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Summer 2015
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Dr. Tred’s Ultimate Laser-Assisted Weight Loss System can
do what diet and exercise can’t – beat the belly bulge!
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Safe and successful
Dr. Tred’s Ultimate Laser-Assisted Weight Loss System, offered through Slim Body
Laser Spa, succeeds for many patients when other attempts at weight loss have
failed. In fact, over the last four years, his system has helped more than 2,500 people
shed thousands of stubborn pounds and inches. The difference is the laser, which
acts directly on the problem fat cells.
“Laser energy, when applied to the body, safely causes microscopic pores to form
in the fat cells,” explains Dr. Tred. “The fat leaks out and is absorbed by the body. It
is then burned as energy or removed from the body safely and naturally.”
There is a difference
between Dr. Tred’s laser system and some of the other
fat-reducing options available
to patients. Dr. Tred stresses the
safe, natural process his system uses
to rid the body of excess fat.
“This procedure simply shrinks fat
cells, where many other procedures actually destroy fat cells by sucking them out
or freezing them and killing them, or by
blasting them with ultrasound or heating
them up with radio waves,” he informs.
“Our laser procedure causes the fat cells to
empty their contents, and then the body
absorbs that fatty acid naturally through
the lymphatic system. It is then burned as
ARTICLES
Laser Aesthetics
Lose Fat the Laser Way
ith a long career in education as a teacher and school counselor,
Suzanne Dalesandro was always on the go. The Philadelphia native
and southern transplant knew her system slowed down when she
did, and after retirement, she noticed some big changes in her body,
especially in her midsection.
“It seemed all of a sudden I got this big bulge there, and I just wasn’t happy with it,”
she relates. “I had done dieting before. I did Weight Watchers® and was very successful,
and then I don’t know whether it was just the change of being retired because your
metabolism does slow down, but dieting
wasn’t doing it.”
When Suzanne first heard
about the laser-assisted weight
loss system available from
TRED J. RISSACHER, DC
Tred Rissacher, DC,
owner of Slim Body
Laser Spa in Stuart, she was intrigued. She went online and was
amazed by what she read, but was even more enthralled when she
heard Dr. Tred tell his own story at an outing last fall.
“I had tagged along with my daughter and my grandkids to the
Palm City Fall Festival this past October,” she states, “and I noticed
Slim Body had one of their booths there. I went over and actually met
Dr. Tred and his staff and got some questions answered.
“I was very impressed with him and his story. I think that was a convincing thing, the amount of weight he lost and the body sculpting that happened
to him. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to go in for a free demonstration. I went in and
was impressed with it, and signed up that day.”
From the moment she walked into Slim Body Laser Spa, Suzanne felt comfortable and relaxed. The spa-like atmosphere and the friendly staff made her
feel welcome and at home. She found the treatment itself to be soothing and
peaceful as well.
“I thought the facility was very inviting, very warm and welcoming,” she
describes. “The girls are sweet. Everybody who worked with me was very professional and congenial. They really seemed to take a genuine interest in you. It
was enjoyable talking with them. It’s not like all business. It’s very nice that way.
“It’s extremely relaxing,” says Suzanne of the treatment. “I looked at it as
my relaxation time when I would go. There was no pain, no downtime. It’s very
comfortable, and I really enjoyed it.
“When I went through the nine-session program, I actually lost about twelve
and a half inches, and that was through the three areas, what they call the top section
and then your mid and your lower. So they target three areas, and I thought, There
isn’t any diet that I can think of that is going to do that!”
Featured
8
9
10
After the
11
nine-session
program,
12
Suzanne lost
12½ inches.
(see Lose Fat the Laser Way, page 4)
RENU Medical
Aesthetics
Noninvasive
Aesthetic Renewal
Francis J.
DuCoin, DMD, MS
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Stuart
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Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Summer 2015 | Martin County Edition
Rejuvenation
Noninvasive Aesthetic Renewal
Never before have there been so many effective
options for facial rejuvenation without surgery.
W
hen Linda Craig decided
to look into having
facial rejuvenation treatment, she knew exactly
who she wanted to see: Valerie A. Barrett,
MD, of RENU Medical Aesthetics.
VALERIE A. BARRETT, MD
EndyMed™ and IPL
RENU Medical Aesthetics provides
a comprehensive range of aesthetic
and rejuvenation treatments in a spalike atmosphere. Services range from
BOTOX® Cosmetic, JUVÉDERM®,
EndyMed and Sculptra® to laser resurfacing, prescription-grade skincare
using the ZO® Skin Health line from
Dr. Zein Obagi, and Dr. Barrett’s patented RENU Lift™.
“When it comes to rejuvenation treatment,” says the physician, “many people
do not realize that there are a variety of
noninvasive options, such as skin tightening and photofacials. In fact, significant
rejuvenation can be done with little to no
downtime or discomfort.”
Skin laxity and loss of volume in
the face can both be addressed noninvasively, she assures.
“We treat the entire facial area,”
explains Dr. Barrett. “We treat pigmentation, pores and vessels on the skin, and
then we re-volumize. Patients can lose
Call to find out
about monthly
specials and seminars.
“Photofacials are noninvasive, and
you can wear makeup immediately afterward,” she adds. “They are used to treat
spider veins, which some women get on
the cheeks, chin or the corners of the nose.
You also get significant pore tightening,
skin smoothing and some skin tightening.
IPL photofacials can treat rosacea, as well.”
In addition to skin tightening, RENU
Medical Aesthetics offers noninvasive treatment for loss of volume in the face.
“We can easily replace volume with
products like RADIESSE® or Sculptra
for a very natural look. We address all
aspects of aging, and if you start early
enough, you really turn back time.
Patients can look up to ten years younger
with little to no downtime.”
“Outstanding” care
Linda knew she was in good hands with
Dr. Barrett, but the combination of
treatments exceeded even her own high
expectations.
FHCN PHOTO BY MARC EDWARDS
“I’ve known Dr. Barrett since 2006,”
explains Linda. “I used to do cosmetic
laser work, and I worked with her office
at the time. Her practice has been very
successful over the years, and for many
good reasons.
“One reason is the excellence of her
work, which I think is harder and harder
to come by these days in every field.
Another reason is that Dr. Barrett is very
patient and not at all pushy. She has a
conservative approach, and truly helps
her clients set realistic expectations. That
is so important in the field of cosmetic
medicine.”
As someone who has treated others
with laser, Linda had a good idea of what
areas she wanted to address.
“One of my biggest concerns was
fine lines around the mouth, the vertical lip lines,” she recalls. “So I went to
Dr. Barrett to talk specifically about that.
I was also curious about the liquid lift,
which is a nonsurgical facelift.”
From her previous experience working with the physician, Linda knew what
to expect.
“The first thing she does is to hand
you a mirror. She’ll say, Okay, I’m looking at your face, you’re looking at your face.
What is it that bothers you? The great thing
about Dr. Barrett is that she wants you
to tell her what you want, and then she
will tell you whether it’s possible. Hers
was really the only practice I considered
going to.”
a significant amount of volume in the
face, which leads to things like nasolabial
folds, extending from the corner of the
nose down to the chin, and what we call
marionette lines, located at and below the
corners of the mouth. These are all issues
that occur with aging.
“People also get laxity, which leads to
jowling and loss of the jawline. Sun damage is a concern, especially here in Florida.
It can lead to brown spots and pigmentation in the skin, as well as issues like
noticeable facial telangiectasias, or spider
veins. Some patients have rosacea, and we
can address that, too.”
One of the most powerful treatments
in the cosmetic world today is a noninvasive tool for skin tightening.
“In order to address the skin laxity
that occurs with aging, we can use the
EndyMed machine. It uses radiofrequency heat to stimulate collagen,” notes
Dr. Barrett. “EndyMed is noninvasive,
painless and produces excellent results. It
can be used on any area of the body to
tighten skin, but it is most popular for
the eyes, face and neck, or in combination
with the i-Lipo™.”
The treatment is typically performed
in a series of three to four sessions.
“Patients can expect to get some immediate results, then significant tightening over
the next three to six months. We can treat
the jowling, neck laxity and the upper
chest – when patients start to develop that
crêpe-like effect in the décolletage area.”
For those with pigmentation or
brown spots, there is still hope to reverse
some of the sun’s damaging effects.
“Sun damage can be treated quite
efficiently by performing a photofacial
with the IPL (intense pulsed light), a
type of laser treatment,” clarifi es Dr.
Barrett. “IPL brings up the pigment so
that you get a little bit of darkening, but
then it sloughs off over the next ten to
fourteen days.
Linda is very pleased with the results of her care at
RENU Medical Aesthetics.
“The IPL photofacial greatly helped
to minimize sun damage, lightening the
dark spots and evening out my skin tone,”
she reports. “It was great – not only on
my face, but also on my chest, hands and
arms. It’s easy, painless and fast.”
The EndyMed was especially effective
for skin tightening, she says.
“It’s a huge improvement over its predecessor, Thermage®, which I used to do,”
explains Linda, who has also tried some
BELOTERO® and BOTOX/XEOMIN®
treatments. “EndyMed is more effective,
so everyone can get results. It’s painless,
too. All you feel is some warmth as the
wand moves over your skin. It can tighten
lax skin anywhere, but I think it’s wonderful for the lower face and neck.”
She emphasizes how much she
appreciates the staff of RENU Medical
Aesthetics, and Dr. Barrett in particular.
“She’s great to work with,” assures
Linda. “She’s very relaxed, unlike so many
physicians who just want to tell you what
to do. The staff is simply wonderful. I’m
very happy with everyone I’ve met there.
And of course, all their services have been
outstanding.” FHCN–Michael J. Sahno
Valerie A. Barrett, MD,
is board certified by the
American Board of Internal
Medicine. After receiving
her medical degree from
The Chicago Medical
School in Chicago, IL, she
completed her internship and residency at
Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in
Chicago. Dr. Barrett is a member of the American
Association of Anti-Aging, the American College
of Physicians, the Aesthetic Academy, the Liquid
Lift Association, and is a certified Merz Aesthetics
Elite and Allergan Platinum provider.
Visit RENU Medical Aesthetics online at www.renuforyou.com.
When you look great,
you feel great
RENU Medical Aesthetics is a
multidisciplinary center offering
aesthetic and rejuvenation treatments,
massage therapy and chiropractic
care in a spa-like atmosphere. For
more information, or to schedule a
consultation, please call the office,
located at 845 SE Osceola St. in
Stuart, at (772) 834-3231.
Where health and
beauty come full
circle
At RENU, patient care is truly
a labor of love. Their goal is to
help each patient get to a place
in their life where they feel good
about themselves and the way
they look.
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Services include:
Laser Body Sculpting
Cellulite Reduction
Skin Tightening
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL
Photofacial)
Laser Hair Removal
KTP for Facial Vessels
Skin Resurfacing
Procedures
Facials/
Microdermabrasion
BOTOX/XEOMIN
JUVÉDERM
BELOTERO
RADIESSE
Sculptra
Restylane® Silk
ZO Skin Health from Dr.
Zein Obagi
iS Clinical Products
Martin County Edition | Summer 2015 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3
Pain Management
Relief After Failed Back Surgery
Spinal cord stimulation can provide relief for patients
suffering from spinal stenosis following failed back surgery.
O
n a scale from one to ten,
Margaret Masters’ back pain
was a nine most days.
“It was mild in the
mornings and the early afternoon, but
as the day progressed, it really got to be
debilitating,” she says. “I had a tough
time functioning most days.”
Margaret’s job as a retail manager
requires a lot of bending and lifting – tasks
that have not been easy for her to perform.
In 2011, Margaret had a laminectomy because of lower back pain caused
from degenerative discs. Unfortunately,
that surgery failed.
“Most of the lower back pain was
gone, but a different kind of pain was now
resonating down my legs, and that just
made everything worse,” she explains. “I
was a patient at Resolute Pain Solutions,
and I was told I had failed back surgery
syndrome. I just wanted my life back. I
wanted to be able to go somewhere with
family and walk around all day and not
have pain three hours into an eight-hour
day. I tried medications, acupuncture,
steroid injections, physical therapy, every
kind of pain relief. Nothing worked.”
Desperate for relief, Margaret says
that one day while waiting to see the doctor, she read some information on spinal
cord stimulation and wondered if she was
a candidate for the procedure.
“Basically, when Margaret came to
our practice, much like many folks who
have failed back surgery syndrome, the
surgery hadn’t fixed her problem,” explains
Sidney Swartz, MD, a board-certified pain
management specialist at Resolute Pain
Solutions. “She did have some improvement in her back pain post-surgery, but
then when she returned to work and
Why SCS?
“This is a procedure that has been evolving and improving since its inception,”
Dr. Swartz explains. “Today, SCS may be
used for back pain, pain radiating down
the leg from nerve damage, diabetic neuropathy and crush injuries.
“Candidates for spinal cord stimulation are typically patients who have been
told nothing can be done about their situations,” he continues. “By the time they get
to our office, they have typically failed all
other available treatments, including medication management, therapy, injections
and even surgery. But there is something
that can be done, and it is very effective.
In cases with mixed pain (neuropathic and
nociceptive) or mostly neuropathic pain,
spinal cord stimulation can be seventy-five
percent successful in providing significant,
long-term pain relief.”
In fact, the SCS is one of the most
Ramon Alvarez, MD, served his internship at Grady Memorial Hospital and Southwest Community
Hospital, Atlanta, GA, and his anesthesia and pain management residency at Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, Nashville, TN. Dr. Alvarez is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. He is a
founding partner of Resolute Pain Solutions.
Marc Levine, MD, served his internship at Lenox Hill Hospital and his residency at Columbia Presbyterian
Medical Center College of Physicians and Surgeons, both in New York City. Dr. Levine is board certified
in anesthesiology and pain management and is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiology,
Florida Society of Anesthesiology, American Medical Association and Florida Medical Association. He is
a founding partner of Resolute Pain Solutions.
Daniel Battaglia, DO, is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served his
internship at the University of Medicine of New Jersey Kennedy Memorial Hospital. Dr. Battaglia completed
his residency at Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He is board certified in
anesthesiology and a Diplomate with the American Osteopathic Association. Dr. Battaglia is a member
of the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Society of Anesthesiology.
Jay Kuchera, MD, is a graduate of the University of Florida School of Medicine. He served his internship
and residency at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Kuchera is board certified in
anesthesiology and pain medicine. He is also a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists
and the American Academy of Pain Management.
Sidney Swartz, MD, is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American
Board of Pain Medicine. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School. Dr. Swartz completed his
internship at Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital followed by a residency in anesthesiology at Baylor College
of Medicine in Houston.
Learn more at www.ResoluteMD.com/health
FHCN PHOTO BY NERISSA JOHNSON
RAMON ALVAREZ, MD
MARC LEVINE, MD
DANIEL BATTAGLIA, DO
JAY KUCHERA, MD
SIDNEY SWARTZ, MD
resumed physical activity, the pain in her
buttocks and in her right posterior thigh
became incapacitating.”
Based on her history, Dr. Swartz
determined that Margaret was an excellent candidate for spinal cord stimulation
(SCS). The spinal cord stimulator is
designed for patients who have permanent
nerve injury. Margaret was relieved and
excited to give it a try.
“I was so happy to hear that I was a
candidate because I just wanted the pain
to stop,” she says.
“Neuropathic pain can be debilitating and is the ideal kind of pain to treat
with spinal cord stimulation,” Dr. Swartz
says. “Typically, that includes cases of
failed back surgery syndrome, injuries
to nerves in general and sometimes even
post-amputation pain, although clinically, the outcomes in amputation cases
are not quite as good with the stimulator
as we would anticipate.
“Therefore, spinal cord stimulation
can be a highly effective treatment for
patients, like Margaret, with failed back
surgery syndrome,” Dr. Swartz adds.
“For those patients who have low back or
leg pain for at least six months following
back surgery, a spinal cord stimulator can
offer a lifetime of relief.”
Margaret found
relief for her
back pain,
thanks to
Resolute Pain
Solutions.
effective treatments available for certain indications, such as chronic pain
from CRPS (complex regional pain
syndrome), angina, peripheral vascular
disease and a number of other conditions, particularly in patients who are
not surgical candidates.
The implantation is performed on
an outpatient basis under local anesthesia, so there is no hospital stay involved.
During the procedure, a stimulating electrode is placed into the epidural space
that overlays the pain fibers in the spinal
cord. “We position the electrode precisely over the portion of the spinal cord
that covers the area where the patient has
pain,” describes Dr. Swartz.
Trial minimizes errors
“One of the greatest benefits of spinal
cord stimulation is the opportunity to
have a trial period prior to considering a
permanent implantation of the device,”
explains the doctor. “There really are no
other surgeries available for low back
pain that allow you to do a trial before
the actual surgery. This allows patients
the opportunity to see whether it truly
reduces their pain.
“During the trial, we put leads in
through the skin using a special needle
called an epidural needle,” he adds. “The
leads are steered into place using a tiny wire.
When we get them into the right position,
we attach them to an external current generator, and the stimulation is directed where
the patient is experiencing pain.
“If the trial goes well,” Dr. Swartz
continues, “we implant the electrode
and a small pacemaker-like device under
the skin. The patient can then control
his or her level of stimulation with one
of several programs that are created for
the individual.”
Finally pain free
Margaret says she has finally found the
relief she sought, thanks to Dr. Swartz
and SCS.
“I’ve got arthritis, bursitis, you
name it, and Dr. Swartz assured me
that SCS would help with the chronic
pain,” Margaret shares. “He positioned
it just right. He knew exactly where my
pain was, and I haven’t had leg pain
since the surgery.”
Margaret says Dr. Swartz and the staff
at Resolute Pain Solutions are caring and
compassionate.
“They really want to help you feel
better; I could really feel that,” she says.
“They were helpful and put me at ease
about the procedure and what I was to
expect. I highly recommend them to
anyone suffering with chronic pain.”
FHCN–Judy Wade
Rise Above the Pain
Resolute Pain Solutions’ comprehensive
pain care practice combines skilled
specialists, innovative technology and
extensive resources for the effective
treatment of post-surgical and chronic
pain. Offices are located at:
601 University Blvd., Suite 203, Jupiter
950 Glades Road, Suite 5A, Boca Raton
107 19th Drive, Okeechobee
10244 US Highway 1, Port St. Lucie
10050 SW Innovation Way, Suite 104,
Port St. Lucie
2100 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 100, Stuart
For more information or to schedule
an appointment, call
(855) 678-3737
Got pain?
The professionals at Resolute
have your solution for a variety of
conditions including:
• Arthritis pain
• Back pain
• Bursitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Degenerative disc disease
• Neuropathy
• Fibromyalgia
• Neuralgia
• Sciatica
• Spinal stenosis
• Sports injuries
• Neck pain
• Migraines
Page 4 | Florida Health Care News | Summer 2015 | Martin County Edition
Laser Aesthetics
(continued from page 1)
Long-term rewards
Suzanne likes the way she looks
now that she’s lost the inches
with Dr. Tred’s laser system,
but she’s even happier with
how she feels. She knows losing the extra fat from her belly
is good for her overall health,
not just for her wardrobe.
“It makes you feel good
when your daughter says, Mom,
you’ve got to go shopping and buy
smaller clothes now because yours
are baggy,” she notes. “So she
noticed a difference right away.
“But I can feel a difference.
I’m feeling better. Physically,
I feel more energetic, which
I need to keep up with the
grandkids. And I think part of
the shift maybe is even an emotional thing that you just feel
better, which is important, too.
So it is an overall good feeling
that I’m doing something good
for my body, for my health,
The No-Fail Weight Loss Option
Doctor commits to his own weight loss
program and experiences lasting results.
D
He also lost 30 pounds in less
than six weeks, and his health
issue disappeared.
“My diabetes responded
beautifully to my weight loss. It
resolved as soon as I lost weight
and got rid of the inches.”
Summer 2015
Barry P. Levine
Executive Publisher
Gail Goldy
Suzanne
Dalesandro
that’s a long-term thing.”
Dr. Tred’s story helped convince Suzanne to try Slim Body
Laser Spa and the laser-assisted
weight loss system, and now she
can add her own name to the
long list of success stories. She
hopes her story might convince
someone else to give it a try. She
has a suggestion for anyone who
is considering it.
“I am also enjoying more energy
and better health than I have
had in years.
“What’s more important is I’m
keeping it off,” he adds. “I have not
gained back any of the weight or
inches because I continue to use
the laser and watch what I eat.
“I believed in this product
before I tried it myself, but now I can
say from experience, It really works!”
Lasting results
FHCN–Patti DiPanfilo
Treatment Areas*
Dr. Tred’s Ultimate Laser-Assisted
Weight Loss System can effectively
treat the following problems in both
men and women:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Belly fat
Chin fat
Upper arm fat
Muffin top
Thigh fat
Bra bulges
And more
Here’s where you
can find us:
AFTER
FHCN PHOTO BY NERISSA JOHNSON
Dr. Tred was pleased with
his accomplishments,
b u t h e d i d n’t s t o p
there. He decided
to continue with his
treatments. As a result, he
added to his weight and
inch loss totals.
“As of the first of May
2014, I lost forty pounds
and twelve inches and
dropped three pant sizes in less
than eight weeks using my own
Ultimate Laser-Assisted Weight
Loss System,” he describes.
“If you’re looking for something that’s not a surgery, that’s
not putting drugs in your system,
where there’s no downtime, that’s
an extremely relaxing thing, and
if you’re in a position to do it, it’s
worth a try.
“It worked for me!”
* Information supplied by Slim Body Laser Spa
PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. RISSACHER
r. Tred has devoted his
practice to helping
people safely lose
stubborn pounds and inches.
When he started to develop
symptoms of pre - diabetes
due to his own excess weight
gain, he first tried dieting
and exercising, but
the weight did not
come off.
The solution,
he realized, was
the fat-shrinking
system he uses with
his patients every
day.
“I decided to
BEFORE
really commit to my
own laser program
that I recommend to others,”
he observes. “I began the laser
program, and within four weeks
I dropped ten inches.”
215 Bullard Parkway
Temple Terrace, FL 33617
(813) 989-1330
with the results they see.”
FHCN PHOTO BY NERISSA JOHNSON
fuel for the body. It is congruent with how the body normally
processes energy, which is why
it is so safe.
“This laser treatment is an
effective method that doesn’t take
long,” continues the doctor. “In a
series of nine, thirty-minute sessions, patients can lose three to
nine inches of belly fat, and their
health can improve dramatically,
allowing for a long-term solution
to keeping the weight off.”
Dr. Tred’s laser system can
effectively treat many different areas, such as chin fat and
muffin top or belly bulge (see
Treatment Areas box). The doctor
does mention, however, that diet
modification and some exercise
can help the process to be more
sustaining for some patients.
“For the results from these
treatments to be long-lasting,
patients do need to eat right
and exercise,” he says. “If a
person follows the entire plan,
they will be more than happy
Florida Health
Care News
Tred J. Rissacher, DC, completed his undergraduate studies at Indian River Community College and earned his Doctorate
degree in Chiropractic from Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City. He attends postgraduate seminars on the
diagnosis and treatment of spine disorders. Dr. Rissacher can administer low-level, or “cold,” laser therapy, a new, FDAcleared, noninvasive, effective therapy that can relieve pain caused by arthritis, tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
The Lapex BCS is being used “off label” for spot fat reduction and laser-assisted weight loss.
2311 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite A
Stuart
Senior Associate Publisher
Gina L. d’Angelo
CFO/HR Manager
Judy Wade
Editorial Manager
Michael J. Sahno
Senior Writer
Patti DiPanfilo
Melanie Casey
Editorial Staff
Michelle Brooks
Creative Director
Nerissa Johnson
Graphic Designer
Marc Edwards
Nerissa Johnson
Photography
Brian Levine
Project Coordinator
Laura Engel
Production Assistant
Steve Turk
John Gnibus
Vincent Ortiz
Distribution
Contributing Editors
Slim Body Laser Spa
Laser Aesthetics
RENU Medical Aesthetics
Rejuvenation
Resolute Pain Solutions
Pain Management
Francis J. DuCoin, DMD, MS
Advanced Dentistry
Simpson Advanced Chiropractic &
Medical Center
Back and Neck Pain
Stuart Periodontics, P.A.
(772) 223-5885
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Advanced Dentistry
Age Holds
NO LIMITATIONS
Martin County Edition | Summer 2015 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5
Ali feels much
more confident
about her smile
since having
cosmetic
dentistry
procedures done
by Dr. DuCoin.
A polished, natural smile can include cosmetic dentistry, but
begins with overall good health and a positive outlook.
I
n her late 60s, Alice “Ali” Hooker
was mostly content with the overall
health of her teeth, but was dissatisfied with her bite and smile.
“I had an overbite that I had lived
with my entire life,” Ali says. “I’ve always
taken care of my teeth, as far as cleanings
and general upkeep, but never invested in
getting the ‘perfect’ smile I always longed
for. I just never took the time to go that
extra step to achieve that.
“My bottom teeth were pushing
upwards and that was causing the upper
teeth to protrude out,” Ali continues. “I
kind of felt like my age held me back for
years, perhaps. I was hesitant. I figured
people my age just did not wear braces.”
She had heard of the alternative to
metal braces, Invisalign®, from a neighbor
and it piqued her interest. Through her
fellow church members, Ali was referred
to Francis J. DuCoin, DMD, in Stuart.
“I saw other people my age with
Invisalign, so that kind of helped ease my
fears,” Ali says. “And, Dr. DuCoin was
highly recommended, so after a lot of consideration, I decided to give him a try.”
Why Invisalign?
In addition to the many other dental services he provides, Dr. DuCoin proudly
offers patients of all ages Invisalign, an
effective treatment option for those with
crooked or crowded teeth.
“The technology has expanded to the
point where a much broader range of cases
can be treated,” he says. “Invisalign works
for nearly eighty percent of patients. You
have to be the right candidate. Usually a
simple oral evaluation is all that is needed
to make that determination.”
Invisalign can help patients in a variety of circumstances, like Ali.
According to the
research from the
American Academy of
Cosmetic Dentistry,
the following is a list of
answers received when
people were asked,
“What makes a
smile unattractive?”:
Discolored, yellow or
stained teeth
Missing teeth
Crooked teeth
Decaying teeth
and cavities
What to expect
Dr. DuCoin explains the process: “Once
we determine that a patient is a good
candidate for these well-designed, clear
appliances, we take x-rays and impressions
of their teeth.
“I send the results, along with my
instructions, to Align Technology, the
developer of Invisalign. Using 3D computer technology, they digitize the
information, formulate a customized
treatment plan, and determine how many
aligners will be required. Our patients
wear each stage of aligners, in consecutive
order, for two weeks.”
Once Dr. DuCoin has reviewed and
approved the treatment plan, the aligners
are then sent back and he dispenses these
to the patient. Each aligner moves teeth
incrementally, millimeter by millimeter,
through a combination of movements,
just as traditional metal braces do.
“The patient comes in every six to
eight weeks so we can monitor their
progress and give them their next sets of
aligners,” explains the dentist.
The aligners are very comfortable to
wear. When patients first put them on,
they feel tightness, but within a short
time that dissipates. “It is a much gentler
appliance to wear than traditional metal
brackets,” Dr. DuCoin explains. “It is
gentler on the gums, and you don’t have
FHCN PHOTOS BY NERISSA JOHNSON
FRANCIS J. DUCOIN, DMD, MS
“Everyone wants an attractive smile,”
says Dr. DuCoin. “Ali had very good teeth
before she came to see me, as far as their
overall condition. But, her bite – her
occlusion was not right. This was now
affecting her teeth and gums, beside causing Ali not to have the pretty smile she
deserved. She wanted to improve her bite.
Not only did we accomplish that, but we
also improved her smile and overall look.
“When you have an overbite, you
tend not to smile as much, and an attractive smile makes you feel better about
yourself,” he continues. “We have patients
with cases ranging from mild to more
severe; it varies from one person to the
next. But, the bottom line is, everyone
knows a nice smile boosts self-esteem.
People go to the gym to feel better about
themselves, for example. Invisalign does
the same thing. It boosts self-confidence
once patients begin to see the results they
are wanting.”
wires that are poking you all the time.”
Invisalign has several other advantages over traditional braces, adds Dr.
DuCoin.
“It’s easier to take care of your teeth
with Invisalign because you don’t have any
wires to clean around or brackets that are
collecting plaque,” explains Dr. DuCoin.
“You take them out when you eat, so there
are no diet restrictions like there are with
traditional braces. And the treatment is
very affordable.”
A polished result
“When her Invisalign treatment was complete, Ali came to me and said, You know,
the teeth are straight now, but something is
missing. What can we do to make them look
beautiful? I recommended veneers,” says
Dr. DuCoin.
“A veneer is a thin piece of porcelain
that gets bonded onto the front of the
tooth,” he explains. “It does not require
a lot of tooth preparation and generally
done for cosmetic reasons. The technology has advanced tremendously over
the years. Instead of preparing the entire
tooth, like we used to, we only need to
prepare the front of the tooth. The veneer
then gets placed on the front of the tooth
and thereby changes its shape, color and
overall appearance.”
Ali says she is much more inclined
to flash a big, broad smile when meeting people now. “I used to hesitate when
I smiled,” Ali says, “but not anymore.
I have a renewed confidence, thanks to
Dr. DuCoin. I feel he really listens to his
patients and cares about how they feel
about themselves. He understands that
self-image can be affected by the appearance of a bright, pretty smile. He helps his
patients achieve that at any age and for
that, I am thankful to him.” FHCN–Judy Wade
Fast facts
about
Invisalign
Virtually invisible – Improvements
are accomplished discreetly, with little
impact on speech or chewing function.
Removable – Enjoy your favorite foods,
brush and floss as usual, then replace.
Healthy – Easily brush and floss
regularly, and avoid periodontal
complications commonly seen with
traditional metal braces.
Safe and comfortable – No risk of
reaction from metal allergies. No wires
to cut or abrade sensitive mouth tissue.
Predictable – CAD/CAM technology
allows you to view your virtual treatment
plan before you start: See how your
straight teeth will look when your
treatment is complete.
Convenient – Because your home care
is more successful, regular check-ups and
cleanings take less time.
Francis J. DuCoin, DMD, MS, is a graduate of the School of Dental Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He received his undergraduate degree
from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he also earned his Master of Science
degree in biomedical engineering. Dr. DuCoin is a Diplomate of the American Board
of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry and is an Honored Fellow of the American
Academy of Implant Dentistry. He is also a Master of the American Academy of
Implant Prosthodontics. He served as president of the American Academy of Implant
Dentistry from 2003 to 2004 and the board of trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Charitable Foundation from 2006 to 2009. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the American
Academy of Implant Dentistry. Dr. DuCoin has earned more than 2000 hours of continuing education
and has lectured nationally and internationally on dental implants.
For that healthy smile
Gaps and spaces
between teeth
Dr. DuCoin and his staff look forward to meeting the readers of Florida Health
Care News. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call
(772) 419-9767 for his office, located at 808 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 1, in Stuart.
Dirty teeth
For more information, visit www.fducoindmd.com.
Page 6 | Florida Health Care News | Summer 2015 | Martin County Edition
CAUSES
of Peripheral Neuropathy
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diabetes
Vitamin deficiency
Chemotherapy
Alcoholism
Prescription medications
Agent Orange and other war
toxins
Degenerative or herniated
discs
Spinal stenosis
Ischemia
Autoimmune disorders
including rheumatoid arthritis
SYMPTOMS
of Peripheral Neuropathy
PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMPSON CHIROPRACTIC
• Sharp pains or cramps in the
feet or legs
• Burning pain in the legs, feet
or hands
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Loss of balance or coordination
• Feeling of walking on pins and
needles
• Weakness in the arms and legs
• Numb feet
• Tingling or pain in the toes,
feet, hands, arms and fingers
• Dependency on pain
medications
• Discoloration in the feet
• Cold feet or hands
“I’m just a happy
customer,” says Anthony about his
experience at Simpson Advanced
Chiropractic & Medical Center.
Learn more about
NERVE DAMAGE
If you or a loved one is
experiencing neuropathy
symptoms, contact Simpson
Advanced Chiropractic &
Medical Center in Stuart or
Port St. Lucie today to find out
if you are a candidate for the
Neuro Spinal Care Treatment
Protocol. The Stuart office is
located at 104 SE Lonita St.,
and the Port St. Lucie office is
located at 464 SW St. Lucie
Blvd., Suite 114. Call (772)
463-2344 for the Stuart office
or (772) 343-8511 for the Port
St. Lucie office.
I
Back
and
Say “No!” to Neuro
t was only a few years ago that 84-yearold Anthony Gray gave up boating, a
favorite pastime and passion of his.
Even before he retired 25 years ago
from the commercial casualty insurance
agency he owned, he divided his time
between the North and South so he could
spend more time on the open water.
“I come from Detroit, Michigan, but
we’ve been snowbirds for about forty years
now,” explains Anthony. “We spend about
seven months a year in Florida, and we go
back up to Michigan and spend five months
during the summertime.
“I love boating, but now due to my age,
I had to give that up about six years ago. But
that was a very big part of my life, both up in
Michigan and down here in Florida.”
When Anthony felt the first twinges of
pain in his lower back more than a decade
ago, he sought out a trustworthy provider for
care. He remembers noticing the Simpson
Advanced Chiropractic & Medical Center in
Stuart, as it was in the same shopping plaza
as his regular grocery store. He was intrigued
by the information displayed by the center,
so he made an appointment with Charles A.
Simpson, DC, founder of the center.
“They had some pictures outside on the
wall of this new machine called the DRX,
and I thought I would inquire,” he recalls.
“I was having some problems with my lower
spine, and I signed up for a package of twenty-three sessions on that machine.”
The DRX9000™ nonsurgical spinal
decompression system slowly and gently stretches and decompresses the discs in
the spine. Anthony responded well to the
decompression and was relatively pain free
for several years. Then last year, the pain
returned with a vengeance. His condition
was much worse than it had been originally.
“The initial treatment worked very
well,” he says. “It eliminated the need for an
operation, and then old age kind of crept up,
and I really got hit with this lower back pain.
It happened up in Michigan back in June or
July and, at times, it was bad enough that I
was almost incapacitated.
“It hit me really good this time,” he
continues. “It aff ected my hips and my
upper legs in the thigh area. I was walking the floor more than I’d like to at night,
not able to sleep. The first few steps in the
morning of trying to go from the bed to
the bathroom were unsure.
“I knew that as soon as I got back to
Florida, which was in October of last year, I
wanted to go see Dr. Simpson. He was first
on my schedule. I went back in to see him,
but in much worse condition than I was in
twelve years ago.”
This time, Anthony, who had developed rheumatoid arthritis, was experiencing
other symptoms in addition to the pain in
his back. He noted pain and numbness in
his legs that occasionally affected his walking and sleeping. Anthony was experiencing
peripheral neuropathy in his legs.
CHARLES A. SIMPSON, DC
“That was part of it,” he states, “but it
wasn’t the classic neuropathy in that it never
affected my feet or ankles, but certainly the
upper legs. Some of the doctors up North
thought I had everything from neuropathy
to Parkinson’s disease; when I got down here,
I had it all looked into quite thoroughly. It
was just the back, the lower lumbar area,
and it was the arthritis. That’s what also
prompted me to go right over to see my
good friend, Dr. Simpson.”
Dr. Simpson developed a treatment plan
for Anthony that included multiple modalities, including the DRX9000. But it didn’t
stop there. Dr. Simpson needed to address
the neuropathy as well as the back pain.
“He said that he wanted to, upon my
approval, also bring in the physical therapist
and get physical therapy to work in conjunction with his chiropractic applications,”
Anthony notes. “With the two working sideby-side, we proceeded; little by little, I just
got better and better.”
Pain, pain, go away
Mother and homemaker Cindy Brown gets
very little rest with a 17-year-old son who’s
involved in school activities and sports.
She’s a dedicated fan of his golf and soccer
teams and travels to road events for both.
Sometimes, she does it in pain.
The native of upstate New York has
lived in the Stuart area for almost 15 years,
and she remembers when Dr. Simpson first
opened the Simpson Advanced Chiropractic
& Medical Center. Her husband was a
patient first and then her son, but an unusual
issue with her neck brought Cindy to Dr.
Simpson’s treatment table as well.
“My neck was so tight that the blood
flow was restricted from going up into the
parts of the brain that make your equilibrium do whatever it does,” she offers.
“When I would sleep, if I would roll over,
it would wake me up because everything
would spin. And I couldn’t bend over. If I
bent over, things would kind of swoon.
Dr. Simpson got my neck to loosen up
and it stopped.”
That was all it took. Cindy was
now a fan of Dr. Simpson, too. When
circumstances later led to chronic
back problems, she automatically turned to the
doctor for his advice
and care.
“I had several
car accidents over
the last few years
not of my own
f a u l t ,” r e p o r t s
C i n d y. “ I w a s
rear-ended, I
was front-ended
and then I was
side-swiped. So
I had a lot of
problems with
my neck and
my lower
back – several discs in
each area.”
The neck and
back pain that resulted
from the accidents caused
Cindy to be very cautious
about her activities. She was hesitant to do things she liked to do or
needed to do for fear she’d further
injure herself or cause severe pain.
“I used to like to golf, but I
haven’t done that in a long time,”
she says. “I’m worried about it
because of all of that turning and
twisting. And with my neck, if I
do a lot of lifting or anything like
that, because you’re straining
your neck, that just makes it all
tight and painful.”
Like Anthony, pain from
Cindy’s back ran down into her legs and
affected her walking as well.
“If I sit for long periods of time, then
my lower back hurts really bad, and it takes
a few minutes before I can start walking correctly because everything tightens up.”
Cindy truly appreciates Dr. Simpson
Charles A. Simpson,
DC, began his education with an Associate
in Arts degree from
Palm Beach Community
College. He then went
on to earn a Bachelor
of Science degree from
Palm Beach Atlantic University and a
Doctorate of Chiropractic from Life
University. Dr. Simpson’s specialty areas
include soft tissue injuries, spinal decompression, physiotherapy, the Diversified
Adjustment Technique, the Thompson
Adjustment Technique and the Activator
Adjustment Technique. He is certified in
soft tissue injury rehabilitation and care.
Dr. Simpson is a member of the Florida
Chiropractic Association and the Florida
Chiropractic Society.
For more information, visit them online at simpson
Martin County Edition | Summer 2015 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7
Neck Pain
opathy
for what he does for her and her family. She
knows that with her discs, she won’t be pain
free unless she has surgery, and she doesn’t
want to do that. For now, Dr. Simpson
makes her life as comfortable as possible.
“I pretty much have pain all the
time, but when I go in for treatment,
it helps to loosen everything up
and relieve some of that pressure,”
Cindy remarks.
She thinks very highly of
Dr. Simpson and remembers
when her son was young
and began as one of
his patients. He was
just a toddler.
“He is a really,
really nice, compassionate, caring
gentleman,” she
relates. “I let
him work on my
three-year-old.”
Mixed
messages
people with neuropathy might experience
trouble sleeping due to pain or tingling. It
can also lead to gangrene (tissue death),
which can then lead to amputation. Early
diagnosis and treatment of neuropathy may
be able to prevent these and other complications from occurring.
“The good news is Simpson Advanced
Chiropractic & Medical Center of Stuart
and Port St. Lucie has a breakthrough
protocol to treat the pain, numbness and
tingling of peripheral neuropathy,” reports
Dr. Simpson. “It’s called the Neuro Spinal
Care Treatment Protocol™.”
Timely treatment
Many patients with neuropathy suffer from
symptoms of painful cramping, burning
and tingling, and numbness in the legs with
difficulty walking and even interruption of
sleep. At Simpson Advanced Chiropractic
& Medical Center, the specialized Neuro
Spinal Care Treatment Protocol includes
multiple treatment elements including the
most advanced treatment protocols available to date. This therapy is recognized
internationally, and these recent advancements offer hope for many more patients
to live a more pain-free and enjoyable life.
“For more than fourteen years, we
have used these protocols to successfully
treat severe and chronic neck and back
pain conditions, as well as the symptoms of
mechanical neuropathy,” notes Dr. Simpson.
“This is a state-of-the-art scientific
approach with advanced technology
that treats not only the symptoms of the
neuropathy, but also the cause of the neuropathy, which allows the numbness and
the arteries and nerves to heal.”
During his distinguished career, Dr.
Simpson has treated many patients with
peripheral neuropathy.
“Many of these patients have tried
everything, including potentially harmful
medications and painful testing and treatments,” he states. “This can leave patients
still struggling and wandering down the
long road of endless disappointment.
Now, we are able to address the pain
associated with peripheral neuropathy
with a successful, non-invasive, drug-free
approach that includes the use of light
therapy to stimulate tissue repair.”
unless I have surgery, but I don’t want to do
that. But I can lift things and I can do things
– I just have to be careful.”
Cindy is even thinking about picking up
the golf clubs again.
“I actually haven’t tried, but my son
lately is like, Come on, we need to go out and
give it a whirl, so I think that I probably will
give it a try soon.”
Anthony also notes improvement in his
neuropathy symptoms since his treatment.
“Now, my legs are fine,” he enthuses.
“I walk without the wobbling and I go up
and down stairs. I can do anything that I
really want to do. It doesn’t handicap me
from living a nice life.”
Dr. Simpson does not work alone. A
dedicated staff that provides exceptional
services in a warm, welcoming environment
supports him. The office and staff get rave
reviews from both Cindy and Anthony.
“Everyone there is very nice,” remarks
Cindy. “Most of them have been there a long
time, and everybody is very friendly, courteous and helpful. You always feel at home
when you go there.”
“It’s tops,” Anthony says of the office. “I
tell you that staff is just wonderful. They’re
professional, but they’re cheerful. You always
get a Good morning from everybody you
walk by. The offices are cheerful and clean.
It’s just a pleasant experience to go in there.
“I’m just a happy customer,” he continues. “I have no problems. I have no
hesitation whatsoever highly recommending
Simpson clinic.”
Cindy agrees. For her, it’s most important for anyone seeking chiropractic care to
trust in his or her provider.
“You need to find somebody you feel
With her pain under control,
Cindy is thinking of picking
up her golf clubs once again.
comfortable with, and Dr. Simpson is someone who’s like that,” she notes. “He makes
everyone feel comfortable.”
About going to Simpson Advanced
Chiropractic & Medical Center she adds,
“Overall, it’s a great experience!” FHCN
“Yes” to life
Tre a t m e n t a t Si m p s o n Ad va n c e d
Chiropractic & Medical Center has made
a significant impact for both Cindy and
Anthony. For Cindy, it means the difference between living in excruciating pain and
being able to manage her daily tasks.
“I think it’s great,” says Cindy. “The minute I start to feel like there’s just too much
pain, then I go in and get my adjustments
and I do the different types of treatments,
and it subsides.
“It never goes away completely. There’s
no way that it will ever go away completely
BODY GRAPHIC FROM ISTOCKPHOTO.COM - FHCN PHOTOS BY NERISSA JOHNSON
Many people with
lower back conditions, including
Anthony and Cindy,
also suffer with
numbness, tingling
and/or pain down
one or both legs that
can affect standing and
walking. The cause
most likely is a debilitating disorder called
peripheral neuropathy,
a common condition with devastating
effects that is believed
to be incurable.
“Approximately
twenty million
Americans suffer
from some sort of
neuropathy,”
describes Dr.
Simpson.
“Symptoms can
occur in patients with a wide variety of conditions, including restless legs syndrome and
sciatica, and it has even been recently linked
to statin drugs used to lower cholesterol.”
Neuropathy develops when there is
damage somewhere along the peripheral
nervous system, the vast network of nerves
that transmit impulses from the central
nervous system – the brain and spinal cord
– out to the rest of the body and back
again. The result is that the messages from
the brain to the body get distorted, and
that leads to symptoms.
“Th e complications associated with
neuropathy vary depending on the
cause of the nerve damage,” explains Dr.
Simpson. “Some neuropathies can be fatal.
In fact, one of the most common causes
of death in people over the age of sixty is
a complication from a fall due to balance
issues caused by numb feet.”
Falls can also lead to broken hips and
concussions. Foot ulcers (open wounds)
that develop on the skin and can’t heal due
to the lack of blood supply to the affected
area are another complication of neuropathy. In addition to the walking and balance
issues from being unable to feel the feet,
Breakthrough treatment protocol addresses the
cause of painful neuropathy symptoms.
The Simpson family –
Jessica, Brander and
Dr. Charles – are happy to
welcome new patients to
their “family” at the center.
nmedical.com. They can also be found on
Facebook and
LinkedIn.
Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Summer 2015 | Martin County Edition
Comprehensive Dentistry
PHOTO COURTESY OF STUART PERIODONTICS, P.A.
Gentle Periodontal Treatment
Revolutionary laser technology achieves predictable outcomes without incisions or bone grafting.
I
“
was having some dental work
done by a local dentist,” recalls
Edward M. Reichbach, PhD, 85,
“and she said, You’ve got periodontal disease. You need to go to an expert.”
The earliest and most common form
of periodontal disease is gingivitis, where
the gums become inflamed and tend to
bleed easily. The condition can escalate to
a more serious stage of periodontal disease
called periodontitis. Such was the case for
Dr. Reichbach, who was subsequently
referred to C. Nicholas DeTure, DMD.
“I went to Dr. DeTure and learned
that I was a candidate for treatment,” he
says. “They are the nicest people I have
ever worked with in a dentist’s office, and
Dr. DeTure did a fantastic job.”
The LANAP® solution
Dr. DeTure and his partner, Robert D.
Follweiler, DDS, offer state-of-the-art
laser treatment for periodontal disease
in their Stuart office.
Dr. Reichbach’s periodontal chart
shows that he is much improved
after treatment.
Before
After
“Periodontal disease affects somewhere between fifty and seventy-five
percent of the US adult population,”
notes Dr. DeTure. “It’s transmissible, so
you can pass it on to family members.
Periodontal disease has been linked to
everything from premature birth to stroke
to coronary artery disease.”
STUART PERIODONTICS, P.A.
C. NICHOLAS DETURE, DMD
ROBERT D. FOLLWEILER, DDS
Traditional periodontal treatment
was invasive and uncomfortable for the
patient. Fortunately, Stuart Periodontics
offers LANAP, or Laser Assisted New
Attachment Procedure. Unlike traditional
periodontal treatment, LANAP uses a
laser that gently stimulates the gum tissue
without the need for incisions or stitches.
“LANAP is a patented, FDAapproved procedure,” assures Dr. DeTure.
“It’s less invasive than traditional periodontal disease treatment, yet equally
effective. LANAP provides predictable
outcomes, easier recovery for patients and
less recession or sensitivity after treatment.
“Not all lasers are created equal.
Th is one was specifi cally designed to
remove dark-pigmented material, such
as inflamed, infected gum tissues. The
bacteria that cause infection tend to
have darker pigmentation to them,”
clarifi es the dentist. “Th is laser is the
only wavelength out there that will
actually clot a bleeding vessel, so it’s
perfect for treating infection.
“LANAP is a more aesthetic way of
treating gum infection, because we are able
to preserve much more tissue,” emphasizes
Dr. DeTure. “If someone has gum disease
that is affecting their front teeth, this gives
them a better result appearance-wise than
traditional treatment, and it’s also a much
more comfortable procedure.”
“The best” practice
Dr. Reichbach appreciates all that Dr.
DeTure has done for him, right from
his initial consultation.
“It was done in one session,” he
recalls, “and the laser does all the work.
You don’t feel a thing. Being an ex-combat veteran, I can take a little bit of
discomfort, and Dr. DeTure wrote me
a prescription for some pain pills, but I
never used it: I had no pain whatsoever.”
The retired professor was also pleasantly surprised to receive a follow-up
phone call from Dr. DeTure himself.
“He called me that night and the next
morning to ask me how I felt, and I said, I
feel terrific! I’ve been to dentists all around
the world, and theirs is the best dental
practice I have ever seen.” FHCN–Michael J. Sahno
Visit Stuart Periodontics on the web at www.follweilerperio.com.
“I expected pain, but I didn’t
get any,” says Dr. Reichbach.
“I was totally surprised.”
C. Nicholas DeTure, DMD, is a graduate of the University of Florida College
of Dentistry and completed three
years of graduate training in periodontology and implantology at the University
of Tennessee in Memphis. He is a Diplomate of
the American Board of Periodontology.
Robert D. Follweiler, DDS, has been
practicing periodontal medicine on
the Treasure Coast for 30 years. He
received his degree from Temple
University Dental School in Philadelphia.
Dr. Follweiler is a member of The American
Academy of Periodontology and The Florida
Periodontal Association.
We help save
your teeth
To schedule an appointment,
call Stuart Periodontics at
(772) 283-1400. The office is
located at 901 E. Ocean Blvd.
in Stuart.
Hearing Health Care
Tech with a touch
With natural binaural hearing, or hearing
BRUCE KAUFMAN, LHAS
with both ears, information collected in
one ear is automatically shared with the
other ear, enabling sound to be heard
clearly in background noise. With the new
Siemens binax BestSound® Technology,
which simulates binaural hearing, background sound does not interfere with the
patient’s hearing ability.
“The binax is a completely automatic
hearing instrument,” explains Bruce.
“When a patient is wearing them, the
hearing instruments will adjust to the
environment and communicate back
and forth with each other so that the user
never has to make an adjustment.
“They’re the first of their kind, and
I have had a well over ninety percent
success rate in the patients that have
used them.”
Bruce is thrilled to be able to offer his
“PROFESSIONAL SERVICE IN A PERSONAL WAY”
Bruce Kaufman and the staff of Kaufman Hearing Care look forward to providing
hearing help with personal care to the readers of Florida Health Care News. To make
an appointment, call (772) 882-1940. The office is located within Eastport Pharmacy
at 8972 South US Highway 1 in Port St. Lucie.
FHCN PHOTO BY NERISSA JOHNSON
F
ormer firefighter George Snyder
blames his work with the New
York City Fire Department for
the hearing loss that plagues
him in his retirement. He blames himself for refusing for so long to get the
help he needed to improve the hearing
that remains.
“I think of all the years I spent in the
fire department with the siren blasting all
the time,” he relates. “We were a very busy
company, so we were out all the time. My
hearing started to go away. But I guess, if
push comes to shove, I just didn’t want to
wear hearing aids.”
When Bruce Kaufman of Kaufman
Hearing Care in Port St. Lucie came
to the community where George lives,
George was impressed enough to have
his hearing tested. Bruce determined
that George did, indeed, need hearing aids, and George trusted Bruce’s
recommendation.
“He was a very nice man,” George says
of Bruce. “He showed me exactly what was
wrong. I was very happy with him.”
patients advanced technology
like the binax, but he believes
it is only as good as the hearing care professionals behind
it. His mission is to provide
personalized care that makes
the technology truly functional for the patient.
“I believe it’s important
to take time to really teach
my patients so that they
become knowledgeable,
successful users of hearing instruments,” describes
Bruce. “It’s one thing to have
the technology. It’s another
thing when someone is there
to explain it and to show the
patient exactly how hearing It amazed George to find out that
truly works.”
his sneakers made noise on the
After 24 years of serving
concrete floor at work.
the hearing-impaired community in West Palm Beach,
the concrete floor,” notes George.
Bruce has chosen the Port St. Lucie area
“I would recommend Mr. Kaufman
to celebrate the concluding years of his to anybody who asks me about hearing
career. His practice is also conveniently aids. He is very good at his profession.
located for easy patient access in the And if you have a hearing problem like I
Eastport Pharmacy.
do, and you’re vain about it, you have to
“I’ve decided to complete my career put that aside because you don’t realize
by giving back to the community in Port what you’re missing. I’m very happy with
St. Lucie by offering the most caring, them. It’s better all the way around.”
helpful service at the most affordable FHCN–Patti DiPanfilo
prices in the area,” he says.
Sound sensation
George is amazed at the things he can hear
with his new hearing aids and is thrilled
with the service he receives from Bruce at
Kaufman Hearing Care.
“I wear sneakers to work because I
walk eight to ten miles a day, and I never
knew that my sneakers made a sound on
Bruce Kaufman, LHAS, a
state-licensed hearing aid
specialist, earned a Bachelor
of Arts degree in business
administration from New
H a m p s h i r e C o l l e g e. H e
received a special recognition award from Miracle-Ear for Outstanding
Service in Caring for the Hearing Impaired in
March, 1992. Mr. Kaufman is a long-term member of the Florida Hearing Aid Society.
Martin County Edition | Summer 2015 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Range of Motion Restored
Outpatient disc replacement procedure offers a
leading-edge alternative to disc fusion surgery.
I
“
guess you could say I’m kind of a
tomboy,” reflects Lori Hengber.
“I’m really big into water-skiing,
swimming, four-wheeling and
things like that. I’m not afraid of doing a
whole lot of anything.”
SCOTT S. KATZMAN, MD, P.A.
CENTER FOR
ARTIFICIAL DISC
REPLACEMENT
3355 Burns Rd., Suite 304
Palm Beach Gardens
3500 Tyler St.
Hollywood
499 E. Central Pkwy., Suite 130
Altamonte Springs
652 Palm Springs Dr.
Altamonte Springs
2401 Frist Blvd., Suite 7
Fort Pierce
Dr. Katzman explains that patients who
have neck problems like disc herniation,
cervical stenosis, foraminal stenosis and
radiculopathy are treated by most surgeons
in the country with a fusion [ACDF] procedure. “This surgical technique requires
placement of a device into the disc space,
typically locking it into position with
screws and plates,” he describes.
Rather than a fusion, Dr. Katzman
prefers to use an artificial disc implant
made of a combination of titanium
and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyurethane. He notes that artificial disc
replacement has become a well-established
procedure in recent years, comparable to
total knee or hip replacement.
“Disc replacement has actually been
FDA-approved for years, although there
are not many surgeons offering this procedure yet in the US,” observes the doctor,
who has been performing artificial disc
replacement for more than a decade. “We
now have between ten and fifteen years of
data showing its effectiveness.”
The skilled surgeon explains that the
replacement procedure has several significant
advantages over traditional fusion surgery.
“A fusion doesn’t move; an artifi cial disc does. Fusion requires a brace
for several months; an artificial disc
requires none. A fusion can stress the
adjacent segments of the spine; with an
artificial disc, there’s no extra stress.”
Artificial disc replacement is performed on an outpatient basis with
no significant restrictions. Moreover,
patients are able to resume normal activities within days, not months.
“Because the disc itself is moveable,
the patient is able to move right away,”
emphasizes Dr. Katzman. “Unlike spinal
fusion, which requires a lengthy recovery
and limits mobility permanently, the disc
replacement procedure enables patients to
return to activities quickly. It’s an impressive advance, and one that renders the
old fusion procedure virtually obsolete.
We are now one of the leading centers in
the world that is performing these disc
replacement procedures.”
“Very, very happy”
Lori was pleased with her surgery, both
in terms of how it went that day and
also the results themselves.
“Every day I’m feeling better and better,” marvels Lori,
shown here with husband Peter and grandson Xavier.
“It was a good experience,” she assures.
“Everyone was very kind, pleasant and
patient that morning. They came into the
room and introduced themselves and told me
what they would be doing. I just had a peace
that everything was going to be all right.”
Her return to leisure activities has
been especially rewarding for Lori.
“Water sports and swimming are
really big for me,” she reminds, “but I
couldn’t really swim that well because
when you’re doing free strokes, your
head goes up a bit and you have to turn
it around, back and forth. I would end
up with really bad headaches just from
swimming laps in the pool or the ocean.”
In addition to the resolution of the
nerve problem that caused her to drop
objects, Lori also has found great relief for
pain problems she had carried for decades.
“I was experiencing both severe headaches and severe pain in my legs for thirty
years,” she says, “and living with pain for
thirty years is no fun. Since the surgery,
even that has gotten better. Walking,
Scott S. Katzman, MD,
is bo ard cer ti fied by
the American Board of
Orthopaedic Surgery. He
completed his undergraduate studies at the
University of California at
San Diego and earned his
medical degree at Jefferson
Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University,
Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Katzman served his general surgery internship at the University of
California, San Francisco, and his residency
in orthopedic surgery at the University of
Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, where
he also completed a spine mini-fellowship. Dr.
Katzman has published and lectured extensively on topics in orthopedic surgery, and he
is a leader in the development of minimally
invasive joint replacement techniques.
getting in and out of a car, standing up
from a hard seat, sitting at a desk for
long periods of time – these were all huge
tasks for me. Getting up in the morning
was a task. Holding my grandbabies was
becoming difficult toward the end. That
scared me, because I was afraid I might
drop them.”
She appreciates Dr. Katzman and his
staff both for listening to her concerns and
for providing the right solution for her.
“I’m very, very happy,” adds Lori. “I
knew there was something that needed to
be done years ago, but I didn’t want to
do a fusion with the plates and screws. I
was looking for someone who would do
something better than that. The day after
surgery, I was actually back to work.
“I brag about Dr. Katzman to everyone I meet who shares with me that
they’re in pain, because what I experienced has been a very positive thing in
my life.” FHCN–Michael J. Sahno
Benefits of artificial disc
replacement vs. traditional
spinal fusion
•
•
•
•
•
•
Full range of natural motion
Decrease in pain and stiffness
Faster recovery
No brace requirement
No screws
Minimally invasive, outpatient
procedure
Learn more online at www.centerforartificialdiscreplacement.com or www.advancedhere.com
GRAPHIC COURTESY OF CENTER FOR ARTIFICIAL DISC REPLACEMENT
A leader in minimally
invasive spine surgery
Call (888) 975-2127 for all locations:
Artificial disc replacement
PHOTO COURTESY OF LORI HENGBER
Unfortunately for Lori, her fearless attitude comes in spite of her sustaining some
injuries – including one at an early age.
“I hurt my back when I was nineteen,” she explains. “I did all kinds of
different procedures for it: chiropractic
care, epidural blocks, cortisone injections, acupuncture, massage therapy.
You name it, I’ve done it.”
More recently, Lori began to experience symptoms that were not only
unprecedented for her but also unusual
for someone still in her forties.
“I started falling, and I started dropping things,” she recalls. “It was like I
didn’t have any strength in my hands to
grip things.”
After getting an MRI and discussing her case with a surgeon, Lori was
more distressed than ever.
“The surgeon’s office told me what I
already knew, that I had herniated discs
in my neck and spinal stenosis. They said
that they would go in and do a surgery
with some cadaver bone. That was in
March 2014, but then I never heard from
them for the next six months. When I
called to request that my MRI reports be
sent back, they called me back to discuss
a completely different procedure for my
neck. That scared me.”
On the recommendation of her
boss, Lori consulted Scott S. Katzman,
MD, and the Center for Artificial Disc
Replacement in Palm Beach Gardens. The
response from Dr. Katzman’s office was
worlds away from her experience with the
previous surgeon’s practice.
“My husband, Peter, and I met with
Dr. Katzman, and he is a very nice gentleman,” she assures. “I believe he spent over
two and a half hours with us, going over
everything. He explained that my neck
would get worse if I continued to do the
things I typically do, like water sports, and
that I could even become paralyzed. So
we went ahead and scheduled a procedure
with him.”
Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Summer 2015 | Martin County Edition
Chiropractic
Stop Neck Pain and Ease Sinus Infections
Treatment also brings relief from headaches and other symptoms simultaneously.
L
aura Vinci was suffering with
multiple symptoms.
“I had severe, chronic neck
pain, and I mean chronic,”
describes the Real Estate of Florida Realtor.
ATLAS CHIROPRACTIC OF PALM CITY
THOMAS D. KLEINMAN, DC
The Atlas procedure
Dr. Kleinman, a local chiropractor, has
used a protocol known as the atlas orthogonal procedure for more than 25 years. This
procedure is based on maintaining the
precise alignment of the first cervical, or
atlas, vertebra. It is called the atlas because
it holds up the head, just as the titan Atlas
holds up the world in Greek mythology.
According to Dr. Kleinman, it is
the balance of the head on the neck
that controls the body’s posture and is
the key to good health. Misalignment
of the atlas vertebra causes the spine to
twist in order to maintain its balance.
This twist can pinch nerves and put
pressure on the spinal cord or the brain
stem itself. This can cause a myriad of
symptoms sometimes not even thought
to be associated with the spine.
“The human body is an incredible
healing mechanism,” observes the doctor. “However, the trick to health care
is to find the cause of the symptoms and
correct it. Just treating the symptoms will
have little long-term effect.
“In Laura’s case, as in so many like
hers, the problem of misalignment of
her atlas vertebra caused a constellation
of symptoms, but the focus was fi rst,
of course, on her pain. Once the pain
was correctly addressed, everything else
functioned better.”
Laura is now approximately onethird of the way through her treatment.
“I feel fi fty million times better,”
she marvels. “I knew from the results of
my first treatment that I was in the right
place, and now my neck pain is already
ninety percent better. My ears feel much
less stuffed up and are improving, the
Whole Food Nutrition Offered
Dr. Kleinman has incorporated whole food nutrition from Standard Process® as part of his
wellness program. He invites you to learn more about the role of whole food nutrition in
reversing disease. Workshops are held at Atlas Chiropractic of Palm City, located in the Palm City
Professional Center, 1516 SW Mapp Road. Please call (772) 781-9987 for further information.
FHCN FILE PHOTO
Following a couple of childhood
incidents involving her neck, Laura was
a passenger in a motor vehicle accident
in 1998. “It was pretty bad, she recounts.
When I regained consciousness, I was
shocked that I hadn’t broken my neck.
However, the pain did get significantly
worse. If I turned my head to the right
or left, or tried bending it back, the pain
was excruciating. I had a lot of headaches, and was always getting sinus
infections. I could feel that my posture
was no longer correct. Plus, since 2006,
my ears had been consistently stuffed
up, I was having dizzy spells and I was
plagued with fatigue.”
Laura says she sought help on
several fronts: “I was diagnosed with
a herniated disc and went through
physical therapy. I was treated by a
chiropractor in Connecticut, which
helped somewhat, but I still suff ered
neck pain every day. I saw a couple of
different allergists about my ears. They
talked about treating the symptoms, but
didn’t address the underlying problem.
“I’m living with all of this, thinking
that I would be like this for the rest of
my life. I thought, What’s going to happen to me when I’m older?
“Th en I saw an article in Florida
Health Care News about another patient
with multiple symptoms similar to mine
who found help. I thought, If someone
can help me after all of these years, it
would be a miracle.”
Laura scheduled an appointment
with Dr. Thomas Kleinman.
Laura says the change in her health
has been dramatic.
headaches are much better, the episodes
of dizziness are regressing, and I have
much more energy.
“It’s been the biggest blessing of my
life, and it happened within such a short
time period.”
Laura says Dr. Kleinman is wonderful to work with: “He’s phenomenal. He
has such compassion for his patients, and
the staff makes you feel so welcome.
“The entire place emits a positive
light.” FHCN
Thomas D. Kleinman, DC, is board certified by the National Board of Chiropractic
Examiners. He holds advanced degrees in the pharmaceutical sciences and neurology. He has formerly practiced as a registered pharmacist in both hospital and retail
settings. He has been in private practice as a chiropractor for 32 years.
Ophthalmology
Eye Floaters?
Laser treatment for
eye floaters is safe
and effective.
E
sign. By the statutory definition of legal word to more ophthalmologists that this
blindness, that would qualify, if only for is a safe technique,” he explains. “And
the short period of time the floater was even more than that, we need to educate
in your field of vision.”
ophthalmologists that in many instances,
Patients with eye floaters of this size − eye floaters can disable.
even if their vision is perfect − are actually
“The current ophthalmic dogma is
quite disabled, stresses Dr. Geller. “Most that an ophthalmologist will say, Well, I
ophthalmologists don’t seem to under- have floaters; what are you complaining
stand that when a patient is complaining about? So they write off the patient and
of serious eye floaters, but their vision is tell them it will go away. In most cases,
20/20, they are actually having a real prob- this is true, but the patients that come to
lem,” he says. “It’s not something that’s me have serious problems.”
SOUTH FLORIDA EYE CLINIC
only in their mind.”
When eye floaters are severe, some
SCOTT L. GELLER, MD
Dr. Geller should know: he is ophthalmologists may offer a vitrecone of the most recognized eye floater tomy, the surgical removal of the gel
“By our usual definition, of course laser specialists in the
where the floaters
not,” says Scott Geller, MD, a board- United States and “ONE OF THE LEADING reside. However, this
is rare because the
certified ophthalmologist at South around the world.
Florida Eye Clinic in Fort Myers who has
“ We h a v e h a d EYE FLOATER FACILITIES operation has some
a special interest in the treatment of eye patients come from all
serious drawbacks
IN THE US”
floaters. “But imagine if you only had over the world to our www.vitreousfloaters.com and complications,
one good eye. Imagine that the floater in facility in Fort Myers
and it is an expensive,
it was so large that when it came across for treatment,” says Dr. Geller. “Many invasive procedure.
your field of vision, you could not even patients come from countries where
However, the complication rate for
see the big E on the eye chart. Imagine medicine is socialized, and there is a laser treatment of eye floaters is very low.
if it were a car on the highway or a road lack of training and proper equipment. Furthermore, there is no risk of infecDuring the past twenty years, we have tion with laser since there is no cutting
treated thousands of patients and have with a scalpel.
performed nearly twenty thousand laser
Dr. Geller has treated many medisessions.”
cal doctors for their eye floaters as well.
“When other doctors and ophthalMaster of floater treatment
mologists come to you for their own
Dr. Geller is a master of this treatment problems, I would say that speaks for
modality. He has trained doctors from itself. We love doing laser surgery on
Holland, Italy, the United States and eye floaters, and love dealing with our
Central America. “We need to spread the patients on a personal basis.” FHCN
FHCN PHOTOS BY MARC EDWARDS
ye floaters − those tiny specks or
strings that float into your field
of vision periodically − can be
concerning. Typically caused by
age-related changes to the vitreous humor,
the thick fluid inside the eye, eye floaters
become more common with age. But can
they cause blindness?
Scott L. Geller, MD, is board certified by the
American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a
graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and
Rush Medical College. While in medical school,
he was awarded a student fellowship to study
tropical medicine at a missionary hospital in
India, and pursued additional studies at the
famous Brompton Hospital in London, England.
He interned at Presbyterian Hospital, Pacific
Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, and completed his residency in ophthalmology at Sinai
Hospital of Detroit, which was affiliated 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 floater laser treatment at the International
Congress of Ophthalmology, European Congress
of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, European
Congress of Ophthalmology and the Florida
Society of Ophthalmology.
For eye floater solutions...
Call Dr. Geller at (239) 275-8222 or
toll-free at (877) 371-3937. South
Florida Eye Clinic is located at 4755
Summerlin Rd. in Fort Myers.
www.vitreousfloaters.com
Martin County Edition | Summer 2015 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11
Vascular Surgery
AGE Is Just a Number
S
Advances in surgical techniques allow skilled
surgeon to operate on 101-year-old patient.
allie de Barcza was having dinner with her
mother, Chaille Tullis, at home one evening last
February when her mother went to get up from
the table. “She got up and pivoted right back
into the chair and said, I can’t do this,” recalls Sallie, 78,
who was visiting from New Jersey for the winter. “She
went totally unconscious and unresponsive.”
VASCULAR INTERVENTIONAL
& VEIN ASSOCIATES
PRANAY T. RAMDEV, MD, FACS
JUSTIN M. GALOVICH, MD
As Sallie tried to revive her mother, a home health
aide called 911. “Between her falling into the chair and
being in the emergency room at Indian River Hospital
was a maximum of twenty minutes,” recalls Sallie. “It
was amazing.”
It turned out that Mrs. Tullis, 101, who still lived
alone in her Vero Beach home, had suffered a serious
stroke as a result of a blocked carotid artery.
She was hospitalized for two weeks and saw a myriad of physicians, including Justin M. Galovich, MD,
a vascular surgeon at Vascular Interventional & Vein
Associates. Dr. Galovich initially determined that due
to the severity of the blockage and Mrs. Tullis’ age, there
wasn’t much that could be done.
However, “about twenty minutes later, he called me on
my cellphone,” remembers Sallie. “He had gone back and
looked at the MRIs and the CT scans that had been done
in the hospital, and he said, I think it’s possible something can
be done, but I want Dr. Ramdev to take a look at it.”
Pranay T. Ramdev, MD, a board-certified vascular
surgeon at Vascular Interventional & Vein Associates,
determined that despite her age, Mrs. Tullis’ overall physical condition was good and that she was a
candidate for a procedure that would prevent her from
having another stroke.
Bypass procedure
“Mrs. Tullis was found to have a complete occlusion
of the carotid artery and was having ongoing embolic
events,” explains Dr. Ramdev. “In other words, little
pieces of plaque were breaking loose and going to the
left side of the brain, causing problems with the right
side of her body.
“Despite her age, until this point she was very with
it and functional – she had been playing cards and doing
all kinds of things with her friends – and was looking at
the prospect of essentially becoming non-functional as
she lost more brain tissue.”
“This was a woman who was checking her stock
portfolio twice a day on her computer,” notes Sallie,
who conferred with Dr. Ramdev to determine the best
course of action.
“The options were to do nothing and accept the fact
that at some point she would have a major stroke, or
perform a bypass from the subclavian artery, a major
artery in the upper chest, to provide blood flow to the
brain and eliminate the source of the problem,” explains
Dr. Ramdev.
Sallie was assured of Dr. Ramdev’s surgical expertise
and skill. “I ‘Googled’ him,” she admits. “I was confident. He has his medical degree from Dartmouth. He’s a
Harvard fellow who has published, lectured and taught.
To me, it was a no-brainer.”
The surgical procedure essentially rerouted the
blood flow around the obstruction in Mrs. Tullis’ left
carotid artery, which eliminated the risk of stroke and
permanent damage.
“She has done remarkably well,” reports Dr. Ramdev.
“She was in the hospital for a few days, and she is back to
really great function now. Her short-term memory is not
as good as it was, but I think for age one
hundred and one, she’s doing fantastic.”
FHCN PHOTOS BY NERISSA JOHNSON
Physiologic age
Pranay T. Ramdev, MD,
FACS, is a Fellow of the
American College of Surgeons
and is board certified by the
National Board of Medical
Examiners – Parts I, II, III, and by
the American Board of Surgery
with a certificate of added
qualification in vascular surgery. He earned his
medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School
in Hanover, NH and served five years of general
surgery residency at the University of Rochester
Strong Memorial Hospital. Dr. Ramdev went on to
complete a fellowship in vascular and endovascular
surgery at Harvard University in Boston. Following
his fellowship, he joined the faculty at the Division
of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr.
Ramdev has been practicing vascular surgery for
more than 12 years.
Sallie (standing)
is thrilled that
her 101-year-old
mother is nearly
back to normal
following carotid
bypass surgery.
In 2012, the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) reported that the
average life expectancy in America is
now 78.8 years − the highest it has ever
been. Many retirees flock to Florida to
enjoy their golden years, so our state
has a particularly high percentage of
older residents. However, just because
one is a certain age doesn’t mean that
he or she can’t be a candidate for complex surgical procedures. The health
of the patient is what matters, not the
year on the birth certificate.
“I see patients in the hospital
who are fifty years old, but they
drink and smoke and essentially have
the heart and body of a much older
Justin M. Galovich, MD, is a
fellowship-trained vascular surgeon. He earned his Bachelor of
Science degree in biochemistry
and molecular biology at the
University of California Santa
Cruz and his medical degree
from St. George’s University
School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. Dr.
Galovich completed his internship at Harbor
UCLA Medical Center followed by a residency at
the University of California Irvine, where he was
named chief resident. He completed a fellowship
in vascular surgery at Harbor UCLA Medical Center
in 2014. Dr. Galovich is a member of the Peripheral
Vascular Surgical Society, the Society for Clinical
Vascular Surgery and the American College of
Surgeons. He practices out of the Sebastian office.
person,” reports Dr. Ramdev. “On the other hand,
we’ve got one hundred year olds, or ninety year olds,
who are at an extremely high level of functioning.
They’re able to do anything a sixty year old is able to
do, but physicians often look at these patients and
believe that they’re too old to have certain procedures.
“However, it’s really a matter of how well individuals take care of themselves,” continues Dr. Ramdev.
“Typically, patients who have reached the age of one
hundred didn’t get there by abusing their bodies. They’ve
taken care of themselves; they’ve eaten well. They’re
non-smokers, non-drinkers. We talk about a physiologic
age and a chronological age. There are one-hundred-yearold patients who have a physiologic age of seventy, and
this is becoming more prevalent.”
Moreover, advances in medicine mean that older
patients no longer need to be automatically excluded
from surgical consideration. “We should not just write
patients off because of their age,” asserts Dr. Ramdev.
“Thanks to advances in medicine, procedures that ten
years ago would have required a major chest incision
and a two-week hospitalization can now be done under a
local anesthetic. We have a lot of ways of treating patients
without any incisions at all.”
Home and healing
Mrs. Tullis has returned to her home in Oak Harbor and
is doing very well, says Sallie, who is relocating to Florida
permanently to continue assisting her mother. “We go to
the club maybe five nights out of seven.”
Even better, Mrs. Tullis’ prognosis is good. At a
recent follow-up appointment at Vascular Interventional
& Vein Associates, “the ultrasound showed that the artery
is wide open and the blood is flowing,” says Sallie. “They
said it was fantastic.”
Sallie’s mother’s experience with Dr. Ramdev was
second to none. “I’m going to sing Dr. Ramdev’s praises
to the sky!” exclaims Sallie, adding that the entire team
at Vascular Interventional & Vein Associates is excellent.
“All of them are utterly professional,” she asserts, “but not
stiff and unapproachable. I felt very comfortable with
them.” FHCN–Melanie Casey
FIND HELP
Dr. Ramdev and Dr. Galovich welcome
all calls regarding this article as well as
other topics related to vascular issues.
Offices are located at 960 37th Place,
Suite 104 in Vero Beach, (772) 567-8482;
7925 Bay Street in Sebastian, (772)
646-4626 and 2215 Nebraska Avenue,
Suite 1A, in Ft. Pierce, (772) 801-2108.
Please visit www.VIVAMyVeins.com for more information.
Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Summer 2015 | Martin County Edition
Dry Eye Treatment
Dry Eye Disease Relieved
Revolutionary testing and treatment offer hope for the pain,
itching and blurriness of dry eyes.
M
ary Varnum has suffered
with some longstanding
challenges to her ocular
health.
“I had this burning in my eyes a long
time ago, about twenty years ago, in fact,”
she recalls. “It was burning and burning,
and I went to several eye doctors. Finally,
one of them referred me to Dr. Salinger.”
THE DRY EYE SPA &
V.I.P. LASER EYE CENTER
CLIFFORD L. SALINGER, MD
Revolutionary treatment
“There are several worthwhile treatments
for dry eye disease that have been used over
the years,” reflects Dr. Salinger, “including
hot compresses and anti-inflammatory
steroid eye drops. Historically, these have
been part of our comprehensive medical
therapy for patients with dry eye disease.
“Mary’s dry eye condition was severe,
but we were able to achieve improvement
in the frequency and severity of her symptoms with these treatments. However, she
still had a long way to go because her dry
eye disease was so significant.”
Now in a convenient
new location!
Dr. Salinger is proud to present
the latest breakthrough medical
technology for dry eye disease. For
more information, or to schedule a
consultation, please call (561) 6247878. The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye
Center is located at 11020 RCA Center
Drive, Suite 2001, in Palm Beach
Gardens. Also offering consultations
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Considering all the factors
When addressing dry eye disease, there are
four factors to consider: exposure to the
elements, inflammation, the quantity of
tear production and, most importantly,
the quality of the tears.
“Dry eye disease is a chronic, progressive condition that requires some
maintenance treatment,” explains Dr.
Salinger. “It never completely goes away.
We can get the symptoms under better
control, but we don’t cure it. If we don’t
treat it or we treat it inadequately, then
it will progress. And when it’s more
severe, it requires more intensive and
more expensive treatment.
The quality of tears is the most
significant component that can be
treated medically, and LipiFlow directly
addresses the balance between the
oil layer and the water layer, thereby
improving tear film stability.
“Dry eye disease patients are often
treated for aqueous deficiency, or not
“I have been going
to Dr. Salinger for
a long time, and I
intend to continue,”
says Mary.
FHCN PHOTO BY NERISSA JOHNSON
Clifford L. Salinger, MD, is a
board-certified ophthalmologist, cornea
and refractive surgeon and dry eye specialist, and the founder of The Dry Eye Spa
& V.I.P. Laser Eye Center in Palm Beach
Gardens. It turned out that Mary had
keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea.
“Keratitis causes open wounds on
your corneas,” she explains. “It was like
fires in my corneas. But when I went to
Dr. Salinger, he got them all cleared up. I
have been going to him ever since.”
Over time, Mary developed symptoms of dry eye disease, also known
as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, a problem
that affects millions of Americans.
Symptoms can include intermittent
blurry vision, excess production of tears,
itching, burning and stinging.
“It was especially hard at work,”
reports Mary, “because I work in an
office on a computer. Staring at a computer all day doesn’t help, because you
don’t blink as much. You also don’t want
to lie in bed with a fan going, because
that dries your eyes out, too.”
For Mary, the problem was hard to
tolerate. “It was constantly burning and
running, and it kept my eyes blurry. It
was just miserable.”
Dr. Salinger offers both extensive testing and comprehensive treatment for dry
eye in his practice.
“We offer the LipiView® test for evaluating the oil layer of the eyes; lactoferrin
for evaluating the aqueous, or water, layer;
a test called IGE for evaluating the presence of allergy; tear osmolarity, which
measures the salt concentration in the
eyes; and a test called InflammaDry® for
assessing the presence of inflammation.”
When it comes to treatment, the
LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System from
TearScience® provides a key part of the
solution, even for seemingly hopeless dry
eye cases that have persisted in spite of
traditional comprehensive care.
LipiFlow relieves blockages of the
eyelid’s oil glands during a short office
visit. Opening and clearing these blocked
glands enhances the natural production of
the oils that are needed for a healthy layer
of tears on the surface of the eye.
“The dysfunction within the oil
glands is not particularly noticeable,” says
Dr. Salinger, “and most eye doctors are
not accustomed to searching for it. You
have to actively look for it with specialized
diagnostic equipment that most practices
do not have. In fact, our office is one of
very few in the state of Florida to have
this technology, which uses infrared light
to view the oil glands directly.”
NOW AVAILABLE: BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
DNA TESTING FOR LASIK SAFETY
enough of the water layer,” clarifies Dr.
Salinger. “What we now know, however,
is that the majority of the condition is
typically caused by evaporative tear
deficiency, not aqueous deficiency. This
problem is primarily due to the dysfunction of the oil glands.”
LipiFlow treatment jumpstarts the
oil glands, emptying them of a lifetime
of blocked-up material so that the new
oil being produced is healthier and flows
more naturally from the evacuated glands.
“It is truly a revolutionary breakthrough for the treatment of chronic dry
eye disease,” says Dr. Salinger.
He reports that, since obtaining the
LipiFlow technology in April of 2012,
the practice has recorded that the vast
majority of their patients achieve excellent, long-term results, feeling much more
comfortable while using less medication.
“Since we’ve had LipiFlow, we are
finding that less than twenty percent of
individuals have requested additional
treatment. Approximately ninety percent of patients have reported that
their symptoms have not returned at
the one-year mark.”
Dr. Salinger emphasizes that
patients need to comply with the comprehensive treatment program – even if
they are feeling better.
“As they begin to feel better, dry
eye disease patients sometimes reduce
or discontinue their treatments, and
their symptoms return. When the condition recurs, it’s often more severe and
more difficult to address, so compliance
is extremely important. It’s like high
blood pressure or glaucoma: you don’t
cure it, but you can control it. That is
the recognized goal now for those of us
who treat dry eye disease.”
“It worked!”
After all these years with Dr. Salinger,
Mary is pleased to have such a strong
doctor-patient relationship.
“Dr. Salinger is very pleasant and he
does such a good job,” she affirms. “I trust
him. He’s been a very good doctor to me.
I have been going to him for a long time,
and I intend to continue going to him. I
love him – he’s great.”
Mary adds that even with just one
treatment per eye, the LipiFlow technology has greatly benefited her, resolving
the symptoms that appeared so stubborn,
even with eye drops and hot compresses.
“It didn’t take long,” she assures. “It
was a couple of weeks before it took effect.
Dr. Salinger said it would take a little bit,
and he was right. It worked!
“He treated both eyes and that was
it; there was no second treatment. And
all of a sudden, it was like my eyes just
started clearing up. I haven’t had a problem since.” FHCN–Michael J. Sahno
Clifford L. Salinger, MD, recipient of the “Heroes in Medicine”
2014, awarded by the Palm Beach
County Medical Society, is a
board-certified ophthalmologist
with subspecialty certification in
corneal and refractive surgery,
and dry eye. After completing his undergraduate degree at The Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore, he received his medical degree from
UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School, New Brunswick,
NJ. Dr. Salinger completed an ophthalmology residency at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.
He is a member of the American Academy of
Ophthalmology, the Cornea Society, and the
Florida Society of Ophthalmology. He is a past
associate professor at the University of Rochester
and has lectured extensively nationally and
abroad. In addition to his volunteer work, traveling overseas on many occasions, he has been
the education chairman for the Florida Society of
Ophthalmology for more than ten years.
Visit The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center on the web at www.TheDryEyeSpa.com.