Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants- A Brighter Tomorrow With South Texas Solar Systems

Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants- A Brighter Tomorrow With South Texas Solar Systems 

By Rudy Arispe

Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants Offer Patients Relief from Neck, Back or Spine Pain

The medical practice is also helping eliminate carbon footprint through use of solar energy

The thought of going under the knife for surgery can be daunting for anyone, especially if it involves the brain or spine. However, Dr. Ladislau Albert Jr., board certified neurosurgeon at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants, wants to reassure you there’s nothing to be scared about.

“We know that most people are afraid of coming to see a neurosurgeon or spine surgeon because of the possibility of surgery,” Dr. Albert said. “But people need to know they’re coming to see us for an evaluation. We want to examine them, to go through their medical history and imaging, and explain to them the best possible solutions for their symptoms or condition. We want to help treat their spine or cranial conditions, and many times it does not have to involve surgery.” 

Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants (NCS) offers treatment and surgery for a variety of spinal and cranial symptoms and conditions, as well as non-surgical pain management for neck, back or spine pain.  The practice is led by Dr. Gerardo Zavala II, board certified neurosurgeon, complex spine specialist and medical director.

“We tend to do many of the small, minimally-invasive surgeries with a tiny incision, and patients get up and go home the next day,” Dr. Zavala said. “We are also well versed in the larger, complex surgeries that might require a spinal fusion or having some type of hardware inserted.”

Adds Dr. Albert, “Overall, we’re both pretty conservative when it comes to surgery. We like to see our patients try many avenues of conservative pain management before we seriously consider surgery. We’re proud of the fact that we don’t jump to the knife immediately. We like to talk with our patients first to see what’s going on with them.”

Some of the spinal conditions that NCS treats include disc and vertebra conditions, sciatica and nerve pain, and scoliosis and other structural deformities.

“Many times, a patient comes to us, and all they need is an evaluation,” Dr. Albert said. “Their primary care physician orders a MRI and it shows something, and the physician is not sure whether it’s concerning or not. So the patient comes to us, and we reassure them this is just a normal part of aging and their spine doesn’t look that bad at all. We can help your symptoms get better through medications or therapy.”

NCS also treats cranial tumors, cranial circulatory diseases and aneurysms, seizures and neuromuscular conditions, as well as elevated intracranial pressure.

“We treat brain tumors, hydrocephalus, and cranial malformation that can cause headaches,” Dr. Albert said. “We can provide relief and treatment for patients.”

Nonsurgical pain care is also a major part of treatment that NCS provides. A pain specialist evaluates patients and then treats them by referring them to therapy or prescribing the appropriate nerve or pain medications, such as muscle relaxers. They also offer in-office procedures, such as injections of nerve blockers and other treatments as needed, Dr. Albert explained.

For the staff of Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants, seeing an improvement in a patient’s symptoms is always rewarding. “Oftentimes, they’re in a lot of pain and suffering,” Dr. Albert said. “Through treatments we provide whether surgical or nonsurgical, it’s a good feeling to see how their lives become better.”

Dr. Zavala earned his medical degree from the Long School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and did his internship there as well. He did his residency in neurosurgery at Loyola University Medical Center, where he also did a fellowship in complex spinal surgery. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and an associate professor of neurosurgery at UTHSCSA.

Dr. Albert graduated with his medical degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in New York. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at Westchester Medical Center, where he also did a fellowship in complex spinal surgery. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

For more information about NSC, visit www.neurosurgeryandspineconsultants.com.

Meanwhile, in addition to being on the forefront of offering cutting-edge neurosurgery and pain management, NSC is a medical leader of helping to eliminate our carbon footprint by choosing to rely on solar energy instead of fossil fuels to power its facility.   

Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants has found that using solar energy to provide electricity yields great benefits. Four years ago, they worked with South Texas Solar Systems to have solar panels installed to their medical facility.

“Solar energy for our practice has been very helpful and cost-effective,” Dr. Zavala said. “We’re pleased to have solar panels on our building for a variety of reasons. One of our mission statements is to be modernized and that’s what using solar energy does for us.”

San Antonio-based South Texas Solar Systems has been designing, installing, and maintaining solar systems throughout Texas since 2007. The company’s mission is to provide clean, renewable energy to businesses and homeowners to help them save significantly on their electric bills.

Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants could very well be one of the first medical practices in the Alamo City to take advantage of the sun’s powerful rays to provide electricity and thermal energy for its building.

“I think solar energy is very much the future of energy in America and the world at large,” Dr. Albert said. “The sun is such a natural resource and available everywhere. It makes sense to harness it and use it to create clean power, and it doesn’t leave a carbon footprint.”

Margot Robertson Prevost and her business partner, Shelbi Jary, who operate Sustainable, a sales and marketing firm that works with renewable companies and products, referred the Neurosurgery & Spine Center to South Texas Solar Systems. “I knew South Texas Solar Systems had the manpower and know-how to get the job done,” Prevost said. “They did a great job. I’ve been working with South Texas Solar Systems for the past five years on our solar projects.”  

South Texas Solar Systems installed a 54.9 Kw system to the medical facility with 183 300 watt LG neon solar panels, averaging 3.5 megawatts of production a year.

Job Soto, solar technician with South Texas Solar Systems, said the number one reason homeowners and businesses have solar panels installed is because of the tremendous savings on their electric bill.

“Rather than relying on the grid for all their energy needs during the day, they can produce their own energy with solar panels to power their homes, such as air conditioners, refrigerators or fans,” Soto said. “If they’re not drawing off the grid, then people are not paying for energy from their utility company.”

Homeowners and businesses, Soto added, are automatically eligible to receive a 30 percent Federal Tax Credit when they have solar panels installed. Additionally, when a commercial customer gets solar panels, they receive an accelerated depreciation schedule, so that they’re able to write off the system quicker.

South Texas Solar Systems will also service and maintain solar panels that were installed by another company. “We’re the only company that offers this service,” Soto said.

Soto explained that solar panels draw power from the sun, by creating DC (direct current) electricity from the sun. The current flows towards the Inverter where the DC energy is transforming into AC (alternate current) energy, which is primarily what your home or business runs off of. When the solar system produces more electricity than needed during peak sun hours, excess electricity is sent to the utility company.

South Texas Solar Systems, he added, is in support of the SA Climate Action & Adaptation Plan. “We are helping eliminate our cities carbon footprint with our work and community involvement,” he said. 

South Texas Solar Systems Inc. was founded by James Hiebert and has offices in San Antonio, McAllen and Laredo. For more information, visit www.txsolarsystems.com or call (210) 361-4252.