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North and West Palm Beach County Edition Winter 2020

FEATURED ARTICLES

(see Enjoying the Ride, page 4)

MARC A. WEINBERG, DCCOLIN O. BEHRUE, DCFORREST HARVEY, DC

ADAM HOLLEMAN, DPT SANDY MCLEAN, DC

Advanced treatment regimen relieves chronic,

life-altering pain

T here is no scienti� c evidence that suggests a passion for riding roller coasters is an inherited trait, but it’s a trait

that was passed on from Joyce Moreau to her two sons, and Joyce couldn’t be happier about it.

“It may be because I started taking them when they were young, but that has always been our thing,” Joyce explains. “We’re all adrenaline junkies, so going to the theme parks and riding the roller coasters, that’s always been a bonding moment for us.

“� at’s the one thing I could always do that the kids were cool with because, of course, nothing else Mom did was cool. My jokes weren’t cool; my lectures weren’t cool. Nothing I did was cool except that.

“But we loved riding roller coasters so much that for birthdays, we’d go to theme parks, and I’d let them take a friend, and we’d spend all day or the weekend just riding the roller coasters. Like I said, it’s our thing. It’s what bonds us.”

Despite the fact that one of Joyce’s sons is now 30 and the other is currently playing hockey for a prep school in Canada, that special bond is still rivet tight. � ere was a time not too long ago, however, when it was temporarily severed.

“It started with a car accident that happened about four or � ve years ago,” says Joyce, 50. “� e accident left me with some pretty bad neck and back pain, and a lot of treatment was done for it, but the treatment never got me back to being one hundred percent.

“� en, about a year after the accident, my son’s birthday came around and just like always, we decided to go to a theme park. We went to Universal Studios, and the last thing we did before leaving was ride � e Hulk, their big roller coaster.

“It was the � rst time I’d tried riding a roller coaster since the accident because I was afraid of the pain, and it was a good thing it was the last thing we did because when I got o� that ride, I could not have felt worse.

“I felt so bad that I just stood there in the middle of the park crying. I thought, I’m never going to ride rides like this again. Not long after that, I started getting some really bad headaches and feeling a lot of tension and stress in my neck and back.”

� e theme park incident prompted Joyce to reconnect with the chiropractor who previously treated her, Sandy McLean, DC. � at’s when she learned that Dr. McLean had recently relocated to Active Health Center in North Palm Beach.

“When I � rst started treating Joyce following her accident, we did a lot of traditional chiropractic care and some decompression,” Dr. McLean says, the latter treatment being a form of traction designed to correct bulging or herniated discs.

“When we reconnected, I started treating her again by doing the tradi-tional adjustments, and they would have her feeling better for a few days, but her pain was still chronic. It was then that I suggested she try the MCU machine.

Evidence-Based Medicine � e Multi-Cervical Unit, or MCU machine, is a unique, nonsurgical device that isolates and strengthens the muscles around the neck and provides a comprehensive assess-ment of the patient’s physical progress while the patient receives the therapy.

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

Once that data is revealed, a custom-ized treatment program is designed that allows the MCU to correct those

problems. Considered the most complete and e� cient system for assessment and rehabilitation of the neck, the MCU has proven to be a highly e� ective tool.

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

Intrigued by what she learned of the MCU machine, Joyce agreed to give the device a try. Like all patients, she was � rst tested on the machine. � ose tests revealed a significant weakness in her neck muscles, and a treatment regimen was created for her.

A single MCU session lasts between 20 and 30 minutes, with patients typically going through three sessions a week for nine weeks. During those nine weeks, patients are re-tested at least three times to determine the e� ective-ness of the treatments.

“We re-test the patient every three weeks, or nine visits, and compare the results of those tests with the results we received from our original examination of the patient,” explains Colin Behrue, DC, at Active Health Center.

“That shows us how well the patient is progressing, and based on the � ndings, we make clinical changes. � e change could be di� erent exercises, di� erent angles or di� erent weights that help the patient continue to improve and build strength.”

Joyce Moreau

The Dry Eye Spa &

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Hearing 4 LifeAdd Hearing Test to Routine

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12

Neck PaiN

Mark poses with Appearance Implant & Family Dentistry of Jupiter sta� ers Tami Hat� eld (left) and Shannon Lamontagne.

Virtuoso performance makes rock legend a patient for life

W ith heavyweights such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and � e Monkees blocking the

way, landing a song in the top 10 of the pop music charts back in the 60s and 70s was no easy task. Still, Paul Revere & the Raiders managed to do it time and again.

Make an AppearanceAppearance Implant & Family Dentistry of Jupiter has been treating satisfi ed patients in Palm Beach County for more than years. Its experienced staff off ers a complete range

of services at aff ordable prices. To schedule a free consultation, call or visit

them at:

W. Indiantown Rd.

(561) 250-6307To learn more, visit them online at appearanceimplants.com

EDWARD A. SPECTOR, DDSSALVATORE V. MELITA, DDS

Dr. Wade remembers.“Now, I didn’t know who he was by

looking at him, so I asked him who he sang with. He said, Brian Wilson. I said, Brian Wilson of � e Beach Boys? And he said, Yes. So I said, Well, who are you? � at’s when he told me he’s Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders.

“I said, I’m one of your biggest fans, and it was funny that just as I was taking an x-ray of him, Indian Reservation came on the radio. He said, Hey, that’s my biggest hit, and I said, What are the odds of that happening now? and said, I think the gods want you here.”

Mark clearly agreed, because Dr. Wade has been his dentist ever since. � eirs is a partnership that has been growing for the past decade, a period during which Mark has visited Dr. Wade for more than just a � x on those ill-� tting temporaries.

“After doing that initial revision about ten years ago, I did another one just recently where we put new crowns on everything but Mark’s last couple molars on both his upper and lower arch, ”Dr. Wade reports. “We’ve also done some implant work with him.”

Dental implants are root-shaped titanium bodies that are surgically placed into the jawbone, where they eventually fuse with the bone and become the foundation

for an abutment and replacement teeth.� e replacement teeth can be a single

crown that is either cemented to or screwed onto the abutment, a partial bridge that

can be � xed to one or more implants or a full denture that can be fixed permanently to a series of implants.

P r i o r t o p l a c i n g a n implant , some patients require a bone grafting p r o c e d u r e d e s i g n e d t o e n h a n c e t h e vo lume of the jawbone so that it can properly s u p p o r t t h e i m p l a n t . T h e

amount of time needed for the bone development is about three months.

Mark eventually needed two implants, one for the second bicuspid on his lower left arch and one for the tooth immediately behind it, the � rst molar. Mark says the process is a lot easier than some might think.

“� ere are a couple of stages, starting with the dentist taking the impressions and sending them out to the lab,” he says. “� en you come back and they put the implant in, and it’s just like having a real tooth. You really can’t tell the di� erence.

“When you get the crown, the dentist tells you to make sure to let him know if any adjustments need to be made, and there were a couple of minor things they

had to do with mine, but they were very small, and everything’s cool now.”

Dr. Wade says that in addition to new crowns and a couple of implants, he also did some work with Mark to correct an issue with his bite caused by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. He now sees Mark for regular check-ups and maintenance.

Rock Renaissance“Everything Dr. Wade has done for me has worked out great,” enthuses Mark, who experienced an artistic renaissance when four Paul Revere & the Raiders songs were featured in the 2019 Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

“That’s totally cool,” Mark says of the songs’ appearance in the film. “And I can tell you this: As much fun as our fans have had listening to those songs, we had just as much fun – if not more – making them.

“And I’m still having fun singing them, of course, and Dr. Wade and his crew have absolutely helped me with that. Dr. Wade is a great guy and a great dentist, and they do amazing work at his practice.

“I recommend them to anybody because they’re great people, and they treat all their patients with the same care and dedication that they treat me. Not everybody is a rock star, but they treat everybody that comes into their o� ce like a rock star.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo courtesy of

Appearance Implant & Family Dentistry of Jupiter. Paul

Revere & the Raiders album cover courtesy of Sony Music

Entertainment. mkb

Mark (second from the left) was the lead singer for the 60s pop

band Paul Revere & the Raiders.

With Mark Lindsay singing lead for them, the band that dressed in mock Revolutionary War uniforms placed � ve songs in the top 10 between 1966 and 1971, when its biggest hit, Indian Reservation, went all the way to Number 1.

“It was pretty insane back then,” says Lindsay, a 77-year-old Eugene, Oregon native who moved to Florida about ten years ago and still belts out hits such as Kicks, Arizona and Him or Me – What’s It Gonna Be? even today.

“I do about sixty to eighty dates a year on tour with a group called Happy Together,” Lindsay says. “We’re out there this year with � e Turtles, Chuck Negron from � ree Dog Night, and � e Cowsills. It’s a lot of fun for everybody.”

Mark’s fun, and perhaps even that of his audience, was compromised a bit several years back when some routine dental work he had done made it di� cult for him to sing some of the songs his fans were coming to hear.

“I had some new crowns put in, and it must have been the placement of them or how some of them were � t, but I was struggling to pronounce some words, which for a guy like me is a real problem,” Mark explains.

“Our mouths are like a resonant chamber that forms the sound we want to project, and if your teeth are in the wrong place or they’re too thick, too thin or just not the right size, it changes everything. So being a vocalist, I said to myself, I need to get this � xed.”

Mark sought that � x from the same practice where he had the work done initially, which is Appearance Implant & Family Dentistry of Jupiter, where Dr. Wade took over Mark’s case on the day the rock legend returned with his complaint.

A Temporary Issue“The problem was that Mark had just been � t with temporary crowns by one of my associates here, and he told me he was having a problem not just pronouncing certain words but singing his songs,”

Salvatore V. Melita, DDS, earned his dental degree in from the University of Buff alo School of Dentistry. He then completed a two-year general practice hospital residency in Schenectady, New York. Dr. Melita was in private practice in West Palm Beach from to . He now serves the residents of St. Lucie County as a dentist at Tradition Dental in Port St. Lucie.

Edward A. Spector, DDS, earned his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Florida. He received his dental degree from The Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. He completed a dental implant fellowship at The International Dental Implant Association, as well as an oral surgery externship at Louisiana

State University. He has been in private practice in South Florida for more than years and is comfortable performing all phases of dentistry in

a calm and relaxing setting.

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Strange behavior a sign of substance abuse

Christian Sicignano, RN

Unsure why it happened, Jackie* felt helpless as she watched her younger brother Stephan* deteri-

orate before her eyes. He went from a happy, energetic man who loved to build furniture and go dancing to a moody, lethargic person with no interest in woodworking or social activities. She thought he was depressed and would eventually snap out of it.

“But he didn’t snap out of it,” Jackie recalls. “Instead, he got worse. Stephan went for days without showering or shaving, and he started staying up all night. He stopped eating well and lost twenty pounds. But he was drinking excessively.

“Stephan gave excuses to avoid attending family functions and refused to allow anyone into his home. He started neglecting his job and was o� cially repri-manded. And the only time he spoke to his friends was to ask them for money.”

Jackie became so concerned about her brother that she went to a counselor to ask for advice on how to help him. She was surprised by what the counselor told her: � e signs Stephan was showing were those of substance abuse.

“� ere are two major categories of signs exhibited by people who are actively abusing substances,” Christian Sicignano, RN, Director of Nursing at Riverside Recovery of Tampa, observes. “� ere are physical signs and behavioral signs.

“One of the physical signs is leth-argy, especially if people are actively using. Substance abusers may have a chronic runny nose or loss of physical coordination. � ey may totally neglect their personal hygiene or activities of daily living. � ey may experience appetite changes, weight changes or tremors. � ey may smell of alcohol and have irregular sleep patterns, which are common with addiction.”

Christian goes on to describe some of the behavioral signs that a person who is currently struggling with substance abuse may exhibit.

“Substance abusers may engage in secretive behavior,” he adds. “Family and friends may notice deceit or dishonesty in their interactions with them. Substance abusers may neglect their responsibilities and begin to exhibit poor performance at work or school. � ey may start missing work or school.

“In addition, substance abusers may run into � nancial problems. � ey often don’t have enough money to keep up with their monthly bills and start asking people to borrow money. � ere are often changes in the substance abuser’s habits. � ey stop doing things they used to enjoy.

“But the biggest thing we see with substance abusers is isolation. � ey begin to separate themselves from their friends and family, which is a concern because that’s their support system.”

For friends and family members who notice some of these signs of active substance abuse in a loved one, there are a few steps they can take to help the substance abuser. The first thing they can do is reach out to substance abuse resources within the community. � ese resources can provide direction on how to proceed in � nding their loved ones the care they need.

behavioral health techs. � e nursing sta� care for clients during this di� cult stage of their treatment.

“Riverside Recovery o� ers detox for benzodiazepines, opiates and alcohol,” Christian notes. “The nursing staff closely monitor clients during the detox stage. Depending on the substance they’re detoxing from, clients may be given medi-cation. � e behavioral health techs check on clients in detox every thirty minutes.”

Nurses in the Residential Program schedule and administer medications. Sometimes, clients experience symptoms of post-acute withdrawal during this

Creature ComfortsOne of the factors that set Riverside Recovery of Tampa apart from other treatment centers is its strong emphasis on comfort during the recovery process. � e sta� at Riverside Recovery work to be as cooperative as possible to make the process comfortable, yet productive.

“We understand life doesn’t stop when a client enters treatment, so we try to accommodate them, within reason, so they can keep up with their responsibilities while in detox,” Christian states. “We allow clients to bring in their personal electronics so they can take care of business or do homework if they’re in school.

“We allow clients to focus on getting better and still take care of the outside world, as long as they attend their group sessions during the day.”

Substance abusers often have triggers that initiate their substance abuse. Some say, I drink because of my job, I drink because of school or I use this substance because of � nancial hardships.

“Clients face these triggers while in recovery, but they don’t snowball until they leave treatment and have to deal with all of their stressors,” Christian informs. “With our approach, clients deal with many of their stressors while they’re in treatment. � ey don’t get hit with them all at once when they leave treatment.”

When clients complete detox and move to the Residential Program, they’re able to recognize their triggers and stressors, and with their therapists, they can pinpoint where those stressors come from.

“With their therapists’ help, clients learn new coping mechanisms that are healthy,” Christian explains, “as opposed to abusing their substance of choice.”

Jackie heard about Riverside Recovery of Tampa from a coworker and told the rest of her family. They agreed it was the best place for Stephan. He initially resisted the family’s pleas to enter recovery, denying he had a substance abuse problem. But eventually, Stephan broke down and entered the Medical Detox Program. Jackie felt relieved.

“I’m happy Stephan is � nally facing his drinking demons,” she says. “And I know he’s in good hands at Riverside Recovery of Tampa.” FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Employee photo by

Jordan Pysz. mkb

*Names withheld at their request.

“Concerned individuals should share their concerns about the substance abuser with other friends and family members,” Christian relates. “� ey can then work together to encourage the substance abuser to attend counseling or a therapy session. If the condition is severe, the family members can speak with an interventionist, who can help them take appropriate action.

“An interventionist can tell the family which level of treatment the substance abuser may need, such as detoxi� cation or a residential treatment program, if their substance of choice doesn’t meet the criteria for detox. At Riverside Recovery of Tampa, a comprehensive recovery center, patients with substance abuse can enter detox, residential or day treat-ment, whichever is appropriate for their substance of choice and individual needs.”

Continuum of Care� e recovery process at Riverside Recovery of Tampa is a continuum of care that begins with the Medical Detoxi� cation Program and moves to the Residential Program, Christian describes. From there, clients transition into the Day/Night Program, a day program during which clients return to Riverside Recovery from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A common denominator throughout this continuum of care is the Riverside Recovery of Tampa nursing sta� . During the medical detox phase of treatment, there’s a nurse on site 24/7, as well as nursing support staff, including

stage of recovery. When that occurs, the nurses meet with the clients’ providers, and together, they address the clients’ symptoms.

“� ere’s a nursing group every week as part of the Residential Program,” Christian adds. “During group, we educate clients on anti-craving medications and post-acute withdrawal symptoms. We explain what to look for with post-acute withdrawal and what is normal. We also educate clients about HIV and AIDS, as well as sexually transmitted diseases, from a nursing standpoint.”

A f t e r c l i en t s comple t e the Residential Program, the next level of care in the continuum is the Day/Night Program, formerly known as the Partial Hospitalization Program, or PHP. � e Day/Night Program runs six days a week for eight hours a day at Riverside Recovery of Tampa.

“Clients continue to receive nursing care while they’re in day/night program-ming. They meet with a nurse if they are taking medication and if any new symptoms occur,” Christian explains. “After the Day/Night Program, clients transition into the Intensive Outpatient Program, or IOP, which is three days a week for three hours each session. IOP consists of therapy primarily. Nursing care is not typically needed at this outpatient level, unless there’s an emergency.

“Riverside Recovery’s nurses are integral members of the patient care team throughout their stay in the recovery center.”

Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3cosmetic & imPlaNt DeNtistryaDDictioN treatmeNt

After nine weeks of therapy, patients are typically given a main-tenance program that includes exercises they do at home to maintain their strength. Joyce was in the maintenance program a few months back when she courageously suggested another theme park visit.

Like Old Times “My son was getting ready to go back to school, and I said, Before you go, why don’t we do something like we used to and go to a park,” Joyce recalls. “� at’s how good I was feeling. But I was a little nervous, a little hesitant.

“So, we went to Busch Gardens® for two days, and the � rst day, I didn’t ride any rides. � en the next day, I just said to myself, � is is my day, and the � rst thing I did that morning was head straight for the biggest roller coaster they’ve got.

“I was so nervous getting on that roller coaster that I was literally shaking, but when I got o� that ride, I felt like a million dollars. It was so awesome, and my son was looking at me like, Are you all right? and I was like, Which one do we go on next?

“We wound up riding every roller coaster in the park that day, and it was so amazing that I literally could not wait to go back to Active Health Center and tell Dr. McLean that I was riding roller coasters and feeling great again. And when I did, she couldn’t believe it.

“She was like, No way, and she gave me a big hug and said, � is has to be one of the biggest success stories because this is your thing. I know some people think it’s just a roller coaster, but I have to say, that MCU machine changed my life.”

Joyce says the only thing better than the results she received from the MCU machine therapy is the care she received from Dr. McLean and the sta� at Active Health Center. She says teamwork is among the practice’s greatest strengths.

“Everyone there is amazing and so knowledgeable,” Joyce explains. “And it seems like everybody there knows a little bit about everyone else’s job, and so they can all � ll in for each other when things get real busy.

“� e girl at the front desk isn’t going to do my adjustment, but when it comes to setting you up on the machines and things like that, you don’t have to wait for twenty minutes for someone because they all pitch in and help each other out.

“� ey’re like a family, and they do great work, which is why I highly recommend them to anyone who’s having neck or back pain. It’s a special place, and they have special people working there.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by Jordan Pysz. mkb

(continued from page 1)

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

Northlake Blvd., Suite F

(561) 842-2273

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

70Seventy Years of Combined Patient Care

Lower back painNeck pain

Neck stiff nessUpper back pain

Arm painLeg pain

Knee painWrist pain

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Herniated discs

• Low Level Laser Therapy

• State-of-the-Art Spinal Decompression for Neck and Back

• Eccentron™ Negative Resistance for Better Leg Strengthening Outcomes

Whether you have aches and pains from a motor vehicle accident, an old injury, a slip and fall or just feeling

pain from the trials of daily life, the physicians at Active Health Center will help you feel young and get active again. In business for more than years, the doctors

off er pain relief for:

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

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

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

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

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

ALSO OFFERING:

Joyce is now living and riding pain free.

Add Hearing Test to Routine Screening Schedule

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

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

Hearing Life provides comprehensive services to meet

the hearing care needs of the residents of Palm Beach County

and its surrounding areas. For a free consultation and

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

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Greenacres6801 Lake Worth Road

Suite 114

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SANDRA MARAS, HAS

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

Hearing 4 Life For Quality

Of Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Page 4 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

Gina L. d’AngeloCFO/HR

Roy CummingsEditorial Supervisor

Michelle BrooksCreative Director

Brian LevineProject Coordinator

Patti DiPanfiloLisa Buie

Editorial Staff

Laura EngelProduction Assistant

Nerissa JohnsonKristy EllenbeckerGraphic Designer

Nerissa JohnsonJordan PyszPhotography

Steve TurkGary Smith

Aldy LaracuenteBob Mize

Distribution

Active Health CenterNeck Pain

Riverside Recovery of TampaAddiction Treatment

Appearance Implant & Family Dentistry of Jupiter, P.A.

Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry

Hearing 4 LifeHearing

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

Dry Eye Treatment

Institute of Health & WellnessAesthetics

Acute Wound CareCompression Therapy

South Florida Medical Marijuana MD

Medical Marijuana

Retinal Eye Care AssociatesOphthalmology/Retina Specialist

Stuart Periodontics, P.A.Comprehensive Dentistry

Physician Partners of AmericaLaser Spine Surgery

Lighthouse Health GroupPsychiatry

215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 989-1330

Florida Health Care News

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Neck PaiN HeariNg

Cli� ord L. Salinger, MD, (left) is a recipient of the “Heroes in Medicine” awarded by the Palm Beach County Medical Society for his international volunteer work for more than years. He is a board-certifi ed ophthalmologist with subspecialty certifi cation in corneal and refractive surgery, and dry eye. In addition to his volunteer work, traveling overseas on many occasions, he is on the Board of Directors for SightLife, an

organization he works with to teach cornea transplant surgeries in developing coun-tries and to establish programs to prevent treatable, avoidable corneal blindness

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

has been the education chairman for the Florida Society of Ophthalmology for more than years.

Helayna Brown, MD, (right) is a fellowship-trained ophthalmologist who is originally from Long Island, NY. She specializes in corneal, anterior segment, cataract and refractive surgery. She attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA for both her undergraduate and medical training as part of a seven-year combined BS/MD program. After completing an internship at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Dr. Brown started her residency training at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she was elected chief resident. She completed an extra year of fellowship training at Corneal Associates of New Jersey. Dr. Brown has published and presented her research at national conferences. She is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

As they reach middle age, many people notice that reading news-papers or books or seeing any

object up close clearly becomes increas-ingly di� cult. � at’s due to a natural but frustrating change called presbyopia.

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

Reading glasses are the most popular remedy for presbyopia, but now, there’s a revolutionary breakthrough technology for alleviating or reducing the need for reading glasses called the KAMRA® Inlay.

T h e K A M R A I n l a y i s a n FDA-approved since 2015 surgical treatment that restores everyday vision, provides a more natural range of vision and offers long-term performance

to help people enjoy clearer overall vision, especially for near vision.

“The KAMRA Inlay is shaped like a contact lens, only smaller and thinner, inserted into the cornea,” informs

Dr. Salinger, who o� ers this incred-ible technology at V.I.P. Laser

Eye Center. “It has an opening in its center, which gives it a pinhole aperture e� ect.

“This effect enables the KAMRA to more tightly focus

light coming into the eye, which restores near vision while maintaining

distance vision.“Reading glasses may still be necessary

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

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Hitting a Trifecta

Like the sports cars he tinkers with, Charles Boggess, 61, has a few parts that aren’t original. � e 61-year-old Florida native and tractor-trailer driver was

given a new kidney in 1998. Sixteen years later, he received two corneal transplants to correct a series of problems that began years earlier.

“I started using reading glasses when I was pretty young,” Charles relates. “And I’ve worn regular eyeglasses for nearsightedness since I was thirty. Around 2014, my vision became really blurry. I kept getting new glasses prescriptions, but they didn’t clear up my vision. I eventually went to a new eye doctor, and he � gured out I had Fuchs’ dystrophy.”

Fuchs’ dystrophy is a condition that causes the cornea, the clear, protective outer layer of the eye, to swell and become cloudy. In a healthy eye, the cells of the cornea’s endo-thelial layer pump � uid away from the cornea to keep it clear. With Fuchs’ dystrophy, this layer changes and fails, and � uid builds up, causing hazy vision and eye discomfort.

“It was like living underneath the water, like the � lters in my eyes quit working,” Charles describes. “Everything was very blurry. � e doctor told me whatever glasses I got weren’t going to work until I got my Fuchs’ dystrophy cleared up. I went to the eye center in Stuart, and the doctor referred me to Dr. Salinger.”

Clifford L. Salinger, MD, a cornea specialist, is the founder of � e Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center in Palm Beach Gardens. Dr. Salinger has expertise in treating Fuchs’ dystrophy using partial thickness corneal transplants. � at’s what he used to treat Charles’ diseased corneas. Charles was immediately impressed when he met Dr. Salinger.

Like Sharon, Charles noticed an improvement in his vision soon after having treatment – in his case, the LASEK surgery, which Dr. Salinger performed in August of this year.

“I noticed a difference right away because the distance vision in my left eye was very blurry,” Charles states. “After a few weeks, I could see well enough to read road signs. And that’s the main

th ing I needed. A n d m y v i s i o n just keeps getting better every day.

“The correc-tions Dr. Salinger m a d e f o r m y d i s t anc e v i s i on affected my near vision. I do have to

wear reading glasses, but I don’t mind that at all. I don’t have to wear regular glasses, and that’s what I wanted.”

“ I a b s o l u t e l y r e c o m m e n d Dr. Salinger and � e Dry Eye Spa and V.I.P. Laser Eye Center, and already have,” Sharon says. “Three or four of my friends have gone to him.

“Dr. Salinger’s treatment is amazing. My dad had horrible dry eyes, and he was basically told he had to live with it. But today, people don’t have to live with it. There are new things such as the LipiFlow that can help resolve it. It’s like a miracle.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos by

Jordan Pysz. Lipiflow graphic courtesy of The

Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center. mkb

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

THE DRY EYE SPA®&

CLIFFORD L. SALINGER, MD w HELAYNA BROWN, MD

whether it’s cataract surgery or DSAEK, they are stuck wearing glasses forever,” Dr. Salinger notes. “� at’s a myth. � ere are many things we can do, including laser vision correction procedures, that minimize or eliminate dependence on glasses.”

Generally, when people think about laser vision correction procedures, LASIK® laser surgery comes to mind. LASIK corrects vision by reshaping the cornea, which changes its focusing power on the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

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

But that’s not the procedure Dr. Salinger selected for Charles. Instead, he chose another laser surgery with a slower healing process that he determined would be better and safer for Charles’ left eye.

“Mr. Boggess was looking to become less dependent on glasses,” Dr. Salinger asserts. “Since he had Fuchs’ dystrophy and underwent previous cornea surgery with the DSAEK, we concluded a procedure without a � ap called LASEK, also known as PRK, was the better option for him.”

“When performing LASEK, we first remove the cornea’s surface skin layer, the epithelium, then we apply the laser to the corneal surface. � ere’s no cutting, no � ap,” Dr. Salinger veri� es. “We place a bandage contact lens on the eye for better comfort and to assist in healing. � e cornea’s skin layer then needs time to heal, but it heals more slowly than it does with LASIK.

“Typically, the eye surface heals within a week after surgery. The bandage contact lens is then removed and vision continues to improve for weeks to months following the proce-dure. For Charles, LASEK was safer in the short term and the long term.

“It was essential for Mr. Boggess’ professional life that we perform the laser vision correction to balance his two eyes for distance. If we didn’t, he would feel unsafe on the road, and that feeling would be worse at night and in bad weather. That’s definitely not a good scenario for a truck driver.”

Tear-Stained CheeksVeteran reg i s t e red nur se Sharon Piergeorge, 65, jokingly suggests that her desire to work in the medical field was governed by genetics. She says it was passed down to her through her parents.

“My dad was a physician, and my mom was a nurse, so I think I inherited my interest in nursing from them,” Sharon a� rms. “I worked as a nurse for a long time, and I still keep my license active, even though I’ve been retired for years. I’m not going to let my license expire.”

While Sharon no longer works in a nursing capacity, she still spends a lot of time in health care facilities. But

now, she volunteers to lift patients’ spirits with the help of her Golden Retriever, Dunlop.

� e lack of a consistent tear � lm was causing Sharon’s eyes to be dry and irritated, which made them tear up.

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“I really liked Dr. Salinger,” Charles states, “especially when I learned he � ies to di� erent countries to teach doctors how to do the special corneal transplants he performs. He has to be pretty good at the procedure to do that.”

“� e partial thickness corneal transplant procedure we perform is called Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty, or DSAEK,” Dr. Salinger reports. “� is is a newer, more advanced method of performing a corneal transplant that involves removing and replacing only the inner lining of the cornea.

“Because it involves transplanting just the inner corneal lining, DSAEK is safer than traditional corneal transplants. � ere is

less trauma to the cornea, so there are fewer risks associated with DSAEK. Healing is faster, and patients have fewer limitations to their lifestyle after the procedure.”

Dr. Salinger performed a DSAEK on Charles’ right eye in September 2014. He performed the surgery on Charles’ left eye in December of that same year. Afterward, Charles gained excellent distance vision in his right eye, but not so in his left eye.

“After the transplant surgeries, I could see very well in the distance with my right eye, but I had quite a bit of astigmatism in my left eye and still couldn’t see in the distance,” Charles shares. “Distance vision is very important for a truck driver, so Dr. Salinger recommended another procedure to correct the astigmatism in my left eye to improve its distance vision. Another reason I wanted both eyes corrected for distance was to keep from having to wear glasses all the time.”

LASEK with an “E”“There’s a misconception that if people still need to wear glasses following surgery,

“Dunlop is a certified therapy dog, and she loves her job,” Sharon elaborates. “And she’s fantastic at her therapy work.

She always brings a smile to everyone’s face. Now, I’m back in the hospital with my favorite companion. � e volunteer work is very rewarding for me, for both of us.”

While Sharon is thrilled with her new vocation, she didn’t always look the part. Some people thought she was sad because her eyes were constantly tearing. But she wasn’t sad at all. While it may seem contradictory, excessive tearing is actually a common symptom of dry eye disease.

“I’ve had dry eyes for a very long time,” Sharon says. “I couldn’t wear contact lenses because they would stick to my dry eyes. � e condition must be hereditary because my father had horrible dry eyes.

“� e dry eye got to the point that my eyes were constantly watering, from morning till night. I didn’t have any pain or other

symptoms, just the tears pouring down my cheeks all day. People would stop me and ask, Are you okay? because I always looked like I was crying. � at went on for years.

“I went to an eye doctor, and we tried everything under the sun to help my dry eyes – everything from plugs to RESTASIS® and Xiidra®, but nothing worked. After that, my doctor said there was nothing else we could do. I was at my wit’s end. Fortunately, someone recommended Dr. Salinger, and I went to see him at once.”

When Sharon met with Dr. Salinger, he explained that the oil glands in her eyelids had become clogged with debris. They weren’t releasing enough of the oils necessary to keep a good, consistent tear � lm on her eyes’ surfaces, which keeps the eyes moist.

� e third step is an expression of the oil glands by the doctor immediately after the LipiFlow while the gland material is still warm and relatively viscous. � is step is done to remove any clogging material the LipiFlow may have left behind.

“We believe that by doing step one and step three in combination with the LipiFlow treatment, individuals get more benefit sooner than if we didn’t do all three steps,” D r . S a l i n g e r o b s e r v e s . “ T h e benefits also last significantly longer when the three-step process is used.”

T h e r e s u l t s a r e a s t ound ing . Dr. Salinger reports that 90 percent of people experience measurable improvement after one LipiFlow treatment at � e Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center. About half of those patients notice improvement within one month. For the other half, it may take two to three months. For a very small percentage, it may take longer.

Convenient Location!

Dr. Salinger is proud to present the latest breakthrough medical technology for dry eye disease. He offers consultations in Stuart and Port St. Lucie. The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center is located in Palm Beach Gardens at:

11020 RCA Center DriveSuite 2001

(561) 624-7878

Thermal PulsationInitially, Dr. Salinger treated Sharon’s dry eye disease with a regimen that included preservative-free, over-the-counter, sterile arti� cial tears; hot compresses, lid cleansings, vitamin supplements speci� cally for dry eye, and anti-in� ammatory eye drops to reduce the in� ammation that contributes to the evaporation of tears.

“� at treatment protocol improved Sharon’s symptoms somewhat, but only incrementally,” Dr. Salinger reports. “We � nally recommended treatment with the LipiFlow® and went ahead and performed it in January 2019.”

� e LipiFlow � ermal Pulsation System from TearScience® combines the controlled application of therapeutic heat with a gentle, pulsating massage. � ese two functions work

to liquefy then remove clogging debris from the glands in the eyelids, enabling them to function e� ciently.

“LipiFlow is a revolutionary break-through for treating chronic dry eye disease,”Dr. Salinger asserts. “It relieves dry eye symptoms by removing blockages of the eyelid’s oil glands. Opening and clearing the blocked glands enhances the natural production of the oils needed to restore a healthier tear layer on the surface of the eye.

“LipiFlow can be performed in di� erent ways. Many doctors perform LipiFlow only. We perform a three-step process that includes treatment with the LipiFlow. Step one in the process is a very thorough deep cleaning of the eyelids. Step two is treatment with the LipiFlow itself.”

Miracle Cures Sharon noticed a significant difference in her dry eye symptoms shortly after completing her three-step LipiFlow process. She continues to fol low Dr. Salinger’s instructions for aftercare to main-tain the results she achieved from the process.

“Within two months of getting the LipiFlow, my tearing stopped,” Sharon enthuses. “It’s such a relief to not have tears pouring down my cheeks all day.

“Every morning – and I’m religious about it – I put warm compresses on my eyes to keep the oils in my glands � owing freely. I take fish oil and use over-the-counter eye drops three or four times a day, then I’m good to go. I’m perfectly � ne now. My eyes aren’t tearing anymore. � e di� erence is like night and day.”

Sharon and her Golden Retriever,

Dunlop, “paws”

between their visits

to area medical centers

Page 6 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7laser VisioN correctioN/Dry eye treatmeNt

Before she became a stay-at-home mom, Tracey Leibowitz had a bright career creating visual dis-plays for retail stores. It

was a pro� table job that motivated the Boston, Massachusetts native to relocate to Florida in 1996.

Life was going great for Tracey until she su� ered a setback in 2003. � at was the year she was involved in a serious car accident that resulted in broken ribs and other severe injuries. Two years later, she sustained a concussion. The com-bination of those injuries left Tracey in chronic pain and unable to sleep, which she treated naturally.

“I never took medication,” she main-tains. “I was what many consider a health nut. I used to be macrobiotic, vegetar-ian and vegan. Now I’m a pescatarian. I was very aware of my health and if I was in pain, I found alternative methods to treat it, such as doing gyrotonics or taking ginger.

“Those methods usually worked fantastically for me, and I never had a problem, but after the car accident and the concussion, I started getting headaches. I never got headaches until the concussion. I developed peripheral neuropathy as well. And I’ve always had trouble sleeping.”

In addition to those issues, Tracey has battled carpal tunnel syndrome since she was a teenager. She treated that by using creams and wearing wrist braces,

Andrea Zotovas, MD, is board certifi ed in physical medicine and rehabilita-tion. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Kalamazoo College in

Kalamazoo, MI and her medical degree from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Montserrat, British West Indies. She com-pleted an internship in internal medicine at St. Joseph Hospital-Chicago, IL and residencies in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and neurology at University of Illinois Hospitals in Chicago. Dr. Zotovas is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Academy of Physician Life Care Planning and Florida Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Visit them on the web at sfmedm.com

Making Certi� cation EasyDr. Zotovas and her staff at South Florida Medical Marijuana MD understand that cannabis is an eff ective treatment for many medical conditions, and they make it easy for patients to become certifi ed to use it. To schedule a consultation appointment, contact one of their two locations:

North Palm Beach Northlake Blvd.

Stuart SE Ocean Blvd.

Suite

(561) 766-0713

ANDREA ZOTOVAS, MD

but as she aged, the in� ammation in her wrists increased. To combat the problem, Tracey switched to an anti-in� ammatory diet, one that contains speci� c foods that don’t promote in� ammation.

But a few years ago, Tracey reached a point where her natural remedies were no longer providing adequate relief of her symptoms. She then began exploring other options.

“When I looked up treatments for inflammation online, I got results for CBD oil, so I started researching it,” Tracey relates. “Over time, I started order-ing CBD products from California. I noticed I was sleeping better when I took them. My doctors dismissed the CBD oil, but I continued to research it and use it.

“I began to feel a little pain relief using the CBD products, but I was really having trouble sleeping. I finally real-ized, I can’t live like this anymore. � en, my gyrotonics instructor told me about Dr. Zotovas. She described the doctor’s background and how Dr. Zotovas helped her. My instructor said, You have to go to this doctor. She will really help you.”

Following her instructor’s recommen-dation, Tracey made an appointment with Andrea Zotovas, MD, at South Florida Medical Marijuana MD, which has o� ces in North Palm Beach and Stuart. Dr. Zotovas uses medical marijuana to treat a wide range of disorders including chronic pain, insomnia and anxiety.

“When Tracey � rst came to me her primary concerns were pain and trouble sleeping,” Dr. Zotovas notes. “Medical cannabis can relieve both of those issues and more. It all hinges on the endocanna-binoid system, which is the body’s system for maintaining balance or homeostasis.

“� e endocannabinoid system has receptors that are prepared to accom-modate the components of marijuana

including CBD and THC. As part of this system, the body actually makes its own THC and CBD, but in some people, these substances are depleted or out of balance. Medical cannabis restores that balance, so patients feel better.”

Sweet Dreams� e bene� ts of treating pain with medi-cal marijuana are well-documented, but what many people may not know is that medical marijuana is equally e� ective as a treatment for insomnia, which a� ects about 30 percent of all people in the United States alone.

“It’s a big problem, and it affects our general health,” Dr. Zotovas says of insomnia. “When we don’t get a good night’s sleep, all our other health problems get worse. � en, additional problems arise from those.

“But standard sleeping medications are not great. � ey cause dependency and can alter the normal sleep architecture, so people don’t get a restful, restorative night’s sleep. Medical marijuana works far better. It’s not habit-forming and peo-ple feel rested and energized for the day ahead after using it.”

Medical marijuana is an excellent sleep aid because it restores the patient’s natural sleep cycle. Dr. Zotovas recom-mends speci� c strains of marijuana, called indica, for sleep because they are relaxing and sedating, promote a good night’s sleep and don’t cause daytime drowsiness.

“� e indica strains are like a couch,” Dr. Zotovas elaborates. “� ey make peo-ple relaxed and drowsy so they can sleep. Opposite those are the sativa strains, which are used during the day for pain, anxiety, headaches and lack of concen-tration. Many times, these symptoms are side e� ects of or are intensi� ed by a lack of sleep, so patients often use both indica and sativa strains.”

Insomnia can be either primary or secondary. Primary insomnia is not caused by an outside trigger. � e patient simply can’t sleep. Secondary insomnia may be caused by many factors, includ-ing stress or trauma.

“Medical cannabis is very e� ective for primary insomnia because it is relax-ing and restores a normal sleep cycle,” Dr. Zotovas observes. “And if there’s a stressor causing the problem such as anx-iety or depression, medical marijuana e� ectively treats both of those disorders.

“Certain medications can also have a side e� ect of insomnia including those for cancer, diabetes, asthma, COPD, blood pressure and overactive thyroid disease. We can mitigate those side e� ects naturally with medical marijuana.

“It all goes back to the endocanna-binoid system, which works as a lock and key mechanism. � e cannabinoids

unlock the endocannabinoid receptors, which promotes particular states in the body. � at state may be relaxation and sedation with the indica strains of canna-bis or improved focus, and decreased pain and anxiety with the sativa strains,”

“Deeper, Better Sleep” Tracey carefully followed Dr. Zotovas’ recommendations for using medical marijuana for relief from her pain and insomnia, and before long she began to see signi� cant improvement in both. The benefits continued to accrue as Tracey became more comfortable using the cannabis products.

“Medical marijuana has changed my existence,” Tracey raves. “I don’t wake up with pain. I don’t go to bed with pain. I lived with pain for so long I almost didn’t realize how much pain I was in until I felt the relief, When I did, it was so amazing, I almost forgot I had pain.

“And now I’m sleeping at night. I have deeper, better sleep, and there’s no weird feel-ing the next day, no grogginess. I’ve always had trouble sleeping, even when I was a little girl, but medical marijuana changed all that. It’s been phenomenal for me.”

With the help of Dr. Zotovas and her medical marijuana, Tracey feels 100 percent better. Now, she shares her story openly with others who may be experienc-ing similar symptoms.

“I recommend medical marijuana one hundred and ten percent,” she enthuses. “I can’t recommend it to enough people. I told my parents about it and anybody else who would listen.

“And I absolutely recommend Dr. Zotovas. With the accident and every-thing, I’ve been to a lot of doctors over the years, and she listens. She’s under-standing and helpful, an amazing doctor. Dr. Zotovas has taken me down a road that’s made me better.” FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. ke

Tracey Leibowitz

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the care I received from everyone at Acute Wound Care. And I couldn’t be happier with my results. � e compression pump works, and it was very successful for me. I just wish I got it sooner.

“I absolutely recommend Acute Wound Care and their compression pumps to anybody in a situation like mine.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz.

Compression pump photo courtesy of Acute Wound Care. ke

with their limbs raised to further assist with decreasing swelling.”

� e sleeves of the compression pump contain multiple chambers. During treat-ment, each chamber � lls up with air, from the foot to the groin. � en, each cham-ber releases, and the pattern repeats in a rhythmic fashion, forcing any excess � uid out of the limbs.

“� e pump also boosts circulation by contracting the leg muscles, assisting blood � ow back toward the heart,” Alyssa notes. “Results are often apparent imme-diately. Many patients see a noticeable di� erence in the swelling and in the size of their limbs after their � rst forty-� ve-minute pumping session.”

“I Have Ankles Again”Sally has been using her compression pump from Acute Wound Care for four months and is thrilled with the results. Because she works full-time, she generally uses her device once a day instead of twice, but she uses it for longer than 45 minutes.

“� e compression pump is wonderful,” Sally raves. “I use it for an hour or an hour and a half, and when the session is over, I can really see a change. Since I’ve been using the pump, I can’t believe the di� erence in the size of my legs. I have ankles again.”

Because Sally’s leg swelling is e� ec-tively managed with her compression pump, she can enjoy her favorite activi-ties without discomfort. She has plans to return to even more activities soon.

“I’m dancing, playing a little golf and walking, things I like to do when I’m not working,” she reports. “My husband and I have a motorhome and do some traveling with it. But that got curtailed due to my leg and knee problems. We’ll probably get back into that now as well.

T en years ago, Binghamton, New York native Sally Youngstrom survived a bat-tle with non-Hodgkin’s

lymphoma. Along the way, however, she developed lymphedema, a condition that causes excess � uid in the lymph vessels.

Caused by her cancer, the lymph-edema a� ected Sally’s arms and legs, but especially her legs. It caused them to be constantly swollen and uncomfortable.

“� e swelling in my right leg was really bad, but my left leg wasn’t that good either,” Sally relates. “My right leg was larger than my left leg. You could see it in my pant legs. � e one on the right

side was really tight. I started to wear compression stockings, which helped.

“I also underwent knee surgery last August. After that surgery, the swelling was even worse and eventually became out of control. I had to do something about it. My vein specialist recommended a com-pression pump from Acute Wound Care.”

Acute Wound Care is a fully accred-ited home medical equipment provider specializing in hospital-grade compressiondevices and specialty wound-care dressings. � e compression pumps, which reduce swelling caused by conditions such as lymphedema and venous disease, are prescription devices. � ey are approved by most insurers.

Rhythmic Patterns Acute Wound Care’s easy-to-use compression pumps remove � uid that has accumulated in the patient’s legs or arms, observes Alyssa Parker, certi� ed compres-sion therapist with Acute Wound Care.

“The pump’s limb-sized sleeves gently massage the limb, draining any excess fluid back into the body’s circulatory system so it can be naturally eliminated,” Alyssa explains. “� is allevi-ates swelling and many painful symptoms.

“� e pumps are highly e� ective and noninvasive, and for the legs, they are much easier to use than compression stockings. Patients generally use the pump twice a day for forty-� ve minutes, usually in the morning and in the evening. While using the pump, patients simply sit back

Massaging MomentsLymphedema, venous disease can cause limb swelling;

compression pumps can help

Sally Youngstrom

Visit Acute Wound Care on the web at

www.acutewoundcare.comor call them directly:

Toll Free (855) 949-HEAL (4325)

Are You Suffering From

Chronic Limb Swelling?

For her 38th birthday, April* received from her husband of ten years a vacation she had been dreaming of since she was a little

girl – a long, restful stay at a sun-splashed resort on the western tip of Jamaica.

“I went to Jamaica with my family when I was eight years old, and I’ve dreamed of going back ever since,” April says. “When my husband surprised me with that trip last year, I couldn’t believe it. I was just elated.”

Elated, but a bit anxious. Since her wed-ding a decade earlier, April had gained a little weight and developed what she describes as a “mu� n top” around her waist and some cel-lulite on the backs and insides of her thighs.

“� is was going to be like a second honeymoon for me and my husband, so I really wanted to look my best,” April explains. “� at’s why I started looking for

a place where I could get something done for those trouble areas.”

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

treatments are safe, require no down-time afterward and cause no side e� ects.

“� e ultrasound technology is trans-ferred in a two-dimensional form that disrupts the fat cell membrane, which allows stored fat to be released from the cell,” Dr. DeMarta describes. “� at stored fat is later removed from the body through the lymphatic system.

“In addition, there’s a radiofrequency modality to this treatment that heats the tis-sue to a desired temperature, which allows for regulation of collagen production and skin tightening. So it’s a combined treat-ment using ultrasound and radiofrequency.

“And that’s what makes this treatment unique, because you’re doing two things instead of just working the fat. I have long thought that working on the skin with a combined treatment is a better modality than just working the fat because you’re going to have better results.

“� e third thing this treatment device does is something called plasma resurfacing. It’s like microneedling, only more aggressive, and it can be used for areas such as the jawline, neck and under the eyes.”

In addition to receiving treatment for her mu� n top and thighs, April took advan-tage of Accent Prime’s versatility and received a series of treatments under her chin as well. She says she’s thrilled with the outcome.

“� e Accent Prime treatments did exactly what I hoped they would,” April

Deborah A. DeMarta, MD, FACS, FAARFM, is a colorectal surgeon and functional medicine spe-cialist. Dr. DeMarta completed her medical internship and res-idency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She com-

pleted a research and clinical fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Fort Lauderdale in and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. DeMarta is the founder and principal of the Institute of Health & Wellness. As a functional medical practitioner, she works with patients to identify the underlying causes contributing to chronic health issues. She then develops individ-ualized programs to restore natural balance using nutrition, supplements and lifestyle changes.

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

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

Excellence in Functional Medicine

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please

call or visit the Institute, located in historic downtown Stuart at:

218 SW Atlanta Ave.

(772) 539-9556

exudes. “� ey took away that unsightly bulge around my waist and the flab that was starting to show on my thighs. During that trip to Jamaica, I looked like I did ten years ago.

“A lot of people think I’ve lost weight, but the di� erence is the way Accent Prime tightened everything up. It’s a great treat-ment that I highly recommend. And I highly recommend Dr. DeMarta. She and her sta� at the Institute are fabulous.” FHCN article by Roy Cummings. nj

*Patient’s name withheld at their request

Combined CorrectionDuring a consultation with April, Dr. DeMarta recommended treating her stubborn trouble areas with a noninvasive,state-of-the-art, skin tightening, body contouring and aesthetic enhancement platform called Accent Prime™.

A treatment program that can aesthet-ically enhance the face as well as the body, Accent Prime uses new innovations in ultrasound technology and radiofrequency to rejuvenate the skin and provide visible, natural-looking, long-lasting results.

Depending on the target area, Accent Prime treatments last between 20 and 60 minutes and are adminis-tered through a handheld device with an extra-large applicator plate. The

Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9meDical marijuaNa

comPressioN tHeraPy

aestHetics

Randall McCrory had the misfortune of being born with a propensity for bad teeth.

“That’s what my dentist told me when I was twenty-two years old,” the 72-year-old retired mechani-cal engineer states.

Randall worked for 20 years in an upper management position for the DuPont™ company. � ough he loved his job, Randall’s happiness was tempered by dental problems that initially resulted in the loss of several upper teeth.

� ose teeth were eventually replaced with dental implants, but years later, while he was being � t with implants for four lost bottom teeth, Randall was told significant bone loss was causing the upper implants to fail.

The distressing news prompted a search during which Randall went to � ve or six dentists seeking help for the problem. One recommended he visit Stuart Periodontics and meet with C. Nicholas DeTure, DMD, who specializes in periodontology and implantology.

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 implan-tology at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.

STUART PERIODONTICS, P.A.C. NICHOLAS DETURE, DMD

Visit Stuart Periodontics on the web at www.stuartperiodontics.com

We Help Save Your Teeth

In addition to treating patients with periodontal issues, Stuart Periodontics offers a wide range of dental implants and preventative services.Stuart Periodontics is in Stuart at:

901 SE Ocean Blvd.

(772) 283-1400

BACK FROM THE BRIN

“Game-Changer” Laser “Over the years, Randall developed a gum infection around his implants, a condi-tion we call peri-implantitis,” Dr. DeTure reports. “He was losing bone around the implants, and his gums were so sensitive that we couldn’t do the typical periodontal probe on him.”

Peri-implantitis is a progressive, in� ammatory disease that a� ects both the hard and soft tissue surrounding an implant. Symptoms include gum bleed-ing and/or swelling, gum redness and/or tenderness and, in some cases, suppuration,which is the formation of pus.

Randall was experiencing some of these symptoms, but he was fortunate to have found Dr. DeTure, who describes his practice as a “save-teeth-and-save-implant-� rst kind of o� ce” and recommended a treatment called laser-assisted peri-implantitis procedure, or LAPIP™.

During the LAPIP procedure, a laser removes bacteria, diseased tissue and any

“Our ability to treat the gum infec-tion with the laser and get bone to regrow around the implants without having to do bone grafts has been pretty incredible. And we did all of that with Randall.

“We treated his gums once with the laser and did some reshaping of his bridge to allow him to clean his teeth better. We also did some reshaping of the implants themselves because his infection was so bad that the implants were exposed above the gums.”

Once Randall healed and stabilized, Dr. DeTure performed a gum-grafting procedure around the implants to create a better seal and stronger connection of the gum to the implants.

� e two procedures were a success, as Randall’s gums are now cleaner, stronger and pain free. � at’s why Randall highly recommends Dr. DeTure for anyone hav-ing dental problems similar to his.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Dr. DeTure and his practice,” Randall raves. “� e people there are friendly, and Dr. DeTure is the best dentist I’ve ever been to in my life. I can’t believe what he’s been able to do for me.” FHCN staff article.Photo by Jordan Pysz.nj

Noninvasive laser procedure strengthens gums, saves

failing implants

K

other contaminants from around the den-tal area being worked on. Ultrasonic scaler tips are then used to further treat the gums, which promotes new tissue growth.

“� e laser is a game-changer because in years past, treating infected implants required di� cult surgery,” Dr. DeTure says. “We had to cut the gums, reshape the implants, pack bone in around them and then close things up.

“� is is a much better way of doing things, and it’s much easier on the patient because there’s less work that they have to recover from, so there’s less discom-fort and the recovery period is very short, about a day or two.

Randall McCrory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JAMES ST. LOUIS, DOKEITH GIRTON, MD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

get you a subscription to the newspaper. � at prompted

me to seek treatment.”Larry already had

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leaders in Interventional Pain Management and Minimally Invasive Laser Spine Surgery

(877) 331-6603

Wellington Medical Park

Blvd., Suite

Boynton Beach Hagen

Ranch Rd.

Boca Raton Central Park Boulevard North

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

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

To learn more, visit them online at PPOASpine.com

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

Lake Worth S. Congress Ave., Suite L

(561) 967-8000Delray Beach

Linton Blvd., Bldg. E, Suite

(561) 637-3003Visit Dr. Lowe and Retinal Eye Care Associates online at www.retinaleyecare.com

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

in retinal and vitreous diseases. With more than years in practice, he is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Palm Beach County Ophthalmology Society, the Florida Society of Ophthalmology and the Palm Beach Medical Society.

Dr. Lowe now off ers VIP Urgent Care for patients with wet macular

degeneration, diabetic retinal diseases and other vascular disorders of the eye.

PETER J. LOWE, MD

Proven laser procedure painlessly dissolves eye � oaters

Truman can see clearly now that his eye � oaters have been dissolved.

A s the facilities manager for Rainforest Cafe® in Sunrise, Truman Gri� th ensures the diners are entertained while they eat.

“Being a themed restaurant, Rainforest Cafe uses animation, a light show and a water show,” Truman relates. “I’m responsible for keeping those shows operating. I like what I do because it’s challenging.”

In the last few months, Truman noticed changes in his eyesight that made his job even more challenging. He started to see strange spots in his right eye that interfered with his vision. He subsequently developed similar spots in his left eye.

“In my right eye, the spots looked like curled � ngers in the center of my vision no matter which way I looked,” Truman describes. “In my left eye, they were more all over my eye, like clouds in my entire visual � eld.”

When Truman realized the spots weren’t going away, he sought advice from his eye doctor, who recommended he visit Peter J. Lowe, MD, a board-certi� ed ophthalmolo-gist at Retinal Eye Care Associates.

Dr. Lowe subspecializes in diseases of the retina and vitreous. He knew what Truman’s spots were. � ey were vitreous eye � oaters. Dr. Lowe treats eye � oaters using a noninvasive procedure called laser vitreolysis, which dissolves the � oaters.

Study Validated“Di� erent types of � oaters develop when the vitreous detaches from the underlying retina,” Dr. Lowe observes. “Sometimes, the vitreous breaks up into large clumps of � oating opacities.

“Other times, it gathers and forms cloud-like opaci-ties that obstruct vision to a greater degree. � e cloud-like opacities were responsible for the problems in Truman’s left

eye, and the strand-like � oaters were causing trouble in his right eye.”

Laser vitreolysis is safe, effective and FDA approved for eye � oaters. � e procedure has been validated academically

through research studies conducted at two nationally recognized institutions.

“One study was conducted by � e Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, and the other was done at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago,” Dr. Lowe informs. “Both studies con� rm the e� -cacy of vitreolysis and show there is a place for laser vaporization in the treatment of chronic eye � oaters when performed by someone with experience.”

Dr. Lowe is the only retinal specialist currently performing this procedure and is the � rst physician in Palm Beach County to o� er it. He has been performing laser vitreolysis since 2011 and performed the laser procedure twice in each of Truman’s eyes to dissolve the � oaters.

Dr. Lowe says the procedure can be performed multiple times without adverse effects if necessary to achieve a successful outcome.

Great Eyes“My vitreolysis procedures went well,” Truman recalls. “It only takes a few minutes, and there’s no pain involved. � e procedure itself was like seeing a bunch of camera � ashes. I held still so Dr. Lowe could focus the laser on each � oater and dissolve it."

Using laser vitreolysis, Dr. Lowe signi� cantly improved Truman’s vision. Truman can now see clearly and is no longer bothered by the � nger-like � oaters or the clouds that obstructed his vision and annoyed him before treatment.

“My vision is much, much better,” Truman enthuses. “I’m very happy with my results. I absolutely recommend Dr. Lowe and laser vitreolysis to anyone with chronic eye � oaters.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition North and West Palm Beach County Edition | Winter 2020 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11

comPreHeNsiVe DeNtistry

laser sPiNe surgeryoPHtHalmology/retiNa sPecialist

EDWARD ZAWADZKI, DO

Edward Zawadzki, DO, is board certifi ed in psychiatry and neurology, and forensic psychiatry. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University in College Park, PA, and a Master’s degree in

Clinical Neuropsychology from California School of Professional Psychology in Fresno, CA. He then received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree

from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, NY.Dr. Zawadzki completed residencies in psychiatry at Mt. Sinai School

of Medicine at Cabrini Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in New York, and then a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. He is a member of the American

Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

A Modern Approach

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

Jupiter at:

4600 Military TrailSuite 103

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

Hope available for those su� ering from “holiday blues”

A typical day during the year is hectic enough for Serena*. Transporting her children to and from school and social

events takes a huge chunk of her time. But she also has to help the kids with their homework, shop for the family, clean the house, make dinner and support her husband’s business, all while working a full-time job. She rarely has time for herself.

Lighthouse Health Group

provides patients with a

calming atmosphere during care

Like so many, her days get even more hectic around the holidays, and every year, Serena gets depressed. She dreads family holiday gatherings so much that she makes up excuses to avoid attending them. She resents the impositions on her time and � nances and becomes angry and bitter. She cries at the drop of a hat and is short with her family.

“Although the holidays can be a wonderful experience for many people, they lead to a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety for others,” observes Edward Zawadzki, DO, a board-certi� ed forensic and adult psychiatrist at Lighthouse Health Group in Jupiter. “� ese feelings of anxiety and depression are often referred to as the ‘holiday blues.’

“The onset of the holiday blues typically begins in the fall and progresses through the holiday season. Symptoms often begin with feelings of stress and irri-tability. Sadness and fatigue may follow, and some people may become reclusive.

“� e condition may degenerate into a more formal depression or anxiety disorder. When that occurs, those symp-toms may be present, but more serious symptoms, such as episodes of tearfulness and suicidal thoughts, may also develop.”

While the holidays can be delightful, they are accompanied by certain stressors that can lead to the development of the holiday blues, Dr. Zawadzki asserts. Two of the most common stressors are � nances and family.

“People understandably feel more anxiety and sometimes experience depres-sion or a more serious psychiatric issue, or have a worsening of an existing condition, due to those stressors,” the doctor relates. “Some people with the holiday blues

unconsciously or subconsciously move away from their families at this time of year if their families are a source of stress for them.

“Old feelings such as guilt may get dredged up when families gather, and that can lead to anxiety and anger, which can cause a person to become depressed. � ere are also many obligations, and events people are expected to attend that they may feel uncomfortable attending. � at can stir up anxiety and even panic in those with the holiday blues.

“Financial pressures are also height-ened during the holidays with the added costs of entertaining, decorating and buying gifts. � ose with the holiday blues may resent being expected to spend the extra money. Resentment leads to anxiety and anger, causing the person to further isolate themselves from friends and family.

“We encourage anyone experiencing symptoms of the holiday blues to seek professional help, and we can de� nitely provide that help. People can make an appointment for an initial consultation, and we can quickly determine the treatment they need, whether it’s psycho-therapy or medication or both.”

Eclectic Off eringsLighthouse Health Group is a full-servicepsychiatric practice o� ering both tradi-tional and leading-edge treatments for patients with mental health disorders, including the holiday blues. In addition to a board-certi� ed psychiatrist, the sta� includes a certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, doctoral-level psychologists and master’s-level therapists.

Dr. Zawadzki and his staff at Lighthouse Health Group use a mixture of science-based psychiatry and traditional psychotherapeutic methods to treat their patients. Traditional methods include individual and family therapy.

“We use di� erent types of therapies designed for speci� c types of disorders,” Dr. Zawadzki describes. “We have an eclectic assortment of treatments that includes traditional psychodynamic psychotherapy and supportive psycho-therapy. But we also have treatments such as TMS [transcranial magnetic stimulation], EMDR [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing], esket-amine therapy and a nutrition-based wellness therapy. We use this wide range of modalities to better help our patients.”

TMS, esketamine therapy and EMDR are three of the newer treat-ments available at Lighthouse Health

Group. Each of these treatments has a place in treating patients with certain mental health disorders. TMS is used for medication-resistant depression.

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

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

Esketamine is a new medication that helps people su� ering from depressive disorders rapidly achieve symptom relief. TMS and esketamine are typi-cally considered after patients fail to achieve signi� cant symptom relief using medications.

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

“Esketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist, which is a complicated way of saying it works on neurotransmitters in the brain that are involved with depression and other emotional states. By modulating those neurotransmitters with esketamine, we can help people feel dramatically better very quickly.”

EMDR is a newer, nontraditional form of psychotherapy that’s used primarily for patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is a condition that develops after a person experiences or witnesses a trau-matic event such as a physical assault, a serious accident or military combat.

During EMDR, the patient is instructed to follow the back and forth motions of the therapist’s � ngers with their eyes. � e patient then recounts their trau-matic event while the therapist gently shifts their negative thoughts to more pleasing

ones. � e goal of EMDR is to weaken the e� ects of the negative emotions associated with the traumatic event.

Whole-Body CarePatients with mental health disorders sometimes su� er physical pain as well. To address their patients’ painful conditions, Lighthouse Health Group offers the services of a board-certi� ed physiatrist on site at the clinic.

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

People don’t have to be mental health patients to see a physiatrist at Lighthouse Health Group or to receive help from its sta� . Someone such as Serena, who su� ers severely during the holiday season, could pro� t immensely from the services avail-able at Lighthouse Health Group, where a board-certi� ed psychiatrist will determine if she would bene� t from medication, and a trained therapist can teach her skills for coping with the stresses and demands of the holiday season.

“Good things can happen when people see a psychiatrist or therapist around the holidays,” Dr. Zawadzki says. “We can help them keep their bearings throughout the holiday season and beyond.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Marc Edwards. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at her request.

Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Winter 2020 | North and West Palm Beach County Edition PsycHiatry