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North and Central Pinellas County Edition

FEATURED ARTICLES

Fall 2018

Infinity Medical Institute

Feel Younger, Stronger and Sexier

6

2Lid Lifter

Noel S. Tenenbaum,

MD, P.A.

12Relative Wonders

Knoblach Hearing

Care

(see A Matter of Trust, page 4)

A Matter

of Trust

Glaucoma specialist turns to noted colleague to perform his cataract surgery

G laucoma specialist Jeffrey Schwartz, MD, is currently celebrating his 30th year as a member of the team of

vision care experts at � e Eye Institute of West Florida. It’s a celebration that got o� to a rather interesting beginning.

In early January, Dr. Schwartz noticed he was no longer seeing as clearly as he was accustomed to out of his right eye, which had long been the eye that needed the stronger prescrip-tion contact or eye glass lens to bring his overall vision to 20/20.

“I wear contact lenses about 90-percent of the time, the major excep-tion being when I operate,’’ Dr. Schwartz explains. “When I operate, I don’t wear con-tact lenses or glasses, because I can see better through the microscope without them.

“What I noticed, however, was that with or without my contact lenses or glasses – and my glasses were fairly new at the time - I wasn’t seeing as well out of my right eye as I was out of my left eye. Naturally, that concerned me a little bit.”

Dr. Schwartz’s concerns prompted him to get a routine eye examination, which showed that the vision in his right eye had indeed deteriorated a bit. A new pair of glasses did not correct the problem, however.

“� at’s when I began to assume the worst,’’ Dr. Schwartz reveals. “I was worried I might have a retina problem or possibly even glaucoma. � ankfully, further examinations showed there was no pathology. What there was, however, was a cataract.”

A Natural OccurrenceCataracts develop naturally as a result of either a breakdown of the eye’s lens � bers or a clumping of the eye’s proteins or both. � ey usually result in blurred vision, an increase in the eye’s sensitiv-ity to light and or a reduction in the vibrancy of colors.

� ere is no known way to prevent or slow the development of cataracts, which typically form as part of the natural aging process. But surgery to remove cataracts has become one of the more common procedures in all of medicine.

More than 4 million cataract sur-geries are performed each year in the United States alone, and up until about five years ago Dr. Schwartz was per-forming some cataract surgery at � e Eye Institute of West Florida. However, cataract surgery has become more sophisticated with advanced techniques, specialized laser technologies and cus-tomized intraocular lens solutions.

He has since turned those duties over to other physicians at the practice, so after learning of his diagnosis and deciding he needed to correct the problem immedi-ately, he knew exactly whom he wanted to perform his surgery.

“I’m an unusual patient in that I have knowledge that most people don’t have about cataract surgery,” Dr. Schwartz reveals. “� at’s why I always recommend that people opting for cataract surgery see someone who specializes solely in refractive cataract surgery.”

“I believe experience and technology lead to the best outcome,” Dr. Schwartz reveals. “And I know for certain that � e Eye Institute of West Florida has not only the most experienced surgeons but the state of the art technology that allows for that outcome.”

An Honor and a PrivilegeOne of those surgeons is Robert J. Weinstock, MD, a board-certified, fellowship-trained cataract and refractive surgeon who has been practicing at � e Eye Institute of West Florida since 2001 and is now the Director of Cataract and Refractive Services at the center.

Dr. Weinstock has performed cataract surgery on many fellow eye surgeons and physicians, but he says it was a special honor to be chosen by Dr. Schwartz to perform a procedure so important to his life and his life’s work.

“It’s a very high compliment, one of the highest compliments an eye surgeon

Dr. Je� rey Schwartz

STEPHEN M. WEINSTOCK, MD, FACSJEFFREY S. SCHWARTZ, MD

LEONARD S. KIRSCH, MD, FRCS (C)RICHARD J. HAIRSTON, MD, FACS

ROBERT J. WEINSTOCK, MDKEVIN C. GREENIDGE, MD, MPH, FACS

NEEL R. DESAI, MDJASMINE MOHADJER, MD

JANIE A. HO, MDVASILIOS F. DIAKONIS, MDSANDRA M. JOHNSON, MD

STEVEN F. KANE, MD

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Pinellas Health Care News

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A PUBLICATION OF FLORIDA HEALTH CARE NEWS, INC.

NOEL S. TENENBAUM, MD, P.A.

Learn more at www.drnoeltenenbaum.com

Noel S. Tenenbaum, MD, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He graduated Cum Laude with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Union College in Schenectady, New York and received his medical training at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Dr. Tenenbaum completed his � ve-year general surgery residency in 1991 at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY. He completed his plastic surgery residency at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was awarded fellowship training in aesthetic and craniofa-cial surgery under the direction of Dr. Daniel Marchac in Paris, France. Dr. Tenenbaum

has published 13 articles in medical journals and publications, and his studies have been presented at 13 medical conferences and scienti� c meetings.

Dr. Tenenbaum provides an array of professional surgical and nonsurgical

services, including: � Smartlipo Triplex � Facelifts & Facial Rejuvenation � Upper & Lower Eyelid Lifts � Breast Augmentation � Breast Reductions � Breast Lift � Abdominoplasty � PicoSure® Laser Tattoo Removal � Dermal Fillers � Dysport® � Chemical Peels

Be Your Best Self

Dr. Noel S. Tenenbaum has established himself as a leader in the cosmetic surgery and body contouring field. If you are ready to transform your body and find the self-confidence you’ve been dreaming of, call or visit his o� ce in Dunedin at:

2323 Curlew Rd.Suite 6B

(727) 786-6921

Before After

A ngela van den Ham is an early riser. Always has been. Since she was a little girl growing up and working on her family’s

horse and cattle ranch outside of Ottawa, Canada, she has made a habit of starting her day long before the crack of dawn.And for a while, at least, it looked like it.

Angela, 43, has the energy of an untamed mustang. She also has a zest for life and her fast-growing pet grooming business that is virtually unmatched. As she moved into her 40s, however, she often looked to others as if she needed a good long nap.

“I get up each morning, excited and eager to conquer the world, grow my business and have a fantastic day and life, but because of my genetics, I’ve always felt like my eyes looked tired because there was excess skin over them,” Angela reveals.

“� at’s something my father and my mother have both had to deal with as well. � ey’re both very active, healthy people, but as far as aging goes they’ve always looked much older than they really are. I recently felt that was begin-ning to happen to me.

“People who know me, know that I’m a super-energetic and happy person, but the face that was looking back at them looked tired, with tired, droopy eyes, and I just got frustrated hearing that word tired all the time.”

Not only did the problem leave Angela frustrated, it left her concerned about her business. Her worry was that clients might fear she was either too exhausted or not enthused about taking care of their pets.

“No one wants to go to someone who looks exhausted all the time,” Angela con� des. “It’s not a warm feeling. Someone in my position

should look energetic and refreshed, not as if they’re being burdened, so I decided I needed to do something.”

Angela began her search for a special-ist who could alleviate her problem by scour-ing the internet for cosmetic surgeons in her area. It wasn’t long after she began her search, though, that the doctor she needed found her.

“He’s actua l ly a client of mine,” Angela says of Noel

S. Tenenbaum, MD. “He brought his beautiful cat to me a while back to be groomed, and one day we got to talking about this problem that I have and I really liked his approach.

“I never got the feeling that he was trying to sell me something or push me into it. In fact, he was saying just the opposite, he didn’t think I was at the point yet where I needed to have surgery. He actually tried to talk me out of it.

“He said, I think you’re being too hard on yourself and that maybe in a couple of years you might need this, so I pretty much had to insist. He � nally said, OK, I’ll do it, and I can promise you it will look great and you’ll be very happy with the results.”

Eliminate the ExcessThe surgery in which excess skin is removed from either the upper or lower eyelid is called blepharoplasty, and it can be performed on both eyes in about an hour under local anesthesia right in the doctor’s o� ce, Dr. Tenenbaum explains.

� e procedure is usually done for cosmetic reasons, but in severe cases, particularly with much older patients, it is done to improve vision. In all cases, Dr. Tenenbaum begins the process by marking out the excess skin or fat pads he intends to remove.

“Some patients will take a mild oral sedative such as Xanax or Valium ahead of time just to relax them a little bit, and once we’ve marked out the areas where we’re going to be removing the excess, we’ll apply a local anesthetic,” the doctor adds.

“After we’ve applied the anesthetic, we’ll wait for a few minutes to allow it to become fully e� ective, and then the excess skin in the upper eye-lids and any k ind of fa t that’s excessive underneath the skin is removed and cauterized.

“We then suture the incisions, and after the upper eyelid’s done, the lower eyelids are done in a similar fashion. In both cases, there’s a tiny little incision that only leaves a really � ne delicate scar.”

Angela was having cosmetic surgery performed on her for the � rst time when she had her eyes done. As a result, she opted to have her upper eyelids done � rst and then waited to see the results before scheduling an appointment for the lower lids.

� at’s typical of patients having their � rst procedure, Dr. Tenenbaum says.

“Anybody that’s doing cosmetic surgery on their face for the � rst time is a little bit nervous and anxious, and

they’ve no doubt heard di� erent reports and stories that suggest it can be a horri� c experience,” Dr. Tenenbaum notes.

“That’s why some people will dip their toe in the water and try one pro-cedure, while other people will go full steam ahead with everything all at once. It varies. � ere’s never any pressure from me to go one way or the other.”

Blepharoplasty is just one of a growing number of minimally- or non-invasive short-recovery procedures that Dr. Tenenbaum does in his o� ce while the patient is awake that leads to incredible results, which is how Angela describes her outcome.

Perfectly Precise“� ere was no pain, and while there was some swelling and bruising, it was very minimal, nothing that stopped me from working or interfered with my life in any way,” Angela reports. “And the sutures were perfect.

“I’ve sewn sutures before on dogs and it’s not easy, but his were tiny and perfectly spaced. He really took the time to do it right, and the precision of the work that he did was phenomenal. It wasn’t hurry up, get it done, I’ll see you in a week.

“You can tell he really prides him-self on doing beautiful work, and I was absolutely thrilled with the results. No one really knows I’ve had this done, but as far as people asking me all the time, Are you tired? Are you OK? it’s de� -nitely stopped that.”

It didn’t stop Angela’s visits to Dr. Tenenbaum. She returned to have her lower eyelids done a few weeks later and has since seen him to have some excess fat removed from her neck and chin and for breast augmentation.

“Having the chin and neck lift was a huge leap of faith for me, but after seeing what Dr. Tenebaum did for my eyes, I have such com-

plete faith in him that I would trust him to do anything,” Angela raves.

“I’ve received nothing but comple-ments about the work I’ve had done. I have a lot of friends that have plastic surgeons, and we’ve discussed the industry a lot and there’s no doubt in my mind that the quality of Dr. Tenenbaum’s work sets him apart from all the rest.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by Jordan Pysz.

Before and after images courtesy of Angela van den Ham.mkb

Eyelid surgery has given Angela the lively, spirited look that matches her personality and lifestyle.

“He really took the time to do it right,

and the precision of the work that he did was phenomenal.”

– Angela

In-o� ce procedure eliminates tired,

droopy-looking eyes

Page 2 | Pinellas Health Care News | Fall 2018 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition plastic & RecOnstRuctive suRgeRy

Five months ago, Anna Nico caught a miserable cold. With it she developed a deep, intense cough. She realized it was a

complication of the cold with her exist-ing breathing problems. What she didn’t understand was why her back hurt so badly every time she coughed.

“I couldn’t pinpoint the pain, but it was awful. It felt like my whole back was on � re,” she describes. “Each time I coughed, I got this pounding pain in my back. It was like I was su� ocating.

“The pain was excruciating, and I couldn’t get out of bed. One time, it took my husband and son thirty-� ve minutes to get me up. After that, I slept in a chair for four months.

“I went to my lung doctor, who gave me something for my cough. When I explained about my back pain, he told me I needed to get it checked out; it didn’t sound like it was related to the cough. He gave me a prescription, and I went and got an x-ray.”

� e x-ray showed A n n a’s p r o b l e m clearly. She had two compression fractures in her thoracic verte-brae. A compression fracture is a break in a spinal vertebra, which collapses onto the one below it. As a result, spinal nerves get pinched, causing pain and weakness.

Right away, Anna sought help from the doctor who’d been treating her sciat-ica pain, Gerald E. Trimble, MD, who is a board-certified pain management practitioner. His practice is Minimally Invasive Spine Care, which has o� ces in St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

Identifying the SourceAfter consulting Dr. Trimble about her back pain, he con� rmed Anna su� ered from vertebral compression fractures. Dr. Trimble typically treats the fracture

MINIMALLY INVASIVE SPINE CAREOFFERED BY THE DOCTORS AT

WEST FLORIDA PAIN MANAGEMENT, P.A.

GERALD E. TRIMBLE, MD

MISC

For more information, please visit www.west� painmanagement.com

D r. Tr i m b l e w e l c o m e s questions regarding the management of chronic pain. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call or visit one of his o� ces:

Clearwater1831 N. Belcher Rd.

Suite A2

St. Petersburg603 7th St. South

Suite 320

(727) 553-7313

Help For Your Pain

Gerald E. Trimble, MD, is board certi� ed by the American Board of Anesthesiology, specializing in pain management. After receiving his medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine, he completed a transitional internship at Michigan State University and Edward W. Sparrow Hospital and a residency in anesthesiology at the University of South Florida, where he served as chief resident and was awarded a fellowship in pain management. Dr. Trimble was awarded a certi� cate of additional quali� cation in pain management by the American Board of Anesthesiology. He is

a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiologists, and a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Florida Society of Anesthesiologists and American Society of Regional Anesthesia, and has published and lectured on numerous pain management topics.

Three valuable

advantages of kyphoplasty

with conservative measures, such as a back brace or management through medication.

“Vertebral fractures can sometimes be treated conservatively,” con� rms Dr. Trimble, “because some will eventually heal on their own. With a patient whose symptoms are mild, or who is essentially asymptomatic, we prescribe a back brace to postpone or elimi-nate the need for additional treatment.

“If the fracture compresses further – or if the patient does not improve – we don’t hesitate to recommend taking more aggressive action to alleviate the pain.”

To some degree, acute pain can be bene� cial, observes Dr. Trimble. It serves as a warning signal that a medical con-dition needs to be addressed. “Chronic pain, however, serves no purpose except to make you uncomfortable – even miserable,” he elaborates.

“At our practice, we view chronic pain as a disease process, not merely a symp-tom to be tolerated as part of an underlying

condition. Our first objective is always to determine where the pain originates and then apply specific techniques to treat it.

“ O n c e t h e source of pain – the pain generator – has been identi-� ed, the underlying pain mechanism is addressed and the treatment sched-uled. In each case, we approach pain relief with the least invasive methods available, with the

goal of postponing – or even eliminat-ing – the need for invasive surgery.”

“Dr. Trimble checked my x-ray and ordered other tests, including blood work. He’s very thorough,” notes Anna. “He’s also very compassionate and understanding, and he knows what he’s doing. He decided to do an injection procedure on me.”

� e procedure he chose stabilizes the fracture and eases pain. It’s called kyphoplasty.

Re� ned TechniqueDr. Trimble reports that newer technology enables surgeons to provide a fast, e� ective solution to vertebral compression fractures.

“We now o� er kyphoplasty, which is proving to be valuable in three key areas – providing signi� cant pain relief, stabilizing the fracture and re-establishing much of the lost vertebral body height.”

Kyphoplasty is actually a re� nement of a procedure called vertebroplasty, and offers additional advantages. During kyphoplasty, a balloon is inserted into the fractured vertebra that elevates the com-pressed bone. � is helps return the spine to a more natural position. � e newly created space allows for the injection of fast-drying bone cement, which helps achieve the correction in the deformity of the vertebra.

“As we in� ate the balloon, we can often reproduce much of the height in the bone,”

informs Dr. Trimble. “� e other advantage to the balloon is that it pushes the healthy bone to the periphery, leaving a cavity that can then be � lled with bone cement.”

“During the procedure, Dr. Trimble told me exactly what he was doing,” states Anna. “He said, Now you’re going to feel a little pinch. Don’t worry about it. It’s going to be okay. I felt a little pinch when the needle went in, and that was it. � e procedure wasn’t painful.”

The doctor adds that kyphoplasty is an improvement over its predecessor, vertebroplasty.

“Vertebroplasty is an injection of cement without in� ating a balloon into the area � rst,” he explains. “It doesn’t attempt to correct the deformity. Secondly, vertebroplasty requires us to put slightly more pressure on the cement in order to get it between the cracks of the fracture. Consequently, I prefer kyphoplasty to vertebroplasty.

“With kyphoplasty, the bone cement hardens quickly, stabilizing the fracture, and the stability from the cement o� ers signi� cant pain relief for

the patient – usually within hours of the procedure or even sooner.”

Up and RunningKyphoplasty was an excellent option for Anna. Now when she coughs, she doesn’t feel the � ery pain in her back. Like many patients, she felt relief quickly and was soon able to be active again.

“After the procedure, I went home and I was walking,” she enthuses. “� e nurses told me to put ice on my back, so I did, and it was � ne. I was up and run-ning the next day. Before the kyphoplasty, my pain ranked about a nine out of ten. Afterward, it was zero.”

Today, Anna sleeps in a bed. She suf-fers minor discomfort in her back, but it’s likely related to the osteoporosis she battles. Osteoporosis puts her at risk for additional compression fractures. If that happens, she knows the right treatment and where to get it.

“I really like Minimally Invasive Spine Care and Dr. Trimble,” she says. “I’d recommend him to anyone!” FHCN staff article. Photo by Jordan Pysz. nj

After kyphoplasty, Anna can play for hours without pain.

“Before the kyphoplasty,

my pain ranked about a nine out

of ten. Afterward,

it was zero.”

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2018 | Pinellas Health Care News | Page 3minimally invasive spine caRe

can receive, to have another eye surgeon say they trust you with their vision,’’ Dr. Weinstock says. “It comes with a great deal of responsibility.

“And in the case of Dr. Schwartz, well, this is a practicing ophthalmologist who does microscopic eye sur-gery. When you consider how detailed his vision needs to be, you realize it’s not just his well-being that’s at stake but the well-being of his patients.

“� at’s why we decided not to wait to do his surgery. His cataract was mild, one that other people who don’t require such perfect vision for their job could have waited to correct.

“But with Dr. Schwartz, when you consider his line of work, it was critical that we do the surgery sooner rather than later, so he could perform glau-coma surgery on his patients.”

A Matter

of Trust

(continued from page 1)

For more information, please visit www.eyespecialist.com

The caring sta� members of The Eye Institute of

West Florida welcome your questions. To schedule

an appointment, please contact The Eye Institute of West Florida at these convenient locations:

Largo1225 West Bay Drive

Clearwater3165 McMullen-

Booth RoadBuilding A, Suite 1

St. Petersburg6133 Central Ave.

Tampa501 N. Howard Ave.,

Suite 100

Tampa11925 Sheldon Road

(727) 914-5064

Stephen M. Weinstock, MD, FACS, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist, specializing in refractive cataract surgery. He founded The Eye Institute of West Florida in 1974, pioneering subspecialty eye care in Pinellas County. Today, as President and Medical Director, Dr. Weinstock is recognized as a world-renowned cataract and LASIK surgeon. He is one of the few surgeons in the country certi� ed by the American Board of Eye Surgery in both cataract and LASIK surgery. Dr. Weinstock is also an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida

Robert J. Weinstock, MD, is a board-certi� ed, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist, specializing in cataract, LASIK and refractive sur-gery. Dr. Weinstock joined the practice in 2001. He is the Director of Cataract and Refractive Services at The Eye Institute of West Florida and The Weinstock Laser Eye Center. He also serves as the Surgical Director of the Largo Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is the Chief Medical Editor of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today. In addition to performing thousands of vision-correcting cataract and LASIK procedures each year, Dr. Weinstock speaks and teaches nationally and internationally on customized cataract surgery and surgical

innovations. He is continuously engaged in clinical research to evaluate new technology. He has authored multiple book chapters on cataract surgery and continues to write many journal articles on cataract and refractive surgery. Dr. Weinstock is also an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida.

Je� rey S. Schwartz, MD, is the � rst full-time, board-certi� ed, fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist in Pinellas County. He has been with The Eye Institute since 1988. His practice is limited to diagnosis, treatment, laser therapy and surgery of patients with glaucoma and other related diseases. Dr. Schwartz completed his residency at The University of South Florida and his glaucoma fellowship at the prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. He is active in medical research and has made major contributions in the treatment and management of glaucoma. Dr. Schwartz is cer-ti� ed by the American Board of Ophthalmology, He serves as the

medical consultant to pharmaceutical companies in the search for more e� ective glaucoma medications. Dr. Schwartz is on the Board of Directors and is the Medical Consultant for the Lighthouse of Pinellas and has served as the Medical Director for a number of health care plans.

CATARACT Risk Factors

Customized Cataract Consultations

The Eye Institute of West Florida has set aside

special cataract consults for Pinellas Health Care News readers. Just call

and mention this article for one of these special

appointments:

(727) 914-5064

When Dr. Schwartz (left) learned he needed cataract surgery, he trusted his friend and associate Dr. Weinstock (right) to do the job.

Once the decision was made to have the surgery, Dr. Schwartz had to decide on the type of lens to use. On the advice of Dr. Weinstock, he chose a monofocal lens designed to improve his distance vision and laser astigmatism correction at the same time.

“We didn’t want to go with a

bifocal or multifocal lens because with his occupation, we need all light rays focusing together,’’ Dr. Weinstock says. “We were also treating just the one eye, and that plays a part in that decision as well.

“� e brain doesn’t tolerate it very well when you have a mul-tifocal implant in one eye and your natural lens or a mono-focal in the other. So, we chose a lens

that provides very high contrast, crystal clear optics and great dis-tance vision.”

Rolling Back the YearsDr. Weinstock performed the surgery using a laser to correct Dr. Schwartz’s astigmatism and soften the old lens. He then used a special machine called the

ORA to ensure Dr. Schwartz was left with the clearest vision possible.

“The ORA measures the eye once the cataract is out and gives us information about the pre-scription of the

eye and which exact power lens is going to match up well with that eye,” Dr. Weinstock informs.

� e surgery was performed late on a � ursday. By Friday, Dr. Schwartz says he was seeing 20/20 out of his right eye with-out glasses or contact lenses. By the following Monday, he was back at work and seeing better than he had in years.

“By the time I returned to work on Monday, my eye was not red or irritated in any way and my vision had returned to what it was fifteen or twenty years ago,’’ Dr. Schwartz relates. “And I just can’t tell you how much that changes your life.

“When I get up in the morning now my vision is crisp and clear, and colors are much brighter. And I had only a mild cataract. Still, the di� erence it has made having that cataract removed has been drastic.

“With every patient I speak to now who is consid-ering having cataract surgery, I tell them, Look at my eye, because a month ago now I had cataract surgery and now I’m seeing as clear as I’ve seen since I was a kid.

“It’s a painless, easy opera-tion that changes your quality of life like no other operation in existence. And when you have a specialist such as Dr. Weinstock perform that surgery with the science and technology we have now, you can and should expect incredible outcomes.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photos by

Jordan Pysz. mkb

“It’s a painless, easy operation

that changes your quality of life like no other operation in existence.”

– Dr. Schwartz

See For Yourself

• Advancing age

• Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other sources

• Diabetes

• Hypertension

• Obesity

• Smoking

• Nutritional de� ciency

• Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications

• Statin medicines used to reduce cholesterol

• Previous eye injury, in� ammation or surgery

• Hormone replacement therapy

• Signi� cant alcohol consumption

• High myopia

• Family history

Page 4 | Pinellas Health Care News | Fall 2018 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition

Barry LevineExecutive Publisher

Gina L. d’AngeloCFO/HR

Roy CummingsEditorial Supervisor

Michelle BrooksCreative Director

Brian LevineProject Coordinator

Patti DiPanfiloEditorial Staff

Laura EngelProduction Assistant

Nerissa JohnsonGraphic Designer

Nerissa JohnsonJordan PyszPhotography

Steve TurkMario Hill

Kent BoothRobert Mize

Peter Crochet Distribution

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Noel S. Tenenbaum, MD, P.A.Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

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Infinity Medical InstituteBio-Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy

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Regenerative Orthopedic InstituteStem Cell Therapy/ Pain Management

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215 Bullard ParkwayTemple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 989-1330

Pinellas Health Care News

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Fall 2018

OphthalmOlOgy

See educational videos at www.CoastalJaw.com

1. High school class president and valedictorian2. Summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa – The

Ohio State University3. Completed dental degree with honors from

Ohio State College of Dentistry4. Board-certi� ed oral and maxillofacial surgeon5. Diplomate, American Board of Oral and

Maxillofacial Surgery

6. Diplomate, American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry

7. Diplomate, International Congress of Oral Implantologists

8. Has completed over 5,000 hours of continu-ing studies

9. Aaron Gershko� Memorial Award for out-standing contributions in implant dentistry

10. Founded Coastal Jaw Surgery (1983)11. Has placed more than 20,000 dental implants12. First in Tampa Bay area to acquire cone beam

computed tomography equipment13. Founder of the Pikos Institute14. Has taught more than 3,500 dentists – at least

one from 43 di� erent countries and each of the 50 United States – surgical techniques relating to dental implants, bone grafting and soft-tissue grafting

15. Named Dentistry Today Leader in continuing education 2008 – 2017

16. Founder of Pinnacle Study Club in 198817. Scientific board member of Implant News

Magazine18. International educator and lecturer on dental

implant reconstruction

19. Serves on the Editorial Board of the following journals: Implant Dentistry, Inside Dentistry, the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry and the Journal of Implant and Advanced Clinical Dentistry

20. Consultant for international surgical and regenerative technology-based companies

21. Adjunct Assistant Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, and Nova Southeastern University School of Medicine; Courtesy Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Periodontics, University of Florida College of Dentistry; and Courtesy Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, University of Florida College of Dentistry

22. Named Health Care Hero by Tampa Bay Business Journal

23. Direct a� liation with Sheri� ’s Youth Ranch, Gulf Coast Dental Outreach and St. Jude’s Research Hospital

24. Advisor to the Board for the Shepherd Center of Tarpon Springs, Florida

25. Recipient of the 2015 Saul Schluger Award for Top Educator Seattle Study Club

Facts You Need to Know About Dr. Pikos

MICHAEL A. PIKOS, DDSJOSÉ F. LÁZARO, DMD

KENNETH L. ANDERSON, DDSLINDSEY PIKOS ROSATI, DDS

PHILIP J. HEDGER, DMD

Palm Harbor 2711 Tampa Rd.

(727) 786-1631

Trinity 8845 Hawbuck Street(727) 375-0469

Same Day Teeth8740 Mitchell Blvd.

(800) NEW-LOOKOutside Florida:

(727) 877-0011

Spring Hill 4372 Commercial Way, Ste. 4

(352) 596-6804Call today for a complimentary

consultation and a CT scan.

Improve Your Bite!Coastal Jaw Surgery, The Center for Dental Implants/Facial & Oral Reconstruction, welcomes calls regarding this article and other oral surgical topics. For a free brochure about dental implants or to schedule a consultation visit, please call any of their locations:

Doing It DigitallySmile restored using dental implants with Same Day Teeth®

The threat of severe dental health issues has long loomed over Brooklyn, New York native Cira Stang. For years, dentists

warned the now 86-year-old about dete-riorating gum disease and the impact the condition could eventually have on her teeth.

By 2016, her smile was indeed devastated.

“As I got older, my gum problems got worse, just like the dentists said it would,” she shares. “My teeth weakened and started falling out. I ended up with only eleven teeth in my mouth, six on the top and � ve on the bottom.

“My diet consisted of soup and pasta, things I could swallow without chewing because I had no molars. I’m a happy per-son, but it was very di� cult to smile in front of people because all they could see was two teeth in the front and nothing else.”

Determined to regain her healthy smile, Cira was disappointed when the � rst dentist she consulted on the matter told her that the remaining teeth needed to be removed but said she was not a candidate for dental implants to secure a denture due to bone loss in her lower jaw. Cira sought a second opinion, and that dentist said he would do the implants, but wanted a surgical consultation.

“He said I had to be interviewed by a surgeon before he would do the implants,” con� rms Cira. “He gave me the names of some surgeons, but he indi-cated that Dr. Pikos was the best.”

� e surgeon recommended to Cira was board-certi� ed oral and maxillofacial surgeon Michael A. Pikos, DDS, of Coastal

Jaw Surgery. Dr. Pikos is a global leader in dental implants and surgical reconstruc-tion. In addition to his stellar reputation, he is also known for his unique process for smile restoration called Same Day Teeth.

Cira liked Dr. Pikos immediately and chose to stay with him for her resto-ration treatment.

“I was very comfortable with Dr. Pikos,” she relates. “He made me a full upper denture, performed surgery and put dental implants in my bottom jaw. � en he put the temporary teeth in immediately.”

Virtual to RealityMany dental practices offer dental implants, but Coastal Jaw Surgery sets itself apart by using an advanced approach. Unlike most others, the dentists at Coastal Jaw Surgery use a fully digital process for planning and performing implant surgery.

“We use a computer software-based approach,” veri� es Dr. Pikos. “Our diag-nostic work is done this way, and our treatment is carried out using models and guides created by the software.

“We begin the process by taking impressions of the patient’s mouth and getting a cone beam CT scan. � at infor-

mation is introduced into the software at the lab we use in Reno, Nevada. We then have an online meeting with myself, the restorative dentist and the lab.”

During that meeting, all of the data on the patient is combined. Using that information, the software simu-lates the final result and identifies the steps to achieve it.

� e results of the simulation include a view of the � nal result’s appearance. � ey also indicate the types of implants required as far as length and diameter, and the proper placement locations for the implants.

“All of that is predetermined,” says Dr. Pikos. “We begin with the end in mind and literally work backward. Most dentists do the process di� erently, using an analog approach as opposed to our all-digital process.”

To a s s i s t Dr. Pikos further, the lab creates a detailed, three-dimensional model of the patient’s mouth, and per-forms the implant surgery on it. From this, the lab creates very precise sur-gical guides that detail the steps of the surgery.

“The guides act like a � ight sim-ulator and allow me to perform the surgery virtually,” notes Dr. Pikos. “It’s like doing the surgery in my mind. Then, on the day of surgery, my brain links the virtual with reality. My brain thinks I already performed the surgery, which technically I did. Because of that extra, virtual step, the surgery goes perfectly.

“In addition to making a full upper denture, I put five implants in Cira’s bottom jaw, and they hold a twelve-tooth bridge. For Cira, we knew ahead of her procedure what we needed to do to achieve an excellent result with our Same Day Teeth process: a brilliant smile and full function.”

Wonderful Feeling� e Same Day Teeth process wasn’t dif-ficult at all, Cira reports. She received temporary teeth the day of the procedure, and has since received permanent dentures. She couldn’t be happier with the results.

“It’s wonderful to be able to eat steak, chicken wings and pork chops again,” Cira enthuses. “� ere’s no limit to what I can eat. My dentures also look natural. � e color matches my skin tone.”

Before Same Day Teeth, Cira was ashamed of her teeth and hesitant to smile. Now, she’s proud to show o� her new teeth.

“I’m happy with my smile now,” she comments. “I smile all the time.”

She credits the dentist and his process for her excellent results.

“I recommend Dr. Pikos and Coastal Jaw Surgery, as well as their Same Day Teeth process, one hundred percent,” offers Cira. “I was comfortable with Dr. Pikos, and his sta� made me feel like I was family. I de� nitely recommend them. Dr. Pikos is a saint on earth!”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz.

Before and after images courtesy of Coastal Jaw Surgery.mkb

BEFORE AFTER

Cira is proud to show o� her new smile.

are a� liated with � ve area hospitals and are members and o� cers of numerous professional organizations, including the Florida Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons; American and Florida Dental Societies of Anesthesiology; American, Florida, West Coast, West Pasco, Upper Pinellas, and Hernando County Dental Associations; Academy of Osseointegration; and American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Additionally, the doctors sponsor dental implant study clubs for the area’s general dentists.

The Doctors at Coastal Jaw Surgery

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2018 | Pinellas Health Care News | Page 5ORal and maxillOfacial suRgeRy

Moriah R. Mo� tt, MD, is the sta� physician at In� nity Medical Institute, Inc. Dr. Mo� tt earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University, where she was inducted

into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She also attended the University of South Florida Plastic Surgery Program. She has received board certi� ca-tion from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery.

Debbie Rogers

Symptoms Treated with

Bio-Natural Hormones*

The most common symptoms men and women face without su� cient hormones are:

• Poor sleep• Fatigue• Loss of sex drive• Weight gain• Anxiety• Hot � ashes• Erectile

dysfunction• Dry skin• Palpitations• Memory lapse

• Painful intercourse

• Irritability• Loss of muscle

tone• Decreased

exercise• Vaginal dryness• Depression• Night sweats• Stress

• Migraine headaches

• Restless legs syndrome

• Body-joint pains• Hair loss• Mood swings• Lack of self-

con� dence

* Provided by In� nity Medical Institute

Look Good, Feel Great

The experienced staff at In� nity Medical Institute looks forward to working with you. They are located in Tampa at:

1715 N. Westshore Blvd.Suite 100

(813) 871-2929For more information, please visit www.in� nitymedicalinstitute.com

I feel absolutely amazing again. Everything has improved, from my mood to my sex drive. The results are absolutely amazing.

– Debbie

“

”

With the hormones, I’m happy, I’m smiling, I’m even dating. What they gave me at Infi nity Medical Institute worked miracles.

– Veronica

“

”

Pellet therapy has given Debbie a new outlook on life

Feel Younger, Stronger and SexierBio-natural hormone pellet therapy restores youth and vitality

A broken finger turned out to be a life-changing event for Debbie Rogers.

Nearly a decade ago, Debbie began experiencing menopausal symptoms, including hot � ashes, night sweats, lack of interest in sex and lethargy.

“I didn’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning,” Debbie shares. “I was tired and miserable. I just wanted to curl up and stay at home. And the hot � ashes and night sweats were downright awful.”

� ese symptoms persisted for several years before she � nally made an appointment with her gynecologist.

“When I f inal ly forced myself to go in for an appointment, the doc-tor noticed I had a broken � nger. He suggested that, because of my age, I have blood work done and a bone density screening performed,” Debbie says. “� e results of those tests indicated that not only did I have osteoporosis, but I was extremely hor-mone de� cient.”

Soon therea f te r, Debbie began treat-ment for the osteoporosis, which has improved her bone density dramatically. However, she continued to suffer with the hormone deficiency.

“I started to do research online, and I was reading about pellet therapy,” Debbie recalls. “I was very intrigued by the possi-bilities, so I looked for o� ces in the Tampa

Additional Services Available to Patients

In addition to its bio-natural L3 pellet therapy, In� nity Medical Institute also o� ers expanded services that include: KYBELLA®, BOTOX® Cosmetic, VOLUMA®, JUVÉDERM®, weight loss programs such as hCG and PhenTabz™, exclusive PRP

treatments such as the Vampire FaceLift®, Vampire Breast Lift®, Adi-Prep® adipose tissue transfer long term volumizers, and the male ED Priapus P-Shot®.

� ey also now accept CareCredit®.“Some of the services we o� er can provide multiple advantages to patients,” informs

Michael Montemurro, president of In� nity Medical Institute. “For example, we now o� er the platelet-rich plasma [PRP] therapy. PRP is used in the Vampire FaceLift procedure, where we inject the patient’s own blood platelets back into the facial area, and it helps rebuild collagen in the face and provides the patient with the volume they’ve lost.”

Michael says the Adi-Prep FaceLift procedure delivers ten times the volume and longev-ity found with traditional � llers and is completely natural. “� e women treated are seeing amazing, long-lasting results, with fullness, volume and evenness.”

� e newer procedures being o� ered, Michael adds, are part of what makes In� nity Medical Institute a success.

“We want to enhance the business and provide more options for our patients, and I think we are well on our way toward doing that,” Michael reports. “� is is all done in an e� ort to provide the most up-to-date services available for a wide range of patient needs.”

Bay area that o� ered the pellet therapy and found In� nity Medical Institute. I admit that even though I was fascinated by what I read, I was also skeptical that it would work. When my husband kept urging me to get help, I � nally made an appointment.”

About Bio-Natural Hormones“When Debbie initially came into the o� ce, we performed very thorough testing to deter-mine her exact needs,” explains Moriah Mo� tt, MD, at In� nity Medical Institute. “Her hormone levels were extremely low, making her an ideal candidate for our

bio-natural hormone replacement therapy.”

B i o - n a t u r a l L3 pe l l e t ho rmone replacement therapy is the most natural and effective solution for hormone-related issues.

“Through Infinity Medica l In s t i tu t e’s bio-natural L3 pellet hormone replacement therapy, patients such as Debbie achieve consistent absorption of the proper, predictable levels of the hormones their bodies

require for optimum health through the simple insertion of a pellet approximately every three to � ve months.”

� ese bio-natural hormone pellets are derived from wild yam plants, a natural plant material that is molecularly changed in structure and function for a 98 percent bio-identical match to the body’s own

composition. Synthetic hormones, by contrast, can be as little as six to eight percent bio-identical.

“Hormones a� ect everything, includ-ing our growth through childhood, our sexual development, our moods, how we break down our food, sleep patterns, stress, how much weight we gain – just about every function in the body, big and small,” educates Dr. Moffitt. “They also play a role in many health conditions such as diabetes, an over- or underactive thyroid, osteoporosis, obesity, anxiety and depression.

“Our bio-natural L3 pellet hor-mone therapy helps to give us an edge as we provide patients with a product that is all natural, and we stand behind it,” Dr. Mo� tt continues. “It’s the most e� ective hormone treatment on the market because it’s replacing natural, normal hormones with biologically identical hormones that the body is used to seeing, rather than synthetic versions of the hormones.”

To be sure the patient is receiving the proper amount of hormones, comprehensive evaluations of overall health are performed prior to the pellets being administered.

“We want to be sure that the treatment we administer is going to be the over-all best course of action for that patient,” Dr. Mo� tt adds. “We’re very thorough with the labs at every visit in order to see what has changed, and what needs to be altered. We want to be sure every patient is feeling the best they possibly can. We not only look at their labs, but we look at their overall health because other issues, like diabetes or high blood pressure, can a� ect how the treatment is administered.”

Tailored TherapyWhen she was in her 40s, Veronica* under-went a complete hysterectomy. Without ovaries producing estrogen to prevent bone loss, she went on hormone replacement

therapy. � e hormones fueled a growing malignancy, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Just a few years later, Veronica’s husband passed away.

“ T h e h o r m o n e patches I was using, which contained estro-gen, made the breast cancer grow faster,” she veri� es. “I went through radiation and other treat-ments for the cancer. With all that happening, I began to feel very slug-gish and down, and I had a massive weight gain.

“I knew it was time for a change, a new begin-ning. My husband and I always wanted to live in Florida, so I moved down here. I relocated from Oregon in 2015. Even though I lost the weight before I moved, I was feeling even more down and had little energy. I felt depleted.”

Shortly after arriving in the Sunshine State, Veronica met a fitness instructor, who encouraged her to take better care of her overall health. Veronica even began working at a group of personal training and body boot camp studios. There, she was introduced to Kathleen Montemurro from In� nity Medical Institute.

“Kathleen and her husband Michael Montemurro presented a seminar on bio-natural hormone replacement therapy at our facility,” states Veronica. “I took action, scheduled an appointment and got a consultation.

“I also worked with a client at the studio who had nothing but success stories to tell about In� nity. She’s one of our success sto-ries as well, so she inspired me to really want to go. I thought, If BHRT works for her, why not give it a try?”

At Inf ini ty Medica l Inst i tute , Veronica sat down with Kathleen and Dr. Moffitt. They determined Veronica was not a candidate for estrogen replace-ment therapy. They didn’t want to take any chances using a hormone that might fuel another cancer. They could, however, give Veronica testosterone.

“Dr. Moffitt took a blood draw for analysis,” relates Veronica. “� en, the nurse came in and explained and demonstrated step-by-step what was going to be done to

me. They place a nee-dle into my buttocks and insert a small pellet containing the hormones.

“� e procedure was completely painless. � e needle was so tiny, I couldn’t tell anything had been done. Twenty-four hours later, I was back on my feet. I didn’t have to sit around for days recuperating from the process.”

For Veronica, the bio-natural hormone pel le t s las ted about

three months. After that, new pellets were inserted.

“The first time I got the pellets, I didn’t notice much of a difference,” admits Veronica. “About six months later, toward my second treatment, I started really noticing some changes in my physical and mental state.

“At that point, the treatment really woke me up and rejuvenated me. I started exercising more, and I had more focus on my career.”

To Each His OwnDr. Mo� tt, Michael and the sta� at In� nity Medical Institute truly care about each patient and take the time to get to know the person they are treating.

“Every patient is unique, and we under-stand that,” observes Dr. Mo� tt. “We get to know each one and understand their lifestyle so we can treat them appropriately.”

“At Infinity Medical Institute, we’ve been offering bio-natural pellet hor-mone therapy for nine years,” comments Michael. “We take a very therapeutic approach. We customize the treatment for each patient, and we use a superior quality

product. We cater to our patients, and make sure they get the best possible care, as well as exceptional results.”

“We want to be sure the treatment we administer is going to be the best overall course of action for each patient,” Dr. Mo� tt adds. “Everyone has unique needs. Many people come in saying they’re not feeling vibrant, energetic, and they have other various symptoms. Our aim for those seeking hormone replacement is to make them feel good from the inside out.”

“We work very closely with everyone to optimize and restore their hormone levels to what they were when they were in their prime – back in their twenties,” asserts Michael. “� at’s our goal, and that’s why we get such signi� cant results for our patients.”

Michael notes that people often reach middle age and start experiencing symptoms such as lack of energy, di� culty sleeping and loss of sex drive and strength.

“When these symptoms start occurring, people need to visit us at In� nity Medical Center and have their hormones checked,” he emphasizes. “Once we get their hormone levels optimized with the bio-natural L3 pellet hormone replacement therapy, their lives will change signi� cantly for the better.

“� e body can never restore lost hor-mones unless it is done endogenously, like we do here with the bio-natural L3 pellet therapy.”

Time MachineDebbie felt results within about a month of her initial treatment. Today, she goes to In� nity Medical Institute every three months for pellet therapy.

“I feel absolutely amazing again,” Debbie says. “It’s like the weight of the world was taken o� my shoulders. Everything has improved, from my mood to my sex drive. � e results are absolutely amazing.”

Debbie’s energy level has improved so much that she now takes a dance class, travels more and spends more time with her grandchildren.

For Veronica, In� nity Medical Institute’s bio-natural L3 pellet therapy did more than restore her hormones to healthy levels. It also sent her back in time.

“By the time a woman reaches forty-five, her metabolism starts slowing down,” remarks Veronica, now 51. “I think a lot of that has to do with her testosterone level. In my case, I couldn’t get estrogen, but I could get testosterone, and it made me feel like I was twenty years old again.

“I had the best time of my life when I was in my twenties, and I wanted to feel that way again. Wouldn’t anyone pay to go back twenty years and feel like they did when they were twenty-one?”

Life for Veronica has improved substan-tially since taking the bio-natural hormones. She not only feels younger, she also feels more energetic and has a more positive atti-tude about her situation.

“With the hormones, I’m happy, I’m smiling, I’m even dating,” she marvels. “What they gave me at Infinity Medical Institute worked miracles. I have a totally di� erent outlook on my day-to-day work.

“Not long ago, I did a six-week challenge and I crushed it. I’ve done six-week challenges in the past, and usually by the second week, I’m too stressed out from work to � nd time to exercise. With the hormone therapy, I have a totally di� erent mindset. I feel like I’m ready to run a marathon. You just can’t stop me.”

Dr. Mo� tt says it makes it all worth-while to see patients like Debbie and

Veronica make such vast improvements.

“We see a trans-formation of our patients from the � rst time they come through the door and throughout their treatment,” she con-� rms. “Patients come in saying they’re not feeling vibrant, ener-getic, and have no interest in sex. After they receive our spe-cialized treatment, they come back in and they’re smiling and feeling great again. They get that con� dence back.”

Veronica thinks others need to know about In� nity Medical Institute and their bio-natural L3 pellet hormone therapy.

“It’s really awesome,” she states. “I recommend it to anybody. It’s great to feel like your old self again!”

Debbie agrees.“I have my life back again, and I’m feeling

fabulous,” she raves. “Life couldn’t be better!”FHCN staff article. Photos by Jordan Pysz. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at their request.

Page 6 | Pinellas Health Care News | Fall 2018 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition BiO-natuRal hORmOne Replacement theRapy

Moriah R. Mo� tt, MD, is the sta� physician at In� nity Medical Institute, Inc. Dr. Mo� tt earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University, where she was inducted

into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She also attended the University of South Florida Plastic Surgery Program. She has received board certi� ca-tion from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery.

Debbie Rogers

Symptoms Treated with

Bio-Natural Hormones*

The most common symptoms men and women face without su� cient hormones are:

• Poor sleep• Fatigue• Loss of sex drive• Weight gain• Anxiety• Hot � ashes• Erectile

dysfunction• Dry skin• Palpitations• Memory lapse

• Painful intercourse

• Irritability• Loss of muscle

tone• Decreased

exercise• Vaginal dryness• Depression• Night sweats• Stress

• Migraine headaches

• Restless legs syndrome

• Body-joint pains• Hair loss• Mood swings• Lack of self-

con� dence

* Provided by In� nity Medical Institute

Look Good, Feel Great

The experienced staff at In� nity Medical Institute looks forward to working with you. They are located in Tampa at:

1715 N. Westshore Blvd.Suite 100

(813) 871-2929For more information, please visit www.in� nitymedicalinstitute.com

I feel absolutely amazing again. Everything has improved, from my mood to my sex drive. The results are absolutely amazing.

– Debbie

“

”

With the hormones, I’m happy, I’m smiling, I’m even dating. What they gave me at Infi nity Medical Institute worked miracles.

– Veronica

“

”

Pellet therapy has given Debbie a new outlook on life

Feel Younger, Stronger and SexierBio-natural hormone pellet therapy restores youth and vitality

A broken finger turned out to be a life-changing event for Debbie Rogers.

Nearly a decade ago, Debbie began experiencing menopausal symptoms, including hot � ashes, night sweats, lack of interest in sex and lethargy.

“I didn’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning,” Debbie shares. “I was tired and miserable. I just wanted to curl up and stay at home. And the hot � ashes and night sweats were downright awful.”

� ese symptoms persisted for several years before she � nally made an appointment with her gynecologist.

“When I f inal ly forced myself to go in for an appointment, the doc-tor noticed I had a broken � nger. He suggested that, because of my age, I have blood work done and a bone density screening performed,” Debbie says. “� e results of those tests indicated that not only did I have osteoporosis, but I was extremely hor-mone de� cient.”

Soon therea f te r, Debbie began treat-ment for the osteoporosis, which has improved her bone density dramatically. However, she continued to suffer with the hormone deficiency.

“I started to do research online, and I was reading about pellet therapy,” Debbie recalls. “I was very intrigued by the possi-bilities, so I looked for o� ces in the Tampa

Additional Services Available to Patients

In addition to its bio-natural L3 pellet therapy, In� nity Medical Institute also o� ers expanded services that include: KYBELLA®, BOTOX® Cosmetic, VOLUMA®, JUVÉDERM®, weight loss programs such as hCG and PhenTabz™, exclusive PRP

treatments such as the Vampire FaceLift®, Vampire Breast Lift®, Adi-Prep® adipose tissue transfer long term volumizers, and the male ED Priapus P-Shot®.

� ey also now accept CareCredit®.“Some of the services we o� er can provide multiple advantages to patients,” informs

Michael Montemurro, president of In� nity Medical Institute. “For example, we now o� er the platelet-rich plasma [PRP] therapy. PRP is used in the Vampire FaceLift procedure, where we inject the patient’s own blood platelets back into the facial area, and it helps rebuild collagen in the face and provides the patient with the volume they’ve lost.”

Michael says the Adi-Prep FaceLift procedure delivers ten times the volume and longev-ity found with traditional � llers and is completely natural. “� e women treated are seeing amazing, long-lasting results, with fullness, volume and evenness.”

� e newer procedures being o� ered, Michael adds, are part of what makes In� nity Medical Institute a success.

“We want to enhance the business and provide more options for our patients, and I think we are well on our way toward doing that,” Michael reports. “� is is all done in an e� ort to provide the most up-to-date services available for a wide range of patient needs.”

Bay area that o� ered the pellet therapy and found In� nity Medical Institute. I admit that even though I was fascinated by what I read, I was also skeptical that it would work. When my husband kept urging me to get help, I � nally made an appointment.”

About Bio-Natural Hormones“When Debbie initially came into the o� ce, we performed very thorough testing to deter-mine her exact needs,” explains Moriah Mo� tt, MD, at In� nity Medical Institute. “Her hormone levels were extremely low, making her an ideal candidate for our

bio-natural hormone replacement therapy.”

B i o - n a t u r a l L3 pe l l e t ho rmone replacement therapy is the most natural and effective solution for hormone-related issues.

“Through Infinity Medica l In s t i tu t e’s bio-natural L3 pellet hormone replacement therapy, patients such as Debbie achieve consistent absorption of the proper, predictable levels of the hormones their bodies

require for optimum health through the simple insertion of a pellet approximately every three to � ve months.”

� ese bio-natural hormone pellets are derived from wild yam plants, a natural plant material that is molecularly changed in structure and function for a 98 percent bio-identical match to the body’s own

composition. Synthetic hormones, by contrast, can be as little as six to eight percent bio-identical.

“Hormones a� ect everything, includ-ing our growth through childhood, our sexual development, our moods, how we break down our food, sleep patterns, stress, how much weight we gain – just about every function in the body, big and small,” educates Dr. Moffitt. “They also play a role in many health conditions such as diabetes, an over- or underactive thyroid, osteoporosis, obesity, anxiety and depression.

“Our bio-natural L3 pellet hor-mone therapy helps to give us an edge as we provide patients with a product that is all natural, and we stand behind it,” Dr. Mo� tt continues. “It’s the most e� ective hormone treatment on the market because it’s replacing natural, normal hormones with biologically identical hormones that the body is used to seeing, rather than synthetic versions of the hormones.”

To be sure the patient is receiving the proper amount of hormones, comprehensive evaluations of overall health are performed prior to the pellets being administered.

“We want to be sure that the treatment we administer is going to be the over-all best course of action for that patient,” Dr. Mo� tt adds. “We’re very thorough with the labs at every visit in order to see what has changed, and what needs to be altered. We want to be sure every patient is feeling the best they possibly can. We not only look at their labs, but we look at their overall health because other issues, like diabetes or high blood pressure, can a� ect how the treatment is administered.”

Tailored TherapyWhen she was in her 40s, Veronica* under-went a complete hysterectomy. Without ovaries producing estrogen to prevent bone loss, she went on hormone replacement

therapy. � e hormones fueled a growing malignancy, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Just a few years later, Veronica’s husband passed away.

“ T h e h o r m o n e patches I was using, which contained estro-gen, made the breast cancer grow faster,” she veri� es. “I went through radiation and other treat-ments for the cancer. With all that happening, I began to feel very slug-gish and down, and I had a massive weight gain.

“I knew it was time for a change, a new begin-ning. My husband and I always wanted to live in Florida, so I moved down here. I relocated from Oregon in 2015. Even though I lost the weight before I moved, I was feeling even more down and had little energy. I felt depleted.”

Shortly after arriving in the Sunshine State, Veronica met a fitness instructor, who encouraged her to take better care of her overall health. Veronica even began working at a group of personal training and body boot camp studios. There, she was introduced to Kathleen Montemurro from In� nity Medical Institute.

“Kathleen and her husband Michael Montemurro presented a seminar on bio-natural hormone replacement therapy at our facility,” states Veronica. “I took action, scheduled an appointment and got a consultation.

“I also worked with a client at the studio who had nothing but success stories to tell about In� nity. She’s one of our success sto-ries as well, so she inspired me to really want to go. I thought, If BHRT works for her, why not give it a try?”

At Inf ini ty Medica l Inst i tute , Veronica sat down with Kathleen and Dr. Moffitt. They determined Veronica was not a candidate for estrogen replace-ment therapy. They didn’t want to take any chances using a hormone that might fuel another cancer. They could, however, give Veronica testosterone.

“Dr. Moffitt took a blood draw for analysis,” relates Veronica. “� en, the nurse came in and explained and demonstrated step-by-step what was going to be done to

me. They place a nee-dle into my buttocks and insert a small pellet containing the hormones.

“� e procedure was completely painless. � e needle was so tiny, I couldn’t tell anything had been done. Twenty-four hours later, I was back on my feet. I didn’t have to sit around for days recuperating from the process.”

For Veronica, the bio-natural hormone pel le t s las ted about

three months. After that, new pellets were inserted.

“The first time I got the pellets, I didn’t notice much of a difference,” admits Veronica. “About six months later, toward my second treatment, I started really noticing some changes in my physical and mental state.

“At that point, the treatment really woke me up and rejuvenated me. I started exercising more, and I had more focus on my career.”

To Each His OwnDr. Mo� tt, Michael and the sta� at In� nity Medical Institute truly care about each patient and take the time to get to know the person they are treating.

“Every patient is unique, and we under-stand that,” observes Dr. Mo� tt. “We get to know each one and understand their lifestyle so we can treat them appropriately.”

“At Infinity Medical Institute, we’ve been offering bio-natural pellet hor-mone therapy for nine years,” comments Michael. “We take a very therapeutic approach. We customize the treatment for each patient, and we use a superior quality

product. We cater to our patients, and make sure they get the best possible care, as well as exceptional results.”

“We want to be sure the treatment we administer is going to be the best overall course of action for each patient,” Dr. Mo� tt adds. “Everyone has unique needs. Many people come in saying they’re not feeling vibrant, energetic, and they have other various symptoms. Our aim for those seeking hormone replacement is to make them feel good from the inside out.”

“We work very closely with everyone to optimize and restore their hormone levels to what they were when they were in their prime – back in their twenties,” asserts Michael. “� at’s our goal, and that’s why we get such signi� cant results for our patients.”

Michael notes that people often reach middle age and start experiencing symptoms such as lack of energy, di� culty sleeping and loss of sex drive and strength.

“When these symptoms start occurring, people need to visit us at In� nity Medical Center and have their hormones checked,” he emphasizes. “Once we get their hormone levels optimized with the bio-natural L3 pellet hormone replacement therapy, their lives will change signi� cantly for the better.

“� e body can never restore lost hor-mones unless it is done endogenously, like we do here with the bio-natural L3 pellet therapy.”

Time MachineDebbie felt results within about a month of her initial treatment. Today, she goes to In� nity Medical Institute every three months for pellet therapy.

“I feel absolutely amazing again,” Debbie says. “It’s like the weight of the world was taken o� my shoulders. Everything has improved, from my mood to my sex drive. � e results are absolutely amazing.”

Debbie’s energy level has improved so much that she now takes a dance class, travels more and spends more time with her grandchildren.

For Veronica, In� nity Medical Institute’s bio-natural L3 pellet therapy did more than restore her hormones to healthy levels. It also sent her back in time.

“By the time a woman reaches forty-five, her metabolism starts slowing down,” remarks Veronica, now 51. “I think a lot of that has to do with her testosterone level. In my case, I couldn’t get estrogen, but I could get testosterone, and it made me feel like I was twenty years old again.

“I had the best time of my life when I was in my twenties, and I wanted to feel that way again. Wouldn’t anyone pay to go back twenty years and feel like they did when they were twenty-one?”

Life for Veronica has improved substan-tially since taking the bio-natural hormones. She not only feels younger, she also feels more energetic and has a more positive atti-tude about her situation.

“With the hormones, I’m happy, I’m smiling, I’m even dating,” she marvels. “What they gave me at Infinity Medical Institute worked miracles. I have a totally di� erent outlook on my day-to-day work.

“Not long ago, I did a six-week challenge and I crushed it. I’ve done six-week challenges in the past, and usually by the second week, I’m too stressed out from work to � nd time to exercise. With the hormone therapy, I have a totally di� erent mindset. I feel like I’m ready to run a marathon. You just can’t stop me.”

Dr. Mo� tt says it makes it all worth-while to see patients like Debbie and

Veronica make such vast improvements.

“We see a trans-formation of our patients from the � rst time they come through the door and throughout their treatment,” she con-� rms. “Patients come in saying they’re not feeling vibrant, ener-getic, and have no interest in sex. After they receive our spe-cialized treatment, they come back in and they’re smiling and feeling great again. They get that con� dence back.”

Veronica thinks others need to know about In� nity Medical Institute and their bio-natural L3 pellet hormone therapy.

“It’s really awesome,” she states. “I recommend it to anybody. It’s great to feel like your old self again!”

Debbie agrees.“I have my life back again, and I’m feeling

fabulous,” she raves. “Life couldn’t be better!”FHCN staff article. Photos by Jordan Pysz. mkb

*Patient’s name withheld at their request.

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2018 | Pinellas Health Care News | Page 7BiO-natuRal hORmOne Replacement theRapy

The staff at 20 Minutes to Fitness looks forward

to serving all your fitness needs. They offer

personalized, one-on-one training with no annual

contracts or membership fees. For a complimentary

orientation, please contact:

Lakewood Ranch6257 Lake Osprey Drive(941) 309-8989

Sarasota209 N. Lime Avenue

(941) 361-1000Tampa

11610 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.(813) 664-8888

Learn more at www.20minutesto� tness.com

Angela Begin has been a nationally certified personal fitness trainer since 2007. She has extensive training and cer-tifications in fitness, nutrition, psychology, anatomy and exer-cise physiology.

Marie Byrd

“For people with a busy schedulewho want to stay in great shape,

20 Minutes to Fitness is a defi nite must.” - Marie

Once-a-week workouts help career

mom stay in shape

A s a University of South Florida education professor working diligently to achieve ten-ure, Marie Byrd was already

leading a hectic life when a divorce left her as the single parent of her � ve-year-old daughter some seven years ago.

With work, writing and parenting already taking up a good deal of her time, Marie found it impossible, following the divorce, to carve out the six or eight hours a week she once devoted to keeping the � t, trim and toned appearance she likes.

“Parenting and being in a tenure track, where you’re attending conferences away from home, researching and writ-ing a lot, can be all-consuming,” explains Marie, now 53. “I was already very busy with work and everything else, and after the divorce, I became a little concerned that I might lose my physical self.

“I purchased a treadmill for my home to help me stay in shape from a cardiovas-cular standpoint, but I wanted to � nd a gym where I could do strength training because a lot of professionals forget to take care of themselves physically as they climb the corporate ladder, and I didn’t want to do that.

“I wanted to stay in good phys-ical shape for myself and because I know that exercise can really help with stress. � e biggest reason I wanted to continue to stay in good shape, though, was because of my daughter. I wanted to make sure that I was there and that I was at my best for her.”

Marie’s desire to stay physically � t and strong prompted a search for a unique venue and/or training regimen that would allow her to achieve her goals in the limited amount of time she had to devote to the venture. It was during a search online that she found both in one place at 20 Minutes to Fitness.

Tailored Training At 20 Minutes to Fitness, each client works out one-on-one with a nation-ally certi� ed personal � tness coach who creates and supervises a detailed workout program. � e program is designed to do exactly what the business’ name implies: achieve results through once-a-week sessions that last 20 minutes.

� e workouts are structured around an exercise method known as slow-cadence

training in which the coach guides the cli-ent’s pace and form as weights are lifted in ultra-slow movements on highly special-ized equipment. Repetitions during each workout last approximately 20 seconds, thereby maximizing muscle performance.

The slow-paced movements that comprise each workout create continu-ous tension on the muscle � bers, which allows clients such as Marie to get more physical bene� ts from a 20-minute, once-a-week workout than they would get from a traditional workout program three or four

times per week.E a c h

2 0 - m i n u t e f u l l - b o d y workout con-sists of five to seven exercises, performed on

specialized equipment for approxi-mately two minutes. � e goal is to reach what is known as peak performance, the point where blood � ows to the muscle and supercharges the body. � is helps burn fat while the muscles are rebuilt and strengthened naturally.

“Participants get the maximum benefit through one twenty-minute workout per week. By going slowly, we get down deeper into the muscle � bers and force them to work at their peak performance,” explains Angela Begin, General Manager and part owner of 20 Minutes to Fitness. “We work the entire body to keep it strong.”

� e program has years of research and plenty of science behind its success. � e highly specialized weight-training equipment is part of that success. � e equipment features a patented double-stacking system, where weight can be increased in increments of two pounds instead of the traditional � ve, ten or 20.

The equipment is a lso cal i -brated to work speci� c muscle groups without putting undue stress on joints or ligaments. Research has shown that in addition to improving strength, weekly, 20-minute, slow-cadence training sess ions can a l so help improve balance, increase energy, control arthritis, increase bone density, � ght symptoms of diabetes and reduce back pain.

“We have clients who are planning to have hip or knee replacement surgeries, and their doctors have referred them to us because they know we can help them build up the muscle around those joints

prior to surgery. � is allows for a quicker recovery after surgery,” Angela adds.

“We’ve had some people who have been able to hold off on those surgeries because they’ve built up the muscle around the joint. Most of our cli-ents are people who want to stay � t but don’t have the time or don’t want to spend hours in a gym and possible risk of injury.

“They want a safe, quiet, private studio environment, and that’s what we o� er in addition to building back that muscle that people lose as they age. � e other thing is, you’re never too young or too old to do this.

“We have teenagers who come in, as well as clients who are in their nineties. We have clients who have never worked out and athletes. We build your strength from where you are today.”

A Skeptic No More Marie admits that at first, she was skeptical of the 20 Minutes to Fitness model. She had grown accustomed to traditional workout patterns and wondered if she could get the same ben-e� ts from a brief workout done once a week. After researching the program, however, she agreed the science behind it made sense and decided to give it a try.

“I was sold after just one session!” she exclaims. “I remember that after my � rst twenty-minute workout, I was just as drained physically as I would have been after a one-hour session at a regu-lar gym. I also liked that it was all verytargeted, and the trainer is there monitoring everything the whole time.

“With every exercise we did, the trainer explained the muscle group we were working on, and she was very par-ticular about my posture – how I was sitting for and doing each exercise. She made sure I did it right every time so that I could get the maximum bene� t. I never had a trainer pay that much attention to me before.”

Marie was so impressed with the workout and the results that she has become a regular at 20 Minutes to Fitness. With a few exceptions, she has been completing her weekly 20-minute workouts for approximately six years now, usually under the guidance of personal trainer Eveline Grondin, whom Marie raves about.

“Eveline knows me and knows how to push me,” Marie says. “If I’m struggling with the last two lifts or something like

that, she’s always encouraging me, helping me to get that weight up, saying, You can do it, you can do it. She also has this great, little motivational statement she always uses to keep me going.

“I told her way back when I started that I always admired Michelle Obama’s shoulders and arms. I liked how fit and strong they looked, and I told her I wanted shoulders and arms like that, too. Now, whenever I’m struggling, Eveline will remind me of that and say, “You want those Michelle Obama arms, so come on, push, push.”

Marie, who has indeed achieved her goal of having those strong shoulders and arms, also reports that her legs and core muscles are stronger than ever as a result of her 20-minute workouts. Her legs are so strong, she can run on her treadmill with the incline set at � ve. Meanwhile, her arms and core muscles are strong enough that she can drop and do 40 push-ups without tiring.

It’s no wonder then that she has pushed other busy career moms to try the workout.

“For people with a busy schedule who want to stay in great shape, 20 Minutes to Fitness is a de� nite must,” she says. “� e workouts � t nicely into my schedule and have really helped me keep pace with my daughter, who has been into everything from soccer, basketball and volleyball to the piano and now band.

“� e exercises I do now are just as challenging as they were when I � rst started. � ey do a great job of keeping the workouts fresh and monitoring your progress so that you’re always getting stronger. And, of course, the workouts fit perfectly into my tight schedule, which is great.”FHCN article by Roy Cummings. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

Climbing the

Corporate Ladder

Page 8 | Pinellas Health Care News | Fall 2018 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition physical fitness

Jeanne can now rack the balls for

her next tournament

ERICK A. GRANA, MD

Erick A. Grana, MD, is a diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, with subspecialty certi� cation in pain medicine. After he received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, he completed his intern-ship and residency at the university’s hospital and was subsequently awarded a fellowship from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Grana is a former assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a member the American Medical Association, the International Spinal Injection Society and the Florida Academy of Pain Medicine.

Don’t Operate, Regenerate

Regenerative Orthopedic Institute

is located in Tampa at

8011 North Himes Avenue, Ste. 3

Visit Regenerative Orthopedic Institute on the web at www.dontoperate.com or call (813) 868-1659

Back Pain Got You Behind the Eight-Ball?

Stem cell therapy can provide the winning shot

A former champion pool player, Jeanne Bell was once a famous face in places like Las Vegas, where she participated in 13

tournaments, often leaving with the win-ner’s purse. But with a deteriorating back problem brought on primarily by several injuries incurred as an adult, Jeanne even-tually had to put her cue stick away.

“I’ve got very bad degenerative disc disease in my back,” Jeanne con� rms, “It got to where I couldn’t sit for long periods of time.” That included the breaks between pool shots waiting for her turn at the table.

Her initial trauma occurred while she was serving in Vietnam as a sergeant in the US Marine Corps. Jeanne was a victim of an explosion that damaged the entire left side of her body. After that, she was discharged from the Marine Corps and sent stateside. She came home, raised her family and eventually went to work for the US Postal Service.

In the early 1990s, Jeanne suffered another injury while working with the Postal Service. By 2000, she was no longer able to carry mail, so she sought a quali� ed special-ist to help ease her pain. She was impressed by the leading-edge treatments offered by Erick A. Grana, MD, of Regenerative Orthopedic Institute in Tampa.

“I’ve been Dr. Grana’s patient for � fteen years,” relates Jeanne. “My back wasn’t bad enough at that point to do surgery, and that’s not something that I really wanted anyway. He did diagnostic tests and discovered that bilateral radiofre-quency [ablations] would help me. With that, he goes in there and burns the nerves that are causing the pain. I loved it, as long as it worked.”

Jeanne later read an article in Pinellas Health Care News about Dr. Grana’s work in regenerative medicine. She was quick to ask the doctor if this was something that could work better for her.

“I said, I saw in the newspaper that you’re doing regenerative stu� for the knees and joints,” describes Jeanne. “What about my back? It’s a joint.”

Dr. Grana re-evaluated Jeanne’s case to see if she was, indeed, a good candidate for the regenerative therapy. He started by sending her for a new MRI, which pro-vided Jeanne with some good news.

“He looked at the MRI and he said, You know what, Jeanne? I think this will help you,” she notes. “He said the PRP [plate-let-rich plasma] might help, but the stem cell therapy would be better. So we made an appointment and we did the stem cells.”

Scalpel-Free TechniquesInvasive surgery for joint problems can cause pain, blood loss and scarring, which is why many patients with joint issues seek to avoid it. But now there is a revolution-ary technology that enables patients such as Jeanne to relieve their pain while avoid-ing the risks associated with surgery.

“� ere are other options now that can be o� ered to osteoarthritis patients, espe-cially before they get to the stage where they need joint replacement,” informs Dr. Grana. “Not only can we relieve the pain, but we can also reverse some of the damage that happens from osteoarthritis. � is is accomplished by regenerating the cartilage and connective tissues in and around the joint area.

“Regenerative medicine treats disease and injuries by harnessing the body’s own healing powers,” Dr. Grana clari� es. “� e natural healing process is accelerated by a combination of growth factors and bio-active cells, resulting in a safe, e� ective, nonsurgical treatment.”

Dr. Grana has developed a system for delivery of stem cells, platelet-rich plasma and growth factors into the pain generators in and around joints, such as shoulders and knees. � is treatment is called RegenaJoint.

He has also developed a system to treat the spine in a similar manner using � uoroscopic, or live x-ray, guidance, a process called RegenaSpine. � is is what he used for Jeanne.

� ese treatments restore function and improve quality of life, enabling patients to avoid surgery and reduce, or eliminate, the need for narcotic medications.

RegenaJoint and RegenaSpine use stem cells from the patient’s own body,

called autologous cells, to regenerate carti-lage and connective tissue in joints, spinal discs, tendons and ligaments. When com-bined with concentrated platelets and growth factors, the stem cells become a powerful repairing mechanism for aching backs and painful joints.

“We extract stem cells from bone marrow or fat and platelet-rich plasma from the patient’s own blood to use in the problem areas,” Dr. Grana explains. “We perform RegenaJoint by plac-ing injections into the knee joint and

ligaments surrounding the knee; the ligaments around the shoulder and inside the shoulder joint; or into the hip joint area. If the problem is in the back, the RegenaSpine procedure can be performed on the discs, facet joints and ligament of the spine.

“Patients usually have three goals: � rst, to get their pain relieved; second, to resume former activities that they were not able to do because of their arthritis; and third, to avoid surgery. These are the main goals that most patients want to achieve, and Jeanne achieved all three of them.”

Cue It UpFor Jeanne, the RegenaSpine procedure was relatively easy and well worth the time and e� ort. � e stem cells and PRP working together gave her exceptional results. � e

� rst few days after the stem cell phase of the procedure, she felt no pain in her back. She just experienced some soreness in her left side where the bone marrow was removed.

“After that, I didn’t have any pain,” she asserts.

“I had that done and then four weeks later, I went back for a booster. � at was the PRP. � ey took blood, but they didn’t take any bone marrow. � ey went away and when they came back, Dr. Grana put it in my back. And I don’t have any pain at all.”

After her treatment, Jeanne returned to playing pool again. Although she no longer competes in national tourna-ments, she’s thrilled to be chalking the sticks at all. Now, she plays regularly and even joined a local league, though space restrictions keep her from cuing up at home.

“I wish I could have my own table,” she says, “but my partner will not allow me to get rid of the living room furniture and put a table there.”

Jeanne is more serious when she talks about Dr. Grana and the staff at Regenerative Orthopedic Institute.

“Dr. Grana is an ace,” she says. “People should know what kind of man he is, that he has excellent skills and is kind, direct and to the point. He is the most wonderful doctor. And the people who work there treat me like gold.”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. FHCN file photos.mkb

“Dr. Grana is an ace. People should know

what kind of man he is, that he has

excellent skills and is kind, direct and to the point.”

Jeanne

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2018 | Pinellas Health Care News | Page 9stem cell theRapy/pain management

Lynn is amazed at the increase in her bone density.

Reverse Bone LossOsteoStrong leverages

scienti� cally proven osteogenic-loading methodologies to help

all ages and � tness levels. It was created using research in cellular

biology, anti-aging, longevity and bone mass. OsteoStrong is

in South Pasadena at:

6800 Gulfport Blvd., Suite 211

(727) 317-2600

Osteoporosis: The Silent Thief

Osteoporosis causes bones to become brittle and more susceptible to fracture. Men and women can develop the disease, but it is more prevalent among women.

Other risk factors include: § Older age § Small body frame § Caucasian or Asian ethnicity § Family history § Low estrogen or testosterone § Low calcium intake § Steroid use § Certain medications § Sedentary lifestyle § Smoking § Excessive alcohol use

The drug-free program is an e� ective way to rebuild lost bone

Susan Koontz was � t, healthy and in her late 50s when she received distressing results several years ago from what she thought would

be a routine bone density screening. She had osteope-

nia, a symptomless condition that put her at risk for devel-oping osteoporosis, which causes bones to become more fragile and prone to fractures.

Dealing with brittle bones would be life-altering for anyone, but Susan is an avid water-skier, wakesurfer and wakeboarder. She also competes in canine agility compe-titions with a Border Collie that she says is “way faster than me, so I’m basically doing a forty-� ve-minute sprint around the course, twisting and turning. People fall all the time.”

After being told that working with weights would strengthen her bones, Susan hired a personal trainer and began intensive workouts twice a week. � ey didn’t help.

“Two years later, I go back for another scan, and the doctor calls me and says, You’ve got osteoporosis, and you need to get on medicine now,” she recalls. “I saw myself becoming a little old lady doing nothing in my house, and that’s not the life I want.”

While Susan usually shuns prescription drugs because of the potential side e� ects, her doctor insisted she start taking a generic version of Fosamax® to slow her bone loss while increas-ing her bone mass.

“About three hours after the � rst dose, I felt like I had the � u,” Susan reports. “I didn’t have any immediate side e� ects from the second one, so my doctor � gured I was good.”

Later, however, she developed severe acid re� ux, which she’s still � ghting to con-trol, and her doctors advised her to stop the medication. Instead, they wanted to inject Susan with the antibody Prolia®, which her mother was receiving for her osteoporosis.

“But she’s ninety,” Susan notes. “I’m sixty.”

Susan’s research led her to reject Prolia because it can cause anemia, digestive

Thanks to OsteoStrong, Susan can train her dog, Dallas.

OsteoStrong® - Osteoporosis So lutiontract and skin issues and weakness and pain in the back, muscles, arms or legs.

Then she became intrigued after reading about OsteoStrong, a unique place where people can improve their

overall health by focusing on the one thing everyone has in common: their

muscular-skeletal system. OsteoStrong is not weight training, a diet, supplement, pharmaceutical remedy or medical therapy.

“Honestly, I was skeptical,” Susan admits. “I decided to give it a year and see where I end up.”

Resistance-Based ActivitiesSusan’s once-a-week sessions involve resis-tance-based pushing and pulling with her arms and/or legs on four bio-mechanical machines, during which she safely exerts pressure four to 12 times her body weight.

“It’s long been a medical fact that when you put certain forces on the bones, the body responds by growing new bone

tissue,” explains Mark Brady, president of OsteoStrong in South Pasadena.

“For a person who weighs one hundred pounds to develop new bone, they would have to create a resistance of well over four hundred pounds,” Mark continues. “That simply can’t be done for ninety-nine percent of all people in a gym environment because it involves weights that they couldn’t physically move or, if

they could, they’d be at high risk of injury.“It takes only about ten minutes to

complete an OsteoStrong session, but in that time, the response is nothing short of amazing. On average, our studies have found that OsteoStrong improves people’s bone density from three to seven percent a year. Also, people will increase their strength by an average of seventy-three percent over their � rst year at OsteoStrong.”

Susan was excited to achieve improvement in her bone density after a year of OsteoStrong, and that was after missing at least ten sessions because she travels frequently.

“� is year, I’m going to try to make all my sessions and see how far I can go,” vows Susan, who “wouldn’t hesitate” to recom-mend OsteoStrong. “It works for me. I’m hoping I’ve got a lot of life in this body yet, so I need my frame to support my activities.”

Preventing OsteoporosisLike Susan, Lynn Hummel found out she had osteopenia after a routine bone

density screening and rejected her doctor’s recommendation that she take Fosamax.

Lynn, who was diagnosed at 51 and has a family history of osteoporosis, instead turned to OsteoStrong, incorporating her sessions into her Friday lunch hour.

Six months later, Lynn’s screening showed dramatic results.

“My bone density had gone up ten percent!” she exclaims. “My doctor couldn’t believe the di� erence.”

Lynn also noticed other positive e� ects from OsteoStrong. For instance, aches and pains that unfortunately had been part of her life seemed to disappear.

“After a little while, I realized, Oh man, I don’t hurt like I used to. My knees stopped hurting like they usually did,” marvels Lynn, who works as a book-keeper. “My balance also improved – I’ve not always had a good center of balance, and I could really tell the di� erence – and my strength went up dramatically.”

Such success stories are par for the course at OsteoStrong, Mark con� rms.

“People who come here seeking help for what is typically low bone density have the wonderful results of not just correcting that, but also getting signi� -cant improvements in balance, strength and pain-free joints,” he expounds. “One improvement doesn’t come without the others. It’s all a result of what we do here.”

OsteoStrong sessions build myo� bril muscle, Mark informs. Myofibrils are cylindrical structures that extend along the complete length of each muscle cell or fiber. Myofibrils are composed of thick and thin myo� laments, which are responsible for muscle contraction.

“Women aren’t going to grow bulky muscles,” Mark stresses. “� ey’re going to have stronger muscles.”

Joint and Back Pain ReversedMark further notes that while some 85 percent of all OsteoStrong clients – men

and women alike – have osteopenia or osteoporosis, the sessions also benefit people with bones damaged by cancer, other illnesses and treatments such as chemotherapy. What’s more, OsteoStrong is ideal for those suffering from any back-related pain.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you got here; it’s what you can do to stop it that matters,” Mark asserts. “People who have pain with their joints or backs will see a substan-tial reduction or elimination of the issue from what we do here. I’m a prime example. I had severe sciatica for twenty years, and since I started to use our bio-mechanical machines, I haven’t had any symptoms at all in the past year.”

B u i l d i n g m u s c l e t h r o u g h OsteoStrong provides a stronger frame-work to better support the lower back and the rest of the skeletal system, Mark states.

Lynn, meanwhile, is not only thankful to be feeling better, she’s also thrilled that she got there without relying on medication.

“� e di� erence OsteoStrong sessions made for me was amazing,” she raves. “I’ve stayed away from developing osteoporo-sis, and I’d really like to keep it that way.”FHCN staff article. Susan’s photos by Jordan Pysz. Lynn’s

photo courtesy of Lynn Hummel. mkb

OsteoStrong has helped Susan ward o� osteoporosis.

Page 10 | Pinellas Health Care News | Fall 2018 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition OsteOpOROsis tReatment

New community o� ers a comfortable, active lifestyle

L ike many active seniors, Anthony* believes he’s done his fair share of mowing lawns and maintaining properties. For his

next phase of life, he wants a home that is personal and comfortable, yet worry free and close to friends and activities. He wants to enjoy a full, dynamic life while living independently, without the respon-sibilities of home ownership.

To learn more about this growing community, visit them online at www.arborcompany.com

Independent Living

Experience ArborAt Arbor Terrace Citrus Park, staff extend a wholehearted welcome to seniors who expect more from their next living experience. They invite the readers of Pinellas Health Care News to explore the new, independent living community located on the Arbor Terrace campus in Tampa at:

8305 Old Hixon Road

(813) 452-4300

� at’s exactly the lifestyle available at the new independent living community at Arbor Terrace Citrus Park, set to open in June 2018. Arbor Terrace Citrus Park combines all the comforts of home with a refreshing sense of freedom.

“Life at Arbor Terrace Citrus Park is about the joys of living free from the tedious chores that go along with owning a home,” says Amanda Grau, sales and marketing director for Arbor Terrace Citrus Park. “Not having to take care of those responsibilities gives our active seniors more time to enjoy their lives.”

Arbor Terrace Citrus Park is senior living at its finest. The community o� ers 139 independent living apartments in seven large, open-concept, one- or two-bedroom � oor plans, some with dens, balconies or sunrooms. � e � oor plans are designed to meet residents’ living needs with safety and comfort in mind.

� e independent living community rounds out the Arbor Terrace Citrus Park campus, which also includes assisted living and memory care facilities. Serving the entire campus is a staff passionate about setting the absolute highest stan-dard of senior living on every level.

“We’re here to make deep con-nections with our residents and their families,” says Barbara Marchiselli, senior living counselor. “� e sta� is here to be part of the next chapter in their lives. We want to be profoundly connected to every resident’s story.”

At Arbor Terrace Citrus Park, the sta� began the development process by asking seniors what they needed and wanted in

an independent senior living community.“We started by asking the right ques-

tions and taking the time to listen,” says Barbara. “� en, through the connections we made, we built accordingly to ful� ll our promise to � nd and provide the best possible senior living experience.”

Amenities and ActivitiesAt Arbor Terrace Citrus Park, resi-dents can enjoy the freedom to live life their way, enjoying a rich selection of amenities and activities.

“Residents can cook for themselves in their apartments if they choose,” says Barbara. “Or, if they prefer, they can start each day with a continental break-fast, then have their choice of lunch or dinner in our beautiful, formal dining room. Meals are served restaurant-style and are prepared to residents’ needs and preferences by our executive chef.”

“� ere’s also a cooking demonstra-tion station and bistro café on site, giving residents another option for their meals,” adds Barbara.

� e community o� ers weekly house-keeping services, and personal laundry and linen services are available, although apartments are furnished with washers and dryers. The grounds are expertly landscaped and feature walking paths to the outdoor swimming pool and the on-site lake, which is stocked with � sh.

The grounds also sport a putting green, a lounge area with a � repit, and a playground for residents’ grandchildren. � e building houses a hair and nail salon and spa o� ering massage services, as well as two gyms – one a � tness center, the other dedicated to physical therapy. Seniors can relax and watch a movie in the theatre, read a book or magazine in the library, build a masterpiece in the art room and woodworking shops, or enjoy an afternoon in the card room or happy hour in the bar with friends.

“Our location is close to shopping and restaurants,” says Barbara, “including Citrus Park Mall and grocery stores, as well as golf courses, neighborhoods, schools and churches. � e community is just minutes away from beaches, nightlife, Florida history and big-league sports games.”

“� e community is pet-friendly,” says Amanda We have landscaped dog walks on the property.”

Arbor Terrace Citrus Park also pro-vides a robust Engaged Living calendar of activities to keep the residents’ minds and bodies active. The activities are well-rounded. Activities include regular, community-wide events; sightseeing trips and classes, as well as daily exercise sessions.

“We started the socializing early,” she says. “We’ve gathered those who’ve already signed up for apartments at a dinner to celebrate the birth of our Arbor Terrace Citrus Park family. We plan to continue holding social events monthly until the building opens, then our Engagement

Team wil l t ak e ove r the activity calendar.

“When seniors move in with us, they don’t have to give up any of the comforts and activities that make them happy. Rather, we like to think they’re going to gain something more by having a chance to try new things and meet new people.”

The first 20 seniors to reserve apartments at Arbor Terrace Citrus Park will be part of the facility’s Founder’s Club. As members, they’ll receive special perks, including discounted rates to join certain local country clubs.

� e sta� gets to know all residents on a personal level to make their senior living experience truly special. � e sta� is always ready to provide personalized attention to meet their diverse physical and emotional needs.

“Residents can relax, knowing our highly trained staff is at their service twenty-four hours a day,” says Amanda. “In addition, a top-tier wellness team is just a phone call away. � ey can answer medical questions and provide care when needed.”

Covering Life’s StagesThe staff at Arbor Terrace Citrus Park understands that aging occurs in stages. � e independent living community is part of a larger campus that includes facilities for assisted living and memory care. With all these stages of life at one campus, seniors at Arbor Terrace Citrus Park can “age in place.”

“We have individual facilities that o� er di� erent types of senior living,” says Amanda. “Our residents can transition into the dif-ferent types if the need arises, avoiding a disruptive move to a whole new community.

“We also have a program called Bridges, which is just that, a bridge from assisted living to memory care. Having facilities for all different life stages on one campus provides for better continuity of care for the residents.”

Independent living is for active seniors who can manage activities of daily living (ADL) without help. Seniors in the assisted living community need some help with a few ADL, but can otherwise live independently. � e assisted living facility offers meals, housekeeping, organized activities and wellness programs in an apartment-like community.

“Our memory care facility is for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of age-related dementia,” says Amanda. “Sta� there o� er twenty-four-hour supervision, nutritional support and sensory-based programming, also in an apartment-like setting.”

� e campus at Arbor Terrace Citrus Park is well designed to meet the current and future needs of its residents. It has a dedicated sta� that goes the extra mile to enrich residents’ lives, as well as activities and amenities that promote independence and wellness. Barbara stresses they do all this to make those deep connections with the residents.

“We want to be a family with our seniors,” she says. “We’re all in this together.”

� at sounds pretty good to Anthony, who is looking forward to a carefree life-style to make his golden years truly golden.FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photos courtesy of Arbor

Terrace. mkb

*Resident’s name withheld at their request.

Model apartment now open. Schedule your appointment today!

At Arbor Terrace, residents enjoy a full, dynamic, independent lifestyle without the responsibility of home ownership.

North and Central Pinellas County Edition | Fall 2018 | Pinellas Health Care News | Page 11seniOR living

Ruth Smith

DEAN M. KNOBLACH, BC-HISKATHLEEN O. KNOBLACH, HAS

Dean M. Knoblach, BC-HIS, is a graduate of the National Institute of Hearing Instrument Studies. Dean founded Knoblach Hearing Care in 1998. Since then, he has received many recognitions. The most recent include ranking in The Hearing Review as one of the “Top Hearing Healthcare Professionals of 2012,” the Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame Award in 2014, and Angie’s List Super Service Award/Best in Hearing Healthcare 2014, 2015, 2016. He is a member of the American Hearing Aid Association and Florida Society of Hearing Healthcare Professionals, and is a nationally Board Certi� ed in Hearing Instrument Sciences.

Kathleen O. Knoblach, HAS, is a licensed hearing aid specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the hearing health care � eld. Consistently ranked for years as a top-performing specialist at a very large practice in Orlando, she teamed up with Dean after marrying him in 2015. Together, Dean and Kathleen have dedicated the rest of their careers to serving the hearing impaired through Knoblach Hearing Care.

For more information, visit them online at www.knoblachhearingcare.com

Better Hearing For LifeFrom the latest in hearing aid technology to ear wax removal and in-office repairs, Knoblach Hearing Care can help. Dean Knoblach has specialized in hearing care since 1983. Dean and the sta� at Knoblach Hearing Care welcome the opportunity to discuss your hearing needs. For answers to your personal hearing health care questions, please call of visit the o� ce in Largo at:

2480 East Bay Dr., Suite 17

(727) 530-3533

If you or a loved one is experiencing difficulty hearing and are interested in trying this technology, Knoblach Hearing Care is currently conducting free clinical trial programs. For more information, visit Knoblach Hearing Care online atwww.knoblachhearingcare.com or call (727) 530-3533.

Relative WondersAdvanced hearing aid technology inspires family reunion

C leveland, Ohio native Ruth Smith, 87, is a retired stay-at-home mom who worked brie� y as a licensed practical

nurse. She describes herself as “no young-ster,” but she’s in good health and likes to stay active. Unfortunately, Ruth also has a degenerative hearing loss that brought her to a tipping point three years ago.

“My hearing gradually got worse over the years,” she relates. “Initially, I didn’t realize what was happening until I got to that terrible place where I just was not hearing certain things, such as particular voices and parts of conversations. I was teaching a class at church, and it was becoming di� cult for me to hear correctly when my students asked questions.”

Ruth’s hearing loss had an adverse e� ect on her day-to-day experiences as well. Her poor hearing also had an impact on her daughter, who lives with her.

“To hear someone one-on-one, they had to be facing me directly,” Ruth describes. “Otherwise, I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My televi-sion had to be up as far as it would go, which bothered my daughter who has super good hearing.”

“Mom’s hearing wasn’t good at all,” clarifies Ruth’s daughter. “She would have her television blasting. She also likes to listen to radio programs from her era, and they would be very loud as well.

“Not only that, but Mom couldn’t hear anything I was trying to tell her either. � ere were some bad moments when I had to write down what I wanted to say on a piece of paper. That’s how severe her hearing loss had become.

“� ere were many misunderstand-ings in her conversations with her friends, too. and it caused problems for her. She thought she heard what they were saying, but they weren’t actually saying those things. She started to become enclosed within herself and less social.”

Three years ago, Ruth decided it was time for hearing aids. A friend from her church told her about the provider who fit him with hearing aids,

and that he was very happy with his experience. The provider was Dean M. Knoblach, a board-certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, at Knoblach Hearing Care in Largo.

“On my friend’s recommendation, I went to Knoblach Hearing Care,” states Ruth. “When I � rst met Dean, I thought he was just wonderful. He was very thorough and compassionate, just a delight to be with.

“� e � rst set of hearing aids Dean recommended helped a little bit, but then he later found another pair that work wonderfully. I’m now wearing Rexton® hearing aids, and they’re worth every penny I paid for them.”

Communicating Technology“I � rst met Ruth in 2015 and discovered she had a moderate to severe hearing loss in her right ear and a profound hearing loss in her left ear,” reports Dean. “’� e � rst set of hearing aids I � t for her left a lot of room for improvement, so when she came back I got her involved in a clinical trial to test a product in development.

“The purpose of the clinical trial was to determine the efficacy of a new hearing aid com-puter chip designed by Siemens for its advanced pr imax circuit technology.”

Clinical trials help manufacturers test new products with the help of a select group of spec ia l ly t ra ined practitioners, who provide feedback on

what works and what doesn’t. � e result is real-time solutions, so new technol-ogy is developed in months instead of years. Advanced hearing aids with the Siemens primax chip are currently avail-able because of clinical trials.

“� e hearing aids I recommended for Ruth, called Rexton Emerald, have the Siemens primax chip, and they’re amazing,” notes Dean. “In my thirty-� ve years of practice, I’ve never seen the level of detailed accuracy and predictability that’s available with this technology.”

Wi t h t h e primax circuit, i f sound isn’t clear in one ear, the hearing aid in the opposite e a r c h o o s e s

the be s t speech in t e l l i g ib i l i t y and sends the sound to the other device, Dean explains. This pro-vides clear, effortless sound quality t h a t a u t o m a t i c a l l y a d j u s t s t o ever-changing listening environments.

“ T h e s e n e w h e a r i n g a i d s ta lk to each other, and they’re constantly sharing data,” he elab-orates . “Whichever hear ing a id microphone that picks up a clear signal pushes it through to both devices, and this happens one thousand, two-hundred times per second. It’s some-thing that is very fluid and comfortable.

“With this new hearing aid tech-nology, Ruth can hear well in all environments,” he adds. “She has no dif-� culty hearing in auditoriums, restaurants or groups situations or while watching television or talking on the phone.

“� at’s an excellent report card that we used to never get, but with this new technology, we get it quite routinely now.”

Normal Is AmazingGoing back to Knoblach Hearing Care was life-changing for Ruth. She knew she had been missing out on conversa-tions, but she didn’t realize just how out of touch with the world she’d become. She’s amazed by the sounds she’s been hearing since she started wearing her new hearing aids.

“For the � rst time in a long time, I can hear birds chirping and singing,” she marvels. “I enjoy that very much.

“I can hear normally now. People don’t have to be facing me for me to hear what they’re saying. I can watch TV with the volume way down instead of at the top level. I can’t explain how wonderful it is being able to hear again.”

“Mom can hear me now when I talk to her,” enthuses Ruth’s daughter. “The difference is absolutely amazing because before she got these hearing aids, everything had to be so loud for her to hear. Now, she tells me, That’s too loud, that’s too loud. What a difference. It’s like a miracle.

“It’s incredible what Mom can hear now. And since she can now hear in conversations, she’s becoming more social again.”

Ruth loves her new hearing aids and appreciates the sta� at Knoblach Hearing Care. She values the excep-tional treatment she receives and the overall quality of her experiences when-ever she visits the center.

“Everyone at Knoblach Hearing Care is just lovely,” she shares. “Dean and his sta� are precious people. � ey’re sweet and caring, and it’s a joy to go there. � ey’re like family. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the best, I give Knoblach Hearing Care a twelve!”FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo. Photo by Jordan Pysz. mkb

“For the � rst time in a long time, I can hear birds chirping and singing.”

– Ruth

Page 12 | Pinellas Health Care News | Fall 2018 | North and Central Pinellas County Edition heaRing health caRe