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East Volusia County Edition

FEATURED ARTICLES

Winter 2019

PARK AVENUE DENTISTRYSTEPHEN P. LESTER, DDS, MAGD, P.A.

Milling MiraclesBright, beautiful,

new smiles are just one visit away

(see Milling Miracles, page 4)

J udy Lynne Revell made a career of helping others. She worked as a nurse for 45 years and planned quality assurance for a company

that owned assisted living facilities for 17 years. Before retiring, she spent ten years helping people lose weight, quit smoking and overcome other concerns as a clinical hypnotherapist.

“� e place was like a spa. � e sta� was so nice, and Dr. Lester was such a sweet, charming guy. He did the � nancial thing there as well, but Dr. Lester’s total was much more reasonable. He told me there were some things that, in his pro-fessional opinion, just weren’t necessary. I thought, � is is a good deal.”

Judy agreed to Dr. Lester’s treat-ment plan, which included three crowns and the replacement of a miss-ing tooth with an all-porcelain bridge. � e bridge was created in a single dental visit, which astounded Judy. She found Dr. Lester’s in-house fabrication equip-ment, the E4D® Dentist Chairside CAD/CAM System, very impressive.

“Dr. Lester has all this incredible, brand-new equipment in his o� ce that I’ve never seen before,” she marvels. “He made the bridge right there. � at just � oored me. Being in the health care industry, we don’t generally do things very quickly. � at was just amazing to me.”

Retooled TechnologyCAD/CAM technology has been used for years to design and manufacture products such as tool and auto parts. More recently, CAD/CAM technol-ogy was retooled for use in dentistry to meet the growing need for comfort and convenience in the dental o� ce. � at fueled the development of in-office CAD/CAM systems such as the E4D.

“� e E4D system is a technology that creates porcelain restorations quickly and easily right in the dentist’s o� ce, often in one visit,” describes Dr. Lester. “It can make dental crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers and even bridges.”

The system consists of three main parts – the computer system, the software and the milling unit. � ese parts work in concert to create the � nished restoration, in Judy’s case, a bridge.

“I was living in Kentucky then, but I didn’t like the snow anymore,” Judy shares. “My friend and I did the snowbird thing for a couple of years, then two years ago, we retired and moved to Florida.”

After Judy arrived in Florida, she realized she had some dental issues that needed attention. She found a dentist in Port Orange who took care of her most pressing needs, but she wasn’t happy with his work or the results.

When more problems arose shortly thereafter, Judy didn’t want to go back to the dentist she saw in Port Orange, but she didn’t know where else to turn. Then she got an idea while sitting in her doctor’s waiting room.

“I was reading Volusia Health Care News and saw Dr. Lester’s article. It also had a picture of him,” she relates. “I thought, I’m not in any better shape now, and I need to do something. I might as well give this dentist a shot because he looks like a nice guy.”

The dentist Judy admired was Stephen P. Lester, DDS, of Park Avenue Dentistry in Edgewater. She called Park Avenue Dentistry and was warmly greeted on the phone, which impressed her. She was even more impressed when she arrived at the practice, saw the surroundings and experienced the sta� ’s customer service.

“I was just stunned by the people and the atmosphere,” she comments.

Judy Lynne Revell

Grace Manor Port OrangeCare Conversion

FHCN Special ReportNeed New Hip Joint?

Vein Treatment Center of Palm Coast

Laser Legwork

LAD imaging, LLCDodging Deductibles

Miracle-EarHigh-Tech Hearing

McGreevy NeuroHealthArt of Medicine

Coastal Integrative Healthcare

6Solving Psoriasis

Natural Repair Regimen

Tailored Physical Therapy

Cleared for Takeoff

2Blue

Ocean Dermatology

9Barr &

Associates Physical Therapy

Premier Eye

Clinic, P.A.

12

Implant and CosmetIC dentIstry

A PUBLICATION OF FLORIDA HEALTH CARE NEWS, INC.

Volusia Health Care News

Volusia Health Care News

A PUBLICATION OF FLORIDA HEALTH CARE NEWS, INC.

Save theSkin

You’re InBlue Ocean Dermatology

welcomes new patients. For more information on what they

can do for you or to make an appointment, call or visit them at

their o� ce in Port Orange at:

3951 S. Nova Road, Suite 3

(386) 256-1444

STANLEY N. KATZ, MDNITRA H. WELCH, MSN, NP-CJASON L. WELCH, MSN, NP-C

ALINA COLLINS, ARNP

Stanley N. Katz, MD, obtained his medical degree from New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ) in 1974. He has since played vital roles in a broad range of medical disciplines, his specialization being achieved in dermatology. With a diverse background and more than 44 years of experience, Dr. Katz is eminently quali� ed to care for even the most complicated dermatological cases. Dr. Katz is currently committed to working closely with the other providers on the Blue Ocean Dermatology team. Patients appreciate his thorough care and professionalism. Outside of the o� ce, Dr. Katz is an avid � sherman and enjoys nothing more than the strike of a bass.

Nitra H. Welch, MSN, NP-C, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Troy State University in Troy, AL. She was an ICU nurse for eight years. She earned her Master of Science degree in Nursing and her family nurse practitioner certi� cate from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Nitra also attended an advanced training fellowship at UCF. She is licensed in Florida as an advanced registered nurse practitioner and she is certi� ed by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Nitra also has national certi� cation as a family nurse practitioner and a dermatology nurse practitioner. She has been working in dermatology since 2006.

Jason L. Welch, MSN, NP-C, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Florida State University in Tallahassee. He was an ICU nurse for seven years. He earned his Master of Science degree in Nursing and family nurse practitioner certi� cate from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He is certi� ed by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and holds certi� cation in family practice and dermatology. Jason is a United States Naval veteran, and he served as a combat medic during Operation Desert Storm. Jason has been working in dermatology since 2005.

Alina Collins, ARNP, received her Bachelor’s degree from Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio and her Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Prior to earning her Master’s degree, she worked as a registered nurse in the critical care unit of a Level I Trauma Center in Orlando. During her dermatology rotation while studying to become a nurse practitioner, she realized her passion for the specialty. Her area of special interest is primary prevention through education about the risks and early detection of skin cancer. Alina is sensitive to individual patient concerns and encourages patients to ask questions and understand their treatment plans.

Visit their website at www.BlueOceanDermatology.com or � nd them on Facebook at Blue Ocean Dermatology.

Treating the patient is as important as treating the disease

Now that her psoriasis is being managed, Elizabeth feels even better about herself.

L ike many other Americans, Elizabeth Roe knows what it’s like to have few resources grow-ing up. As a native Floridian,

recreation for her as a kid was going to the beach. Unfortunately, she paid a high price for spending so much time in the sun.

“Back then, there wasn’t any sun-screen, and I have very fair skin, so I burned a lot,” she shares. “I got skin can-cer from the sun damage.”

It was the skin cancer that first prompted Elizabeth to see Jason L. Welch, MSN, NP-C, a certi� ed nurse practitioner specializing in dermatology. She initially saw Jason when he worked at a dermatology practice in New Smyrna Beach, but she followed him when he left to help start a new practice, Blue Ocean Dermatology, in Port Orange.

“At � rst, my insurance didn’t cover Jason, so I stayed at the old o� ce and saw the new doctor, but I wasn’t happy,” Elizabeth reports. “At that point, I found out where Jason moved and started to see him even though my insurance didn’t cover it. I liked him that much.”

About ten years ago, Elizabeth began getting the scaly plaques of psori-asis all over her body. Her skin’s reaction to the disorder was intense, uncomfort-able and unsightly.

“� e psoriasis was awful. I had the scales and plaques pretty much every-where,” she says. “It got to the point I could barely move my arms; it was like they’d stick to my sides. It was so itchy and painful. It was also ugly and embarrassing, so I tried to cover it. I wore long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

“I was embarrassed to have people look at my skin, and you could tell they were repulsed by the looks on their faces. I felt uncomfortable but didn’t really feel bad about myself or lose con� dence.”

Jason � rst tried treating Elizabeth’s psoriasis with topical creams, but they had limited e� ect on the condition. He then opted to treat her with an injectable biologic, a medication used to treat mod-erate to severe psoriasis.

“I was con� dent Jason would � nd a treatment that worked for me if he just kept trying,” states Elizabeth. “I trusted him to come up with something, and the biologic totally cleared up my psoriasis.”

Late OnsetPsoriasis is an autoimmune condition caused by the abnormal functioning of the body’s immune system. Skin symp-toms occur when the immune system becomes overactive and begins generating immature skin cells that start piling up on each other, creating scales and plaques that are dry, itchy, and can be unsightly.

When psoriasis a� ects large portions of the visible skin, su� erers may become very self-conscious of their appearance. Like Elizabeth, they might wear clothes to try to hide their skin. In some cases, psoriasis that is very visible, such as on the face, can lead to serious self-image and emotional problems.

“Sometimes, people develop a neg-ative body image and low self-esteem because of the visual disturbances caused by psoriasis,” cautions Jason. “Some peo-ple even become depressed. � ey start withdrawing from social contact because they don’t want others to see their skin.

“Another problem with psoriasis is that people can go most of their lives without symptoms and then, all of a sudden, when they’re thirty-� ve or forty, they start developing it. If they have jobs that frequently put them in front of other people, the appearance of the scales can be devastating.

“People need to know that derma-tologists can get psoriasis identi� ed and under control.”

At Blue Ocean Dermatology, the skin specialists have many treatment tools for psoriasis at their disposal. � ey have one of the area’s only specialty lasers for treat-ing the disorder. � e laser is especially useful for the condition affecting the scalp, where it’s di� cult to a� ectively tar-get steroid creams.

“We also have a narrowband UVB light box that’s effective for psoriasis,” notes Jason. “In addition, our sta� has expertise in the many biologics, and we stay on top of the literatures and the cur-rent best practices for treating psoriasis.”

Perfect SituationAs it turned out, following Jason to Blue Ocean Dermatology was an extremely fortunate decision for Elizabeth. When topical psoriasis treat-ments failed, Jason found a treatment that was effective on her symptoms. She is very pleased with her outcome.

“Since I started the biologic, my sit-uation is perfect,” raves Elizabeth. “My skin is completely clear now. And with the psoriasis cleared up, I feel better because it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Being without the pain and itch-iness is just part of the excellent results Elizabeth achieved. She is also happy to once again have skin that looks healthy. She’s grateful to Jason and his sta� .

“I didn’t feel bad about myself because of the psoriasis, but now that I look bet-ter, I feel even better about myself,” she relates. “I don’t have to worry about how people are going to react to seeing my skin. I don’t have to hide it, which makes things a lot easier for me.

“Jason is very concerned about his patients,” she adds. “I followed him because I trusted him. � e sta� is fan-tastic. Everyone in that o� ce is great. They’re very kind and welcoming. I recommend Jason and Blue Ocean Dermatology to everyone.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

Page 2 | Volusia Health Care News | Winter 2019 | East Volusia County Edition dermatology

Gail Stavru

Spinal cord stimulator trial is “test drive” for implant surgery

KAI MCGREEVY, MD

R etired elementary school teacher Gail Stavru has been battling back pain for most of her life. For much of that

time, the pain hasn’t only been present in her back, it’s radiated down into her hips and legs, making it hard for her at times to do even the simplest of tasks.

“At � rst, the pain was more of an ach-ing, which made it di� cult to do things like lift a basket of clothes o� the � oor,” describes Gail. “Sometimes, I would wash the kitchen � oor, then have to rest for the rest of the afternoon.

“After a while it just got worse. It became so debilitating that I couldn’t even stand at the kitchen sink for more than thirty seconds before I had to sit down. � e feeling often started as a dull ache, then ended up as an intense, sharp pain.”

Gail did physical therapy for years, but it only managed to aggravate her back condition. � en one day she read an arti-cle in Florida Health Care News about pain-relieving treatments o� ered by Kai McGreevy, MD, and decided to give his methods a try.

Dr. McGreevy is a board-certified neurologist and pain management spe-cialist at McGreevy NeuroHealth in St. Augustine. He uses a variety of tech-niques to relieve his patients’ pain and improve their quality of life.

“Gail had a long history of back pain that radiated into her legs, and that became chronic,” reports Dr. McGreevy. “An MRI revealed she had severe disc degeneration on multiple levels. We proceeded with various treatments, but ultimately decided on spinal cord stim-ulation, or SCS.”

Pacemaker for PainWith SCS, a small implanted device applies electrical impulses to the source of the pain in the epidural space around the spinal cord. SCS can reduce the feeling of pain and replace it with a more com-fortable tingling sensation. � e device can also be programmed to have no replace-ment sensation at all.

With Gail, Dr. McGreevy began the SCS therapy by � rst recommending a spi-nal cord stimulator trial, the purpose of which, he says, is to predict the success of

The Wave of the FutureLet a board-certifi ed neurologist and pain

management specialist help get you on the road

to recovery. McGreevy NeuroHealth has two

locations to serve you:

St. Augustine559 W. Twincourt Trail

Suites 607-608

Palm Coast57 Town Court

Suite 123To schedule an appointment

at either location, call:

(904) 230-3006

Kai McGreevy, MD , i s board certi� ed in neurology and pain medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The American Board of Independent Medical Examiners also certi� es him. His medical training includes completion of a neurology res-

idency at the University of California, San Diego, and an interventional pain medicine fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. While at Johns Hopkins, he was mentored by leading � gures in the � eld of pain management and published over ten peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Pain Physician. Dr. McGreevy has presented his clinical research at the national level, earning prestigious awards from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.

Look for them online at mcgreevyneurohealth.com

the SCS system in providing meaningful pain relief and functional improvement. � e trial is a “test drive” before the per-manent stimulator is implanted surgically.

During the trial, Dr. McGreevy uses x-ray guidance to place small elec-trodes into the patient’s epidural space. The electrodes are placed at the spot where the patient’s pain is generated. When the system is turned on, pain signals rising from the patient’s prob-lem area to the brain are hindered.

“Once we turned Gail’s trial system on, we assessed her degree of pain relief,” says Dr. McGreevy. “She tested the system for three days and experienced more than a � fty-percent reduction in pain that was consistent, and she was more functional. � e decision was then made to refer her to a neurosurgeon to have the permanent stimulator implanted.”

In implanting Gail’s permanent SCS system, a small paddle electrode was placed along her spinal cord near the origin of her pain. � e lead was then con-nected to where her stimulator’s charging unit was located, which was just under-neath the skin on her right hip.

“This is more of the art of med-icine than the science, but paying attention to the little things actually makes a big difference, and I think we were able to accomplish something very special for Gail.”

Visible ImprovementWith her back pain greatly reduced by the spinal cord stimulator, Gail can now complete her household chores with no interruption or discomfort. She’s also capable of performing tasks she hadn’t been able to do for years due to the pain.

“I’m back to doing some gardening and all the activities I used to do,” she enthuses. “I went to a dinner engage-ment with some people I hadn’t seen since before I got the spinal cord stim-ulator. One of the women looked at me and said, Oh my, you must be feeling better. When I asked how she knew, she said, Before, the pain showed in your face.

“Other people have told me I look much better now, and I feel much better, too. I feel like I can do anything. It’s like that back and hip pain took years o� of my life. But the spinal cord stimulator gave them back to me. I’m so happy.”

Gail gives credit for her success with SCS to Dr. McGreevy. She’s grateful he was so dedicated to relieving her pain and returning her to an active lifestyle.

“I think Dr. McGreevy is wonder-ful,” she muses. “Some doctors have an attitude of suck it up when it comes to pain, but not Dr. McGreevy. He always checks with me to see if I’m comfortable. If I’m in pain, he adjusts the settings on my stimulator unit.

“I tell everybody I know who has a back problem about McGreevy NeuroHealth and spinal cord stim-ulation. Thanks to Dr. McGreevy and his treatment, I feel l ike a normal person again.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

“� ey programmed this little unit that looks like a cell phone, and I use that unit to choose between eight programs, depending on which part of my body is causing me pain,” Gail relates. “I can also use it to make the stimulation higher or lower according to my pain level.”

Predictors of SuccessSpinal cord stimulation was � rst intro-duced about 40 years ago, and it has been evolving ever since. Today, SCS may be used for back pain, pain down the leg from nerve damage, neck pain, pain down the arm from nerve damage, diabetic neu-ropathy, crush injuries and even angina.

“Spinal cord stimulation is one of the only interventional pain therapies avail-able to provide 24/7 treatment of chronic pain,” asserts Dr. McGreevy. “It’s been shown to be e� ective for the majority of patients implanted, including those who have already undergone spine surgery. It can also reduce a patient’s need for long-term narcotic medication.”

Gail responded well to the surgery to implant the permanent stimulator.

“I had no pain afterward, even from the surgery,” recalls Gail. “I was a little uncomfortable but not enough to take the pain pills the surgeon gave me. I had the prescription but never bothered to take any because I wasn’t that uncomfortable.”

Dr. McGreevy notes that Gail was an ideal candidate for SCS. She had exhausted all other conservative treat-ments before opting for the stimulator trial. � e doctor adds that Gail was an informed participant in making the decision to proceed.

“I � nd that, for patients, being edu-cated through face-to-face time with the physician and having the motivation to do well are very large predictors of success,” he states. “I take time with my patients to understand their anxieties, as well as seek out ways I can help support them.

SCS treatment is helping Gail tap into her creative side.

East Volusia County Edition | Winter 2019 | Volusia Health Care News | Page 3neurology and paIn Care

Visit Dr. Lester on the web at www.WeCreateBeautifulSmiles.com or text SMILE to 33733 for monthly specials. Like them on Facebook at Facebook.com/

ParkAvenueDentistry

Stephen P. Lester, DDS, MAGD, P.A., earned his dental degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA and com-pleted a comprehensive advanced program in cosmetic dentistry, level 1, at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Dr. Lester holds a mastership status from the Academy of General Dentistry, which is awarded to less than one percent of US and Canadian dentists. He is a fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and an associate fellow of both the American Academy of Implant Dentists and the World Clinical Laser Institute. Dr. Lester is US Air Force-quali� ed to administer IV seda-

tion and holds a Florida permit to administer oral and IV moderate sedation. He has completed a one-year continuum course in all aspects – scienti� c, surgical and cosmetic – of implant dentistry from the Medical College of Georgia, and he is certi� ed in three standard categories from the Academy of Laser Dentistry. He is a member of a number of professional associations including the American Dental Association, Florida Dental Association, Volusia Dental Academy and the prestigious, exclusive Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

No Insurance, No Problem!Don’t have dental insurance? Park Avenue Dentistry’s Value Plan can help. Get free cleanings, x-rays, emergency exams and a discount on other dental services. This is not dental insurance, but a way to save if you love our care. Call us for more details at (386) 423-7770.

Smiles in StyleThinking of a smile makeover of your own? Determined to have a smile that is healthy and dazzling? Dr. Lester welcomes your questions about general, cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry. To schedule a complimentary tour of the o� ce and to meet Dr. Lester and his sta� , please call or visit their o� ce in Edgewater.

104 East Park Ave.

(386) 423-7770

“Judy wanted a bridge because she had a place in her mouth where a tooth was missing,” notes Dr. Lester. “She lost the tooth years ago and decided she � nally wanted to have that space restored. She already had her mind made up before she came to us that she wanted a bridge for that space.

“A bridge is exactly what its name suggests. It’s a restoration that spans the gap where one or more teeth are missing. A bridge includes two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap. These teeth anchor the bridge.”

Milling Miracles(continued from page 1)

One visit is all it took to put a smile back on Judy’s face.

“All-porcelain bridges are � tted above the edge of the gums, which helps ensure the teeth and gums stay healthy with minimal risk of infection,” points out Dr. Lester. “� ey are also a good choice for anyone with an allergy to metal.”

Happy CamperAs part of his treatment plan for Judy, Dr. Lester placed three crowns on her teeth, and she’s pleased with how they turned out. What has Judy most excited is the new bridge that replaces the tooth that had been missing for years.

“The bridge is absolutely great,” she raves. “I don’t even know it’s there. Nobody knows it’s there. People cannot tell. I’m just a real happy camper.”

Not only is Judy satis� ed with the results of Dr. Lester’s dental work, she’s also delighted by how positive her experience was at Park Avenue Dentistry. She says the dentist and his sta� went out of their way to make sure her visits were comfortable and easy.

“Dr. Lester and his team did everything so that I experienced a minimal amount of discomfort,” she says. “I just got Novocain® during treatment. I can’t get sedation because I react badly to it, but I didn’t care what Dr. Lester did. He could’ve drilled all of my teeth. He’s probably the best dentist I’ve ever had, and I’m seventy-six years old.”

Judy says that as a patient, she is made to feel very comfort-able and welcomed at Park Avenue Dentistry. She reports that that hospi-tality extends to the family and friends who accompany the patients.

“� e worst patient couldn’t possi-bly come up with anything bad to say about the way Dr. Lester and his crew treat me and my friend, who goes with me,” she o� ers. “� ey have a nice, little area that’s set o� . It has a recliner and a TV, and that’s where the people who come with you can go.

“Today, I’m referring another patient to Dr. Lester. He’s great. He has a charm about him, and he’s so calm and gentle. I don’t hesitate for anything to refer people to Dr. Lester and Park Avenue Dentistry.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos by Nerissa Johnson. Background image from Pixabay. mkb

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!It’s official. Park Avenue Dentistry is the readers’ choice. The practice was recently awarded Hometown News Readers Choice Awards for “Dental Practice, Cosmetic Medicine (BOTOX® and JUVÉDERM®)” and “Cosmetic Dentistry Practice” for 2018/2019.

� e process of making Judy’s bridge with the E4D system began with Dr. Lester using a high-tech laser to quickly and accurately scan Judy’s teeth into the computer. Dr. Lester then used the E4D software to design her bridge.

� e computer took Dr. Lester’s design and prepared it for the milling machine, which cuts the restoration out of a block of porce-lain. For Judy, this all happened during the same dental appointment.

“Using the E4D system has a number of benefits for our patients,” observes Dr. Lester. “They don’t have to put that messy goo in their mouths to make the impressions of their teeth. Instead, it’s done digitally.

“And they don’t have to wear temporary restorations, which always want to fall o� at inconvenient times. � ey also don’t have to return for a second visit because often, their restorations can be designed and made in a single day.”

Positive PorcelainConventional dental restorations, including bridges, were made from porcelain fused to metal, but today’s technology, such as the E4D system, has enabled the creation of all-porcelain bridges. All-porcelain bridges are stronger, longer-lasting and more pleasing to the eye. All-porcelain bridges are often the preferred form of restoration for missing teeth.

“The bridge I made for Judy is all-porcelain,” reports Dr. Lester. “� is material is stronger and more natural looking than the materials used previ-ously to make bridges and other dental restorations. It provides longer-lasting and more aesthetic results.”

� ere are several positive reasons for using the all-porcelain material to create dental restorations such as bridges. For one, the natural appearance of the all-porcelain material makes the bridge nearly indistinguishable from the patient’s other, natural teeth. � e metal under porcelain-fused-to-metal bridges tended to show through at the edge of the gums.

Page 4 | Volusia Health Care News | Winter 2019 | East Volusia County Edition

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

Gina L. d’AngeloCFO/HR

Roy CummingsEditorial Supervisor

Michelle BrooksCreative Director

Brian LevineProject Coordinator

Patti DiPanfiloAnnette MardisEditorial Staff

Laura EngelProduction Assistant

Nerissa JohnsonGraphic Designer

Nerissa JohnsonJordan PyszFred BelletPhotography

Steve TurkMario Hill

Kent BoothRobert MizeRick Bowser Distribution

Park Avenue DentistryImplant and Cosmetic Dentistry

Blue Ocean DermatologyDermatology

McGreevy NeuroHealthNeurology and Pain Care

Miracle-EarHearing Aids

Coastal Integrative HealthcareRegenerative Medicine

LAD imaging, LLCImaging

Barr & Associates Physical TherapyPhysical Therapy

Vein Treatment Center of Palm CoastVein Treatment

Grace Manor Port OrangeAssisted Living & Memory Care

Premier Eye Clinic, P.A.Ophthalmology

215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 989-1330

Volusia Health Care News

Volusia Health Care News is published by Florida Health Care News, Inc.

Florida Health Care News, Inc., reserves the right to decline any advertising/marketing article.

Volusia Health Care News is provided for information only and should not be construed as health care advice or instruction. If you have questions concerning articles in this edition, feel free to call our contributing editors.

Volusia Health Care News provides a paid forum for health care professionals to present their ideas about various aspects of health care treatment and proce-dures. Florida Health Care News, Inc. is not responsible for the health care delivered by the contributing editors presented in this edition.

Articles reflect the opinion of the sponsoring profes-sional or organization and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other contributing editors. Contributing editors have approved all text contained within their respective articles.

© 2019 Volusia Health Care News, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication, including articles, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

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

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DISCOUNTED OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT.

Winter 2019

Implant and CosmetIC dentIstry

Donna Elbin, LHAS, BC-HIS, is a second-generation hearing aid dispenser who has helped thousands of people throughout Volusia, Flagler and Putnam Counties enjoy life with better hearing. Her parents were original Miracle-Ear franchisees, and Donna has � ve Miracle-Ear locations. Donna obtained her license as a hearing aid dispenser in 1997 and is a nationally board-certi� ed hearing instrument specialist.

Melanee Bryans, LHAS, is a licensed hearing instrument specialist who began working in the hearing care industry in 1999. Her passion for helping people achieve better hearing stems from when her daughter developed a hearing loss at a young age. Melanee holds a Miracle-Ear Professional Certi� cation, which she earned through Miracle-Ear’s extensive training for hearing care professionals. She is an active partner in the Miracle-Ear Foundation and a member of the International Hearing Society and Florida Society of Hearing Healthcare Professionals.

DONNA ELBIN, LHAS, BC-HISMELANEE BRYANS, LHAS

For more information, please visit www.miracle-ear.com

Now Hear This!

Ormond Beach 1199 W. Granada Blvd.

(386) 252-6111Palm Coast

4996 Palm Coast Pkwy NWSuite 6

(386) 283-4922Daytona Beach

1500 Beville Road, Suite 605

(386) 788-0646New Smyrna Beach

219 Canal Street

(386) 423-4427Orange City

879 N. Volusia Ave.

(386) 775-4800

The sta� members at Miracle-Ear welcome the opportunity to help you achieve your best hearing correction. They o� er hearing evaluations, instrument � tting, dispensing services and instrument maintenance and repair. Please contact them at any of the locations below:

Stay up to DateMiracle-Ear is your partner for life.

With free hearing tests, follow-up vis-its, cleanings and adjustments,

personalized programming and service at more than 1,200 locations in the US, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t keep up-to-date with your

hearing health!

I f you happen to have one of those old Series EE or HH US Savings Bonds tucked away inside a safety deposit box or a secret cubbyhole

inside your house somewhere, there’s a good chance Graham* had a hand in printing it.

Graham spent four years back in the early 70s running the printing presses in Washington, DC that produced not only those savings bonds, but treasury checks such as the kind you get from the IRS when you receive a tax refund.

Technological advancements create new, improved world of sound

He has the hearing loss to prove it.“I was actually working for IBM back

then because they ran all the presses that printed those bonds and checks,” recalls Graham, now 66. “I worked that job for about four years, until I was about twenty or twenty-one. � at’s where I lost my hearing.”

Graham didn’t lose all of his hearing working in that noisy printing plant. He lost enough in both ears, however, that he was forced to begin wearing hearing aids some 40 or more years before most people do.

Now a programmer for Lenovo™, maker of the � inkPad® laptop computer, Graham has been wearing Miracle-Ear hearing aids since he � rst lost his hearing, including receiving an upgrade about four years ago after he moved to Florida.

It was last November that Graham began inquiring about another upgrade and was told during a visit to the Miracle-Ear location near his Palm Coast home that it might be in his best interest to wait until after the � rst of the year.

The reason Graham was encour-aged to wait was because Miracle-Ear was producing a new line of hearing aids that included some signi� cant upgrades in technology that would dramatically improve his hearing and lifestyle.

Night and Day Diff erence“Just as it is with most everything else in the tech world, the technology available in hearing aids has improved markedly in the last � ve years,” explains Melanee Bryans, LHAS, the Miracle-Ear specialist who works with Graham.

“The differences are literally like night and day, and as I explained some of these new features to Graham and told him about the computer chip in the new hearing aids, I could see he was getting really excited about what the new hearing aids could do for him.

“Being that he’s in the computer industry and still travels a lot for busi-ness, I knew there were some features that he was really going to like. � at’s why I thought it would be worth it for him to wait for the new technology.”

Graham received his new hearing aids shortly after the � rst of the year. Taking Melanee’s advice, he opted for a pair of ME-1 5500 series instruments that allows for better hearing in all types of environments and includes a direct streaming feature.

� e latter technology allows sounds gen-erated by an external electronic source such as a TV set, radio or telephone to be heard directly through the hearing device, which makes for a much clearer, cleaner sound.

“With direct streaming, you’re not losing any of the sounds you’re trying to focus on because of all the ambient noise that may be around you,” Melanee explains. “� at’s a feature that is proving to be very popular, especially with people who watch a lot of TV.

“If you’re sitting at home watching tele-vision with your spouse, for example, you can stream the TV directly into the hearing aid. � at allows you to hear the TV clearly while your spouse can enjoy it as well but at a level that is comfortable for them.

“� e other thing about the streaming technology which is great for Graham is that it allows him to be hands free whenever he’s on the telephone. � at’s huge for him because he drives a lot for business and takes a lot of business calls while he’s driving.”

� e new hearing aids Graham received also have a feature called patient-voice rec-ognition that eliminates the problem some people with hearing de� ciencies have rec-ognizing and understanding their own voices when they speak.

“It’s a critical part of the communica-tion process that in addition to being able to hear what is being said to you, you can also hear what you are saying and are able to hear yourself say it naturally,” Melanee relates.

“With this new technology that Graham now has in his new hearing aids, he gets that more natural sound of his own voice. � at helps him more natu-rally process what he sounds like, which creates a much more comfortable envi-ronment for the wearer.”

Life Made EasierGraham quickly gained a great apprecia-tion for all that his new hearing aids allow him to do. For example, after years of paying little or no attention to whatever

his wife was watching on TV because he couldn’t hear it, he is now more engaged in that aspect of life.

“Now that I can listen to the TV with her again, it’s so much better and more enjoyable for me,” Graham says. “And the technology that allows me to hear my phone calls through the hearing aid is really nice. � at’s one of the best things they’ve done.

“It’s made my life a lot easier, and I really like the technology that allows me to make adjustments so that if I’m in a restaurant or somewhere where there’s a lot of noise, I can block out everything but the conversation I’m having with someone.

“It’s hard when you can’t hear in an environment like that, and now that I’m a senior myself, I’ve seen a lot of other seniors struggle with that and have even seen some of them begin to isolate them-selves because of it.”

Graham says he never reached a point where he began to isolate himself in any way, but he could see how that might have happened had he not received his new hearing aids with all the new tech-nological advances.

“The new technology has made a big di� erence for me,” Graham relates. “It’s really improved, even over what was available to me last year. I’m really glad that Melanee suggested I wait for the new technology because that was the right call.

“She did a great job setting me up with my new hearing aids, and she’s always very supportive. She’s really knowl-edgeable and caring, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. mkb

*Patient’s name changed at his request.

East Volusia County Edition | Winter 2019 | Volusia Health Care News | Page 5HearIng aIds

“For some patients, we do a color ultrasound to guide the injection because we need to be very speci� c with where the cells are going. � en, once the cells are injected, the patient just needs time to heal. � ey can return to normal activities right away.”

Stem cell therapy can be used anywhere in the body where there is arthritis, or a muscle or tendon tear, Dr. Ste� ik relates. In addition to knees and shoulders, medical providers at Coastal Integrative Healthcare have performed the procedure on hamstrings, ankles and wrists.

Not all patients are good candidates for the procedure. Patients who have su� ered a tear of more than 50 percent of the rotator cu� in their shoulder, for example, would be encouraged to try other options � rst.

Intrigued by the possibility of what stem cell therapy could do for her, Susan attended a seminar conducted by Dr. Ste� ik and immediately made an appointment with Coastal Integrative Healthcare to learn if she was a candidate for the treatment.

During her initial examination, conducted by Greg Salter, MSN, ARNP, it was determined that the damage to Susan’s left meniscus and the loss of cartilage in her left knee joint was indeed signi� cant, but not so great that she would not bene� t from stem cell therapy.

“She got to us just in time,” Greg reports. “She was really close to being bone on bone in that left knee, and she had worn out the meniscus in it, so we went ahead with the stem cell injection.”

Susan was given the stem cell injection in mid June. Over the course of the next month, she twice returned to Coastal Integrative Healthcare for follow-up visits that included receiving cold laser treatments designed to activate the stem cells.

“Cold laser treatments do for stem cells what the sun does for Vitamin D,” Greg informs. “If you step into the sun, the sunlight acti-vates the Vitamin D in your body. Cold laser does that with stem cells. It’s a cellular activator that encourages the cells to replicate.”

Following the cold laser treatments, Susan began doing physical therapy. It was at the end of her � rst month of physical therapy, and about two months after receiving the injection, that she noticed a signi� cant di� erence in the comfort level in her left knee.

“I was making the bed one morning and noticed that when I walked around the bed, I wasn’t limping or feeling any � ares of pain like before,” she relates. “All of a sudden, there was no pain, and to this day, I’m pain free. It’s like a miracle happened.”

My RegenerationCharlotte Smith is one of the more involved and active members of the New Smyrna Beach community. A real-estate agent by day, she’s a mem-ber of the Foundation board at Florida Hospital New Smyrna; she serves on several committees at the East Volusia Chamber of Commerce and she’s active in the Kiwanis Club. She also jogs and power-walks regularly and golfs at least one day a week. She did, at least until knee and shoulder pain forced her to the sidelines.

� e knee was the � rst to go. Charlotte tore her right meniscus while running in the New Smyrna Beach Turkey Day 5K in 2016. She had sur-gery a few months later to repair that, but the surgery “didn’t quite take,” according to Charlotte. Several months later, she was still experiencing a lot of pain in her knee, especially when she walked up or down stairs or tried to climb her way out of a sand trap on the golf course. � en her right shoulder began to give her problems.

“I could only draw my arm back just so far. When I played golf, I could de� nitely feel the pain,” Charlotte, 61, relates. “But the big-ger problem with my shoulder was that when I was in my car, for example, I couldn’t reach over to the passenger seat and reach into my purse for anything. I de� nitely could not reach into the back seat for anything. I couldn’t lift a bag of groceries or even pick up my briefcase. It was so painful. And because of the pain in my knee, I couldn’t jog or power-walk.”

S andwiched between Susan Anderson’s two stints as a medical assistant – � rst for a general family practitioner and later for a cardiologist – was an 11-year-long career detour into the friendly skies that began literally on a whim.

“My husband and I were at the airport one day picking up our daughter, who was in the military at the time, and I said to my husband, One day, I’d like to wear one of those red coats and pull a suitcase for a living,” Susan explains.

“A few months later, I applied for a job as a � ight attendant with Northwest Airlines, and before I even realized what I’d done, I was in training. I stayed with Northwest until my husband and I moved to Florida, and after that, I went back to work as a medical assistant.”

Susan’s initial move to Florida was to Panama City, where her parents had traveled to as snowbirds for years. � en, a little more than a year ago, Susan and her husband moved to Edgewater, where some everyday housework wound up grounding Susan for months.

“It was on Labor Day, and I was down on my hands and knees all day, scrubbing our tile � oors, trying to clean the grout,” Susan, 67, explains. “I was tired afterward but felt � ne, then three days later, my left knee hurt so much, I couldn’t walk.

“I tried doctoring it myself at � rst, just taking ibuprofen, but the pain was excruciating, especially in the back of my left knee, which is why I thought at � rst that it might be a blood clot that was causing all the pain.”

Susan’s fears of a blood clot were soon ruled out by her primary care physician, who also took an x-ray that read negative for any skeletal damage and recommended Susan visit an orthopedist and get an MRI.

Susan followed those directions, and her MRI revealed two tears in her meniscus, which is the cartilage that cushions the knee joint and keeps it stable. Surgery to repair the tears soon followed, but long after the surgery, the pain persisted.

“I thought I was going to have my surgery and a week later get up and do whatever I wanted again, but it didn’t work out that way,” Susan reveals. “I was in so much pain that there were days when I hobbled around so bad that I couldn’t do anything.

“It hurt just trying to make the bed or do other normal things around the house. I couldn’t even make it from my car to the grocery store to buy groceries. It was so bad that some days, I literally just fell down to my knees and cried.

“When I � rst went back to the doctor, she said, You just have to give it time. So, I gave it time and went back in January. She gave me a cortisone shot, but that didn’t help. � at’s when she said, � ere’s arthritis in there, so there’s really nothing else I can do for you.

“� at was the � rst time I’d heard anything about arthritis, so I thought, Well, this is how my life is going to be from now on. I’m done riding a bike. I’m done walking. I’m just done. After that, I really didn’t know what to do next.”

It was at that point that Susan received some guidance from a medical practice she once visited while seeking relief for a sore back. � e practice is Coastal Integrative Healthcare, which had sent a Facebook post to clients regarding a seminar on stem cell therapy.

The Body’s Building BlocksStem cells are the basic foundation cells that grow all of the tissue and organs in our body. When injected into a damaged tissue or organ, they support the natural healing process by regenerating that tissue.

Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, uses stem cells to stimulate the body’s natural repair mechanisms. Many in the medical community, including those at the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Medicine, consider it the future of medicine.

“It’s de� nitely on the leading edge of medical technology,” states Timothy Ste� ik, DC, of Coastal Integrative Healthcare. “� at’s because it’s a great alternative to surgery. It regenerates the body instead of trying to � x it or cover up a problem with surgery.

“� e real beauty of it is that it’s a one-and-done, in-o� ce procedure that takes about � fteen minutes and needs no anesthesia. It’s a simple injection of the cells that are cryo-preserved right in our o� ce.

Charlotte initially tried to rid herself of the knee pain by wearing a brace and taking a lot of Advil®, which contains ibuprofen. When that didn’t work, she sought the advice of another doctor. She was skeptical when she was told the problem was a bad case of arthritis and she would eventually need to have the knee replaced. Shortly thereafter, a friend suggested Charlotte accompany her for a shared appointment at Coastal Integrative Healthcare, where the friend was seeking information regard-ing the use of stem cell therapy to repair a hip problem.

“We see it quite a bit where someone will say he or she has been told they need surgery because it’s bone on bone in the joint,” Dr. Ste� ik states. “But we’ll take x-rays right there in our o� ce, and a lot of times, we can show them that it’s not quite bone on bone, that there actually is some cartilage left, and they are a good candidate for the stem cell procedure.”

Dr. Ste� ik followed that process in determining Charlotte’s candi-dacy. He completed a digital x-ray of her knee, an MRI and orthopedic exam of her shoulder and concluded that stem cell therapy could improve the condition of both by at least 90 percent. Charlotte decided to give this new-wave approach a shot.

“I thought, � is makes sense because I believe in the stem cell therapy,” Charlotte reveals. “My thinking was, I’m very busy, very active and very involved in the community, and I need to get this done because I can’t have a knee or shoulder issue slow me down.”

Active Again� ough some patients notice a reduction in pain and discomfort within a couple of days or weeks of receiving their stem cell injection, most begin to notice the e� ects of the treatment after a month or two. Just as it was with Susan, that was the case with Charlotte as well. And, much as it was with Susan, the improvement came all at once, seemingly out of nowhere.

“We had just � nished eating � anksgiving dinner, and I stretched my arms above my head and out to my sides like you do when you’ve eaten too much, and I suddenly realized, I just did that, and it didn’t hurt,” Charlotte recalls. “I didn’t even think about it. I just did it naturally, and it was amazing. And now, I can power-walk, I can jog, I can play golf again.

“Where I get my hair done, there’s this set of stairs that I have to walk up and down, and I used to think, Oh, this is going to hurt, espe-cially when I went down, but now it doesn’t. And I was telling someone at lunch the other day, I can wave my arm around like it’s nothing again.”

Susan has enjoyed a similar experience. A very active woman who walked or biked every day prior to experiencing the debilitating knee pain that grounded her, she has slowly eased her way back into a regular exercise routine the past few months.

Susan is certain she would not have been able to renew that regimen had she not discovered stem cell therapy and opted to have it performed at Coastal Integrative Healthcare, where she gives the sta� rave reviews.

“� e people there are just fabulous,” she says. “When you go in there, you’re one on one with whichever professional you’re seeing, and they treat you like you’re the only patient there. � ey’re really good people, and I’ve told several of my friends about them.

“I’ve also started telling people about stem cell therapy because I think there are a lot of people out there who are just like me and don’t really know about it but would want to. � ere are a lot of people that can bene� t from this, so I want to help get the word out.”

Charlotte is doing her part to get the word out as well and highly recommends Dr. Ste� ik and the sta� at Coastal Integrative Healthcare for anyone who is su� ering from joint or muscle pain and wants a cure that doesn’t require surgery.

“Dr. Ste� ik is very knowledgeable and down-to-earth,” she describes. “I knew he was listening to me when I was sitting with him. And I need to commend Greg. He was fantastic at giving me the shot and working me through it all. � e sta� is great, and I have to say, I love the science behind it. It’s really a blessing.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Patient photos by Nerissa Johnson. Water photo courtesy of Pixabay. mkb

JASON SCHULTZ, MDTIMOTHY STEFLIK, DCMELONY THOMAS, DCAMANDA VOZAR, DC

JOSE ORTIZ, DCBRYAN CALL, DC

GREG SALTER, MSN ARNPJESSICA COLE, ARNP

What Conditions Respond to Stem Cell Therapy?

• Partial Tear of Rotator Cu� • Knee Arthritis and Degeneration• Plantar Fasciitis• Shoulder Pain• Neck and Back Pain• Medial Epicondylitis/Lateral Epicondylitis

(golfer’s elbow/tennis elbow)• Post-Operative Pain• Peripheral Neuopathy• Neurological Conditions

In-O� ce Procedure• Takes about 15 minutes• No hospital, No ambulances,

No anesthesia• Zero recovery time

(There are some small limitations)• Expect signi� cant regeneration

within 28 days• No adverse e� ects (93% e� ective)• 28-day healing timeAt Coastal Integrative Healthcare, we use umbilical

cord stem cells that are donated by healthy mothers at live-birth C-sections and � uid processed in a “clean

room” environment that exceeds American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) standards and are subject to

United States Pharmacopeia (USP) testing.

Timothy Ste� ik, DC, is a licensed doctor of chiropractic who graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange, Florida in 2011 and now serves as the clinic direc-tor and president of Coastal Integrative Healthcare. He is an adjunct professor at Palmer College of Chiropractic who earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology with pre-med from Brigham Young University in 2008. He is well-versed in the latest technology and techniques in his � eld and has been trained in the use of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Physical Impairment. Dr. Ste� ik is an active � tness enthusiast who was featured on American Ninja Warrior as “The Accordion Ninja.” His run can be seen on YouTube.

Greg Salter, MSN, ARNP, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Pre-Med from University of Tampa. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Bethune-Cookman College and earned his Master of Science degree in Nursing from South University in Savannah, Georgia. Since graduation, he has taken courses in joint injections, trigger point injections and regenerative medicine. Greg is a natural-born Floridian who was once a police o� cer in New Smyrna Beach.

Visit them online at www.coastalintegrativehealthcare.com

Stem cell therapy eliminates joint pain, discomfort

Stem cell therapy has allowed Charlotte to return to her active lifestyle.

Before stem cell therapy, Susan feared she’d never walk or ride her bike without pain again.

Page 6 | Volusia Health Care News | Winter 2019 | East Volusia County Edition regeneratIve medICIne

“For some patients, we do a color ultrasound to guide the injection because we need to be very speci� c with where the cells are going. � en, once the cells are injected, the patient just needs time to heal. � ey can return to normal activities right away.”

Stem cell therapy can be used anywhere in the body where there is arthritis, or a muscle or tendon tear, Dr. Ste� ik relates. In addition to knees and shoulders, medical providers at Coastal Integrative Healthcare have performed the procedure on hamstrings, ankles and wrists.

Not all patients are good candidates for the procedure. Patients who have su� ered a tear of more than 50 percent of the rotator cu� in their shoulder, for example, would be encouraged to try other options � rst.

Intrigued by the possibility of what stem cell therapy could do for her, Susan attended a seminar conducted by Dr. Ste� ik and immediately made an appointment with Coastal Integrative Healthcare to learn if she was a candidate for the treatment.

During her initial examination, conducted by Greg Salter, MSN, ARNP, it was determined that the damage to Susan’s left meniscus and the loss of cartilage in her left knee joint was indeed signi� cant, but not so great that she would not bene� t from stem cell therapy.

“She got to us just in time,” Greg reports. “She was really close to being bone on bone in that left knee, and she had worn out the meniscus in it, so we went ahead with the stem cell injection.”

Susan was given the stem cell injection in mid June. Over the course of the next month, she twice returned to Coastal Integrative Healthcare for follow-up visits that included receiving cold laser treatments designed to activate the stem cells.

“Cold laser treatments do for stem cells what the sun does for Vitamin D,” Greg informs. “If you step into the sun, the sunlight acti-vates the Vitamin D in your body. Cold laser does that with stem cells. It’s a cellular activator that encourages the cells to replicate.”

Following the cold laser treatments, Susan began doing physical therapy. It was at the end of her � rst month of physical therapy, and about two months after receiving the injection, that she noticed a signi� cant di� erence in the comfort level in her left knee.

“I was making the bed one morning and noticed that when I walked around the bed, I wasn’t limping or feeling any � ares of pain like before,” she relates. “All of a sudden, there was no pain, and to this day, I’m pain free. It’s like a miracle happened.”

My RegenerationCharlotte Smith is one of the more involved and active members of the New Smyrna Beach community. A real-estate agent by day, she’s a mem-ber of the Foundation board at Florida Hospital New Smyrna; she serves on several committees at the East Volusia Chamber of Commerce and she’s active in the Kiwanis Club. She also jogs and power-walks regularly and golfs at least one day a week. She did, at least until knee and shoulder pain forced her to the sidelines.

� e knee was the � rst to go. Charlotte tore her right meniscus while running in the New Smyrna Beach Turkey Day 5K in 2016. She had sur-gery a few months later to repair that, but the surgery “didn’t quite take,” according to Charlotte. Several months later, she was still experiencing a lot of pain in her knee, especially when she walked up or down stairs or tried to climb her way out of a sand trap on the golf course. � en her right shoulder began to give her problems.

“I could only draw my arm back just so far. When I played golf, I could de� nitely feel the pain,” Charlotte, 61, relates. “But the big-ger problem with my shoulder was that when I was in my car, for example, I couldn’t reach over to the passenger seat and reach into my purse for anything. I de� nitely could not reach into the back seat for anything. I couldn’t lift a bag of groceries or even pick up my briefcase. It was so painful. And because of the pain in my knee, I couldn’t jog or power-walk.”

S andwiched between Susan Anderson’s two stints as a medical assistant – � rst for a general family practitioner and later for a cardiologist – was an 11-year-long career detour into the friendly skies that began literally on a whim.

“My husband and I were at the airport one day picking up our daughter, who was in the military at the time, and I said to my husband, One day, I’d like to wear one of those red coats and pull a suitcase for a living,” Susan explains.

“A few months later, I applied for a job as a � ight attendant with Northwest Airlines, and before I even realized what I’d done, I was in training. I stayed with Northwest until my husband and I moved to Florida, and after that, I went back to work as a medical assistant.”

Susan’s initial move to Florida was to Panama City, where her parents had traveled to as snowbirds for years. � en, a little more than a year ago, Susan and her husband moved to Edgewater, where some everyday housework wound up grounding Susan for months.

“It was on Labor Day, and I was down on my hands and knees all day, scrubbing our tile � oors, trying to clean the grout,” Susan, 67, explains. “I was tired afterward but felt � ne, then three days later, my left knee hurt so much, I couldn’t walk.

“I tried doctoring it myself at � rst, just taking ibuprofen, but the pain was excruciating, especially in the back of my left knee, which is why I thought at � rst that it might be a blood clot that was causing all the pain.”

Susan’s fears of a blood clot were soon ruled out by her primary care physician, who also took an x-ray that read negative for any skeletal damage and recommended Susan visit an orthopedist and get an MRI.

Susan followed those directions, and her MRI revealed two tears in her meniscus, which is the cartilage that cushions the knee joint and keeps it stable. Surgery to repair the tears soon followed, but long after the surgery, the pain persisted.

“I thought I was going to have my surgery and a week later get up and do whatever I wanted again, but it didn’t work out that way,” Susan reveals. “I was in so much pain that there were days when I hobbled around so bad that I couldn’t do anything.

“It hurt just trying to make the bed or do other normal things around the house. I couldn’t even make it from my car to the grocery store to buy groceries. It was so bad that some days, I literally just fell down to my knees and cried.

“When I � rst went back to the doctor, she said, You just have to give it time. So, I gave it time and went back in January. She gave me a cortisone shot, but that didn’t help. � at’s when she said, � ere’s arthritis in there, so there’s really nothing else I can do for you.

“� at was the � rst time I’d heard anything about arthritis, so I thought, Well, this is how my life is going to be from now on. I’m done riding a bike. I’m done walking. I’m just done. After that, I really didn’t know what to do next.”

It was at that point that Susan received some guidance from a medical practice she once visited while seeking relief for a sore back. � e practice is Coastal Integrative Healthcare, which had sent a Facebook post to clients regarding a seminar on stem cell therapy.

The Body’s Building BlocksStem cells are the basic foundation cells that grow all of the tissue and organs in our body. When injected into a damaged tissue or organ, they support the natural healing process by regenerating that tissue.

Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, uses stem cells to stimulate the body’s natural repair mechanisms. Many in the medical community, including those at the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Medicine, consider it the future of medicine.

“It’s de� nitely on the leading edge of medical technology,” states Timothy Ste� ik, DC, of Coastal Integrative Healthcare. “� at’s because it’s a great alternative to surgery. It regenerates the body instead of trying to � x it or cover up a problem with surgery.

“� e real beauty of it is that it’s a one-and-done, in-o� ce procedure that takes about � fteen minutes and needs no anesthesia. It’s a simple injection of the cells that are cryo-preserved right in our o� ce.

Charlotte initially tried to rid herself of the knee pain by wearing a brace and taking a lot of Advil®, which contains ibuprofen. When that didn’t work, she sought the advice of another doctor. She was skeptical when she was told the problem was a bad case of arthritis and she would eventually need to have the knee replaced. Shortly thereafter, a friend suggested Charlotte accompany her for a shared appointment at Coastal Integrative Healthcare, where the friend was seeking information regard-ing the use of stem cell therapy to repair a hip problem.

“We see it quite a bit where someone will say he or she has been told they need surgery because it’s bone on bone in the joint,” Dr. Ste� ik states. “But we’ll take x-rays right there in our o� ce, and a lot of times, we can show them that it’s not quite bone on bone, that there actually is some cartilage left, and they are a good candidate for the stem cell procedure.”

Dr. Ste� ik followed that process in determining Charlotte’s candi-dacy. He completed a digital x-ray of her knee, an MRI and orthopedic exam of her shoulder and concluded that stem cell therapy could improve the condition of both by at least 90 percent. Charlotte decided to give this new-wave approach a shot.

“I thought, � is makes sense because I believe in the stem cell therapy,” Charlotte reveals. “My thinking was, I’m very busy, very active and very involved in the community, and I need to get this done because I can’t have a knee or shoulder issue slow me down.”

Active Again� ough some patients notice a reduction in pain and discomfort within a couple of days or weeks of receiving their stem cell injection, most begin to notice the e� ects of the treatment after a month or two. Just as it was with Susan, that was the case with Charlotte as well. And, much as it was with Susan, the improvement came all at once, seemingly out of nowhere.

“We had just � nished eating � anksgiving dinner, and I stretched my arms above my head and out to my sides like you do when you’ve eaten too much, and I suddenly realized, I just did that, and it didn’t hurt,” Charlotte recalls. “I didn’t even think about it. I just did it naturally, and it was amazing. And now, I can power-walk, I can jog, I can play golf again.

“Where I get my hair done, there’s this set of stairs that I have to walk up and down, and I used to think, Oh, this is going to hurt, espe-cially when I went down, but now it doesn’t. And I was telling someone at lunch the other day, I can wave my arm around like it’s nothing again.”

Susan has enjoyed a similar experience. A very active woman who walked or biked every day prior to experiencing the debilitating knee pain that grounded her, she has slowly eased her way back into a regular exercise routine the past few months.

Susan is certain she would not have been able to renew that regimen had she not discovered stem cell therapy and opted to have it performed at Coastal Integrative Healthcare, where she gives the sta� rave reviews.

“� e people there are just fabulous,” she says. “When you go in there, you’re one on one with whichever professional you’re seeing, and they treat you like you’re the only patient there. � ey’re really good people, and I’ve told several of my friends about them.

“I’ve also started telling people about stem cell therapy because I think there are a lot of people out there who are just like me and don’t really know about it but would want to. � ere are a lot of people that can bene� t from this, so I want to help get the word out.”

Charlotte is doing her part to get the word out as well and highly recommends Dr. Ste� ik and the sta� at Coastal Integrative Healthcare for anyone who is su� ering from joint or muscle pain and wants a cure that doesn’t require surgery.

“Dr. Ste� ik is very knowledgeable and down-to-earth,” she describes. “I knew he was listening to me when I was sitting with him. And I need to commend Greg. He was fantastic at giving me the shot and working me through it all. � e sta� is great, and I have to say, I love the science behind it. It’s really a blessing.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Patient photos by Nerissa Johnson. Water photo courtesy of Pixabay. mkb

JASON SCHULTZ, MDTIMOTHY STEFLIK, DCMELONY THOMAS, DCAMANDA VOZAR, DC

JOSE ORTIZ, DCBRYAN CALL, DC

GREG SALTER, MSN ARNPJESSICA COLE, ARNP

What Conditions Respond to Stem Cell Therapy?

• Partial Tear of Rotator Cu� • Knee Arthritis and Degeneration• Plantar Fasciitis• Shoulder Pain• Neck and Back Pain• Medial Epicondylitis/Lateral Epicondylitis

(golfer’s elbow/tennis elbow)• Post-Operative Pain• Peripheral Neuopathy• Neurological Conditions

In-O� ce Procedure• Takes about 15 minutes• No hospital, No ambulances,

No anesthesia• Zero recovery time

(There are some small limitations)• Expect signi� cant regeneration

within 28 days• No adverse e� ects (93% e� ective)• 28-day healing timeAt Coastal Integrative Healthcare, we use umbilical

cord stem cells that are donated by healthy mothers at live-birth C-sections and � uid processed in a “clean

room” environment that exceeds American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) standards and are subject to

United States Pharmacopeia (USP) testing.

Timothy Ste� ik, DC, is a licensed doctor of chiropractic who graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange, Florida in 2011 and now serves as the clinic direc-tor and president of Coastal Integrative Healthcare. He is an adjunct professor at Palmer College of Chiropractic who earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology with pre-med from Brigham Young University in 2008. He is well-versed in the latest technology and techniques in his � eld and has been trained in the use of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Physical Impairment. Dr. Ste� ik is an active � tness enthusiast who was featured on American Ninja Warrior as “The Accordion Ninja.” His run can be seen on YouTube.

Greg Salter, MSN, ARNP, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Pre-Med from University of Tampa. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Bethune-Cookman College and earned his Master of Science degree in Nursing from South University in Savannah, Georgia. Since graduation, he has taken courses in joint injections, trigger point injections and regenerative medicine. Greg is a natural-born Floridian who was once a police o� cer in New Smyrna Beach.

Visit them online at www.coastalintegrativehealthcare.com

Stem cell therapy eliminates joint pain, discomfort

Stem cell therapy has allowed Charlotte to return to her active lifestyle.

Before stem cell therapy, Susan feared she’d never walk or ride her bike without pain again.

East Volusia County Edition | Winter 2019 | Volusia Health Care News | Page 7regeneratIve medICIne

High-field MRI and MRA scansMulti-slice (16) CT and CTA scans

Ultrasound (4D OB images)Vascular studies

Digital mammographyBone density testingDigital radiography

LAD IMAGING1555 Saxon Blvd., Suite 401, Deltona

(386) 860-9336

LAD IMAGINGOver 40 years of experience in

the West Volusia area

E A S Y S C H E D U L I N G E X T E N D E D H O U R SM O S T I N S U R A N C E S C O M P E T I T I V E P R I C I N G

R E G I S T E R E D T E C H N O LO G I S T SB O A R D - C E R T I F I E D R A D I O LO G I S T S

Please visit LAD imaging on the web at www.LADimaging.com

YOUR CLEAR CHOICE FOR IMAGINGSM

ALFREDO HURTADO, MDHENRY H.K. NGUYEN, MD

Henry H.K. Nguyen, MD, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Radiology. He completed his undergraduate degree at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, and earned his medical degree from

the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, FL. Dr. Nguyen is fellowship trained in nuclear medicine. He is a member of the American College of Radiology, the American Roentgen Ray Society, the Radiological Society of North America, the Michigan Radiological Society, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound.

Alfredo Hurtado, MD, is board certified by the American Board of Radiology. He completed his undergraduate degree at George Mason University in Fair fax , VA, and earned

his medical degree at the University of Ok lahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, OK. Dr. Hurtado is fellowship trained in musculo-skeletal and neuroradiology. He is a member of the American College of Radiology, the Radiological Society of North America and the American Medical Association.

Make the most of your insurance before the new year

Most people with health insurance have a deduct-ible. � at’s the amount people must pay for

covered services before their insurance plan starts to pay. � e deductible is gen-erally assessed at the beginning of each plan year, often in January. To make the most of their insurance bene� ts, people try to have their routine health services completed by the end of their plan year.

“Once people meet their deductibles, their insurance generally pays a percent-age of covered services,” informs Barbara Borden, center director at LAD imaging, a fully accredited, outpatient imaging cen-ter in Deltona. “If people need services, the end of the year is a good time to get them because they’ve got their deductibles again at the � rst of the year.

“In addition, some people have health reimbursement arrangements [HRAs] with their employers. An HRA is an employer-funded bene� t that reimburses employees for out-of-pocket health expenses. Others have flexible spending accounts where employees contribute money from their salaries to go toward deductibles. These accounts also run on a yearly basis.”

It makes good financial sense for people to get all of their health needs addressed before a new deductible is assessed. However, Barbara encourages them to schedule their appointments throughout the year instead of waiting until the last few months. She suggests they begin the process as soon as their current deductibles are met.

“� ere can be problems when every-body waits to get their services at the end of the year,” she notes. “Schedules get busy. Physicians get busy. Patients are competing with many others for appointment times. Sometimes, because they waited, patients have trouble getting appointments and get kicked into the new year and a new deductible.

“Getting things done when people want to do them can be di� cult; I know how life is. Family, work and other factors get in the way, but patients need to make plans for themselves and their families. � ey need to take the time to get the ser-vices done that they’ve been postponing, before the end of the year.”

At LAD imaging, the staff wants to help its patients get the most of their insurance, so they make an effort to accommodate everyone who needs imag-ing services any time of year. � ey’re open on Saturdays and o� er extended hours, with morning and evening appointments, during the week to accommodate those who work. For some exams, walk-in ser-vice is also available.

Christmas in JuneBefore retiring on 11/11/11, Cathryn “Kim” Fellinger lobbied for state employee issues before the legislature of the State of Ohio, from which she is a native. Upon retirement, she r e l o c a t e d t o Florida and soon b e g a n l o o k -ing for a local, f r e e - s t a n d i n g imaging center. She found one through the West Volusia Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“At a Chamber of Commerce event, I met Diane, a representative of LAD imag-ing,” Kim relates. “I discovered that LAD imaging is close to where I live, easy to

get to and easy to get into and out of. � ose are things I think about now that I didn’t think about when I was younger. Everybody at LAD imaging is friendly.”

Kim is an active participant in her health care. She’s faithful about getting her routine screenings, such as mammo-grams. She also su� ers from scoliosis and has regular MRIs to check the progression of the curvature in her spine. She counts on LAD imaging to provide these tests, and Kim tries to get them done by the end of her insurance plan year.

“My insurance actually runs di� er-ently than most,” she describes. “It’s not

a calendar-year benefit program; mine runs from July first to June thirtieth. It’s dif-ferent for me to deal with provid-ers because they’re used to people doing everything

toward the end of the calendar year.“Insurance works best for me if I get

as many of the services I know I need done early and meet my deductible, so most of what I need done during the rest of the plan year is covered.

“On one hand, it’s generally easier for me to get appointments during the year because I’m not going head-to-head with the crush of people who wait until the last minute to use their bene� ts. I actually have a bit of an advantage.

“On the other hand, it’s harder for me to get in at the end of the year, not because of my insurance, but because of everybody else’s. If it’s December and I need something done, I have to make sure I have enough lead time because everyone else is trying to get in for their own reasons. I know I have to book an appointment way ahead of time.”

Even though Kim is typically not having services performed at the end of the calendar year, she sometimes � nds herself at the end of her insurance plan year needing to schedule imaging exams or other services.

“I tend to do what everybody else does,” she admits. “My bene� t year ends in June, and I try to get services in before the end of the year. One time, I tried to get my MRI done before the end of June, but it wasn’t ordered until June, and it just didn’t happen for a variety of reasons.

“So, I do the same thing. � e tim-ing just looks di� erent. I don’t have the crunch everybody has in December.”

Ongoing EducationLAD imaging serves the community with a wide range of diagnostic imaging tests. � ese include traditional x-rays, computed tomography (CT), mammography, DEXA scans (bone density), high-� eld MRI and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), ultrasound (including four-dimensional OB images) and vascular studies.

“No matter what imaging exam the patients require, when they come to LAD imaging, each scheduled procedure is thoroughly explained to them before the test is started,” assures Barbara. “� is gives patients a better understanding of how the images are being acquired, how they will be used and what they can show.

“We also strive to educate the medical community about the advanced procedures we can perform here and how we can expe-dite referring physicians’ results if one of our radiologists notices something suspi-cious. In that way, physicians are able to move quickly toward helping their patients receive the appropriate treatment.”

Providing quality patient care is LAD imaging’s top priority, stresses Barbara. The center is fully accredited by the American College of Radiology®, and it participates in most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

Cathryn “Kim”

Fellinger

Page 8 | Volusia Health Care News | Winter 2019 | East Volusia County Edition ImagIng

Visit Barr & Associates Physical Therapy online at www.barrandassociatesphysicaltherapy.com

Keeping You Moving in the

Right DirectionDr. Barr and his staff want to help you return to prior

levels of function following injury or surgery and

maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle. The

Barr & Associates Physical Therapy offi ces are in

Ormond Beach at:

1425 Hand AvenueSuite H

(386) 673-3535

BARR & ASSOCIATESPHYSICAL THERAPY

JACOB BARR, PT, DPT, MTC, CEAS, CHT

Physical TherapyIndividualized rehab regimen results in full recovery from joint replacement surgery

TailoredD oug Wigley, 64, remains

active professionally in the real-estate and property management field. He’s

active physically as well. He likes outdoor activities, such as gol� ng, snow-skiing and boating. Doug’s age and demand-ing activities assisted in the development of arthritis in many of his joints. Some required surgical intervention.

“At one point, my right knee became very painful,” he shares. “It was very arthritic, and I dealt with a lot of pain for a long time. I was constantly taking Aleve® and Tylenol® just to get through the day. My knee pain began limiting my activi-ties. I knew I had to have my knee done. I put o� surgery for as long as I could, but in May 2017, I had my knee replaced.”

After total knee replacement surgery, Doug began his rehabilitation with phys-ical therapy at home. When it was time to � nd a physical therapy center for outpa-tient rehab, he had no doubt about where he would go. He chose Barr & Associates Physical � erapy because of a loved one’s prior excellent experience with them.

“I have a loved one who pitched for the Seabreeze High School baseball team, and he had a shoulder injury prior to the start of the 2014 season,” explains Doug. “� e folks at Barr and Associates Physical � erapy were able to rehab him to the point where he was selected MVP for the baseball team that year. And he didn’t have to have surgery.

“My loved one had great success at Barr and Associates Physical Therapy, so it was a no-brainer for me to go there after my knee surgery. And it couldn’t have gone better.”

The physical therapists at Barr & Associates Physical � erapy developed an individualized treatment plan designed to not only improve the mobility of Doug’s new knee, but return him to the activities he loves. With that goal in mind, Doug was motivated to fully participate in his therapy. It paid o� for him.

“Six months after my knee was replaced, and with Barr and Associates Physical Therapy’s help, I went snow-skiing in Colorado,” he reports. “I was also back on the golf course and back to swimming and boating. I knew getting the knee done would take away the arthri-tis pain, but there was no guarantee on mobility. I really had to follow the phys-ical therapist’s instructions to get that.”

Just as Doug was enjoying his pain-free and mobile new knee, his right hip began giving him trouble. He blamed his hip problem on the fact that he’d become active again following his knee surgery. Doug’s hip pain was so severe, he couldn’t put o� surgery like he did with his knee. His doctor told him he needed a hip replacement immediately.

“I had stabbing, agonizing hip pain,” Doug describes. “Just getting out of a seat was agony. � ey did an MRI at the hospi-tal that showed my hip was full of arthritis and told me it had to be replaced right away.

“The hip surgery was at the end of April of this year. I didn’t do any in-home physical therapy this time. I went straight to Barr and Associates Physical � erapy after my sur-gery. It was the same situation as with my knee. I started rehab around the first of May, and on May eleventh, I danced at my niece’s wedding.”

Individualized TherapyThe therapists at Barr & Associates Physical Therapy recognize that each person who walks through their door is different. They each have their own impairments, needs and goals for rehab. During a lengthy evaluation, the thera-pists take time to learn those facts so they can tailor individualized treatment plans.

“� e evaluations are critical for determin-ing what the patients want from their therapy,” notes Jacob Barr, DPT, at Barr & Associates Physical � erapy. “Some may want to go back to playing golf or other activities. We must take everybody’s situation into account.

“With knee and hip replacements, we generally begin treatment by getting back as much range of motion as we can. We use many hands-on techniques, or manual therapy, such as massage and passive range of motion to get the joints moving again.”

Patients often arrive at Barr & Associates Physical � erapy using walkers or canes. � e therapists want the patients

to progress to walking without those devices as quickly and safely as possible. � ey use exercises and techniques that focus on the patient’s gait and balance.

“Based on the patient’s impairments and limitations, we use basic strengthen-ing exercises,” relates Dr. Barr. “We also teach them a home exercise program to improve their strength and range of motion. As they progress, we

may assist their rehab with some of the equipment we have.

“We have parallel bars, and if their bal-ance is o� , we have a special machine for working on balance. With many patients, they’re learning to walk all over again. We might use our antigravity treadmill, which uses air pressure to unweight the patients so we can do gait training with them.”

If the patients are experiencing a lot of pain, the therapists have various treatments to decrease it. � ese include laser therapy, electrical stimulation and kinesio taping.

“It starts with determining the patient’s goals,” states Dr. Barr. “If they have activities they want to return to doing, they generally get more involved. � ey want to work on their rehab and achieve those goals. � e therapists get

them actively involved and keep them motivated. � at’s what happened with Doug, and he got excellent results.”

Twice Is NiceArthritis twice forced Doug to have joints replaced, and twice he chose Barr & Associates Physical � erapy for his rehab. Due to the dedication of the physical therapists and their ability to keep Doug motivated, he’s able to do more than he ever thought possible after two total joint replacement surgeries.

“I’m beyond my goal after my hip surgery, and I’m so happy,” he marvels. “I would have been happy just to be pain free, but I’m way beyond that. I’m doing cardio. I’m biking. I just couldn’t be happier.

“I can do my activities, thanks to the physical therapy I got at Barr and Associates Physical � erapy and the exer-cises they gave me to do. I continue with the exercises, and now, I’m completely pain free in my right hip, and my right knee as well.”

It’s not just the physical therapists at Barr & Associates Physical � erapy that Doug admires. He has high praise for everyone at the practice.

“� e people there are pleasant, profes-sional and organized,” Doug o� ers. “� ey’re on time. You start right away, and you get your full session. � ey answer any questions you have, and they’re very attentive.”

Being pain free has Doug feeling great. He’s also pretty pleased to participate in his favorite activities again. He really put his new joints to the test when shortly after his hip rehab, he and his family took a trip to Ireland. Doug successfully walked across the country sightseeing with no trouble from his hip or knee. He takes his good fortune in stride.

“� ere’s nothing I can’t do now,” he boasts. “To be honest, I still can’t dunk a basketball, but I never could. I constantly recommend Barr and Associates Physical � erapy to people. My advice to them is: Just go.” FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. Needle

graphic from kisspng. Stock photo background from Pixabay. mkb

Outside of dunking a basketball, there is nothing Doug can’t do since undergoing therapy.

Jacob Barr, PT, DPT, MTC, CEAS, CHT, is a licensed physical therapist. He earned his Master’s degree and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Dr. Barr has a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and

Sport Science from the University of Florida. He specializes in the treatment of orthopedic issues, osteoporosis, and balance and gait disorders. Dr. Barr is certified in manual therapy, ergonomic assessment, osteoporosis treatment utilizing the Meeks Method, and Back to Golf Performance and Fitness.

East Volusia County Edition | Winter 2019 | Volusia Health Care News | Page 9pHysICal tHerapy

BEFORE AFTER

The Very best treatment requires Experience and Integrity. The result? Nonsurgical offi ce treatment.

Palm Coast Pinnacles Drive

Building B, Suite

Ormond Beach Sterthaus Ave.

(386) 586-5344 [LEGG]

Nonsurgical O� ce

Treatment!

is a member of the American College of Phlebology and board certified by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. After completing a residency in anesthesiology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, he received subspecialty training in acute and chronic pain management. Dr. Collucci is the former assistant medical director for Vein Associates of Orlando and former medical director for Carolina Vein Center, Vein Help Clinic of the Triangle, Durham, NC. He is a Registered Phlebology Sonographer (RPhS), CCI (Cardiovascular Credentialing International).

N. John Collucci, DO, RPhSCharles I. Stein, MD, RPh

i s a m e m b e r o f t h e A m e r i c a n Col lege of Phlebology and the American Venous Forum and board certified. Dr. Stein is a Fellow of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery, a certified endoscopic surgeon, Accreditation Council of Gynecologic Endoscopy , and a pharmacist (RPh). He completed his residency at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and formerly was medical director for Daytona Vein and Skin Care Center.

Visit Vein Treatment Center on the web at www.veintreatmentcentral� a.com

CHARLES I. STEIN, MD, RPHN. JOHN COLLUCCI, DO, RPHS

Laser LegworkPainless

treatment seals varicose veins

N ew York native Barry Clymer has a job that involves a lot of legwork. He wasn’t too surprised

then when his legs started to swell, and his leg veins began to pop out.

“I’m not vain; I don’t really care how my legs look, but I was concerned about the swelling,” says Barry, a warranty administrator for a local car dealership. “I went to my primary care physician, who said the swelling was from my varicose veins. He referred me to Vein Treatment Center of Palm Coast.”

Vein Treatment Center of Palm Coast is the practice of Charles I. Stein, MD, and N. John Collucci, DO. � e doctors began their care for Barry by ordering an ultrasound of his legs. � e results showed that the tiny, one-way valves that help move blood back up toward the heart were not functioning properly. � is was causing blood to pool in Barry’s legs and his veins to enlarge, a condition called venous re� ux disease.

“I met with Dr. Stein, who con� rmed that the problem was with my leg veins,” shares Barry. “He explained everything he and Dr. Collucci could do for me, why they should do it and how they would do it.”

“We work on the worst area � rst,” notes Dr. Stein. “� en, if a second proce-dure is necessary, we’ve eliminated much of the blood supply. � is makes the sec-ond procedure easier.”

“I was awake during the whole thing,” states Barry. “First, they numb the area pretty well. � en they use the laser to close o� the veins. It didn’t hurt at all.”

Following EVLT, patients are advised to avoid strenuous activities, hot tubs, swimming pools and sunbathing for a number of days. Most can return to work or other routines the same day.

“Now, the swelling is pretty much gone, and my varicose veins are all gone,” reports Barry. “My legs look and feel fine. Dr. Stein told me I’d get my sexy legs back.

“My treatment from Dr. Stein and Dr. Collucci was a success. I absolutely recommend them and Vein Treatment Center of Palm Coast.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson.

Before and after images courtesy of Vein Treatment Center. mkb

Painless and Eff ective� e procedure Dr. Stein and Dr. Collucci recommended for Barry’s varicose veins is called endovascular laser treatment, or EVLT. During these minimally inva-sive procedures, a high-energy laser directs heat into the a� ected veins, which seal shut within a week and are slowly absorbed by the body. Blood is then rerouted through healthy veins nearby.

EVLT requires no incisions, stitches or anesthesia, only a few Novocain® injec-tions. � e doctors strive for a two-hour maximum for each in-o� ce procedure.

Barry Clymer

OPS™ replacement surgery more precise

T he number of Americans hav-ing hip replacement surgery has grown steadily over the past eighteen years. It’s esti-

mated that this year, more than 300,000 people will undergo the procedure, up from 138,000 in 2000. � e procedure, fortunately, has improved as well.

A recent advancement to hip replace-ment surgery was the release and FDA approval of a technology that helps surgeons determine the most accurate alignment of the replacement implants. � is technology is the optimized position-ing system, or OPS™.

� e inspiration behind OPS is the fact that no two people move the same way, and this can make a significant impact on the proper positioning of the hip implants. OPS is designed to account for the di� erences. It tailors the implant placement to each patient.

The hip joint has two essential parts, the ball and the socket. � e ball of the joint is the head of the femur, or thigh bone. � e socket, or acetabulum, is a concave depression in the pelvis, in which the ball sits. � e ball and socket are the parts that are replaced during surgery and must be positioned appro-priately for the best outcome.

To get the proper position, hip replacement surgery using OPS begins long before the procedure is performed. An extensive preoperative evaluation is � rst performed to determine how the patient’s femur, pelvis and spine work together during routine daily activities. This

evaluation provides a speci� c functional simulation of the patient’s movement.

� e information is essential to achiev-ing optimum results during surgery. If the implants aren’t positioned precisely during surgery, there’s a greater risk for compli-cations such as premature wear, implant loosening and dislocation, as well as nerve impingement.

The preoperative evaluation also includes imaging such as x-rays and CT scans to generate pictures of how the patient’s hip moves in three dimensions. The imaging captures the anatomical geometry around the person’s hip joint.

Using all of the information gath-ered from the preoperative evaluation, surgeons create exact 3-D models of the patients’ anatomy. � ey then use these models as guides to optimize implant position during the hip replacement procedure.

The preoperative evaluation is the � rst step in the hip replacement using OPS process. � e second step is using the system during the procedure itself. During surgery, the 3-D model, which is unique to each patient, is combined with a laser guidance system. Surgeons match up the laser points to ensure the optimized plan is accurately recreated during surgery.

Need for OPS� e most common reason for needing hip replacement surgery with OPS is deterio-ration of the hip joint from arthritis. � e most common type of arthritis is osteo-arthritis, also known as “wear and tear”

arthritis. Osteoarthritis generally devel-ops with age. It’s estimated that more than 28 million Americans su� er from the disorder.

Osteoarthritis can develop in any joint in the body, but it most often a� ects weight-bearing joints such as knees and hips. � e hip is one of the largest joints in the body, and like other joints, its surfaces are covered with a smooth cushioning material called articular cartilage. � is cartilage enables the bones to slide over one another more easily.

Joints also contain another cushion-ing substance called synovial � uid. � is � uid lubricates the joint cartilage and aids in movement. With osteoarthritis, the articular cartilage begins to wear away, and the synovial � uid begins to thin out. � is results in the bones of the joint rubbing together without cushioning. Damaged bone may also start to grow. � ese result-ing growths are called bone spurs.

All of the damage to the hip joint is degenerative; it gets worse over time. It also causes pain, swelling and other symp-toms that get progressively more intense. Additional symptoms of osteoarthritis include tenderness around the hip, lim-ited range of motion, a grating sensation with movement and di� culty walking.

� e doctor can generally diagnose osteoarthritis through a complete his-tory and physical exam. � e doctor will con� rm the � ndings with an x-ray of the patient’s hip.

Treatment for osteoarthritis generally begins with lifestyle modi� cations, such

as switching from high-impact activi-ties to lower-impact activities and losing weight. Other conservative treatments include doing physical therapy, using support such as a cane when walking and taking anti-inflammatory and/or pain medications.

If conservative treatments fail to relieve symptoms, the doctor may sug-gest surgery. Surgical options include hip resurfacing and total hip replacement. FHCN staff article. mkb

Need New Hip Joint?

Page 10 | Volusia Health Care News | Winter 2019 | East Volusia County Edition veIn treatment

speCIal to FHCn

Exceptional Care at Grace ManorGrace Manor Port Orange is committed to o� ering exceptional

assisted living and memory care for seniors in a warm and vibrant community. Contact the friendly sta� at Grace Manor

to tour the community and learn more about whether assisted living is the right choice for you or a family member. Grace

Manor is located in Port Orange at:

1321 Herbert St.

(386) 310-4995Visit Grace Manor Port Orange online at www.gracemanorportorange.com

Care ConversionResident’s stay modi� ed as needs evolve

Howard and Molly Waddell were working at the same facility for the developmen-tally disabled when they

met. � e two Upstate New York natives fell in love and married and have been together for more than 40 years.

For years, Molly and Howard trav-eled to Florida as snowbirds. One day about four years ago, long after both had retired, Molly bought a place here that became the couple’s permanent home. Shortly thereafter, caring for Howard became a chore for Molly.

“Howard’s now ninety-two, and he has Alzheimer’s disease,” states Molly. “At one point, he started becoming weak and frail, and it was di� cult for me to take care of him. I realized I needed some help.

“A friend mentioned a place a while ago, but I didn’t think any-thing of it then because I didn’t need the help at that time. When I did need it, I went online, looked up senior daycare, and three places came up.

“One was a private residence, but when I drove by it, I thought, I don’t want him there. � e second one I couldn’t � nd, even with my GPS. � e third place was Grace Manor, which was the place my friend had recommended to me earlier.”

Grace Manor is an assisted living and memory care community that pro-vides specialized care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. When Molly toured Grace Manor, she was pleased with what she saw, so she began bringing Howard for daycare.

“I went in and the woman who greeted me was wonderful,” Molly recalls. “She gave me a tour, including the kitchen, which was spotless. My background is in food service. � e sta� was very friendly, and there was no pres-sure; it was very comfortable. � e residents were in the big room doing activities. I liked Grace Manor. It was small, clean and had no odors.

“After that, I began taking Howard to Grace Manor a few hours a week. � ey provided good care, and Howard liked it there. But then he stopped eating and became even more frail.

“I was afraid he’d fall, and if he did, I was afraid I’d never get him back up. I was also afraid I’d be helping him and that I’d go down, too. I � gured Grace Manor was the best place for Howard to be, so in July, I placed him there full-time.”

As Howard’s needs changed, he was able to convert from a day stay resident to a permanent resident of Grace Manor.

To help ease the transition, Molly was asked to limit her visits for a few weeks so Howard could get used to being at Grace Manor full time. She took the opportu-nity to travel to New York to visit friends and family.

“When I first got back from up North, Howard kept asking me, When am I going home?” relates Molly. “I said, Howard, I can’t do it right now. After a while, he stopped asking me about going home, and I visit him almost every day.

Grace Manor, where a team of specially trained resident assistants is dedicated to caring for residents with Alzheimer’s dis-ease and other forms of dementia.

Specialized CareThose team members use methods to align themselves with whatever the resi-dent is experiencing in the moment. � e goal is to help the resident struggling with the e� ects of dementia to feel reassured, calm and not so alone.

A personal touch for residents with memory issues is the shadow boxes they have displayed outside their suites. � e memory boxes are � lled with photos and mementos that have personal signi� cance for the resident. For residents with mem-ory impairments, the boxes also help them locate their suites.

� e memory boxes not only help the residents, they also give the sta� a wider per-spective about the people they are caring for.

“The memory boxes let the staff know that at one time the resident was a doctor, a lawyer, a police o� cer, a very important mother to young children,” notes Danielle. “We want to remem-

ber to see them as more than just our residents. � e sta� gets a little bit of insight about who they are and the things they accomplished when they were younger.

“We ask the family to post or provide pictures of the residents and their family members. We have a lot of people with wed-ding photos and pictures of their

kids. It’s a memory box, so people include the things that mean some-

thing to them. One man has a medal from his time in the Army in his.”

Molly agrees that memories matter.

The Memory Quilt“The community relations director found out I was a quilter and asked me if my group of ladies could make a quilt for them, as she wanted to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association,” notes Molly. “It’s a beautiful queen-size quilt, and they have it hanging on the wall at Grace Manor while they sell the tickets for the ra� e.” All proceeds are going to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Molly visits Howard almost every day at Grace Manor and says he is adjusting well there. In the spirit of her quilting group, which calls itself Friends of Grace Manor, Molly has nothing but good things to say about the memory care community.

“I’m really impressed with Grace Manor,” she comments. “It’s a small facility, which makes for a better commu-nity. � e sta� is fantastic, and the residents get really good care there. I absolutely recommend Grace Manor Port Orange. It’s a wonderful place.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Patient photo by Nerissa

Johnson. Header background photo & quote heart courtesy

of Pixabay. Title heart graphics from kisspng. mkb

“Now, H o w a r d ’s fine at Grace Manor. The resi-dents and staff usually start playing Bingo about the time I leave, so Howard is happy. He likes Bingo and the other activ-ities they do, like listening to music. Everybody at Grace Manor loves him. Even the ladies love him. He’s very love-able. He’s a former Methodist minister.”

Molly is also impressed by the facil-ities at Grace Manor and the way the residents are treated by the staff. She

knows Howard appreci-ates having his own

suite as well as the freedom to choose the activ-ities he wants to do and when he

wants to do them.“I l ike that

every room is a private room,” she

describes. “� ey say the rooms are shared, but they

only share the bathrooms, so that makes it nice for the residents.

Howard has his privacy. He can go into his room and watch TV or take a nap anytime he wants.

“� ere’s also no pressure. Residents can do what they feel like doing at that time. � ey’re not herded into an activity like cattle with someone saying, You’ve got to do this. You’ve got to do that. It’s up to them what they want to do.”

Since becoming a ful l - t ime resident, Howard has been thriving at

“Grace Manor is a

step between the resident’s family home

and a full-time nursing facility,” describes Danielle

Ashby, president of Grace Manor. “We’re here for individuals with

memory issues who need specialized care and can no longer be at home. We provide the caring assistance they require so they can live as independently as possible.”

Grace Manor also has a life-enrichment program for its memory care residents. The program offers specific activities that cater to those with cogni-tive impairments such as Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. As part of the program, the sta� works with residents on a variety of sensory activities.

“A roster of activities at Grace Manor encourages residents to participate and have fun,” says Danielle. “� ey include outings for lunch and community events. Other ongoing activities include exercise classes and reminiscence therapy.”

East Volusia County Edition | Winter 2019 | Volusia Health Care News | Page 11assIsted lIvIng & memory Care

Pilot is cleared to � y without glasses for � rst time

Cleared for Takeo�

Q. JOCELYN GE, MD, PHD

A n airplane is fitted with numerous instruments the pilot needs to operate for a flight to be successful. But

the most critical instrument a pilot must operate is his eyes. No one knows this better than commercial pilot and � ight instructor Guy Smith, PhD.

“Pilots treasure vision more than just about any other skill we have,” he stresses. “Our eyes are critical to us in terms of being able to not only read the informa-tion and instruments in the aircraft, but also to see other planes in the sky.”

Guy, 72, has worn glasses most of his life and was required to wear cor-rective lenses when he � ew. To enhance safety, Guy invested in the highest-quality eyewear and updated his prescrip-tion regularly. Several years ago, however, he noticed he wasn’t seeing the entire picture.

“My peripheral vision seemed to be a problem when I was � ying, primarily when I was looking outside for other airplanes. We call it looking for tra� c,” explains Guy. “I felt my eyelids were drooping. Years ago, I � ew with an eye doctor who told me about an operation to correct droopy lids, so I started looking for an eye surgeon with expertise in that � eld.

“I heard about Dr. Ge at Premier Eye Clinic, so I contacted the o� ce and made an appointment. Dr. Ge did a test of my peripheral vision and con� rmed that I did have a problem. She said she could solve it with a combined surgery called blepha-roplasty and ptosis repair.”

“At seventy-two, Guy is a very active senior,” describes board-certi� ed ophthal-mologist Q. Jocelyn Ge, MD, PhD, of Premier Eye Clinic. “He is an instructor of pilots as well as a pilot himself, so he has a very high demand for clear vision.

“When he came in, he reported that part of his visual field was being obstructed by droopy eyelids, and a complete � eld of vision is needed to be a safe pilot. Droopy eyelids are mainly an age-related condition. Over time, gravity causes the lids and facial muscles to sag. � at’s what was happening with Guy, so I recommended surgery.”

Eyelid bagginess a� icts both men and women. Although it is often hereditary, it typically becomes more pronounced with age. As the transition takes place, eyelids can change in ways that make people look tired, to the point where they almost feel tired as a result. Others may actually begin to appear sad or angry.

According to Dr. Ge, folds and bags of excess skin form when the connective

tissue of the upper eyelid is no longer able to hold the protective layer of fat in place around the eye, allowing the tissue to bulge forward. As it loses its tone and elasticity, the excess skin of the upper eye-lid protrudes into the visual � eld.

Dr. Ge examines all patients � rst to be sure that a surgical procedure is necessary.

“We test for droopy lids by perform-ing what is called a visual � eld test,” says Dr. Ge. “Peripheral vision is � rst checked with the eyelid in its natural position. Next, the eyelid is taped up and the � eld of vision is rechecked. If there is a signi� -cant di� erence between the two tests, it is considered a functional problem.”

Blepharoplasty is a relatively minor procedure. The surgery is done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. During the surgery, an incision is made in the upper lid crease and through that inci-sion, the extra skin and fat are removed.

In addition to the blepharoplasty, Dr. Ge performed a second procedure for Guy called ptosis repair at the same time. During this procedure, she lifted the hard plate inside the eyelids to move them out of the way so they no longer obstruct vision.

“� e di� erence in what I could see before the surgery and after was absolutely amazing,” o� ers Guy. “My vision was so much clearer. � at really made me trust Dr. Ge.”

Traffi c ReportAs a result of the success of his eyelid sur-gery, Guy retained Dr. Ge as his regular eye doctor for routine examinations and

eyeglass prescription updates. All went well until 2016, when Guy again began having issues seeing clearly.

“When I was driving, especially at night, I would see a glow around lights,” he reports. “I also had trouble read-ing signs, mostly those in the distance. It helped that I had very good glasses because Dr. Ge had been keeping my prescription current.”

Glare around lights wasn’t what worried Guy the most. He was more concerned about not seeing his best while he was working because he noticed the problem a� ected his vision in one particular situation.

“Mostly, I couldn’t pick up the traf-� c when I was � ying,” he notes. “When the tra� c controllers tell us there’s tra� c to look for at one o’clock, two miles, that means slightly right of your aircraft about two miles away. It’s not a huge thing out in the sky. It’s more like a dot in the sky.

“I noticed my students would say, Yes, I have the tra� c, but I couldn’t say that. I didn’t see it. I discussed this with Dr. Ge, and she said I had cataracts that were growing, but they could be corrected.”

A cataract is the natural lens in the eye that has become cloudy over time. � ere are a few factors that can contribute to cat-aract formation, but they are primarily an age-related condition. Treatment for cata-racts is surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear, arti� cial lens.

“Today, cataract surgery technology has progressed so that patients are often

Visit Premier Eye Clinic on the web at www.PremierEyeClinic.com

Q. Jocelyn Ge, MD, PhD, received her medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and her PhD from the University of California. She completed her internship at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and her ophthalmology residency at the Tulane University Hospital and Clinics in New Orleans. In 2005, Dr. Ge was one of the ten ophthalmologists in the US who received the prestigious American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation research grant. She has published multiple peer reviewed research internationally and has presented many research works nationally. Dr. Ge is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). She is a recipient of the LEO award in 2007 and 2012 from the AAO. She is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Committed to Your VisionDr. Ge and the sta� of Premier Eye Clinic

look forward to meeting readers of Volusia Health Care News.

Port Orange 3641 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Suite 500

(386) 788-6198Ormond Beach

1425 Hand Avenue, Suite N

(386) 673-3344

able to see both near and far after surgery,” observes Dr. Ge. “� is way, they can avoid having to wear corrective lenses, which is a huge bene� t.

“When Guy felt his vision had gotten worse, we moved forward with surgery. He had femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in both eyes. He was interested in being without glasses after surgery, so he opted for premium lens implants that would allow him to see both far and near. He had a TRULIGN® lens in his right eye, and a Crystalens® in his left.”

New HorizonsBefore his cataract surgery, Guy wore glasses 100 percent of the time. Now, he has 20/20 vision in both eyes and no lon-ger needs glasses to see clearly.

“My results are excellent,” marvels Guy. “In one eye, Dr. Ge � ne-tuned the lens for closer view, and in the other, she � ne-tuned it for more distant view, which gives me full range of vision. I just com-pleted my medical exam in October, and for the � rst time in my life, I’m cleared to � y without corrective lenses.

“� e most remarkable thing is, with my new eyes, I can pick up tra� c visually almost instantly, which to me is a miracle. I was never able to see tra� c two or three miles away before. My clearer vision since surgery makes me a much safer pilot and much more comfortable with the work I’m doing.”

Clear vision is critical to aviators like Guy, but it’s also a huge asset to anyone who leads an active life. With all the advanced technologies now available to treat cataracts and drooping eyelids, individuals can more easily improve their vision and return fully to their activities. Guy stresses that Premier Eye Clinic is the best place to receive these services.

“I absolutely recommend Dr. Ge and Premier Eye Clinic,” he says. “In fact, I’ve already recommended them.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

Guy Smith, PhD

Page 12 | Volusia Health Care News | Winter 2019 | East Volusia County Edition opHtHalmology