BUSINESS

from Scottsdale Progress - 11.7.2021

OPINION

Board-certified family medicine physician and pain specialist Dr. Okky Oei has treated thousands of people with varying degrees of acute and chronic pain for

more than 40 years. (Special to the Progress)

Airpark’s Hope Clinic goes international

BY KRISTINE CANNON

Progress Contributor

Board-certified family medicine physician and pain specialist Dr. Okky Oei has put the patient first, treating thousands of people with varying degrees of acute and chronic pain over more than 40 years.

Since opening Hope Clinic in the Airpark in 2018, however, Oei has turned his attention and time to also helping fellow therapists.

And of the 20 or so therapists he has personally trained and certified at his Scottsdale clinic, several are helping Oei expand Hope Clinic — internationally.

“Of course, I’d like to see more Hope Clinics in the U S. — and Arizona, for starters,” Oei said. “But the neat part is Hope Clinic worldwide actually has begun.”

Since Hope Clinic’s inception, Oei and his staff have treated all types of pain, from problems like back pain, arthritis, and hip, knee and foot pain, to carpal tunnel, tennis and golf elbow and neuropathy.

What what sets Hope Clinic apart is its approach.

Scottsdale.org l @ScottsdaleProgress /ScottsdaleProgress

Music publisher finds new pitch in real estate

BY JUSTIN LIGGIN Progress Contributor

As a musician, Louis McCall always imagined himself owning a recording studio rather than creating tunes in it.

With his father serving as the cofounder and drummer of the California funk and R&B group Con Funk Shun and his mother a record label executive, McCall moved around frequently between his birthplace of Vallejo, California, and Gaithersburg, Maryland, before his family settled in Atlanta, just prior to the economic boom of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

His father passed away when he was 15, and it was his mother, Linda Lou McCall, that instilled the confidence in him to succeed and flourish in whatever industry he chose.

“My father was extremely creative and followed his dreams of becoming a drummer,” McCall said. “But I couldn’t drum, so I knew that wouldn’t be the path for me. I instead decided I would own the recording studio rather running the studio.”

After settling down in Atlanta, McCall began working in the recording industry, doing music promotion and publishing while also owning a recording studio.

“My mother was instrumental in sparking my entrepreneurial spirit,” McCall said. “She gave me a lot of the business acumen and confidence to go out in the world and look at life as a business owner.”

In 2004, McCall moved to the real estate industry after his mentor and business partner went into the luxury homebuilding business. After explaining to his mother about his new business venture, she encouraged his new endeavor and gifted him with a book on how to negotiate deals and find business success.

“My mother always told me to pursue whatever my interest was and not feel like I needed anyone to lean on other than myself,” McCall said. “Growing up, I was able to see my parents pursue their dream and achieve success which gave me the confidence to try something new outside of the music business.”

Despite visiting Arizona once, McCall packed up and headed west in late 2009 with the vision of continuing his real estate journey.

Upon arriving in Arizona, McCall

Louis McCall is passed the gavel in December 2020, becoming the president of the Scottsdale Area Association of

Realtors. (Photo courtesy of Louis McCall)

Hope Clinic not only provides pain relief through non-invasive technology, Myo-Facial release techniques, and other therapeutic approaches, but they also specialize in integrative medicine, forgoing invasive procedures and narcotic prescriptions.

“We don’t use any opiates at all. We don’t prescribe anything. We don’t inject anything. And yet, our results are over 90%. We see very positive results,” Oei said.

Simply put, Oei said, Hope Clinic helps the body do what it needs to do in the first place, which is repair and heal.

And it’s this approach to medicine and treatment that Oei teaches fellow therapists.

Oei also developed a training program that allows him to duplicate the clinic through webinars and certification.

And while Hope Clinic was on its way to expanding in 2019 and 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed it, Dr. Oei said, causing him to briefly furlough his staff and close both Valley locations.

Within a couple months, however, he was able to reopen the Scottsdale office — and reignite expansion.

“A group that became very interested in this from Indonesia happened to be here living the States. So, I trained them, and they have now started Hope Clinic Indonesia. It’s starting to expand,” Dr. Oei said.

Oei’s also had an expansion in patients amid the pandemic particularly among young adults seeking pain treatment, notably related to sports and physical activity.

“We see a wide variety of things and also age groups, anything from the younger to, very often, the older,” Oei said.

And as a result of COVID-19, which saw many Americans working from home, Hope Clinic has treated pain related to increased laptop use, including “the back, oftentimes when the muscles get tight, and overuse of hands, arms, carpal tunnel,” Oei said.

According to an April 2021 study in the journal Demography, chronic pain has significantly increased for all U.S. adult demographics, including young adults.

Overall, chronic pain affects more than 20% of U.S. adults, and joint pain and lower back pain were highlighted as the most prevalent sites of pain.

“The U.S. health care system focuses on procedures and medications. For pain, however, the focus needs to shift to prevention and management, including support of self-management and interdisciplinary conservative treatment approaches,” corresponding author Dr. Anna Zajacova told Medical News Today.

And that’s what Oei would like to do more of, particularly among younger patients: help them understand the source of the pain, help them manage it in a noninvasive way.

“My goal and my hope is that if you can get to people earlier and really have them understand — because most people, once they know what we do, it makes sense — and it becomes then kind of a logical interest of why we do things and what they need to do,” Oei said.

Oei’s interest in pain management began while he was in medical school in 1969. It was during this time that he sustained a severe back strain injury that became chronic.

But when he discovered his body couldn’t tolerate any muscle relaxants or pain killers, he turned to alternative ways to manage his back pain and spasms.

Fast forward to 1972 and Dr. Oei would practice family medicine. Within six months, he observed an increase in chronic pain sufferers — and his interest was piqued.

Upon moving to Scottsdale in 1984, Oei was introduced to microcurrent electrical therapy and low-level cold laser, modalities that he would soon discover led to, when combined, “exponential results” in treating pain.

In 2007, Oei then formed Laser Health Technologies, a company that helped develop the LaserTouchOne, a first-of-itskind product that is clinically proven to be 93% effective in reducing pain.

Considered a safe alternative to medication or surgery, the product has since been cleared by the FDA for prescription and for over-the-counter use.

“It’s safe and easy to use and available without a prescription. In addition, the LaserTouchOne is portable and personal — delivering drug-free, pain-free relief — and is as easy to hold and use as an electric toothbrush,” Oei said in 2010, at the time of the product’s FDA clearance for direct-to-consumer OTC distribution.

After opening the Eureka Pain Relief Clinic and offering non-invasive and non-opioid treatments, Oei began train-

Nomination papers and petitions for candidates seeking the positions of President or Vice President or positions on the Boards or Councils of the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association (the “Association”) and the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (the “District”), collectively SRP, are available by request from the SRP Corporate Secretary. Email election@srpnet.com or call the SRP Elections Information Line at (602) 236-3048. Nomination papers and petitions may be filed beginning Jan. 5, 2022 and must be completed and filed with the SRP Corporate Secretary no later than 5 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2022. The SRP elections are slated for April 5 and will fill 22 positions of the Association, which manages the water operations of SRP, and 24 positions of the District, which oversees the electric operations of SRP. Applications for early voting ballots will be accepted beginning Jan. 2, 2022. Prior to that date, applications to be placed on the Permanent Early Voter List can be submitted and be in effect for the April 5 elections. Early voting ballots will be mailed beginning March 9. Qualified candidates must own qualified land or have been appointed to vote qualified land held in a qualifying trust that is within the respective boundaries of the Association or District and in the voting area they wish to represent as of Dec. 26, 2021; reside within the respective boundaries of the Association or District; and be a qualified, registered Arizona voter. SRP Board members establish policy, approve annual budgets and set prices and fees. SRP Council members amend and enact by-laws and make appointments to fill vacancies on the Boards and Councils.

Positions up for election are as follows: ASSOCIATION: President; Vice President; one position on the Board of Governors in each of voting districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10; and three positions on the Council in each of voting districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. All Association positions have four-year terms. DISTRICT: President; Vice President; one position on the Board of Directors in each of voting divisions 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10; two at-large Board of Director positions, voting divisions 12 and 14; and three positions on the Council in each of voting divisions 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. All District positions have four-year terms. The two at-large Board of Director positions are elected on a one landowner, one vote basis. All other positions are elected on a one-vote-per-acre voting system. For example, an owner of five acres of land has five votes; an owner of one-half acre has half a vote (0.50). Voters in the District election must be qualified, registered Arizona voters. The last day to register to vote is March 7, 2022.

For more information regarding eligibility, job duties, qualifications, election facts and answers to frequently asked questions, potential candidates can visit SRP’s website at srp.net/elections or call the SRP Elections Information Line at (602) 236-3048 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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went on a ride-along with his sister, who was working as a Paradise Valley police of�icer. While riding through the then-Montelucia Resort, McCall was invited by a friend who was working at the Montelucia to meet a local broker named Astria Wong, who was living at the resort. “I called Astria the next day, met with her Wednesday, we talked on Thursday and by Friday I had keys to her of�ice,” McCall said. Wong took McCall under her wing and taught him the ins and outs of Scottsdale realty. Additionally, Wong’s presence on the board of the directors of the Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors encouraged McCall to follow suit and join the association as well. “When I started with the association, I was given a wealth of knowledge about the history, community and business landscape that charted my trajectory in reference to involvement within the organization and real estate within Arizona,” McCall said. With her knowledge and experience from serving as a Realtor in the community, Wong advised McCall to establish himself as a leader in Arizona’s real estate industry. “I always felt like it was extremely important that I participated and got involved at the behest of her guidance,” McCall said. “She told me that you have to stay visible and let people know you are around — the best way to do that is to pursue leadership positions.” McCall took her advice in 2014 as he became the SAAR Young Professionals Committee chairman, where he could mentor young professionals and introduce them to the real estate industry. Additionally, McCall also joined the board of directors of the Arizona Association of Realtors in 2015 and the board of the Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors in 2016. All members of SAAR also belong to the Arizona Association of Realtors. Arizona Realtors represents more than 50,000 members who hold active real estate licenses and subscribe to a strict code of ethics and standards of practice established by the National Association of Realtors. In addition to providing a number of member bene�its, Arizona Realtors is dedicated to the protection of private property rights for all Arizonians. In December 2020, McCall took his leadership to the next level as he was installed as president of SAAR after two years of serving on the leadership team. At the ceremony during which he was passed the gavel by more than a dozen past presidents, he was sworn-in by his former mentor, Wong. As the president of SAAR, McCall leads more than 8,600 Realtors and 200 af�iliate members. “My role is to chart our path as an organization,” McCall said. “Our main goal is to be a pillar of the community and a source for those in the real estate profession.” McCall’s involvement in the community does not stop there. He has been on the board of the Suns Charities 88 since 2015, a network of business professionals that serve as the fundraising arm for Phoenix Suns Charities. Additionally, McCall is also a member and donor of the Organization of Chinese Americans, an organization aimed at advancing the well-being of Asian Paci�ic Americans. With his prospective vision, McCall looks to keep his success on a high note. ing other therapists and, in 2018, �inally opened Hope Clinic. “It was always a dream to be able to treat more people and, most importantly, share it with other therapists and other professionals how to do it, since this is not something that you would �ind in mainstream medicine,” Oei explains. Looking ahead, Oei hopes to not only expand Hope Clinic throughout Arizona — and worldwide — but also help others understand their pain, instead of, as he puts it, opting for a “Band-Aid therapy” that helps people feel better with temporary pain relief but doesn’t restore or heal the body. “I want people to understand that this is not the instruments. It’s really what we do to help the body do the work. We have a phenomenal body,” Oei said. “I tell patients, ‘Your miracle is your body because it was designed to repair and heal.’”

Hope Clinic

15030 N. Hayden Road, Suite 120, Scottsdale 480-659-5470, hopecliniccare.com

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