Spinal D Gary Reeder ARTICLES · “There are noninvasive methods for monitoring patients’ heart rhythms, including EKGs and Holter monitors, but those methods give us incomplete

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Gary Reeder

G ary Reeder, 65, is a fourth-g e n e r a t i o n Ma n a t e e County tomato grower. Gary retired in July after 45

years in the business. He’s the Manatee County Farm Bureau president and previously served on the State Advisory Committee Board. But the career farmer didn’t always want to grow tomatoes.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t want anything to do with farming because all my weekends were spent working on the farm,” Gary relates. “I wasn’t thinking about doing that as my lifelong career, but I had no other real prospects. I worked for a little while in air conditioning but didn’t know if that was going to be my career. I really didn’t have a big idea of what I wanted to do. I wanted to get through college and go from there.

“Then, on a Sunday afternoon during my third semester in college, my dad called me and said, “Son, if I’m going to keep this farm going, I need your help. I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow at six o’clock. What was I going to do? I was going to work for my dad. I was about twenty years old at the time. � at’s how I started as a tomato farmer.”

Running a farm is grueling business, and Gary’s family farm, which started as 200 acres, grew to 600 acres with crops in the fall and spring. Gary was involved in every aspect of the farming process, which included extensive lifting and bending and hours spent riding on a tractor. An incident with a tractor when he was 25 had long-lasting repercussions for Gary.

“I went into a ditch on the tractor, and the seat bottomed out on me,” Gary recalls. “I’ve had back problems ever since, and they progressed as I continued doing physical labor and riding on tractors. � ere was always an aching pain in my back, but two or three times a year, the pain became excruciating.

“At those times, it was a stabbing pain. It felt like someone was sticking an ice pick into my back. And there was nerve pain running all the way to

the bottoms of my feet. It usually took about a week to get over that, but the aching was constant.”

This pattern went on for many years, but this past year, Gary’s back pain reached a tipping point.

“� ere was pain pretty consistently since the tractor accident, but I was able to bear it and deal with it,” Gary states. “But last year, my back pain became critical. It hurt so bad, I couldn’t function properly. I could barely walk. I could hardly even move.”

Gary tried chiropractic treatment, physical therapy and steroid injections into his back, but none of those treat-ments brought him lasting pain relief. At that point, Gary’s doctor made the recommendation Gary dreaded.

“The last time I went for a steroid injection, the orthopedic surgeon told me the next step was surgery, but I didn’t want surgery,” Gary shares. “I wanted to � nd something else that would help me. I read about Dr. Aderholdt in Florida Health Care News, and that’s when I got involved with VAX-D® � erapy.”

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Physicians are on the medical sta� of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, but with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the non-discrimination notice, please visit our website at lakewoodranchmedicalcenter.com.

To make an appointment with a physician on sta� at the hospital, call the Referral and Registration Center at (941) 708-8100

Clinical Expertise, Exceptional Care

To learn more, please visit www.LakewoodRanchMedicalCenter.com

Jared Collins, DO, is board certifi ed in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also certifi ed in echocardiography by the National Board of Echocardiography and in nuclear cardiology by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. Dr. Collins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO, and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed a

rotating internship and a residency in internal medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ. He also completed fellowships in cardiovascular disease and cardiac electrophysiology at Cooper University

Hospital in Camden, NJ. Dr. Collins is a member of the Heart Rhythm Society and American College of Cardiology.

Since it opened its doors in , Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has earned the Gold Seal of Approval for its commitment to performance standards and an “A” safety rating from the Leapfrog Group. Its patients have access to more than physicians and allied health professionals who practice in a comprehensive range of specialties and use the hospital’s advanced medical technology. To learn more, call or visit the hospital at:

8330 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.Lakewood Ranch

(941) 782-2100

Every heart has a rhythm, and that rhythm is measured by the heart’s electrical system.

� at’s what happens when special cells create electrical signals that travel along pathways to the heart’s upper and lower chambers. � e signals prompt the chambers to � ll up with blood, then eject it in a precise sequence. A completed sequence constitutes a heartbeat.

But sometimes, abnormal cells in the heart create abnormal electrical signals that cause irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias. There are different types of arrhythmias. Some are harmless, but others are life-threatening.

“People may have slow heart rhythms, which include bradycardia, complete heart block and pauses in heart rhythm,” notes Jared Collins, DO, a board-certified internist and fellowship-trained cardiac electrophysiologist at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

“� ere are fast arrhythmias as well, such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and supraventricular tachycardia. � ere are heart rhythm disorders that come from the bottom of the heart, including ventricular tachycardia and ventricular � brillation, which can be deadly.”

In some cases, people are born with excess conduction tissue in their heart that creates extra electrical signals, causing an arrhythmia. Most times, however, arrhythmias develop over time.

Many factors can contribute to arrhythmia development, including scarring of the heart from a heart attack, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, coronary artery disease, diabetes, smoking, drug abuse, excessive ca� eine intake, stress and certain medications. Symptoms vary depending on the arrhythmia.

“Sometimes, arrhythmias have no symptoms, and the patient’s doctor discovers the condition on a routine examination,” Dr. Collins informs. “In other cases, there are noticeable symptoms. But having symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a serious heart problem. � at’s determined through a thorough physical exam and testing.”

Noticeable arrhythmia symptoms include a feeling that the heart is racing or skipping beats, which is common with tachycardia; a slow heartbeat, which is a

symptom of bradycardia; or shortness of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness, sudden weakness, sweating, fainting and sudden cardiac arrest, which can occur with ventricular � brillation.

Identifying the source of the arrhythmia is necessary to determine the most appropriate treatment, Dr. Collins stresses.

“Everyone’s heart has its own native pacemaker system,” the doctor relates. “But over time, abnormalities in the normal heart rhythm can arise, and oftentimes, those abnormalities must be clearly de� ned.

“In those cases, invasive tests may be the best way to localize the abnormalities and determine where in the heart they’re coming from. We may need to study people’s electrical system in detail to deter-mine treatment for their arrhythmia. We do that by stimulating the heart in various regions via catheters and evaluating how the heart reacts.”

� e tests used are called electrophysi-ology, or EP, studies, and they’re among the services o� ered through Lakewood Ranch Medical Center’s new electrophysiology service line. � e service line was intro-duced in July following the installation of new equipment in Lakewood Ranch Medical Center’s expansion of the cardiac catheterization/electrophysiology lab.

“� is service line is a great bene� t for our community,” Dr. Collins asserts. “It gives us the opportunity to treat patients at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center

who previously had to be transferred to other facilities to receive those services. It further localizes specialty care.”

Abnormalities Ablated“There are noninvasive methods for monitoring patients’ heart rhythms, including EKGs and Holter monitors, but those methods give us incomplete information,” Dr. Collins reports. “To get more in-depth data about a patient’s heart rhythm and electrical system so we can determine the best treatment, we often have to perform EP studies.

“Once those studies are completed and we have the infor-mation we need, we can more effectively treat the patient’s arrhythmia with medi-cation, an implanted device or a procedure called radiofrequency ablation.”

M e d i c a t i o n s may be used to treat tachycardia, a fast heart rhythm. Medications will not cure the arrhythmia but are typically e� ective at reducing its symptoms and reestablishing proper electrical conduc-tivity in the heart.

“Patients diag-nosed with slow heart

rhythms, or bradycardia, may bene� t from an implanted cardiac device, such as a pace-maker,” Dr. Collins observes. “A pacemaker uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal minimum rate.

“An implantable cardioverter de� brillator, or ICD, is a device that detects dangerously fast or chaotic heartbeats and delivers a shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm. We implant pacemakers and ICDs at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.”

During radiofrequency ablation, catheters are inserted, typically through a vein in the leg, and worked up through the venous system into the heart. � rough the catheters, the electrophysiologist stimulates the heart and localizes the areas where the abnormal signals are originating.

“We use radiofrequency energy to wipe out those areas and eliminate the abnormal signals they’re creating,” Dr. Collins explains. “We deliver heat energy to very localized regions of the heart to destroy the abnormal tissue without damaging the rest of the heart.

“Using radiofrequency energy, we’re able to cause controlled areas of scarring in the heart to ablate the abnormalities and leave the rest of the heart in healthy condition.”

The Sooner, the BetterTo reduce the risk of developing arrhyth-mias, people should live a heart-healthy lifestyle. � at includes exercising regu-larly, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a low-fat diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and other vitamin-rich foods.

“If people smoke, they should quit,” Dr. Collins adds. “And they should limit their intake of alcohol and caffeine. Some people will notice an increase in symptoms when using products high in ca� eine such as tea, co� ee, soda and certain over-the-counter medications.

“They should avoid stimulants as well, which can be found in certain cough and cold medicines, and some herbal and nutritional supplements. Some of those products can lead to irregular heart rhythms. I recommend people consult their doctor or pharmacist to determine which products are best for them. � ey should also avoid illegal drugs.”

There are other factors that put people at risk for arrhythmias. These include stress because severe stress, anxiety or fear can cause the heart to beat out of rhythm, as can intense physical activity. People must � nd healthy ways to manage stress, and if certain physical activities lead to abnormal heart rhythms, those activities should be avoided.

“People should talk with their doctor about treating conditions that may contribute to the development of arrhyth-mias, such as coronary artery disease, hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure and diabetes,” Dr. Collins says. “Keeping these conditions under control can help reduce the risk for heart rhythm disorders.

“It’s important that people get regular physical exams and tell their doctor about any unusual symptoms they’re experiencing. Most arrhythmias are harmless, but others can be deadly. In any case, the sooner they’re discovered and treated, the better.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. mkb

The Rhythm of the BeatNew service line broadens care for arrhythmia patients

DAVID A. NAPOLIELLO, MD, FACS

For more information, please visit www.DavidNapolielloMD.com

David A. Napoliello, MD, FACS, is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He earned his undergraduate degree at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, and his med-ical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Napoliellocompleted his residency in general surgery at Penn State–Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, and a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. He is past chief of surgery for Venice Hospital

and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Napoliello was voted one of the top general surgeons in Sarasota and Manatee Counties by his peers and

patients for the Castle Connolly list of America’s Top Doctors ten years in a row.

Learn MoreDr. Napoliello and his staff look forward to answering your questions. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the number below or visit them at one of their two offi ce locations:

Lakewood RanchMedical Offi ce Building

8340 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.Suite 101

Venice411 Commercial Court

(941) 388-9525

Are You at Risk for a Hernia?Learn the facts and � gures in this Q&A

N early one out of every ten people will su� er some type of a hernia during their lifetime, and while hernias most often occur in men over the age of 40, women and children are not immune.

Men, women and children alike can develop hernias as a result of heavy lifting, straining, coughing or any unusual stress that causes a sudden increase of intra-abdominal pressure. � at’s

why more than a million hernia repairs are performed each year in the United States.Some hernias are congenital, or present at birth, whereas others develop as a result of a predisposition for hernia,

and anyone who has surgery may experience a weakening of tissue at the incision site that could result in a hernia.Because everyone is at risk, Florida Health Care News turns to a specialist in minimally invasive surgery, David

A. Napoliello, MD, to learn more about hernia repair. Dr. Napoliello, practicing in Venice, Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

FAQsAccording to Dr. Napoliello, a her-

nia is a defect of the abdominal wall that allows a protrusion of an organ or structure through the wall that normally contains it.

Q: What are some of the other common types of hernias?A: An umbilical hernia takes place when abdominal contents protrude through the naturally occurring tiny opening behind the belly button. Incisional hernias can take place when a previous surgery leaves an abdominal wall defect that allows the abdominal contents to protrude through it and bulge out.

Q: Will a small hernia ever heal itself?A: No, a hernia does not heal itself or improve over time without intervention. � e only exception to this may be small umbilical hernias in young children.Q: What treatments are available for hernias?A: Surgeons may choose one of several hernia repair techniques today, depending on the patient and the size of the hernia.

In the past, the only hernia repair option available was called a tension repair. In this open surgical procedure, the physi-cian makes an incision at the site, pushes the protruding tissue back into place, and stitches the tissue layers together. The potential disadvantages of this type of sur-gery are relatively long recovery periods, relatively high recurring rates and discom-fort following surgery.

Today, we can o� er a variety of both minimally invasive open procedures and laparoscopic procedures.Q: Please describe the minimally invasive open procedures.A: Unlike the tension repair, minimally invasive open procedures are tension free because the stitches or sutures used do not put tension on the sides of the defect to keep it closed. Instead, special mesh patches are used that limit the size of the required inci-sion. � ese procedures o� er lower recurring rates, quick recovery and only minor dis-comfort following the surgery. Additionally, the minimally invasive approach allows the patient to avoid general anesthesia.Q: How do the laparoscopic surgeries di� er?A: � ere are two main options for lap-aroscopic surgery. In the transabdominal approach, the physician makes a small incision and slides the laparoscope, which is a thin telescope, through the abdominal wall into the abdomen. For the preperito-neal approach, the laparoscope slides in between the tissues of the abdominal wall. With both approaches, the doctor views the hernia and surrounding tissue on a video screen.Q: What are the advantages of laparoscopic surgery?A: Depending on the patient, of course, there are several. Because it requires only small incisions, it will likely mean less pain and a shorter recovery time for patients, and because the physician has

the advantage of looking through the lap-aroscope, previously undiagnosed hernias may be discovered. Additionally, the lap-aroscopic approach allows us to manage recurrent hernias and to optimize any repeat surgery because we do not have to go through the same incision site.Q: Is this surgery done on an outpatient basis?A: Yes, and it is usually performed in under an hour.Q: Have there been any improvements to these surgical techniques in recent years?A: De� nitely. Scienti� c improvements to help hernia repair include the addition of very lightweight arti� cial meshes and biologic meshes such as processed skin grafts. Other improvements to decrease chronic pain associated with hernia repairs include the addition of absorb-able tacking devices and dissolvable sutures, which help to decrease the risk of nerve entrapments.

These improvements are mainly geared toward decreasing pain and improving the repair, thereby shortening recovery time.Q: Once the surgery has healed, will the patient experience any diminished quality of life?A: No, most patients will be able to return to a normal routine. In fact, data show that within a week’s time, most people will feel well. Because I am conservative, I recommend that my patients avoid any physical strain for four weeks.FHCN staff article. LINX device graphic courtesy of TORAX®

Medical. mkb

Slick as a LINX®The back� ow of stomach acids

into the esophagus is a com-mon, painful condition called

gastroesophageal re� ux disease, or GERD. Cases of GERD that can’t be controlled with medications are sometimes treated with a Nissen fun-doplication. During this procedure, the surgeon wraps the upper portion of the stomach around the esophagus, tight-ening the opening and keeping stomach acids in the stomach.

Now, there is a new option for GERD treatment that is less invasive and proving to be equally, if not more e� ective than fundoplication in reducing GERD symptoms. � is technique uses a re� ux-preventing device called the LINX Re� ux Management System.

“� e LINX device is a small, � exi-ble, circular band of interlinked magnetic beads made of titanium,” describes Dr. Napoliello. “The device is placed around the base of the esophagus, and it

essentially acts as a new, arti� cial lower esophageal sphincter, or

LES, the opening into the stomach.

“The beads in the device form a strong mag-netic bond, which holds

this arti� cial LES tightly closed. When patients swal-

low, the movement of food passing through the lower part of

the esophagus breaks that bond and allows food to pass from the esophagus into the stomach. After that, the mag-netic bond quickly reforms, which resists gastric pressures and prevents acids from � owing backward.”

Q: How does a person know when he or she has a hernia?A: A person may suspect a hernia if he or she notices a bulge under the skin. Additional symptoms may include discomfort or pain during any of the fol-lowing: lifting heavy objects, sneezing or coughing, straining while using the toi-let, standing or sitting for long periods of time. Because delayed treatment can sometimes result in the intestine being trapped inside the hernia sac, resulting in gangrene, any bulge should be brought to a physician’s attention immediately so diagnosis and treatment can begin. If left untreated, some complications from her-nias can be fatal.

Q: Dr. Napoliello, what is the most common type of hernia?A: � e most common type of hernia is called an inguinal hernia. It is a defect or weakness in the abdominal muscle wall through which intestine and fat layers protrude, forming a visible bulge in the groin area.

To visualize the dynamics of it, think of an automobile tire. The abdominal wall is like the thick outer wall of the tire. Should the tire get damaged, the inner tube can push through the weakened area or crack and form a small bubble. If the abdominal wall becomes weakened, the thinner, � exible tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen and holds the intestines in place, called the peritoneum, can bulge into the outer wall. In the tire, it is easy to see that the inner tube can become stran-gled by the pressure of the edges of the crack through which it is protruding. It is the same with a hernia.

Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | Sarasota Edition Sarasota Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3meDical center minimally invaSive General SurGery

(continued from page 1)

Craig S. Aderholdt, DC, received his undergraduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University, State College, and his Doctor of Chiropractic

degree from Life University School of Chiropractic, Marietta, GA, where he graduated cum laude. Dr. Aderholdt also holds certifi cation in Chiropractic Adjunctive Physiotherapy from New York Chiropractic College and completed extensive postgraduate training in therapeutic modalities at National-Lincoln School. He is a member of the Florida Chiropractic Association and American Chiropractic Association and is a certifi ed VAX-D Therapy consultant. He was also voted

the Bradenton Herald People’s Choice Awards Winner for , the Manatee Herald-Tribune Awards winner for

, and and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune fi nalist for , , and winner in . (941) 756-5528

Get “Back” to Wellness … Naturally!

Please visit www.backpaininstitutew� .com

If your MRI shows disc herniation, a bulging disc or degenerative disc disease, you may be a candidate for VAX-D Therapy.

It may be the treatment that helps you avoid an unnecessary surgery. For additional information or to schedule a consultation,

call or visit one of these Back Pain Institute of West Florida locations:

Craig S. Aderholdt, DC, of Back Pain Institute of West Florida provides the most advanced treatments for patients in severe pain, such as Gary. Among those treatments is a unique, nonsurgical treatment called VAX-D � erapy, which is a patented, FDA-approved medical decompression technique for alleviating pressure on the discs of the spine.

“My MRI showed two moderately herniated discs in my lumbar spine and severe stenosis in my sacrum area,” Gary describes. “Dr. Aderholdt explained that the stabbing pain was my nerves getting pinched. � ere wasn’t enough room for them with the herniating discs and the narrowing in the spinal canal.

“Dr. Aderholdt told me he could help me with my pain. He’s very in tune with what he wants to accomplish with VAX-D � erapy, and he explained how it can help me and why it helps. I didn’t want to go through surgery for my back pain, so I started VAX-D � erapy.”

Negative PressureWhile VAX-D Therapy is a medical decompression technique, it is not a traction device, Dr. Aderholdt stresses. It works differently and achieves significantly better results, the doctor reports.

“For many patients, chiropractic adjust-ments alone can actually relieve their pain,” observes Dr. Aderholdt, who is one of the few doctors in the country who o� er the unique VAX-D treatment.

“But for select people with sciatica or herniated, bulging or degenerated discs, VAX-D � erapy has proven extremely e� ective. Gary was a good candidate because the treatment can alleviate low back pain as well as neck pain, numbness, tingling and pain radiating down the arms and legs.”

During VAX-D � erapy, the patient relaxes on a comfortable, computer-controlled table, secured with a pelvic belt or patented cervical collar, depending on the area to be treated. Carefully speci� ed tension and pressure changes guide the use of VAX-D, allowing the therapist to focus decompression at the exact level of spinal dysfunction.

� e VAX-D system is computerized, so it enables the table to make subtle but targeted movements, which create a powerful vacuum within the disc space. � is vacuum gently draws the disc

back to its proper orientation, which pulls nutrient-rich spinal � uid into the disc and stimulates repair cells that e� ectively mend the disc.

“Nothing else can create such a powerful vacuum,” Dr. Aderholdt asserts. “� at is what makes VAX-D such a valuable tool for pain relief. � ere are imitators, but the vacuum e� ect is the

most powerful one known.“Unlike other machines, VAX-D doesn’t

allow the muscles to contract. In fact, it is the only nonsurgical treatment that has been clinically proven to reduce disc pressure to negative levels.”

Patient SatisfactionVAX-D treatments last about half an hour and have a long track record of leaving patients such as Gary satis� ed, Dr. Aderholdt notes. Long-term studies show that VAX-D is e� ective in more than 88 percent of patients who go through the treatment.

“I consider VAX-D one of the most e� ec-tive nonsurgical medical treatments for low back pain, neck pain and sciatica today,” the doctor contends. “� is revolutionary technology is one more tool I can o� er my patients as we work toward relieving pain and maintaining the health of the lumbar and cervical spine.”

Dr. Aderholdt states that many patients report a signi� cant reduction in back pain within only a few treatments, although the

total healing process takes longer. � e reason it takes a longer period of time, Dr. Aderholdt explains, is that bulging or herniated discs require a series of VAX-D sessions to fully reposition themselves.

“Some patients think they will get relief after a handful of sessions and they can just quit, but that’s not the case,” he emphasizes. “You must follow through with all of the required treatments to get the full bene� t.”

� e doctor points out that VAX-D � erapy has the added bene� t of eliminating the need for surgery in many cases.

“Gary wanted to avoid surgery, and that is something that VAX-D allows,” Dr. Aderholdt states. “With surgery, there is the potential for serious complications. VAX-D is noninvasive, so those complications are avoided.”

� e VAX-D treatments proved to be extremely e� ective for Gary’s herniated discs and spinal stenosis. Just as he hoped, they alleviated his pain, allowed him to avoid surgery on his back and vastly improved his quality of life.

“When I � rst started with Dr. Aderholdt, they asked me about my pain level on a scale of one to ten,” Gary remembers. “At that time, I told them it was an eight. But after three months of VAX-D � erapy, I was one hundred percent back pain free, and that constant ache that I had is gone as well. I haven’t felt this good in � fty years.

“� e last x-ray Dr. Aderholdt ordered showed my discs went from two millimeters to a centimeter thick. � e discs had also � lled back up with � uid and are not herniated anymore, so there’s no more back pain. And there’s plenty of room for the nerves, so I no longer have nerve pain to the bottoms of my feet.

“My range of motion is phenomenal as well – one hundred percent better than what it was. And to think – four months ago, I could barely move. I could hardly walk. VAX-D � erapy has been one hundred percent successful for me. I’m incredibly happy with my results.”

Gary is also happy with his treatment at Back Pain Institute of West Florida. He says he “absolutely” recommends Dr. Aderholdt and VAX-D � erapy to others with back pain.

“I’ve already recommended it to four people, and three of them are doing the therapy with Dr. Aderholdt right now,” Gary reports. “With VAX-D � erapy at Back Pain Institute of West Florida, I’m completely pain free. It’s amazing.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Cover photo by Robert Clark/courtesy of Gary Reeder. Before

and after images courtesy of Back Pain Institute of West Florida. mkb

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Cryoskin works through a process called apoptosis, which is the death by freezing of the localized fat cells under the skin that are di� cult to target with diet and exercise. Once fat cells die, they are eliminated from the body through the blood and lymphatic system. Cryoskin treatments are all-natural, painless and e� ective. Results are visible immediately.

Call Back Pain Institute of West Florida at (941) 756-5528 to make a Cryoskin appointment.

Wave of the FutureNew-age treatment erases

erectile dysfunction

DAVID S. ZAMIKOFF, DC

N early three dozen red push pins dot the map of the world that hangs on the wall behind the desk

Gerry* sits at in his Bradenton home o� ce. � e pins represent all the countries the 68-year-old retired insurance executive has visited during his lifetime.

“I’m fortunate that my work took me virtually around the world,” Gerry exudes. “I’ve always loved to travel, and when you combine all the work travel with vaca-tions, I’ve been to 32 countries and every continent except Antarctica.”

Gerry’s wife of 38 years has accom-panied him on many of his trips, and together they’ve created a treasure trove of memories. Their trip to Denmark, Sweden and Norway last spring proved quite memorable as well, though there was an aspect Gerry would rather forget.

“We were in Copenhagen on the � rst leg of the trip, our second night there, and I’d never experienced this before, but I couldn’t maintain an erection,” Gerry reveals. “I thought at � rst that it was just a matter of fatigue, but that wasn’t it.

“� e problem persisted all through the trip, which really put quite a damper on it. My wife kept saying that it wasn’t a problem and not to let it ruin our trip, but I was concerned, so when we got back home I started researching it.”

What Gerry learned through his research is that he was su� ering from erectile dysfunction, or ED, which is actually quite common. In fact, studies show that some form of erectile dysfunction a� ects more than half of all men during their lifetime.

The likelihood of a dysfunctional episode is even greater among men suf-fering from hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Smoking, heavy consumption of alcohol and drugs (either illicit or prescription) can also cause erec-tile dysfunction.

� e condition is one that has been treated for years by doctors prescrib-ing oral medications such as VIAGRA®, CIALIS® and LEVITRA®, and those med-ications can indeed deliver the desired results. So can some surgical procedures.

But there i s now a far more promising nonsurgical, drug-free treatment for erectile dysfunction that many doctors, including David S. Zamikoff, DC, of the Natural Heal ing Arts Medical Center in Bradenton, prefer.

The result is an increase in blood flow through the existing, rejuvenated blood vessels, the creation of new blood vessels and the creation of new nerve tissue that improves sensitivity in the penis, which then improves the quality of the erection.

“It’s the newest and most promising treatment yet for ED,” Dr. Zamiko� says of the FDA-approved GAINSWave proce-dure, which has been used as a treatment option in Europe for more than 15 years and was approved for use in the United

States in 2015.“GAINSWave

can also be used to treat Peyronie’s disease, which is what occurs when scar tissue builds up in the penis and causes an abnormal bend or curvature to the penis that can impede urination and/or ejaculation.

“By making certain adjustments to the machine’s set-tings, we can treat the fibrous tissue the same way we treat blood vessels and break down

the scar tissue that may be causing the irregular shape. � e result is a straighter, pain-free erection.”

Us ing a hand-he ld dev i ce , GAINSWave treatments are performed in the doctor’s office, where a single treatment lasts about 30 minutes. A full course of therapy generally consists of six sessions performed twice a week over the course of three weeks.

“The response in many cases is almost immediate,” Dr. Zamikoff enthuses. “In fact, most patients begin to experience a noticeable di� erence in the quality of their erections as well as an improvement in sexual performance after just one treatment.

“Another advantage we’ve found is that there are no side e� ects associated with this treatment. Nor is there any downtime for the patient. Once the pro-cedure is over, the patient can walk out of the o� ce and return to normal activities.”

Remarkable ResultsThe success rate associated with the GAINSWave technology is exceptional as well. One study performed in Europe discovered that the bene� ts of a single, 12-treatment course of GAINSWave ther-apy can last for as long as two years.

Dr. Zamiko� says that more than a year of continuous bene� ts is the norm for most patients. He also notes that while it’s not necessary, some patients choose to return for once-a-month “maintenance treatments” to ensure sustained bene� ts.

“� is really is the wave of the future for ED treatment because for some-one who is young without any medical problems, the success rate is nearly one hundred percent,” Dr. Zamiko� adds. “And overall, the success rate is about seventy-� ve percent.”

Gerry is among those who reported positive results after just one round of treatments. He says he may opt to have another round of GAINSWave treatments in the future but that right now, his per-formance is more than satisfactory.

“I’ll be turning sixty-nine later this year, and in the bedroom, I feel like I’m half that age,” Gerry exudes. “It’s really remarkable what this GAINSWave does for you. And the treatments are all very quick and painless. A few minutes is all it takes.

“And I have to say how professional everyone at Dr. Zamiko� ’s o� ce is. Let’s face it, this is a touchy subject for men. It’s not something anybody is going to brag about. But they put you at ease and make you feel comfortable.

“GAINSWave did exactly what it says it does. I wanted to get back the level of sexual performance I was at before this problem arose and I didn’t want to have to take any medications or go through any kind of surgery to do it.

“And thankfully, I didn’t have to go those routes. GAINSWave took care of the problem, which is why I highly rec-ommend it to anyone who’s su� ering with ED. It’s given me back a lot of con� dence and a very important part of my life.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Graphic courtesy of

GAINSWave. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at his request.

The Art of HealingNatural Healing Arts Medical Center is a multidisciplinary office that takes a multi-doctor approach to healing and offers chiropractic care, massage, physical therapy, acupuncture and medical services provided by an emergency medicine doctor and nurse practitioner. For more information call or visit their offi ce in Bradenton at:

2215 59th Street West

(941) 761-4994Find them on the web at myo� ceinfo.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/Natural Healing Arts Medical Center

Root Cause� e treatment is called GAINSWave ther-apy and it has become the choice of many doctors over medications because unlike medications, it addresses the root cause of erectile dysfunction, which is often a lack of proper blood � ow to the penis.

“Of the mil-lions of men who have struggled to achieve a natural erectile response, a p p r o x i m a t e l y eighty percent do so because of poor circulatory issues in which the tiny cap-illaries in the penis and urogenital area a r e impa i r ed ,” D r Z a m i k o f f educates.

“The l ikel i -hood of that kind o f impa i rment increases dramat-ically as men age and plaque builds up in the blood vessels, but oral medications cannot remove the plaque or open those compromised blood vessels to allow for a more regular � ow of blood to the penis.

“� e one treatment that can do all that and much more is GAINSWave therapy, which is based on the same technology that’s used to break up kid-ney stones, meaning it uses sound-wave technology to do the job.”

Referred to clinically as extracor-poreal shock wave therapy, or ESWT, GAINSWave uses rapid pulses of high-frequency acoustic sound waves to break up the plaque and calcium that have built up inside old or damaged blood vessels.

David S. Zamiko� , DC, is a board-certifi ed chiropractor with more than years of experience. He graduated from the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles, California in and is currently licensed both nationally and at the state level. Dr. Zamikoff holds certification in operating room protocols and Manipulation Under Anesthesia by t h e American Academy of Manual

and Physical Medicine. Dr. Zamikoff also holds a diplomate degree from the American Academy of Trauma Professionals and is the director of the Florida

Chiropractic Association for Southwest Florida.

Page 4 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | Sarasota Edition Sarasota Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

Gina L. d’AngeloCFO/HR

Roy CummingsEditorial Supervisor

Michelle BrooksCreative Director

Brian LevineProject Coordinator

Patti DiPanfiloLisa Buie

Editorial Staff

Laura EngelProduction Assistant

Nerissa JohnsonKristy EllenbeckerGraphic Designer

Nerissa JohnsonJordan PyszFred BellettPhotography

Steve TurkGary Smith

Aldy LaracuenteBob Mize

Dominic DonnellDistribution

Back Pain Institute of West Florida, P.A.Spinal Decompression

Lakewood Ranch Medical CenterMedical Center

David A. Napoliello, MD, FACSMinimally Invasive General Surgery

Natural Healing Arts Medical Center

Erectile Dysfunction

Advanced RejuvenationRegenerative Medicine

Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center Podiatry

South Florida Eye ClinicOphthalmology

Advanced RejuvenationLaser Therapy

Physician Partners of AmericaLaser Spine Surgery

Siesta Dental General, Cosmetic & Emergency Dentistry

Atlas Chiropractic of SarasotaChiropractic

215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 989-1330

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Spinal DecompreSSion erectile DySfunction

Jeff fi nds healing in the CVAC, a pod that super oxygenates the body and improves circulation

following stem cell therapy.

Jeff undergoes a LumoStem treatment, a post-stem

injection therapy available only at Advanced Rejuvenation.

Je� rey Sack, MD, FACC, FCCP, FACA, FASA, FISCI, (left) is a board-certifi ed cardiologist specializing in conservative regenerative cardiology using hyperbaric oxygen, ozone therapy, NAD, vitamin infusions, chelation therapy, stem cells, exosomes and growth factors.

These modalities are designed to stimulate the cardiovascular system to repair itself. Dr. Sack is working with Advanced Rejuvenation to introduce leading-edge therapies to stimulate the body to recover from heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. 

John Lieurance, DC, RMA, DACNB (Board Eligible), (right) received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Parker College of Chiropractic and his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree through St. Luke’s Medical School. He is also a board-eligible chiropractic neurologist through the Carrick Institute of Neurology and a regis-tered medical assistant. Dr. Lieurance is trained in advanced ultrasound techniques through the Gulf Coast Ultrasound Institute. He has practiced alternative and regenerative medicine in Sarasota for the past years.

To learn more about all the treatments available at Advanced Rejuvenation, visit them on the internet at advancedrejuvenation.us

For Health and ComfortThe sta� of Advanced Rejuvenation look forward to meeting the readers of Florida Health Care News. To learn more about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, exosome and LumoStem Activation or other regenerative options, contact the holistic health and chiropractic center. Their o� ce is located in Sarasota at:

2033 Wood St., Suite 210

(941) 330-8553A d v a n c e d R e j u v e n a t i o n ’s integrative staff use a variety of modalities, including regenerative medicine using ultrasound-guided bone marrow and adipose stem cells, exosomes, PRP, prolotherapy, ozone therapies and other oxygen therapies, holistic bio-identical hormonal balancing, laser therapy with LumoStem, intravenous therapies, chelation, a c u p u n c t u r e , c h i r o p r a c t i c neurology and naturopathic care to treat a number of injuries and conditions, including:

• Osteoarthritis & Degenerative Joint Disease

• Autoimmune Conditions• Stroke and Brain Injuries• Heart & Cardiovascular Disorders• Degenerative Neurological

Disorders, e.g. Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s

• Peripheral Vascular Disease• Neuropathy & Nerve Pain• Chronic Lyme, Mold Illness & Viral

Infections• Rotator Cuff Injuries & All Tendon

and Ligament Injuries• Spinal Disc Pain and Back

Conditions

Advanced Rejuvenation also o� ers:

• Stem Cell Treatments Using LumoStem Activation

• Prolotherapy with Dextrose and Prolozone® Injections

• Whole Body Cryotherapy • -Pass Hyperbaric IV Ozone

Therapy• CVAC & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy• Intravenous Laser Therapy for

Lyme, Mold and Other Chronic Infections

• LumoMed™ Ear Therapy for Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Balance Disorders

JEFFREY SACK, MD, FACC, FCCP, FACA, FASA, FISCI

JOHN LIEURANCE, DC, RMA, DACNB (BOARD ELIGIBLE)

W hen the list of the biggest e a rne r s in ne twork marketing for 2018 came out last year, Je� Roberti’s

name was right there in the mix at number nine overall. � at didn’t come as any great surprise to network marketing insiders.

With more than $85 million in career sales of a whole food supplement product, Je� is considered a network marketing icon, one who has turned his product into one of the most researched supplements in the world.

“More than thirty years ago, I intro-duced the doctor who had the technology for this product to the manufacturer, and since then, I’ve become their top rep in the � eld and built distributorships for it in twenty-� ve countries,” Je� says.

“� e product is not a drink or a vitamin. It comes in capsule form, and for the cost of a cup of co� ee, it � oods your body with thirty of the most nutritious fruits and vegetables on the planet. � at’s why we’ve got more than a million customers.”

greater amount of ozone to be delivered to the body in a shorter period of time, which allows the ozone to better saturate the red blood cells and penetrate deeper areas of the body.

“10-pass hyperbaric ozone really ramps up something called mitochondrial function, which is the ability to make energy from oxygen and glucose, and that is something we all need to do,” Dr. Lieurance states.

“When the immune system starts to fail, you can get a lot of

di� erent diseases, fatigue and brain fog at a basic level. Down the road, you also get autoimmune conditions, cancer and chronic in� ammatory conditions that are all rooted in mitochondrial dysfunction.

“But this 10-pass treatment is one of the most powerful mitochondrial stimulators. It makes patients feel younger, more robust and it helps them get more restful sleep. It also makes their joints feel better because there’s less in� ammation in the body.

“� e other thing we’ve been doing with Je� is we’ve had him spending time in a CVAC™, which stands for Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning™. It’s a pod you get into, and it closes up like an egg, but there’s a big window that you can look out from.

“What the CVAC does is force a pres-sure change similar to what you experience when you’re in an airplane that goes up and down. � at drastic pressure change deeply detoxi� es and cleanses the body, but it also triggers gene expression in all the cells that simulates exercise.

“What you get is all the improvement you would expect to see from exercise at the cellular level with the CVAC, and we’ve been using the combination of that and the 10-pass with Je� , who says he feels like he’s in his twenties again.”

“I’m � fty-seven years old, and I feel like I’m twenty-seven,” Je� con� rms. “And it’s all because of Dr. Lieurance and his medical sta� working their magic in this world-class facility, where the treatments they o� er are so unique and diverse.

“It’s truly state-of-the-art, leading-edge stu� that they o� er here. Like the pod. I’d never heard about that before. But once I tried it, I couldn’t believe how amazing I felt afterward. It’s really incredible what you get out of it.

“Again, this place is extremely diverse. I’m fortunate that I live in Sarasota and am right there, but I can see why people come from all over the world to get some of the treatments they o� er at Advanced Rejuvenation.

“On a scale of one to ten, I’d give the place a rating of one thousand. It’s really spectacular, and I couldn’t be happier with what it’s done for me. I’m a raving fan-cus-tomer, and I highly, highly recommend it.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos courtesy of Jeff Roberti. mkb

As a personal trainer, Samantha* spent her working career teaching others how to keep their bodies working optimally.

Not long ago, she began to feel a bit frustrated with her own body as it showed signs of escalating dysfunction.

“I had arthritis in both ankles,” Samantha reveals. “I also had it in my foot. It was so bad that there was a period of time when I could barely walk. Every step was like a sharp knife through my foot. All I wanted to do was walk on the beach, but I couldn’t.

“I was also having memory prob-lems. I have the ApoE4 Alzheimer’s gene, which makes me thirty percent more likely to develop the disease. I could’ve just dismissed the memory loss as senior moments, but I wanted to address it. I wanted to maintain my memory.”

To get help for her issues, Samantha visited Advanced Rejuvenation, where Dr. Lieurance and Dr. Sack treated both her arthritis and her brain fog with a combination of exosome and 10-pass hyperbaric ozone therapy.

“Samantha was diagnosed with a seronegative arthropathy, a condition that resembles rheumatoid arthritis, as well as pre-Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Lieurance reports. “� e arthritis was a� ecting not only her ankles and feet but her hands, so we chose the 10-pass hyperbaric ozone and stem cell exosome treatments, and Dr. Sack performed both of them.”

Stem cell therapy has been used in various medical disciplines for years. Stem cells are the body’s building blocks, the foundation of all tissue and organs, and they can be used to regenerate cartilage, tendon, muscle and new tissue almost anywhere in the body, including the shoulders, wrists, spine, pelvis and feet.

“It’s been the prevailing thought that once stem cells are introduced into the body, they migrate to the injured area, transform into the needed cells, such as cartilage, ligament or nerve cells, and proliferate from there,” Dr. Lieurance notes. “Research has determined that’s not what happens at all.

“Stem cells are actually more like messengers. They go to the injured area, open up and spill out tiny vesicles called exosomes. � e exosomes contain information that triggers two critical functions. � e � rst function is to clean up the injured area.”

Dr. Lieurance likens the exosomes initial function to that of remodeling a bathroom. That can’t be done properly without removing the old tile and bathtub � rst. In the body, the old, worn-out tissue must be removed before new tissue can be regenerated.

“The second function triggered by the exosomes is to instruct existing healthy cells

to enter a trophic, or growth, phase,” Dr. Lieurance observes. “� is is a long-term change into a more youthful state. It’s when cell regeneration occurs.”

Terrifi c -PassThe second therapy used for treating Samantha was the 10-pass hyperbaric ozone therapy. This therapy sterilizes the blood, charges the immune system and stimulates mitochondrial function through the creation of a compound known as ozonite.

Ozonite is what is created when ozone is mixed with blood. � ese ozonites travel through the body and stave o� mitochon-drial dysfunction, which is often at the root of many autoimmune conditions, cancer and many chronic in� ammatory conditions.

“One-third of the body’s weight is mitochondria,” Dr. Lieurance expounds. “� e body is constantly scavenging and cleaning out old, weak mitochondria and creating new, healthy mitochondria.

“Improving mitochondrial function improves symptoms of everything from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to most neurologic conditions and chronic infections. Nothing stimulates the body, cleans out old mitochondria and makes new mitochondria better than intravenous ozone.”

Treatments such as exosome therapy and 10-pass hyperbaric ozone therapy can be done separately or together, as was done in Samantha’s case. When used together, they often work synergistically.

“We call that the entourage effect,” Dr. Lieurance informs. “That’s when combining modalities creates a better outcome than using one alone. In these cases, one plus one may equal four instead of two. � e modalities are synergistic. � ey multiply the bene� ts.”

New Lease on LifeSamantha was amazed by the results

of her treatment at Advanced Rejuvenation. The exosome therapy and 10-pass hyperbaric ozone therapy turned her world around.

“I have a new lease on life,” Samantha raves. “All I wanted was to walk on the beach, and after a short time, I was walking twenty to thirty minutes on the beach and was no longer restricted in my activities.

“I’ve got my indepen-dence back, and my memory has de� nitely improved. I don’t have the memory issues I had before. Getting more oxygen to my brain has helped. I’ve noticed that I’m a lot more clearheaded now.

“� ey’re doing so many amazing things at Advanced Rejuvenation,” Samantha enthuses. “I highly recommend them.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo.

*Patient’s name withheld at her request.

Innovative treatments alleviate arthritis pain, enhance memory

Leading-edge, nonsurgical treatments aim to regenerate and reinvigorate the body

Remember This

Back in February, serving those customers became a bit of a chal-lenge for this 57-year-old entrepreneur. A car accident left him with a wrenched back that resulted in a trip to a hospital emergency room, where Je� found little to no relief.

“My back got jarred pretty good in that acci-dent,” Je� reports. “� e pain was running all through my lower back, so I went to the ER, but, of course, all they do there is treat you and street you, so that didn’t really do me any good.

“It was after that trip to the ER that the pain started to spread. It started going into my right hip and right leg. � at’s when I decided to visit Dr. John Lieurance

at Advanced Rejuvenation to see if there was anything he could do for me.”

John Lieurance, DC, is a board-eligible chiropractic neurologist who has been prac-ticing alternative and regenerative medicine for 25 years. He’s spent most of that time prac-ticing at Advanced Rejuvenation in Sarasota.

State-of-the-Art ClinicA state-of-the-art wellness clinic, Advanced Rejuvenation employs a highly trained team of physicians who specialize in regenerative injection treatments that are considered to be at the forefront of nonsurgical regenerative therapy.

“What we have here is an incredibly powerful group of healers,” Dr. Lieurance says. “That group includes Dr. Jeff Sack (MD), Dr. Ron Bramson (DPM), acupunc-turist Dr. Alex Smithers (DOM), Sue Gonzalez (RN) and Beth Moran (ARNP), and they all do fabulous work.”

� e injection of stem cells and growth factors, which are the most basic of the

human body’s building blocks, is the most common of regenerative treatments performed at Advanced Rejuvenation.

Stem cell injections can be used to regenerate virtually every joint in the body as well as soft tissues such as rotator cuffs and ligaments. In treating Je� , the sta� at Advanced Rejuvenation went beyond the use of stem cells.

“Jeff is a guy who has been visiting us for years for various treatments, but when he came in this time, he was in so much pain, he was on crutches,” Dr. Lieurance states. “We evaluated him and discovered the problem wasn’t with his lower back at all. It was his hip.”

To confirm their belief, the staff at Advanced Rejuvenation began Je� ’s treat-ment by conducting what is known as a lidocaine challenge. It’s a simple test where liquid lidocaine, an anesthetic, is injected into the area where the pain is believed to be stemming from. If the injection relieves the pain, the doctor knows he’s found the source of the pain.

“� e lidocaine challenge is something I think all orthopedic surgeons should do because it greatly minimizes the number of patients who wind up getting surgery for something that really isn’t causing their pain, which I say is probably about half,” Dr. Lieurance says.

“� e reason this lidocaine challenge test can do that is because it not only determines exactly where the pain is coming from, but it also allows us to be more precise as far as where we want to put our regenerative injections.”

As expected, the lidocaine challenge confirmed Dr. Lieurance’s belief that

Jeff ’s pain was emanating from his hip. Dr. Lieurance’s next move was to treat the hip. In doing so, he chose a combination of exosomes and a derivative of platelet-rich plasma known as honey matrix.

Exosomes are the active interior bits that give stem cells their healing effect, Dr. Lieurance educates. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is a concentrated source of blood plasma that contains several growth factors and a protein called cytokines.

“� e honey matrix is a more e� ective form of PRP,” Dr. Lieurance notes. “It has more anti-in� ammatory cytokines and more sca� olding material, which is what is needed to hold the position and the space of the tissue we’re repairing.

“Once we have the mixture of exosomes and the honey matrix, we photoactivate it with a special German technology called LumoStem. LumoStem allows us to send a laser through a catheter that energizes the mixture. It’s real next-level stu� that works really well.”

It worked really well for Je� . He says the combination of exosomes and PRP helped

him “turn the corner” away from his back, hip and leg pain almost imme-diately, noting that “within a week of beginning the treatments, I was back to one hundred percent.”

Feeling Younger Je� ’s treatment didn’t end there. In an e� ort to help him keep pace with his busy schedule and active lifestyle, Je� has since delved into a few other

treatments at Advanced Rejuvenation, including two that are designed to rein-vigorate the body.

“Je� is a guy who travels a lot, speaks a lot and trains a lot,” Dr. Lieurance says. “To keep his body in peak condition, he likes to do anti-aging treatments. We’ve been doing something with him called 10-pass hyperbaric ozone treatments.”

Ozone is a fast-acting super oxygen. When mixed with blood that is drawn from and reinfused into a patient, it can cleanse the blood by killing bacteria, viruses and para-sites, improve oxygen utilization throughout the body and enhance energy production.

As its name suggests, the blood draw and infu-sion process is done ten times. That allows for a

Medical BreakthroughsPage 6 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | Sarasota Edition Sarasota Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7reGenerative meDicine

JOHN LIEURANCE, DC, DACNB (BOARD ELIGIBLE)

For Health and Comfort

The staff of Advanced Rejuvenation looks forward

to meeting the readers of Florida Health Care News. To learn more about laser

therapy or other rejuvenation options, contact the holistic

health and chiropractic center. Mention this

article and receive a free audiometric evaluation. Their offi ce is located in Sarasota at:

2033 Wood St., Suite 210(941) 330-8553

To learn more about Lumomed laser therapy, visit Advanced Rejuvenation on the internet at advancedrejuvenation.us

Hearing Loss Is ReversibleOne-of-a-kind Lumomed™ laser restores damaged ear cells

A fter working for 42 years as a � orist in their small, family-owned shop in Albany, New York, Sandy* and her hus-

band retired at the ages of 67 and 68 respectively, moved to Florida and began living what Sandy calls “the good life.’’

As the years rolled on, however, the good life became increasingly di� cult, par-ticularly for Sandy, who realized not long before her 80th birthday that she was expe-riencing the kind of hearing di� culties all too common among people her age.

“I’d be talking to someone, and I’d only catch half of what they were saying,” Sandy recalls. “I’d have to ask them over and over again, What did you say? Or if I answered them wrong, they’d give me a funny look, and I’d have to explain, I didn’t totally hear you.”

Sandy’s inability to carry on a conver-sation without constantly asking people to repeat themselves was especially frus-trating for her husband, who encouraged her to have her hearing tested. � ose tests revealed a hearing loss signi� cant enough to warrant Sandy being � t for hearing aids. But Sandy soon found her hearing aids to be a nuisance.

“I was constantly turning them up higher and down lower,” Sandy com-plains. “It was a pain in the neck, but I had no choice because some people talk loud and some people talk soft, so I was always having to adjust them.”

By the time she began her eighth decade of life, Sandy was resigned to the idea she’d need to wear the annoying

hearing devices for the rest of her life. � en one day, Sandy’s husband picked up a copy of Florida Health Care News while waiting for an appointment in a doctor’s o� ce.

� e publication included an article about an innovative inner ear treatment designed to reverse hearing loss that is performed by John Lieurance, DC, at Advanced Rejuvenation, a regenerative medical practice in Sarasota.

“very, very thorough” during her initial examination and consultation, which included a comprehensive hearing test.

“He explained everything – how the laser therapy worked and what I could expect as far as getting my hearing back,” adds Sandy, who accepted Dr. Lieurance’s recommendation to undergo the therapy, a full course of which consists of 15 thirty-minute laser treatments on each ear.

Dr. Lieurance continues. “With low or depleted energy, the auditory and vestib-ular cells in the ear lose their ability to do their jobs, and disease results, whether it’s a hearing loss, dizziness or tinnitus.”

� e hair cells have their own energy source, which is adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. It is produced by structures inside the cells that act as power plants, called mitochondria. Maintaining the ears when they’re stressed requires vast amounts of energy. Without it, the cells begin to break down.

“Studies have shown that hair cell regeneration is possible,” Dr. Lieurance asserts. “Inner ear laser therapy is per-formed with specialized laser equipment set at very speci� c settings. � e Lumomed laser showers energy into the ear in the form of photons. � is energy is then used by the hair cells to repair themselves.”

Better with Each Treatment� e therapy is most e� ective for younger patients, who are “developing their language based on what they hear,” Dr. Lieurance points out. “If we can � x their hearing at a young age, they don’t develop a lot of speech impediments.”

The laser, which is applied while patients wear goggles and lie on a treat-ment table, emits very little heat. Some people feel the sensation of sunshine, while others feel nothing.

Some patients notice an improve-ment in their hearing within the � rst few sessions, Dr. Lieurance informs. For others, it takes longer.

“After the first two treatments, I was told not to wear my hearing aids anymore,” Sandy remembers. “I should just trust that my hearing was slowly getting better, and it did get better with each treatment.”

Today, Sandy can hear as well as she did years ago. She’s living proof that it is possible to turn back time, and that hear-ing loss is reversible.

“ I f I hadn’t me t up w i th Dr. Lieurance, I would still be wearing hearing aids,” Sandy shares. “People are telling me, Your hearing is back! Your hearing is back! I am very, very happy.”FHCN staff article. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at her request

In addition to hearing loss, tinnitus and balance disorders, Advanced Rejuvenation

treats various musculoskeletal, neurological and chronic diseases, including:

• Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint condition• Chronic sinusitis• Snoring• Sleep apnea• Degenerative neurological disorders, e.g. Parkinson’s• Hip joint arthritis

Advanced Rejuvenation also o� ers:• Advanced stem cell treatments using LumoStem Activation • Prolotherapy with dextrose-based injections• Whole body cryotherapy using nitrogen gas to lower the skin’s

surface temperature for several minutes• Medical ozone injections• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves breathing pure

oxygen in a pressurized room• Intravenous laser therapy to irradiate white blood cells

“My husband showed me the article, and when I read it, I thought, � is sounds pretty good,” Sandy shares. “I said to my husband, � is is something that can really help people, so we made an appointment and went and checked it out.”

Dr. Lieurance is a chiropractic neurol-ogist and naturopath, as well as a certi� ed provider of Lumomed sound laser therapy, which is designed to rejuvenate damaged ear cells. Treatments have been clinically shown to improve hearing loss and reduce the e� ects of many balance disorders and tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

Sandy says that upon � rst meeting with Dr. Lieurance, she found him to be

Exclusive TechnologyAdvanced Rejuvenation is the only cen-ter in the United States approved to use Lumomed’s protocols. Dr. Lieurance had been treating hearing loss, balance disor-ders and tinnitus for many years through his functional chiropractic neurology practice when he heard about Lumomed from one of his patients. While in Germany, the patient received the treat-ment from Dr. Amon Kaiser, who has worked with lasers for more than 30 years.

“My patient got in touch and told me, Hey, this doctor is doing wonderful work in Germany for inner ear regeneration. It would be such a great adjunct to what you’re doing in Florida,” Dr. Lieurance relates.

Dr. Lieurance contacted Dr. Kaiser and traveled to Germany to study the sci-ence they had discovered and the methods for the treatment protocols.

“I was so impressed that I brought this back to Sarasota,” Dr. Lieurance states. “It’s phenomenal. I’m constantly looking for the best and most e� ective technologies to help people with con-ditions that are considered untreatable. When someone tells me, You can’t do it, it makes me want to do it even more.”

Dr. Lieurance explains the science behind Lumomed this way: Special nerve cells in the inner ear, called hair cells, allow for the perception of sound and are essen-tial for balance. If those cells are damaged, an individual may su� er hearing loss, tin-nitus or a debilitating balance disorder such as vertigo.

“We have a great deal of technology today, such as cell phones, iPods® and com-puters,” he expounds. “� at technology, along with sirens and various machines in our environment, make di� erent, high-pitched sounds that are very loud. As a result, the hair cells are highly stressed.

“When these cells are constantly overwhelmed by noise and stress, they cannot process energy correctly,”

John Lieurance, DC, RMA, DACNB (Board Eligible), received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Parker College of Chiropractic and his Doctor of Naturopathic degree through St. Luke’s Medical School. He is also a board-eligible chiropractic neurologist through the Carrick Institute of Neurology and a registered

medical assistant. Dr. Lieurance is trained in advanced ultrasound techniques through the Gulf Coast Ultrasound Institute. He has practiced alternative and regenerative medicine in Sarasota for the past years.

To learn more about the PinPointe FootLaser, visit www.sarasotafoot.com

Dawn Chiu, DPM, AACFAS, is a board-qualifi ed podiatric surgeon and Associate of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in zoology and received her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. Dr. Chiu completed her podiatric surgical residency at Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia.

Arthur D. Clode, DPM, AACFAS, is a board-qualifi ed podiatric surgeon and Associate of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He earned a degree in biological sciences from Florida International University and a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. He completed his podiatric surgical residency at Golden Glades Regional Medical Center in Miami.

SARASOTA FOOT AND ANKLE CENTER

DAWN CHIU, DPM, AACFASARTHUR D. CLODE, DPM, AACFAS

Make the CallThere’s no need to drive to Fort Myers

or Tampa for laser toenail fungus treatment. FDA-approved PinPointe

FootLaser is available at Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center,

which has three locations:

Sarasota th Street

(941) 366-4888Englewood

Old Englewood Road(941) 366-4888

Sun City Center Rickenbacker Dr.(813) 634-8980

Tim Lowe

To the Pointe Painless, in-o� ce laser treatment corrects toenail fungus

The dream of one day becoming his own boss and owning his own business became a reality for Tim Lowe about 19 years

ago, when he left the storage company he was working for and opened up a package and shipping store in Sarasota.

“We do the same thing that a UPS® store does, but we provide more services, including UPS, FedEx® and postal for ship-ping packages,” Tim explains. “We also sell stamps, rent mailboxes, that sort of thing.”

� e shop keeps Tim on his toes all day, every day, but being on his toes became a painful experience for him after he stubbed the third toe on his left foot against a bedpost one night last year.

“It was all black and blue and sore, but that part eventually went away,” Tim says. “At least, it did until I did the same thing again – same toe and everything – a few weeks later. After that, the toe healed up just � ne, but the nail didn’t.

“It started to grow up instead of out, and it became a bit of a problem because you couldn’t clip it right. It was

all discolored and became kind of hideous-looking. It didn’t look healthy to me, so I decided to have a foot doctor check it out.”

No Tests, No Side Eff ects� e foot doctor Tim chose is Dawn Chiu, DPM, of Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center. Dr. Chiu diagnosed Tim’s problem as toenail fungus and prescribed PinPointe™ FootLaser® therapy, which is her preferred weapon of choice in the battle against toenail fungus.

“I prefer it because unlike oral medications, which can upset a person’s stomach, the laser treat-ment kills the underlying fungus without causing side effects, and there’s no need for the patient to take a blood test beforehand,” Dr. Chiu informs.

The in-office laser treatment lasts only a few minutes, during which time the laser is passed over the nail in a crisscross pattern to ensure full coverage. Patients usually feel a warm sensation on their toe while the laser treatment is in progress, but no pain.

Afterward, patients can resume normal activities. When combined with

topical ointments, the laser treatment has an 80 percent success rate. Tim, who had the treatment performed twice during a six-month period, is factored into that success rate.

“Dr. Chiu did the laser treatment and prescribed a topical ointment, and together, they made a big difference,” Tim exudes. “� e nail started to get better really fast after the � rst treatment, and after a second, it was looking good and growing normally again.”

Tim says he now has five healthy-looking toes on each foot. He doubts that

would be the case had he not gone to Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center and received the PinPointe FootLaser treatment from Dr. Chiu.

“She’s really good,” he enthuses. “She’s so good that I’ve already referred a couple of

friends to her. I can tell you this: If I ever have a problem like that again, Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center is the place I’m going to. I won’t go anywhere else.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo by Jordan Pysz.

Before and after images courtesy of Sarasota Foot and Ankle

Center. mkb

SOUTH FLORIDA EYE CLINICSCOTT L. GELLER, MD

For Eye Floater Solutions

South Florida Eye Clinic is located in Fort Myers at:

4755 Summerlin Rd. Call Dr. Geller at:

(239) 275-8222or toll-free at:

(877) 371-3937

Scott L. Geller, MD, is board certifi ed by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Rush Medical College. While in med-ical school, he was awarded a student fellowship to study tropical medicine at a missionary hospital in India, and pursued additional studies at the famous Brompton Hospital in London, England. He interned at Presbyterian Hospital, Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, and completed his residency in ophthalmology at Sinai Hospital of Detroit, which was affi liated with Wayne State Medical School and Kresge Eye Institute. Dr. Geller was fellowship-trained in anterior segment and refractive surgery with Dr. William Myers of the Michigan Eye Institute. Dr. Geller is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has presented papers on eye fl oater laser treatment at the International Congress of Ophthalmology, European Congress o f C a t a r a c t & Refractive Surgery, European Congress of Ophthalmology and the Florida S o c i e t y o f Ophthalmology.

SCAN THIS TO YOUR SMARTPHONE

TO SEE ACTUAL PATIENTS

Dr. Geller has performed more than 20,000 documented eye � oater laser sessions.

See what Dr. Geller’s patients say about the Eye Floater Laser at www.vimeo.com/eye� oaters and on the Scott Geller MD YouTube channel.

Eye Floater LaserScott Geller, MD, teaches the technique worldwide

W ith more than 20,000 documented eye � oater laser sessions com-pleted, Dr. Scott Geller,

a board-certi� ed ophthalmologist, has the largest and longest clinical series of eye � oater laser sessions in the United States, and probably worldwide.

“I became interested in this niche ophthalmic specialty after I was trained by the professors in Switzerland who were using lasers to cut membranes in diabetic patients,” Dr. Geller explains. “� ey never thought of applying it to eye � oaters.”

Some doctors and patients creditDr. Geller with inventing the technique.

“I just applied the training and tech-niques I learned to eye � oaters, and have had amazing success,” Dr. Geller says. “I have presented my results and technique at major scienti� c meetings worldwide starting with the International Congress of

Ophthalmology in Singapore over twenty-� ve years and thousands of cases ago.”

Dr. Geller’s last presentations were at the prestigious Florida Society of Ophthalmology and the Orione Ophthalmic Congress in Italy, where he performed eye � oater laser sessions on selected patients.

“Almost all ophthalmologists use lasers in their practice, but they can’t treat eye � oaters with the precision and predictability required to do the best job possible, because most YAG lasers are not configured to work in the vit-reous gel, where floaters are created,” Dr. Geller states.

Worldwide Patient BaseRecently, a major ophthalmic laser manufacturer has devised a laser for � oaters.

“� e problem is, there have been no training courses for ophthalmologists who might be interested in this area,” Dr. Geller notes. “And that can lead to complications.”

Dr. Geller was the prin-cipal author of the only presentation on this subject at the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2012.

“I have tried the other lasers, and if they were superior, I would purchase one immedi-ately,” Dr. Geller says. “I use the

Swiss made LASAG laser. It is de� nitely, in my hands, superior to the others out there. And I have two of them.”

Dr. Geller has a worldwide patient base. He has treated patients from Europe, Russia, China, Japan and most recently, an anesthesiologist from Brazil.

Dr. Gel ler a lways welcomes colleagues to observe or just call if they need to re� ne their own technique.

“Laser treatment of eye � oaters is fas-cinating,” Dr. Geller says. “I look forward to doing this every day.”Article submitted by Scott L. Geller, MD. Photo by Jordan

Pysz. mkb

Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | Sarasota Edition Sarasota Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9laSer therapypoDiatry

ophthalmoloGy

On July 12, 2014, Ralph Johnson, 64, was born again. On that warm summer day, the Brooklyn, New York native received a life-saving liver transplant. But Ralph’s

new life was quickly threatened again when he devel-oped graft-versus-host disease, a condition that is typically a death sentence for liver transplant patients.

“� e graft is my new liver and the host is my body,” the retired law enforcement officer explains. “With graft-versus-host disease, my body’s immune system recognized that there was a graft in my body and imme-diately began attacking it. � is occurred even though I was taking medication to suppress my immune system.

“But I was able to overcome the graft-versus-host dis-ease after spending three and a half months in a hospice unit at the University of Pennsylvania. While there, I was given experimental drugs, including high doses of steroids, to save my life.

“� e people at the hospital told me I might be the only person to survive graft-versus-host after a liver transplant. � e sta� at the University of Pennsylvania was great, but I also had a strong will to survive. I published a story about my experience in a journal for organ donation.”

The immunosuppressant medications Ralph took restricted his immune system’s ability to function so it wouldn’t attack his new liver. But with decreased immune system function, Ralph was susceptible to invading germs. Consequently, he developed infections in his mouth that a� ected his teeth. � at soon prompted a search for a dentist to address his dental issues.

“� ere were bacterial infections in my teeth that had to be resolved to maintain my health,” Ralph con� rms. “As a result of the infections, I was living with some discomfort, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

“My greatest concern was with the appearance of my teeth. Some of them needed to be replaced, so I went online and began reading reviews for Dr. Gaukhman and Siesta Dental. As I read the reviews, I became more and more impressed, so I set up an appointment.”

Ralph’s choice for dental care was Alexander Gaukhman, DMD, at Siesta Dental in Venice. Dr. Gaukhman, who o� ers exceptional general, cosmetic and restorative dentistry as well as emergency dentistry, also has o� ces in Sarasota and Osprey.

“To address my dental concerns, Dr. Gaukhman sug-gested we start fresh,” Ralph relates. “He recommended giving me a new look, a whole new smile, by removing my teeth and replacing them with dentures.”

Ralph agreed with that plan, and so Dr. Gaukhman soon began his treatment of Ralph by taking impressions of his teeth. From those impressions, a set of temporary dentures was fabricated in Siesta Dental’s on-site dental lab.

Better Bite, Better Smile

Dr. Gaukhman is accepting new patients and welcomes the opportunity to help you improve your smile and bite function. He invites the readers of Florida Health Care

News to visit or call Siesta Dental.

Sarasota Avenida Navarra

Venice US Hwy. Bypass S.

Osprey S. Tamiami Trail, Suite F

(941) 270-8060

• Dental implants

• Extraction of teeth

• Crowns• Deep

cleaning• Bleaching

• ZOOM!® whitening

• Root canals• Laser surgery

• Invisalign®• Dentures• Partials• Bridges

Siesta Dental specializes in all aspects of dentistry, including but not limited to:

Siesta Dental Services

Please visit Dr. Gaukhman’s website at www.SiestaDental.com

hospice unit unable to walk,” notes Ralph, who received his permanent dentures about three months after being � t with the temporaries. “Nothing equates to that.”

Simply OutstandingDr. Gaukhman did well by Ralph. In one day, he gave Ralph a brand-new smile and relieved his dental discom-fort. Ralph is extremely pleased with the results of his treatment and is already considering dental implants to secure his dentures. For right now, though, he’s happy with them the way they are.

“My new dentures from Siesta Dental are outstand-ing,” he raves. “� ey look really good. People can’t tell they’re not real teeth. I just light up with my new smile. I’m a smiley person anyway because I overcame some really critical medical situations and was given a gift of life. I feel very fortunate, so, yeah, I’m enjoying myself now. I have a lot to smile about.”

Ralph is also happy with his experience at Siesta Dental. He gives kudos to Dr. Gaukhman and his sta� .

“The Siesta Dental staff is professional,” Ralph describes. “They’re good people – very friendly and helpful, and they made me feel very comfortable. And Dr. Gaukhman is outstanding. He’s personable and honest.

“And he’s very, very good at what he does. He was really understanding of my situation and took me under his wing. I’m very grateful to Dr. Gaukhman. I recommend him to anyone.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Ralph’s photo courtesy of Ralph Johnson. ke

Two days later, after the temporary dentures were completed, Ralph returned for a second appointment during which his teeth were extracted, and he was � t with the temporary dentures.

Same-Day ServiceSiesta Dental’s on-site lab allows Dr. Gaukhman and his sta� to fabricate full traditional dentures in just one day. Dr. Gaukhman explains that, historically, much of the time needed to deliver dentures to a patient involved simple transportation.

“After the dentist acquires all the information needed to fabricate a patient’s dentures, the usual procedure is to send that information to a dental lab,” Dr. Gaukhman informs. “� e dentures are designed and prepared at the lab and then sent back to the dentist for � tting in the patient’s mouth. It can take up to two days to transport each way. � en, if adjustments need to be made, addi-tional time is required to return the dentures to the lab.”

Recognizing that such delays can be a hardship for patients, especially those in pain or anyone who loses or damages a denture, Dr. Gaukhman decided to o� er dental lab services in his own o� ce. � is e� ectively eliminated transportation delays and allowed him to provide many patients with same-day service, or Dentures in a Day.

“Dentures in a Day are particularly bene� cial when the patient is in pain with their teeth, when an infection is present and when the patient does not have time to wait for their dentures,” Dr. Gaukhman elaborates.

“In these cases, the patient comes to the o� ce in the morning, and by the afternoon, their dentures are ready. And that’s the best thing about Dentures in a Day. Patients can come in with broken teeth, failing teeth or infections, and they leave with perfect smiles.”

With the Dentures in a Day option, Dr. Gaukhman schedules the patient for an early-morning appointment to take impressions and develop a treatment plan. While the dentures are being prepared in the Siesta Dental lab, the patient is able to leave the o� ce to relax or take care of personal errands or business.

A second visit later in the day enables the dentist to perform an initial � tting of the dentures and to note any changes that need to be made. Once the adjustments are performed, the patient returns to the o� ce later that same day to receive the � nished dentures.

“With Ralph, we performed the work in two vis-its because he was not in pain and was not in a hurry,” Dr. Gaukhman relates. “But the bulk of the dental work was done in one day, because once his dentures were ready, he came in, we extracted his teeth and � t his tradi-tional dentures the same day.”

Dr. Gaukhman notes that by � tting the temporary dentures immediately after Ralph’s teeth were extracted, the dentures act as a BAND-AID® of sorts. � ey help decrease bleeding and swelling because the gums can only swell to the point of the denture.

“� e procedure on my teeth wasn’t painful, but then again, I had just survived three and a half months in a

ALEXANDER GAUKHMAN, DMD

Alexander Gaukhman, DMD, earned his dental degree at Nova Southeastern University College of Dentistry, Ft. Lauderdale. He completed his undergraduate studies at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. Dr. Gaukhman

is a diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and a member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry, Florida Dental Association, Sarasota Dental Association and American Dental Association.

is carried out using a scope with a camera, and the sur-geon operates while visualizing images from the camera on a computer screen.

“Once the incision is made, we insert a series of tubes to dilate the muscles that sit on top of the bone and create an opening in the lamina using a laser, small drill and a kerasin. We use rongeurs to remove the pieces of bone that were in the lamina.”

To relieve pressure on spinal nerves, Dr. St. Louis uses the kerasin to remove some of the bone surrounding the foramen where the nerves exit the spinal cord. � is is a foraminotomy. Because laminotomy and foramino-tomy are performed minimally invasively, recovery is short and complications are rare.

“I typically instruct patients to walk for an hour the day after surgery in three twenty-minute intervals,” Dr. St. Louis informs. “Total recovery time depends on the patient’s degree of activity. If they’re return-ing to a desk job, they can go back within a week. If they do manual labor, they must wait anywhere from two weeks to a month.”

Dr. St. Louis makes a point of noting that Physician Partners of America accepts Medicare, so patients with Medicare don’t have to pay large out-of-pocket sums for their laser surgery. � is is important because many of the conditions that require procedures such as laminotomy and foraminotomy are common in older adults.

“As people age, they often develop bone spurs that can pinch the spinal cord or spinal nerves and cause pain,” the doctor observes. “In addition, every nerve travels through a tunnel, and over time, that tunnel shrinks and puts pressure on the nerve. Laminotomy and foraminotomy remove the bone spurs and open up the tunnels, freeing the nerves and relieving pain.”

“Immediate Relief”Dr. St. Louis thoroughly explained what was causing Larry’s back and leg pain, and detailed how laser lami-notomy and foraminotomy would repair the problem. Larry agreed to undergo the procedures and was amazed by how quickly he noticed a di� erence in his condition.

“I felt immediate relief,” Larry enthuses. “And my recovery was very quick. I walked out of surgery with no pain in my back or down my legs. At � rst, I attributed most of the relief to the anesthesia, but the pain hasn’t returned. � ere’s zero pain now, when before it was a ten.”

Larry no longer su� ers with discomfort in his back or legs, so he’s able to perform his favorite activities. � ose include working in the garden, shades of his days on the ranch.

“My wife doesn’t call me a gardener,” Larry relates. “She calls me a landscaper because what I do requires a lot of physical activity. We walk daily as well. And I recently picked up an airbrush. I’ve been an artist all my life, so I’m moving into a di� erent level of art.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to boating and traveling. I had to cancel a couple of trips due to my back pain, but that’s all behind me now. I highly recom-mend Dr. St. Louis and his team at Physician Partners of America. � ey provided me with pain relief and in turn gave me my life back.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. ke

JAMES ST. LOUIS, DOKEITH GIRTON, MD

James St. Louis, DO, earned his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. He received his osteopathic medicine

degree from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, and completed his surgical training in the US Army and at Kennedy Medical Center in Cherry Hill, NJ. Dr. St. Louis is a member of many medical organizations including the American Osteopathic Association, American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, American Medical Association and American Association of Physician Specialists.

L arry Solie grew up on a ranch, so he’s no stranger to responsibility and hard work out-doors. Every day, he toiled in the garden and cared for the horses. It was a natural transition

when he became executive director of a wilderness pro-gram for troubled teens.

“The program operated over a fifty thousand acre spread in Central Oregon,” Larry describes. “We worked with three hundred teens a year. � ey learned tracking and navigation skills, how to build � res with-out matches and many Native American-style ways of living in the wilderness.

“Before I took over that program, I was head-master at a school for troubled boys. During that time, I met the founder of the wilderness program – an ex-ranger who wanted help with his business. We formed an alliance to cross-train our kids, and I eventually bought his program.”

Larry expanded the program, which was featured on a television series in 2003. The show garnered national recognition for Larry’s program as well as the attention of larger organizations doing residential and wilderness-based programming. Larry left his program in the capable hands of one of those organizations and retired in 2006.

Unfortunately, all those years of working on the ranch and hiking and sleeping on the hard ground in the wilderness took a toll on Larry’s back. � at distress was compounded by damage done to his back during his military career.

“I served during the Six-Day War, and we got banged around on my ship quite a bit,” Larry recalls. “When my

ship was torpedoed, I su� ered an injury to my spine that didn’t show up until later. Couple that with the

walking and lifting I did, and the strain on my back really got bad.

“The first symptom I noticed was weakness in my right leg,

followed by numbness and cramping in both legs. I also experienced pretty

intense pain in my back and down my left leg. � ere were

stabbing, sharp pains, then there were dull pains. It ran the gamut, but the pain was a ten on a scale of one to ten. If I lifted something, I could guarantee I’d be in pain for

days. I’m a very active person. It was di� cult for me to just sit still.

“My wife and I like to go boat-ing and travel, and I draw and paint outside, but with a bad back, I didn’t

do much but sit on ice and take pain pills. It got to the point that my wife

said, Look, I want to travel, but if you want to sit here in pain, I’ll

get you a subscription to the newspaper. � at prompted

me to seek treatment.”Larry already had

an idea where he’d go for help with his bad

back. His daughter worked for Physician Partners of America, and Larry

knew their surgeons performed minimally invasive laser spine surgery. Larry made an appointment and met with Dr. James St. Louis, director of the practice’s Minimally Invasive Spine Group.

Attachment Point � e a� ected nerve is identi� ed after listening to the patient’s symptoms and using MRI to pinpoint the speci� c nerve.

“Upon evaluating Larry, I discovered that a dam-aged disc in his lower spine was pinching the nerves exiting through the openings in the spinal column, which are called foramen,” Dr. St. Louis explains. “Pressure on the nerves caused the pain in his back and numbness down his legs.

“To address Larry’s condition, I chose to perform two minimally invasive laser spine procedures, a lamino-tomy and a foraminotomy. � e goal of performing those procedures was to ease the pressure on Larry’s nerves and relieve his painful symptoms.”

A lamina is a part of the vertebral arch. A pair of laminae join with the bony projections that jut from the middle of the vertebrae, called spinous processes, to provide a point of attachment for the spine’s muscles and ligaments. A laminotomy is the removal of some of the lamina to relieve pressure from the bone pressing on the spinal cord.

“Minimally invasive laser laminotomy is performed through a half-inch incision in the back,” Dr. St. Louis explains. “� e incision is carefully placed with the help of a special x-ray called C-arm � uoroscopy. Laminotomy

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

Keith Girton, MD, is board certifi ed by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a native of Columbus, Ohio and earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Girton completed a residency in family medicine at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio and a residency in orthopedics at Fort Worth Affi liated Hospitals in Texas. During his second residency, he joined the US Air Force and was stationed at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, Illinois. He was honorably discharged.

To learn more, visit them online at PPOASpine.com

Lakewood Ranch(pain management)

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Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | Sarasota Edition Sarasota Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11General, coSmetic & emerGency DentiStrylaSer Spine SurGery

Stephen R. Zabawa, DC, is board certifi ed in Orthospinology and is certifi ed by the Upper Cervical Academy. He received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Dr. Zabawa currently serves as a board member and instructor for the Society for Chiropractic Orthospinology.

Dr. Zabawa looks forward to hearing from the readers of

Florida Health Care News. For more information or to schedule

a consultation, call or visit his offi ce in Sarasota at:

2831 Ringling Blvd.Bldg. A, Suite 102

(941) 955-4755

Relief Is Just a Phone

Call Away

STEPHEN R. ZABAWA, DC

Visit Dr. Zabawa’s practice on the web at www.AtlasChiroSRQ.com

Happy Hunting Without

PainUpper cervical procedure relieves neck and back pain, headaches

I t started as a hobby 20 years ago when John Gettle was still in his 50s. He enjoyed organizing alligator hunts in the swamps of Okeechobee County. Eventually, it turned

into a second career along with his swimming pool repair and remodeling business. John loved the work, but it sometimes left him with back and neck pain and intense headaches.

“In the pool business, I had to bend over into the pool and reach and extend my arms above my head a lot to do the electrical work, like changing the motors on pool pumps,” John elaborates. “� at would get my neck and back aching and then I’d get the headaches.

“� en, for the gator hunts, we’d hunt all night, and in the morning, I had to get the gators o� the truck and put them in coolers. I handled eight-hundred-, nine-hundred-, thousand-pound gators, and then I’d get the pains in my back and neck.”

John twisted, turned and hauled those heavy loads day after day and often worked his pool business during the day before hosting gator hunts at night, with little sleep in between. John’s abuse of his body had a negative impact on his head as well.

“After lifting and doing all that work I shouldn’t have been doing, I’d wake up with headaches,” John shares. “Eventually, they came almost daily. � ey were throb-bing headaches, like migraines, and they were really painful.

“To get relief, I rested and put lini-ment on my neck, but by the next day, my head hurt again. If I took pain medication, the headaches felt better for a little while, but I’d have to take medication all the time if I wanted the pain to stay away. I don’t like taking a lot of medication, so I put up with the pain rather than take the pills.”

John continued to live this way for more than 15 years, all while struggling to

manage his distress-

i n g

pain. He tried traditional chiropractic treatment, but it wasn’t until he discov-ered Stephen R. Zabawa, DC, of Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota, that he found sustained relief.

Unlike traditional chiropractors, Dr. Zabawa is an upper cervical chiro-practor who uses an extremely accurate approach to adjust the spine and relieve back pain and other disorders. Dr. Zabawa employs gentle, precise adjustment methods called Orthospinology and Atlas Orthogonal to treat misalignments of the spine. He is board certi� ed in Orthospinology.

“John is a very active person,” Dr. Zabawa describes. “He hunts gators, wild hogs and deer. Sometimes, he gets neck pain as a result of his activities. When that occurs, pressure builds up on his brainstem, which leads to decreased cere-brospinal � uid � ow and causes headaches.

“When John’s neck is out of align-ment, he experiences pressure and pain in his lower back as well. Fortunately, all of these conditions are addressed by the upper cervical adjustment.”

Gentle and Precise� e body has a natural re� ex to keep the head, brain, nervous system and eyes level, Dr. Zabawa explains. � e spine will distort itself all the way down the body to keep the brain and nervous system level.

“The atlas is the first vertebra in the neck that connects the head to the cervical spine,” he informs. “If there’s

a misalignment of the upper cervical vertebrae, the rest of the spine will com-pensate. It will twist and torque, which puts pressure on areas throughout the spine, including the neck and lower back.

“� e atlas adjustment takes pressure o� by restoring the proper alignment of the atlas vertebra. � is balances the head, relieving the spinal twisting from the neck down to the lower back. In John’s case, it also eased the pressure on his brainstem and increased the � ow of cerebrospinal � uid, which relieved his headaches.

“Because of the twisting caused by his misalignment, John had one leg that seemed like it was a quarter-inch shorter than the other. This twisting also put pressure on the nerves of his lower back, causing pain. After his atlas adjustment, John’s spine was aligned. � ere was no more twisting so John’s legs evened out, pressure was taken o� of the nerves, and his back pain was resolved.

“When I adjust the atlas vertebra, I’m actually adjusting the full spine just by touching the neck,” Dr. Zabawa empha-sizes. “And we’re achieving phenomenal results with it.”

Dr. Zabawa asserts that the precision and gentleness of the atlas adjustment is what makes upper cervical chiropractic unique.

“Unlike other chiropractors, I don’t snap-crackle-and-pop you,” he says. “An upper cervical correction is a very gentle tap in just the right place for your personal mis-alignment. � ere’s no pulling or jerking of such a delicate area. It’s precise and gentle.”

To begin his treatment process, Dr. Zabawa takes three-dimensional x-rays of the patient’s neck to see how their upper cervical bones are misaligned. Using those pictures, he performs calculations to determine the exact angle for the adjustment to take the pressure o� of the patient’s spinal column. Thus, the atlas adjustment restores balance to the entire body.

“It’s an effective, more accurate approach without extreme manipula-tions,” Dr. Zabawa concludes. “Patients may have low back problems or head-aches, but just accurately adjusting the neck can address many conditions. It successfully relieved John’s pain so he could remain active.”

John agrees.

“It doesn’t seem like much when he’s doing it, but Dr. Zabawa’s treatments put me into alignment, I feel good when he’s done, and they last,” he states. “Now, it’s a regular thing, and I don’t worry about the pain anymore.”

Staying NormalJohn, now 73, recently retired from his pool business, leaving it to his sons, but he’ll still service a client or friend in need. He remains involved with the gator hunts, but not to the extent he used to be. His plans for retirement include lots of hunting, � shing and traveling. And with regular treatments by Dr. Zabawa, John can do it all without pain.

“Dr. Zabawa has done good things for me,” John enthuses. “I haven’t had headaches for a long time now, not since I’ve been seeing Dr. Zabawa. I just don’t get them anymore. It’s amazing that his procedure took them away.

“If I ever get even a little bit of pain in my back or neck from overdoing it, I simply give Dr. Zabawa a call, and he � xes me right up. He gives me a treat-ment, and I’m good again. By going to Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota and getting routine check-ups, I get back to normal and stay that way.

“I stand by Dr. Zabawa and the work that he does for me,” John declares. “I tell everybody I know who has trouble to go to him because he does a good job. His procedure works. It really helped me.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Fred Bellet. mkb

Patients of every age have experienced great results from the safe, gentle method of upper cervical adjustment available at Atlas Chiropractic of Sarasota.In addition to increased range of motion, slower degeneration of problem areas and overall improvements in general health, patients have also found relief for:

♦ Back & Neck Pain ♦ Numbness & Tingling

♦ Joint & Muscle Pain

♦ Migraines ♦ Asthma

♦ Ménière’s Disease

♦ Seizures/Epilepsy

♦ Trigeminal Neuralgia

♦ Bed-Wetting

♦ MS Symptoms ♦ Scoliosis ♦ Digestive Disorders

♦ TMJ Problems ♦ Reproductive Issues

Relief for a Variety of Conditions

And many more...

John Gettle

Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | Sarasota Edition chiropractic