“Breast milk is the healthiest food for a baby, and therefore you should breastfeed as long as it works for you and your baby and your family. Ideally, you should breastfeed for at least the first six months. But you can breastfeed for the first year. However, if you’re unable to because you have to go back to work or you have other children to care for, breastfeeding as short as several months is still beneficial for the baby.”
Make an appointment with Stephen Turner, MD
Stephen Turner, MD is a board-certified pediatrician at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients Monday – Saturday in Brooklyn Heights. Trained in New York City, he is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was awarded his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Prior to joining Mount Sinai Doctors, Dr. Turner was an attending physician at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Chief of the Pediatric Department at SUNY Long Island College Hospital. He has a particular interest in child development and is a proponent of childhood vaccinations, making sure that all his patients have the most accurate information regarding medical decisions. Dr. Turner is also the Medical Director of Mount Sinai Doctors, 300 Cadman Plaza West.
Dr. Turner offers free prenatal consultations every month — Click here to RSVP
Mount Sinai Doctors, 300 Cadman Plaza West, is a two-floor multispecialty practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties, including Adolescent Medicine, Allergy, Cardiology, Dermatology, Diabetes Education, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Infectious Disease, Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Nephrology, OBGYN, Ophthalmology, Optometry & Optical Shop, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Pulmonology, Radiology, Rheumatology, Travel Medicine, Urology, and Vascular Surgery. The practice is located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, on the 17th and 18th floors, in Brooklyn Heights. You can make appointments online at http://www.mountsinai.org/bh or via ZocDoc at http://bit.ly/29LNAIG
“The uncomfortable feeling in the chest during cold weather usually is related to changes in temperature and humidity. We are not clear exactly what’s the cause of this discomfort in the chest. But it is felt that the chest and the ribs rejoins the breastbone. It’s the cartilage called the joint space – that can swell up in cold weather and that can give you some uncomfortable feeling in the chest. However, if people have chest pain, especially when they’re shoveling snow and especially if they’re elderly, that could indicate that they could have a significant heart condition. If the discomfort in the chest increases while increasing workload and it has associated symptoms – difficulty breathing and nausea, vomiting – you should seek medical attention. Just a simple chest discomfort with cold weather could be just related to the cold weather and it should go away and it’s not of a concern.”
Ramesh Gowda, MD is a board-certified cardiologist at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor multispecialty practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
Ali Zaidi, MD, Director for Adult Congenital Heart Disease, discusses when–and the importance of–adolescent heart patients transitioning to adult care.
“People typically get dehydrated when they’re sick with gastroenteritis, which is usually a stomach virus or food poisoning that’s causing them to vomit multiple times and have diarrhea and not be able to keep fluids down by mouth. After 6, 8, or 10 hours of symptoms like that, people typically will start to feel really weak and run down. They’ll also start to have a dry mouth because they’re not producing as much saliva. That’s a sign that you may be really getting dehydrated and you need to see a doctor to get either medication to treat your symptoms or to get IV fluids. We do administer IV fluids in our urgent care centers. Mount Sinai has centers in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and they’re open 365 days a year with extended hours. You don’t need an appointment, so just walk in and we’ll be happy to see you.”
Make an appointment with Judah Fierstein, MD
Judah Fierstein, MD is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients in the Upper West Side, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and Inwood. Trained in New York City, he is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He was awarded his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also completed his residency in Emergency Medicine. He is the Medical Director of Mount Sinai Doctors Urgent Care. Dr. Fierstein is fluent in Spanish.
Mount Sinai Doctors Urgent Care assists patients with illnesses or injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening, but also can’t wait until the next day, or for primary care doctor to see them. Services are offered on a walk-in basis and range from allergies, asthma, back problems, headaches, skin rashes, and stitches to sprains, UTIs, fever, flu, broken toes, and infections. No appointment is needed; you simply walk-in and see a doctor. There are currently four locations – Upper West Side, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and Inwood – open 365 days a year with extended hours.
“So does caffeine affect your health? The answer is sure, caffeine is a stimulant. It’s the most commonly used stimulant in the world, and so when you drink caffeine – what happens? Well, if you’ve ever had caffeine, you probably already know the answer to that. It’s a stimulant, so you’re going to feel acutely more activated, more alert, you may even feel a little euphoric. So you feel good when you drink a little bit of caffeine. The downside of caffeine is it can make you feel a little anxious, a little bit agitated. The bottom line is, in terms of health effects with caffeine, caffeine is actually pretty safe in moderate amounts. So up to four cups of coffee a day are felt to be, if anything, protective. When you look at all the evidence — and the evidence has gone back and forth over the years — the balance of the evidence seems to suggest that caffeine in moderate amounts is actually pretty good for you and may even decrease risks of overall mortality in time. It’s certainly decreased the risk of things like diabetes, even Parkinson’s disease and cardiovascular disease,which can be decreased by moderate caffeine intake. On the downside if you’re drinking too much caffeine, you may be getting rebound headaches when you stop it and they make you feel agitated if you quickly stop it, as well. So, moderate your caffeine intake. If you have any further questions, feel free to talk to your primary care physician or to myself or any of my colleagues at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights.”
David Coun, MD, is a board-certified primary care doctor and Chief of Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. He has lectured regularly on various topics, including smoking cessation, prostatic conditions, EKG review, and physician communication skills. Dr. Coun is fluent in Spanish and has a particular interest in prevention, as well as, the intersection between mental health and chronic medical conditions. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
“Urinary tract infections or UTIs are bacterial infections in the bladder and they typically cause a burning sensation when people urinate and also often urinary urgency, which means that people feel that they need to run to the bathroom – they can’t wait – and frequency, which means they’re running to the bathroom very, very often. It’s, unfortunately, something which is very common particularly in women, much more so than in men. When people have symptoms like this, it’s good to start out by drinking a lot of fluids and cranberry juice sometimes helps some people feel a little better, but it’s really best to see a doctor and have a test done to verify whether this is a urinary tract infection or perhaps something else. Mount Sinai has urgent care centers in Brooklyn and Manhattan that are open every day, 365 days a year, and you don’t need an appointment – you just walk in and we’d be happy to see you.”
Make an appointment with Judah Fierstein, MD
Judah Fierstein, MD is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients in the Upper West Side, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and Inwood. Trained in New York City, he is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He was awarded his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also completed his residency in Emergency Medicine. He is the Medical Director of Mount Sinai Doctors Urgent Care. Dr. Fierstein is fluent in Spanish.
Mount Sinai Doctors, 300 Cadman Plaza West, is a two-floor multispecialty practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties, including Adolescent Medicine, Allergy, Cardiology, Dermatology, Diabetes Education, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Infectious Disease, Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Nephrology, OBGYN, Ophthalmology, Optometry & Optical Shop, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Pulmonology, Radiology, Rheumatology, Travel Medicine, Urology, and Vascular Surgery. The practice is located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, on the 17th and 18th floors, in Brooklyn Heights. You can make appointments online at http://www.mountsinai.org/bh or via ZocDoc.
“I’d like to tell you the secret: There is no schedule. In the very beginning, newborns are completely overwhelming themselves. They’re all over the place, and so the more that we try to get them on the schedule, the more frustrating it can be. It’s just more comfortable to follow your heart and your soul – and not think so much. Watch the baby, learn them, read their cues – their feeding schedule is all over the place. That’s why we say feeding on demand and, whether we’re giving formula or nursing, we’re going to support you in that quest here at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. We follow the baby’s lead, and then that becomes our schedule in the first couple of months. Newborns are a different creature, perhaps even until three months old. Then you can play your card and get them on a schedule. We’ll talk about sleeping, nutrition, development at each pediatric visit. So even from the first newborn visit at day of life three, four, or five we’ll give a plan for you. Then you’ll play your card when the time is right. But, in the newborn period, just buckle up and get ready for the ride. It can be very intense. It’s extremely rewarding but can be completely overwhelming. So hang in there, and we’ll do it together.”
Hugh Gilgoff, MD is a board-certified pediatrician at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. He has a particular interest in newborn care, asthma, and development issues, incorporating teachings from both Eastern and Western medicine. He is a contributing author on the parenting blog, A Child Grows in Brooklyn, and is very active in the local community, speaking at PS 29, the Dodge YMCA, and several child-birth classes. Dr. Gilgoff is fluent in Spanish. He offers free prenatal consultations every month. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
