Tampa Bay Health Center

If you are experiencing any type of pain, whether it be back, neck, head, shoulder, knee or hip to name a few, please contact Dr. Adam Rosoff for help. Dr. Rosoff is a chiropractic physician at Platinum Healthcare Physical Medicine in Sarasota, Florida treating all of these conditions. Contact Dr. Rosoff and get a second opinion FIRST!

The common treatment or ear infection (otitis media) in the US isantibiotics and tympanostomy (ear tubes). Some physicians in this country believe that antibiotics are overused. An article appearing in Family Practice News (6/15/96) blames the overuse of antibiotics on otitis media for the increase in drug-resistant strains of bacteria. The article notes that resistant strains increased from 6% to 20% between 1992-1995, when 85% of the patients received prescription antibiotics.

The Dutch have another view on treatment for ear infection. They use decongestants instead of antibiotics (unless it’s the last resort), and through research, have correlated most ear infections with allergies. Another study showed that supplementing children with low levels of EPA (found in fish oil), vitamin A, and selenium had 12% fewer days where they required antibiotics. Other natural treatments including Chiropractic care have also been shown throughout the years to help relieve ear infections in children. 

The use of “ear tubes” is another treatment in question. Not only have studies found tubes ineffective, but they can even lead to hearing loss. A 5 year study of 98 children who had one tube placed in a single ear found that  after the 5 year follow-up, there was a 21% higher incidence of deafness in the treated ear.

The approach in the US for treating ear infection mostly consists of antibiotics and ear tubes, which have been shown over years of research to not only be ineffective, but can also be harmful to the child. It is becoming clear that automatically prescribing antibiotics for a child with otitis media may not be a good idea. Antibiotics are only effective in about 14% of the cases and the practice of placing tubes may not be wise.

Natural treatments including Chiropractic care can provide relief of ear infections in children without harmful drugs or surgeries.

Ear infections are the number 1 reason for visits to the pediatrician, accounting for more than 35% of all pediatric visits. There are 10 million new cases of ear infections each year, and standard treatment for most cases is antibiotics. According to many research studies, antibiotics are no more effective than the body’s own immune system, and repeated doses of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant bacteria that scoff at the drugs, while leaving the child screaming in pain.

Before another round of “maybe-they’ll-work-and-maybe-they-won’t” antibiotics or the drastic step of surgery, more parents are considering chiropractic to help children with chronic ear infections.
Chiropractic treatments are safe and effective, and something that parents should try, certainly instead of ongoing dosages of antibiotics or before inserting tubes in their children’s ears. Specific gentle adjustments allow for proper drainage of the ear canal, and help with proper Nervous and Immune Systems function, allowing for the body to heal itself.

Contact Dr. Rosoff for more information about natural treatment for ear infections without drugs or surgery.

5 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know About Chiropractors:

http://www.pinellaslife.com/pdf/Chiro-Article.pdf

Arthritis. Obesity. Diabetes. Heart disease. Depression. Cancer.

Vitamin D could help prevent all these and more, some experts say. And it’s free. Most people can get it just by spending a little more time in the sun.

Known as the sunshine vitamin, it’s long been known that vitamin D can help build strong bones and teeth. But in recent years, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a growing number of health concerns.

“The benefits of vitamin D are varied and profound,” says Michael F. Holick, a leading vitamin D expert and author of “The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problems” (Hudson Street Press, $25.95).

“(Vitamin D) may be as vital to your heart and brain health as it is to bone health,” Holick says. “Increasing levels of vitamin D can treat, prevent, and even reverse a remarkable number of daily ailments.”

Holick cites a study that found women who took more than 400 IU (international units) of vitamin D reduced the risk of developing multiple sclerosis by 42 percent. A Canadian study found women with breast cancer were nearly twice as likely to see their cancer spread, and far more likely to die, if they were vitamin D deficient.

And a 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that post-menopausal women who improved their calcium and vitamin D levels substantially reduced all cancer risk.

“Vitamin D is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, but its effects manifest in so many other conditions that people often focus on treating the symptoms instead of looking deeper in the cause,” Holick says.

Most people don’t get nearly enough D, which is produced through the skin by exposure to sunlight. With more people spending less time outdoors — and using sunscreen when they are outside — vitamin D deficiency is on the rise.

Three out of four Americans are deficient in vitamin D, up from one out of two 20 years ago, Holick says. About 40 percent to 60 percent of black adults are vitamin D deficient, he says.

In the black community, some experts are calling vitamin D deficiency a “hidden epidemic.”

“Black women who develop breast cancer are more likely to die from the disease than white women,” says Nagi B. Kumar, professor at the College of Medicine at the University of South Florida and Moffitt Cancer Center. “Survival rates are also worse among blacks for colon, prostate and ovarian cancers. Why do blacks have a worse prognosis? One of the things could be their (vitamin D) blood levels are lower than others.”

Kumar said several factors may explain why so many blacks are vitamin D deficient.

People get vitamin D primarily from the sun, through their diet and with over-the-counter supplements. The melanin in black skin acts as a natural sunscreen, which makes it difficult for the skin to make vitamin D. So the darker the skin, the less vitamin D you produce.

A black person requires three to five times more exposure to the sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D as a white person, Kumar says.

Blacks also have a higher incidence of lactose intolerance, so they don’t use as much vitamin D fortified milk or other dairy products.

But with the risk of skin cancer, is it smart to get your D from more sun exposure?

Robert P. Heaney, professor of medicine at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., says no one knows for sure, but for those who aren’t at an increased risk for skin cancer, about 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure daily could help improve vitamin D deficiency.

“To put that into perspective, the human race didn’t go away before the invention of sunscreen,” Heaney says. Exposure to intense sunlight was mostly a year-round occurrence for our ancestors, he says.

Still, D isn’t a cure for everything that ails the human race. “It’s important. And our bodies need it to cope better,” Heaney says. “But I don’t want to promote it as a magic bullet.”

On its website, the American Academy of Dermatology discourages people from getting vitamin D from sun exposure or indoor tanning because ultraviolet radiation can lead to skin cancer. The site suggests getting D from a healthy diet, which includes fortified foods, beverages and/or vitamin supplements.

Heaney recommends speaking to a physician to see whether it’s necessary to take a supplement, and if it is, to determine the appropriate dose.

The only way to know whether you’re vitamin D sufficient is by having a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, also called a 25 (OH) D test.

Most people have never been tested and don’t know they have a deficiency, Kumar says. But that’s changing as more doctors jump on the vitamin D bandwagon.

Patients who suffer from aches and pains, which can be signs of Vitamin D deficiency, often feel better a few weeks after boosting their intake, Kumar says.

“It’s very easy to raise low levels of vitamin D,” he says. “If you have a deficiency, you can start to feel better in a matter of weeks.”

By CLOE CABRERA | The Tampa Tribune

BARTOW – Neighbors of a proposed 258-acre exotic animal preserve had the chance to sound off today before an administrative judge.

Several said Safari Wild, under development by former Lowry Park Zoo boss Lex Salisbury and business partner, veterinarian Stephen Whermann, would be out of place in rural northern Polk County.

Kenneth Sherrouse, who lives about 2 1/2 miles away, likened it to a theme park.

“They’re dependent on the tourists who visit Central Florida by the millions. My opinion is they sought this location because of tourist traffic from Disney and the Tampa attractions,” Sherrouse said on the final day of the administrative hearing.

Attorneys for Salisbury and Whermann contend that Safari Wild will be a good fit for the area where livestock is a common sight. They envision up to 500 tourists a day at Safari Wild, which will be refuge to such animals as zebras and monkeys.

The state Department of Community Affairs contends that Polk improperly gave permission for the animal preserve. Attorneys for the developers say Safari Wild should be considered agriculture, a permitted use for the area.

Other witnesses on today included Lois Murphy, who lives about two miles away, who contended Safari Wild is “first and foremost tourism” and doesn’t belong there.

But veterinarian John McLemore, a colleague of Whermann, defended the park.”I have visited the facility, and it is not a zoo. It is not, I was very impressed with what they’ve done as far as land preservation, the natural environment for the animals so I think it’s a unique project. I think the educational possibilities are wonderful for this project,” he said.

“I think that the main emphasis here should be on how they’ve preserved the land and the education opportunities for the children of Florida,” he said.

Other witnesses also supported the park.

The judge who presided over the administrative hearing will ultimately decide.

His decision in the case is still several weeks away.

By JENNIFER LEIGH | News Channel 8

It was one of the most organized prescription drug rings in recent memory for Sheriff Richard Nugent and his vice unit.

The perpetrators reproduced numerous fake scripts to acquire pain medications by the thousands, he said.

Hernando County Sheriff’s detectives first learned during their investigation the suspects used the name of a physician and rehabilitation specialist in Tampa and used different patient names.

The dealers hit a snag because they chose a doctor who rarely signs oxycodone prescriptions, Nugent said.

Red flags were raised in February and by Friday, most of the 31-person crew, including the ringleader, were arrested.

Nugent called the ongoing prescription drug issues in Hernando County and elsewhere across the Tampa region “an epidemic.”

“It’s really ravaging this part of the state,” he said during a media conference Friday morning.

He stood with six undercover deputies donned in black suits and masks. In front of them were tables covered with bags of pills, loose cash, fake prescriptions, handguns and computer hardware. All of it was collected during the investigation, which was coined “Operation Oxy-Blues.” It lasted four months.

The head of the drug operation was Troy Bracewell, who Nugent said “has an extensive criminal history.”

He has been out of prison for a year, the sheriff said.

His second-in-command, Brian Copenhaver, remains at large.

Detectives spoke to him over the phone recently and asked to meet with him.

Knowing an arrest was imminent, Copenhaver fell off the map, said Lt. Tom Garcia, supervisor of the Hernando County Sheriff’s narcotics unit.

“We actually made contact with him,” Garcia said of the last couple phone calls his department made before he fled.

“He told us, ‘I know you’re looking for me. Good luck,’” Garcia said.

Copenhaver was last seen in West Pasco County, according to the sheriff’s office.

Eight out of the 31 suspects have outstanding warrants. Nineteen remain behind bars. Four have been released on bail.

Most were charged with trafficking or conspiracy to traffic oxycodone. Several more were charged with possession of various drugs.

Bracewell, if convicted, faces a life sentence based on the felonies he’s violated and the size of his network, Nugent said.

He has been charged with continuing a criminal enterprise, which according to state law requires an organizer to have three felony charges and at least five subjects under his control.

A search warrant was conducted April 16 at his home at 7043 Corliss Road in Brooksville.

Among the items recovered were two laptop computers and a printer, all of which were used to make the fake scripts, deputies said.

Also collected were several scripts, 191 pills (oxycodone, methadone, methamphetamine, Fioricet and clonazepam) and more than $10,700 in cash.

The case took a major turn in April when a confidential informant purchased pills from someone in the organization, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspects used the name of Dr. Naomi A. Abel, of the University of South Florida Health, on some of the scripts.

She was contacted in February by local authorities when one of the scripts was found. She said she didn’t have a patient by the name used on the prescription, which turned out to be fake, according to the sheriff’s office.

She also told detectives she rarely prescribes oxycodone, the drug purchased from a local pharmacy in her name, authorities said.

Abel declined to comment when contacted over the phone Friday.

More doctors also were used by the suspects, all of whom were victims in the case and were never involved in the criminal enterprise, Nugent said.

The average selling price per pill was between $7 and $10. In all, more than 2,100 pills were obtained illegally. Suspects also were in the process of acquiring another 1,030 pills before authorities shut them down, records showed.

All of the suspects were drug users themselves, so there wasn’t much leftover cash, Nugent said.

“This was the biggest in (terms of) organization,” Garcia said, comparing Bracewell’s enterprise to others he has worked. “This group was definitely more organized.”

Hernando County is part of a region that has seen the greatest spike in prescription drug deaths in the state, the sheriff said.

Three people recently have been convicted in Hernando of distributing prescription drugs to victims who have died from overdoses. One of them was a father who showed his son how to crush them into powder and snort them, Nugent said.

“If it causes a person’s death, we’ve gone after those folks and have been successful with every person we’ve gone after,” said the sheriff.

He said in 2006, there were 29 local residents who fatally overdosed on prescription medicine.

So far this year, the county is on pace for 50 deaths, Nugent said.

From 2006 through early 2009, more people died of overdoses compared to traffic fatalities, according to the sheriff’s office.

“With the advent of laser printers … it’s so easy now to create realistic scripts,” said Nugent during the media conference. “It looks legit to (pharmacists).

“They learn, just like anyone else,” he said of drug criminals. “It’s a learned behavior.”

By TONY HOLT | Hernando Today

TAMPA – More than 100 street-level prescription drug buyers and sellers have been arrested and more are being sought in an undercover investigation dubbed Operation Side Effects, authorities said today.

Undercover drug deals were struck near pain clinics, in parking lots and on the streets. Hillsborough County sheriff’s detectives continue serving warrants in the weeks-long investigation.

The sheriff’s office said investigators expect to net 135 arrests as part of the operation and have seized more than 5,000 pills of oxycodone, Xanax and other narcotic prescriptions.

Authorities say they also are targeting out-of-state buyers who purchase prescription drugs illegally here for $10 to $15 a pill and then sell them for up to $30 each back home. The pills cost about $1 each in pharmacies.

In the first six months of 2009, oxycodone caused more deaths in Florida than any other drug, according to the state Medical Examiner. During that time, more than three times as many overdose deaths were caused by oxycodone than by the total caused by cocaine or heroin in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

The problem is particularly acute in the Tampa area, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which says the eight counties that make up the Tampa coverage area account for 25 percent of the prescription drug deaths statewide but less than 18 percent of the population.

The sheriff’s office said deputies continue to arrest buyers who visit the 73 registered pain clinics in unincorporated Hillsborough to obtain pills for illegal purposes. They also are probing the underground network of prescription writing fraud.

On Monday, the owner of Neurology and Pain Center clinics pleaded guilty in Tampa federal court to prescription drug trafficking. The chain of clinics was targeted by another undercover sheriff’s investigation. Several doctors have also been prosecuted, including the medical director of Neurology and Pain Center.

The sheriff’s office said it is working with the Hillsborough County Commission to create an ordinance further regulating pain clinics.

By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune

As you mature and become older, appearances start to change on the outside of your body. It is important to note that the same thing is happening on the inside of your body, and one of the most important things to be aware of are the dramatic changes occurring in the spine. Your spine allows for most of your movement, and changes within this can decrease and inhibit your body’s normal movement and overall function. As we get older, changes occur in the spine including spinal disc dehydration, loss of joint mobility, muscle weakness, instability, and overall bony changes. These degenerative changes (arthritis) often lead to pain symptoms, which in turn leads to less activity. You become less able to withstand normal daily stresses, become more susceptible to injury, and heal slower from injuries that have occurred. This is where chiropractic comes in hand. Chiropractic treatment and procedures take into consideration the nature of the aging spine and the many abnormalities present to provide a strategically effective, safe and noninvasive treatment plan. Through the use of gentle adjustments and rehabilitative methods, spinal pain is reduced, spinal stresses are decreased, flexibility and mobility are improved, and degeneration is minimized.