hyperbaric physicians of georgia Archives

Chronic Lyme Disease – Top Docs Radio

April 24, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Chronic Lyme Disease - Top Docs Radio

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Chronic Lyme Disease

This week, on Dr. Andrew Pugliese’s monthly special edition of Top Docs Radio we talked about chronic lyme disease. Also known as post-treatment lyme disease syndrome, this chronic, debilitating condition is frequently overlooked outside of the Northeast, where it’s known to be prevalent.

As we learned from David Baird, a patient experiencing chronic lyme disease, and Karen Huppert, the mother of a college-age student who dealt with the illness, its severe symptoms, and treatment for several years as well. They both shared their poignant stories and described how they moved from specialist to specialist trying to find a diagnosis. And they shared how they were told that, “Lyme disease doesn’t exist in Georgia,” leading to a significant delay in the diagnosis that allowed them to seek appropriate care.

David brought his wife, a local veterinarian, also talked about how comparatively easy it is to diagnose a canine, for whom there are straight-forward tests that identifies the infection, and treatment is also effective and readily available. She talked about how frequently she treats pets for Lyme disease here in her local Atlanta office.

We strongly encourage patients to seek second opinions and to seek to learn all they can about their symptoms and diseases to facilitate timely treatment, which can affect outcomes.

I was also pleased to host Dr. Leanna Kart, DC, a chiropractor whose practice is located on Howell Mill Road in west Atlanta. May is National Posture Awareness Month. We talked about how technology has affected neck/back health through creating a tendency to sit with the head in a chin-down orientation for long periods of time. This causes an increased strain on the connective tissues and muscles in the neck, which can lead to headaches, neck and back pain, and neurologic symptoms.

Special Guests:

Andrew Pugliese, MD, Infectious Disease Consultants

Doctorate in Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Infectious Disease, Winthrop University Hospital
Triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease
Pioneer in non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis
President of Sinus Solutions

David Baird, Chronic Lyme Disease Patient

Karen Huppert, Parent of a young Chronic Lyme Disease patient

Dr. Leanna Kart, DC, of NW Chiropractic

Doctor of Chiropractic, Life University
Owner of NW Chiropractic for over 26 years
Board Member, Georgia Chiropractic Association

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

April 9, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

This week we sat down with internationally-known expert on the subject of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Dr. Helen Gelly. This treatment modality has been available to patients with poorly-healing wounds, thermal injuries, decompression sickness, late effects of radiation, and several other problems for decades. And while there is a quality body of evidence supporting the use of this treatment for clinically-appropriate patients, many of the patients who could benefit from access to it never get to know it’s available.

This is due in large part to the fact that of ~159 US medical colleges, only ~30 offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy and wound resolution as taught specialties. That means that approximately 85% of graduating physicians have had very little (if any) exposure to academic information about the modality. The result is that they often miss opportunities to add the treatment to the patient’s care plan, which in turn delays (or even prevents) these problem wounds from healing.

Dr. Gelly shared information about the history of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and we talked about the physiology of what’s happening during the course of therapy. We discussed a couple of major groups of patients whose clinical outcomes tend to be significantly improved with access to hyperbaric medicine, diabetic ulcer patients and patients experiencing persistent late effects of radiation. The aim is to get credible information to the public so that both physicians and patients in need can educate themselves about it. Atlanta is unique in that both inside the city and in numerous suburbs, patients can receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy in hospital-based or UHMS accredited free-standing programs. It’s also paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance companies for these evidence-based indications.

Special Guest:

Dr. Helen Gelly, MD of HyperbaRXs

Doctor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
Internship/Residency: Pediatrics/Emergency Medicine at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals
Board Certified in Emergency Medicine
Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians
Fellow of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists
Subspecialty Certified Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine

Peripheral Arterial Disease – Top Docs Radio

March 6, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Peripheral Arterial Disease - Top Docs Radio

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Peripheral Arterial Disease

As many as 12 million Americans are dealing with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a progressive blockage of the blood vessels that carry blood to the lower extremities. For many of these patients, amputation is the outcome, leaving them without a foot, or in others, half or more of their leg. Medical literature has shown that in these patients, their risk of death within 1 to 5 years of their amputation they have a 40% likelihood of amputation of the remaining leg and a significant risk of death. It’s clearly a serious problem.

But we can reduce the rate of amputation among these patients and we can also reduce the severity of intervention required to address the problem if we catch it early. Dr. Joseph Ricotta, vascular surgeon and director of the Northside Hearth & Vascular program, stopped by the studio to talk about what can be done to improve patient outcomes for those with PAD. We talked about the troublesome statistics around peripheral arterial disease, including the fact that among diabetics with PAD who develop a non-healing wound resulting in amputation, as many as 50% of them never receive a non-invasive study that could prevent the loss of their leg.

That means we need our partners in primary care and foot/ankle surgery to take an aggressive stance when presented with patients who are at risk for PAD or who have a poorly-healing wound on their leg or foot. There are numerous non-invasive studies that take only minutes in the vascular surgeon’s office that can readily identify patients who have blockage affecting blood flow to their feet. In these cases, if caught early, surgeons like Dr. Ricotta have more options and greater probability they can reestablish adequate blood flow that helps a wound to heal, preventing or mitigating extent of amputation.

We talked about the fact that Northside offers access to 2 of the country’s 10 robotic devices that significantly improves the effectiveness of minimally-invasive procedures by allowing the vascular surgeons to access and treat previously-inaccessible locations. Additionally, with the assistance of the robot, the surgeons are able to reduce damage that can occur on the inside of the vessel being treated, which reduces the likelihood that scarring after the procedure will block the vessel off again (a leading cause of reocclusion in PAD lesions).

I also spoke with foot and ankle surgeon, Dr. Michael Bednarz of Ankle & Foot Centers of Georgia, whose office is located in Woodstock, just north of Marietta. He talked about treating PAD patients with wounds from the perspective of the specialist who is tasked with managing the wound and ultimately, treating it surgically as necessary (including amputation when efforts to heal the wound fail and serious infection is a risk).

We talked about the fact that amputation should be viewed as a last-ditch option. And Mike shared that no patient should face amputation without having had a vascular study to determine if poor flow is contributing to the wound not healing. He talked about the fact that when he’s presented with a poorly-healing wound, particularly in a patient with PAD risk factors such as diabetes, one of the first things he does is request a vascular study to assess blood flow. He also utilizes Transcutaneous Oximetry, a non-invasive test that shows how well the tissue at the surface where a wound is located is getting oxygen.

With the results of those studies, he is able to address poor blow flow by referral to a vascular surgeon and/or to hyperbaric medicine (readily available in Atlanta and surrounding suburbs) to address poor oxygen levels in the skin. He also evaluates other risk factors such as glucose levels and presence of infection, often resulting in consults with infectious disease and/or endocrine specialists to help heal the limb-threatening wound. We talked about the fact that a multi-specialty approach insures that more patients can avoid amputation and the resultant high mortality rates that come with them.

Early involvement with an experienced wound specialist, vascular diagnostics/intervention, infection control, and endocrinology are all vital in helping patients avoid an amputation that might also cost them their life.

Special Guests:

Joseph Ricotta, MD, Medical Director, Heart & Vascular Institute, Northside Hospital

Doctor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine
Surgical Residency, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Vascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic
Fellowship, Advanced Endovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Associate Professor of Surgery, Georgia Regents University, University of Georgia School of Medicine

Michael Bednarz, DPM, Ankle & Foot Centers of Georgia

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Kent State University School of Podiatric Medicine
Residency, Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Miami
Board Certified, American Board of Foot/Ankle Surgery
Recognized as a “Top Doc” in the WellStar Health System

Complex Patients – Top Docs Radio

January 11, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Complex Patients - Top Docs Radio

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Complex Patients

This week I sat down with our colleague, Dr. Andrew Pugliese, Infectious Disease specialist of Infectious Disease Consultants in Johns Creek. He stopped by to talk about complex patients. He shared how medical studies focus on single illnesses, disqualifying certain age groups and patients with multiple disease states. Dr. Pugliese talked about the fact that in the real world medical office, rare is it that a patient walks in to be treated for a problem who is only dealing with that single disease. More commonly, patients present with obesity, and/or diabetes, heart disease, or any number of other health problems that can affect the way the body responds to a given disease state and treatments for them. Dr. Pugliese shared how these “multi-morbid” (having more than one health issue) patients are very complex and often do not respond to therapies as studies suggest they will. He offered advice for providers to help them be better able to manage patients when they need care for a given problem when other health issues are present. Check out Dr. Pugliese’s blog at http://sinusitisblog.com/.

Special Guest:

Andrew Pugliese, MD, Infectious Disease Consultants

Doctorate in Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Infectious Disease, Winthrop University Hospital
Triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease
Pioneer in non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis
President of Sinus Solutions

Complex Patients

January 2, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Complex Patients

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Complex Patients

Special Guest:

Andrew Pugliese, MD, Infectious Disease Consultants

Doctorate in Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Infectious Disease, Winthrop University Hospital
Triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease
Pioneer in non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis
President of Sinus Solutions

Swift School – Top Docs Radio

December 31, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Swift School - Top Docs Radio

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Swift School

This week I sat down with two learning specialists and three students from The Swift School in Roswell, GA. This private school is one that focuses on the learning needs of high-potential students that are challenged with dyslexia, dyscalculia (problems with math), working memory issues, and others. Their learning environment is designed to help these children achieve their academic potential through smaller class sizes, teaching styles (such as Orton-Gillingham method) that take these various brain types and learning process needs into consideration.

As many as 1 in 5 children deal with some sort of learning challenge such as dyslexia, according to the learning specialists, Lisa Armorer and Carol Madden. We now know that these aren’t so much learning “disabilities” as “Brain Types”. As Carol explained, most kids dealing with dyslexia and some of these other challenges are “Right Brain” dominant. This affects the style of learning that is most effective for them and can have an impact on their behavior patterns to some extent as well. Many children are misdiagnosed as having behavioral “problems” when in fact they are actually exhibiting responses to frustration and/or anxiety because they are having trouble learning and they don’t understand why.

Lisa explained how Swift School’s learning approach differs from many “traditional” learning settings and how the strategies they employ take the child’s brain type and associated learning techniques into consideration. This empowers them to achieve academically at a high level and advocate for themselves as students as they return to middle schools and high schools in traditional class environments/teaching approaches.

I got to talk to two 5th graders, Mackenzie Day and Olivia Hall, and 8th grader, Grant Meyer. They shared their poignant stories about how it felt to be “different” from their peers as young students, watching them excel when certain (or all) concepts seemed so difficult for them. They talked about their experiences going to visit Swift School and what it was like to become “veteran” students once they’d been there for a while. Olivia, Mackenzie, and Grant also shared advice for peers in the community who might be considering Swift School as an option when a traditional setting is not helping them reach their academic potential.

Lisa Armorer shared this information with me:

Is your child bright but still struggling in school? It might not be laziness. It might be dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 students today. Dyslexia is not just seeing words backwards. Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference and causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIA:

Delayed spoken language
Left/Right Confusion
Difficulty rhyming words and sounds
Poor sequencing of numbers and letters
Difficulty sounding out, identifying, and spelling words
Slow to memorize alphabet and math facts
Avoids reading aloud.
Difficulty with reading and comprehension.

For more information:

The International Dyslexia Association – www.interdys.org

Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators – www.ortonacademy.org

Special Guests:

Lisa Armorer, Learning Specialist, Swift School

Carol Madden, Middle Division Director, Swift School

Grant Meyer, 8th Grade Swift Student, President, Student Counsil

Mackenzie Day, 5th Grade Swift Student

Olivia Hall, 5th Grade Swift Student

“Think About It” – Top Docs Radio

November 12, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

"Think About It" - Top Docs Radio

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“Think About It” Campaign to End Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription medication abuse and subsequent addiction is a serious problem that needs our immediate attention as a community and as healthcare providers. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, an estimated 52 million people (20 percent of those aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetimes.” And, National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse states, “Taking prescription drugs not prescribed for you by a doctor or in a way that hasn’t been recommended by a doctor, can be more dangerous than you think. In fact, it can be fatal. Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Some prescription drugs can become addictive, especially when used in a manner inconsistent with their labeling by someone other than the patient for whom they were prescribed, or when taken in a manner or dosage other than prescribed. Overall, an estimated 48 million people have abused prescription drugs, representing nearly 20% of the U.S. population.”

This week I sat down with Dallas Gay and Dr. Tennant Slack along with Lori Cassidy Murphy from the Medical Association of Georgia to talk about their recently-launched campaign to fight prescription medication abuse and addiction. Dallas and Dr. Slack co-chair the campaign and they’re working hard to bring community focus to the problem. The campaign is being funded by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation and is working to raise awareness of this issue among Georgia’s residents as well as healthcare providers who prescribe controlled medications. Their team has developed colorful handout materials that give key recommendations for persons who have prescriptions for controlled pain or anti-anxiety medications with regard to how they take it, how they store it, and how to dispose of it when they no longer need the medication. Additionally, they’re involved with numerous events around the community to get people talking and thinking about how this problem can be prevented.

Think About It is a program conducted by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation for the purpose of reducing the incidence of prescription drug abuse and resulting deaths. The concept for the program originated at NGMC in 2010 and is presently co-chaired by Dr. Jack Chapman, Dr. Tennent Slack and Dallas Gay. Hall County has served as the incubator of the program since its inception. The “Help Stop Rx Drug Abuse in Georgia” leaflets encourage Georgians to 1) only take their medicine as prescribed and 2) not share their medicine and 3) store their medicine in a safe and secure place and 4) properly dispose of any unused medicine.

The ‘Think About It’ campaign involves a wide array of organizations, including medical societies, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, the Georgia Pharmacy Association, the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation – as well as other law enforcement agencies, schools, and business and religious and other community organizations.

Thank you for listening and PLEASE SHARE! this podcast with your networks. You may just help someone you care about.

Special Guests

Dr. Tennant Slack, MD, of Northeast Georgia Physician’s Group

Doctorate of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
Residency, Anesthesia, Emory University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Pain Medicine, Medical College of Georgia
Board Certified, American Board of Anesthesiology: – Anesthesiology – Pain Medicine

Dallas Gay, Co-Chair, “Think About It” Campaign

Board Member, Northeast Georgia Medical Center
MBA, Georgia State University
Member, Drug Free Coalition of Hall County
Former President, Protein Products, Inc
Former President, American Proteins, Inc.

Lenz Marketing – Top Docs Radio

November 6, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Lenz Marketing - Top Docs Radio

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Lenz Marketing

This week I sat down with the Vice President of Marketing for Lenz Marketing, Mr. Mike Killeen. According to the company’s website, Lenz offers clients the full suite of marketing and communication tools to grow their businesses. At Lenz, integrated marketing is the strategic and coordinated implementation of digital and traditional advertising, PR, web sites, social media, and events to achieve a stated goal. The company has been serving the Atlanta area for over 22 years. Mike talked about the fact that the firm started as a traditional marketing company, providing service to a variety of companies looking to increase community awareness of their brands. Early on their leadership saw an opportunity to help businesses within the medical community, from hospitals to physician groups.

As Mike stated, “We have evolved and refined who we are and what we do to be known best for healthcare marketing, no doubt about it. We enjoy it and find it very fulfilling. But we’ve done a lot of different things throughout our history. And we really fell that our broad set of interests is one of the reasons we’re most successful with healthcare. Because we don’t think that marketing healthcare is really that different than marketing anything else. At the end of the day, people are looking to align themselves with companies they believe in, that they think are representative of who they are, that they can trust, that they think have value.”

At Lenz Marketing believes that today, patients are becoming more educated, having greater access to means to look into a prospective provider of healthcare. This means patients are becoming “consumers” in that more and more they are realizing they do have choices and access to ways to get to know about those choices. Lenz is able to help their clients develop a strategy that will improve public awareness of their practice or organization as well as improve engagement with their respective referral bases.

Special Guest:

Mike Killeen, VP of Marketing at Lenz Marketing

12+ years at Lenz Marketing
Bachelor’s in Journalism, University of Georgia
Program Director, “Weekly Check-up With Dr. Bruce Feinberg” on WSB Radio
Founder, “Poverty is Real” non-profit organization
Performing Singer, Songwriter, Musician

Innovations in Treating Chronic Sinusitis – Top Docs Radio

October 8, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Innovations in Treating Chronic Sinusitis - Top Docs Radio

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THIS WEEK’S TOPIC:

Innovations in Treating Chronic Sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis, a problem affecting as many as 50 million Americans, is an irritation of the sinus/nasal passages that lasts at least 12 weeks or longer. In the Southeast, the problem is very common due to our high average humidity and mild winters. These conditions lead our environment to be heavy with mold and fungus that can take hold in the nasal passages and sinuses leading to chronic infections. Many persons will deal with slowly-worsening symptoms such as difficulty breathing through their nose, decreased sense of smell, facial or headache pain, frequent sinus infections, and more. Eventually, folks with chronic sinusitis find their quality of life severely impacted, driving them to seek help. It’s important to get help from infectious disease and ENT specialists who are well-versed in diagnosing and treating this problem and who use a team approach to achieve the best outcome. This week, two such specialists, Dr. Pugliese and Dr. French stopped by to share information about diagnostic innovations in treating chronic sinusitis that are available to help them get more specific about what organism(s) are causing the allergic response and inflammation. One such evolving diagnostic test is DNA sequencing that now lets physicians learn exactly what is causing the problem. We talked about the various treatment measures used to treat chronic sinusitis as well as got some great advice on things we can do in the home to help reduce the frequency and severity of recurrences when they do happen. It’s very likely you or someone you know is dealing with chronic sinusitis so please share today’s episode with your network!

The host of Top Docs Radio is Charles “CW” Hall with Hyperbaric Physicians of Georgia.

SPECIAL GUESTS:

Andrew Pugliese, MD, Infectious Disease Consultants

Doctorate in Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Infectious Disease, Winthrop University Hospital
Triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease
Pioneer in non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis
President of Sinus Solutions

Courtney French, MD, Ear, Nose & Throat Institute

Doctorate in Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Residency, Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Loma Linda University Medical Center
Regular presenter of research material at numerous national/international ear, nose & throat conferences