Forest Rehabilitation Medicine PC Opens Sixth Clinic

STATEN ISLAND, NY--(Marketwired - Jun 27, 2013) - Forest Rehabilitation Medicine PC a chronic pain treatment medical practice with multiple locations on Staten Island and now in Brooklyn, announced today the opening of its sixth clinic at the offices of Daniel W. Wilen, MD, Board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon, at 9202 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11209, using Calmare/Scrambler Therapy , a non-invasive and non-narcotic therapy for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.

Forest Rehabilitation Medicine, the first Calmare-certified practice in the US, has been opening clinic locations over the past two years on Staten Island. Forest Rehabilitation's physicians, Christopher Perez, MD and Jack D'Angelo, MD, have been very successful in achieving chronic pain relief for their patients suffering from failed surgical back syndrome, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) -- also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS, Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) and other neuropathies.

Recently, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported that Staten Island had the largest increase (up 261%) in prescription opioid overdose deaths since 2005 compared to Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, the quest for finding a non-narcotic, yet effective, therapy for the treatment of chronic pain has become more important to patients and their doctors. When presented with an alternative to painkillers, most patients understandably prefer a non-surgical solution, but there are few effective alternatives. Calmare is currently in clinical studies by influential medical institutions. The technology has also been garnering more attention in the medical community as more patients and physicians become aware of the Calmare's success in alleviating chronic pain. KSL-TV recently aired a news report on Calmare with patient testimonials.

Locally, Steve Hagis, a Forest Rehabilitation Medicine patient injured on 9/11 and suffering from neuropathy, had been taking morphine daily over the past eleven years. Concerned about the long term negative effects of 300/mg of morphine a day on his body, Mr. Hagis searched for a non-narcotic pain treatment. He replaced the morphine regimen after undergoing ten Calmare treatments.

Mr. Hagis said, "Without morphine, on a scale of 1-10, I was at 11. With morphine, the pain was reduced to 5-6. I had to go to Workers' Compensation Court to obtain reimbursement approval for Calmare, which I received last October. Since the initial ten treatments, I still have pain around 5-6, but without taking morphine and the cumulative bad effects on my body. I only wished I learned of Calmare sooner."

Another patient, Ms. Kelly Gisonda, was experiencing pain of 8-9 after failed spine fusion surgery. After obtaining reimbursement approval from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Ms. Gisonda received ten Calmare treatments two months ago and now has a much lower pain score of 2-3 with no narcotics.

Ms. Gisonda noted, "I tried Percocet and Opana, but my pain remained at 8-9. With Calmare, I have stopped all painkiller medications. My friends have seen the difference and I have encouraged acquaintances with chronic pain to at least try Calmare to see if it will benefit them. Dr. Perez helped me understand the technology and made me feel comfortable in trying what is, to me, a wonderful solution to my pain."

A RSD patient, Ms. Gerianna Cardito, had been bitten by a cat while working as a veterinarian's assistant two years ago and her life had been dramatically altered. With severe pain and burning sensations in her right hand that basically immobilized her hand, she is now on Workers' Compensation. Ms. Cardito heard about Calmare after trying to get pain relief in her right hand with narcotics, TENS therapy, physical therapy and multiple stellate ganglion blocks. She also tried an electronic pain stimulator but was deemed not a good candidate for that remedy. She does not tolerate drugs well and preferred not to risk the possibility of addiction, so not having to take strong drugs to get through her day she considers a major benefit of using Calmare/Scrambler.

Ms. Cardito said, "Before Calmare, nothing I tried worked for me. On a pain scale, I was over a 10. Since going through ten treatments with Calmare, I can now use my hand for basic everyday things like driving my car, cutting my food, texting etcetera with much less pain. As to the severe burning sensation, it is all but gone. In only three treatments my hand returned to a normal color and in the ten weeks since I started Calmare my burning pain has not once returned to a level of ten even during inclement weather. The burning is mostly 100% gone, which is a miracle to me and when it does kick in on a few occasions at the end of a day, my hand feels warm or, at worst, hot, but not like it is literally on fire which would literally bring me to tears."

Patients experiencing chronic neuropathic pain are invited to contact Dr. D'Angelo or Dr. Perez at (718) 984-9020 with questions on Calmare and their personal chronic pain condition.

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About Calmare/Scrambler Therapy

Distributed by Competitive Technologies, Inc. ( OTCQX : CTTC ), the Calmare ^® device (also known as Scrambler therapy) is a U.S. FDA 510(k)-cleared and European CE mark-certified pain therapy medical device for the non-invasive and non-narcotic treatment of chronic neuropathic and oncologic pain. Using a biophysical rather than a biochemical approach, Calmare employs a multi-processor able to simultaneously treat multiple pain areas by applying surface electrodes to the skin around the area in pain. The device creates and relays a no-pain signal which becomes the dominant signal received by the brain, thereby overriding the pain signal and providing relief for the patient.

The Calmare device has been used to successfully treat over 5,000 patients worldwide and has been shown to be effective in treating neuropathic and oncologic pain.

About Forest Rehabilitation Medicine PC

Forest Rehabilitation Medicine PC is a medical group which specializes in offering a non-narcotic and non-invasive solution for chronic pain. Christopher Perez, MD and Jack D'Angelo, MD, specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation and together have over 30 years of clinical experience treating the chronic neuropathic pain patient. Their clinical model is unique by utilizing Calmare/Scrambler Therapy technology to provide medical care to patients with pain, numbness, and loss of function so that they can maximize their physical, psychological, social, and vocational potential without harmful drugs or more invasive intervention.