Testimonials

Dr. Ungar I would like to thank you for all you have done for me.
Time and again you have shown such pure and genuine concern for me and my on going suffering.

The first time I had the pleasure of meeting you for carpal tunnel testing the questions you asked and the way you asked them helped to ease my nervousness and they seemed to be key questions to help you make the right diagnosis faster.

You are one of the few doctors that will allow a patient to come in at the last minute if they are in extreme pain and in need of your services. I recall my back going out at work one day and I called your office and you had me to come right in. You examined me and gave me a shot to help me and then you scheduled for me to have testing done in which you found a protruding disc in my lower back was pressing on my sciatic nerve which was causing some of the excrutiating pain across my back and running down my leg affecting my walking. There were days I could barely get out of bed and had to slide off the edge of the bed and stay in a bent position because my back could not straighten for a few moments.

I eventually went through a series of epidural injections and therapy to help correct the severe pains I was going through. You have no idea how overwhelmed I had been suffering with the pain. After the treatments and therapy you helped return my DIGNITY and SELF-ESTEEM !!!!!

I have had several other medical problems that you noticed and if it was something that was not of your expertise you so kindly recommended the names of those who could help me. You have helped so many people with your kind words and wonderful life saving medical expertise. I have sat in the waiting room and listened to so many patients speaking so highly of you.

Dr. Ungar you have a God given talent for reaching into the hearts and souls of so many people everywhere. You help to change the quality in peoples lives in ways you cannot imagine. You actually LISTEN to what your patients are saying and that is a big part of the healing process.

God Bless You Dr. Ungar.

Josephine Haney

Dear Dr Ungar

I just wanted to write this letter to you to tell you how much my wife and I appreciate you and all that you have done for us.

We've never had a doctor quite like you. You are definitely the best we've ever had.

There are very few doctors in the world that would consider the health of the patient over the wealth of their own pocket.

You've helped us through so much. Without you, I don't think we would’ve made it. You are a hero in our mind and heart.

When we were having a hard time, you were there to help us get through it.

I've had doctors that have tried, but couldn't succeed. Then again, maybe they weren't trying. I'm not sure. You have succeeded and continue to do so.

You don't ask for things that you know we don't have. You've been extremely patient with us, regardless of what circumstances were at the time.

You have helped us out in more ways than we could even imagine. More than my heart could even try to express.

My family is also grateful for all you've done. Not many people have that kind of respect for their doctor. I have the privilege to have respect for you. I don't just consider you my doctor, I consider you my friend.

My appreciation for you couldn't be explained in words. All I can tell you is it is great to have you as my doctor and a friend.

Thank you so much for your hospitality and taking such great care of us.

Sincerely

Terry Koselke

Therapeutic massage is the practice of applying structured or unstructured pressure, tension, motion, or vibration — manually or with mechanical aids — to the soft tissues of the body, ...to achieve a beneficial response. Therapeutic massage is performed primarily by a professional. ---WikipediA

Legitimate massage therapists are currently not licensed in Indiana. Yet, practically everyone else coming in contact with the public: doctors, nurses, physical therapists, barbers and beauticians are required to have a license.

Why? For health reasons mostly; to insure that people qualified in their profession understand the rules that keep their patients/customers safe. Nineteen states have recognized this by requiring licensing.

Yet, there are aspects of therapeutic massage that can affect a patient's health directly. Deep muscle therapy, which can alleviate pain, can also cause problems in a person taking coumadin, for example. It could possibly lead to death if the therapist doesn’t know what they are doing. Wouldn't you want to be assured that he or she know what they're doing?

Unfortunately, Indiana has done nothing in this regard to protect Hoosiers. The last attempt to license therapists failed in the legislature.

The incidents in Valparaiso, Dyer and Highland in the past year, revealed the troubling aspects that can come from not licensing therapists. If anyone can put up a shingle and advertise as "massage therapists," then it can lead to more unsavory activity, such as prostitution, as it did in these three towns. Linking the two is like comparing American schools with Madrasas. On the other hand, if you licensed therapists who must pass a standards test, then you protect the health of citizens, eliminating illegal businesses passing themselves off as something they’re not, and restoring the reputations of message therapists everywhere.

My doctor has prescribed therapeutic massage to help alleviate the pain of arthritis. Insurance companies recognize it as an appropriate health therapy, and will pay for it. Then why can't Indiana recognize it as something that needs to be licensed, as many other states have done? After asking why certain legislators of our state have failed to support these bills, no rational explanation has been presented for choosing to vote against licensing. Why not support it? It could be they are uninformed about the true nature of therapeutic massage, and tend to avoid dealing with the concept based on the word's shady reputation. Well, they're our representatives, and they need to be informed if they are to make intelligent decisions affecting our lives. A few years ago, my fair town, Highland, refused a business license to a tattoo parlor, and separately, a massage therapist. Thinking both were things we wouldn’t want in our town, their applications were denied. Yet that same year, they saw fit to allow "Krazy Kaplan's" to come in with his garish gigantic balloons, and loads and loads of fireworks. Go figure.

The therapist didn't give up, however. She opened after convincing the town that this was an appropriate business. The tattoo parlor hasn’t made it yet. Ironically, some states license those as well.

By the way, my therapy has been very intense at times, but always very helpful in relieving my pain. Surgery is not an option at this time, and drug therapy is an unpleasant alternative. The difference between pain "killers" and pain "relief" is enormous.

I wouldn't return if I didn't get relief. I owe it to my doctor, and to my therapist who is willing to study hard and pass a test, in an attempt to get the state to recognize the need for licensing, and finally do something about it.

Michael Goodson's column appears every other Thursday.
He lives in Highland. Contact him at mikegoodson@mac.com

My name is Deb Scott. On 11-15-2004 I had a hysterectomy.

I awoke from surgery, and this would be how my road crossed with Dr. Julius Ungar.

In life, we go through many trials, we cross bridges we'd rather let burn.

I endured immense pain daily for far too long before I had the privilege to meet Dr. Ungar. It is now that I am able to say this. Actually, after my first meeting with Dr. Ungar, I was able to see I had met a fantastic individual, who indulged in his practice.

This doctor is like no other doctor I had met. He works diligently, he is intuitive to the needs of his patients, at least it seems. Yet, I believe part of the intuitive ability is his ability to read reports of test, viewing x-rays, reading what other doctors had read, and then to actually make a medical diagnostic evaluation which not only made since to him, yet made all the sense in the world to me.

Dr. Ungar knew more about my medical reports and care than I even knew, and I knew a lot,(Truly). What I had to pressure other doctors to look at (symptoms), he looked at without me asking. I learned he had stayed up the evenings before my appointment studying my medical history. I did not have to persuade Dr. Ungar 'something' was 'truly' wrong with me and that 'it was NOT in my head'. Dr. Ungar knew, and gave me options for a treatment plan!

First, I would like to start with how I felt after my first step in the treatment plan, which is not typically where someone might begin, yet, it is the most rewarding thing I must share this joy at the start!

I received an injection after tests were run at a prior appointment in his office, so my follow-up appointment with Dr. Ungar was to see how this went.

I could not hold back the emotions inside me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude, relief (yes, I said R-E-L-I-E-F), abounding joy, appreciation, and sadness.

I do not recall saying the words 'quality-of-life' prior in my vocabulary. Quality-of-life are the words I used to express how I felt. I never realized I had 'lost out on the quality-of-life' with my onset injury. With the first treatment being a success; allowing me to focus on the joys of life, not just the misery-of-my-pain, I realized the one thing my pain had robbed me of which is "quality-of-life"! As a patient of many doctors following my acute injury, I had fallen into deep depression, over medicated with dangerous, addictive drugs.

I had come to realize (because doctors had advised me to wake up and realize. doctors had said welcome to your new life dealing with pain, pain the other doctors said I had NO reason to have.) I was to figure out a way to deal with 'living' with the immense pain I was enduring. I contemplated taking my life more than once due to the severity of my 'untreatable' pain. Pain medications are far more dangerous than many of us care to know, and when you 'NEED' the meds, it is irrelevant to us that they are, in fact, dangerous. We (pain patients) don't care of the dangers, because OUR PAIN is CONTROLLING US! We have NO CHOICE.

Furthermore, when doctor's tell 'us', there is really nothing causing this pain, there is NO obvious reason our pain has not subsided – well 'we' just feel like BIGGER babies! Thank the God Lord for Dr. Julius Ungar!

YOU will NOT go wrong

Listening to this Doctor, now I must say this. ONE treatment is not all it took for me. I have been a returning patient, just because 1 treatment did not do the job for as long as 'I' think it should have, is NO reason for me to give up. Furthermore, Dr. Ungar HAS NOT given up on me as his patient, it's not like I get that very often, now for two years since my injury. Prior to my treatment, I was able to do my chores around the house for only 3 hours max per day. I could not do these chores in 3 hours consecutively, these hours were broken up. Lying down, and sleeping were my only rescues that worked.

My life fell apart, as well as my loved ones that had to live with me through this. When you have various doctors calling you 'crazy' your family tends to turn on you. Dr. Ungar not only intuitively picked up on this yet shared with my spouse the seriousness of my situation. Dr. Ungar was also 'my mentor', someone that carried me along the way of understanding my conditions, empathy is projected in his care, bedside manner is genuine in his caring approach, talking to family members, when 'they' don’t hear us.

I cannot describe in brief my wonderful experience with Dr. Ungar and his professional staff. Perhaps I will share more with you on this subject. Remember, if one treatment does not work, do NOT become a victim to your pain. Continue your care through Dr. Ungar. No one can get things perfect, right and correct the first time out every time, also remember there is a 'science' to our make up.

Furthermore, realize you are NOT a science 'rat' working with Dr. Ungar. I say this from much experience, with numerous pain management Dr’s previously, prior to meeting Dr. Ungar, I had been to 3 other doctors.

I had many injections, none of these injections worked quite as well, or should I say NOT at all. Also, I had complications, one of which was a spinal fluid leak. Now your thinking I went to some 'quack', well I’d beg to differ. I went to the state of the arts professional doctor, with the monitoring screens that show my spinal cord, injection was cautiously placed. I had three injections within 2 months, none lasted more than 3+ days approximately, yet the last injection resulted in a spinal fluid leak, which created more problems for quite some time. I ended up at an ER where I was given a shot, which calmed my 'EXTREME' headache.

I was prescribed Amitrex, which did not help at all, from my family doctor following this situation. I lived with migraines' as a result for an awful amount of time, doubtless about 1 year.

I have received 3 lower lumbar, and 1 cervical injections with Dr. Ungar, I have had NO side effects, except RELIEF. SMILES, HOPE, and this is why I felt it important to share this with you.

I was referred to Dr. Ungar after others had failed. His office is equiped with numerous diagnostic testing devices operated by highly qualified technicians to expedite a complete and accurate treatment plan.

Dr. Ungar entered the room and introduced himself while his technician prepared for my first test. He diagnosed me with torticollis a rare movement disorder that causes my head to tilt involuntarily. It is socially disfiguring especially as a CEO. His office is immaculate and his staff are professional. He himself is brilliant.

He has created a tailor-made treatment program for me to manage this disease including medicines, therapy and injections. My symptoms are under better control and, at times, completely resolved.

He and I differ on one point, his kind, caring, compassionate, humble nature will not allow him to take credit for his success in treating me. He insists I am in God's hands and he is merely the messenger.

I believe that God has directed me to him knowing he would have the ability to help and possibly some day heal me. My quality of life has improved dramatically, through this brilliant doctor's ability and encouragement to retrain muscle tissue movement from involuntary activity to some normalcy.

God bless you all out there who continue to suffer.

The thin line between pleasure and pain is very acute. The same physical mechanism that informs you that something is good for your body, your nervous system, also tells you when something is bad for you as well.

Unfortunately, time, injury or disease can knock things out of kilter, and pain persists. We visit the doctor to find relief, but what we often find is that we treat the symptoms, because repair of our physical mechanisms may be too difficult, if not impossible. Treatment of those systems might rely on diet, exercise and/or medication. This can be successful for an extended period of time, but eventually, because we have not "healed" the body, the pain returns.

We grow disappointed by this, and assume that the diet or exercise did not work, and we abandon them. But not the medication. Yet, that is not satisfactory in itself, and so we continue this slide toward depression as time goes on. What we fail to realize is that we have not learned to live with the pain correctly. We must be willing to accept the fact that there is not a "cure" for our infirmaries, and must learn to adjust to our situation.

Now, with a willingness to accept our condition, and having a clear picture of the limits of our diet/exercise/medication, we can learn to enjoy life a little better if we do not let things slide. We need to keep up with our diet and exercise, and rely less on medication, because, in the long run, these and physical therapy have been far more helpful to me than medication. I have been enduring chronic pain for well over twenty years; sometimes successfully, and sometimes not. I've learned that medication is not the answer to my problems, but only temporary relief. If I combine these four areas of treatment, then in the long run, I will need less medication. I know changes are difficult for people who are accustomed to being more active, but everyone needs to decide when enough is enough, and alter their life style when necessary. I no longer lift heavy boxes as I used to (thinking people would see me as weak) and then suffer the consequences all night long. After my heart surgery which only deteriorated my life style, I changed my diet, lost weight, exercised and lowered my cholesterol.

I know now things are different. I wasn't willing to accept that fact for years. Now, I understand that I can manage my pain by watching my diet and exercising, while taking the minimum amount of medication. Although, I will point out that my wife thinks I should exercise a lot more than I do now. She also thinks that lugging 40 lb. bags of mulch is ok as well.

But as for you and your quest to live with your pain, you need to write and follow your own prescription. It begins with doing the things your Doctor recommends to you without complaining about how it crimps your life style. If it means giving up ballet or bowling, then give them up. Thomas Wolfe once said that you can't go home again. Well, you can't retreat to the past to live as your younger self either. The new you will be the one doing something about your pain, not complaining about it. It's up to you. Good luck.

I'm writing this testimonial of my 10 years of experience of living and coping with chronic back and neck pain with the intention of helping and empathizing with others who are experiencing the same pain and anguish which I have had to endure with this condition. I also would like to describe my recent experience of the utmost quality of care and effective treatment which I received by Dr. Julian Ungar-Sargon, M.D. Ph.D.and his friendly, knowledgeable staff at his office of Neurology and Pain Management in Merrillville, IN.

The first symptoms I experienced with my condition was in July of 1993. I developed a "stiff neck" which continued to increase in pain and also began to radiate into my shoulders and arms until finally at the advice of an associate (friend), I sought treatment from a chiropractor. I don't know how many people reading this testimonial are familiar with chiropractic treatment, but what it consists of are "chiropractic adjustments" in which the chiropractor attempts to manipulate and "adjust" the vertebrae with the intention of moving the vertebrae back into proper alignment, with a hopefull prognosis that this will relieve pressure on the nerves branching out from the spinal chord in the area of the damage (stenosis), and will as a result alleviate the pain. Chiropractors also usually incorporate different types of physical therapy, in the course of the chiropractic treatment (i.e., electrical stimulation, message, trigger-point therapy), to relieve myofascial (muscle) spasms and pain as well. To give a brief synopsis (summary) of my experience with chiropractic treatment. After my first course of chiropractic treatments, (also receiving cortisone injections from my general practitioner (family physician) in the course of the treatments), over a course of 6 weeks on sick leave from my employer, the pain was alleviated, with a final diagnosis of myofascial pain and muscle spasms due to stress. However, over the course of the next two years returning to full time employment, the pain continued to recur resulting in the necessity of repeated chiropractic treatments and cortisone injections and lost time at work. Finally in 1995 my family physician recommended that I have an M.R.I., (magnetic resonance imaging, NOTE: you can access information on this type of test on the internet on various medical informational websites). The results of the M.R.I. demonstrated that I did in fact have a cervical (neck) herniated disc at the location of C-5 and C-6. Now the new diagnosis was "Cervical disc syndrome" or "Disc herniation" at the level of C-5& C-6, which was the actual accurate diagnosis. And which was attributed to "cumulative trauma disorder", caused from my occupational physical demands over a course of many years, and lifting excessive weights as a body builder, and "degenerative disc disease", which results from a combination of having one damaged disc (which of course is a weak point in the total spine). As a result other spinal discs in the same area are much more prone to deteriorate having to accommodate the strain of one damaged disc, and thus can become damaged as well. Age can also definitely be a factor with this chronic relative condition also. Many people don't realize what some of the possible damaging effects that one physical condition or weakness can have on other closely related physical parts of their anatomy.

The same theory applies to physical problems causing emotional and psychological problems as well, or emotional and psychological problems causing diagnosable, legitimate physical problems by weakening their immune systems and inhibiting their body's ability to heal itself. The medical community is now realizing and accepting the potential of the "mind/body" connection more as fact and not just theory.

My final assessment and opinion of chiropractic treatment is that it is an effective non-invasive strategy for "preventative" spinal health maintenance or simple misalignment corrections which can also cause debilitating pain at times. But if you have some type of serious damage with a spinal condition, chiropractic treatments will continue to only be a temporary alleviation of the pain, but will not be a permanent solution to the problem. Also I would expound that depending on the physical spinal damage an individual may have, chiropractic adjustments can actually cause more damage and pain, so my advice is to use caution and the advice of a qualified neurologist and/or neurosurgeon before you proceed with chiropractic adjustments with a seriously damaged spinal/neurological condition. A last suggestion I would add concerning chiropractors is to definitely ask for and listen to other peoples opinions regarding their experiences with chiropractors so you can be fairly confident that you will be under the care of a qualified, effective chiropractor, and not one that may do more damage than benefit to your condition. I know this from my experience with many chiropractors to the present date that this is in deed a fact I myself am continuing to search for an experienced, qualified chiropractor whom I can retain as a permanent health care provider, who will provide effective, quality care and moral support (which is important to me and does help a patient to keep a positive attitude towards their full recovery). Also referrals to other qualified and effective health care providers(neurologists, pain management specialists, neurosurgeons, etc.) to help cure a problem and not just temporarily mask the symptoms which many chiropractors do. Some chiropractors have a difficult decision in referring a patient to another physician because their ego restrains them from admitting that they can't cure the patient's problem themselves and need to seek help from a medical professional as well. To this date I have not found one yet that meets all this criteria in my 10 years of experience. It's also very helpful if your physician or chiropractor will help complete sick pay forms without any hassle or additional charges, which can be a great stress reliever to anyone who is on sick leave (disability) from their employer. And anyone who has encountered this experience should know that the stress and anxiety from scrutiny from an employer's medical departments and detailed, lengthy sick pay forms from their employer can actually exacerbate their pain and anguish, and any helpful and empathetic health care provider that takes care of these formalities without extra charges or pressure to the patient is a true blessing with just this selfless service in itself! And sometimes this immediate qualified response can prevent further delays in receiving sick (disability) pay which can be a very extended period of time while all the bills still continue to arrive on time and are expected to be paid on time or your credit will be reported delinquent and tarnish your credit point rating. This is just another part of the "anguish" of living with a health problem such as this unless you have a qualified, empathetic, and caring health care professional who you have chosen to manage your treatment plan and help you take care of these details so you can concentrate all of your energies on getting well and not harassment from any other medical bureaucracies involved.

To continue on with my experience, from the year 1995 to 1999 I continued to have recurring neck, shoulder, and arm pain in which at least once a year I was absent from work on disability for a month or two at a time and many times absent for a one or two days at a time usually going through more chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, and cortisone injections, and taking prescription pain medications and muscle relaxers which can also make you feel miserable and unable to drive a vehicle or work safely and only provide temporary relief from the pain. And for most of you who have gone through this chronic dilemma, know how it is to have many of your fellow employees ridiculing and heckling you for missing a lot of time at work like there's really nothing wrong with you and you're just simply taking extra days off of work to have more leisure time. And at the same time your employer as well may be giving you verbal and written warnings, and days off for discipline in which can ultimately lead to suspension and/or termination or they expect that every time you report off a day you have to see a physician and bring documentation as to your present health condition preventing you from reporting to work any given day or days so that you are excused for the absences. This in itself can cause an additional financial burden when you're already receiving less paid earnings on your checks for having to miss work so often for a health condition which repeatedly causes your paychecks to be a day or two short of income earnings, and then you have to continually pay additional physicians fees as a compounded burden. At that time I made the decision to apply for F.M.L.A. (Family and Medical Leave Act), in which your family doctor will complete a form which your employer is required to provide to you, which gives them documented confirmation that you have a chronic condition which your physician is validating to your employer for you, which will then allow you up to 12 weeks of excused absence for a chronic health condition or even if you have several conditions that you can take this leave time at random and you don't need to go see your doctor every time and have documentation for the absence to be excused. Which again relieves some financial burden by not having to pay for an office visit each time just for written documentation from your doctor so you won't have excessive unexcused absences on your work record, which also eliminates the threat of disciplinary action taken against you.. But you do need to report to your employer each time that you take any F.M.L.A. absence of leave time, so they can keep a record of it as excused absences, it's as simple as that. And this will not go against your attendance record as unexcused absences. I strongly recommend to anyone with a chronic health condition, or anyone with a family member with a chronic health condition that causes them to have to take a lot of time off of work to care for a family member, to take the time to apply for F.M.L.A. to save themselves any further hassles or threats of discipline or termination from their employer. You can find all the detailed information you need pertaining to F.M.L.A. on the internet by simply typing in F.M.L.A. in the search field on your I.S.P.'s home page, or at your local library, or your own employer's employment office should have a brochure or booklet of information also free of charge. And it's the same scenario when your on sick leave from your employer, even if you‘re fortunate enough to receive 60%-70% of your usual average wages you still have the constant stress and pressure of paying all your bills which are usually based on your full income, which can cause late fees and delinquent accounts being reported to the credit agencies if you can't pay all your usual bills on time. Also when you finally are ready to report back to work, once again you have to listen to all the ridicule and harassing, embarrassing comments from fellow employees about you being on sick leave for periods of time, saying things like how "they've had other such severe health problems, but they still came to work". Or making comments out loud in the presence of many other people like "Oh Ya, I heard he just took a long vacation in the Bahamas because he had a "hang nail, there's nothing wrong with him". This definitely demeans your moral outlook and attitude when you hear this is what the people think of you that you have to work with every day. Some people may be just "joking around", and some of the people are completely serious, and you can't tell for sure either way, at times, depending on the person making the comments. But this is just one more psychological distress that a person such as myself with these chronic conditions has to continually tolerate and live with that others (especially family members and peers at work), aren't even aware of or just take for granted that it really means nothing to the person with the chronic condition, but it does, and is sometimes very deeply hurtful and demeaning.

Finally in 1999, after another relapse of severe pain in my neck, I once again went to a chiropractor for spinal adjustments, and took muscle relaxers and pain medications, (and on sick leave from work again), but it didn't seem to give me much relief from the pain at all. So the chiropractor ordered another M.R.I. The results demonstrated that I now had a fully ruptured disc at C-5&C-6. As a result, I had a copy of the report sent to my family doctor (general practitioner), and he referred me to have a consultation with a neurosurgeon, as his recommendation. So I cooperated with his recommendation and did have a consultation with a very prestigious and reputable surgeon. At that time the surgeon stated that he wouldn't recommend surgery and of course I agreed because surgery should only be pursued as a last plan of action because it's invasive and has considerable risks. Also there's no guarantee that it will correct the problem completely and it can in fact cause a worse condition and more pain as well. Another treatment approach I considered at that time is called "Prolotherapy", which involves administering 40 to 120 injections of natural "proliferants" to the affected area of pain over a given period of time. Prolotherapy is based on the concept that by injecting the affected area of pain with irritants of various extracts (Sylnasol, Sarapin, dextrose) that it will actually promote or "proliferate" new tendon and muscle tissue growth and strengthen damaged areas with a desired result that the pain will be alleviated. I won't elaborate any further on this since I opted not to pursue this as a means of treatment. Quite frankly I wasn't to keen on the idea of receiving 40-120 injections in my back with no fairly definite prognosis that it would correct the problem either. And there is very limited facilities or health care professionals available that administer this treatment option. For any further information on this subject you can either research it on the internet or look for a book on Prolotherapy at Barnes & Nobles. I also thought I should mention that at that time I did experiment with some various other natural or "Homeopathic" remedies or supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin, but none of them ever seemed to have any noticeably long-term positive effect on my condition or relief from pain, although I have heard testimonials from various other people with a condition similar to mine that have had some measure of success with this approach of treatment.

Then in the year 2001, I had the misfortune of injuring my back (spine) even further in the mid-back (thoracic) area, by moving some rather heavy furniture which I shouldn't even have been doing with a herniated disc in my neck. As a result in this instance I tore some ligaments, tendons, and muscle tissue in the middle of my back and re-aggravated the herniated disc in my neck once again. This time after many spinal adjustments by my chiropractor were not having much of a positive effect, my Doctor referred me to a pain clinic where I was given several injections by a pain management specialist. The injections did seem to have some success at alleviating the pain for a period of time. But I now had another area in the middle of my back as well as my upper back that caused me intermittent pain in which I continually had to visit my chiropractor for adjustments and physiotherapy to help alleviate the pain and I had to be absent from work disabled for periods of time until I would recover sufficiently.

The last episode I've had to endure started in May of 2003. I had two incidences happen to me which had both areas of my back aggravated and in pain at the same time. First I bumped my head on a low branch on a tree limb cutting the grass aggravating my upper back, then I had a syncope (fainting) episode from a blood pressure condition and took a bad fall injuring my mid-back again. Once again I started treatment with multiple visits to my chiropractor with very minimal relief from the pain. Until finally my family doctor (general practitioner) ordered another M.R.I. and the results demonstrated that I now had a ruptured disc, a herniated disc, and a bulging disc all in my cervical (upper) spine and multiple torn ligaments and tendons in my mid-spine (thoracic). I was then referred to a Neurologist named Dr. Julian Ungar after my employer's plant medical department suggested that I see a Neurologist and have an E.M.G. test performed on me to determine the extent of nerve damage I may have in my spinal area.

The first thing I would mention regarding my experience with Dr. Ungar's practice is that he allowed me all the time I needed without rushing me and gave me his undivided attention to listen to my entire experience and history of my condition to help him determine the best treatment plan possible for success in alleviating my pain with long term results as the goal. Also he gave me the distinct impression that he was definitely a highly competent, responsible, caring (concerned), and friendly physician to interact with as a patient. These can be some of the most difficult traits for a patient to find in a doctor. Many doctors simply do not practice with this level of care and patience. He even immediately referred me to another very good cardiologist specialist to properly take care of my blood pressure condition while I was under his care so I wouldn't have any more fainting (syncope) episodes cause me any further injuries. One other detail I should mention is that he had no objection to communicating with my employer regarding my condition and verifying my temporary disability to my employer's plant medical dept. which relieved a great deal of pressure from my employer so I could give my attention to my treatment plan without any added stress. This can make a significant difference in the healing process.

Well, his first preliminary plan of treatment was to order E.M.G. and N.C.S. tests to be conducted by his diagnostic technicians to determine any level of nerve damage to my spinal area. As for my assessment of his diagnostic staff, I've never experienced such a staff of professional services unprecedented in comparison to any other medical facilities I've been treated at in general than I've ever experienced before in my ten years of the pain of this health condition. With which he has some of the most competent, qualified diagnostic technicians for optimal accurate results. Until I was finally referred to Dr. Ungar's neurology practice and his convenient collaboration with the Grand Park Surgical center where he performs some of his treatments, which is located in the same building just adjacent to his office for the comfort and convenience of his patients.

And Dr. Ungar utilizes various other facilities with the most advanced instruments and technology to perform his various neurological procedures to the benefit of his patients successful treatment and recovery. He also utilizes some of the most advanced neurological diagnostic testing on the cutting edge of medical technology ultimately for the most accurate diagnosis possible to treat each patient for their individually precise diagnoses and treatment plan. I've never been more impressed with the competence, ability, and effectiveness of a physician with all of my experiences with my serious spinal condition and pain until I was under Dr. Ungar's care.

To address the actual treatment phase of my experience with Dr. Ungar's practice, after all the testing was completed it was determined that I needed multiple epidural and trigger-point injections in my upper and middle spinal areas to achieve optimal long term results. But Dr. Ungar had the knowledge, expertise, and the latest instruments in medical technological advancements to find just the exact points necessary in which to administer the injections to finally give me complete relief from the persistent, chronic pain! And I felt no pain from the injections either. The anesthesiologists he employs for his treatments know just the correct types of anesthesia to use and in the precise dose so you don't feel any pain from the injections, you don't even remember receiving the injections, and you don't feel any adverse affects afterwards either. It's nothing short of a "win-win" situation as the saying goes with advocates of successful techniques in various disciplines.!

He also implements and is affiliated with referrals to Holistic, Ayer Vedic, and Homeopathic services for people who choose to correlate alternative medicine techniques with his medical treatments for various health problems to the benefit of treating the "whole person" for continuing future health maintenance. He also has a very experienced and qualified physical therapist to incorporate into his various treatment plans depending on the patients needs as well. And if he finds that you have other health problems where he may feel other areas of expertise may be essential to your individual healing process, he has a network of excellent referral physicians available to him which he did refer me to for successfully treating other health problems that needed attention as well.

There's one last extraordinary experience I had at Dr. Ungar's office that I thought I would mention which amazed me. When I arrived for one of my appointments at his office I noticed immediately that there was cake and coffee and a fresh fruit dish sitting on a table in the waiting area. I assumed that it was for a party for an employee's birthday or something of that nature. Much to my surprise when I finally asked the office receptionist what the celebration was about she told me that it was for a young lady who was under Dr. Ungar's care for a period of time with a serious health condition that several other doctors had miss-diagnosed. But Dr. Ungar and his team of medical professionals had finally properly diagnosed and treated her and she was fully recovered. So Dr. Ungar gave her a little going away party to celebrate her recovery, with other patients in the waiting area invited to participate and enjoy some deserts as well! I've never experienced this kind of unparalleled attention and care of any doctor to their patients satisfaction and happiness in all my life experiences with any other doctor! It was amazing and I told others in the office that I just couldn't hardly believe that a doctor could have that level of care and enthusiasm towards a patient's satisfaction of recovery, but he did.

In closing I thought I should mention that in my ten years of experience with my back problem I have done a considerable amount of painstaking research to educate myself regarding my spinal problems to try to understand exactly what was causing the problem. Also I would always request copies of any tests doctors ordered to diagnose my problem and I would read and evaluate them thoroughly myself so that maybe I could make some decisions of my own as to what other alternatives I could try to alleviate the chronic pain. I would recommend to anyone to take this same approach to their own back problem. And as a last thought of encouragement I do feel empathy for those who suffer with this type of health problem and pain with all the troubles and inconvenience that come with it also such as I have. I also would highly recommend that you contact Dr. Ungar's office for an appointment and evaluation at the contact phone numbers listed on his website, where ever is the most convenient location available for you. It has been the best, most effective care I've received from any doctors that I've experienced in all the ten years I've had my back problems and chronic pain. And I owe a great deal of gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Ungar and his staff for their effective help! And it also has improved my attitude towards my disposition and full recovery possibilities immensely. You're not alone and there is hope for effective treatment for your pain and I'm a living testimonial that it's the truth!

Sincerely,

Charles E. Jernberg, A.S.

(Note: also written and edited by Charles E. Jernberg)

For Dr. Ungar:
My Home Phone: 219-365-7133
e-mail: cj-suave@msn.com
Address: 12110 S. Oakwood Dr.
St. John, IN 46373