Health & Healing from the Pain Healers Alliance

Sunday, March 19, 2023

A BEFORE & AFTER REVIEW: POST SURGICAL RECOVERY WITH NEUROSTIMULATION

USER REVIEW OF PEMF- By: Maria Errera

I had knee replacement surgery in mid-2021 on my left knee. I understood that everyone’s recovery is different but mine seems to be more difficult than others based on other who had it done - even with all my PT and exercises. Meanwhile, my right knee has still bone and bone and is headed for the same procedure soon. (there's no cartilage between).

I’ve been having a hard time with recovery before I started this PEMF treatment with BOTH knees. The sensitivity, the pain, the tension of the knee, the tightness of the knee, the pressure… it was just so much that even physical therapy and exercising going to the gym. It's a slow process as compared to this one. Since I went back to work seven days a week, I haven't had the time to go to the gym nor use the treadmill or whatever exercises I have. Getting in and out of the car is agonizing at times. Kneeling in church is not there yet. The tension has kept me from consistent sleep which I’m sure affected my state of mind and social interactions. This and the pain meds that the doctor keeps sending me just make me a zombie at work! And when I go upstairs, 13 flights of stair or 13 steps, the pressure and tension kept me going one step at a time on both knees, holding on to the rails with both hands to hoist my entire body with ridiculous effort.

In January of this year, I was introduced to this PEMF as part of a trial study and I was happy to try something new. On the first day, I was given a double treatment on my knee off 20 minutes at a setting of 10. I also was given other devices to use (in Day One only) like the AVACEN w/c is a microcirculation device from the hand and this BRAINTAP, a meditation device which brought me to a very relaxing state while I was getting my knees worked on. I had never heard of any of this before, but I was willing to explore what’s out there to get back to living again.

After this set of sessions, I was convinced that there are definitely other (more effective) solutions out there than pain meds. Functionally, I got up off the bed and I wasn’t slow to rise. In fact, I did not feel that “anchor” that weighted me down, and that head pressure I usually get when struggling to move my body. The sensation in the knee was still there but unlike before, it didn’t have that cement-like harshness that kept me from wanting to move. I stood up vertically and my family was impressed to see me smile (for the first time in months), move around with more agility and speed. They watched me actually raise one leg at a time with much less struggle.

A few days and about 6-8 treatments later, I gave the stairs another shot, this time fully alert to look for what’s different! This time, I found myself gradually holding onto the banister lightly with one hand just to go upstairs- and not with the full force of hauling my body with both hands. Midway, I was still holding onto it, but not with anywhere near the amount of pressure as, as if I'm holding on for dear life. And as far as when I go up and up the stairs, I'm doing one foot at a time now, which means my left knee can support my right knee and my whole body to go up one step at a time.

HEADACHE HEADACHE GO AWAY!

When you're in pain, it's insidious! It affects everything that defines your life somehow. It affects your ability to sleep consistently which then reflects on your social interaction. It alters your outlook on life and eventually your sense of mental balance. During the Covid-19 surge, many have felt the post-infection reactions of Long Haul symptoms including BRAIN FOG. This and other head-related issues like migraines and recurring headaches from inflammation can also take its toll. Use of neuromagnetic therapies have shown to play a positive role in addressing, reducing and even eliminating headaches. (See Maria's expanded review on her recovery process with PEMF)

BACK ON THE FLOOR AT WORK:
I maintain a consistent regimen of one 20 minute treatment in the morning and one before bed. I’ve been religious with my PEMF with good reason. In comparison to where I was before (I couldn’t even walk five minutes), I am now walking around at work more and more. It's a 10,000 square feet facility and I’m doing this with NO pain, or resistance especially for around 45 minutes to an hour and a half at a time. I find myself actually forcing myself to sit down because I’m not supposed to push myself too hard and because I do get tired.

When in church, when I do the Eucharist (Eucharistic prayers), I timed it before this treatment at about three minutes of kneeling before I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. I would have to get up and sit down. And as a matter of fact, recently, I noticed it now takes me about more than five minutes, and I'm still kneeling down. I'm not in pain. I mean, I feel the pressure, but not that pain that was hard to tolerate. What I have now is something I can handle and I feel it dissipating over time. Also, when I get out of my car (before), I have to grapple onto the door and look for support to eject myself from the seat. I would then stand there for about a minute or two just to get my bearings straight so I can walk. When I finally get to walking, I’d do this with a major limp. It’s night and day - now, when I get out of the car, I still hold onto the door for support, but it feels more out of habit. I don't have to wait to get my bearing straight and I can just walk straight- without a limp.

Overall, I see a lot of improvements with my (PEMF) device treatment. I have a ways to go to be a runway model (lol) but the results are definitely measurable! No side effects-- No drugs—and the effect in my life is real and so is the HOPE to keep me going.

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SPECIAL THANKS: The publishers of IPHA News, Health Tech Reporter and Health & Healing 101 would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Maria Errera for her generous contribution in producing her progress video depicting her recovery. Additional thanks to Patrick Ziemer of AURAWELL PEMF for supplying this project with her PEMF equipment and her technical guidance about the Pulsed Electromagnetic Field technology. Further thanks to Dr. Robert L. Bard and Alice Chiang of Terason Ultrasound for their clinical support and contribution of the Terason T3200 ultrasound - all of whose efforts this report could not have been made possible.

OVERVIEW: IDENTIFYING THE TYPES OF PAIN

BATTLING THE OPIOID CRISIS WITH INNOVATION

Introduction:
The Integrative Pain Healers Alliance was originally inspired by every chiropractor or PT visit where patients often get a more comprehensive explanation of how their personal injuries relate to their physiology. We are blessed to have doctors who take the time to educate us on our issues and as educators themselves, pain therapists possess the talent to bring additional healing through the calming power of direct knowledge.

Statistics show that the United States continues to struggle with a significant drug crisis with more than 1,500 deaths per week from opioid-related overdoses, a toll that has spiked across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, millions more Americans suffer from opioid addiction. Analysts say the problem started with the overprescription of legal pain medications, but note that it has intensified in recent years with an influx of cheap heroin and synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, supplied by foreign-based drug cartels. The crisis has reached such a scale that it has become a drag on the economy and a threat to national security: opioid misuse is costing the country tens of billions of dollars annually, not only in health-care expenses but also in the form of a weakened workforce. [1]

PAIN 101: THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION
Written by: Josh T. Schueller

Pain is everywhere. Billions of dollars are spent each year in the United States alone on pain treatments and remedies. Per the National Center for Health Statistics almost 60% are living with pain. While most sufferers of pain want relief and answers, many medical professionals may be providing inefficient or incorrect pain reliefs counters. The “cookie cutter” approach for pain over the last several decades has left the world in a pain crisis. One of the main reasons why- the current treatment model does not do an adequate job in categorizing pain.

Pain falls under different categories. Most people do not understand that the type of pain you have directly correlates the type of treatment given. Personalized medicine in the treatment of pain holds the key to understanding the types of pain and developing the correct course of action to treat the pain.

Even though no one wants to be in pain, pain is the body’s early warning system that something is wrong. If not for pain, we wouldn’t know to move our hand off a hot stove before doing serious damage. When pain becomes an interference to our normal activities is when we have a problem. Most people will group all pain into one big category but there are actually many different types of pain. By recognizing and knowing the different types of pain clinicians can formulate an appropriate treatment plan that is pain specific to the person’s needs.

Here is a brief description of the types of pain:

ACUTE PAIN is sudden onset (within 3 months) that is normally caused by an injury such as a burn, strain, sprain, fracture, laceration, and surgery. Typically, an abnormal trauma to the body causes the body to respond with pain. Acute pain is described as throbbing, burning, stabbing, tingling, weakness, and numbness. The pain will normally go away after healing has occurred with no lasting restrictions.

CHRONIC PAIN occurs during an event that lasts over 3 months in duration. The original injury may have healed or resolved itself, but the pain persists for months into years. Pain signals remain on high activity levels in the nervous system, despite no acute injury. In instances of chronic pain corresponding emotional effects may occur such as depression, anger, anxiety, and fear.

NOCICEPTIVE PAIN is sensation caused by tissue damage. This pain is described as sharp, aching, and throbbing. This can be caused by an external injury such as a athletic event injury or stubbing your toe that typically results in bruises, sprain, swelling and redness. The brain responds to the information received from the nociceptors to initiate healing process

NEUROPATHIC PAIN occurs when there is damage to the neurological system. Pain messages are sent to brain via the Central Nervous System from many times an infection or injury. People have described this pain as burning, shooting, or numbness. Pain associated with diabetic neuropathy and multiple sclerosis are neuropathic in origin.

PSYCHOGENIC PAIN is caused by psychological factors. This can occur from a non-physical origin. Psychogenic pain can be caused by embarrassment, shame, bereavement or in response to emotional or mental trauma. Treatment for this type of pain can be challenging for many clinicians.

CENTRAL PAIN SYNDROME occurs when damage is to the brain, spinal cord, and/or brainstem. Possible causes of this pain can occur with stroke, MS, tumors, seizures SCI or Parkinson’s. disease. Pain is moderate to severe, burning aching with sharp stabbing.

COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME is a rare and not much research has been performed. This tpe of pain usually affects the arm or leg and occurs after injury, stroke, or heart attack. Common symptoms is hypersensitivity, swelling, pain, skin changes, spasms and atrophy. Many times, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) occurs.

VISCERAL PAIN is caused by injury or damage to your internal organs. Pain is in your trunk or back or abdominal or chest and is referred pain from the organ. Can be described as pressure, aching, cramping, nausea, and vomiting. Examples can be IBS, gall stones, kidney stones, appendicitis, and bowel obstruction. In many instances proper care is delayed because of inability to recognize the origin of pain and can lead to life threatening emergency.

When someone says “I am in pain” the first line of defense is medications. Pharmacological interventions have become as American as apple pie and fireworks on July 4th. Many times, the same medication is given for all types of pain. Pain suffers often experience ineffectiveness of the desired results (no pain), but also develop debilitating side effects. Knowing what type of pain, the suffer has can go along way in developing a personalized treatment approach that can alleviate or abolish the pain and allow a return to normal activates without a financial burden.

WHAT IS PLANTAR FASCIITIS?
Approximately 3 million people per year. PF is the inflammation of a thick band of tissue that connects the heels bone (calcaneus) to the toes on the underside of your foot. The most common symptoms is sharp, stabbing pain in the bottom of your foot that is worse in the morning and after long periods of inactivity. When getting out of bed in the morning, the bottom of your foot can feel like someone had pounded a spike through the bottom of your foot. The increase tension and stress of repetitive pounding (such as in running) can cause microtears in the plantar fascia causing inflammation and pain.

WHAT IS KREBS CYCLE? - Otherwise known as citric acid cycle, Krebs Cycle can be synonymous to the process of converting your paycheck into cash and going shopping with it. When you receive a paycheck (glucose) through direct deposit that paycheck is deposited into the bank (mitochondria). Throughout this process there are fees (byproducts) that must be paid in order to receive the money. These fees (NADH, GTP, CO2 etc.) are an essential part of the process. The result is currency. In order to receive the money (ATP) it must go through to the ATM (electron transport System). When you withdraw the money (ATP) you can spend on goods or services (energy production). As money is essential to the survival of the economy the Krebs Cycle is essential to the survival of the organism."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOSH T. SCHUELLER has dedicated his life's work to the support and treatment chronic pain and disorders with non-invasive, safe, effective treatment solutions. He is the current VP of Clinical Operations and Business Development at AxioBionics LLC. and the Clinical Director for Orthopedic Physical Therapy Clinics (Rockford, MI). As an active member of APTA, he holds advanced certification in Physical Therapy treatment techniques including the McKenzie method of patient empowerment. He has over 20+ years experience in the treatment of neurological conditions such as Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, CVA, Cerebral Palsy etc. In 2021, Josh is elected a clinical advisory role and educational advocacy for IPHA (Integrated Pain Healers Alliance) and has published research articles in pain management while co-launching the MedTech Reviews program of therapeutic devices. Today, Josh continues to support patient suffering from disabilities and has expanded his focus to contribute his expertise in treatment programs for Veterans and first responders.

References:

1) The U.S. Opioid Epidemic- Council on Foreign Relations: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-opioid-epidemic

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Monday, March 13, 2023

2023 PAIN REVIEW: RECOVERING FROM WHIPLASH WITH REGENERATIVE INNOVATIONS

Click to play survivor video

Written by: Josh Schueler, PT

Oftentimes, injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident are poorly understood and even harder to treat. Each case of whiplash is as unique as snowflakes or fingerprints. The position of head, the speed of vehicle, and the angle of impact are just a few of the variables that can effect injury. Many different structures can be injured including muscles, bones/joints, discs, tendons, and nerves. For people involved in a high speed accident the initial concern is brain injury, spinal cord injury, or fractures. It is not uncommon for people to suffer for years without relief. Many people deal with decreased range of motion, pain, numbness and other neurological symptoms.

INFLAMMATION

Analyzing the phases of what the body may undergo from an accident, the body’s initial response to injury is often the inflammation phase. This can be presented as pain, swelling, and increased heat. In many chronic conditions the inflammation phase is never recovered from. Chronic inflammation causes swelling in that area which can cause nerve impingement for months and even years.

Chronic inflammation is clinically aligned with the erosion or decline in cellular health. The inability of the cells to properly bring in nutrients and expel cellular waste causes an unhealthy environment that limits healing and recovery. In this case, a decrease in cervical rotation has lasted for years. In the case of the woman in the enclosed video, her inability to properly and fully rotate her head has caused difficulty in normal activities such as driving.

In my clinical experience, traditional treatments of therapy, medication, and manipulation (alone) does not always result in full recovery due to the poor cellular health that has transpired since the initial trauma. Her use of Neuro-magnetic treatment for her whiplash is one example off alternative solutions to traumatic injuries. This modality (in the patient care community) is gaining acceptance and popularity because of the success in restoring a healthy environment by combining with traditional treatments (referred as stacking) as well as when used as a standalone treatment.

Based on research and personal observation, the concept of neuro-magnetic treatments reportedly decreases inflammation in the area of injury by increasing blood flow to the smallest of capillaries (microcirculation). More clinical reports continue to demonstrate the potential benefits of microcirculation as part of improved health of the cell by increasing ATP production and improving the ability to eliminate chronic waste from the cell (cellular detoxification).

By utilizing the treatments directly to the cervical region, potentially the chronic inflammation can be contained, significantly decreased or even eliminated. Many factors play into the healing duration with this type of treatments. Obviously, the severity of the injury, extent of damage to the area, and the amount of time since the original injury are some of the sensible considerations. In this case, our survivor had experienced the accident 4 plus years before use of neuro-magnetic treatments. Based on this information treatments may take 6 weeks in duration (as in the case) before any reportable progress toward recovery can be expected.

The implementation of non-invasive, non-pharmacological, safe, and effective treatments such as neuro-magnetic therapy is gaining public acceptance due to the growing user testimonials about its positive results. As an over-the-counter item, access to this technology alongside current information about its science and development significantly add to its popularity. Individuals who suffer from chronic conditions tend to come with a long list of failed treatments. This video is just one inspiring example of a sufferer who researched beyond the unremarkable box solutions (of pain meds and temporary relief products) and to take charge of her future post-accident. Instead of succumbing to her injuries, she reaps the rewards of her personal research and her initiative to seek out “better solutions out there”—opening up an array of alternative concepts that exist within our immediate reach. Such innovations are all part of what may potentially lead to the evolution of healthcare.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SPECIAL THANKS: The publishers of IPHA News, Health Tech Reporter and Health & Healing 101 would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Maria Errera for her generous contribution in producing her progress video depicting her recovery. Additional thanks to Ms. JoAnn Zymler (BEMER Group) for supplying this project with her PEMF equipment and her technical guidance about the Bemer Pulsed Electromagnetic Field technology. - without whose efforts this report could not hav been made possible.

Re-issued from Non-Invasive Diagnostic Science News:

Real-Time Pre & Post Imaging of PEMF Treatment

Introduction: “BEFORE AND AFTER” Comparative Imaging
Historically speaking, the most favored (and sensible) way to identify the results of any treatment is by tracking the body's response to it. Controlled testing must show the patient's condition PRE and POST effects, where true data-finding is collecting the necessary EVIDENCE of its claims. The investigator can pull a significant amount of data from this form of validation testing: including stage-by-stage bodily response to future projections of possible side effects. Recording of any and all physiological response means the researchers are counting on the patient's body to tell us what it is undergoing during the testing phase. To reduce any chance of erroneous reporting, trials tend to work with a large number of test patients (commonly 50-100) and may also employ redundancies like undergoing multiple testing protocols for a second or even third opinion. To capture the benefits of a BEFORE AND AFTER review, Imaging is often used as a standard screening solution for the response of most of the major organs.

ULTRASOUND INTERPRETATION 101: “BEFORE THERAPY”
Modern diagnostic science looks to imaging for its safe, non-invasive yet quantifiable analyses of what’s under the skin. In this latest review, ultrasound offers a flicker-free visual (10-30 frames per second) of muscle contraction. The “real-time” advantage of video under a 3D Doppler Ultrasound easily and clearly shows the frequency of the muscle bundle’s firing (twitching) indicating fatigue and potential pathology.

I chose to test drive a top-of-the-line medical grade PEMF device on my own quadriceps (thigh) which has been heavily weakened by years of wear and tear and injury. In addition, I acquired the latest upgrade in 3D Ultrasound probes to explore the current state of this muscle. From the video (insert) the sonogram shows the Rectus Femoris branch of the four part, quadriceps muscle complex. As you can see, in this transverse or cross sectional scan, we see a muscle bundle rapidly twitching or firing, which indicates muscle fatigue or injury.

NOTE: On the top white line of the scan is a thin black margin which is the epidermis of the skin measuring 2/10 of a millimeter. This high resolution technology extends to the lower portion of the image where the abnormal muscle is noted. 3d imaging allows the scan to be quickly reproduced and quantifiably analyzed on follow up examinations

QUANTITATIVE IMAGING: “AFTER THERAPY” using ELECTROMAGNETIC COIL TREATMENT

This BEFORE AND AFTER study support and helps identify the benefits of 3D ultrasound and its ‘actual-motion’ imaging and treated area responds to the therapy. Comparing to its condition before treatment with the magnetic coil, we are able to see the muscle contractions of the significantly weakened quadriceps femoris (hip flexor/knee extensor). After 15 minutes with a PEMF device (under efficacy review), an immediate scan with real-time ultrasound shows a significant reduction in muscle contractions. Both visually and through the ultrasound motion metrics, we are able to record an est. 35-45% calming and relaxation of the intensified muscle and contractility. This impression is repeated from various scanning angles including a longitudinal view of the same area.

There are two ways of quantifying abnormal movement; one is using the motion mode- which is used most often in scanning the heart because this probe feature allows you to visually track the motion of the valves instantaneously. Many hospital grade models can identify heart movements digitally as well as other organ movements thanks to Doppler technology [1] and AI induced presets. We can use this same motion mode on the twitching muscle fibers.

“GOING WIDE” AFTER THE BASE LINE
The research benefits of using ultrasound scanning in therapeutic monitoring allows for tremendous flexibility in exploratory detection. Once we have established the initial Base Line of the ‘before and after’ scan, having probe in hand empowers the diagnostician to go deeper and wider- allowing for more answers and possibly finding other pathologies.

After we looked at the obvious muscle abnormality, the question is to go back and see what's causing the problem. Upon observing what’s under the white skin area (Fig 3), there appears a very thick white band (FASCIA covering the muscle) between the two dark layers of the subcutaneous fat and the muscle. We notice that the fascia splits into two levels with the upper arrows, denoting the top part of the split and the lower arrows showing the bottom part of the split. The black area in the split is filled with fluid indicating the fascia lining is abnormal and this is a way that we can follow the cause for the muscle irritation in future tracking.

For now, we see an immediate cause and effect, which is the inflamed fascia lining and that the PEMF does in fact calm down the muscle. Ultrasound provides the opportunity to follow the treatment and see how the facial abnormality is healing. So we have a way of finding pathology and then discovering the causation and documenting treatment progress as well with non-invasive imaging, that is brilliant.

PEMF TREATMENT AND PAIN MANAGEMENT
Pain management is a widely expanding industry offering an extensive list of both conventional and alternative solutions. Beyond oral medications, point of care treatments and surgical applications, today’s pain sufferer also benefits from an even wider set of options from the “ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT” catalog.

One example is the widely expanding advancements in neuromagnetic therapies, otherwise known as PEMF or BIOFEEDBACK. MAGNETIC THERAPY has been recorded for over 2000 years (Greek physicians in 200BC using lodestones), but it was the evolution of the management of the body’s electromagnetic field through ELECTROTHERAPY with Dr. Guillaume Duchene who first used electricity for muscle stimulation in 1856. Nikola Tesla researched on the potential of pulsed electrotherapy in 1897 just before his invention of the Tesla coil in 1891. This inspired global research and development in the therapeutic community, such that by 1998, the FDA accepted PEMF as “a viable treatment for pain” and PEMF therapy has been FDA approved for a variety of kinds of pain and inflammation. [2]

1) https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/genus

2) https://pemfcomplete.com/the-history-of-pemf-machines/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR-

ROBERT L. BARD, MD, PC, DABR, FASLMS - Advanced Imaging & Diagnostic Specialist
Having paved the way for the study of various cancers both clinically and academically, Dr. Robert Bard co-founded the 9/11 CancerScan program to bring additional diagnostic support to all first responders from Ground Zero. His main practice in midtown, NYC (Bard Diagnostic Imaging- www.CancerScan.com) uses the latest in digital Imaging technology has been also used to help guide biopsies and in many cases, even replicate much of the same reports of a clinical invasive biopsy. Imaging solutions such as high-powered Sonograms, Spectral Doppler, sonofluoroscopy, 3D/4D Image Reconstruction and the Spectral Doppler are safe, noninvasive, and does not use ionizing radiation. It is used as a complement to find anomalies and help diagnose the causes of pain, swelling and infection in the body’s internal organs while allowing the diagnostician the ability to zoom and ‘travel’ deep into the body for maximum exploration.

TMS FOR DEPRESSION: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

October 4, 2021- TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, is the use of magnets external to the body to activate tissue inside the body (so you're not having to open the patient up). Based on Faraday’s Law, a magnetic field produced outside of a patient’s head can permeate non-invasively through a patient’s head and induce an electric field that has the capacity to activate neurons in the brain. We induce current at a distance inside the brain and cause the neurons to fire where we induce that current. This means that where we depolarize, we cause the brains neurons to fire. TMS artificially stimulates the brain and causes the neurons to fire. Navigation technology allows us to see precisely where in the brain where we are stimulating. (see complete article)

MEDTECH REVIEWS: PEMF Therapy

September 25, 2021 - In 1979, The Food and Drug Administration 1979 approved PEMF Therapy for the healing of nonunion fractures. Electrical stimulation of the spine (as part of spinal fusion procedures) for failed fusions and congenital pseudarthroses. In October 2008 the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of PEMF therapy for treatment of major depressive disorder in PD patients who failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from very high dosages of antidepressant medications. Clinical research has also been highly dedicated towards mental health. In 2006, the FDA approved PEMF Therapy for treatment of depression and anxiety. Further reports have presented an est. 30% of depression cases have a resistance to antidepressant drugs, where Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and the application of Transcranially applied Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (T-PEMF) has shown positive results in combination with antidepressants in patients with treatment-resistant depression. (see complete article)

Friday, November 11, 2022

MedPreneur Spotlight: MEET JANUARY HOWARD!

IPHA NEWS is proud to kick off our spring 2022 feature spotlight series on female role models in our community. Welcome January Howard, owner of MedSpa 101. Her business is coaching medical professionals who are new to aesthetics- looking for financial freedom. January found her passion with coaching professionals find their next interest in the world of aesthetics. She is among a set of remarkable women chosen as part of the EMPOWERMENT SERIES by our panel of public advocates for their leadership in their respective careers or fields of study, while others have been chosen for social or technical achievements that can inspire us all.

A VENTURE IN PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT

An interview with January Howard (by Josh Schueller, PT / Edited by: Lennard Gettz)

If process of elimination is a direction finder, I learned at a very early age where I didn't belong. I started out with a degree in exercise science and went the gym route as a personal trainer. The hours were exhausting, the pay was defeating and it didn't lend itself to a truly fulfilling existence. I hate to admit that my mother may have been correct about choosing the wrong degree, but lets face it, many of us never end up in the first field we start out.

We are at a great age when we can access inspirations to explore and evolve in a better direction. You can learn just about anything on YouTube. Nowadays, you can become an expert at just about anything. Finding those kinds of resources and just being inspired to question life and find better ways in life-- and when you surround yourself with innovators, you too can take note and chose to look for the positive. And by doing so I did just that I became an expert in the medical aesthetic field! A mentor of mine taught me that 'you don't sell your product, you sell the solution... your product solves". So it's whether it's pain, whether it's anti-aging, whether it's just straight vanity and/or it's the newer cooler best thing. I enjoy being healthy and happy, so I choose to inspire others to find their own healthier, happier ways as well by teaching medical professionals how to implement medical aesthetics in their current practices. Aesthetics clients are typically healthier, happier, and cash paying clients, which elevates the mood of the entire practice!

My career has been quite the roller coaster of evolution, I've always loved helping people, I had a successful marketing and events company for a while where I brought anywhere from 40 to 400 ladies to my clients special events unfortunately it crashed when the economy crashed. I then became an event planner for a booming network marketing company where we launched a game-changing 90 Day Fitness Challenge and set a world record for the largest simultaneous flash dance to date! The rock star life was awesome because when the economy was down, we were growing but I totally burned out on that and went back into aesthetics and evolved into the person I am now. My evolution in aesthetics started when I began selling a micro-needling device. Micro-needling found it’s self on the FDA's radar, a competing pen got the FDA clearance first and I temporarily got swept into a nasty battle with a less than ethical local rep. In reflecting, I simply decided to become better. My team gave our all, offering better trainings, better support, and simply put more fun!

On the Aesthetics Business

I formed a new business model focused on edutainment as we call it, thorough yet entertaining skill and marketing training. Most clinical trainings, are mundane and boring, educational, but far from inspiring. Simply put my courses are more fun, more condensed and just better all around. This program was more focused around the client and their growth- and took off beautifully. My retention rate is literally at 99.5%. After a while, we created an elevated culture where our students left fulfilled and ready to not only preform a skill but to thrive. I won't take all the credit for a successful business. There's Tony Robbins, which was my catalyst, and then there is Jeff Henderson, which is a direct mentor of mine. He was actually the CMO of Chick-fil-A. He teaches very similarly to likes of John C. Maxwell and Napoleon Hill, A major lesson I learned from Jeff is that "you must become a raving fan of your clients, in order for then to become a raving fan of you... and that's the goal is our clients be our raving fans!". I choose to surround myself with like-minded, grounded individuals who strive to evolve into the best versions of themselves! When I am not teaching Drs aesthetics over the weekend. I serve at my non-denominational church by teaching 4 year olds in Sunday School, I get by giving and am grateful for the teachings and support I get for free every Sunday I attend.

I love what we do. Even though our line of work can be the more on the vane side, we do help people look and feel better about them selves. We help people with scars, hyperpigmentation and hair loss, we help soften fine line and wrinkles, which improves overall texture. This truly helps people build their self-esteem. It's not just for the socialites that want to look amazing-- aesthetics is also for someone scarred from a fall, or that's had a bad bicycle accident and her lip has been scarred and we help bring their face a back to symmetry. And for that child that was acne ridden or a beautiful woman that's full of acne scars - we can smooth her face out. I did it. We worked on an accountant that works with us and we had done six treatments-- acne takes a while (some take several couple years). I had not physically seen a difference and I asked her thoughts, after a while, she tears up and she said, "oh my God, I can smile without it hurting... I can move my face now, like a normal person.". We literally worked on her to address a major piece of scar tissue. So this part of her face used to hurt when she smiled. Stories like this make it a beautiful space to work in. Also, there's a lot in PRP for wound care including diabetics, treatments that actually save limbs, and restore burns to the natural color and texture! Not to mention scar revision for the many women who have decided to explant do to Breast Implant Illness as well as Cancer related surgeries.

We provide accredited classes and that's my specialty. This can be ongoing and speaking of evolution, I've had to evolve again because of COVID. My primary focus is working with clients who are medical providers who are new to aesthetics. I help everyone from ophthalmologists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants- anyone that that hunger and wants to grow into aesthetics because we're the fun part! And I use the word 'FUN' a lot but I truly believe that once you get into aesthetics, you don't really want to go back. In addition to FUN, aesthetics is a cash based business which is an immediate return on investment for the practice!

WHAT IS MICRONEEDLING?

So in very layman terms, micro-needling Is the exact same thing as aerating the lawn or the golf course. So aerating for some ladies that don't know, you put little pivots into the grass and it makes the grass come back thicker and greener. In creating perfect micro injuries to the skin in which the skin comes back firmer, tighter, more polished, more radiant. It works on skin, scars and hair. It's just a moderately aggressive treatment. It is literally is like a tattoo needle with 12 to 16 needles in the little cartridge and you use a topical numbing cream then you put the little holes in the skin. The best treatment I believe is with PRP -that's called the vampire facial coined trademarked by Dr. Charles Runels. For best results a series of 4 sessions spaced 4 weeks apart is needed.

MEDSPA 101

I'm great at branding everyone else but a little slow to brand myself. It's been up and running but formally launching the website was a little challenging. This is how you can open a med spa with as little as $5,000, as much as $200,000. And I can teach you to easily make a hundred thousand dollars in a year with that. So it's very simple. I am focusing on the beginning stages of med spas. That's where I would rather work and building a library of resources for my clients and those clients mainly general practitioners that want to just start offering Neurotoxins, Fillers, micro-needling and PRP.

To me, microneedling and PRP should be your first investment in launching aesthetics in both new and or existing practices! Simply because with those two, you train and immediately start earning income. Botox takes time and practice. You need to practice on your friends a lot before you really start charging for it. With PRP, if someone's a confidant injector, they can immediately start making money. PRP is actually platelet rich plasma. You would take a vial (or six). Some, some treatments require around 60 Ml's of blood (it's not even equivalent to a cup of coffee) and it's way less than you give if you donate blood. The provider will spin the blood in a medical grade centrifuge. In which the machine separates the red blood cells from the white blood cells. Red blood cells have absolutely no value. And then you will extract the platelet rich. So typically if you did that 60 ML draw, you would typically have anywhere from five to 10 Ml's of platelet, rich plasma, after you can dilute it depending on the procedures that you're doing. PRP for are the platelet rich plasma facials, which we call the vampire facial.

The VAMPIRE FACELIFT, which would be injecting the PRP with a synthetic filler can be used for joints, The O-SHOT and P-SHOT for sexual function, (and yes they really work) for hair loss and just about anything. It's great for acne. PRP just brings the body back to a state of homeostasis- correcting, scars, softening the skin, thickening hair. However if a man's been bald for 10 years, his hair is not going to come back. If someone is thinning we can thicken the hair up, wake it up quicken up the hair cycle. Hair loss has been on the rise due to elevated stress levels, a rise in hormone, issues, as well as a lingering side affect of the Covid virus. We now have white papers proving PRP restores hair lost due to Covid! Women with these root causes have great results with PRP therapies! In addition BioFiller requests are on the rise this is where the provider uses heated plasma mixed with PRP instead of synthetic filler. This is perfect for those more on the homeopathic side, as well as those looking for a softer more natural look.

ON PARTNERSHIPS

I've been very lucky. I think maintaining my ethical values and my core beliefs throughout running a business has really paid off. I remember working with a med spa and Dr. Reynolds came to town and we hired him to speak at our event. I loved what he was doing. I love the Cellular Medical Association teaches medical professionals, life changing therapies that also create financial freedom for the provider at the same time! I joined his affiliate system and working with him motivates me because I'm continuing to learn about the benefits. For example, in a weekly training, there was a situation about people getting synthetic filler in their temple and a provider injected PRP to reverse necrosis. The patient could have been scarred for life yet PRP to fixed that! I am also a product of the product! I micro-needle myself every 4 to 6 weeks, have thickened my own hair, and navigated a gnarly injury to my face without scaring; do to my access to PRP and micro-needling! In addition to working with Dr Runels I also have the privilege of working with Dr Arun Garg, one of the original inventors of the very first centrifuge! It’s truly a privilege to work with these innovators, and living legends!

EPILOGUE

There is truly a plug and playbook to aesthetics, and or I/ she call it a spa in a box! Navigating aesthetics is a fun and fruitful journey when you partner with the right team! You simply have to push play to begin! I changed my stars and would love to show you how you too can evolve your business and personal happiness to a level you never imagined possible!

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

BRAIN INJURY ESSENTIALS: NERVE CHECK-UP

By: Dr. Jerry Dreessen

In a common case like a patient surviving a car accident, one of my first targets is to evaluate what's happened to the inside of their head. There's a difference between the effects of a slight rear end-- Was it a high or low speed impact? Was it a T-bone? Did they experience two car accident? Any kind of quick stop is going to cause everything to slide forward in the head and then come back-- what we call as "coup contrecoup". And it can disrupt the brain and may cause a mild hemorrhage. It can cause a little bit of bruising. Some people talk about feeling a little foggy after an accident- similar to walking into an attic with dust flying all around. That's what can happen to your brain when it starts to slap around inside the skull, just even from a mild car accident.

There are concussion protocols that we perform in the clinic. To process this type of patient starts with a questionnaire about:

* Cognitive abilities: What are the things that they can or can't do?

* Do they have a headache?

* Are they having a hard time focusing?

We also get into studying their emotional state as far as any feelings of SADNESS. Some people may have immediate reactions and seek help right away, while others come in for a consult weeks later.

THE 12 POINT CRANIAL NERVE CHECK

A standard exam is studying a CRANIAL NERVE CHECK. Not only do you have the brain sitting in the skull with a brain stem, which can be greatly affected with a whiplash scenario, but in the floor of the skull, there's 12 sets of nerves that come out and they perform different functions. This is often overlooked. There are many cases that do not show apparent concussion symptoms, but if they have one of the cranial nerves that doesn't work properly, this is a sure giveaway.

We can start by helping that nerve system heal either through nutrition or through cognitive exercises but also eliminating the inflammation. Reading an MRI can be a challenge when looking for any mild type of inflammation in the brain- but with the proper diagnosis, we can reduce not only the concussion, but the possible post traumatic stress disorder and, and personality changes that can go along with it.

This standard process of reading the performance of the cranial nerve means studying 12 different nerves. This test helps determine if there's any kind of cranial nerve loss due to a car accident or sports injuries.

The first is the OLFACTORY nerve; this conveys the sense of smell. Some people can come in, barring the challenges of Covid symptoms and may already have loss of smell. Otherwise, if the accident may have affected their ability to smell, that's one signal that the olfactory nerve isn't functioning properly. (2) The next nerve that we check is the OPTIC nerve and that is what transmits information including blurry vision vs. the ability to focus on an object. Retinal reaction to light gets us the pupillary response.

The Double Impact of Post Concussion Disorder By: Ray Ciancaglini

The first concussion was mild and it was a little bit of a headache and some fatigue. I got stunned but never been knocked out or knocked down, so that kind of fooled me here. Um, and then one week later in Syracuse, I got my bell rung again for the second time in one week. Only this time, it was a little bit more serious. And from being a well behaved high honor student, things changed. After that night, I started failing on all my courses, started sleeping excessively, and then I developed an attitude especially toward authority figures, and couldn't explain why. And, uh, this just lasted with me till I retired from boxing in 1974. From here, it got progressively worse.

TESTING THE MEDS: After enough medical evaluations and care, everything was going well until one day, I wanted to adjust being under these meds. I felt I can do it now, so I did a dangerous thing which is to stave off the medicine without telling anybody. Luckily, my wife picked it up right away. She said, "--you're a different person... I could tell right away from your eyes, what she called SHARK EYES! You have this glare like you're in a pre fight weigh in, like you're staring the opponent down. Everyone was afraid of this and so was I. I could hurt somebody out of impulse and I never would want to do that." I was easily angered, unreasonable, stubborn and defiant. Nobody could tell me what to do. I was short tempered and irritable such that one day, I walked to the next room and a door swung back and hit me on the wrist-- and by some heated impluse, I punched a hole right through it! Needless to say, I got back on the medication after those outbursts. If punching a hole through a door meant a lack of self control, this was enough to point out that there's definitely something wrong with me.

THE 12 POINT CRANIAL NERVE CHECK (Continued)

And then we have the cranial nerves three, four, and six, which are the OCULOMOTOR, TROCHLEAR and ABDUCENS (see chart). This is where the patient simply follows our finger with their eyes and we observe their field of gaze to find out if they're tracking properly. Depending on how the eyes perform during this test, we can determine which of those three cranial nerves and functioning properly. Next is the fifth cranial nerve called the TRIGEMINAL- that's the skin of the face. And as far as chewing (mastications). Oftentimes it's subjective information to ask if they have challenges chewing their food. Cranial nerve seven is the FACIAL nerve as far as what's involved in TASTE. Then, Cranial nerve eight is the VESTIBULAR COCHLEAR nerve- involving the hearing and balance. For this, we conduct the Trendelenburg test, where they stand on one foot and we just push them a little bit and see if they're able to balance.

Then we employ the use of a tuning fork close to the ear and also touch the bone on the back of the head to see whether they can hear all of that. Any loss of hearing is indicative of an injured nerve. Cranial nerve #9 is checked by asking the patient if food tastes the same, or if it has changed in anyway, and if they have a developed a dry mouth. Cranial nerve #10 involves swallowing and also breathing. This is a significantly major nerve out of the whole system. We check the ability to swallow by by manually pressing the hand over the patient's throat and ask them to swallow.

The ACCESSORY NERVE is #11 - where we instruct the patient to shrug their shoulders. We check for weakness or asymmetry. As the cranial nerve is split down the center, if the patient can only function on one side or another, this may indicate nerve paralysis, damage to the cranial nerve or the damage to the muscles of the neck.

The final (#12) cranial nerve is the HYPOGLOSSAL- tongue movement. By monitoring the patient's ability to push their tongue against their cheek.

CONCUSSION EXAMS (Part 2)- THE BENEFITS OF IMAGING: Concussion literature notes that in a Funduscopic exam, the retinal arterial-venous width will show as ASYMMETRIC (indicative of possible trauma). This is a potential response of the autonomic nervous system. Microcirculatory hemodynamics that are optically visible are useful in validating the treatment progress. (see complete review). Now that radiologists are using Doppler blood flow to examine eye disease, including systemic diseases (including Diabetes, Brain tumors, heart disease, sickle cell disease etc.) that affect the eye, we are hopeful that the ophthalmologic and neurological communities will start using this noninvasive technology as well to improve noninvasive and more rapid treatment of potential eye disorders, such as cancers of the eye, diabetes and glaucoma. Another future use will be to correlate the effect of decreased vascular pulsation in the production of cerebrospinal fluid that is removed by the cleansing glymphatic system is postulated as a contributing factor in degenerative neuromuscular disease.

DR. JERRY DREESSEN is a chiropractor dedicated to the specialized work in Spinal Biomechanical Engineering Analytics and Case Management. He holds specialized credentials as a Trauma Team, Hospital care and Primary Spine Care in Mountlake Terrace, WA. He is the clinical director of an independent pain management practice called BACK TO ACTION CHIROPRACTIC the Executive Director for the Association of PEMF Professionals, a national organization for all PEMF users, and is a best selling author on Amazon with his book about Pain Management.

Ringside Review: Why the Boxing Commissioner Called to "STOP THE FIGHT" ? The photo was a stunning one-in-a-million shot of a moment in time (as captured by the sports photographer, Stephanie Trapp). Standing at the right place and at the right time, her lens managed to freeze multiple streams of explosive action that comprised Deontay Wilder completely obliterating Stiverne. The empty, worn out 'rag-doll' form of Stiverne's flacid body laid melted and dangling senselessly from the bottom rope. Center frame was the referee (Arthur Mercante Jr.) airborne on top of the highly charged and powerful Wilder, desperately grappling on the aggressive champ with his own unremarkable body. "Mercante responded vigorously to my raising the hand in the air at ringside-- that's the signal to 'STOP THE FIGHT!'... any more than this would be unconscionable". (See complete OP-ED feature)

2022 TRENDING INTEREST IN BRAIN HEALTH July 19, 2022- IPHA NEWS conducted a private interview with the co-developers of NEUROVINE - a portable headband using EEG (electroencephalogram) technology to measure brain waves. Meet CEO Ashleigh Kennedy, Ph.D., and CMO Matthew Kennedy, MD, MSc (co-founders of Neurovine) from Ottawa, Ontario, CA. who shares their objectives in support of concussion monitoring by measuring brain health as part of optimizing their recovery process. Neurovine offers this portable interactive monitoring program for athletes, students, professionals and anyone undergoing mentally strenuous work by “alerting them to take brain breaks before an activity becomes too strenuous”.

2022 STUDY OF INTRACRANIAL IMPACT DISORDERS - Concussions are viewed as a mild form of traumatic brain injuries and most frequently occur following an event that involves an acceleration–deceleration mechanism without actual injury to the head, such as whiplash, or the head striking an object. As we study these, researchers and clinicians are learning that these are fairly common, but often underdiagnosed. While the vast majority of people with concussions recover without obvious disability, people can end up with long-term cognitive, emotional and functional issues affecting quality of life – including memory issues and Alzheimer’s disease. Efforts to better predict outcome from head injuries by focusing on the age, sex, type of injury and acute assessments have led to some improvement, but still fail to predict or explain the variation in healing and outcomes. Studies in professional athletes have shown that about 80–90% are sufficiently recovered to return to playing within 7–10 days. But that means that 10-20% are not, and their recovery can take up to 3 times longer. Even taking into account variations in initial injury, this variation is difficult to explain or predict. (see complete feature by Dr. Roberta Kline)

CONCUSSION ON THE FIELD..."Miami, We Have a Problem!" OP-ED by: Dr. Michael Gruttadauria | 9/25/2022 - The Miami Dolphins prized quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained what was clearly a concussion. He was dazed and in trying to walk off the field, staggered and nearly collapsed. He was helped off the field and taken into the injury evaluation tent. You didn’t need to be a neurologist to see that he was shaken from hitting his head on the ground. Incredibly, the QB cleared the NFL Concussion Protocol and to everyone’s surprise, was allowed to play in the second half of the game. Many questions were raised about the injury following the game and everyone from the Dolphins coach, to their staff to Tua himself seemed to blame the entire incident on a back injury he said he sustained earlier in the game. (see complete issue)

ON POST-CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS By: Dr. Robert L. Bard | The underreported cases of bowel permeability to toxins in concussion is likewise mostly anecdotal. The possibility of scanning the gut for increased blood flow following brain trauma may be easily performed as followed as a guideline for evaluation of concussion chronicity. As the bowel activity is regulated by the autonomic nervous system we may apply the same diagnostic endpoints as other physiologic norms. The response of the microvasculature in the retina provides a functional guideline as to the progression of brain trauma and concussion as measured by blood flow. The application of optical devices and sensors for physical (temperature, respiration, heart rate, blood pressure) chemical (pH, pO2, glucose, lipids, oximetry) and biological (antigens, antibodies, electrolytes, enzymes, inhibitors, metabolites, proteins) data with imaging (endoscopy, optical tomography, confocal microscopy) adds new classifications of metabolism in the altered state.
A PARTNERSHIP WITH SPORTS MOMS Another key launch pad to this research program is his alliance with MOMS OF ATHLETES, co-architected by Dr. Roberta Kline (Women's Diagnostic Network) and Dr. Donna Febres. This educational advocacy group supports clinical care and preventive science to college level athletes. This unique alliance of professionals and moms are dedicated to finding the safest options in injury and pain care - with an emphasis on new solutions for concussion research and prevention. This includes the modern non-invasive (non-surgical) alternatives where possible. NCMOA also teams up with the professional pain and medical associations to collaborate on latest protocols and information on ground-breaking neurostimulation, electromagnetic, holistic/full-body solutions and wearable therapeutics plus the latest in non-radiation clinical imaging validation. (see complete details)

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