� ects of the treatment. � e e� ects were so positive, in fact, that Derrick returned for more.

“Once Dr. Lox treated my wrists, I thought, Wow, this is incredible,” Derrick says.

“� e pain was gone, and my ability to do all the normal things that I couldn’t do before returned, and it just got better and better.

“It got so much better that after a few months, I went back to Dr. Lox and told him I wanted to get more aggressive in treating some other areas that were giving me prob-lems. � at’s when he treated my left knee.

“� at was early in 2017. Now, in both my knee and my wrists, I have no issues at all, and I’m con� dent that going forward, I won’t have any problems with those areas the rest of my life. And if similar problems develop elsewhere, I know exactly where to go.”

Derrick says he’s proud of the fact that, in addition to never missing a game while playing in the NFL, he never had to undergo surgery during his playing days. He says Dr. Lox is the reason he has kept that streak alive into post-retirement.

“He gave me an alternative to sur-gery, and I am so thankful for that,” Derrick says. “Obviously, there are some things where surgery may be the best way to repair the problem, but for me, this repair treatment was the best option.

“Dr. Lox’s treatment really works and not just for me but for anyone who has joint pain. I’ve seen it work for people all across the board. Whether you play sports or not, this is a treatment that can help everybody, which is why I so highly recommend Dr. Lox.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Main photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

T

Dennis M. Lox, MD, is a world recognized Sports and Regenerative Medicine Specialist. Dr. Lox did his undergraduate studies at The University of Arizona and did his medical training in Texas, with a Residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Lox, began practicing Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine in Florida in . During this time, he edited two medical textbooks and eight medical textbook chapters. Dr. Lox, has written numerous scientifi c abstracts in the fi eld of Sports and Regenerative Medicine and presented his fi ndings at Scientifi c Medical Conferences on Tissue Engineering. He has treated patients from around the world, including celebrities, professional athletes, and patients just wanting a better quality of life.

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3physical medicine

(continued from page 1)

“It’s a very high compliment, one of the highest compliments an eye surgeon can receive, to have another eye surgeon say they trust you with their vision,’’ Dr. Weinstock says. “It comes with a great deal of responsibility.

“And in the ca se o f Dr. Schwartz, well, this is a practicing ophthalmologist who does microscopic eye sur-gery. When you consider how detailed his vision needs to be, you realize it’s not just his well-being that’s at stake but the well-being of his patients.

“That’s why we decided not to wait to do his surgery. His cataract was mild, one that other people who don’t require such perfect vision for their job could have waited maybe a little longer to address.

“But with Dr. Schwartz, when you consider his line of work, it was critical that we do the surgery sooner rather than later, so he could perform glau-coma surgery on his patients.”

Once the decision was made to have the surgery, Dr. Schwartz had to decide on the type of lens to use. On the advice of Dr. Weinstock, he chose a mono-focal lens designed to improve his distance vision and laser astigma-tism correction at the same time.

Honor and Privilege

When Dr. Schwartz (left) learned he needed cataract surgery, he trusted his friend and associate Dr. Weinstock (right) to do the job.

For more information, please visit www.eyespecialist.com

The caring staff members of The Eye Institute of

West Florida welcome your questions. To schedule

an appointment, please contact The Eye Institute of West Florida at these convenient locations:

Largo West Bay Drive

Clearwater McMullen-

Booth RoadBuilding A, Suite

St. Petersburg Central Ave.

Tampa N. Howard Ave.,

Suite

Tampa Sheldon Road

(727) 914-5064

Stephen M. Weinstock, MD, FACS, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist, specializing in refractive cataract surgery. He founded The Eye Institute of West Florida in 1974, pioneering subspecialty eye care in Pinellas County. Today, as President and Medical Director, Dr. Weinstock is recognized as a world-renowned cataract and LASIK surgeon. He is one of the few surgeons in the country certi� ed by the American Board of Eye Surgery in both cataract and LASIK surgery. Dr. Weinstock is also an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida

Robert J. Weinstock, MD, is a board-certi� ed, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist, specializing in cataract, LASIK and refractive sur-gery. Dr. Weinstock joined the practice in 2001. He is the Director of Cataract and Refractive Services at The Eye Institute of West Florida and The Weinstock Laser Eye Center. He also serves as the Surgical Director of the Largo Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is the Chief Medical Editor of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today. In addition to performing thousands of vision-correcting cataract and LASIK procedures each year, Dr. Weinstock speaks and teaches nationally and internationally on customized cataract surgery and surgical

innovations. He is continuously engaged in clinical research to evaluate new technology. He has authored multiple book chapters on cataract surgery and continues to write many journal articles on cataract and refractive surgery. Dr. Weinstock is also an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida.

Je� rey S. Schwartz, MD, is the � rst full-time board-certi� ed, fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist in Pinellas County. He has been with The Eye Institute since 1988. His practice is limited to diagnosis, treatment, laser therapy and surgery of patients with glaucoma and other related diseases. Dr. Schwartz completed his residency at The University of South Florida and his glaucoma fellowship at the prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. He is active in medical research and has made major contributions in the treatment and management of glaucoma. Dr. Schwartz is cer-ti� ed by the American Board of Ophthalmology, He serves as the

medical consultant to pharmaceutical companies in the search for more e� ective glaucoma medications. Dr. Schwartz is on the Board of Directors and is the Medical Consultant for the Lighthouse of Pinellas and has served as the Medical Director for a number of health care plans.

CATARACT Risk Factors

Customized Cataract Consultations

The Eye Institute of West Florida has set aside

special cataract consults for Florida Health Care News readers. Just call

and mention this article for one of these special

appointments.

(727) 914-5064

“It’s a painless, easy operation

that changes your quality of life like no other operation in existence.”

– Dr. Schwartz

See For Yourself

• Advancing age

• Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other sources

• Diabetes

• Hypertension

• Obesity

• Smoking

• Nutritional defi ciency

• Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications

• Statin medicines used to reduce cholesterol

• Previous eye injury, infl ammation or surgery

• Hormone replacement therapy

• Signifi cant alcohol consumption

• High myopia

• Family history

“We didn’t want to go with a bifocal or multifocal lens because with his occupation, we need all light rays focusing together,’’ Dr. Weinstock says. “We were also treating just the one eye, and that plays a part in that decision as well.

“� e brain doesn’t tolerate it very well when you have a mul-tifocal implant in one eye and your natural lens or a monofocal

in the other. So, we chose a lens that provides very high contrast, crystal-clear optics and great dis-tance vision.”

Rolling Back the YearsDr. Weinstock performed the surgery using a laser to correct

Dr. Schwartz’s astigmatism and soften the old lens. He then used a special machine called the ORA™ to ensure Dr. Schwartz was left with the clearest vision possible.

“The ORA measures the eye once the cataract is out and gives us information about the prescription of the eye and which exact power lens is going

to match up well with that eye,” Dr. Weinstock informs.

T h e s u r -g e r y w a s performed late on a Thursday. B y F r i d a y , Dr. Schwartz says he was see-

ing 20/20 out of his right eye without glasses or contact lenses. By the following Monday, he was back at work and seeing better than he had in years.

“By the time I returned to work on Monday, my eye was not red or irritated in any way,

and my vision had returned to what it was fifteen or twenty years ago,’’ Dr. Schwartz relates. “And I just can’t tell you how much that changes your life.

“When I get up in the morning now, my vision is crisp and clear, and colors are much brighter. And I had only a mild cataract. Still, the di� erence it has made having that cataract removed has been drastic.

“With every patient I speak to now who is considering hav-ing cataract surgery, I tell them, Look at my eye, because a month ago I had cataract surgery, and now, I’m seeing as clear as I’ve seen since I was a kid.

“It’s a painless, easy opera-tion that changes your quality of life like no other operation in existence. And when you have a specialist such as Dr. Weinstock perform that surgery with the science and technology we have now, you can and should expect incredible outcomes.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by

Jordan Pysz. mkb

Page 4 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

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8845 Hawbuck Street

(727) 375-0469Trinity

Same Day Teeth8740 Mitchell Blvd.

(800) NEW-LOOKSpring Hill

4372 Commercial Way, Suite 4

(352) 596-6804Outside Florida

(727) 877-0011

Improve Your Bite!Coastal Jaw Surgery, The Center for Dental

Implants/Facial & Oral Reconstruction, welcomes calls regarding this article and other oral surgical topics. To schedule a

complimentary consultation and CT scan, please call or visit any of their locations:

BEFORE AFTER

have fi ve locations throughout the Tampa Bay area and are members and offi cers of numerous professional organizations, including the Florida Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons; American and Florida Dental Societies of Anesthesiology; American, Florida, West Coast, West Pasco, Upper Pinellas, and Hernando County Dental Associations; Academy of Osseointegration; and American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Additionally, Coastal Jaw Surgery operates the Pinnacle and Hygiene Study Clubs for the area’s general dentists and dental hygienists.

The Doctors at Coastal Jaw Surgery

New Look, New LifeSmile, self-con� dence restored with Same Day Teeth®

Gail is elated with the results of the Same Day Teeth process.

Philip J. Hedger, DMD, MS, earned his undergraduate degree in nutrition from the University of Florida. He received his dental doctorate from the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Dr. Hedger then completed an advanced prost-hodontics residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. He maintains an active involvement within the dental community, serving on committees and providing educational lectures to peers.

For years, the smokestacks that dot-ted the small Pennsylvania town northeast of Pittsburgh that Gail Portervint called home poured

noxious fumes into the air. Like too many of the area’s residents, Gail and her family were severely impacted by the toxic pollution.

“Seven of thirteen in my immedi-ate family developed cancer,” the retired computer programmer discloses. “One family member is a leukemia survivor, and another is a melanoma survivor. Another was told he had a spot on his kidney and instructed the doctors to remove it. � e kidney was full of cancer.

“When I had my blood drawn, my white blood cell count was three to four times higher than what it should have been. I, too, was considered a cancer suspect and went every six months to have my blood tested. Over the years, my counts didn’t change.”

� e possibility of developing cancer is an ever-present concern for Gail, who was once anxious about periodontal, or gum, disease as well. Gail knew she could lose bone in her jaw and teeth if the con-dition progressed.

“I had periodontal disease most of my life. I got my teeth deep cleaned, but that doesn’t take away the disease,’’ says Gail, who was equally concerned with the appearance of her smile and badly wanted to improve it.

“I was never a lover of my smile because my two front teeth crossed and there was decay and discoloration, so I didn’t really like to smile,” she describes. “Today, younger people have perfect-looking teeth because their parents got them braces.

“My parents couldn’t a� ord that, so for years, I just lived with crooked teeth. But then I heard about Coastal Jaw Surgery and their smile restoration process, and I made the choice to visit them.”

At Coastal Jaw Surgery, Gail met prosthodontist Philip J. Hedger, DMD. Initially, the tooth replacement special-ist and “smile architect” spoke at length with Gail to uncover her biggest concerns about her smile.

Dr. Hedger also consulted with Dr. Michael A. Pikos, oral surgeon team member. Together, they per-formed a thorough clinical evaluation of Gail and created a comprehensive treatment plan for her.

“When I met Gail, she was dis-couraged with her dental care and the progression of her periodontitis,” Dr. Hedger notes. “It was becoming dif-� cult for her to maintain her teeth. She would lose a tooth from the periodon-titis, then require oral surgery. She was embarrassed of her smile as well due to crooked dentition.

“Gail was unhappy because her teeth were failing, and it was starting to a� ect her self-confidence. She did not want to keep putting money into teeth that were deteriorating. She wanted a solu-tion for her smile that looked good, was long-lasting and eliminated future dental problems. She was a good candidate for Same Day Teeth.”

Same Day Teeth is Coastal Jaw Surgery’s unique process for smile restoration. It’s an advanced approach that includes a fully digital process for planning and perform-ing dental implant surgery. With Same Day Teeth, patients receive implants and replace-ment teeth in a single day.

Three Steps to SuccessAfter consulting with Dr. Hedger and Dr. Pikos, Gail agreed on the Same Day Teeth protocol and at this point, her surgery was planned. Dr. Hedger began by gathering additional information culled from measure-ments and digital photos he took of Gail’s teeth. He then made molds from which he created a customized surgical approach.

“We submitted all of the data we col-lected to our team lab in Nevada, after which Dr. Pikos and I collaborated on a web meeting with a digital specialist from the lab to thoroughly plan Gail’s case,” Dr. Hedger informs. “All this was done in virtual mode.”

� e lab then created physical guides that precisely matched Gail’s bone struc-ture and the computer results. � e guides, which � t in Gail’s mouth during surgery, showed exactly where to place the dental implants to achieve the aesthetic results Dr. Hedger designed for her.

“From the computer, exact mod-els of Gail’s mouth were printed, and we

performed a dry run surgery on those mod-els,” Dr. Hedger reports. Finally, Dr. Pikos performed the implant surgery on Gail. At the same appointment, Dr. Hedger placed the teeth that were made in advance of sur-gery in a very precise manner.

“In essence, the surgery was performed three times: Once on the computer, once on the models and finally on Gail. We do not go into surgery blindly. We do it twice before we perform it on the patient to ensure its predictability and success. Guided surgery is like a blueprint for a

house. � e whole design is orchestrated ahead of time and implemented once.”

As part of the Same Day Teeth pro-cess, patients leave Coastal Jaw Surgery with temporary replacement teeth on the same day their failing teeth are extracted. Recently, advances in the process have shortened the wait time for patients to receive their permanent replacement teeth.

“Technology in dentistry is always evolving, and we now have new equipment and protocols for our Same Day Teeth pro-cess,” Dr. Hedger con� rms. “In the past, we waited three to four months before giv-ing patients their permanent teeth.

“Today, our preferred route, for patients who are candidates, is to give them permanent teeth the day of surgery.”

Unexpected Benefi tOn the day of her surgery, Gail arrived at Coastal Jaw Surgery at 6:30 a.m. Several hours later, after Dr. Pikos completed the surgical phase of her treatment, Dr. Hedger was able to place the permanent teeth as per her original treatment plan.

“I’m extremely happy with the Same Day Teeth process,” she raves. “I expected more di� culty, but it all went perfectly. I love my teeth now, and I feel much better as a person. I’m so glad I did this. I cannot be more pleased.

“And the teeth look like my own. I surprise everybody when I tell them these teeth are not mine. � ey say, � ey look totally natural. I never would’ve guessed they’re not yours.”

In addition to achieving an excellent outcome with her restored smile, Gail realized a result that neither she nor her doctor expected. � e � nding eased some of her anxiety over being a cancer suspect.

“After I had my teeth removed, there was no more periodontal disease,” Gail relates. “At the next appointment with my cancer specialist, he said, I don’t know what you did, but your blood count is normal. Same Day Teeth also cured my white blood cell condition.”

“Everybody at Coastal Jaw Surgery is like my extended family,” she adds. “They are so courteous and make me feel so welcome. I really got to know Dr. Hedger because I see him more than the other dentists. He’s marvelous and so happy all the time. I highly recommend Coastal Jaw Surgery!”

The team members at Coastal Jaw Surgery are all part of Tampa Bay’s only multidisciplinary specialty treatment group that brings oral surgery, prosthodontics and periodontics together under one roof.FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz.

Before and after images courtesy of Coastal Jaw Surgery. mkb

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5Oral and maxillOfacial surgery

Tell them you read the article in

Florida Health Care News!

Mamta T. Choksi, MD, is a practicing hematologist and oncologist who special-izes in hematology and oncology. She is board certifi ed in hematology, internal medicine and medical oncology and received her medical degree from Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Dr. Choksi later com-pleted a residency in internal medicine at Queens Hospital Center in New York, followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York. She has been working with the same practice in New Port Richey since her graduation in .

The sta� at Florida Cancer Specialists &

Research Institute has � ve locations in Pasco County:

Hudson7651 Medical Drive

(727) 868-9208Hudson North

14100 Fivay Road, Suite 380

(727) 862-9026New Port Richey8763 River Crossing

Boulevard(727) 842-8411

New Port Richey West5802 State Road 54

(727) 842-2795Zephyrhills

38010 Medical Center Ave. (813) 783-1676

Visit Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute online at www.FLCancer.com

JORGE AYUB, MDMAMTA T. CHOKSI, MD

UDAY DANDAMUDI, MDVIVIAN GRIFFIN, MD

GAJANAN KULKARNI, MDKAPISTHALAM KUMAR, MD, FACP

ARTHUR JOSEPH MATZKOWITZ, MDJOSEPH M. SENNABAUM, MD

GERALD SOKOL, MD, MSC, FCPDAVID WENK, MD

GAIL LYNN SHAW WRIGHT, MD, FACP, FCCPSAWSAN G. BISHAY, MD

LARRY GANDLE, MD

Learn More

Great Hands”

“In

New treatment protocol aids in successful � ght against ovarian cancer

Roseann and Joe Esposito

I t took her about 15 years, but Roseann Esposito � nally followed her mother’s and brother’s lead and moved from Ronkonkoma, New

York to Trinity, Florida in 2006. Selling her husband, Joe, on the move was one of the easiest aspects of the venture.

After 30 years of working feverishly, especially in the winter, to keep New York City’s sanitation trucks running, Joe was more than ready to leave New York and his job as � e Big Apple’s � eet mainte-nance supervisor behind.

“� irty years of � ghting snowstorms was enough for me,” says Joe, who slowly eased into retirement while Roseann got busy working part-time as a cafeteria and teacher’s assistant at an elementary school near the couple’s new Florida home.

It was during a break from that job last May, while she and Joe were on a brief visit back home to celebrate their grandson’s first Holy Communion, that Roseann began to experience some abdominal discomfort, bloating and fatigue.

“I first thought something gastro-intestinal was going on, but I went to a doctor and had some blood work done that all came back negative,” Roseann relates. “After that, I got the okay to � y home, so we came home the day after Mother’s Day as planned.

“I went to see my primary care phy-sician the next day just to be safe, and he scheduled me for a sonogram a few days later. But I never made it to the

sonogram because two days later, I was in such pain that Joe said, We’re going to see what’s going on here.”

Joe’s concern sparked a trip to the emergency room, where a sonogram was performed that showed Roseann was suf-fering from ascites, which is an abnormal build-up of � uid between the abdominal wall and large intestine.

Roseann was admitted to the hos-pital that day, and the next day, a procedure was performed during which two liters of the � uid were removed. � e � uid was then sent to a lab for testing, the results of which presented Roseann with the shock of her life.

“It takes forty-eight hours to test the � uid, and they were giving us updates as they went,” Joe says. “When ninety percent of it came back negative, it was looking like it was just a gastro infection. But then the doctor called and said they found cancer cells in the last ten percent.

“He then said his wife was going to come see us the next day. I thought that was rather nice of her, but it turns out she’s a doctor, and she told Roseann, I’ve read the pathology, and you have ovarian cancer. But it’s very treatable.”

The Good Wife The doctor who visited Roseann and Joe at the hospital that day is Mamta T. Choksi, MD, an oncologist at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute. Her husband is Roseann’s primary care physician, Tarak S. Choksi, MD, of SunMed Primary Care. He presented her case to his wife later that evening.

“My husband came home one day and said, I have a patient I’m concerned about,” Dr. Choksi relates. “He said, I’m concerned she might have cancer, and I’d like you to take a look at her. � e next day, I looked at the pathology, and I’ve been treating her ever since.”

Dr. Choksi says Roseann’s symp-toms of abdominal pain, bloating and the collection of � uid are common among people suffering from ovarian cancer, which typically a� ects women between the ages of 60 and 70.

When her fears were confirmed, Dr. Choksi followed the National Comprehensive Network’s guidelines

for treatment in recommending a regimen in which radical surgery was sandwiched around a series of chemo-therapy treatments.

“We started with three cycles of che-motherapy that ran from June to August of 2018,” Dr. Choksi con� rms. “Roseann then had the radical surgery, where her uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes were removed. We then gave her two more cycles of chemotherapy.

“� e last two cycles of chemother-apy began in early September of last year, and at that time, we added another agent called bevacizumab, which is a vascular growth inhibitor that basically blocks the blood vessel supply to the tumor to kill the cancer.”

Feeling Great Until a year ago, the use of bevacizumab, also known as Avastin®, was used only if an ovarian cancer patient’s cancer returned following the initial treatment and sur-gery. It can now be used as a � rst line of treatment and as a maintenance treatment in addition to a second line of treatment.

In Roseann’s case it was administered intravenously once every three weeks for 15 months following the completion of her chemotherapy treatment. Roseann is now nearing the end of that 15-month maintenance period and says she has not experienced any of the side e� ects asso-ciated with Avastin, which can cause an increase in blood pressure, a runny nose and either dry or watery eyes.

“Roseann is doing extremely well,” Dr. Choksi reports. “She’s completely asymptomatic. � e � uid has not returned, nor has the cancer. She’s doing great, and part of that is because she has a good, pos-itive personality, which is very important in � ghting cancer.”

Having a good doctor may be even more important, and Roseann says she is fortunate to have two. She sometimes wonders how her situation might be dif-ferent had her primary care physician not referred her case to his wife.

“I’ve been in great hands since the very beginning of this,” Roseann enthuses. “I’m very confident in Dr. Choksi, and when you’re going through something like this, it’s very important to know your doctor is on top of everything and doing the right thing for you.

“She’s been absolutely wonderful, and so has everyone else at Florida Cancer Specialists. Everyone there is just so nice and accommodating. It’s strange to say, but I love seeing everyone every three weeks because they’re all so sweet, friendly and warm.

“And best of all, I’m feeling great now. I have more energy, and I feel like I’m back to normal and back to being myself again. As I said before, I really could not have been in better hands.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

Page 6 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition radiatiOn and medical OncOlOgy

F or 15 years, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) slowly robbed Sherwood White of his vision. In the beginning,

he was given injections of medication into his eyes, which slowed the disease’s progression for a while, but didn’t stop it. � ree and a half years ago, his eyes registered 20/200 on an eye test, and he was declared legally blind.

To learn more, visit them online at TheMagni� cationCompany.com

Rediscover Your Visual

IndependenceThe Magnifi cation Company provides hundreds of new, innovative magnifying products at its showroom or through convenient, no-charge home demonstrations throughout Florida. For additional information, email them at magnify@tampabay.rr.comor call or visit their office in St. Petersburg at:

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(866) 343-3395(727) 343-3395

Bob Schrepfer, owner and president of The Magnification Company has dedicated more than years to helping those with low vision regain their independence with high-powered magnifying devices. He also off ers entertaining and informative seminars for eye care professionals, health care providers and senior living communities. These seminars highlight the various new magnifying devices, including the latest magnifying prod-ucts in text-to-speech devices, wearable and portable electronic magnifi cation, and new services that become available for the visually impaired throughout Florida.

BOB SCHREPFER

The IrisVision® AdvantageWearable video magni� er provides visual independence

IrisVision has given Sherwood, who is legally blind, new sight.

“At � rst, the AMD was just in one eye, then it a� ected both of them,” shares the semi-retired � nancial advisor. “I knew something was wrong when the television started looking squiggly, and I needed to have really good light to read.

“I eventually reached a point when I couldn’t see my computer adequately to work, so I sold my business and limited my clients. I also downsized my home of twenty-seven years to two condos. One is where I work, the other is where I live. I had to get rid of my car and quit driving. I got a disabled parking pass and an ID card instead of a driver’s license.”

Sherwood’s failing eyesight impacted his quality of life in other ways as well.

“I couldn’t go to events like Rays or Bucs games,” he relates. “And I couldn’t go to my grandsons’ high school foot-ball games to watch them play because I couldn’t see what was happening on the � eld. At church, I couldn’t see the screen where they project the videos and words of the songs, and I couldn’t see the pastor or the choir.”

When Sherwood was declared legally blind, a representative from the Florida Division of Blind Services and a low-vision occupational therapist visited him. � ey taught him to use assistive technol-ogy and modify his tasks to live better with his poor eyesight.

“� e occupational therapist shared ideas that made it easier for me to work, including using a larger keyboard and a video magni-� er for my computer,” he describes. “Other tips included using bigger lights around my desk and a handheld magni� er.

“The therapist also referred me to Lighthouse of Pinellas, an organization for the blind and visually impaired, where I learned how to use an assistive cane. � ey provided all the magnifying prod-ucts I needed through Bob Schrepfer. He brought the products to my house, so I could try them out.”

Bob Schrepfer is president of The Magni� cation Company in St. Petersburg.

� e Magni� cation Company has provided magnifying assessments, training and lec-tures to people with vision issues for more than 30 years. � e company o� ers sales and services throughout Florida.

“Legal blindness is not the same as total blindness,” informs Bob. “People with legal blindness still have some remaining vision, but they’ve lost their visual inde-pendence to drive, recognize faces, watch TV, read print or do all of the things that those with good sight can still do.”

Wearable Magnifi er “� irteen months ago, IrisVision part-nered with Samsung and released a unique product for people with low vision called IrisVision. � is technol-ogy magnifies distant, intermediate and near vision. It’s totally hands-free and can increase o r d e c r e a s e magnification anywhere from one to twenty-four times with a seventy degree � eld of view, which is unheard of for telescopic devices.”

IrisVision is in a brand-new category of magni� ers known as a wear-able electronic magni� er.

Previous to its introduction, the most common devices that provided enough magni� cation to help people with low vision for distance tasks were monocular telescopes and/or binoculars.

“Those devices have significant drawbacks,” comments Bob. “Low vision monocular telescopes will go up to about ten times magni� cation and are typically used for spot reading, while binoculars

can only be held up to the eyes for a very limited time. In addition, the � eld of view with these devices is very limited and they only provide one speci� c power. IrisVision overcomes all of these obstacles.”

According to Bob, before IrisVision was released, its technology, to a lesser degree, was and still is available in desktop electronic magni� ers [CCTVs] that plug into the wall. � ese models are most often used for reading and writing tasks only. � ere’s also portable, handheld electronic magni� ers, but they are limited in their magni� cation range and screen size, plus they have to be held, which is tiresome.

“IrisVision looks like a wearable headset or goggles that can be used with or without prescription glasses,” notes Bob. “With a headset on, people’s hands

are free, so they can do all of their daily tasks like they’re wearing a glorified pair of glasses. The IrisVision, however, provides wearers enhanced contrast and

an unlimited amount of magni� cation, which

is why most visually

impaired individuals can see more detail more clearly with it on.”

The IrisVision technology returns people to the visual world, and makes them visually independent. With the IrisVision on, people can see across a room, recognize facial expressions, read text and access digital media. IrisVision uses a readily available but highly sophis-ticated virtual reality platform, which solves visual problems as well as keeps them cost-e� cient.

“One of the other attributes of IrisVision is that it has its own internal battery,” discloses Bob. “When it’s fully charged, it lasts for about three and a half hours of continuous use. If people need more, we provide a battery adapter that goes into a port underneath the unit. � at will keep it going for as much as eight hours of continuous use.

“� is allows people to go to events. We’ve had people go to Walt Disney

World’s® Epcot � eme Park so they could view the surroundings and the � owers. People use it to go places they haven’t been to in years.”

New World of Vision“I looked at many products before my low-vision doctor told me about IrisVision,” states Sherwood. “� e other products just weren’t going to work for me. I contacted Bob about IrisVision. He brought me an IrisVision headset, and it was just amazing.”

Going to events again was just one of the delights Sherwood experienced from the IrisVision headset he got from � e Magni� cation Company. He found that while wearing the IrisVision unit, he could see the television much better, and work at his computer and read with less di� culty. � e hands-free unit also makes him more independent.

“It’s amazing how the IrisVision helped me,” enthuses Sherwood. “I have reasonably normal vision with it. I can go to the games and see the action on the � eld when my grandsons play foot-ball. I can see pictures of my grandkids. I couldn’t do that before.

“Now, I can see everything in church plain as day. At my Rotary Club meet-ings, we have speakers, and many times, they have visual presentations. Without IrisVision, I can’t see them, but with it, I can see � ne. When I’m looking for some-thing detailed on my desk, like client � les, I put the IrisVision on because I can see so much better with it.”

Sherwood is amazed by his vision with the help of IrisVision. He shares his success story with friends who come over and visit.

“IrisVision opened up a whole new world of vision for me,” he o� ers. “My vision is like three-dimensional compared to the way it was before. I can see colors really well, and the IrisVision brings a lot of light into the picture.

“I absolutely recommend IrisVision and have already. I took mine to a ninety-one-year-old friend to let him try it. He said, Oh, my gosh. � is is the best thing I’ve seen yet. And I replied, It is for me, too.

“I had to � nd something that works because I wasn’t going to stop doing what I was doing. Bob and � e Magni� cation Company really came through for me.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz.

Stock photo from FreeImages.com.mkb

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7lOw visiOn

F or the better part of the ten years he suffered from hem-orrhoids, Jason* told no one of the condition, not even his

wife or his doctor. “I guess like a lot of people I was too

embarrassed to talk about it,” Jason con� des. “It was de� -nitely a problem, though. I’d wake up in the middle of the night, itching like crazy. I tried hemorrhoid cream, but it didn’t do anything. It was horrible.”

Now retired, Jason spent his working years in the broadcasting industry, where he managed radio and television stations. One day, he heard about HemWell America and had a revelatory moment.

“I said to myself, � at’s me. I’m not telling my wife about this; I’m not telling anybody,” Jason recalls. “So I went home that night and told my wife, I’m having a little problem down there and I’m going to make an appointment with HemWell.”

Outpatient Procedure“Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the rectum or anal canal and they’re extremely common,” notes Linh B. Nguyen, MD, of HemWell America. “In fact, more than � fty percent of people age � fty or older

have them to some degree.”Most sufferers are

understandably reluctant to try the available treat-ment options, some of which have traditionally been both painful and inconvenient. Fortunately, Dr. Nguyen o� ers microcur-rent electrolysis (MCE), an FDA-approved, nonsurgi-

cal method for treatment of hemorrhoids. � e noninvasive, relatively painless outpa-tient procedure has been helping patients for more than 20 years and is completed right in the doctor’s o� ce.

“A low current is applied to the base of the hemorrhoid, causing a chemical reaction that induces the hemorrhoid to shrink,” the doctor explains. “This method doesn’t cause the agonizing pain often associated with traditional hem-orrhoid surgery and is covered by most insurances and Medicare.

“In addition to being well tolerated by patients, this method does not require anesthesia, and it’s highly e� ective, safe

and convenient. Up to ninety percent of people who have it done get relief from their hemorrhoids, and it can be safely repeated as needed.

“One of the best things about it is that there is no need to take any special preparation to clear the bowels. Patients can have the procedure done and go back to work immediately, so there is no downtime. � e entire procedure takes approximately twenty minutes.”

“Feel Like New”“Dr. Nguyen makes you feel very comfort-able during the procedure,” says Jason, who reports that the MCE treatment was not only painless but immediately e� ective.

“I felt like a new person when I walked out of the doctor’s o� ce after the proce-dure,” he says. “� e itching was gone.”

Also gone is Jason’s unwillingness to talk about hemorrhoids. In fact, he talks about them freely now, in case it helps others.

“I tell people that this is the most comfortable treatment and it’s not an embarrassing situation,” he notes. “If you’re putting treatment o� because of embarrassment, don’t wait another sec-ond. Pick up the phone and get it done because it’s not embarrassing at all.”FHCN staff article. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at his request.

Quick, Easy and E� ective Safe, nonsurgical

treatment relieves

hemorrhoids

Microcurrent Electrolysis Hemorrhoid Treatment

• FDA-approved• Well-tolerated – no anesthesia

required• No downtime• No special preparation• No painful surgery• Covered by most insurance and

Medicare• Highly eff ective and safe

Linh B. Nguyen, MD, is board certifi ed and is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and received his medical degree from Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA. He is certifi ed in microcurrent electrolysis for the treatment of hemorrhoids.

Why Su� er?If pain, itching and bleeding from

hemorrhoids are aff ecting you, there’s help. Call HemWell America

today or visit one of their offi ces:

Pinellas Park5265 Park Blvd., Suite 101

Tampa4809 Armenia Ave., Suite 240

8553 W. Linebaugh Ave.

(855) 697-WELL (9355)

LINH B. NGUYEN, MD

Visit www.hemwellamerica.com

Innovative, Thorough and Compassionate Care

Zimmer Medical Services is readily available to assist those who want a more comprehensive physician-patient experience. To learn more about concierge medicine, call them or visit the practice in St. Petersburg at:

509 Jackson St. North

(727) 502-2626To � nd out more, check out Zimmer Medical Services online at www.zimmercm.com

Michael A. Zimmer, MD, MACP, is board certifi ed by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a master of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Zimmer completed his undergraduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his medical degree from Jeff erson Medical College in Philadelphia and then continued studies in general surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. Dr. Zimmer did post-graduate training in internal medicine at Morristown Memorial Hospital, a Columbia University affi liate, in Morristown, NJ. He is currently a clinical assistant professor of

medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa. He served as president of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians, where he was elected to Mastership and Fellowship. He serves on the Florida Medical Delegation to the American Medical Association and is also a member of the Pinellas County Medical Society.

MICHAEL A. ZIMMER, MD, MACP

I n their retirement, Jerome and Annette Baesel like to travel. � ey’re away from their Florida home four to � ve months out of the year. � ey feel

their health is in good hands when they’re traveling because wherever they go, they have their primary care physician with them.

Michael A. Zimmer, MD, the Baesels’ physician, is a board-certified internist with Zimmer Medical Services in St. Petersburg who practices concierge medicine. With this practice model, phy-sicians see fewer patients, so they are able to spend more time with the patients they see. � ey are also accessible to their patients after hours by phone and email.

For Dr. Zimmer, that accessibility includes when his patients are traveling.

“� e ability to reach Dr. Zimmer by email and text when we travel is a bene� t of his concierge practice I didn’t foresee,” Annette relates. “If something comes up while we’re away, we can contact him, and he responds right away.

“This summer, while we were in Canada, we thought Jerry had an infected bug bite. We contacted Dr. Zimmer by email, and he � gured out it was actually shingles. We found out what the problem was and what to do about it while in a place where it would’ve been di� cult to � nd a doctor who’d treat us.”

“Concierge physicians see patients the traditional way, of course, but we also have the bene� t of using technology to com-municate with them,” observes the doctor. “We can provide care without forcing patients to physically be in the o� ce.”

Dr. Zimmer recalls the occasion of Jerome’s shingles. He remembers being in constant contact with the Baesels as they gave a detailed description of Jerome’s symptoms. With that information, Dr. Zimmer was able to make his diagnosis, then carefully relay instructions for Jerome’s treatment to the couple in Canada.

“I started Jerome on medication to relieve the pain related to the shingles infection,” Dr. Zimmer states. “� e med-ications we use have side e� ects, so I have to monitor those and adjust the dose of medication accordingly. This usually requires frequent face-to-face visits.

“In this case, however, I was able to use the internet and phone to stay in touch with Annette and Jerome, engage Jerome’s response to the medi-cation and adjust as needed. I was able to provide the appropriate care while they were in Montreal.”

Best Benefi tFor Jerome, the extra time Dr. Zimmer spends with him is one of the best bene� ts of concierge medicine.

“We have three meetings each year when we spend half an hour on my issues,” Jerome describes. “Dr. Zimmer reviews everything in my � le beforehand, so he’s familiar with my issues when we sit down and talk. He addresses whatever issue I want to talk about.

“Annette and I are exceedingly happy with the concierge practice.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo courtesy of Jerome

and Annette Baesel. mkb

Constant Contact� e concierge model works well for trav-eling patients, notes Dr. Zimmer, because physicians who practice this way are not limited by the regulations of Medicare and commercial insurance. � ese insurers require o� ce appointments for physicians to provide care to patients.

Jerome and Annette Baesel

Physician by PhoneConcierge practice is accessible to traveling patients

Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition hemOrrhOid treatment

cOncierge medicine

DreamsSweetEnd back pain

with minimally invasive laser procedures

Laura Wall

JAMES ST. LOUIS, DOBRETT MENMUIR, 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 osteo-pathic 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 organizations including the American Osteopathic Association, American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, American Medical Association and American Association of Physician Specialists.

Brett Menmuir, MD, earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University and his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in orthopedic spine surgery as well as a fellowship at Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis, MN. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Society of Lateral Access Surgery and AO Spine.

Leaders in Interventional Pain Management and

Minimally Invasive Laser Spine Surgery

To learn more, visit them online at PPOASpine.com

(877) 331-6603

St. Petersburg th Avenue N, Suite B

Tampa N Habana Avenue, Suite

Physician Partners of America is committed to providing the highest levels of compassionate, patient-centered care possible. They have 20 locations across Florida to serve you. To schedule a consultation with one of their pain management or minimally inva-sive laser spine specialists in the greater Tampa area, call or visit:

T he nightmare began five years ago for Michigan native Laura Wall. That’s when the former Ford

Motor Company employee � rst expe-rienced stabbing pain in her lower back. Her doctor diagnosed the problem as spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spi-nal 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 minutes. � e pain was present every hour, every day, whether I was sitting or lying down.”

Over the years, Laura’s spinal stenosis deteriorated further, and her back pain intensified. 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 condi-tion 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 agoniz-ing 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.

“� e doctors said they couldn’t help me,” she recalls. “� ey 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 invasive spine sur-gery that was o� ered by the spine specialists 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.

After reviewing her MRI, Dr. St. Louistold Laura she didn’t need major sur-gery on her discs. Instead, he could perform a minimally 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 per-formed through smaller incisions than those u sed dur ing open surgery. But with min-imally invasive spine procedures, there’s more

to it than that. These procedures are muscle-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.

“ D u r i n g 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 recovery. It can be performed as an outpatient pro-cedure 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 Brett Menmuir, 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 remov-ing whatever is pinching it.

“Using this technique, patients generally have significant

improvement in their pain. And the procedures 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 ago-nizing 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 is 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

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9pain management/spine surgery

Reverse Bone LossOsteoStrong leverages scientifi cally p r o v e n o s t e o g e n i c - l o a d i n g methodologies to help all ages and fitness levels. It was created using research in cellular biology, anti-aging, longevity and bone mass. OsteoStrong is in South Pasadena at:

6800 Gulfport Blvd., Suite 211

(727) 317-2600

Diseases and Conditions That Can Cause Bone Loss include:

� Autoimmune disorders � Digestive disorders � Breast or prostate cancer � Stroke � Celiac disease � Lupus � Parkinson’s disease � Spinal cord injuries � Diabetes � Scoliosis � Poor posture and poor diet

OsteoStrong® o� ers a natural way to trigger your own adaptive responses to improve bone density and physical strength. It is the no-sweat, no-soreness, once-a-week system that only takes about seven minutes per session. More than 25,000 people have experienced amazing results from OsteoStrong. Supporting scienti� c data and countless personal testimonies are making OsteoStrong® the best choice for strong bones, muscles and balance in the world.

AFTEROsteoporosis

BEFORE

Noa found the OsteoStrong workouts easy and e� ective.

Reverse OsteoporosisOnce-a-week, 15-minute workouts

increase bone density

S ince discovering her life’s pur-pose and moving to the United States some 35 years ago, Noa Spector-Flock has not only

become a licensed massage therapist but written three books on body movement, wellness and injury prevention.

Her books and the videos that go with them explain how a speci� c set of exercises and the use of a large elastic band such as those used for resistance train-ing allow certain muscles in the body to lengthen while they contract.

Known clinically as eccentric contrac-tion, the goal of Noa’s exercise regimen is to improve overall strength and decrease the chances of injury. Unfortunately, Noa’s workout regimen doesn’t work for every part of the body.

Noa learned a couple years ago that while her workouts do indeed have the ability to improve the strength of certain muscle groups and therefore decrease a person’s chances of injury, they do nothing to ward o� the onset of osteoporosis.

Found most often in post-menopausal-women, osteoporosis is a potentially severe condition in which new bone growth does not keep pace with degeneration, and the bone mineral density becomes so low that the risk of fracture is markedly increased.

About 54 million Americans have oste-oporosis and low bone mass, which places them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Breaking a bone is a serious complication of osteoporosis, especially as people age.

Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely to occur in the hip, spine or wrist, but other bones can break too. Osteoporosis can also cause some to lose height as it can also a� ect the vertebrae, which are the bones in the spine, and often leads to a stooped posture.

Considered a silent disease by many physicians, osteoporosis often goes undetected until a person su� ers a bone fracture or change in posture, but statistics show one in two women and one in four

men will su� er an osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their lifetime.

After first being diagnosed with osteoporosis, Noa began taking an oystershell-based calcium supplement to improve her bone density. She learned six months later that wasn’t working for her. She then chose to get more aggres-sive in her � ght against osteoporosis.

“� e � rst thing I did was start taking a di� erent and hopefully more e� ective supplement that is made with algae,” Noa explains. “But I wanted to speed up the healing process, so I also decided to start doing the OsteoStrong workouts as well.”

Revolutionary ProgramA revolutionary program that has helped more than 25,000 people reverse the nega-tive e� ects of osteopenia and osteoporosis, OsteoStrong helps rebuild bone through

once-a-week, 15-min-ute sessions using specialized strength-ening equipment.

This specialized equipment includes four bio-mechanical machines that allows the user to perform r e s i s t a n c e - b a s e d pushing and pulling exercises with their arms and/or legs. During these exer-cises, the user can safely exert pressure

four to 12 times their body weight. “� e di� erence between our exer-

cise equipment and that used at a traditional gym is that our equipment is isometric, which means tension is developed without contraction of the muscle,” states Mark Brady, president of OsteoStrong in South Pasadena.

“� ere is no force pushing against you, which means you create the force. On the leg press, for example, I’ve had ladies in their eighties weighing one hun-dred pounds who can press a thousand pounds. � at’s because it’s isometric.

“For a person who weighs one hundred pounds to develop new bone working out on traditional equipment, they would have to create a resistance of well over four hun-dred pounds,” Mark continues.

“� at simply can’t be done for ninety-nine percent of all people in a gym environment because it involves weights that they couldn’t physically move or, if they could, they’d be at high risk of injury.”

To understand the di� erence, Mark invites people to come in and try the equipment for themselves, noting that his facility in South Pasadena o� ers two free sessions that allow newcomers to experi-ence the OsteoStrong workout.

“This is an amazing concept that is the culmination of twelve years of research that looked into the body’s own adaptive response to growing

new bone and muscle structure and improving the density of the bones we have,” Mark says.

“As a result of that research, it is now a known medical fact that when you put certain forces on the bones, the body responds by growing new bone tissue. And the results of these short workouts is absolutely amazing.

“On average, our studies have found that OsteoStrong improves people’s bone density from three to seven percent a year. Also, people will increase their strength by an average of seventy-three p e r c en t ove r their � rst year at OsteoStrong.”

Mark a l so points out that similar studies show that doing an OsteoStrong s e s s i on more than once a week does not promote any additional bene� t. As a result, the workouts are not only impactful, but time e� cient.

Mark encourages men and women of all ages to accept his invitation to try out the OsteoStrong equipment, because he says it’s important to know that osteopo-rosis is not a disorder that is exclusive to a speci� c age group or gender.

“Osteoporosis is not something that only happens to old people,” he notes. “We have clients from young to old and every-thing in between. And men are not immune. When they start losing their testosterone, their bone loss becomes more rapid.

“In addition to helping them recover from it, OsteoStrong wants to help edu-cate people about bone loss. � e skeletal framework is the most important part of

the body and you need to take care of it and be aware of changes to it.”

Noa is among those who have experienced a significant increase in bone density levels since beginning the OsteoStrong program. She says a very recent density scan showed that she made the right call by beginning OsteoStrong workouts.

“� e workouts are de� nitely mak-ing a di� erence, and one of the things I really like about them is they’re very easy,” Noa says. “I also like that if you are

ambitious, you can track your improvement in terms of how much weight you push.

“And there’s always some-one there to guide you and watch you and

make sure that you’re doing the exercises right and getting the maximum bene� t. Everyone there is very personable and helpful. I’m a big fan, and I highly rec-ommend it.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition OsteOpOrOsis treatment

ERICK A. GRANA, MD

Erick A. Grana, MD, is a diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabil i tat ion and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, with subspecialty certifica-tion in pain medicine. After he

received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, he completed his internship and residency at the university’s hospital and was subsequently awarded a fel-lowship from the department of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Grana is a former assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a member of the American Medical Association, the International Spinal Injection Society and the Florida Academy of Pain Medicine.

For more information about stem cell therapy, please call or visit Regenerative Orthopedic Institute in Tampa at:

8011 North Himes Avenue, Suite 3

Visit Regenerative Orthopedic Institute on the web at www.dontoperate.com

(813) 868-1659

New GenerationRegenerative stem cell therapy relieves

disabling knee pain without surgery

T he arrival on the internet of websites such as Ancestry.com,FamilySearch.com and MyHeritage.com has helped

turn genealogy into the second most popular hobby in America. Eighty-two-year-old Lydia Pain is among those caught up in the craze.

“It’s fascinating,’’ Lydia declares. “I recently found out that my family actually has its roots in Greece, Italy and Spain and that someone way back was a privateer, which is like a pirate who’s licensed to hold up merchant ships on the high seas during a war.”

The wife of a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, Lydia’s passion for researching the family trees of friends and other family members has replaced the passion she once had for gardening, which remains the number one hobby in the country.

“Gardening used to be my favorite hobby, but I had to give that up a couple of years ago,’’ Lydia says. “I say I gave it up because of my age, but I had some knee problems that made it hard for me to get up and down and made gardening di� cult.”

Gardening wasn’t the only activity that became di� cult for Lydia. Her knee pain also made it hard for her to climb stairs and eventually made walking more of a chore than it should be. At one point, she was literally bedridden by her pain.

“My husband purchased a walker for me, but even with the walker, the pain was so intense, I couldn’t do anything,’’ Lydia relates. “I was probably in bed for two weeks before I � nally built up the courage to do something about it.”

What held Lydia back from seeking medical attention was her suspicion she would be told the problem could only be corrected through knee replacement sur-gery. She wasn’t surprised then when the � rst doctor she visited suggested just that.

Largely because of her age and the time required for recovery, Lydia was unwilling to go through surgery. As a result, she began looking for an alterna-tive. She found it while reading a copy of Florida Health Care News.

Since receiving the RegenaJoint treatment, Lydia has been pain free for two years. 

“I was looking through the paper and saw an article about him and his practice,” Lydia says of Erick A. Grana, MD, of Regenerative Orthopedic Institute. “After reading the article, I was intrigued by his work and the success he’s had.

“After that, I started researching him a little more, and the more I researched him, the more I learned things that made me comfortable with him. I learned, for example, that Dr. Grana was a professor at Baylor University in Texas.

“My brother taught there for a while, too, and that was a selling point for me. Since I had someone in my own family who had taught at the same university he had, I felt good about him and decided to see if he could help me.”

New Age Specialty Dr. Grana specializes in regenerative medicine and treats patients with a nonsurgical technique called stem cell therapy. � is therapy uses the patient’s own specialized stem cells to promote the growth of new tissue in joints ravaged by arthritis or injury.

“Regenerative medicine treats disease and injuries by harnessing the body’s own healing powers,’’ Dr. Grana explains. “� e natural healing process is accelerated by a combination of growth factors and bio-active cells in the form of stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

“� is process results in a safe, e� ective treatment, and unlike traditional surgery, which can result in blood loss, scarring and long, painful recovery periods, stem cell therapy requires only injections into the damaged joint.

“It also o� ers a much quicker recov-ery than surgery. Typically, patients begin to feel a noticeable decrease in pain after six weeks.”

Stem cell therapy is autologous, meaning it utilizes stem cells, PRP and growth factors taken from the patient’s own body. Using the patient’s own cells eliminates the chances of reactive side e� ects or rejection.

Stem cells are extracted from the patient’s bone marrow or fat, while the PRP is taken from the patient’s own blood. The harvested stem cells are separated through a centrifuge and injected into the painful area to stimu-late the regeneration of damaged tissue and the healing of tendons, ligaments, joints or spinal discs.

“When I was first introduced to stem cell therapy, I recognized its tre-mendous potential for patients who would otherwise have limited treatment options for pain relief,” Dr. Grana dis-closes. “Patients with osteoarthritis, in particular, have very few choices other than surgery when the condition advances and damages the joint.

“Since surgery has potential com-plications, when we treat arthritic joints without surgery, patients do much bet-ter. Not only can we relieve the patient’s pain, but we can also reverse some of the damage done by the osteoarthritis. � is is accomplished by regenerating the cartilage and connective tissues in and around the joint area.”

Dr. Grana has developed a system for the delivery of stem cells and PRP into the pain generators in and around joints such as the knees, shoulders and hips. It’s called RegenaJoint™.

He also developed a similar system to treat the spine called RegenaSpine™. RegenaJoint and RegenaSpine are both minimally invasive procedures that are performed right in the doctor’s office using a local anesthetic. Patients typically resume normal activities immediately fol-lowing the procedure.

Marvelous Outcome Lydia � rst went to see Dr. Grana two years ago. � ough the doctor she � rst visited told her she had no cartilage left in her knees, she was con� dent there was enough left to make her a candidate for stem cell therapy. Dr. Grana con� rmed her belief.

“I had done my homework and thought I understood that there is almost always a little bit of cartilage left that can grow,’’ she says. “� at’s what I was aiming for, and when Dr. Grana said there was, I said, Great, let’s go ahead with the injections.”

After going through the extraction process, which she describes as simple and painless, Lydia eventually received stem cell injections in both knees. She returned about a month later for a sec-ond injection in each knee. Her pain began to disappear soon thereafter.

“After I received the injections, it was like a miracle had happened,’’ Lydia exudes. “I was in pain for so long, but I have now been pain free going on two years. I do walk with a cane when walk-ing long distances, but that’s because I’m afraid of falling, not because of pain.

“� e pain is truly gone, and that’s the most important thing because pain is very aging. It makes you not want to do things, but Dr. Grana took care of that. I have to tell you, he is so nice, and he answered all the questions I had.

“He explained everything about the procedure so well, and he really knows what he’s doing. As for me, I just mar-veled at the whole thing because it’s such a simple procedure compared to the replacement surgery, and it gets even better results.

“I was so impressed that I even encouraged my son, who is � fty-� ve and has some knees that are in very bad shape, to have it. He did, and he’s thrilled with the outcome, just like I am.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by Jordan Pysz. mkb

Lydia Pain

Don’t Operate, Regenerate

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2019 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11stem cell therapy/pain management

New hearing instruments can � nally stop the ringing in your ears

STOP That

RINGING!

Dean M. Knoblach, BC-HIS, is a graduate of the National Institute of Hearing Instrument Studies. Dean founded Knoblach Hearing Care in . Since then, he has received many recognitions. The most recent includes ranking in The Hearing Review as one of the

“Top Hearing Healthcare Professionals of ,” the Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame Award in , and Angie’s List Super Service Award/Best in Hearing Healthcare , , , . He is a member of the American Hearing Aid Association and

Florida Society of Hearing Healthcare Professionals, and is nationally Board Certifi ed in Hearing Instrument Sciences.

Kathleen O. Knoblach, HAS, is a licensed hearing aid specialist with more than years of experience in the hearing health care fi eld. Consistently ranked for years as a top-performing specialist at a very large practice in Orlando, she teamed up with Dean after marrying him in . Together, Dean and Kathleen have dedicated

the rest of their careers to serving the hearing impaired through Knoblach Hearing Care.

If you or a loved one is experiencing difficulty hearing and are interested in trying this technology, Knoblach Hearing Care is currently conducting free clinical trial programs. For more information, visit Knoblach Hearing Care online at www.knoblachhearingcare.com or call (727) 530-3533.

For more information, visit them online at www.knoblachhearingcare.com

D ominick Luca retired and moved to Florida in 2012 after working more than 30 years in the engineering divi-

sion of the City of New York. Most of his career, Dominick was an operating engineer, but he worked his way up and eventually began managing boiler plant and air condi-tioning systems in o� ce buildings, college campuses, hospitals and other public spaces.

With his hearing instruments, Dominick says he hears like

he’s 20 years old again

Better Hearing For Life

From the latest in hearing aid technology to ear wax removal and in-offi ce repairs, Knoblach Hearing Care can help. Dean Knoblach has specialized in hearing care since . Dean and the staff at Knoblach Hearing Care welcome the opportunity to discuss your hearing needs. For answers to your personal hearing health care questions, please call or visit the offi ce in Largo at:

2480 East Bay Dr., Suite 17

(727) 530-3533

Tinnitus, the perception of sound when no external noise is present, can manifest in di� erent ways, including ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing and clicking sounds. In most cases, tinnitus is subjective, only the

person can hear the sound. In very rare cases, it’s objective, others can hear it as well.Tinnitus is quite common. The US Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention estimates it a� ects nearly 15 percent of the population or more than 50 million Americans. Research suggests roughly 20 million people struggle with burdensome chronic tinnitus and two million su� er extreme, debilitating cases.

Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of another underlying condition. Hearing loss, including that which is age-related and noise-induced, is commonly associated with the development of tinnitus. It is believed that the condition progresses as a result of damage to the ear’s auditory system.

Other issues associated with tinnitus include obstructions in the middle ear, head and neck trauma, temporomandibular joint disorder, sinus pressure, and traumatic brain injury. It may also occur as a side e� ect of certain medications that are toxic to the auditory system.

Certain groups are at high risk for developing tinnitus. � ese include senior citizens, active military personnel and veterans, people employed in loud workplace environments, musicians and music lovers, and motorsports and hunting enthusiasts.

A Tale of

His was a long, loud career that began when Dominick was young and a new recruit in the US Navy. � ere, he got his initial work experience with heating sys-tems, sweating over the boilers on the ships to which he was assigned. Between his Navy service and his service to New York City, Dominick spent decades in high-decibel sound. It wasn’t without consequences.

“With all the years of working on machinery, not wearing hearing pro-tection as much as I should have while doing things like welding, hammering and bending metal, and from the constant pounding and banging of metals, my ears took abuse,” he shares.

“I noticed I had a hearing loss, and I found myself constantly asking people to repeat themselves. I also noticed since I retired that my right ear was ringing. It was a nuisance and making me a little nuts, because it was twenty-four hours a day. It was maddening to live with it.”

Frustrated, Dominick sought the advice of his trusted family physician, who immediately referred Dominick to Dean M. Knoblach, board-certi� ed Hearing Instrument Specialist at Knoblach Hearing Care in Largo. When Dominick met Dean, he understood why his doctor was so quick to recommend him.

“Dean was very interested in making sure he knew exactly what was happen-ing with me,” describes Dominick. “He started by doing several tests. He’s up-to-date on all the technology. He has all types of equipment to help him deter-mine what’s needed. He found that I had particular di� erences between my left and right ears.”

Dominick added, “It knocked out the tinnitus and by the time he was done tuning these devices, my hearing was crisp and clear. It’s been years since I was able to hear this well.”

Tinnitus TroublesFor many, common tinnitus comes in the form of a buzzing, ringing or even cricket-like sound. In reality, it is a phantom sound without any real acoustic stimulation, which also means the person who su� ers from it can’t just walk away from it.

For some, it comes and goes by the time of day, and for others it stays all day and night for years. Chronic tinnitus suf-ferers can experience severe problems such as anxiety, insomnia and eventually severe depression.

“More than � fty million Americans experience tinnitus, and studies show most of those people also have diminished hearing,” informs Dean.

Until just recently, there’s been little help for tinnitus. Now, with the advent of digital tinnitus maskers, total relief can be just a hearing exam away.

“Several manufacturers now carry this feature in their high-end models, but there is a de� nite di� erence in these mod-els’ abilities to get the job done,” Dean states. “Since more than ninety percent of all tinnitus involves some sort of acoustic trauma, each and every case is di� erent.

“It’s our job at Knoblach Hearing Care to determine what combination of particular technology and settings is necessary to properly address each indi-vidual’s needs. � ere is never one model that works for all, but with the right tech-nology and proper settings, nearly all cases are correctable.”

Maximum Benefi t� e combination of hearing instrument and masking device Dean recommended for Dominick was a perfect � t. Dominick is amazed by the di� erence it makes when he uses his instruments compared to when he leaves them out.

“The devices are just wonderful,” Dominick o� ers. “I don’t wear them at night, but during the day I wear them and I’m tinnitus free. � ey’ve been one hun-dred percent e� ective for me.”

Dominick’s hearing has bene� ted as well. He relays that he’s back to hearing like he did as a younger man.

“My ears su� ered from abuse all those years, but with these devices, it’s like I’m twenty years old again,” says Dominick. “I can hear, and I don’t ask people to repeat

themselves. Because these devices mu� e the tinnitus, it helps to hear more crisply what people are saying, even in a crowd.”

While he’s extremely thrilled with the result of his trips to Knoblach Hearing Care, Dominick stresses that he was also pleased by his visits there. He says Dean and his sta� are worthy of praise as well.

“It’s a fantastic facility that is focused on total customer satisfaction, from Dean’s diagnosis right down to the work of the receptionist,” reports Dominick. “They smile. They make you laugh. � ey’re all perfectionists. I would give them � ve stars. I would recommend them without a doubt.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Fall 2019 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition hearing health care