The myth of antibacterial soaps is explained by Maida P. Galvez, MD, Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Region 2 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Participants at the Fifth Annual Dubin Breast Center Fact vs. Fiction Luncheon and Symposium included, from left: Sally Wolf, patient speaker; panelists Elisa Port, MD, FACS; Michael Brodman, MD; Laurie Margolies, MD, FACR; Jeffrey Mechanick, MD; Amy Tiersten, MD; and Mark Sultan, MD, FACS; Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD, Founder of the Dubin Breast Center and a Mount Sinai Trustee; and moderator Perri Peltz.
Is a mastectomy preferable to a lumpectomy? Can breast implants cause cancer? These were among the questions asked by attendees at the Fifth Annual Dubin Breast Center Fact vs. Fiction Luncheon and Symposium held in 2016, an informative event that sets the record straight on the myths surrounding breast cancer.
A panel of physicians from the Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute and other departments within the Mount Sinai Health System addressed more than 130 guests on issues concerning breast health and cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
With Perri Peltz, host of “Doctor Radio Reports,” a weekly public health program, serving as moderator, the Mount Sinai experts cleared up any doubts as to whether implants cause breast cancer—they do not—and explained that after consulting with their physicians, most women have a choice between a mastectomy and a lumpectomy. The physicians also discussed what happens when patients find themselves in the challenging situation of becoming pregnant, after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis.
The panelists represented breast surgery, medical oncology, breast cancer clinical research, breast imaging, precision medicine and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive health. They were: Elisa Port, MD, FACS, Co-Director, Dubin Breast Center, Chief of Breast Surgery; Michael Brodman, MD, Professor and Chairman, Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chairman’s Chair, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science; Jeffrey Mechanick, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Director of Metabolic Support, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease; Mark Sultan, MD, FACS, Co-Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Associate Professor of Surgery; Laurie Margolies, MD, FACR, Chief, Breast Imaging; and Amy Tiersten, MD, Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology).
To view the event, go to https://philanthropy.mountsinai.org/video.
Guest post by Ram Roth, MD, a board certified anesthesiologist at Mount Sinai Queens. Please remember that this information is not a substitute for direct medical advice.
As an anesthesiologist, my role is to take care of patients before, during, and after surgery. I like to tell people that I put them to sleep, wake them up and take care of them in between. I believe it is a great privilege and responsibility to provide such an important service. Surgical anesthesia is the main focus of my practice. Other anesthesiologists devote themselves to pain management for patients. These are both incredibly important roles in patient care and helping patients to live healthier lives.
I always meet with the patient before surgery. I talk to the patient about the procedure, evaluate the patient’s condition, and review the patient’s medical history. It is very important that the patient know what to expect during, before, and after the procedure. The patient and I discuss the surgery – the type of anesthesia I will be using and how they will feel after the surgery. The anesthesiologist is also the last physician to confirm that you are ready for surgery. There are rare occasions when my role is to postpone the surgery for the patient’s safety. It is exceedingly important that patients honestly answer my questions so that I can decide if it is safe to proceed. I also answer the patient’s questions, give advice, and make sure that all conditions are optimal.
One such condition is that no food or drink should be consumed after midnight before the day of the surgery. Your stomach should be empty during surgery. An empty stomach reduces the chances of an aspiration and its complications. An aspiration is when stomach contents are expelled up the esophagus (food pipe) into the lungs (wind pipe). An aspiration can cause significant damage. If you have ever laughed or talked while eating or drinking and inadvertently gagged, you have experienced aspiration. The good news is you can protect yourself from an aspiration by strictly following the no food/no drink rule.
The only exception is that you may take necessary medications the morning of surgery with a sip of water. Your surgeon, medical doctor, or anesthesiologist can help you determine which of your medications, if any, are necessary the morning of surgery. For additional questions you may want to ask your surgeon before surgery, click here.
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine, Mount Sinai Queens
Guest post by Eli Oki Choo, MS, RD, CDN, Clinical Nutrition Coordinator at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Mrs. Choo has worked at Mount Sinai for the past 8 years, focusing on heart failure, left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), and heart transplant patients.
The holiday season is in full swing. It’s a time to enjoy family, friends, and food. Holiday festivities also present plenty of opportunities to overindulge. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine notes that the average person will gain about a pound from mid-November to the beginning of January. Although one pound seems relatively harmless, the study also found that the extra weight did not come off the following year. Over time, this additional weight adds up. Here are some healthy tips to help navigate the holiday season.
Hemangiomas are the most common type of birthmark in children. While all start off small, some can grow quite large and they can alter the surrounding soft tissues and structures in ways that will not go away on their own. That is one reason it’s important for hemangiomas to be diagnosed and treated while infants are very young, Gregory M. Levitin, MD (www.birthmarkcare.com) is Director, Vascular Birthmarks and Malformations, and Associate Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, writes in The New York Daily News. Read more
Guest blog written by Ryan Ungaro, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center.
More than 3 million people in the United States alone suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and thousands of new cases are being diagnosed every year. Worldwide, more than 5 million people are living with IBD, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. In 2011, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution making December 1-7 Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week. Chances are that even if you do not have the disease, you know someone who does. But there is hope. (more…)