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(see In Good Hands, page 4)

In Good Hands

WILLIAM J. MALLON, MDADAM M. KATZ, MD

J. MICHAEL SCHNELL, MDSARAH S. KHODADADEH, MDEDWARD S. BRANIGAN III, MD

Molly Snell 

Sterling reputation draws community’s professionals

Even at the age of 70, Molly Snell still considers herself a worka-holic. Lifeaholic may be the best way to describe her, though.

A practicing psychologist for more than 30 years, Dr. Snell still sees patients regularly, and when she’s not seeing patients, she’s usually attacking life with the ebullience of someone half her age.

“I still snow ski once in a while,” says Dr. Snell. “But I’m like a � sh. I love swimming and I love the ocean. I was a lifeguard when I was younger, and I’ve been a beach girl all my life.”

It was last spring that Dr. Snell � rst noticed that not only during her trips to the beach but during any trip anywhere outside, her need for sunglasses to dimin-ish the sun’s bright rays had diminished.

“Everything seemed as if it had been a bit shaded already,” Dr. Snell explains. “It was like I had built-in sunglasses. Everything seemed to be a bit duller than it had been before, especially colors.”

Given her age, Dr. Snell suspected the problem might be cataracts. Her suspi-cion was con� rmed about six months later when, largely because of its reputation, Dr. Snell sought out Center for Advanced Eye Care for advice and help.

Great Reputations“I have sta� privileges at two hospitals, so I know most of the doctors, and the doctors at the Center for Advanced Eye

Care have an excellent reputation for doing great work,” Dr. Snell informs. “I still did my research, but I was very con-� dent going to them.

“Not only that, but as a female, I enjoy going to female physicians. It’s a supportive thing that I like to do, and I know that ‘Dr. Sarah,’ as we like to call her, has a tremendous background and educational experience, so I chose to see her.”

Dr. Sarah is Sarah S. Khodadadeh, MD, a board-certified comprehensive ophthalmologist who specializes in treat-ing patients with glaucoma. Upon � rst examining Dr. Snell, Dr. Khodadadeh discovered not only cataracts but evidence of dry-eye disease as well.

“Our eyes tend to get a little drier as we age, so what I initially did for Dr. Snell was treat her for her dryness,” Dr. Khodadadeh relates. “� en I had her return a couple months later to see if clearing up the dryness would improve her vision.

“When Dr. Snell returned, her vision had improved, but she still wasn’t where she wanted to be. She was on the verge of not being able to drive because of her vision problems, so it was clear that the time had come for the cataracts to come out.”

Dr. Snell previously had LASIK sur-gery, which left her glasses free. Her desire following cataract surgery was to remain glasses free. To meet that objective, Dr. Khodadadeh decided to correct Dr. Snell by giving her what is known as monovision.

“Monovision is where I put the arti� -cial lenses inside the eyes and set one eye for distance so that she can see far away without glasses and one eye for up close so that she can read without glasses,” Dr. Khodadadeh educates.

“� at was important for Dr. Snell because she’s essentially reading all day at work, and then driving at night and going out and doing all these activities, and she wants to be carefree if she’s out skiing or doing yoga.”

Glasses Free After YearsUnlike Dr. Snell, Bill Stewart never had LASIK or any other type of long-term cor-rective eye surgery to clear up his vision problems. As a result, the 74-year-old active attorney has been wearing glasses to correct his nearsightedness for more than 50 years.

EarCare, P.A.Back in Touch

Dental Implant Center of Vero Beach

The Any-Time Treatment

Simpson Advanced Chiropractic & Medical Center

Double-Duty TherapyRegenerative Biologics InstituteRegenerative Medicine

to the Max

Hibiscus CourtPlenty of Time for Fun

Lake Washington Foot & AnklePlantar Warts

GreenMDnowWhy Go Green?

OphthalmOlOgy

Alfons Bucaj, DMD, is a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the American Board of Oral Implantology. He is also an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Dr. Bucaj grad-uated from Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine in Davie, Florida, and has proudly served the local dental community for more than eight years. He has acquired many years of continuing education, including courses in surgical and restorative implant dentistry, moderate “twilight” sedation, laser, cosmetics, TMJ, orthodontics and custom mouthguards. Dr. Bucaj is an advisory board member of Indian River State College and lectures frequently on current

standards and concepts of dental care. He is an active member of the American Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental Association and the Florida Dental Association.

Experience the art and beauty of dentistryThe team of Dental Implant Center of Vero Beach welcomes

new patients to their practice. For more information or to make an appointment, call or visit the o� ce at:

1880 37th St., Suite 3(772) 567-9550

DENTAL IMPLANT CENTER OF VERO BEACH

ALFONS BUCAJ, DMD, P.A.

Visit Dental Implant Center of Vero Beach online at www.dentalimplantsofverobeach.com

The Any-Time TreatmentAge is no barrier to getting implant-retained dentures

At 95, � eodore Larson has been retired for quite a few years. � e US Navy veteran worked in the research center at NASA in his native Virginia. � ere, he developed equipment for space operations. He’d already been retired a while when he moved with his family to the Sunshine State.

“My wife and I came to Florida around 1985,” � eodore recalls. “My son transferred from NASA in Virginia to Kennedy in Florida. His � rst son was in his second year of high school, and we came to Florida to bring my grandson and get him enrolled into school.”

� ere is little that � eodore’s age keeps him from doing. He was an active tennis player until he was 86, when a serious fall on the court ended his game. Even now, he works around the house and still sings regularly at church with the choir and wherever anyone will listen to him. When he struggled with a dental issue, he didn’t let his age interfere with the solution.

“When I was in the Navy, I didn’t pay that much attention to my teeth, and spots developed in them that required serious dental work,” he admits. “� e Navy put quite a few gold � llings in my teeth that lasted many years. But when I went to get them replaced, I had to get rid of most of that dental work and have my teeth pulled.

“I had false teeth on the upper and lower jaw for years after that. I knew all along the lower denture would be a prob-

lem. It didn’t have the suction you have with the upper denture, so I lived with a loose bottom denture. I had to avoid eating anything except softer foods that wouldn’t put too much pressure on the bottom plate because it moved.”

� eodore accepted the struggles brought on by that loose lower denture until he saw an article in Florida Health Care News about the treatment provided by Alfons Bucaj, DMD, at Dental Implant Center of Vero Beach.

� eodore had asked another dentist about dental implants and was told he did not have enough bone in his lower jaw to support them. He wondered if Dr. Bucaj would agree or accept him as an implant patient.

“I read about what Dr. Bucaj did for somebody else, so I contacted him and went to see him,” states � eodore. “He took a good look and said that even at my age, he could do the job. He assured me he could put in the implants without any problem.”

Dental implants are screw-like metal posts that are surgically placed into the jawbone and serve as the foundation for replacement teeth. � e replacements may be crowns in the case of single teeth or bridges or dentures for multiple teeth. Implants are made of a titanium alloy that fuses with the patient’s bone to become a solid unit.

Quality Over QuantityWhen determining whether a patient is a good candidate for implants, dentists must � rst learn if the patient has a bone structure strong enough to support the implants. In � eodore’s case, it appeared to the naked eye as if he had indeed lost too much bone tissue to support implants. However, Dr. Bucaj uses advanced technology that goes beyond measuring quantity and evaluates the quality of the bone as well.

“We use three-dimensional scanning that enables us to visualize the bone’s height, width and density, which is something we could not do in the past,” informs Dr. Bucaj. “When considering implants, we look for dense bone to hold the implants in place mechanically.

“Often, our elderly patients have outstanding bone quality – better even than younger patients because their bone has had more time to cure. It has become very dense over time. I was able to tell � eodore that although he had lost bone, he had dense bone and enough of it to hold the implants and secure his bottom denture. � at’s why there is no correlation between age and candidacy for dental implants. Age is simply not a factor.”

For � eodore, Dr. Bucaj made a removable lower denture that snaps in over the two dental implants he placed in � eodore’s lower jaw. When creating removable appli-ances like this for older patients, Dr. Bucaj adapts the snap-in system to accommodate the patient’s manual dexterity.

“We have locking mechanisms with three attachment and gasket strengths, and we choose which to use depending on the patient’s ability to use their hands,” con� rms Dr. Bucaj. “We use one for people who are not as dexterous and another for those who are able to remove and replace the dentures with no problems. � eodore had no issues with dexterity.”

Better Fit and FunctionNo matter their age, people experience multiple bene� ts from implant-retained den-tures. Because the dentures are secured by implants, they don’t rock or move; they stay in place when wearers speak and eat.

Secured dentures also provide added strength for biting and chewing. As a result, wearers such as � eodore are able to eat the hard-to-chew foods they love as well as the high-nutrient foods they need, which aids in digestion and improves overall nutrition and health.

“I love to eat,” Theodore enthuses. “With my dental implants, I can now chew a good steak. I had to avoid that with my old false teeth. � e new denture also improved my smile.”

� at improved smile is yet another benefit of implant-retained dentures, explains Dr. Bucaj.

“An implant-retained denture can help stop the deterioration of a patient’s natural face contours,” the doctor notes. “It keeps the bone in the jaw alive and stimulated and helps reduce shrinkage from long-term tooth loss. Implant-retained dentures improve people’s appearance and help them regain their self-con� dence.”

Even though � eodore wore upper and lower dentures for years, he had to get used to having his lower denture � t more securely in his mouth. He likes that although his lower denture no longer slips and slides, he can still remove it for daily hygiene care.

“I generally take my dentures out in the evening, clean them and then put them aside,” he describes. “When I’m ready to put my lower denture back in, I just pop it in and it works � ne.”

� anks to Dr. Bucaj’s expertise, � eodore’s age was not a deterrent to getting dental implants. He’s thankful he found such a skilled dentist.

“I’m delighted with Dental Implant Center of Vero Beach and especially Dr. Bucaj,” he marvels. “I’m very impressed by his capability and follow-through. He knows what he is doing, and everything went perfectly. I’ve had no problems whatso-ever, and I’m very happy with my experience and my results!” FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. Graphic from Pixbay.com. nj

Theodore will sing for anyone who will listen.

“With my dental implants, I can now chew a good steak.

I had to avoid that with my old false teeth.”

– Theodore

Page 2 | Florida Health Care News | Spring 2018 | Indian River County Edition Dental Implants

The Superion InterSpinous Spacer is placed where the vertebrae have collapsed. There it opens up and pushes the bones apart.

Harold J. Cordner, MD, FIPP, ABIPP, is board certi� ed in anesthesiology and pain management by the American Board of Anesthesiology, and in interventional pain management by the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians. He received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr. Cordner completed an internship in general surgery and residency in anesthe-siology at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ. He is a member of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, International Neuromodulation Society and numerous national and international pain societies, and frequently lectures and teaches physicians advanced interventional pain procedures nationally and internationally. Consumers Research Council of America named Dr. Cordner one of “America’s Top Physicians.”

HAROLD J. CORDNER, MD, FIPP, ABIPP

Visit Florida Pain Management Associates on the web at www.� oridapain.com

At 75, Michael* wasn’t ready to feel old. Yet, maddening back pain made it di� cult for him to feel youthful and stay

active. � e pain from his back traveled all the way down his right leg, which a� ected his walking and put a stop to his morning exercise routine. Even standing was pain-ful, and Michael found himself instead sitting in his chair doing nothing. When he tried to cook, he had to lean over his kitchen sink, which provided some relief from the agony in his back and leg.

Alternative to Surgery

New procedure eliminates pain from spinal stenosis

“I really enjoy cooking for my fam-ily,” Michael shares. “It’s something I have always tried to do several days a week, but the pain I would get in my back when I stood too long at the stove forced me to stop cooking as much as I used to.”

Michael’s primary care physician sug-gested a few options to help ease his pain. But when a trial of conservative treat-ments, including heat and ice, physical therapy and pain medications, failed to deliver lasting results, Michael’s doctor recommended he visit Harold J. Cordner, MD. Dr. Cordner is board certi� ed in pain management and anesthesiology, and practices at Florida Pain Management Associates in Sebastian and Vero Beach.

At Florida Pain Management Associates, all patients who come in with severe back and leg pain are given a careful evaluation that includes a thorough his-tory and physical examination, as well as imaging studies such as x-rays and an MRI. After his evaluation, Dr. Cordner was able to con� rm his initial suspicion; Michael was su� ering from spinal stenosis.

The spine is made up of 24 small bones called vertebrae. � e vertebrae are stacked one on top of the other with an open canal in the middle through which the spinal cord runs. On the back of the vertebrae are projections of bone called spinous processes. Between these sections of bone are openings called neural foramen,

where the spinal nerves exit the spinal cord and travel to the rest of the body.

Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal and the neural foramen. Because these spaces become narrower, the nerves become crowded or pinched, causing symptoms.

“Generally, the symptoms are back pain with leg weakness or a feeling of heaviness or pain into the legs,” describes Dr. Cordner. “Sometimes, the patient just has back pain; other times, the pain radiates into the legs. � e pain is typically worse with prolonged walking or stand-ing, and is relieved as soon as the patient sits down or leans forward.”

Spinal stenosis is most often caused by the wear and tear of arthritis that occurs with aging. To make up for the degenerative changes caused by arthri-tis, the body sometimes grows new bone to help support the vertebrae. These new bone pieces are called bone spurs. � ey can narrow the openings for the spinal cord and nerves. Arthritis can also cause the ligaments in the spine to become larger, which can irritate the nerves and cause symptoms.

A New OptionTraditionally, treatment for spinal stenosis begins with nonsurgical steps, such as physi-cal therapy, anti-in� ammatory medications, chiropractic manipulation and steroid injec-tions. When all nonsurgical e� orts have failed, surgery is generally the next step.

“The treatment for spinal stenosis was often epidural steroid injections,” con� rms Dr. Cordner. “If those did not help, patients would undergo a decom-pressive laminectomy. However, there are patients who are elderly or have other diseases or complicated medical illnesses who cannot get cleared for or are too sick to have surgery.”

During a laminectomy, the surgeon removes some of the bone, and any bone spurs and/or pieces of ligament that are compressing the nerves. Doing this opens up the space for the nerves and relieves pain. However, it requires one large or multiple smaller incisions and a lengthy recovery, and may fail.

Now, Dr. Cordner o� ers an alternative to laminectomy. It’s a new, minimally inva-sive procedure to treat patients with spinal stenosis who have back and leg pain that is relieved by bending forward or sitting.

“The procedure uses an implanted device that decompresses the spine,” states Dr. Cordner. “� e device goes in and opens up, enlarging the space where the spinal nerves exit as well as the central canal.”

� e device is the VertiFlex® Superion® InterSpinous Spacer System. The Superion spacer is an H-shaped implant made of a titanium alloy that � ts between two adjacent bones in the lower back. It is designed to limit movement of the spine when the patient stands and walks, and to open up the nerve spaces, relieving symp-toms. VertiFlex describes the Superion as a “Safe and e� ective alternative when conservative treatment has failed and laminectomy is too aggressive.”

“ D u r i n g t h e implant procedure, I make a small inci-sion in the back and clear out some tissue between the spinous processes,” explains Dr. Cordner. “� en, I insert the device through a small tube about the size of a dime. As I engage it and screw it open, two arms emerge that push the spinous process bones apart, and that creates more room inside the spinal canal and the neuroforamen.

“� e ideal candidate for this proce-dure is a patient who has spinal stenosis that is worse with standing or walking, and relieved with bending over a little bit. � ese are patients who are walking in the stores leaning over their shopping carts, which helps ease the pain.”

Such was the case with Michael, as he mentions he found relief when he would bend over, but not when he was standing up straight.

Implanting the Superion device is a simple, outpatient procedure with less tis-sue damage and blood loss than surgery, and a rapid recovery time.

� ere was a similar device in the past called the X-StopPK®. However, there were drawbacks to it. In some cases, it moved out of its implanted position. With the Superion, there have been no reports of the devices moving out of posi-tion in the thousands of cases that have been performed to date.

� ere are four years of data to sup-port the effectiveness of the Superion InterSpinous Spacer. According to studies,

48 months after having the procedure done, patients’ leg pain was reduced 79 percent, and patient satisfaction was 87 percent.

“� us far, there have not been any patients whose condition deteriorated after the procedure, which certainly can happen with back surgery,” stresses Dr. Cordner.

“The Superion is the only FDA-approved, standalone device for the treatment of moderate lumbar spinal ste-nosis. Medicare has approved it as well, and I am the only physician in Indian River County certi� ed to do this procedure.”

Nonsurgical ReliefFor Michael, Dr. Cordner was

the answer to a prayer, and the Superion

spacer was a godsend. He became one of those patients in the “satis� ed” category.

After hav ing the device implanted,

Michael’s pain is gone. He is now able to get out of his

chair and take his morning exercise walks. He can cook without leaning over his sink, and he no longer feels the aching all the way down his leg.

“It’s been a miracle for me, it truly has,” Michael raves. “I am so thankful that I found Dr. Cordner. I feel better than ever, and I no longer have to live with pain!”

Michael is back to being active and feeling more youthful. And that’s a� ected his attitude about his age as well.

He remarks, “Seventy-� ve isn’t old at all!”FHCN staff article. Product photos courtesy of Florida Pain

Management Associates. mkb

* Patient name witheld at their request.

Get back into the swing of things

Dr. Cordner welcomes your questions about pain management. To schedule a consultation, please call or visit the o� ces of Florida Pain Management Associates at one of these two locations:

Sebastian13825 US Hwy. 1

Vero Beach960 37th Place, Suite 102

(772) 388-9998

Indian River County Edition | Spring 2018 | Florida Health Care News | Page 3paIn management

(continued from page 1)

Seeing betterThe caring staff at the Center for Advanced Eye Care welcomes your questions about cataracts,

intraocular lenses to correct vision, retinal issues, glaucoma surgery and all other eye concerns. For

more information or to schedule a consultation, call or visit their offi ces in Vero Beach at:

3500 US Hwy. 1

(772) 299-1404William J. Mallon, MD, is board certi� ed by the prestigious American Board of Ophthalmology. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, East Lansing, he was awarded his medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, graduating as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Dr. Mallon served his internship at Methodist Hospital, Memphis, TN, and completed his residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, followed by a fellowship in ophthalmic plastic & reconstructive surgery in Memphis. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, and is past president of the board of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.

Adam M. Katz, MD, is board certi� ed by the prestigious American Board of Ophthalmology. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Union College in New York, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, he was awarded his medical degree from Albany Medical College, NY. Dr. Katz completed his internship in internal medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. After completing a three-year residency in ophthalmology at Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Manhattan, he went on to complete a one-year medical retina fellowship at NYU and a second two-year retina fellowship in Memphis with world-renowned retinal surgeon Steve Charles, MD. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Florida State University and was recently elected as President of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology. Dr. Katz has more than 20 years of clinical experience treating patients with retinal and vitreous disorders.

J. Michael Schnell, MD, is board certi� ed by the prestigious American Board of Ophthalmology. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Dickinson College and a Master’s degree in counseling from Colgate University, Dr. Schnell was awarded his medical degree from the University of Maryland, where he also served his medical internship and his residency in ophthalmology. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the International Association of Ocular Surgeons and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Sarah S. Khodadadeh, MD, is board certi� ed by the prestigious American Board of Ophthalmology. She received her undergraduate degree in microbiology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and her Master of Science and medical degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit. Following a one-year internship at Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn, where she served as chief resident, Dr. Khodadadeh completed her ophthalmology residency at Henry Ford Hospital. She practiced in the Midwest before returning to complete her glaucoma fellowship at Yale University. Dr. Khodadadeh serves on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Self-Assessment Committee nationally for the glaucoma division and treats patients as a comprehensive ophthalmologist and as a glaucoma specialist.

Edward S. Branigan III, MD, is board certi� ed by the prestigious American Board of Ophthalmology. He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, and then graduated from Downstate Medical Center. Following an internal medicine internship at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Branigan served as a � ight surgeon at Patrick Air Force Base. He then completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Virginia. Dr. Branigan has been practicing ophthalmology in Vero Beach for more than 30 years.

For more information, please visit the Center for Advanced Eye Care online at www.caec.info

Cataract Risk FactorsIn addition to advancing age, here are other risk factors for cataracts:

• Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other sources

• Diabetes• Hypertension• Obesity• Smoking• Nutritional defi ciency• Prolonged use of

corticosteroids

• Statin medicines to reduce cholesterol

• Previous eye injury, infl ammation or surgery

• Hormone replacement therapy

• Signifi cant alcohol consumption

• High myopia• Family history

Recently, after a new set of prescription lenses failed to bring the clarity he sought both on the golf course, where he was struggling to track his ball, and at work, where he struggled to see the computer clearly, Bill contacted Center for Advanced Eye Care.

As she did with Dr. Snell, Dr. Khodadadeh determined that cataracts were robbing Bill of the crisp, clear vision he needed. In his case, though, sim-ply removing the cataracts would not allow Bill to regain the per-fect vision he was seeking.

“Bill was special because he has a little bit of an astigmatism, which is a defect in the curvature of the cornea,” Dr. Khodadadeh explains. “The eye is not per-fectly round. For that, we have a special lens called the toric lens that corrects astigmatism.”

Adding to the challenge of correcting Bill’s vision was the fact that he su� ers from myopia, or nearsightedness.

“People who have myo-pia have very long eyes,” Dr. Khodadadeh educates. “That means they have much thinner retinas and are therefore

In Good Hands

After more than years, Bill is fi nally glasses free. 

more prone to retinal detach-ments and retinal piercings, so you have to be very careful when you do their surgery.”

To account for his astigma-tism and allow him to continue seeing objects up close the way he had, Dr. Khodadadeh chose to � t Bill with toric lenses that were measured for distant and intermediate vision.

� e results were even better than Dr. Khodadadeh antici-pated. In addition to clearing up Bill’s cloudy distant and medi-um-range vision, his near vision was improved as well, leaving him totally glasses free for the � rst time in half a century.

“� e procedure went very

well,” explains Bill, who had his right lens replaced � rst and the left two weeks later. “By the end of the day on which I had each surgery, I was seeing � ne out of whichever eye was done.

“One of the best things is that I no longer have to carry glasses around anymore. I used to wear them for everything, even reading.”

Dr. Snell is thrilled with her outcome, too.

“Suddenly, colors are so much more vibrant. � e grass is greener, the trees are brighter, the sky is bluer. It’s really an incred-ible experience.”

Dr. Snell and Bill both praise Dr. Khodadadeh for her work

and professionalism, Bill noting that “she is a very talented phy-sician who does � rst-class work. I really don’t know how the pro-cess could have gone any better.”

But it wasn’t just Dr. Snell and Bil l who were rewarded during the process. Dr. Khodadadeh says she was rewarded as well.

“I really like it when I can help other professionals in the community see better. We tend to work with a lot of profession-als in our community, and it’s very rewarding to be able to give back to other people who are also helping the community.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by

Nerissa Johnson. mkb

Page 4 | Florida Health Care News | Spring 2018 | Indian River County Edition

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

Susan SchaeferAssociate 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 PyszPhotography

Steve TurkMario Hill

Kent BoothRick BowserRobert Mize Distribution

Center for Advanced Eye CareOphthalmology

Dental Implant Center of Vero BeachDental Implants

Florida Pain Management Associates

Pain Management

HealthSouth Treasure Coast Rehabilitation Hospital

Rehabilitation

EarCare, P.A.Audiology and Hearing Aids

Simpson Advanced Chiropractic & Medical Center

Back and Neck Pain

Lake Washington Foot & AnklePodiatry

Hibiscus CourtAssisted Living Facility 9039

Regenerative Biologics InstituteStem Cell Treatment

Visiting Nurse Association of the Treasure Coast

Home Health Care

GreenMDnowMedical Marijuana

Vascular Interventional & Vein AssociatesVascular Surgery

215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 989-1330

Florida Health Care News

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

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

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OphthalmOlOgy

A higher level of comprehensive rehabilitation

servicesHealthSouth Treasure Coast Rehabilitation Hospital takes patient self-referrals and referrals by patient families or advocates. They welcome readers to tour the hospital seven days a week, no appointment required! Contact the hospital for an in-home nursing evaluation.

Vero Beach1600 37th St.

(772) 563-4070Visit them online at www.healthsouthtreasurecoast.com

L ast year, auto body special-ist George*, 62, was living a care-free, unfettered life in his native St. � omas in the

US Virgin Islands. In early July, George slipped and fell and hit his head on a rock. At the time, he underwent an MRI at the local hospital and was told he was � ne.

Two months later, Hurricane Irma hit the tranquil island, and life changed dramatically in St. � omas, George’s life was especially impacted by events on that late summer day.

“I was in my house trying to secure my stuff during the hurricane,” he shares. “Part of the roof came down and hit me on the head. I went to the hospital in St. � omas, and they found I was bleeding in my head.”

According to George’s sister, Rita*, George has difficulty recalling exactly what happened during and right after the time of the hurricane. She o� ers to � ll in some of the details.

“When the hurricane hit, George was in his house, and he witnessed windows being blown out and the roof collapsing, and he realized he lost everything,” states Rita. “He became depressed and went to his girlfriend’s house. She noticed he was acting strangely and took him to the emergency room in St. � omas. When they found bleeding in his head, they air-lifted him to a hospital in Miami.

“� e doctors there � gured that some-thing that happened to George during the hurricane – or facing the reality that he’d lost everything – had triggered the bleeding, even though his injury actually occurred two months before.”

Doctors in Miami diagnosed George with a bilateral hematoma, meaning blood was accumulating on both sides of his head. � ey quickly performed surgery to release the pressure of the blood on his brain.

“I had surgery on my head,” con� rms George. “� ey had to cut my head and put in tubes to drain the blood. I was in the hospital in Miami for about a month.”

When George was released from the hospital, Rita made arrangements to have him transferred to her home in Vero Beach, where she could care for him. He was with her about a week when he began experiencing terri-ble headaches.

“I knew something wasn’t right, so I took him to the emergency room in Vero Beach,” relates Rita. “They discovered he was bleeding in his head again, so they rushed him back to the hospital in Miami to do the surgery a second time. He stayed there another month.”

George was in critical condition following his second surgery and needed extensive rehabilitation. Rita chose the only rehabilitation hospital in the area because they would be capable of handling George’s serious situa-tion. She reached out to HealthSouth Treasure Coast Rehabilitation Hospital in Vero Beach.

“I was in bad shape when I � rst got to HealthSouth,” reports George. “I couldn’t talk or walk. I couldn’t eat. I was on a feeding tube for a long time. I didn’t even know where I was until about a week after I got there.”

Multi-Trauma TreatmentWhen George hit his head on that rock, he suffered a traumatic brain injury. A traumatic brain injury is complex, has a broad scope of symptoms and leads to a wide range of disabilities. When George arrived at HealthSouth, he had severe disabilities, and the hospital’s dedicated staff was determined to help him overcome them.

“George came to us in critical con-dition,” notes Dawn Bucaj, RN, BSN, senior rehab liaison at HealthSouth. “He had multiple systems failing. He was on feeding tubes, couldn’t walk or talk and was experiencing other common compli-cations of traumatic brain injury.

“To complement our comprehen-sive brain injury rehabilitation program, HealthSouth created a multi-trauma rehabilitation program for advanced critical care conditions. � is program provides optimal recovery for traumat-ically injured patients.”

The multi-trauma program at HealthSouth provides comprehensive rehabilitation services to keep pace with the wide range of traumatic conditions, including closed head and spinal cord injuries. The program offers a team approach to establishing an individualized plan of care based on the patient’s speci� c needs and diagnosis.

“A physiatrist, a physician who special izes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, directs the team throughout the patient’s stay,” explains Dawn. “Other members of the team include an internal medicine physician, nutritional specialist, occupational and physical therapists, rehabilitation-certified registered nurses, and respira-tory and speech therapists.

“We also work with many consult-ing physicians from the community who assist as needed to address a patient’s spe-ci� c injuries and needs.”

After George’s admiss ion to HealthSouth, when he was alert enough, he was started on the therapy portion of the program. He worked hard, and before long, he and the ther-apists started seeing improvement.

“When he woke up, George went straight into physical, occupational and speech therapy,” veri� es Rita. “� en one day, he just started blurting out words and talking again. I think he was able to do it because of the attention they gave him at HealthSouth.”

� e multi-trauma program o� ers a higher level of care than rehabilita-tion centers and nursing homes. As a hospital, HealthSouth provides daily physician visits and round-the-clock certi� ed registered nursing care to help patients reach their goals and ultimately return home quicker. Patients also work with experienced therapists who guide them toward their goals.

“Our patients deserve that level of care, and HealthSouth is the only pro-vider on the Treasure Coast who can provide it,” observes Dawn. “Patients with multi-trauma conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries, typically are admitted from a hospital. Still, it’s important that patients and families ask for HealthSouth by name.”

Independence DayGeorge’s memory of what happened that day in September may be murky, but he clearly remembers the e� ort it took to get his health back. He recalls the patience and dedication of the physicians, nurses and therapists at HealthSouth.

“� e sta� began giving me all types of therapy,” comments George. “I had everything. I had to start from scratch to learn how to eat. I finally got into a wheelchair, but I was deter-mined to walk again. It took a good month to do it.”

George was recently released and walked out of HealthSouth after more than a month in the multi-trauma

program. He’s amazed by how far he’s come with the help of the hospital’s sta� . Now, he’s back home with his sister, and he can talk, eat and walk again. He’s excited about his progress.

“Now, I do things for myself,” he enthuses. “I don’t need anybody to help me get to the bathroom, and I can put on my own clothes. I feel like I’m back. Now, I do everything to push myself to get stronger. I walk. I ride my bike. I exercise and do leg balance exercises.”

Rita is impressed by George’s come-back as well. She also credits the sta� at HealthSouth for treating him so well when he was there. � ey helped him get healthy when he started out in critical condition.

“George has really progressed,” mar-vels Rita. “While he was in the hospital in Miami, he lost a lot of weight. He went down to one hundred thirty-� ve

pounds, and this was a man who was almost two hundred pounds. I took him to the doctor this week, and he’s back up to one hundred eighty-one.

“I really believe that if it wasn’t for the cheer, love and attention they gave George at HealthSouth, he probably wouldn’t have made it. � ey gave him such good care that when he came back to my house, he said, � ose nurses were so nice. I want to do something nice for them. So, he got a cake and brought it to them as a way of saying, � ank you.”

“ I g o t w o n d e r f u l c a r e a t HealthSouth,” agrees George. “Someone was always there when I needed help. If I rang the bell, someone always came right away. HealthSouth Treasure Coast Rehabilitation Hospital is the place to go if something happens to you.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo.mkb

*Patient’s and sister’s names witheld at their request.

–Rita

“I really believe that if it wasn’t for the cheer, love and attention they gave George at HealthSouth, he probably

wouldn’t have made it.”

Multi-Trauma Program Return to independence after

life-threatening injury

Indian River County Edition | Spring 2018 | Florida Health Care News | Page 5RehabIlItatIOn

KAREN COWAN-OBERBECK, AUD, FAAA, CCC-A

BEATRICE R. MCCABE, HAS

For expert hearing care, please contact EarCare at the

following locations:

Melbourne7777 N. Wickham Rd.

Suite 21

Merritt Island250 North Courtenay Pkwy.

Suite 102

Indian Harbour Beach1875D S. Patrick Dr.

(321) 216-2997FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.EARCARE.NET

Karen Cowan-Oberbeck, AuD, FAAA, CCC-A, completed her undergraduate work at the University of South Florida, Tampa. She earned her Master of Arts degree from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, and her Doctor of Audiology degree from Nova Southeastern

University, Ft. Lauderdale. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, a fellow of the Florida Academy of Audiology, a mem-ber of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and of the Florida Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and holds current Florida teaching certi� cates in hearing-impaired K-12.

Glenn Oberbeck, NBC-HIS, is a licensed hearing instrument specialist. His specialty areas include personal communication assistance, cerumen management, audiometrics and assistive listen-ing devices. He is a member of the International Hearing Society, Florida Society of Hearing

Health Professionals, Melbourne Chamber of Commerce and Cocoa Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Age 50 is a good time to establish a hearing baseline. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, it may be time to have your hearing evaluated by an audiologist.

• Do you have trouble following the conversation when two or more people are talking at the same time?

• Do people complain that you turn the TV volume up too high?

• Do you have a problem hearing over the telephone?

• Do you have to strain to understand conversation?

• Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy background? • Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?

• Do many people you talk to seem to mumble (or not speak clearly)?

• Do you misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?

• Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?

When Should Your Hearing Be Evaluated?

Back in TouchAdvanced technology creates a plethora of new soundscapes

A fter 20 years of working her way up the corporate ladder to the position of exec-utive administrator of a large company, Diane Kaiser decided at the age of 55 to act on a longstanding desire to change

careers and move into real estate.It was around that same time that Diane, now 66,

also decided to make a major lifestyle change and get hearing aids. � e latter was a change she had contem-plated for a couple of years and one her grandchildren � nally prompted her to act on.

“I knew for a while that I had been su� ering from hearing loss,” Diane explains. “But when I could no lon-ger hear my grandkids, well, that’s when I knew I had to do something about it.”

Diane’s search for a solution to her hearing prob-lems eventually led her to EarCare, owned by Dr. Karen Cowan-Oberbeck, a board-certi� ed doctor of audiology. Diane has been a loyal customer ever since.

Throughout the past decade, Diane has worked mostly with Glenn Oberbeck, a board-certi� ed hearing instrument specialist who is well-versed in adjusting and upgrading individual’s hearing instruments to meet their expanding needs.

Glenn combined his skills and his vast knowledge of the most recent upgrades in hearing instrument tech-nology to help Diane discover a whole new world. He also helped put her back in touch with her old world.

A Technological Wonder “Hearing aids can be pretty expensive, so we try to get as much life out of them as possible,” Glenn explains. “We’re constantly making adjustments to ensure they’re working e� ciently for our patients, and Diane is a good example of that.

“We’ve been seeing Diane for about twelve years, and the hearing aids she had were about eight years old. She was de� nitely in older technology, and it was getting to the point where they just weren’t performing as well as they needed to for her.”

� e drop in performance occurred gradually, in a way Diane barely even detected at � rst. After a while, however, she noticed she was once again leaning into conversations with her right, or “good,” ear because she wasn’t hearing well enough with her left.

Even worse, she had begun to disengage herself from some conversations entirely. She began to avoid

“Thanks to these new hearing aids,

I’ve got my personality back.

I feel like I’m me again, and it’s all due to Glenn. He

absolutely rocked my world.”

- Diane

large group settings, for example, because she didn’t want to burden anyone by constantly asking them to repeat what they had just said.

“I’ve always been in Bible studies and things like that, but it got to a point where I wasn’t enjoying them anymore because I wasn’t able to hear what people were saying,” Diane relates.

“In a situation like that, where you’re all sitting around in a circle and discussing something, you don’t want to keep saying what, what all the time, so you kind of decide, Well, I’m not going to do that anymore.”

Diane, who still works regularly as a real-estate agent, sensed her hearing loss was robbing her of her sense of being. It was also beginning to a� ect her at work, where she was struggling to hear clients in per-son and on the phone.

� ankfully, Glenn had a solution. It was a solu-tion rooted in the wonders of modern technology, which is the hallmark of the ReSound LiNX 3D hear-ing aid system, the most advanced digital hearing aid system around.

ReSounding Diff erence� e ReSound system creates an environment in which the wearer can better identify speech and other sounds in noisy surroundings while maintaining a better dimension of control over all sounds, no matter the setting.

“We’re not just talking about adjusting the volume,” Glenn informs. “� e person wearing the hearing aid has individual controls over the microphone patterns, noise cancellation and manipulation of the frequency response throughout the di� erent hearing levels.

“You have the ability to actually modify the bass, the treble and the mid frequencies, and you have the ability to save that program after you’ve manipulated it so that when you get back into that environment or one with similar acoustics, you can retrieve that program.

“You can create up to twelve different custom programs, which is amaz-ing because the majority of the environments we encounter are not very difficult. But when you get into a favorite restau-rant or an auditorium, you need to be able to hear the person that’s talking. � is hearing aid can save your settings so next time you go there you can get to that optimum setting with just a click of a button.

“With previous technologies, it can be very di� -cult to communicate in some of those scenarios. But the ReSound technology even has a free app that you can download onto your phone that allows you to manipu-late the hearing aids in real time.”

� e new ReSound hearing aids are also made with Bluetooth® technology that can be connected to a smart

Diane is glad she can hear her

grandchildren clearly on the

phone

phone, thereby allowing the wearer to hear phone conversations not through the phone but through the hearing aids themselves.

Diane says she picked up on the nuances of the new technology quickly, and that her new hearing aids have allowed her to regain the lifestyle she was beginning to get away from while wearing her old hearing aids.

“When my phone rings, I hear it ring in my ears, so I’m no longer missing phone calls,” she enthuses. “I’m enjoying my Bible studies a lot more now, too.

“I have a speci� c setting on my phone for that, so when I go to the Bible study each week, I just pick that setting, and everybody’s voices are enhanced. It’s just great for large groups.

“I also like to travel and recently took a trip to Israel, where I was in a big group of people. I didn’t miss a thing. All I did was adjust the settings on my phone, and I was able to hear everything the tour guide was saying.

“� anks to Glenn and the ReSound hearing aids, I was able to hear everything and had a great time.

“� ese new hearing aids make you hear better, and what I’ve realized is that, thanks to these new hearing aids, I’ve got my personality back. I feel like I’m me again, and it’s all due to Glenn and the rest of the team at EarCare.

“He absolutely rocked my world.” FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. Photo from Pixbay.com.nj

Page 6 | Florida Health Care News | Spring 2018 | Indian River County Edition auDIOlOgy anD heaRIng aIDs

Indian River County Edition | Spring 2018 | Florida Health Care News | Page 7back anD neck paIn

LAKE WASHINGTON FOOT & ANKLEROBERT P. DUNNE, DPM, FACFAS, P.A.

Robert P. Dunne, DPM, FACFAS, i s a board-certified podiatric sur-geon and a Fellow of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons. After receiving his degree from Dr. William M. Scholl College

of Podiatric Medicine, he completed a podiatric surgical residency followed by a preceptorship at Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Dunne participates in ongoing research, including double-blinded studies for pharmaceutical trials.

Plantar WartsDon’t let them go untreated

Verruca plantaris, or plantar warts, can be painful and embarrassing.

The most common breeding grounds for plantar warts are communal showers, floors in public swimming pools, even your shower at home. Breakouts can also occur among people who share gym or athletic facilities or in settings where bare feet are the rule.

“Warts can occur on any compro-mised skin surface, but they are most common on the bottoms of the feet and on the hands,” explains board-certi� ed podiatric surgeon Robert P. Dunne, DPM, who has o� ces in Melbourne and Palm Bay. “� ey tend to invade the skin through

Are you experiencing

foot pain?Dr. Dunne welcomes the opportunity to answer your questions about plantar warts and other foot health issues. To schedule an appointment, please call

or visit one of his two offi ces:

Melbourne2717 N. Wickham Rd., #4,

Palm Bay1091 Port Malabar Road

Suite 3

(321) 253-6191

small abrasions or cuts, some that you may not even realize you have.

“� e plantar wart can be quite painful since you are putting pressure on the area by simply standing. Paring them down can often relieve some of the pressure, but a more aggressive treatment may be required.”

Dr. Dunne treats a wide variety of podiatric complaints such as fungal nails, tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), dermatitis; heel, foot and ankle pain; tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, hammer toes, bunions and other bone issues.

“� ere are several treatment options for a plantar wart, but not all are inva-sive,” the doctor reveals. “Treatments can be oral, such as Tagamet®, or topical, such as salicylic acid or retinoid cream. � ere is also a slightly invasive procedure called cryotherapy, which causes the wart to scab and fall off, or an invasive procedure, where there is an excision of the wart. Both of these procedures are done in the o� ce in just a few minutes.”

Risk Factors for Plantar Warts� ere are many risk factors for plantar warts, especially in our Florida environment.

“Age can be a factor in the development of a wart,” explains Dr. Dunne. “Children are more susceptible because they have not built up an immunity to the virus.”

Dr. Dunne accentuates that “there are several over-the-counter and home rem-edies that people can use to treat plantar warts, but we strongly caution those who

are susceptible to infection or persons with diabetes not to try these without consulting their doctor.”

People with weakened immune sys-tems are particularly susceptible to the virus, he notes. People should keep in mind that warts are contagious and, if a� ected, one should take precautions so as not to spread the virus.

Preventative measures include: not touching other people’s warts; not sharing towels, shoes or socks; wearing � ip-� ops in the shower (if a� ected, this should be at home or in a community shower setting), covering the wart to prevent exposure and not scratching or picking at the wart, which can easily cause them to spread.

Lake Washington Foot & Ankle is a comprehensive podiatric medicine clinic o� ering treatment for everything from bunions to hammertoes. “We treat ingrown toenails, warts and neuromas,” assures Dr. Dunne. “We also do clinical trials for onychomycosis [fungal toenails]

in an e� ort to � nd better and more e� ec-tive treatment for this ailment.

“Our patients come first, and we recommend they take action now if they have a problem.” Article courtesy of Lake Washington Foot & Ankle Center.nj

Treatment Options• Oral Medications• Topical Medications• Surgical Excision• Cryotherapy

H ibiscus Cour t offers luxurious senior living, including assisted living and memory care. For more information or to schedule a tour, call or visit Hibiscus Court in Melbourne at:

540 East Hibiscus Blvd.(321) 345-9830

Enjoy Retirement Living

Visit them at HibiscusCourtMelbourne.com and Facebook.com/HibiscusCourtMelbourneAssistedLiving

Shirley Bliven attributes her out-going nature to the years she worked for a major hotel chain. She’s a natural in her role as an

uno� cial ambassador for Hibiscus Court.

� ree years ago, Shirley felt her hus-band, Frank, needed memory care, and began a search for the perfect home away from home where he could get the care he needed. After searching all over Brevard County, none of them felt right.

“I was very frustrated. I was afraid I wasn’t going to � nd the right place for Frank,” Shirley shares. “� e other places were depressing.”

� en, she and her daughter stopped at Hibiscus Court.

“� e minute we opened the door, it felt like home,” Shirley describes. “I told my daughter, � is is where I want Dad to be.”

Frank initially lived in � e Garden, Hibiscus Court’s memory care com-munity, while Shirley maintained the residence she and Frank had shared. Frank thrived in his Garden apart-ment, and eventually he and Shirley moved into an assisted living apartment upstairs at Hibiscus Court.

“He was lonesome, so I gave up the residence we’d had and moved in with him three years ago,” Shirley recalls. “I’d been here four months when he passed away. I initially thought about going back to my apartment. Now, I’m happy that I didn’t because I have so many friends here, and I couldn’t be in a better place.”

Unl ike o ther communi t i e s , “Hibiscus Court specializes in accommo-dating couples requiring di� erent levels of care,” notes Alex Larson, community education director. “In Shirley’s case, her husband was able to enjoy activities in � e Garden during the day, and in the evening, they came together and were able to live in their private apartment. We also accommodate residents who have pets. We currently have many furry friends living with us.”

Prospective neighbors and their fam-ilies often meet Shirley while they tour the community, which is reminiscent of a resort-style hotel.

“Shirley has been kind enough to allow us to show families her beautiful apartment,” says Alex. “� ey love meeting Shirley and asking her questions that give them insight into all the wonderful things an assisted living community can be and speci� cally what Hibiscus Court is like.”

Maintaining Independence People transitioning from a private home are often nervous because of prevailing confusion about what an assisted living

community o� ers versus skilled nursing and rehab, Alex points out.

At Hibiscus Court, “the aim is to eat well and be cared for, be entertained, continue to have a social life, be indepen-dent and safely so.”

� e community has nearly 80 resi-dents, ranging in age from their late 50s to 103! Shirley is among those who don’t require much help with their daily routine but don’t wish to live alone.

“� ey give me my medications, and that’s about all,” she states. “I dress myself. I go to the dining room. I participate in many of the activities, both on the cam-pus and in outings to concerts and shows and even the beach, to mention a few. I’m pretty independent, but I need to be here.”

As people grow older, factors such as nutrition, mental and physical activ-ity, and social interaction become as important as medical care. � e team at Hibiscus Court places great importance on those considerations.

“If you get tired of cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and worrying about day-to-day maintenance for your home, living at Hibiscus Court is a pretty good place to have a lot of fun,” Alex stresses.

“My favorite part is watching the residents form bonds and friendships. They look out for each other and include each other in everything that’s going on,” she continues. “It’s really quite remarkable to watch them sit and talk and laugh.”

People who aren’t as social are welcome to relax in their apartment, which includes a bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette that residents are free to decorate to their taste.

Shirley, who remains eager to experi-ence all the activities and other bene� ts of Hibiscus Court, sums up what she loves about living there in one word: everything.

“Everybody is so pleasant and so helpful, and if you need assistance, they’re right there,” she enthuses. “I know I’m not alone because all I have to do is open my door, step out into the corridor and there’s a friend.”FHCN article by Annette Mardis. Photo by Nerissa Johnson.

mkb

Shirley’s busy days include doing puzzles with Alex, Betty and Irene.

Plenty of Time for Fun

Page 8 | Florida Health Care News | Spring 2018 | Indian River County Edition pODIatRy

assIsteD lIvIng FacIlIty 9039

“Jason and everyone at Regenerative Biologics Institute is very professional and accommodating.

Let me put it this way –

I trust them!” – Dick

BRETT HAAKE, DODON PORTELL, MD

MEL RICHARDSON, MDJAY JOHNSTON, MMS, PA-C

JASON GRIFFETH, MS

Regenerative Medicine to theUnique alternative to surgery for joint pain

R ichard “Dick” McCarthy is a very active senior. At 83, the Vermont native still loves to play pickleball, ride his bicy-

cle, swim and golf. � e retired history teacher and soccer coach has paid a price for his activity and longevity. For years, he battled the agony of arthritis in his knees.

“I had an aching pain in both of my knees,” he con� rms. Dick was diagnosed by his physician with osteoarthritis, which is the wear-and-tear type that generally occurs with age. Along with the destruction of the cushioning cartilage in the joints typical of osteoarthritis, the lubricating � uid, called synovial � uid, also begins to thin over time.

“Over the past four years, my orthope-dic surgeon has given me synthetic synovial � uid shots into my knees,” shares Dick. “� e � rst time he gave me the injections, the pain relief lasted about two years. � e second time, it lasted probably six months. � en, in October of last year, I had the injections done again, and that lasted three months. � ey just weren’t doing the job.

Dick was able to avoid surgery by using his own stem cells and

growth factors.

Anti-Aging ServicesRegenerative Biologics Institute also o� ers anti-aging treatments such as bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). These treatments are provided by one of the area’s top physicians, Mel Richardson, MD. Dr. Richardson has gone through extensive training to become certi� ed in BHRT and anti-aging medicine and is one of the few physicians in Florida that is dual certi� ed by both Cenegenics and the AMMG.RBI’s goal is to help patients remain healthy and functional in life for as long as possible without reliance on pharmaceuticals and major surgeries. The sta� wants to help patients live better with age using

their own bodies’ natural mechanisms.

Repairing the body a more natural way

The clinical team at Regenerative Biologics Institute has the expertise to o� er the most advanced regenerative

therapies for orthopedic conditions. For more information about the latest in

PRP and stem cell therapies, and about achieving healing and pain relief a

more natural way, please call or visit the Institute in Vero Beach at:

th TerraceSuite

(772) 492-6973

Max

Want to know more? Visit Regenerative Biologics Institute online at www.rbistemcell.com

“After that, I had a lot of pain in my knees, and I couldn’t do my activities as frequently. I used to run, but I couldn’t do that anymore. I could only play pick-leball about once a week when I normally played three times a week. Instead of rid-ing my bike three or four times a week, I’d ride maybe once or twice on a weekend. My knees just couldn’t handle it.”

Dick was told by his doctor the next step in his treatment was surgery, but Dick was not satis� ed with that advice. Instead, he kept his options open and was rewarded when he discovered an alterna-tive to surgery.

“I wanted to avoid knee replacement surgery,” he stresses, “and I heard about Regenerative Biologics Institute (RBI), and I inquired about them. I met with Jason, who was very knowledgeable. He interviewed me and suggested their spe-cial PRP and stem cell therapy.”

Dick’s interview was with Jason Gri� eth, MS, clinical director and stem cell scientist at Regenerative Biologics Institute in Vero Beach. Jason works closely with the Institute’s medical direc-tor, Brett Haake, DO, a board-certi� ed anesthesiologist and regenerative med-icine specialist. Dr. Haake, Jason and the rest of the clinical staff spent ten years optimizing Regenerative Biologics Institute’s unique treatment protocol, RegenMax™ Injection � erapy.

“RegenMax is a proprietary formu-lation of the highest-quality stem cells, platelets and other bioactive growth factors,” describes Jason. “� e cells and growth factors work together to stimulate healing in an arthritic or injured joint.

“Dick was an active senior, and was having significant pain due to bone-on-bone degenerative arthritis. He was looking for nonsurgical treatment options that would substantially reduce his pain so he could continue doing his activ-ities. We treated him with RegenMax Injection � erapy, and he like most patients had a very positive response.”

Eff ective OptionRegenMax Injection Therapy involves a brief, minimally inva-sive procedure that provides a bene� cial alternative to surgery for reducing joint pain and regenerating arthritic or injured tissue. It is o� ce based, with little or no downtime or recovery. Patients generally walk into the Institute for the injections and walk out a couple of hours later with minimal restrictions.

“It is important for people to under-stand that RBI uses the individuals’ own stem cells, platelets and growth factors when creating the formulation for their RegenMax therapy,” notes Jason. “As stem cell scientists, we do everything possible to maintain the highest stem cell viability and functionality in order to maximize

the regenerative potential for patients. It creates a real, e� ective solution to treat degenerative arthritis and joint injuries and potentially avoid major surgery.

“To perform RegenMax, we har-ness the body’s natural healing ability in the form of stem cells and platelets, con-centrate that, then put it directly into the

area of need, such as an arthritic joint. We use ultrasound or � uoroscopy to precisely guide the injections.”

Stem cells are cells that are not assigned to be a speci� c type of cell. When placed in an area and stimulated appro-priately, stem cells can develop as cells of that area, replacing the worn out or dam-aged tissue there. In joints, for example, stem cells can become cartilage cells and rebuild that deteriorated tissue. � at’s the essence of regenerative medicine.

Platelets are specialized cells found in blood. � ey are the cells responsible for clotting at the site of an injury. Platelets contain many healing substances and growth factors that can stimulate and assist stem cells in their regenerative activity.

“To harvest stem cells, we generally perform a mini-lipoaspirate on the per-son’s abdomen or � ank,” explains Jason. “During this minimally invasive proce-dure, we remove a small sample of fat tissue, which is the richest source of stem cells in the body. We get the platelets from a regular blood draw.

“The RegenMax therapy has an anti-inflammatory effect, which can reduce pain, within the � rst couple of weeks following injection. However, the real regenerative e� ects from the stem cells and growth factors take a month or more to achieve.”

In January 2017, Dick underwent his treatment at Regenerative Biologics Institute. He had a single RegenMax injection in each knee.

“RegenMax Injection � erapy was no problem,” he relates. “� e injections were similar to those for the synovial fluid, so they didn’t bother me, just a

little discomfort. After the treatment, I was able to drive

back to Melbourne Beach. Jason told me not to play pickleball for a few days. � at was on a Saturday, and I played on Tuesday with no issues.”

“Dick was told he needed knee replacement surgery,” observes Jason. “With RBI’s RegenMax Injection � erapy, he was able to avoid that and become pain free. He’s remained pain free and active a year later.”

At Full SpeedAs Jason explained, the full effects of RegenMax injection therapy aren’t appar-ent for weeks after treatment, but patients often feel some pain relief soon after the injections. Dick experienced this rapid relief early on, while the PRP, stem cells and growth factors continued to heal his damaged knees.

“I started feeling pain relief from the injections when I played pickleball on that Tuesday following the procedure,” he states.

Dick notes that his knees have gotten considerably better since his RegenMax injection therapy. And without that constant aching pain, he’s back to his activities at full speed.

“I’m back to my activities. I play golf on Mondays and Fridays, and pickleball on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and � ursdays. I bike in the morning on those days, too, and also on the weekends.”

RegenMax injection therapy resulted in a very positive outcome for Dick. Best

of all, he was able to avoid knee replacement surgery using this alternative treatment option. He is happy to recommend the Regenerative Biologics Institute to others.

“Jason and everyone at the Regenerative Biologics Institute is very professional and accommo-

dating,” he says. “Let me put it this way – I trust them!”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo courtesy of

Regenerative Biologics Institute. mkb

Indian River County Edition | Spring 2018 | Florida Health Care News | Page 9stem cell tReatment

Balancing ActFall prevention program reduces fear, risk of falling

P eggy Benton has been a nurse for more than 40 years, but during a career in which she has largely served in the

administrative and marketing areas of the profession, she has spent a lot less time on her feet than most nurses do.

Learn more about the Visiting Nurse Association on the internet at www.vnatc.com

Peggy has twice leaned on the VNA for service following knee surgery.

Visiting Nurse Association Delivering the highest

quality home health care

Vero Beach

(772) 567-5551Melbourne

(321) 752-7550

Peggy, 75, is convinced then that the reason she has twice needed to undergo left knee replacement surgery the past two years is because of normal wear and tear, her many years of jogging and plain old bad luck.

“After the � rst surgery, the x-rays they took all looked perfect, but for some reason, my knee was still slipping out of the joint,” Peggy explains. “After a few months of dealing with that, I � nally said, We’re going to have to re-do this, and the doctor agreed.”

The second knee operation has so far proved to be more successful. Nevertheless, it has left Peggy in the same precarious situation she was in following the � rst, meaning she is temporarily at a greater risk than usual for a fall.

It was her vast knowledge of the dan-gers inherent in that risk of falling that prompted Peggy to call on the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) for aid follow-ing her � rst surgery and to call on the VNA yet again following the second.

Comprehensive CareFor more than 40 years, the VNA has pro-vided comprehensive, compassionate and innovative in-home home health care to its community. Since its inception, the VNA has grown exponentially, and so has its vast array of available health care services.

� e VNA o� ers a variety of clinical disciplines in which skilled nurses pro-vide physical, occupational and speech therapy that in some cases employ the use of leading-edge equipment previ-ously available only in hospitals.

Peggy bene� tted from the VNA’s fall prevention program, which is designed for patients such as Peggy who are considered to be at a high risk for falling.

“In our fall prevention program, we have physical and occupational thera-pists go to the home and assess not only the patient’s health but also their living environment,” explains Margaret Olsen, manager of therapy services at the VNA.

“When assessing the patient, the ther-apist puts the patient through a battery of what we call standardized and validated tests that determine their level of balance and strength. � en we look to see how the patient is actually walking.

“We note whether they are using any type of device, such as a walker or a cane or whatever it might be that they came home from the hospital with. Finally, we check to make sure that throughout the home, everything is as safe as it can possibly be.”

In assessing the safety of the home, the nurses and therapists at the VNA inspect every room and suggest changes that should be made in those rooms to ensure that the risk of a fall is reduced as much as possible.

Recommendations can range from the simple elimination of a throw rug or bath mat on which the patient might stumble to the addition of night lights, grab bars in the shower or bath tub, or an elevated toilet in the bathroom.

Prevention a Priority“It’s all about safety and prevention because as we get older, and especially if you are someone who has just returned home after having surgery, the danger of a fall occurring becomes much greater,” Margaret educates.

“The statistics tell us that about a third of our patients – or people in gen-eral sixty-� ve or older – su� er a fall every year. � at number increases to about half the population for anyone around the age of eighty. And for someone that age, a fall can be devastating.

“You can fracture your hip, break your arm or even get a head injury. And should that hap-pen, it’s a big impact on your life. � at’s why the prevention part is really, really important for someone such as Peggy because one of the common things that can cause a fall is medication.”

Peggy can attest to that. She says the medications she was prescribed to keep her comfortable following each of her two knee surgeries had a tendency at times to make her woozy and therefore more sus-ceptible to a fall.

That’s one of the reasons that fol-lowing her � rst surgery, Peggy acted on the VNA’s suggestion to have grab bars installed in the shower she uses most often and to have an elevated toilet seat installed in her master bathroom.

She says the additions have been lifesavers.

“� e door to the shower that I use is wide enough to step through, so they put the bars by the door and on the wall. � ey make it easier to get in and out,” Peggy relates. “And they’re not big bars at

all. You can hardly even tell they’re there. � ey’re just perfect.

“� ey also suggested that I have an ele-vated toilet installed, and I have to say, that has really made a di� erence. It’s so much easier not only on your knees but on your hips when you don’t have to sit down so far. � e elevated height was worth the money.”

With her bathrooms already re-� t for enhanced safety, Peggy has leaned on the VNA for the care they provide through physical therapy during her latest recovery from knee surgery.

“Just as they are when they’re look-ing through the house to see what has to be done to make it safer, they’re very

thorough,” P e g g y s a y s o f the VNA’s nurses and p h y s i c a l therapists.

“� ey go over everything to make sure you’re safe with your postoperative care.”

Physical therapy sessions are always conducted in accordance with the doc-tor’s speci� c orders, but in many cases, the therapists from the VNA are free to use therapies they consider most e� ective when treating the patient.

Personalized Physical Therapy“They work on balance, pain control – whatever it is they need to get the indi-vidual back to what he or she was doing before having surgery, which we refer to as the patient’s prior level of function,” Margaret shares.

“We also bring in people who can help patients with what we call the activi-ties of daily living. If the patient needs help making meals or doing laundry, getting dressed or bathing, we have assistants who can help with all of that.”

As a working nurse, Peggy had prior knowledge of the services o� ered by the VNA before undergoing knee surgery for the � rst time. � e VNA’s reputation for superb service is one reason she twice sought their help.

“I currently work in the community wellness area, and I know that the care the VNA provides is the best you can � nd,” Peggy raves. “� ere are quite a few agencies around here like them, but they are by far the best and have been around the longest.

“Now, I can speak from personal experience when I say they do phenome-nal work. � ey helped me make my home safer, and their therapists are very atten-tive. � ey’re kind, they listen to what you have to say and they take great care of you.

“� ey even call to check up on you and make sure you’re doing well. From a strength and conditioning standpoint, they gradually increase the therapy so that you can get back on your feet and feel strong again as soon as possible.

“Everything they do is just great, and I’ve already recommended them to some friends, including a neighbor who recently had hip replacement surgery. Like me, she was just thrilled with everything they did for her.’’FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

“I can speak from personal experience when I say they do

phenomenal work.”

- Peggy

Page 10 | Florida Health Care News | Spring 2018 | Indian River County Edition hOme health caRe

Glenn Brunk’s medical nightmare started last August with a sore hip that at � rst didn’t seem very concerning.

“He wasn’t able to lift his right leg and get out of the car without holding onto something, so we thought, Oh, that’s just arthritis,” recalls Cindy, his wife of 41 years.

But an x-ray and an MRI revealed something fright-eningly more serious: bile duct cancer that had spread to Glenn’s hip, collarbone and head. Bile ducts carry bile – a liquid that helps the body digest fats – from the liver and gallbladder through the pancreas to the small intestine.

For an appointment or information, visit greenmdnow.com

Cindy is thankful Glenn is well enough to enjoy life again.

Enrique Deahora worked in the medical marijuana industry in California for ten years. He moved back to his native Florida after the state started its cannabis program in early 2017. He hopes to be able to grow and make his own medicine for his patients in the future.

A Natural, Safe AlternativeGreenMDnow operates state-licensed clinics that assist

patients with access to quali� ed physicians who can recommend cannabis to treat various conditions. For

more information, call or visit one of their o� ces:

Merritt Island2460 N. Courtenay Parkway, Suite 106

Palm Bay111 Enterprise Ave. SE, Suite 3

Kissimmee724 N. John Young Parkway

Titusville2708 Garden St.

Indialantic334 Fifth Ave., Suites 1 and 2

(321) 806-3705

Cannabis o� ers hope, relief for a variety of disorders

“� e cancer caused a tumor on his skull large enough to cause a sixth nerve palsy,” Cindy expounds. Because of damage to a nerve controlling eye movement, “his right eye would pull at random toward his nose.”

Glenn’s prognosis was grim. Chemotherapy would give him a 30 percent chance of living just nine to 15 months.

Before starting that regimen, he underwent � ve radiation sessions, which helped improve his palsy. Next came 12 weekly chemotherapy treatments that left him too sick to eat and caused his weight to drop from 205 pounds to 158.

“Chemo about killed him,” Cindy shares. “He’d drink something and throw up. He was dwindling away and in bed all the time. It was horrible.”

Glenn led an active life, working as a FedEx® courier for some 30 years, playing competitive racquetball, surf-ing and, in retirement, walking eight miles a day, tending to the lawn and doing other chores.

Cancer “brought him to his knees,” Cindy recounts. “But he was never afraid. I’m petri� ed of losing him, and he looks at me and says, Honey, there’s nothing we can do about all this. We can do everything the doctors ask, try these things we’re experimenting with and see if they’re working. But you’ve just got to chill out.”

After chemotherapy, Glenn began an immunother-apy clinical trial at Tampa’s Mo� tt Cancer Center with Opdivo®, a drug that works with his immune system to interfere with the growth and spread of cancer cells.

As word of Glenn’s health crisis spread, friends sug-gested he and Cindy consider medical marijuana and

recommended GreenMDnow, which operates state-certi� ed clinics that help patients legally obtain cannabis products.

Compassionate Cannabis LawsSince 1996, 29 states and Washington, DC have passed laws allowing medical marijuana. � e Florida Legislature passed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act in 2014 authorizing cancer and epilepsy patients to use marijuana with low amounts of THC, the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for its euphoric high.

Legal challenges and regulatory frustrations led to more legislation in Florida, including a constitutional amendment that voters approved in November 2016 to expand medical marijuana use. � e new rules took e� ect in January 2017.

While smoking is prohibited, medical marijuana can be sold as edibles (except in food products appealing to children), oils, sprays or tinctures, which are alcohol-based cannabis extracts. Vaping cartridges, especially whole-� ower products, must be in tamper-proof containers.

Glenn and other patients may access up to 70 days worth of medications at a time. Initially, GreenMDnow’s doctors will follow up between 30 to 45 days of dosing to establish the e� ectiveness of marijuana as a medi-cation for each patient and condition. Every 210 days (30 weeks), patients will complete a more in-depth follow-up to document their progress and recertify them as a candidate for medical cannabis.

Teachers, military veterans, state employees, business professionals, parents, grandparents and thousands of others use medicinal cannabis to treat a variety of conditions besides cancer, including Crohn’s disease, anxiety, muscular dystrophy and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Seasonal residents who live in Florida at least 31 straight days each year, maintain a temporary home and are registered to vote or pay income tax in another state are also eligible.

� e process begins with patients contacting a physician quali� ed by the state to recommend medical marijuana. � is can be a hurdle for patients because of the limited number of quali� ed physicians in their area. GreenMDnow helps patients get in touch with those physicians.

GreenMDnow’s sta� works with doctors currently treating the patients to review their medical history and prepare the documentation needed for the physicians to recommend cannabis as an alternative to current ther-apies. Once the patients are certi� ed, GreenMDnow’s physicians register them with the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. � is allows patients to apply for their medical marijuana identi� cation card.

GreenMDnow works with � ve dispensaries that provide home delivery of cannabis products, most com-monly tinctures and inhalation vape pens.

“We’re here to help our patients and change their world,” asserts Enrique Deahora, owner of GreenMDnow. “We want to help everybody � nd relief with a good, nat-ural alternative. We give our patients all the information they need and make them feel as comfortable as we can.

“We o� er a friendly environment,” he adds. “Our sta� is fully trained to provide all the necessary information because there are a lot of patients who don’t understand the process and what’s really going on with state law.”

Enrique started his service in March with one o� ce in Merritt Island. In July, several changes were made to Florida’s medical marijuana program to let veterans participate and to allow physicians to determine whether other debilitating conditions would bene� t from marijuana treatment. � ose changes increased the demand of patients in search of qual-i� ed physicians in order to obtain medicinal cannabis.

“After the � rst month, we were busy enough to start planning a second o� ce,” which opened at the end of September in Palm Bay, Operations Manager Joshua Nave reports. After booking an appointment with

GreenMDnow, patients meet with a sta� member who processes their information. A call center is available to handle inquiries, reschedule appointments and “con� rm anything additional that needs to be done,” Joshua states.

“We also have an o� ce manager who handles the paperwork,” he explains. “Any medical releases that need to be sent out or follow-ups with doctors to con� rm a diag-nosis are handled by that sta� member.”

Living Day by DayAfter GreenMDnow helped Glenn obtain his identi� ca-tion card, he began receiving tincture oil, edible cannabis

and CBD hemp oils. CBD, like THC, is a chemical compound secreted by cannabis � owers that provides relief for pain, nausea, in� ammation and other symptoms.

Since Glenn started on medical marijuana and immunotherapy, “the lesions on his skull that are moni-tored through CT scans every eight weeks have decreased by forty-four percent,” Cindy marvels. “So he’s responding to something.”

“We really don’t know if the medical marijuana is doing it or the new immunother-apy,” Glenn points out.

The Brunks just know that what he’s doing is working and don’t want to change anything that has contributed to what Cindy calls his “amazing” rebound.

“Glenn’s happy he gets out of bed every day,” she adds. “He was housebound for a while, and now he can go to the store for me or drop me o� at work.”

“My goal is to live day by day,” Glenn says. “Everything is getting better. I got o� the chemo, thank God, and will never go back to it. With the medical marijuana, it’s like day and night. I can do the yard now. I can pretty much do everything I did before I got sick.

“It brought me back to life,” he concludes.FHCN article by Annette Mardis. Photo by Nerissa Johnson. mkb

Medical Marijuana These conditions qualify under the Florida Medical Marijuana Program:

Other debilitating conditions of the same type or class

• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)

• Anxiety• Arthritis• Cancer• Crohn’s disease• Chronic abdominal

pain• Cyclical vomiting

syndrome• Epilepsy• Glaucoma

• HIV• Irritable bowel

syndrome • Multiple sclerosis• Muscular dystrophy• Parkinson’s disease• Post-traumatic stress

disorder• Seizures• Spasticity• Severe nausea

Indian River County Edition | Spring 2018 | Florida Health Care News | Page 11meDIcal maRIjuana

Page 12 | Florida Health Care News | Spring 2018 | Indian River County Edition vasculaR suRgeRy