Low back pain is the second-most common reason for a visit to the doctor and the most common cause of disability in the United States and in many other parts of the world. The personal and economic fallout is immense. That is why Health In Harlem will be focusing on low back pain in a 5 part series. This episode presents an overview for topic and sets the stage for the programs to come. We are going to discuss everything from the evaluation, diagnostic approach, and treatment of back pain to...

For more than 20 years, October has been designated Health Literacy Month. This worldwide movement was started by Occupational Therapist, Educator, and Researcher Helen Osborne in 1999 and today it is championed by the Institute for Healthcare Advancement. Health literacy refers to one's ability to access, understand, and use health information and services in order to benefit their health and well-being.  According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy conducted by the United States...

We've made the case for working to improve your cardiorespiratory fitness through aerobic exercise, but there is increasing evidence over the last 2-3 decades showing the innumerable benefits of resistance training. In this episode, we discuss those benefits and how pushing, pulling, lifting some weight (even just your body weight!) can go a long way in helping you realize your goals for optimum health and wellness. Please hit us up with questions, comments, and concerns and be sure to check...

We can imagine everyone's head is spinning right now. Boosters versus third shots. Vaccines for young children. It seems that everyday there is a new development and that is exactly why we are brining you another update on the COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Kristin Oliver, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine & Public Health at Mount Sinai joined to break down the latest news, clear up myths and misconceptions, and ultimately give you the information you need to make a...

School is in full swing in New York City and throughout the United States as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic rages on. With the delta variant being more contagious than any previous variants of the virus and hospitalizations amongst children rising, it is imperative that families implement measures to protect children and reduce the spread of this disease. In this episode of Health In Harlem, we discuss proven measures to make the return to school as safe as possible. Please contact us with any...

Over 174,000 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American men. Thankfully, September is National Prostate Health Month aka National Prostate Cancer Awareness month and we brought in the expert, Dr. Frank Myers to talk about the key things you need to know about this disease; from risk factors, signs and symptoms and even how to...

If we told you that you could save a life, would you do it? Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and kills over 800,000 people around the world annually and with the stress, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty caused by the events happening all around us, we are all at risk. Fortunately, there are risk factors and warning signs that we can look for in order to find and help those most at risk. In this program, we bring awareness to the problem of suicide, how to...

With the Delta Variant surging across the country,  rates of COVID-19 diagnoses in children have increased significantly. While the direct complications of COVID are rare in children, the indirect effects are perhaps the biggest threat to the health well-being of children in this country and around the world. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Ramon Gist, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at SUNY Downstate Medical Center to discuss the...

It's the hottest time of the year for many places in the continental United States and with the rise in temperature comes a rise in heat-related illness. More than 600 people die each year in the United States from complications related to heat illness, especially heat stroke. In this episode we discuss the the spectrum of heat-related illnesses, risk factors, treatment and perhaps most importantly, how to safeguard yourself during the torrid days ahead.   Tips to Avoid Heat Illness Amid...

We've made tremendous progress in dealing with COVID-19 as hospitalization rates and death rates continue to decline. But be wary of the Delta Variant (B.1.617.2) which is gaining traction in the continental United States and is likely more contagious and potentially causes more severe disease than prior variants! In this episode of Health In Harlem we bring you important updates about the pandemic including the specter of "long COVID" as well as the progress of the vaccination campaign and...

Manu Up! This is a call to all men around the world to take charge of your health as you have never done before. We must get out and be active and get our heart rates up! We must eat those fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains and lean meats! Throw out the processed garbage (aka junk food)! We must engage those around us and build long-lasting meaningful relationships as this is crucial not only to our physical health but for our emotional and mental health! And for the ladies out...

June 12, 2021 is National Family Health and Fitness Day and the Health In Harlem Team is poised to help you make the most of it with solid information help you live the healthiest life possible.  Fit N Play Mama Founder, Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer, and Youth Fitness Instructor Danielle Medina joined us to share some of her best tips and tricks to encourage healthy living amongst your family and friends.  This is the day to get you and your family moving toward a brighter, healthier...

Saturday June 12, 2021 is National Family Health and Fitness Day! Sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association, National Family Health and Fitness Day is a day to promote the importance of parks and recreation spaces in living happy, healthy and productive lifestyles. From Staten Island to Midtown Manhattan, there will be countless free and very-low cost events that will feature activities for all age groups. Check out this episode of Health In Harlem to learn about the goings-on...

Harlem has a new batch of frontline heroes and heroines in the fight against COVID-19. The COVID-19 STEM Community Education and Empowerment Internship is a partnership between the Cornell Center for Health Equity and the Diversity Center for Excellence, Mentoring In Medicine Inc, 6 area medical schools that has harnessed the energy, talents, and enthusiasm of young people to distribute information, and combat misinformation about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines! We sat down with the...

The fight against SARS-CoV-2 continues and fortunately, here in the United States it's like we have a wave of reinforcements that can potentially join the fray as the Food and Drug Administration revised the Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents ages 12-15 as eligible to receive the jab. The race continues to vaccinate as many people as possible in order to get better control of this outbreak and thus get to some sense of normalcy in our...

That's right ladies and gentlemen, this is our 6th COVID-19 vaccine update and we have some great new information for you all! With hospitalization rates and death rates amongst the most vulnerable (e.g. the elderly, nursing home residents) falling all over the country, it appears the vaccines are doing exactly what they were designed to do. There is even data emerging that highlights the effectiveness of the vaccines against many of the variants that have caused great alarm in the general...

“Black Women in our country are facing a Maternal Health Crisis.” This statement could have been a headline across any newspaper in the country (hopefully this is not news to anyone as Black women have been suffering for decades), however these are the words of Vice president Kamala Harris. On Tuesday April 13, the White House issued its first-ever presidential proclamation marking Black Maternal Health Week, bringing awareness to the decades-long problem of Black women having a significantly...

6 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis out of 6.6 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines administered! Don't let fear speak for the numbers here as suffering the aforementioned complication is like getting tickets to a post-Covid Hamilton on Broadway special performance. It's too early to say whether the vaccines caused those blood clots and even if the vaccine is deemed the cause, this would be a very rare complication. Based on the data we have, you would be much more likely to suffer...

While colon cancer is among the most preventable and treatable cancers and there has been a sustained increase in the number of young, previously healthy people being diagnosed with this disease. In this episode of Health In Harlem we turned to the experts, Dr. Fiyinfolu Balogun and Dr. Onyinye Balogun and Nicole Basabe of the Partnership Community Outreach, Research and Education (PCORE, a partnership between the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the City College of New York) to...

I think we all at one point thought that the extent of poor dental health was an unsightly smile, but more and more, researchers are finding real links to oral health and our overall health and  well-being. We sat down with Dr. Latoya Joseph, owner of Sebastian Dental Spa Oral Health and Wellness Center and her husband, Dental Student Steve Joseph to talk about oral health how impacts the rest of our body. We also discuss the best practices as far as oral care and hygiene, right down to the...

With the February 27, 2021 Emergency Use Authorization of the Janssen Biotech Inc. (a Jannsen Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson) Covid-19 Vaccine and President Biden talking about the possibility of getting "together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue (to) celebrate Independence Day", there are many reasons to be optimistic these days. However, the reality is that SARS-CoV-2 is still amongst us and we now have to contend with new variants...

Long before COVID-19, Cardiovascular disease reigned supreme as the number one cause of death worldwide (this is still the case). This pandemic has killed millions on a global scale year-after-year (18.6 million in 2019 alone), but headlines detailing the devastation are few and far between. This week, the Health In Harlem team sat down to discuss different types of heart disease and its relation to other vascular diseases and the risk factors that lead to their development. Finally, we shift...

Aside from rising death rates and significant economic effects, the COVID-19 pandemic is profoundly impacting the mental health of children worldwide. The social isolation and loneliness that arises from COVID-19 containment measures coupled with the uncertainty surrounding many aspects of the COVID-19 crisis have led to large increases in the prevalence of anxiety, mood disorders, and suicide in children and adolescents. In this episode we sat down with Dr. Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett, MD...

With the COVID-19 vaccine distribution broadening (including people 65 years and older, essential workers, and people with certain comorbid illnesses), more and more racial and ethnic minorities are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, as of February 4 only 49% of blacks planned to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, (the virus that causes COVID-19), with only 19% agreeing to the vaccine right away and 31% expressing plans to wait to see what happens to other people before...

January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and though it is now January, we could not pass up the opportunity to talk about this wholly preventable cancer. In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Sharan Abdul-Rahman, an OB/GYN and the Founder of the The Black Woman's Health Directory, a directory that lists black male and female healthcare providers including physicians, therapists, and even midwives. Dr. Abdul-Rahman breaks everything down, from the reasoning behind and the need for the Pap...