I Feel Sick. Should I Stay Home or Go to Work?
You wake up in the morning and you know you don’t feel right, but you can’t afford to be sick. Meetings to attend, deadlines to meet, kids to get to school—it’s not going to go away because you don’t feel good. Matthew Weissman, MD, MBA, a...
Renowned Microbiologists Explain the Coronavirus
The novel coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China, has been labeled a Public Health Emergency by the U.S. government. As confirmed cases of the coronavirus now known as COVID-19 continue to increase in this country and around the world, and additional...
A New Yorker’s Survival Guide to the Cold and Flu
You’re on the bus or subway during your morning commute. A fellow passenger near you starts sneezing and coughing. You eye them suspiciously. Are you at risk for catching something? Matthew A. Weissman, MD, MBA, of the Mount Sinai Health System...
Beyond Weight Loss: The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
New Yorkers are born tough, but not Stone-age tough. Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who often went periods of time without food while foraging. Humans had adapted to the unpredictability of getting their next meal. But now we have...
Are Natural Remedies Safe to Treat the Cold and Flu?
This year, millions of Americans will develop a cold and 5-20 percent of people will develop the flu. While these viral illnesses differ in severity—the flu can lead to hospitalization whereas a cold generally does not cause serious health...
What is a Free Flap?
Patients who are diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck are often treated with surgery. Removal of tumors in the mouth and the throat can significantly inhibit speech and swallowing. Similarly, removal of the bone involved with cancers of the jaw...
What Does a Brain Tumor Feel Like?
After ignoring seemingly harmless symptoms for at least a year, Emmy-nominated producer Jeannie Gaffigan was diagnosed by a medical team at The Mount Sinai Hospital with a pear-shaped brain tumor. The large mass was severely compressing her brain stem,...
I Am An Adult. Do I Still Need Vaccinations?
Recent measles outbreaks, which have disproportionately impacted New Yorkers, feel like an unforced error. Although the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine has been available for more than 50 years, the highly contagious illness has landed dozens in the...
I Am A Woman. Why Should I See A Urologist?
There is a common belief that the purview of urologists is limited to the male anatomy. In dealing with the penis, prostate, and other portions of the male reproductive tract, urologists are essentially “gynecologists for men,” right? Wrong....