NSIDE Coastal Bend MD Aug/Sept 2013 by NSIDE Corpus Christi

COASTAL BEND

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NEW HEIGHTS CARE AND COMFORT AT MIRADOR QUALITY AND QUANTITY GOING ORGANIC

AUGUST.SEPTEMBER 2013

FOCUS ON PATIENT CARE KINGSVILLE HOME REHAB » FROM THE HEART CHRISTUS SPOHN VOLUNTEERS

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Our mission is to provide medical

transport for critically ill or injured persons requiring medical or trauma facilities within our South Texas service area. Emergency assistance is provided to all persons regardless of their ability to pay.

www.haloflight.org 361.265.0509

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Alice 361-664-4888 路 Corpus Christi 361-882-5900 www.rivercityhospice.com

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CORPUS CHRISTI PODIATRY -

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Kingsville

HOME REHAB Serving South Texas, San Antonio and Austin.

Focused on restoring function and regaining independence. Kingsville Home Rehab Services, Inc. was established in 2004 and is a leader in home health rehabilitation. We provide to our patients quaility and evidencebased rehabilitaiton services. Integrity, excellence, trust and compassion are the core values in which Kingsville Home Rehab therapist’ and staff follow day to day, and from one home to the next. Kingsville Home Rehab’s primary goal is to enhance a patient’s quality of life with subtle changes. Whether teaching a fall prevetion program or making small postural changes to relief lower back pain, our goal is to maximize our patient’s potential.

P.O. Box 1205 Kingsville, Texas 78364 Ph: (361) 221-9177 Fax: (361) 221-0178

www.kingsvillehomerehab.com N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

Come Visit Our House! Always in need Of volunteers! Visit gchscc.org For info!

Looking for a place to bring those old towels and newspapers? Bring em’ to us!

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P U August/September B L I C A T I2013 ONS

ceo/nside media productions eliot garza South Texas’s Largest True No Kill

publisher adrian garza

We currently have HUNDREDS of wonderful pets awaiting loving, responsible homes. Adoption = more lives saved.

executive editor

Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm Sundays noon-6pm 361-225-0845 318 Cabaniss Pkwy. CC, TX 78415 Add Us on Facebook!

Erin O’Brien

creative director Elisa Giordano

senior graphic designer Cristina Villa Hazar

graphic designers Damaris Fike, Heidi Peyton

executive assistant Elena Flores

account executives Jessica Salinas, Amanda Villarreal

contributing writers Steven Alford Mandy Ashcraft John Daws Brent Norman Deborah Nugent Sarah Tindall

photography Dustin Ashcraft

editorial intern Katrina Torres

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Every Moment. Every Detail. Capure it Forever.

361.739.2143 www.DPPhoto.biz 8

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For advertising information, please call 361.548.1044 or email adrian@getnside.com. For editorial comments and suggestions, please email adrian@getnside.com.

PUBLIC ATIONS

18402 U.S. Highway 281 N, Ste. 201 San Antonio, Texas 78259 Phone: 210.298.1761

nsidethisissue august/september 2013

cover story

departments

Marcus Sorenson, Alejandro Gonzalez, Daniel Dominguez and their staff work hard to help patients get back to functional at this successful home rehab organization.

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14 Kingsville Home Rehab

Feature Health & Wellness Patient Senior Care N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

Saving eyesight...

Over 1,600 diabetic retina laser treatments

every year.

Charles H. Campbell, M.D.,F.A.C.S. and Walter E. Moscoso, M.D. Diseases and surgery of the vitreous and retina.

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5540 Saratoga Blvd. #200 361-993-8510 1-800-779-3482 with satellite offices in Kingsville, Beeville, Aransas Pass

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NSIDE feature

From the Heart

CHRISTUS Spohn hospitals see improvements thanks to generous volunteer donations of time, talent and funds. By: [Steven Alford]

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Sometimes they just need directions to a doctor’s office or a quick snack before visiting a loved one, but visitors to CHRISTUS Spohn hospitals may receive more from volunteers than they know. This fiscal year alone, Beeville volunteers have given more than $50,000 back to CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville, some through earnings from the gift shop and others purely through donations from the heart. The funds will be directed to improvements in the hospital’s labor and delivery department, including new curtains, blankets, couches and wall art for the rooms to make each family’s stay even more welcoming. “We are honored to have such generous volunteers who not only devote their time to the hospital, but provide donations for improvements to make a patient’s experience here that much better,” said Raymond Ramos, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville vice president and COO.

Hospital volunteers there also provide three $2,000 scholarships each year to hospital associates so they can pursue additional education and training. “That’s the commitment of our volunteer services,” said Rosemarie Stafford, president of CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville’s volunteers. “We’re just doing our part to serve others.” The nearly three-dozen hospital volunteers are a tight-knit group who range in age from early 40s to mid-80s. They have become a family of their own, serving hospital visitors and associates each day in a variety of ways. One woman makes blankets that she hands out to patients in the waiting rooms; another enjoys serving ice cream cones to visitors with a smile. They are part of a larger family of more than 600 adult and junior volunteers in CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, which has six hospitals in the Coastal Bend. Volunteers donate more than 150,000 hours of their time

More than 600 people volunteer each year in CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, which has six hospitals in the Coastal Bend. Volunteers donate more than 150,000 hours of their time to area facilities, as well as more than $400,000 annually to support hospital improvements.

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to area facilities, as well as more than $400,000 annually to support hospital improvements. “It takes a very special person to be a volunteer,” said Gina Cunningham, volunteer services coordinator. “They have to have that compassion for people each day. They are often the first face a visitor will see to one of our hospitals.” Whether their forte is typing, working with people, assisting with paperwork or serving hot meals, wherever a potential volunteer’s talent lies, CHRISTUS Spohn Health System works to place them where they fit best, Cunningham explained. And each year, the health system takes volunteers on a trip to a Texas city of their choice for a day of sightseeing – a small way to say “thank you” for their hard work.

Many of CHRISTUS Spohn’s volunteers are retirees, winter Texans, professionals and youth. Volunteers get the chance to meet new people, learn new things and gain the personal satisfaction of knowing they’ve helped their neighbors and community, Cunningham added. And more importantly, the volunteers at CHRISTUS Spohn hospitals are an integral part of what makes the health system so special, Ramos said. “We couldn’t do what we do without them.”

To learn more about becoming a volunteer at a CHRISTUS Spohn Health System hospital, call Volunteer Services at 361881-3160.

This fiscal year alone, Beeville volunteers have given more than $50,000 back to CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville, some through earnings from the gift shop and others purely through donations from the heart. The funds will be directed to improvements in the hospital’s labor and delivery department, including new curtains, blankets, couches and wall art for the rooms to make each family’s stay even more welcoming.

About CHRISTUS Spohn Health System CHRISTUS Spohn Health System is the region’s largest charity care provider and not-for-profit health care system consisting of six hospital campuses: CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi (Shoreline, Memorial and South), CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville and CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Kleberg (Kingsville). The health system is consistently ranked as a leading health system in the area, and it has received national recognition for several pioneering programs, including cardiac care, clinical excellence and oncology. For more than 100 years, CHRISTUS Spohn has been distinguished by its high-caliber staff and affiliated physicians, its comprehensive and innovative services and its long history of responding to the needs of the community it serves. For additional information, visit our website at www.christusspohn.org.

“That’s the commitment of our volunteer services. We’re just doing our part to serve others.” N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The business took off immediately after we began and has continued to grow every year since.â&#x20AC;?

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back to

functional Having successfully realized the American Dream, dedicated physical therapy professionals Marcus Sorenson, Alejandro Gonzalez and Daniel Dominguez focus on getting patients on the road to recovery at Kingsville Home Rehab. By: [Sarah Tindall] Photography: [dustin ashcraft]

hat happens when three guys with a great work ethic, commitment to their patients and entrepreneurial spirits get together and start a business? Successful realization of the American Dream, of course! Marcus Sorenson, Alejandro Gonzalez and Daniel Dominguez began Kingsville Home Rehab in 2004, when Sorenson, a physical therapist, and Gonzalez and Dominguez, lifelong friends and both physical therapy assistants, decided they had worked for others for long enough and were ready to go out on their own and start their own business. The focus has always been on the quality of patient care, and this means the three have been willing to drive all over South Texas, to rural ranches and to out-of-the-way trailer parks. That willingness, along with dedication that included 70,000-plus miles on their cars per year and seven-day workweeks, has led to expansion to include a corporate office in Kingsville and a service area that includes Austin, San Antonio, the Coastal Bend and a total of 20 counties in Texas. Also, besides Sorenson, Gonzalez and Dominguez, 50 other physical therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapy assistants now work at Kingsville Home Rehab. Âť

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At Kingsville Home Rehab, the focus has always been on the quality of patient care. “We started out hoping to see some patients, have some fun and be entrepreneurial,” Sorenson says. “The business took off immediately after we began and has continued to grow every year since.” As a home rehab organization, Sorenson, Gonzalez and Dominguez, along with their staff, treat their patients in their homes. According to Sorenson, the need for physical, occupational and even speech therapy is growing because long hospitalization stays are no longer the norm. “It’s too expensive to stay long in a hospital, and it is also unpleasant,” he says. “People are sent home now a day or two after major surgery, and we are able to work with them to get them back on the road to recovery as soon as they get home.” These are folks who can’t make it to a rehab facility, but need some or all of Kingsville Home Rehab’s services, which include physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Physical therapy, Sorenson explains, focuses on balance, walking and other gross motor skills. This is important for patients who have had extended hospital stays and need to work on getting out of bed and getting moving again, or patients who have had a stroke or other traumatic injury and need to build up the strength and skills to get around afterwards. Occupational therapy is more involved with the fine motors skills like getting dressed – “acts of daily living,” as Gonzalez describes them. These are for patients who have had a stroke or suffer from Alzheimer’s or other dementias and need help relearning these skills, or for patients who have been in a car accident, sustained other such injuries or suffered upper body injuries and need to rebuild strength and dexterity to get back to functional. Kingsville Home Rehab treats a variety of ailments, including arthritis, neck and back pain, tendonitis, sprains and strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint replacements, sports injuries, rotator cuff injuries, sciatica, whiplash,

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work-related injuries and plantar fasciitis. Available services include orthopaedic, balance deficits, gait abnormality, neurologic and cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation, among others. Patients are referred by home health agencies, of which Gonzalez says there are hundreds in Corpus Christi and surrounding area alone.

Meet the therapists

Sorenson hails from Northern Minnesota, where he grew up and met his wife, Shannon, while in high school. The couple attended the University of North Dakota together for their bachelor and master’s degrees. Sorenson jokes that he is 30 seconds smarter than his wife because that’s how much sooner he got his degrees than she did, as she was always directly behind him in line for the diploma. He says the physical therapy degree was, in fact, his wife’s idea. “I always played sports, but had never really been injured, so I had never been exposed to therapists before, but I knew I wanted to do something in medicine. My mom was a nurse and my dad was a CPA, but I absolutely always knew that I was more interested in medicine than finance.” As his wife was interested in physical therapy and Sorenson became interested specifically in sports medicine, their degree choice was an easy one. So was the move to a more temperate climate. “We decided we didn’t want to live in Minnesota any longer, so we moved to Corpus Christi in 2001,” Sorenson says. Now the couple have their doctorates in physical therapy and two children who were born here – 9-year-old Austin and 8-yearold Amber – and they are settled in to life on the coast. When he moved here, Sorenson practiced sports medicine, serving as the therapist for the IceRays, the Hammerheads, the Sharks and every other high school and college team he could, but he soon decided he was

ready to start working for himself, and the partnership with Gonzalez and Dominguez was born. The first few years were rough. Sorenson recalls putting 145,00 miles on his car in the first two years and working 43 days straight before Shannon put her foot down and insisted that he take Sundays off to spend time with the family and relax. “That’s what got us started and made us so successful – we were willing to drive to Hebbronville to visit one patient, but that patient told relatives and friends about us and we just grew and grew from those referrals.” Gonzalez is a South Texas native who grew up in San Diego. He graduated from a physical therapy assistant program at Laredo Community College in 1998, after which he worked at the CHRISTUS Spohn hospital in Kleberg for six years. He says he chose physical therapy because “I wanted to pick something involved with helping people and making them better. I had a friend who was a nurse and I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, but I didn’t like the shift work that is required of nurses.” The nurse friend advised him to look into PTA programs, and the rest is history. Gonzalez and his wife, Elaine, met at the Duval County Fair. “We always kid that we got our relationship started after competing against each other in the show ring,” he jokes. The two married and moved to Corpus Christi in 2003, where they now live with their three children, Andres, Esteban and Mirella. Gonzalez and his family will relocate from Corpus Christi to Alice soon, as Elaine has been appointed as a Jim Wells County agent. “We look forward to raising our kids on the ranch and teaching them how to appreciate the land,” he says. Dominguez was born in Alice and graduated from Texas A&M UniversityKingsville with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a Minor in Biology. He attended Laredo Community College and received his AAS in Physical Therapy.

He then spent a year at University of Texas-San Antonio doing his physical therapy coursework, and is now certified through IWA as a personal trainer, weight trainer and strength training specialist. He is married to his “best friend and beautiful wife,” Amy, and the couple have four children: 16-yearold Adrian, 11-year-old Daniel, 9-yearold Alaina and 6-year-old Denyel. The decision to be a physical therapist came during his final semester of undergraduate school, after which he intended to become an educator and coach. “My mother fell ill, which required several surgeries and intense physical therapy,” he says. “I witnessed firsthand the impact and difference that the physical therapist made in our lives.” After that, the choice to move into physical therapy was an easy one. “I realized that physical therapy was a career that would allow me to educate, coach, improve the quality of life and make an impact in people’s lives, along with being a challenging, yet rewarding career.” And it has been both challenging and rewarding for him ever since, but also very enjoyable. He says he enjoys the challenge of restoring people to a prior level of function, enabling them to meet their maximum potential to continue to be independent and improve their quality of life. “The reward of seeing the smiles and the tears of joy from patients and their families when they see their loved ones reach personal goals and milestones – this is when you know you’ve made an everlasting impact in people’s lives.”

For more information about Kingsville Home Rehab, go to www.kingsvillehomerehab.com. You may also call 361-2219177 for the Coastal Bend/Kingsville area, or 888-549-7462 for the Austin/ San Antonio area.

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NSIDE health & wellness

Late-Season Adjustments End your summer with a bang by battling insomnia and asthma in a few simple steps.

It’s nearing the end of summer, folks! The youth is out of school to have some fun, but us adults? Well, nothing has really changed but figuring out what to do with the kids. We have no break from our daily lives, stress builds and we may lose sleep trying to get everything done, or simply because we can’t seem to drift off to sleep. There are more and more posts on social media about people not being able to sleep. “Another sleepless night…” is what I believe I read. Insomnia is steadily making its way up the ladder as one of the more common concerns among adults. After a discussion with good friend, Dr. Michael Prioux, I decided to shed some light on dealing with insomnia for anyone looking to sleep better without a prescription. Here are five adjustments that may help:

1. Do not eat too close to bedtime The function of sleep is to repair cells and prepare for next-day energy needs. It does not need to be

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focused on breaking down and storing nutrients.

2. Do not spike your sugars For anyone who wakes up hungry, make sure your last meal is low glycemic. Only eat sweet desserts at lunch if you must have them. This will avoid nighttime hypoglycemia (drop in blood sugar).

3. Limit your intake of caffeine This includes coffee, soda, tea and even chocolate.

4. Watch alcohol intake Alcohol impairs serotonin production and disrupts normal levels of this important neurotransmitter, making sleep difficult.

5. Get water in by dinnertime Getting up to go to the restroom is common. Consuming all food and water three hours before bedtime is best. As I said, the kids are out for the summer. Accord-

ing to Dr. Mohammad Emran, a local pediatric general surgeon and director of the Adolescent Weight Management program at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, asthma is one of the most common issues being treated lately. Lots of allergens are out there, and we don’t want our kids worrying about breathing while off for some summer fun. Here are five tips to keep asthma at bay this season:

1. Eliminate all common food allergens from your diet There may be a small factor that is being overlooked as a minor food allergy. Test out and look for any evidence of a certain food like wheat, corn, dairy, fish, eggs or nuts that may correlate with signs of asthma.

2. Find a safe and healthy alternative eating habit There have been studies showing a more veganbased diet can help minimize the chance of asth-

FAMILY HAVING FUN AT BEACH image oliveromg/shutterstock.com

By: [Brent Norman]

your best mindset Find your why for living a healthier and more active lifestyle to become the most outstanding you.

ma with an addition of coldwater fish. This will be a low allergenic, but an antioxidant and a good fat-enriched diet. Perhaps supplement and add high-quality fish oil and vitamin C to your routine.

3. Avoid dairy Dairy promotes congestion and excess mucus.

4. Get with me for an H-E-B tour Our kids need to avoid all artificial sweeteners, food additives and preservatives. This makes a big difference. Call me to schedule an appointment for a free H-E-B tour or with any other questions.

5. No time to be dehydrated Drink plenty of pure, high-alkaline water. Evian water may be a better option locally. Contact us for more information.

My definition of hell is meeting the person I could have been. I imagine living my whole life saying no to new endeavors, living in fear and having my limiting beliefs control my entire life, then meeting the most outstanding version of me – seeing the things that could have been, the pain of seeing the things I could have accomplished and seeing the love and lives I could have been part of if I had only done the coulds. That’s massive fear and pain to me, and it’s my hell. What is yours? What is the lifestyle you have right now? Are you actively on your way to becoming the most outstanding you? Do you need a new standard and a much more empowering way of life? Do you need to step up in your life in any area? Let’s improve everything here and now! Here is where you get started, and it is much easier than you may think. How to eat right, how to lose weight, how to exercise and how to have fun while doing all of those things and have the best workout plans for you is the easy part. Chances are that you already know how to do it or know someone who knows how to do it. The key is this: the why you must start with. Why do you want to do it? Why? Your why will be the single most important thing that will set you apart from everyone else and from the version of you that doesn’t do it. When your why becomes strong, the how becomes easy. Maybe you need some pain to understand why some things are important. Do you know of anyone who is suffering or having a diminishing quality of life because of a lifetime of poor eating habits? Maybe someone you know has been putting toxic substances in their body, which shortened their life or their bank account significantly. Maybe you should experience going to a hospital to see what obesity really is like, to see how diabetes tears down the body and to see the scar on the chest from open-heart surgery that unclogged the fat from the veins and arteries. Maybe those will be the reasons you must have a healthier and more active lifestyle – one you will commit to for the rest of your life. We have a saying at One Fit Culture: “Go outside and play.” Go outside and play with your kids or friends. Go outside and jump, crawl, run, play tag or climb a tree. Did you ever stop to think about when and why you stopped having fun like that? Well, start playing again! Now go have fun – go outside and play! Go make the version of you that would make this version jealous.

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To find your why, visit www.onefitculture.com or call 830522-0122. Note: A special thanks to Sanoviv research. This would not be possible without these extraordinary nutritional scientists. N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

NSIDE health & wellness

Breaking it Down How you can invest in both quality and quantity when you go organic

Answering to the increasing demand for it, many companies have taken the road previously less traveled and given us abundant access to this: organics. Green stickers with photos of lush pastures and happy animals have popped up grocerystore-wide, from fresh produce and cereals to eggs and everything in between. The first word that comes to most everyone’s minds when they hear “organic” is “expensive,” and in price comparisons, it’s no secret that organic items are at least slightly more costly. This has given it a public image of limited attainability and a lingering question of what the real benefit would be anyway. Are the green stickers worth the extra green? Who really wins? Are you just buying a CEO a bigger jet? To acquire a true understanding, build a foundation of knowledge from the ground up: What are organics? How can meat be organic? Does that mean no pesticides were sprayed on your hamburger (hopefully not)? The Merriam-Webster definition of “organic” is “involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics or pesticides.” Simply, that means it’s grown the way it would grow if humans did not scientifically alter the process for mass production. Meats are not given injections of antibiotics or hormones, and veggies are not sprayed with chemical pesticides.

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Your body is all-natural, and it is optimally nourished long-term by things that are just as natural. All green stickers are not created equally, so look closer. A product labeled “100 percent organic” must be exactly that: composed strictly of materials certified as organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agency. Some labels simply say “organic,” and this means a minimum of 95 percent of the materials used in the product are certified organic and there is a list of allowed non-organic ingredients that the remainder must fall under. The rest of the green stickers out there simply say, “made with organic ingredients,” and list which ingredients involved were organic, required to be a minimum of 70 percent. Learn which companies are offering the best quality organics for your dollar. That leaves one big, pesticide-free question: Why? Your body is all-natural (OK, aside from any surgical enhancements or a bloodstream of Red Bull), and it’s optimally nourished long-term by things that are just as natural. Most pesticides are considered neurotoxins – not something you’d usually welcome into your fruit salad. In lab studies, nutrient values are diminished in a lot of produce grown non-organically. Eating blue-

berries for antioxidants? They’re reduced by up to 58 percent when not grown organically. The potential for growth hormones in meats to act as carcinogens has shown up in study after study, affecting cellular growth and acting as reproductive toxins. Take the focus bigger-picture and assess the personal risk your cells take based on the amount of non-organic meat you consume in a month. How about in a year? For the cost of two meals at a drivethru, you could buy four fresh-baked sub rolls from the H-E-B bakery, a package of organic Applegate Farms deli meat to make four sandwiches and an organic banana to go with each one. Quality and quantity. Feel good about what you eat! Food used as fuel to empower you and enrich your quality of life must first be of quality itself. Put your health on a pedestal; you’re worth the investment. If organics can be your step toward preventing a future of plastic, color-coded weekly pillboxes, you’re definitely the one who wins.

For more information, visit www.mandyashcraft.com.

shopping for fruits and vegetables image Tyler Olson/shutterstock.com

By: [Mandy Ashcraft]

Recovery Isn’t Simply a Goal, It’s Our Mission.

Kindred Healthcare understands that when people are discharged from a traditional hospital, they often need continued care in order to recover completely. That’s where we come in.

Doctors, case managers, social workers and family members don’t stop caring simply because their loved one or patient has changed location. Neither do we.

Kindred offers services including aggressive, medically complex care, intensive care and shortterm rehabilitation.

Come see how we care at www.continuethecare.com.

Dedicated to Hope, Healing and Recovery

CONTINUE THE CARE 6226 Saratoga Blvd · Corpus Christi, Texas 78414 · 361-986-1600 www.khcorpuschristi.com N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

NSIDE health & wellness

percent food choices.

Food and Function

Focus on functional improvements rather than cosmetic results with the help of a qualified, quality fitness professional. By: [brent norman] The fitness industry has exploded in the past couple of decades to the point that it is starting to become watered down. Instead of fitness professionals being properly qualified, they have often been handed a weekend certification where they were rushed through basic curriculum. Basically, if you pay the money, you get certified regardless of the quality or retention of the information. By all means, there are plenty of qualified, quality fitness professionals near you. Just be sure the one working with you knows his or her stuff. Through fitness marketing, we have been influ-

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enced to focus on cosmetic results, not on functional improvements. It doesn’t matter if you have a killer six-pack and a nice-looking chiseled chest when you end up with a bunk shoulder and a jacked-up back. Safety has been tossed aside and masked by below-average range of motion, mobility and flexibility. Your body must be trained for its activity, and most people do not need to run through 50 movements with mediocre quality; 10 skills that will take that specific person to the next level all around will work.

Oh sweet student of mine, how has your food been today? With any luck, you are asked this question at least on occasion if you are paying a fitness professional to guide you to a better you. It has been said time and time again: Results are 80 percent food choices. Toast is not a pre-workout meal, and if you would like to be skinny with no muscle or strength, go ahead and keep relying on those fat burners. Clean, balanced meals with supplementation specific to you are where you’ll create a body of lean, strong muscle through training. To keep it basic and avoid an uproar of disagreements, I’m going to stick to the “four to six small balanced meals a day” idea. Try to eat something every five hours or so. When you go in for your workout, please have a healthy amount of complex carbs stored and a proper meal for the work your body is going to produce. Something as simple of an organic apple with 2 tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter and maybe a light protein shake would be a good choice an hour before activity. If exercise is more intense, perhaps fuel with brown rice or a sweet potato at lunch. On the opposite side of the spectrum, carb loading by eating a nice greasy pizza versus a bit of brown rice with lunch to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes will not work in your best interest. For types of exercise like walking, jogging, light biking, etc., fuel yourself for the specific level of difficulty and duration of the exercise.

For more in-depth information on quality food guides, H-E-B tours and finding the best custom supplementation for you, call Brent Norman, SFG, co-founder of One Fit Culture, at 830-522-0122 or email questions to brent@hardstylekettlebell.com.

couple exercising image ostill/shutterstock.com

Results are

How do you know what types of exercises will actually improve your function so you can confidently move to the next level? Every student should be checked for improper movement patterns. The human body has systems. For example, an unstable hip joint can affect the function of the body all the way up to the shoulder, which no one would consider on a normal basis. There is a perfect example of this in the deadlift pattern. The lifter is taught to keep the shoulder down and back and to tighten the back muscle under the armpit, the latissimus dorsi (lat). Not only does the lat keep the back straight and fortify the position, there is a cross section system that also allows the hip to open into its full range of motion. When fitness professionals know the systems and corrective exercise, they can work to correct and make sure these systems run smoothly before throwing “fitness” on top of a paying client’s dysfunctional body. To answer the previous question, find a trainer who knows how to fix problems, not just make you sweat. You will appreciate it later. This trainer will keep you safe, and if something does happen, he or she will know the steps to fix the problem.

Welcome to the SOUTH TEXAS BRAIN AND SPINE CENTER. Our surgeons provide neurosurgical care in many of the major hospitals in Corpus Christi, Texas. Our surgeons and staff provide individual and conservative treatment using the most effective and modern technologies available in the world.

SOUTH TEXAS BRAIN AND SPINE CENTER 1227 3rd Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78404

361.883.4323

www.southtexasbrainandspine.net N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

NSIDE patient

The Dan A. Hughes Family Hybrid Suite is now open at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline. The elite operating theater is the only one of its kind in the region, truly elevating the quality of health care for South Texas residents.

Elevating the Quality of Care CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline debuts the Dan A. Hughes Family Hybrid Suite, a lifesaving addition that brings an unprecedented level of modern, specialized care to South Texas. By: [Steven Alford]

It’s something you might find in the fictional universe of “Star Trek.” Yet, the sophistication and advanced medicine once only featured on sciencefiction television is now becoming a reality at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline. One of the most advanced imaging technologies available in the health care field today is now available inside an elite operating theater called the Dan

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A. Hughes Family Hybrid Surgical Suite. The suite, which opened in June, was made possible thanks to donations, including a million-dollar donation from the Hughes family in Beeville. “We are blessed to do some big things for the community,” said Keleigh Sasser, a member of the Hughes family. “That’s why I teamed up with my dad and my brother, Hilton, to come together and give

this gift as a family. My family is honored to have played a part in bringing this remarkable lifesaving technology to the Coastal Bend.” The only one of its kind in the region, the suite occupies 1,400 square feet in a newly constructed 6,500-square-foot addition to Shoreline’s pavilion. “We are humbled by the philanthropic support that allows us to pursue advanced technology that most

The elite operating theater is the only one of its kind in the region.

expect to find in large metropolitan cities,” said Paul Gaden, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus ChristiShoreline vice president and chief operating officer. The area also features biplane technology. Biplane imaging allows doctors to follow the path of blood through the patient’s vessels to create a “roadmap” for reaching and treating the precise location of disease or malformation. This is a crucial capability for complex brain procedures and cardiac procedures such as stenting, balloon angioplasty, embolization of venous malformation and coiling of aneurysms. The multi-million-dollar project provides a unique opportunity for ensuring cardiac and stroke patients receive modern, specialized care close to home in South Texas like never before.

Advantages of biplane imaging: • Superb image quality from two rotating cameras • Twice the image information with a single dose of contrast material • Shortened procedure time • Reduced X-ray radiation exposure • Less risk and recovery time than surgical approaches

The Dan A. Hughes Family Hybrid Suite at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline was made possible by multi-million dollar donations from the Hughes family, several foundations and the community to the CHRISTUS Spohn Foundation. It puts cutting-edge technology into the hands of CHRISTUS Spohn physicians, giving them the ability to perform interventional procedures and imaging with an unprecedented level of technological precision never before seen in the region. It puts cutting-edge technology into the hands of neurologists, cardiologists and neurovascular and cardiovascular surgeons at CHRISTUS Spohn, giving them the ability to perform interventional procedures and imaging with an unprecedented level of technological precision never before seen in the region. “It allows us to offer a new level of stroke care,” said Dr. Morgan Campbell, a neurologist and interventionist. “No one in the region is doing this, so now we can offer this to the whole region and serve our community.” The Hughes Hybrid Surgical Suite enables specialists to perform advanced cardiac and vascular surgeries while simultaneously accessing powerful imaging technologies. “The room itself, we call a hybrid suite, which means we can also turn it into an operating room so the same patient who is having a procedure done with the images of the cameras can be done and can then be in the same room, as it is transformed into an actual operating room,” Campbell said. The Hughes suite has been created with the highest level of medical innovation. By integrating state-ofthe-art surgical and imaging equipment together in one operating room, this elite operating theater will empower physicians with unprecedented options for treating patients. Karen Bonner, vice president for philanthropy at the CHRISTUS Spohn Foundation, said it was truly a community effort to bring this lifesaving technology to South Texas cardiac and neurological patients. “At CHRISTUS Spohn, we are fortunate to partner with so many generous people who make it their mission to improve health care in our community,” she said. “The Hughes family, along with several foundations, donors and special event participants, gave generously to make this dream a reality.”

For more information on CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, please visit www.christusspohn.org. N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

NSIDE patient Each year, about 700,000 people have strokes. Of these, 500,000 are first-time strokes, while the remaining 200,000 are recurring strokes. This leaves many people wondering what to do, where to go and what kind of therapy they will need. The most important question, however, should be, “How qualified is my therapist?” To your surprise, the therapist delivering the treatment may have no advanced education or training in stroke rehabilitation. Like mechanics, therapists typically work on a variety of vehicles or motors, most often excelling in one specific area of expertise. Many times, therapists attend two- or four-day seminars in stroke rehabilitation and are considered competent to deliver services to someone who is recovering from a stroke. However, the most proficient therapists have certifications in the treatment of stroke patients such as Neuro-IFRAH and NeuroDevelopmental Treatment (NDT). Typically, a certification requires that the therapist attend at least two weeklong courses of intensive training focusing on neurological treatment.

Does Specialization Matter? When it comes to stroke therapy, the most important question to ask is, “How qualified is my therapist?” By: [John Daws]

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At Legacy Therapy Center Inc., we have demonstrated commitment and passion for treating patients who have experienced a stroke in the Coastal Bend community. Legacy Therapy Center utilizes the most innovative approaches for rehabilitating patients who are recovering from a stroke and/or other conditions. Under the direction of our medical director, our professional clinical team provides a wide array of occupational, physical and speech therapy interventions for both adult and pediatric populations. We have added a new Pilates studio exercise program, as well as an extensive restorative program within the agency’s adult day care center. Legacy Therapy Center has therapists with advanced training and certification in neurological and speech therapy modalities. We utilize highly innovative and effective techniques in stroke management, and we have years of experience in developing highly unique home programs to accelerate the progress of our patients in their recovery process. All of our clients are initially evaluated by our clinical social worker, and we have a respiratory therapist on staff for any pulmonary issues that may impact their therapy.

For more information on Legacy Therapy Center Inc., please contact the center at 361-855-1352 or www. legacyhhc.com. You may also visit the National Stroke Association online at www.stroke.org.

Senior woman with crutches with physiotherapist image candybox images/shutterstock.com

Each year, about 700,000 people have strokes.

AngelBrightHomeHealthInc.com 361-986-1102 N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D

NSIDE senior care

Helping Residents Reach New Heights As the only community of its kind in Corpus Christi, Mirador provides area seniors with personalized care, comfort and services, all under one roof.

Corpus Christi is seeing a surge in retirees choosing the Coastal Bend region to enjoy their golden years. As wave after wave of baby boomers retire each year, cities across the state are seeing their senior populations grow. With this comes the demand for specialized care and knowledge regarding aging issues. Mirador is where you can find all of this and more under one roof. Mirador is a continuum care retirement community (CCRC), which means it has independent living along with assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing, known as The Plaza, on the same campus. It is the only community of its kind in Corpus Christi. Residents experience resort-style services and amenities such as maintenance-free living and planned social, educational and cultural activities. With the comfort, security and convenience of community life, residents can reach new heights of personal growth and self-discovery, no matter what level of care they require. The Plaza is the premier destination for older adults who require more help with day-to-day ac-

Resident satisfaction is our No. 1 priority at Mirador, and that will never change. 28

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tivities. As the newest senior living community, all systems are state-of-the-art and the staff is trained in the latest care techniques.

Personalized services include:

• Assistance with activities of daily living to total assistance as needed • 24-hour emergency response system to all needs call system • Three nutritious meals daily, plus snacks and beverages 24 hours a day • Medication supervision to Medication Administration • Therapy services • Activities and group outings • Daily to weekly housekeeping and laundry

The Plaza’s skilled nursing was recently awarded an overall five-star rating by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest rating for quality care a community can earn. This great achievement is a testament to the amazing staff and the dedication they show to the residents each day. We now have the finest team in place to ensure our residents are always receiving the best care. One thing that sets The Plaza apart from other communities in the Corpus Christi area is the 24-hour-a-day staffing of licensed vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants in assisted living

and memory support. The ratio of registered nurses in skilled nursing and all licensed direct caregivers to residents is far superior in The Plaza. Every senior deserves to live in a beautiful community, but not everyone can live independently. If you or your loved one requires a little more help to get through the day, The Plaza takes direct admissions. You do not have to have lived in independent living to qualify to live in The Plaza, nor do you have to pay an entrance fee. The expectations of Mirador and the Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation, the parent company of Mirador, include a very high level of customer service. All residents have their own unique care plan that changes as their needs change. Resident satisfaction is our No. 1 priority, and that will never change. Located in the heart of South Corpus Christi, Mirador is the area’s only full-service life care senior living community. The community includes 125 customized independent living apartment homes, each with a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer and 24-hour emergency response system. The Plaza consists of 44 private assisted living suites, 41 private rooms for dignified nursing care and 18 private Alzheimer’s certified residences for memory support. Designed to enrich the lives of seniors, Mirador features 25,000 square feet of commons areas on a lush, 17-acre campus with a premier location close to local restaurants, shops and attractions.

Deborah Nugent is the health care administrator at The Plaza at Mirador. For further information on Mirador and The Plaza at Mirador, please call 361-288-7027 or visit www.miradorretirement.com.

senior couple image pressmaster/shutterstock.com

By: [Deborah Nugent]

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When you think of physical therapy... you most likely think of our ability to

treat the standard musculoskeletal injuries or conditions such as strains, sprains, low back pain, neck, shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot pain, etc.,

...but did you know Humpal P.T. also has programs for:

• Pregnancy (Pre/Post Natal Care) • Diabetes • Fall Prevention • Neuropathy

• Cardiovascular Therapy • Osteoarthritis • Vertigo (dizziness) • Osteoporosis

• Athletic Rehab (Sport Specific) • Thoracic-Outlet Syndrome • Orthotic Evaluation/Fabrication • Pre-Op/Post-Operative Therapy

We have a program for you if you are unable to perform your activities of daily living due to pain or limited range of motion.

We will put you back in the Game of Life!

4500 sq.ft.Gym - Corpus Christi location

46’x 20’Indoor Pool - Corpus Christi location

All 6 locations offer carefully designed and supervised exercise programs in State of the Art gyms and Large Indoor Heated Pools.

Medicare, Medicaid, Workers Compensation, and most insurances accepted.

If you have a condition that is causing you pain or concern, ask your Doctor for a prescription to Humpal P.T., or stop by any of our locations to request a FREE physical therapy Screening to determine if your condition can benefit from physical therapy.

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Humpal Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Centers

w w w. H u m p a l P h y s i c a l T h e r a p y. c o m w w w. F a c e b o o k . c o m / H u m pa l P T

Corpus Christi, 5026 Deepwood Cir., 361-854-2278 Calallen, 4040 Five Points Rd., 361-241-7399 Alice, 1302 E. 5th St., 361-664-9675 Portland, 114 Lang Rd. 361-643-8243 Aransas Pass, 2150 W. Wheeler Ave., 361-758-5199 Rockport, 1811 Broadway (aka Fulton Beach Rd.), 361-729-8777

6 Locations • 120 Employees • One Philosophy- Provide the Best care!

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St. Peter’s Home Health, Inc. Certified by Medicare in 2005 and accredited by Community Health Accrediation Program in 2010 Registered Nurse and Referral Intake available 24/7

SERVICES PROVIDED:

SKILLED NURSING / HOME HEALTH AIDE SPEECH THERPY / PHYSICAL THERAPY OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY / MEDICAL SOCIAL SERVICE

OTHER SERVICES:

LAB WORK / COLOSTOMY CARE / CATHETER CARE / WOUND CARE / INJECTIONS / PORTABLE X-RAYS INTRAVENOUS THERAPY / WOUND VAC THERAPY

1801 East Main St., Ste. A Alice, Texas 78332 Office: 361.664.7001 | 1.877.279.7710 | Fax: 361.664.7727 COUNTIES SERVED: Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Nueces, Bee, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Live Oak, Starr, Webb, Zapata, Cameron, Willacy, Aransas and San Patricio.

CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION PRESENTS: Customizable Business Workshops & Seminars For All YOUR Business Needs! TOPICS: • Proactive and Situational Leadership • Strategic Planning for Business Growth • Achieving Goals via Customer Relations • Sustainability In Your Business • Professional and Business Ethics

HIGHLIGHTS: • Review Actual Case Studies & Organizational Situations • Role Playing & Hands-on Exercises • Participant Evaluations of Individual Skills • Up-to-date Policies & Regulations Presented • Topics Personalized to Specific Business/Organizational Needs • Certificate of Completion to All Participants • CEU Certificates Available for $25

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Cousins Hall RM 113A 925 W. Santa Gertrudis Phone: (361) 593-2861 / Email: conted@tamuk.edu 32

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unda tion Fo a c u d E i hrist orpus C C e h t y b Hosted

tion

Thursday, October 24, 2013 American Bank Center • Henry Garrett Ballroom

11 - 11:45 a.m. - Showcase / 11:45 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Lunch Featuring Keynote Presentation from D. Scott Elliff, Ed.D., CCISD Superintendent of Schools, “Hearts & Minds” Student Showcase, and performances from CCISD students. Proceeds benefit the Corpus Christi Education Foundation, which funds innovative classroom programs and scholarships not otherwise able to be funded through the school district. Sponsorship Levels: Valedictorian ($10,000) Salutatorian ($5,000) Honor Roll ($2,500) Senior ($1,000) Junior ($500) Sponsors at Honor Roll level and above will be recognized at a Donor Appreciation Reception Wednesday, October 23, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Corpus Christi Yacht Club. For sponsorship and individual ticket information, please call (361) 695-7412. Individual tickets can be purchased for $50 each.

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Christina Kubala Velazquez Owner + Instructor

tumbling + cheer prep + adult tumbling + toddler tumbling + todder cheer prep Private tumbling/ cheer lessons + Hip hop dance class + Competitive cheer teams ages 4-18 + College competitive cheer teams 6801 Weber Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78413 (B) 361.334.2774 (C) 361.774.0112 /// AdvancedCheerAndAthletics@gmail.com

“Recover Close to Home…” You have a choice …

Choose Esplanade Rehab Hospital

Esplanade Rehab Hospital is a comprehensive medical rehabilitation facility. We provide an opportunity to rebuild the lives of those who have suffered a disabling illness or injury.

Our program provides the following services based on the patient’s goals and/or needs: • Occupational Therapy • Laboratory Services • Physical Therapy

• Pharmacy Services • Respiratory Therapy • Nutritional Counseling • Speech Therapy

• Orthotics/Prosthetics • Diagnostic Radiology • Area Pastors

361.906.3700 N S I D E C O A S TA L B E N D M D