Special Issue - Issue 120.2 - The Freedom of Health with the Jiu-Jitsu Doctor

SPECIAL ISSUE

March 2021 Issue 120.2

The Freedom of Health with the Jiu-Jitsu Doctor An Interview with Dr. Neil Morris Pg 1

TOP DOCTORS OF THE WEEK

Discovering the Benefits of CytoSyde and How it Boosts Your Immunity Pg 05

Why People with COVID Lose Their Sense of Smell

Pg 15

Contents WHAT'S INSIDE? 01

The Freedom of Health with the

01

25 How Healthcare Providers are

Jiu-Jitsu Doctor:

Giving Their all to

An Interview with

Keep Us Safe

Dr. Neil Morris 05 Discovering the Benefits of CytoSyde and How

30 Profile Spotlight:

05

it Boosts Your Immunity 15

Why People with COVID Lose Their Sense of Smell

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18 Telehealth in Medicare & Medicaid

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Dr. Carl Hess

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The Freedom of Health with the Jiu-Jitsu Doctor: An Interview with Dr. Neil Morris

By Brianna Connors

About Dr. Neil Morris Dr. Neil Morris is a naturopathic medical doctor practicing in Mesa, AZ. He graduated from Troy University with a bachelor’s in Nursing and practiced as a registered nurse for 16 years before graduating from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, SCNM. He focuses on regenerative therapy, providing specialized treatments such as Hormone Optimization and Regenerative Injection Therapy. As a registered nurse, Dr. Morris gained significant experience in the fields of Cardiovascular Intensive Care, Surgical Trauma Intensive Care, Post-Surgical Anesthesia Recovery, Endoscopy, and Special Procedures, such as Bone Marrow Biopsy.

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Meeting “The Jiu-Jitsu Doctor” With a cheerful voice and a strong sense of humor, Dr. Neil (as his patients call him) opens up about his past to our Top Doctor Magazine. His proactive life, with college football and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at its core, guided Dr. Morris towards effective, less dramatic alternatives to surgical treatment.

After suffering from an accident during a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match many years ago, Dr. Morris was close to letting go of his passion. However, after receiving regenerative injections, not only is he back doing what he loves, but he’s also helping patients recover from sport-related medical issues such as knee or shoulder injuries. Hence, “The JiuJitsu Doctor” nickname.

Regenerative Medicine and Nursing For more than ten years, regenerative medicine's popularity has been growing. Dr. Morris links this trend to the extended time spent by naturopaths with their patients. "More people are looking forward to working with a naturopath, now more than before. To be a naturopath ten years ago would not have been as easy as it is nowadays," he tells us.

Looking back to his training, Dr. Morris sees his background in nursing as a crucial factor in his naturopath development: "When a patient comes to me, I look at things from both sides." Apart from other naturopaths, Dr. Morris' expertise helps patients reach the end of the recovery road with maximum results.

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Approaching Patient Treatment Differently As a specialist in regenerative therapy, Dr. Morris focuses on Regenerative Injection Therapy. However, as he noticed beforehand, to heal correctly, one must prepare the body for optimal work. For that reason, he introduced Hormone Optimization as the first step towards proper healing. "If your body is not ready to repair, you're not going to get the most out of it," said Dr. Morris.

The Power of Regenerative Medicine When asked about his favorite patient case, Dr. Morris recollected the story of a 70year-old with extensive surgery to her back. At first, he was unsure whether stem cell products could improve her quality of life due to her advanced age. Dr. Morris' doubts did not disturb the patient, who was ready to take a shot and receive treatment.

Within two weeks, she returned to him with improved posture, dramatically reduced pain levels, and quite an exciting complaint: "Her new big complaint was, I get tired because I'm walking so much now."

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“The Freedom of Health” Although the pandemic's initial months took their toll on his practice, Dr. Morris was one of the privileged few to have kept his practice open. Nowadays, he sees even more patients than regular, who are looking at self-care from a more serious perspective.

The COVID-19 pandemic led towards more self-care awareness. However, while talking about his concept of "freedom of health," Dr. Morris believes that we, as a society, need more than just awareness: "We should start taking ownership of our health more, and not rely on a drug to make us healthy." He stresses the obesity factor as an" epidemic inside the pandemic:" "If our overall health was better, we would not be as affected as much as we are."

As a parting reminder, Dr. Morris advises us to look towards our health more seriously and boost our immune system as much as possible through exercise, proper diet, and supplements, such as vitamins A, D, C, or Zinc.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Morris and regenerative medicine, you can check out his website at "rhg.health".

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Discovering the Benefits of CytoSyde and How it Boosts Your Immunity

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Discovering the Benefits of CytoSyde and How it Boosts Your Immunity

By Brianna Connors Fast approaching the one-year anniversary of the United States’ first COVID-19 related lockdown, we see a nation still struggling to control case numbers and outbreaks.

Confusion and fear still abound, creating the overarching issue of misinformation.

Experts across the country harbor varying opinions, offering advice that aligns most of the time, some of the time, or not at all. For Dr. Hassan Bennani, CEO of KellBenx, Inc, acknowledging the issue at hand led him on a personal journey to discover the best research and results-backed solution.

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The solution he discovered and presented is a product composed of eight natural ingredients that have been used successfully in China for hundreds of years. Sitting down with him in an interview, Top Doctor Magazine learned that Dr. Bennani’s philosophy to overcome the public health crisis that is the COVID-19 Pandemic has to be thinking for oneself and choosing a product based on the research that convinces you.

“Ever since I was a kid, I never imagined myself doing something else [than being a doctor],” said Dr. Bennani. “My background is that I am an MD by training, but for the last 25 years, one of my best passions is to research. And when it comes to research, it opens up a lot of opportunities to explore, to find something that is new that can have an impact and make a difference.” With extensive experience working alongside numerous companies to bring their products to market, educate clinicians about them, and position the products for people to use correctly, Dr. Bennani opened his lab in Long Island, New York, in 2010. At KellBenx, Inc., the focus is on developing new diagnostic tests such as prenatal testing. But when the pandemic hit, Dr. Bennani’s focus shifted to finding a true solution to help as many people as possible.

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“The key here is that everyone is going to get [COVID-19] one day; even if you get the vaccine, you’re still going to get it. It is just a matter of time,” explained Dr. Bennani. “I think it was the CDC that said it’s going to take about five years for everyone worldwide to come into contact with this virus. And even after that, it’s going to be here like the flu virus. We have to get used to it, live with it, and carry on with our lives. This is why we want to talk today about how we are going to change the long-term side effects and make it as simple as the flu virus.”

Breaking Down COVID-19 To begin the process of overcoming COVID-19, we must first understand how it affects us. The coronavirus is a family of nine viruses, of which seven affect humans. We have experienced previous coronaviruses (like SARS and MERS), but we contained them. The coronaviruses that have come before made those who became infected symptomatic, so they were quickly identified and isolated. The coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 is different because it features an incubation period of 5 days during which an infected person is asymptomatic and yet still contagious. “The transmission was so quick and so difficult to contain because of the incubation period,” said Dr. Bennani, “And that’s why people were able to travel from China to other countries without knowing they had the virus. Now it is too late. We cannot contain it; it has to go through everybody.”

This coronavirus is one of the cold viruses and exhibits two distinct phases. Phase one sees the virus entering the body and targeting the ACE receptors in the lungs. It moves inside the cells, hijacks the mechanism of replication, and starts duplicating. And by doing this, the virus uses the cell to print itself and increase, all while inside the cell and protected from the antibodies that the body is producing.

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Phase two is when the virus promotes the ACE receptor cells in other organs to colonize them. As a result, Dr. Bennani and many others in the medical field have discovered that COVID-19 was only located in the lungs for some people, but now it is going into the heart, kidneys, and other body systems. Through all of this, we see the most prominent effect COVID-19 has on those it infects. “The third part of what it does is lower your immunity so other pathogens can also harm the patient,” explained Dr. Bennani. “Once it is inside the cells, we cannot do much.” To stop the COVID-19 virus from getting into the cells - and ultimately stop a person from becoming ill - we must combat it from the three ways it attacks.

Step 1: Virus Load First, the essential step to combating COVID-19 is to lower the virus load. “Proven by all the studies today, what’s going to dictate the severity of symptoms and the complications is the virus load in the lungs,” says Dr. Bennani. “If you get exposed to high loads of the virus, the disease will be severe, and you might have severe complications, so we need to lower the virus load. This step is crucial so we can shorten symptoms and save lives.”

The virus load is essentially a way to quantify the number of viruses to which you have been exposed. With any virus, you can be exposed to a small amount or a large amount.

For COVID-19, in particular, it is critical that the amount of viruses you are exposed to is small. If you are exposed to a small virus load, you will likely experience light symptoms; if you are exposed to a high virus load, you are more likely to experience severe symptoms. “That’s why wearing a mask is very important. The mask protects, and it is vital to emphasize that,” explained Dr. Bennani.

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Step 2: Cytokine Storm The second way the coronavirus attacks the body and proves deadly is its ability to trigger what is known as a cytokine storm. A cytokine storm is a condition in which an infection triggers the immune system to flood the bloodstream with inflammatory proteins called cytokines. These cytokines can damage and even kill tissue and organs.

“Your reaction to the virus can work against you,” says Dr. Bennani, “[You] go into a stage where inflammation is out of control and releasing too many cytokines, which can start a cytokine storm in which the organs start to shut down. And that can kill the patient.”

Step 3: Immunity Finally, the third step we must be aware of in combating COVID-19 is promoting immunity. Because the virus lowers the immune response while attacking the cells, it puts the body in a dire situation of susceptibility to other pathogens. For example, many of the people who end up in the ICU with COVID-19 also have pneumonia. As a result, it is imperative to boost the body's immune response- this will help lower COVID-19’s severe symptoms and protect the infected person from contracting other illnesses or complications.

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Introducing CytoSyde For Dr. Bennani, the answer to COVID-19 is in answering the three ways it attacks and compromises the body. In his search to understand the virus and find a way to treat it, he discovered a product initially from and patented in China called Shufeng Jiedu - a compound made up of 8 natural ingredients. Scientists from Germany investigating the influenza virus looked to China to understand why the number of flu virus-related deaths was so low in the country. Since 2016, the scientists were able to bring to light that the Chinese were taking Shufeng Jiedu and that it considerably lowered the chance of dying or having complications. After further study, Shufeng Jiedu has more than 90 published publications, and it’s been proven that more than 100 million people in China have used the remedy. From the success rate they found, the German scientists were able to bring Shufeng Jiedu back to their country, compound the product, and now have more than 30 thousand people who have taken it to excellent outcome. With its marked track record, Dr. Bennani has worked to bring Shufeng Jiedu to the United States for its abilities to combat the COVID-19 virus, rebranding it to the name CytoSyde. The product comes in a box of thirty-six capsules. As a threeday treatment, a person would take four capsules three times a day.

Dr. Bennani’s company has taken worldwide exclusivity on CytoSyde and registered it with the FDA as a supplement. Currently, he is working on establishing various distribution channels to allow for ready access to CytoSyde as Dr. Bennani believes it is a remedy every household in America should have.

“How we counter the [COVID-19] virus is this product,” says Dr. Bennani. “The mode of action for this product lowers the virus load, regulates and modulates the inflammation, therefore, preventing a cytokine storm, and finally, it promotes your immunity.”

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Why CytoSyde Works CytoSyde meets the COVID-19 virus at all three points in which it attacks the body.

First, it lowers the virus load count by binding directly to the main proteins of the virus, preventing it from entering the cells. “With this understanding, we know that the earlier we take this product, the later outcome of the virus will be dictated because it is going to shorten symptoms and stop complications,” says Dr. Bennani.

The second mode of action of CytoSyde is found in how it regulates and modulates inflammation. Through such regulation, it is possible to ward off the cytokine storm.

As a result, having organ failure or difficulties in the organs is much lower if not eliminated. “All doctors fear the cytokine storm,” said Dr. Bennani, “Once it settles, there is nothing you can do.” And finally, the third mode of action is that CytoSyde promotes the body’s immunity. “[The product] promotes the body to secrete more antibodies and more T cells, enabling you to fight the virus that has invaded,” Dr. Bennani explained. “But it also protects against other pathogens that can take advantage of the body’s weakness and cause more damage.”

Dr. Bennani told Top Doctor Magazine of a personal story from one of his close friends who experienced firsthand the remarkable capabilities of CytoSyde in combating COVID-19. “I have a friend, and I was talking to him on the phone two weeks ago. He sounded like he was having difficulty breathing, and I know he has asthma, so I asked him why he was breathing like that.

He responded that he had worked late and felt tired. I insisted he tell me everything, to which he replied that his body ached and he felt hot. Immediately, I told him he had to go get tested even though it was late on Friday,” he said.

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When the test came back positive, the doctor was able to take Bennani’s friend, put him on an IV, and give him vitamin C. In addition, Dr. Bennani sent a box of CytoSyde, which arrived the same day. “The next day, my friend called me,” said Dr. Bennani, “and he explained how much better he was breathing. Three days later, upon completing the CytoSyde treatment, he had absolutely no symptoms, no complications, no coughs.

Nothing. It even helped his asthma.” Cases like these motivate Dr. Bennani to continue his work in bringing awareness to CytoSyde to help more and more people. As he put it, he is doing this for the joy of saving lives.

CytoSyde and the Future “The vaccine is here, and it is a good thing,” said Dr. Bennani when asked if CytoSyde is a replacement for getting a COVID-19 vaccine. “I’m not against the vaccine; in fact, I promote it. The only risk about the vaccine is not knowing exactly how it will react with the body long term. However, just because we don’t know doesn’t mean it’s going to be bad.”

The vaccine gives a person a certain amount of immunity against the virus. However, it does not guarantee 100% against future infection. As Dr. Bennani explained, it is similar to the flu virus, which comes every year. Despite getting the flu vaccine, people still get infected, fall ill, and sometimes even die from complications. “That’s what people need to understand; even with the vaccine, you are still going to get the coronavirus. You might have mild symptoms or severe, but not as severe as without the vaccine. The product is going to shorten the symptoms and prevent complications. There is no harm if you take it; it’s a safety net.”

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Shufeng Jiedu means to detoxify and expel, precisely what it does to the coronavirus in the body. Used for centuries in China, it is not a new treatment or even a new discovery.

What is new about it is the understanding of how it works to cancel the COVID-19 virus.

For Dr. Bennani, this understanding brings light to not just the COVID-19 virus but to all other viruses as well.

“It works for influenza; it works for all the viruses in the coronavirus family, and it might work for any virus in the future because it cancels the mechanism,” he explained. “This is what we want; we want to give reassurance to people. Yes, the virus is serious, but if we do the right thing, we can prevent people from dying, from ending up in the ICU.” If you would like to know more about CytoSyde or are interested in purchasing it, scan the QR code to place an inquiry.

Citations: 1 - Studies on Shufeng Jiedu 2 - Shufeng Jiedu in Germany 3 - Global Literature

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Why People with COVID Lose Their Sense of Smell

By Odessa Kramer There are now over 29 million coronavirus cases in the U.S. From body malaise to shortness of breath, the virus presents itself in different ways. One of the most common and interesting symptoms is anosmia or smell blindness. An NIH review studied a total of 11,054 COVID-19 patients and found that this loss of smell often precedes the other, more severe symptoms of the virus. This loss of smell can suddenly occur in people infected with COVID-19 and is often associated with loss of taste, too. Loss of smell in COVID-positive patients may happen with or without a stuffy or runny nose; in some cases, this may even be permanent.

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Even though buying a piano is a significant investment for parents with a young child, after much begging on Dr. Roy's part and seeing her dedication, she would receive her first piano at 8. For the next twenty years, she took lessons, performed in recitals, and competed across her hometown of Toronto, Canada. She would even become a student at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her love for music and piano would continue to be a balm as she transitioned into medical school. "Fast forward to when I was doing my residency in North Carolina at Duke Medical Center. I would work 12-14 hour days. I would be exhausted when I got home, but when I got home, I would look at my piano and go 'alright Lip, just 15 minutes," said Dr. Roy. "Then I would play classical, I would play Simon and Garfunkel, whatever I wanted to, and I would just feel calm. Soon, I'd look up at the clock, and two hours would have passed."

Inflammation and Loss of Smell C.T. scans of people with COVID-19 who have reported anosmia reveal a cleft syndrome – this happens when swollen soft tissue and mucus block the olfactory cleft, the part within the nose responsible for smelling. The novel coronavirus makes its way into the body by attaching to cells in the upper respiratory tract. Once the virus permeates these cells, with the help of the TMPRSS2 protein and replicates, the inflammatory response is then activated.

Inflammation is the immune system's response when it detects foreign and possibly harmful bodies. A column by University of London consultant rhinologist and ENT surgeon, Simon Gane, and University of Reading associate professor, Jane Parker, attributes anosmia to this inflammation and swelling phenomenon. They believe that when the immune system can rid the body of the virus, the swelling subsides, and the sense of smell returns to normal.

However, the loss of smell persists even after the person tests negative for the virus in numerous recorded cases. Dr. Gane and Professor Parker present a theoretical explanation based on inflammation physiology: inflammation could trigger the release of chemicals from other systems that may damage tissues and possibly olfactory neurons– the receptors of the sense of smell – in the process. Luckily, olfactory neurons are regenerative.

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Post-Hospitalization Care and "Smell Therapy" The onslaught of the pandemic overwhelmed the healthcare system. Patients who were lucky enough to make it out of the hospital and "recover" often don't get the necessary post-discharge care they need, as hospitals around the country don't have enough resources and staff. Those who are declared "COVID-free" but are still showing mild symptoms must stay home and wait out these symptoms.

The lack of extensive and long-term recovery treatment plans for patients is by no means hospitals' fault. The pandemic nearly paralyzed the entire healthcare system, and it doesn't help that physicians and nurses have been in short supply even before this major health crisis. The spike further exacerbates this shortage in demands for COVID-19 care professionals.

Fortunately, the rise of telemedicine and remote learning is helping address this need.

These strategies allow healthcare workers to care for more patients through online consultations and virtual health monitoring. More importantly, they provide training to a broader population to prepare for today's healthcare workforce demands. The pandemic has also lead to a new way in which nurses can learn new skills. For qualified nurses who want to learn new skills, there are online R.N. to BSN programs that can give them the necessary abilities to provide specialized care for patients, especially in rehabilitation. These online programs have helped ensure that today's nurses can keep up with the modern demands of COVID-19, such as loss of smell, although the pandemic has made in-classroom learning very difficult.

While nurses and physicians are battling the pandemic in hospitals, other organizations take the reins during recovery. Aiding them in post-discharge care are charities and other organizations offering "smell therapy" and other services to help manage lingering effects from COVID-19. These services can last up to four months per individual and can be safely done at home.

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Telehealth in Medicare & Medicaid: The Hidden Hero Keeping Us Connected to Our Doctors even in a Pandemic

“The genie is not going back in the bottle!”

In recent months, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded access to telehealth services under President Trump’s emergency declaration.

This allows beneficiaries to receive a broader range of services from their doctors without going to a healthcare facility. These benefits are part of the larger effort put forth by CMS and the White House Task Force to ensure that all Americans - particularly those at high-risk - are aware and able to access systems that can keep them healthy.

Under the 1135 waiver, Medicare can now pay for office and hospital visits - among other types of visits furnished via telehealth across the country. This is a drastic change from before the waiver when Medicare could only pay for telehealth services on a limited basis.

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As of October 14th, the CMS added eleven new services to the growing list of telehealth services that Medicare will reimburse during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Since March 2020, Medicare has added more than 135 services via telehealth that it will pay for, including emergency department visits and nursing facility visits. Seema Verma, the administrator of CMS, said of the additions: “Responding to President Trump’s Executive Order, CMS is taking action to increase telehealth adoption across the country… This revolutionary method of improving access to care is transforming healthcare delivery in America. President Trump will not let the genie go back into the bottle (CMS.gov, 2020).”

In the past three years, CMS has been working to modernize Medicare as part of the Fostering Innovation and Rethinking Rural Health strategic initiatives. It has unleashed innovation in the private sector, improving access to telecommunication technologies and services to beneficiaries.

Starting in 2019, Medicare began paying for virtual check-ins where a patient can connect with doctors via phone or video chat. These check-ins were done as a preliminary way to assess whether the patient needed to come in for an in-person visit. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS rapidly expanded its payment for telehealth services. This allowed Medicare beneficiaries living in all parts of the country access to high-quality care from the comfort of their own home where they could avoid unnecessary exposure to the virus or other illnesses.

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“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 14,000 beneficiaries received a Medicare telehealth service in a week while over 10.1 million beneficiaries have received a Medicare telehealth service during the public health emergency from mid-March through early-July” reports CMS.gov.

TELEHEALTH IN MEDICARE: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? As the healthcare industry has had to rush to fill the gaps in coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS has made keeping people safe and avoiding unnecessary exposure to the virus a priority.

Providing a fact sheet on the various telehealth services now allowed through Medicare, patients, and healthcare providers alike can seek guidance on the best options for personalized care. This historic effort has been made possible by new policies implemented in both 2019 and 2020.

For a beneficiary, these services can look like an inquiry call to their doctor if they are experiencing symptoms. During this call, it can be assessed whether a physical exam is needed or merely remote monitoring to see if symptoms worsen. If the beneficiary worsens, a virtual check-in allows the doctor a chance to make recommendations without making a patient step into the office or hospital.

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TELEHEALTH IN MEDICARE: HERE TO STAY? Telehealth services and the technologies needed for such procedures are nothing new. They were already in progress and en route to being widely accepted before the start of this year and the COVID-19 public health emergency. However, due to the PHE, telehealth became the premier source of care - being widely accepted and, in many cases, the only avenue through which medical attention could be accessed. As we have no real way of knowing the PHE’s end, there is no approaching end date for telehealth and its services. Not to mention, with its proven track record thus far, it may very well become the preferred method of care for many patients. Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, especially.

While telehealth will never replace the gold-standard of an in-person doctor’s visit, it serves as an important addition of access. Its rapid explosion in recent months has raised the question of whether returning to the status quo will turn back the clock on innovation and a new level of care. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is one such innovation under question should Medicare revert to pre-pandemic telehealth service limitations.

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TELEHEALTH IN MEDICARE: WHAT IS RPM, AND WHY IS IT THE BACKBONE OF TELEHEALTH? Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a delivery method for healthcare that uses the most advanced technologies to gather and analyze patient data, which is then used to develop and manage a treatment plan tailormade or related to a chronic illness or health condition. RPM is about moving conventional healthcare delivery outside of the box for better patient care and outcomes.

These technologies are the latest and greatest, emphasizing today’s consumer-friendly personal tech items. Leveraging Bluetooth and smartphones or tablets, these data collection devices are used specifically to make patients comfortable monitoring and aiding in their own care. As a result of this comfort, engagement levels between patients, their monitoring devices, and ultimately the doctor are increased.

Naturally, higher engagement levels correlate to improving the overall quality of care. Not only is the patient incentivized to be involved in his or her own health due to the comfort of quality RPM devices, but clinicians are equally better equipped to understand and manage their patients’ health situations. This is extremely important in the prevention of deteriorating health or worsening conditions.

RPM is the backbone of Telehealth because it enables clinicians to actually see what their patients are doing daily. Never before has this level of care been accessible to the public.

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As witnessed in recent months, without Telehealth - without RPM the mode of most healthcare delivery systems would have been cut off for weeks on end. With Telehealth services and RPM, where a patient can interact with their doctor via technology and have their situations monitored 24/7, it is possible to diagnose, treat, assess, and prevent. It is more convenient than conventional doctor or hospital visits. It is more accessible to demographics of the public. And it is an essential part of limiting unnecessary exposure to the more vulnerable.

In conclusion, without the advances of technology, especially in the medical field, the COVID-19 virus would be able to spread much faster and further like the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic of 1918 where social distancing wasn’t a thing between doctors and their patients nor even in medical wards. 50 Million people are estimated to have perished just a hundred years ago from a similar virus compared to the 1.14 million people who have died from COVID-19.

No one should ever die from a horrible disease and our hearts go out to all those suffering from COVID-19 (it has touched our own office as well).

It is our dream at Top Doctor Magazine and among the doctors we serve to continue the exponential growth in medical advances over the past century so that mankind can be much closer to realizing a world virtually free from lifeending diseases in the not-so-distant future.

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Citations: Gilman, M., & Stensland, J. (2013). Telehealth and Medicare: payment policy, current use, and prospects for growth. Medicare & medicaid research review, 3(4), mmrr.003.04.a04. https://doi.org/10.5600/mmrr.003.04.a04 CareInnovations. (2020). What Is Telehealth? What Is Remote Patient Monitoring? How Are They Different? Retrieved from https://news.careinnovations.com/blog/what-istelehealth-what-is-remote-patient-monitoring-how-are-they-different CMS. (2020). President Trump Expands Telehealth Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19 Outbreak. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/president-trump-expands-telehealth-benefits-medicare-beneficiaries-duringcovid-19-outbreak CMS. (2020). Proposed Policy, Payment, and Quality Provisions Changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2021. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/proposed-policy-payment-and-qualityprovisions-changes-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-calendar-year-4 CMS. (2020). List of Telehealth Services. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/Telehealth/TelehealthCodes Foley & Lardner, LLP. (2020). Top Ten Medicare Remote Patient Monitoring FAQs for 2021.

Retrieved from https://www.foley.com/en/insights/publications/2020/08/ten-medicareremote-patient-monitoring-faqs-2021 CMS. (2020). Trump Administration Announces Historically Low Premiums and New Insulin Benefit as Medicare Open Enrollment Begins. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-announceshistorically-low-premiums-and-new-insulin-benefit-medicare-open CMS. (2020). Telehealth Benefits in Medicare are a Lifeline for Patients During Coronavirus Outbreak. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/telehealth-benefits-medicare-are-lifeline-patients-during-coronavirus-outbreak

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HOW HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ARE GIVING THEIR ALL TO KEEP US SAFE - AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. ALENA BUTKEVICA

By Ionuț Gabriel Raicea

In this challenging time, every small action can have significant meaning, helping us reconnect and progress in times of crisis. The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world; rather than breaking us apart, it helps people unite. As every country around the world grappled to contain the pandemic, lockdown and other restrictions were put in place, which affected every aspect of our lives.

Even though restrictions were put in place to contain the virus, the pandemic still ravaged. As a result, over 400,000 people have died from COVID-19 related complications. As many people gladly embrace the work-from-home option and adhere to the social distance rules to avoid exposure to the virus, healthcare providers are bravely leading the charge.

Even with the looming exposure threat, they have been providing care to patients to the best of their ability. Even though some of their colleagues are becoming infected and dying from COVID-19 related complications, these amazing heroes decided to put their lives on the line honoring their oaths in a time of great need. "[During the lockdown] many businesses closed, but we didn't because we do emergency care for people who have trauma ,and we attended to other things that need to be addressed. Since the hospitals were busy at the time, we got the approval to work. Dr. Alena disclosed while recounting her experience during the lockdown.

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Dr. Alena Butkevica, a Dental Surgeon, CEO, and leading researcher at AB BioInnovations in Huntington Station, New York, started practicing over 30 years ago. The Latvian relocated to the United States in 1998 to learn dental implants hoping to provide care to people experiencing different dental complications. Dr. Alena ended up in Boston University for her postgraduate training in Prosthodontics and Implantology, and she has performed over fifteen thousand surgical procedures.

While discussing the COVID-19 impact on her practice with TopDoctor Magazine, the award-winning physician said, "Absolutely, we have always been making changes to make sure that patients are safe. As we were trained, every patient presents a threat of infection like hepatitis, HIV, and AIDS. We are always very cautious to protect ourselves and the patients from cross-contamination.

Therefore, we were always prepared even before COVID-19. There are rules and regulations like measuring temperature and all. Also, everything is tested and sterilized, and we have a system where people only go one way, meaning patients will come in one way and exit the other way to avoid contact."

Even though they have a 15-minute timeframe to disinfect everything in the room before attending to the next patient, Dr. Alena told us that her staff's stress has been immense. "We never had such long breaks in-between patients, now my doctors and I have a lot of free time between patients. But we still have to keep ourselves safe by wearing a mask. To avoid exposure to COVID-19, now, we wear masks, face shields, and magnifying globes. Actually, working the whole day with the mask, face shield, and magnifying globes is now difficult because protective gear makes it difficult to breathe. At the end of the day, everyone has circles under their eyes as a result of the stress. I made a decision that every doctor should work one day less so that they can recover from the stress."

While still facing uncertainties, Dr. Alena was continually brainstorming ways to help people and provide the best care to her patients during her free time. "[During the lockdown] practice slowed down tremendously because people don't go out for treatment as long as they are not desperately in need of surgery or treatment, which is good for me because I could concentrate my energy and time towards research. You know, apart from the social distancing and not being able to do surgical work, this pandemic time, for me, has been very productive because I was laser-focused on what I was doing pre-pandemic. In this kind of time when I can't go out and do so much, I can use the time to do research and development, intellectual properties, product development. All these take time, and this is the best time to do it. I didn't rest at all. All the time I had was spent on creative work."

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While expressing optimism regarding the monumental effort on the successful work on vaccine development, Andrew Cuomo, the New York governor, said, "This is the weapon that is going to win the war." Although the vaccine is an outstanding achievement, it is only the first step in a global mass immunization process that will not instantly end the pandemic. Even though the vaccine will help control the infection's harmful effects and limit its spread, bringing the virus under control will likely take a few years.

Vaccination is a part of a multi-faceted public response to the emergence of pandemic illness. Pandemic diseases have swept through the human population since the beginning of time. For example, the bubonic plague, also known as Black Death, killed about 75 million people in Europe in the 1300s, while the 19181919 influenza killed 50-70 million people globally. Researchers are known to develop influenza vaccines to mitigate the spread of a circulating virus but never before in the history of pandemics have researchers been caught off-guard, as we saw during COVID-19.

"I agree that a vaccine is one great way to avoid COVID-19. What if there is COVID-20, for example? We don't have a new vaccine. We might have COVID today, but we don't know what will happen in January or what the next virus will be. Is it going to be a mutation of COVID or a new virus? We have flu shots every year because we do have flu every year. Every year we do have a different virus. It is very good if we could predict the next virus that will be out in the air," she said.

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Dr. Alena further explained: "Apart from having a vaccine, we know that every year we have a new virus. There are many different viruses; every winter comes with a different virus. People have predicted COVID, but we don't know exactly what will happen."

Even though the vaccine will be a great help, Dr. Alena said that everybody's primary duty is to stay healthy: "The body's natural defense mechanism, which is typically strong, can fight. Statistically, most people who died of COVID had some other additional existing health problems. What I am seeing from a general medical standpoint is the need to eat good food, stay warm, and have a lot of sleep. The less stress there is, the higher the body's self-defense level.

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If you are completely exhausted, and you run yourself down with stress, you are much likely to get infected rather than if you are healthy, sleep well, and eat healthy and proper nourishing food. These are general basic health rules which apply to everybody at any circumstances. People who maintain this kind of balance in their life are healthier, and others who don't subject their bodies to disharmony, which makes them susceptible to health challenges. The major message right now for everybody is that you should keep yourself healthy."

Before responding to the question regarding her plans for the New Year, Dr. Alena sighed and told us that she had so much to do that she couldn't remember when she last had a vacation. "Right now, I am working on a broad spectrum of antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory products. For example, we are doing final testing for psoriasis cream before it will be made available for public use once it is ready. " Dr. Alena's dedication and selfless effort to provide care throughout the lockdown period is a testament to how we should admire our physicians for their sacrifices. "Knowing that I can help people avoid suffering is a huge motivation for me to keep going." Dr. Alena concluded.

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Profile Spotlight: Dr. Carl Hess

By Ionuț Gabriel Raicea

About Dr. Carl Hess Dr. Carl Hess has 30+ years of experience in pain management and associated syndromes. Dr. Hess is a board-certified member of the American Board of Anesthesiology. Since the inception of the 90s, Dr. Hess has performed more than 10,000 basic and advanced pain management-related procedures.

Furthermore, Dr. Hess is familiar with the traditional and modern pain management tactics. Whether it’s implantable devices or injections, Dr. Hess understands the periodic fluctuations of pain management. Dr. Hess also has experience in legal testimonies and opinions related to personal injury cases.

Pain Management and Perspective “People may not realize, but awareness on pain management is now wider than it was in the 90s,” 30

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said Dr. Carl Hess in an interview with Top Doctors Magazine. It is important to understand that Dr. Carl Hess practices and specializes in pain management, a subspecialty of anesthesiology. Dr. Hess also maintains good relationships with prominent anesthesiologists in the U.S.

Chronic Pain: New Advancements and Misconceptions Although there have been advancements in the healthcare industry that now allow people to manage their pain better, Dr. Hess believes that there are still faux perceptions around chronic pain. “The truth is that chronic pain is a serious problem and legislative initiative was just the first step to raise awareness,” continued Dr. Carl Hess.

Pain Management and the Curse of Opioids Dr. Hess also raises the point about the abuse of opioids to deal with chronic pain. The right course of action is a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and physiotherapy. Dr. Hess paints a clear picture that a balanced approach is not always a requirement.

Dr. Hess remembers when he saw the mainstream implementation of implantable devices like stimulators to alleviate chronic pain. “There are new advances, more awareness, and educational guidance right now about pain management,” added Dr. Carl Hess.

Dr. Hass also brings the subject of FBSS (Failed Back Surgery Syndrome) that requires more awareness. The medical practitioners will continue to drift afar from opioids and adopt new methods to control chronic pain. “It is no secret that consistent use of opioids makes your chronic pain worse and leads to Hyperalgesia,” noted Dr. Carl Hess.

A few years ago, rich plasma and stem cell therapy may have had a major impact, but now both are trying to find their place. “Regenerative medicine is the most recent development, but it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the foreseeable future,” said Dr. Hass.

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Traditional Philosophy of Pain Management As the contextual understanding of chronic pain evolves, it is vital for medical practitioners to not forget about the traditional philosophy on the subject. Contrary to misguided perception, chronic pain is a severe condition that doesn’t go away even after surgery.

“We have to understand that pain is dynamic rather than static,” said Dr. Carl Hess.

Dr. Hess also notes that external and internal factors such as stress or bad weather condition make the pain even worse. In many cases, the periodic shift of the chronic pain is unbearable for patients. Therefore, Dr. Hess considers a more empathetic approach to deal with pain management.

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A Word from the Editors Top Doctor Magazine is a magazine from doctors for doctors and patients.

We cover everything from cutting edge medical techniques and procedures to enterprising doctors, dentists, surgeon, naturopaths, chiropaths, orthodontists and more who are thought leaders within their own medical practice and changing the way we all experience medicine for the better.

We wish to be your one-stop digest for inspiration by other professionals in your field who are making waves and setting trends and if you too are a trend-setter, reach out to us so that we can interview you for your own spotlight within an upcoming Top Doctor Magazine issue!

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We've chosen his Blind Faith Statue to represent our prestigious awards given to Top Doctors around the nation each year to capture the delicate and heroic juggling act our doctors face each day to save lives and deliver better health and wellness.