June 1, 2021 – Can cognitive training reduce one’s risk of dementia? On June 10, the Alzheimer’s Association will address this topic with “Training the Brain: What Research Tells Us,” a virtual program that will explore the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s and dementia research, including initial findings from the University of South Florida’s Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT) study.
 
The program will feature guest speaker Jennifer O’Brien, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at USF who, as part of the study, has been researching the overall effects of brain-training exercises on cognitive health.
 
“Specific cognitive training exercises can have a positive impact on daily tasks like driving, protect against depression and result in better health-related quality of life,” O’Brien said. “Most impressively, these exercises have also been shown to protect against cognitive impairment or dementia. It is important for older adults to include targeted cognitive training as part of a healthy lifestyle to protect against dementia.”
 
From the Alzheimer’s Association, speakers will include Keith Gibson, director of program services, and Carla Moseley, volunteer community educator, who will share a presentation on “Healthy Living for the Brain and Body.”
 
“From cognitive training to simple lifestyle changes like exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet, studies have indicated that there are ways to reduce your risk of developing dementia,” Gibson said. “As we have yet to discover an effective treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s disease, it is crucial that we stay abreast of the latest research and how those findings can help everyone to improve their cognitive health.”
 
More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. In Florida alone, there are 580,000 people currently battling the disease, as well as more than half a million family members and friends who are providing them with daily care.
“Training the Brain: What Research Tells Us” will begin at 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, June 10. Register by calling the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900 or by visiting bit.ly/TrainingTheBrain. 
 
For additional free programming from the Alzheimer’s Association, visit www.alzprogramsanytime.org. To learn more about the Alzheimer’s Association, visit www.alz.org. 
 
 
Alzheimer’s Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call (800) 272-3900.
 


Drs. Maizes and Bakst are the Only Physicians in Palm Beach County Managing the New Inspire Sleep Technology 
 
June 1 2021 – As reported from Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Disorders Institute of South Florida (PCSI) only FDA approved minimally invasive sleep apnea treatment, that eliminates the need for masks and traditional cumbersome sleep equipment, is now available in South Florida; and it’s only being managed in Palm Beach County by the doctors from Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Disorders Institute of South Florida (PCSI).
 
The physician group are no strangers to pioneering new medical technology and practices. They were the first in Florida to utilize Spire Health Tags for remote patient monitoring and the first trained in South Florida on the revolutionary Monarch Robot technology used to biopsy lung nodules previously deemed inaccessible by dated equipment. Now Dr. Bakst and Dr. Maizes, sleep experts within the group, completed the training necessary to manage the care for patients who qualify for this new technology, making them the only sleep physicians in Palm Beach County currently offering this innovation in sleep disorder management.
 
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), nearly 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and complain of symptoms consisting of excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, episodes of stopped breathing during sleep, dry mouth, headache, and abrupt awakening accompanied by episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. The widely used current treatment option, the continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP) machine, includes a shoebox size pump, hoses, a mask and is met with its own set of complaints.  
 
“The CPAP does take some time for our patients to get used to. Some of the common complaints we hear are dry mouth, noisy equipment, feeling claustrophobic, unintentional removal of the mask while sleeping, and difficulty sleeping. We can usually help mitigate some of the discomfort through proper sizing, teaching, and adjustments but there are some patients who still find it intolerable,” said Dr. Alan Bakst. 
 
The new technology, Inspire, offers patients an alternative to conventional external equipment.
“A great night’s sleep is as incredibly important as exercising and healthy eating habits. By being able to offer our patients this new technology we hope to increase compliance with sleep apnea treatments. By improving an individual’s sleep quality, you are improving their quality of life,” said Dr. Jay Maizes, who is also the Director of the Sleep Lab at JFK Medical Center.
  
The small device, surgically implanted by way of two small incisions, sits just below the chest wall, and works inside of the body with the natural breathing cycle by delivering mild stimulation to key airway muscles allowing the airway to remain open while sleeping. The outpatient procedure is done at North Broward Medical Center, and can be managed in Palm Beach County by Dr. Bakst or Dr. Maizes. 
Thirty days after the procedure the patient is seen at either PCSI location. During the visit the patient will receive thorough training on the complete use of Inspire and upon complete understanding Dr. Bakst or Dr. Mazies will activate the device. If additional training or evaluation is required, the patient will be monitored at an overnight stay in the Sleep lab at JFK Medical Center. Patients only need to be seen every 6 to 12 months after activation to check on the progress and functionality of the Inspire device and remote. 
To learn more, or to schedule an appointment at either of their Wellington or Atlantis offices, please visit www.pscisfl.com or call (561) 967-4118.
 
 
 
Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Disorders Institute of South Florida is the largest integrated pulmonary, chest and sleep specialty group in Palm Beach County. Learn more about PCSI at pcsifl.com 
 


June 1 2021 – Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has announced that it is accepting philanthropic donations of cryptocurrency, recognizing the growing popularity of this form of investment and its tax advantages to contributors. Miami Lighthouse makes this announcement on the heels of Bitcoin 2021, the largest Bitcoin event in history, taking place from June 4-5 for the first time in Miami.
 
“Cryptocurrency is an established, popular transactional vehicle, classified by the Internal Revenue Service as an intangible personal property, like stocks and bonds,” said Miami Lighthouse President and CEO Virginia Jacko. “This designation makes donations of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other accepted cryptocurrencies appealing options for some donors and welcome opportunities for not-for-profit organizations like ours.”
 
For nearly a century, Miami Lighthouse has been working to build a more inclusive society for the blind and visually impaired. With innovative programming that removes barriers to education, jobs and critical eye care and unlocks the power of the internet and technology. Program offerings reflect the diversity of the communities Miami Lighthouse serves and their unique needs. Approximately 90% of the constituents served are low income from underserved populations.  
 
“As Mayor of Miami we want to be on the next wave of innovation and it is very special that one of Miami’s oldest charities has adopted one of the world’s newest technologies to further its mission and serve the blind and visually impaired” said City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
 
Miami Lighthouse has established a relationship with Coinbase, a publicly traded crypto exchange, to process crypto philanthropic gifts, making donations of established digital currencies easy to transact. Each cryptocurrency contribution is converted by Coinbase into its cash value at the time of donation. To make a cryptocurrency donation to Miami Lighthouse visit this link 
 
 
 
Miami Lighthouse annually transforms the lives of 90,000 blind and visually impaired people, babies to seniors, and their families and is located at 601 Southwest 8th Avenue. For more information about Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, visit www.MiamiLighthouse.org. 
 


  

Carter, first baby born at West Kendall Baptist Hospital, and members of his care team recently celebrated his 10th birthday and the 10th anniversary of the hospital.


Stories of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on personal and professional lives throughout the world have dominated the headlines this past year. This is an inspiring best practice scenario of a forward-thinking survival strategy.

With a 30-year history of collaboration with ADPEN Laboratories, a global leader of Agrochemical, Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Food Safety testing, Americanna Laboratories is a family-operated division formed in 2018 to advance the science of cannabis relief for cancer patients. Americanna strives to bring good science to the cannabis testing industry and ensure the safety of products for consumers.
 
Based on their analytical testing experience in the above industries and cannabis testing from flowers to oils and tinctures to edibles, co-founders Steven Perez and David Perez along with the Americanna executive team decided to navigate the pandemic with a two-pronged approach.
 
First, supporting their nationwide client base through the peaks and valleys of consumer demand in a pandemic induced economy-in-flux; and second, simultaneously examining their own business plan to determine a future-oriented growth strategy. Their strategy included steps to expand their scope of services and add targeted expertise to their management team to continue their mission of applying scientific testing expertise to a broader client base.
 
At one end of the spectrum were clients already well-established in the nutritional supplements market who needed to quickly amp up manufacturing and testing of products blended with hemp-derived ingredients. These clients saw increased demand from consumers taking control of their health during difficult times by exploring alternative and naturally-sourced products, many of which contained hemp-derived ingredients such as CBD and CBG.
 
Alternatively, some clients needed to lean on their partnership with Americanna through decreased demand trends and dire financial scenarios but still required their signature, rigorous, high quality testing at lower cost until a return to normalcy.
 
“As partners with our clients, we felt obligated to accommodate our client needs through periods of stress and distress. Consumers were looking for these products and quality cannot be sacrificed,” Steven Perez noted.
 
Planning through a Pandemic
During the past year, Americanna Labs has enhanced their team with managerial and sales expertise with the appointment of Wyman Dickey, as CEO and Alex Pecci as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Both individuals excelled in successfully managing growth in other industries and brought a new eye to the market.
 
“We had a pedigree foundation of knowledgeable scientists and state-of-the-art technology but expanding our business acumen and extending our sales reach with these strategic team members allows us to better serve and advise our clients – not simply provide a premier analytical service,” according to Steven Perez.
 
A major area of growth for the Americanna team has been in the testing of nutritional supplements on the Amazon sales platform. This was where 30 years of nutritional testing experience really made a difference, according to Perez. As the health industry continues to curtail opioid prescription medications, consumer demand for alternative pain relief and sleep assistance products exploded with a rush to combine CBD with traditional supplements. This required testing according to FDA regulations to an ISO 17025 standard, which, for the manufacturer, meant sending products to a variety of lab facilities to complete the required testing for different components.
 
According to Dickey, Americanna Labs expanded their scope of ISO accreditation to include more products and offer a one-stop testing solution, which complies with FDA regulations. Tests such as identification, potency, dosage uniformity, homogeneity dissolution and shelf-life along with contaminant testing for pesticides, microbial agents, residual solvents and heavy metals can all be done in-house at Americanna Labs. Amazon distributed products require this additional level of quality standard testing, which many traditional cannabis labs cannot provide.
 
“As an FDA, DEA, and EPA audited facility, we understand the most stringent quality standard requirements to which our clients must adhere. We save our clients time, money and effort by managing, coordinating and reporting multiple test results under one roof, while providing the highest level of assurance of safety for the end-user,” Dickey said
 
In addition to one-stop testing convenience, Americanna’s experience with FDA regulations provides new manufacturers a trust-worthy partner who can advise clients on the importance of method testing and setting specifications for product ingredients and characteristics.
 
“More potency is not necessarily better,” Perez noted “and with our test results we can help manufacturers understand the impact of dosing specifications and ensure consumer safety both on the label and in the product.”
 
“Obviously, the dreadful consequences of COVID-19 did not bypass our industry; but we seized the opportunity to strategize and stimulate innovative energies and resources to solve issues with confidence for our clients in accordance with our mission,” he summarized.