Newport News Drs and Health Practioners

A pain in the neck—specifically a broken neck—illustrated for Erica Steele the inadequacies she found in modern Western health care. Though her physical pain was ameliorated with pharmaceuticals, Erica's emotional trauma went unaddressed, a shortfall that led her to open Essential Wellness, a holistic health-care facility that unites a team of primary-care physicians, spiritual counselors, and alternative practitioners under one roof. An outspoken proponent of naturopathic medicine, Erica, along with her staff, strives to relieve patients of their ailments using an approach that centers on the cause of symptoms instead of the symptoms themselves. For example, when discussing the treatment of depression, instead of prescribing traditional solutions, such as antidepressants or bank vaults filled with bubble wrap, Erica rattles off a litany of alternative therapies, including constipation relief, positive thinking, meditation, exercise, and probiotics. "All patients have the ability to heal themselves," she says. "My role is to help them access those abilities." The staff does this with comprehensive primary medical care that can include naturopathy as well as wellness classes, healthy programs , and detoxification services. Shades of turquoise fill treatment rooms with a color meant to awaken clients' confidence, and framed affirmations such as "I love myself" and "Those water-park guards will never stop me" inspire people to look inward for healing strength.

Staffed by a team of nine eye doctors and surgeons, Tidewater Eye Center has racked up recognition in three categories from HamptonRoads.com's Best of Hampton Roads, including Best Health Care Provider and Best Place for Laser Vision Correction. Patients can receive a variety of optometry services at each of the clinic’s three locations, including basic eye exams; treatments for glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration; and even aesthetic procedures, including eyelid surgery. Yet, the center’s most popular treatment is blade-free LASIK eye surgery, which eliminates the need for lenses and soda-bottle monocles in as little as 15 minutes.

Dr. Michael Cook sees a person's health directly correlating with the condition of their nervous system. Following this logic, virtually every illness and ailment can be traced to the spinal cord, which transmits electric signals between the brain and the body's complex system of blinking traffic lights. Though skilled in such far-reaching, drug-free techniques as acupuncture and Gua Sha, Dr. Cook and his team primarily focus on chronic pain in the neck and lower back. Dr. Cook thoroughly examines spines to assuage soreness, hunting for herniated discs with hands and x-rays before nudging them into place with adjustments or taking pressure off with gentle, FDA-cleared lumbar decompression techniques. Dry hydrotherapy beds augment pain relief by massaging muscles from behind a waterproof barrier with a series of warm-water jets, which knead away tension and boost circulation as they rove over the back.

The son of a general practitioner, Dr. Arnold Oppenheim spent his formative years tagging along on house calls with his father. His early exposure to the medical field set Dr. Oppenheim on the path to medical school and an internship at Johns Hopkins, renowned for sharing its last name with an award-winning actor. At Mount Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Oppenheim studied dermatology at the elbow of Dr. Philip Frost, a leading authority on dermatopharmacology. For the last three decades, Dr. Oppenheim has refined his expertise in the Kempsville area, specializing in psoriasis, rosacea, and cosmetic dermatology.

Certified master aesthetician Stephanie Bazner and the rest of the crew at Virginia Beach Dermatology Associates work under the doctor's supervision. Their services cover the full gamut of skin conditions, from medical concerns such as skin cancer to aesthetic issues such as acne and wrinkles.

Board-certified interventional radiologists Christopher Dobzyniak and Phillip Luebbert specialize in image-guided procedures to help diagnose and treat venous disease. At Total Vein Concepts, an endovascular specialist consults with each new client, and uses a diagnostic ultrasound to determine whether veins present a cosmetic or medical concern, whisking the web away to a cluttered attic. After the consultation, a comprehensive treatment plan is created using minimally invasive techniques to achieve the patients’s goals. The clinic specializes in traditional and ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, as well as phlebectomies, during which they remove a small cluster of varicose veins through tiny incisions. Most procedures incur little downtime, though some require the use of local anesthesia.