How Is Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosed? An MS Expert Explains
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, damaging the myelin, the protective covering around certain nerves. Over the last 20 years, multiple sclerosis has become a highly manageable disease....
Eight Tips for a Happy, Healthy Halloween: Helping Kids Enjoy Candy Without the Stress
Halloween is an exciting time for kids, from choosing costumes and decorating pumpkins to trick-or-treating and enjoying candy. It’s natural for parents to have questions about sugar, artificial food dyes, and other ingredients while wanting to help children build...
Emergency Room, Urgent Care, or Pediatrician: When and Where to Take Your Child and Tips to Help You Make the Right Decision
When your child is hurt or sick, it can be very hard to know where to go and when to take them to a doctor. It’s common for an eight-month-old’s fever to spike and not feel playful or for a two-year-old to refuse to eat and be cranky. Your reaction might be that it’s...
Think You Know the Signs and Risks of a Stroke? Take the Quiz
Having a stroke is not inevitable. According to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, approximately 80 percent of strokes can be prevented through lifestyle changes and managing important risk factors such as hypertension (high blood...
How to Manage the Time Change
Changing the clocks by an hour can disrupt your sleep and leave you tired for a few days. It can also throw off your circadian rhythm, your body’s internal clock. Andrew Varga, MD, PhD, a neuroscientist and physician at the Mount Sinai Respiratory Institute...
Should I Do a Monthly Breast Self-Exam? The Answer Might Surprise You.
Experts say monthly breast self-exams are no longer necessary—doing this less frequently is okay, as long as you know your breasts well. Research has shown that recommending monthly self-exams hasn’t actually saved lives. A number of organizations, such as the...
Advancing Skin Health in People With Down Syndrome: A New Clinical Trial Seeks Participants
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Columbia University Medical Center are conducting a pioneering study to evaluate potential treatments for inflammatory skin diseases in people with Down syndrome. They aim to set new standard-of-care...
Could My Hair Loss Be Alopecia?
Hair loss—called alopecia areata—can be upsetting. If it affects you, you may feel as if you’re the only one, but it’s more common than you think. In this Q&A, Benjamin Ungar, MD, Director of the Alopecia Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai, explains the...
The Pros and Cons of Daylight Saving Time for Your Health
Every March, on the second Sunday, we turn the clocks ahead one hour to begin daylight saving time, which gives us one more hour of light during the evening when the weather is warmest. And every November, on the first Sunday, we turn the clocks back to resume...