Jannah Nager, Author at Neighborhood News

You’ll never feel rushed when you visit Doctor of Chiropractic Edward McNamara of McNamara Health & Wellness in the Summergate Professional Center in Wesley Chapel, who always takes the time needed to get to the root of his patients’ health issues. (Photo by Charmaine George)

If you looking for a chiropractor who really cares about his patients and takes the time to get to know them and their health issues, then Dr. Edward McNamara at McNamara Health & Wellness in the Summergate Professional Center (behind Sam’s Club, on the north side of S.R. 56) in Wesley Chapel is who you want to see.

Dr. McNamara, or “Dr. Mac” as many of his patients and friends refer to him, has been a practicing chiropractor for more than 23 years. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Dr. Mac obtained his Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree from Life University in Marietta, GA, in 1999. He worked in the Destin and Orlando areas first, before coming to practice in Wesley Chapel in 2015.

“Trust is a big part of my job,” states Dr. Mac. “It’s a touchy-feely business, so if you’re not comfortable with me, you are not going to be receptive to my care. If you want to keep things quick, I can, but I am hands-on and I listen well. Generally, I spend time getting to know all about my patients and they end up hearing everything about me as well.”

Spend five minutes talking to Dr. Mac and you’ll hear some great stories. From originally hailing from Buffalo, NY, to serving for ten years in the U.S. Air Force to working in the ceremonial honor guard at the White House during former President Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Dr. Mac always will put you at ease while he’s taking care of you.

“I believe in being personable, effective, affordable, and family-oriented,” Dr. Mac says. To that end, he is always happy to accommodate patients with evening, weekend, holiday, emergency and same-day appointments, over and above his regular office hours.

In addition to providing full spinal adjustments, Dr. Mac is familiar with a variety of active release and massage therapies as well as exercise rehabilitation. He believes strongly in minimizing the use of drugs or surgery.

“Human beings were not born with too many parts and not enough pills,” says Dr. Mac. “Surgery and medications can help for a while, but then the body can become reliant on them. It’s better to help the body heal itself.”

Some common conditions that Dr. Mac can help with include back, neck and musculoskeletal pain, headaches and migraines, sinus pain, jaw pain (such as temporomandibular joint, or TMJ) pain, whiplash injuries from car accidents, work-related injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and a variety of sports injuries.

Dr. Mac will do everything he can to help you with your chiropractic needs,, but if you are having issues outside of his scope, he has a wide network of doctors and medical clinics that he can refer you to for further testing, such as X-rays or MRIs, without having to wait three months for an appointment.

Caring For Patients Of All Ages & The Community

Dr. Mac says he first got interested in chiropractic therapy in his youth after getting hurt while playing rugby. He now assists athletes, weightlifters, gymnasts, cheerleaders, dancers and more heal from their injuries faster and can even help increase their athletic performance. He says chiropractic care can improve anyone’s range of motion, flexibility, balance, coordination, reaction times and speed.

Patient Peggy D’Alessandro recalls a positive experience when bringing her daughter to the office.

“So thankful for Dr. McNamara!,” Peggy said in her 5-star review. “My daughter hurt her back while cheerleading. After a few days, I began to worry because she was still in pain, so I brought her in to see Dr. Mac. Her pain was relieved in minutes and completely gone by the next day! It was her first time seeing a chiropractor so she was a little bit nervous, but he was so nice, made her laugh and really put her at ease. We both couldn’t have been happier!”

In addition to adults and athletes, Dr. Mac has patients of all ages — from babies to age 80.

“Being born can be pretty traumatic for babies,” Dr. Mac says. “I help infants with reflux, colic and infant adjustments, which are very different than the adjustments that I perform for adults. School-aged children also need help with pain from those heavy backpacks, ‘cell phone neck,’ minor sports injuries, scoliosis and allergies (sinuses). I’m also available to give sports physicals to students.”

He adds, “Pregnant women often suffer aches and pains and chiropractic care before delivery can help reduce labor time. Seniors come to get relief from basic arthritic conditions.”

Patient Lauren Cione, who was suffering from back pain during her pregnancy, says, “Dr. Mac made me feel so comfortable and adjusted me while I was pregnant. When my son was born, he kept leaning his head to the left side. I knew I could trust Dr. Mac to adjust him when he was only 4 weeks old and he had instant relief.”

*Dr. Mac’s “receptionist” Wolverine is really his 8-year-old son Sebastian. (Photo provided by Dr. Mac)*

Dr. Mac works alone, so you will always talk to and receive care from him directly. But, on some days, especially Saturdays, you may also see his part-time “receptionist” — his eight-year-old son, Sebastian. Often dressed up as Wolverine (after giving up his Spider-Man persona), Sebastian will greet patients and works hard as the “face of the practice” to get his $1-per-hour paycheck that he’ll cash with his dad later at the bank.

Dr. Mac loves to get involved in the community as well. “My son plays hockey, so I am always supporting sport fund raisers for kids,” he says. “I also am enthusiastic about helping those who are struggling with addiction.”

If you visit the office’s Facebook page, you will see that Dr. Mac loves to help out, from promoting various donation efforts to offering assistance to local families needing extra help during the holidays.

No matter how you interact with Dr. Mac, his patients say he’ll always try to help you.

“The one thing that was a constant in my life was chronic back pain for 20+ years,” says patient Jay Forsythe. “Dr. McNamara is the FIRST to really help me instead of just saying ‘surgery or prescriptions’ and for that I am very grateful.”

McNamara Health & Wellness is located at 27453 Cashford Cir., Suite #101. The office is open Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m., and 2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., and on Sat. by appointment. For more information, call (813) 343-1680 or visit LutzChiro.com to schedule an appointment today. You also may visit “McNamara Health & Wellness” on Facebook for the office’s latest updates and special offers.

*New Tampa residents Nidhi Dwivedi and Arvind Gupta of Financial Vision can help you with estate planning, life insurance and more. (Photos by Charmaine George)*

If you’ve never visited Lavender Spa & Nails, located at the Tampa Premium Outlets (on the south side of S.R. 56), now is the time! The nail spa’s convenient location makes it the perfect spot to get a manicure and/or pedicure in between shopping and dinner.

Indulge in a luxurious spa experience as Lavender Spa & Nail’s highly skilled professional technicians customize your treatment to your needs, leaving you relaxed and rejuvenated. The spa is now under the ownership of Chris and Gaiu (who goes by “Lee”) Alley, the same husband-and-wife team that also owns Colorful Nails on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Chris, who has a background in information technology (IT), takes care of the “back end” of the business, such as managing the software at the salon and its website and marketing, while Lee oversees the day-to-day activities at the spa. The Wesley Chapel residents took over ownership of Lavender in February of this year but the previous owners and most of the staff stayed on to make for an easy transition. Most of the nail technicians have been at the spa for more than five years.

“We weren’t really planning to open another salon, but this opportunity came along and we decided to go for it,” says Chris. “You sure can’t beat the location.”

*The revamped interior of Lavender Spa & Nails lets you know you’re in for a luxurious experience.*

Lee has made several improvements to the spa by expanding the area for facials and adding a massage room — massages will be available soon by appointment only. She also has updated the interior with an elegant new décor. Lee also has added new nail services, including the Hot Sweet Pedicure that incorporates hot steam into the luxurious Lavender Detox Pedicure (with the most luxurious pedicure products to reduce anxiety and stress with a fragrance you will love for total relaxation, leaving your feet and skin purified and replenished).

*The machine in this picture adds invigorating steam to the Hot Spa Pedicure.*

Lavender Spa & Nails also offers a wide array of other pedicures, including a paraffin spa pedicure (a high-end, eco-friendly paraffin alternative that is 100% natural, with shea butter and essential oils, that is great for dry and cracked heels), a volcano spa pedicure (with five steps of organic ingredients, including detox volcano crystals and activator, combined to create a fun, bubbling “explosion”) and the ultimate aloe spa pedicure (with natural aloe jelly that retains heat, soothes aching muscles and alleviates joint pain; the jelly also acts as a gentle exfoliant while the aromatic natural oils soften the skin and relax your mind and body; also includes hot stone massage and Eco-Fin wax in medicated boots in four different heavenly scents), to name a few.

Manicure services include acrylic, gel, Gel- X, and dip powder nails. Spa services offered are waxing, facials and eyelash extensions. If you’re looking to treat your little ones, there are several Princess services available for ages 11 and under.

Client Cheyenne Alderman, in her 5-star Google review (Lavender has a 4.6 overall Google rating, on nearly 600 reviews), raves about the services for younger clients.

“Took my nieces to get their nails done for their birthdays, the staff was absolutely amazing! They were very accommodating to us, had great prices and they did a wonderful job! Would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a quality nail salon!”

Lee says, “What sets us apart from other salons is that we treat our staff and clients like family. Customer service is our highest priority.” With a staff of 13 highly qualified technicians, you will always be treated to high-quality services and a friendly atmosphere.

*Lavender’s nail techs can re-create pretty much any design and style of nails you want.*

In her 5-star review on Google, Sydney Caplinger said, “I loved how relaxing the environment was! Everyone was so nice. Halle did my manicure and she was so nice and respectful and I showed her a picture of what I wanted for my nails and she exceeded my expectations!” Lee says, in fact, that Lavender Spa & Nails specializes in nail art.

The spa also has a reward program — you receive a stamp with a purchase of a service over $32 and on your 10th service you receive $10 off. Seniors age 65+ and active military and veterans receive a 5% discount and you’ll receive a 10% discount on your birthday. Everyday pricing is competitive with the area, despite Lavender’s desirable (and not inexpensive) mall location.

And finally, customer Lindsay Kendall says in her 5-star review, “This is the best nail salon experience I have ever had! The salon is gorgeous and the owner is so nice. All of the nail techs are friendly and take their time. I felt so at home and relaxed the entire time. Dolys did my full set and Nina did my pedicure. Highly recommend these ladies!”

The next time you’re shopping at the outlet mall, give yourself a break and get the pampering you deserve at Lavender Spa & Nails located at 2398 Grand Cypress Dr., Suite 430, Lutz. The spa’s hours are Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Sun. For appointments or more info, call (813) 300-3005 or visit LavenderSpaNails.com.