Therapy Stimulates The Healing Within

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Jim Reiff

Jim Reiff was born and raised in Fonda, Iowa, a rural town with fewer than 1,000 residents in the northwest corner of the state. After graduating from high school, he went to work for Cargill, the corporate global distributer of agricultural and industrial commodities.

“I spent 41 years with Cargill, working mainly within the grain and soybean processing side of the business,” Jim expounds. “I didn’t pursue a secondary education, but I was blessed and fortunate enough to move up within the company in multiple management roles.

“My family and I were transferred probably 10 times as I rose through the ranks, but I spent the last 25 years at the headquarters in Minneapolis as an assistant vice president.”

Jim says the best part of his job was the chance to work with people, both customers and the organization’s management team. Much of his career satisfaction came from providing leadership to the employees under his direction.

“I helped them achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the year,” Jim elaborates. “That was very rewarding.”

The 64-year-old moved to Florida in 2018, shortly after retiring. Jim tries to stay active by golfing, walking and riding his bike for fun and exercise. But for years he’s suffered from a painful condition that more recently began interfering with his lifestyle.

The condition is psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s germ-fighting immune system malfunctions and attacks healthy tissue. Psoriatic arthritis typically causes inflammation and pain in the joints, tendons and spine. It most often affects adults who have psoriasis, a chronic skin condition causing red patches topped by silvery scales to form on the skin.

“I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis 20-plus years ago,” Jim discloses. “At first, I mainly had issues with the small joints, such as those in my hands and wrists. About three years ago, I started having issues with my back. But it wasn’t significant. It didn’t keep me from doing my activities.

“Then, about 16 to 18 months ago, the condition became more restrictive. I was experiencing intense pain that went down my left leg all the way to my foot. The pain was an eight, maybe a nine on a scale of one to 10. I couldn’t do much walking or biking. I played golf once a week, if that, instead of my usual three times a week.

“There were times, though, when the pain was so restrictive that all I felt comfortable doing was sitting down. When shopping it seemed I spent more time looking for a bench to sit on than actually shopping. I tried physical therapy, which resulted in some improvement, but it never got me over the hump to where I felt I was recovering.”

Jim also tried steroid injections into his back, but they were ineffective at relieving his pain. One physician suggested surgery, an option Jim wanted to avoid.

“I talked to some people at my golf club, and they told me about Dr. Johnson,” Jim remembers. “They recommended that, if nothing else, I should go and talk with him. I did just that in August.”

Dr. Jeffrey P. Johnson is the practice director at Johnson Medical Center, a comprehensive medical practice in Venice. After a detailed examination, Dr. Johnson’s team determined the primary source of Jim’s pain was arthritic joints in his lower spine.

“As a result of the arthritis, the material that provides the cushioning in the joints had worn away, which allowed the bones to rub against each other, causing pain,” Dr. Johnson describes. “We tried to ease his pain with physical medicine therapy, but those approaches failed to provide long-term relief. That made him a good candidate for regenerative therapy.”

Vibrant Substances

A treatment in Dr. Johnson’s arsenal against pain, regenerative therapy works by harnessing natural healing and growth factors in the body to provide lubrication and cushioning to degenerated and injured joints, thereby helping relieve pain and improve function.

These healing factors, which can help stimulate the body’s ability to heal, are supplemented by utilizing amniotic fluid collected during healthy baby deliveries and then purified.

“With the healing and growth factors, we inject another material called micro human tissue, which contains a high concentration of the vibrant substances that promote the body’s healing ability,” Dr. Johnson reveals.

The micro human tissue is obtained from umbilical cords donated by mothers following healthy births. The umbilical cord has protective tissue that surrounds the arteries and veins and is a vital component of fetus development. Additionally, the umbilical cord tissues are utilized to help prepare the expecting mother for the birthing process. During the third trimester, the mother’s heart capacity increases by 50% and the “glow” in her face is also attributed to the increased blood flow and hormonal changes during pregnancy.

Johnson Medical Center’s regenerative therapy protocol begins with a thorough evaluation to determine if the patient is a good candidate for the therapy. Dr. Johnson team of providers also seeks to identify any other contributing conditions that may need to be addressed to ensure favorable outcomes.

“Our protocol requires a single injection of a mixture of purified amniotic fluid and micro human tissue,” Dr. Johnson explains. “These are the most effective tissues we use to treat joint and soft tissue conditions and promote healing.

“Depending on the patient, our protocol may also include physical medicine to help improve the person’s function, and IV nutrition and/or IV ozone therapy to help boost the immune system and improve the person’s ability to heal faster.”

Ozone is a colorless gas made from medical grade-oxygen sources. During ozone therapy, the gas is introduced into to the body to expedite healing of the soft tissue in a damaged joint, neck or back.

Restorative Event

Regenerative injections are less invasive than surgery and patients recover much faster, Dr. Johnson explains. Further, there is a low risk for complications such as bleeding and infection, which can occur with joint replacement and other types of surgery.

“Regenerative therapy provides an option for patients with conditions that I would have previously referred for surgery,” Dr. Johnson declares. “It’s been a terrific addition to our practice, where we also use rehabilitation therapy, laser therapy, chiropractic and other modalities to assist with the process of rehabilitating damaged joints. The goal is for the treatment to be a long-term restorative event, not just a short-term fix.

“Most importantly, it works. We’re seeing tremendous results with our regenerative therapy protocol. Within weeks of beginning treatment, patients are experiencing fantastic relief from their joint pain. In a matter of months, we’re seeing a significant increase in our patient’s physical activities with remarkable improvement in both their mobility and strength. It’ very impressive.”

Dr. Johnson stresses that to get the best outcome, patients must continue with the recommended stretching and strengthening exercises they are taught following the injections.

“I tell my patients, If you go to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned but don’t brush every day, the cleaning isn’t going to help you much,” he states. “It’s the same with this program. If you undergo these injections but don’t follow through with the home exercises, you won’t achieve as good of an outcome as you would if you did the exercises.”

At Johnson Medical Center, regenerative therapy injections are administered by Mahendra Poonai, RN, APRN, FNP-BC, under ultrasound guidance, which ensures appropriate placement at the site of the degeneration and/or injury.

“Mahendra has traveled across the country to receive the best training in regenerative medicine techniques,” Dr. Johnson maintains. “He has developed expertise in using ultrasound to get the purified amniotic fluid and micro human tissue exactly where they need to be for the treatment to be the most effective. It is a very precise technique, and Mahendra does it well.”

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Jim is nearing the end of his treatments and is back to his favorite activities, which include golfing, walking and biking.

“Back to Normal”

Jim underwent the regenerative medicine protocol in early September, followed by physical medicine and rehabilitation therapy. His condition got better with each treatment. Today, his pain is all but eliminated.

“I don’t have that constant pain I was experiencing,” Jim enthuses. “I occasionally have an issue with tightness in my back or a little bit of pain going into my hip, but that mostly occurs if I overdo an activity. My pain level is between one and three, but most of the time it’s in the one-to-two range, which is very manageable.

“I feel I’m getting back to normal. I’m not 100 percent yet, but I’m really close. I’m nearing the end of my treatment journey, and I’m able to do things I couldn’t do six months ago. I play golf, walk and ride my bike.”

Jim has nothing but good things to say about Dr. Johnson and his staff.

“I really enjoyed visiting with Dr. Johnson,” Jim concludes. “He’s very on point. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, which I appreciate, but at the same time he’s very caring. The team at Johnson Medical Center is very professional, friendly and welcoming. I’ve had a really good experience with the practice.”