20MHT Classic: Why military burn pits are a major health hazard

When you hear words like abundance and scarcity, you think of food, water and other essentials. For Laura Freebairn-Smith, PhD, author of "Abundance Leaders: Creating Energy, Joy, and Productivity in an Unsettled World," those words apply to styles of leadership. As she explains to host Sandra Lindsay, RN, these concepts can guide you in becoming a better leader, co-worker, partner and person. Listen in as they explore the intersection of leadership and health and reveal how embracing abundance leads to a fuller, happier life. About the expert Prior to co-founding OPG, where she is a partner, Laura served as Director of Yale’s Organizational Development and Learning Center, which she helped create. She has also consulted for the New York Times, Lemann Foundation and ESPN.

Whether you're planning to watch from your backyard or travel, it's important to watch the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse safely. On this episode, you'll hear from two experts on what to expect and how to prepare for the celestial phenomenon of the moon blocking out the sun. Northwell Health ophthalmologist Matthew Gorski, MD, explains the risks of staring into the sun and how solar eclipse glasses can protect your vision no matter where you're watching from. Retired meteorologist Joe Rao shares his extensive knowledge on the topic, including personal accounts from many years spent "chasing eclipses." The instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium reveals where to be, how to watch if you don’t have glasses, what to look for and, most importantly, why everyone should go out of their way to see a solar eclipse: "Without a doubt, the greatest cosmic pageant that can be witnessed.” Chapters: 00:01 - Intro 01:57 - What is a solar eclipse? 03:30 - Dangers of looking into the sun 04:21 - Solar retinopathy 05:44 - What are solar eclipse glasses? 07:28 - Where to get solar eclipse glasses 08:05 - How much do solar eclipse glasses cost? 08:25 - Solar eclipse glasses alternatives 09:50 - Path of totality 2024 11:52 - What will I see if in the Tri-state area? 13:56 - Do solar eclipse glasses expire? 14:50 - Solar eclipse glasses and kids 15:45 - What NOT to do during the solar eclipse 16:20 - Joe Rao talks astronomy and meteorology Get more expert insights from leading experts in the field — Northwell Newsroom.  Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.  For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit http://bit.ly/2Z7iHFL and explore our many opportunities.   Facebook –   / northwellhealth   Instagram -   / northwellhealth   X - https://www.x.com/northwellhealth LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin/northwellhealth

Opioids are a necessary part of surgery, but they come with many downsides — addiction risk being the most worrisome. So, when Vishal Sarwahi, MD met a young patient with a history of opioid misuse who needed scoliosis surgery, he knew he had to find another way. On this 20-Minute Health Talk, he shares his pioneering efforts to reduce reliance on opioids in pediatric scoliosis surgery, as well as the technical advances he has brought to the operating room that are making it possible — something he calls the Rapid Recovery Protocol.   Dr. Sarwahi is director of Northwell Health's Center for Minimally Invasive Scoliosis Surgery and the Center for Advanced Pediatric Orthopedics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. More from the expert Less Is more in providing pain relief to teens After complex spine surgery, karate kid meets hero, Ralph Macchio Get more expert insights from leading experts in the field — Northwell Newsroom.  Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.  For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit http://bit.ly/2Z7iHFL and explore our many opportunities.   Facebook –   / northwellhealth   Instagram -   / northwellhealth   X - https://www.x.com/northwellhealth LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin/northwellhealth

Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women in America, but many don’t realize that symptoms commonly associated with pregnancy, like shortness of breath, swollen hands and feet, could also be indicators of a serious underlying heart condition. Another startling fact: All women are at risk, according to Evelina Grayver, MD, director of Northwell Health’s Women’s Heart program for the Central region. In this episode, Sandra Lindsay revisits her conversation with Dr. Grayver from 2023, where the women's heart health expert explains what symptoms to look out for, when to seek help and the ins and outs of a new field of medicine specializing in the treatment of heart conditions during pregnancy — cardio-obstetrics.  Dr. Grayver helped establish Northwell's cardio-obstetrics program, which is helping expecting and new parents get ahead of or prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes related to heart disease.  Watch this and more episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube. 

You might think that living a full life past 100 is a stretch, but these centenarians say otherwise: They’re active, inspired and full of energy after 100-plus years and counting. They shared their New Year's resolutions in a commercial from Northwell Health, and now they’re revealing their thoughts on healthy aging. From diet and exercise to purpose, pets and stress, these centenarians share their wisdom on a life well lived. And joining us in the 20-Minute Health Talk studio with a professional perspective on healthy aging: Maria Carney, MD, FACP, chief of geriatric and palliative medicine at Northwell Health, and former health commissioner for Nassau County. Learn more about the inspirational ad campaign featuring a cast of Northwell patients and other New Yorkers who have reached the remarkable milestone of having lived 100 years or more. Podcast transcript Northwell is recognized as an "age-friendly" health system. Here's how age-friendly care can help you age well. Get more expert insights from leading experts in the field — Northwell Newsroom.  Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.  For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit http://bit.ly/2Z7iHFL and explore our many opportunities.   Facebook –   / northwellhealth   Instagram -   / northwellhealth   X - https://www.x.com/northwellhealth LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin/northwellhealth  

As 2023 comes to a close, we look back on five exciting medical advances coming from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research — the research arm of Northwell Health. In the last year alone, investigators published more than 3,000 papers in peer-reviewed journals. In this episode, we spotlight studies that made strides against cancer, knee pain, paralysis, postpartum depression and inflammatory bowel disease.  Read more about these five notable Northwell advances of 2023. Chapters:   00:46 – A pill for post-partum depression | Kristina Deligiannidis, MD 05:30 – Sea coral leads to an arthritis treatment | Kenneth Zaslav, MD 11:30 – Detecting cancer early with AI | Daniel King, MD 15:20 – After paralysis, a bridge back to movement and feeling | Chad Bouton 19:08 – A stimulating solution for IBD | Benjamin Sahn, MD Northwell Health is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, 850 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom: Press releases Insights Podcasts Publications Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit http://bit.ly/2Z7iHFL and explore our many opportunities.  

Two years after surviving a high shooting that claimed the lives of four of her fellow students, Kylie Ossege, now 19, is still recovering from the physical and emotional trauma left by the bullet that shattered her clavicle and nearly left her paralyzed. On this episode, Sandra Lindsay, RN, speaks with Kylie about the November 30, 2021 attack, her fight to regain the ability to walk and her recent surgery to stabilize her spine. Led by John Caridi, MD, a spine surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, the operation was necessary to not only straighten, but strengthen her spine, which was destabilized by the bullet's impact. Now a member of her college's chapter of March for our Lives, a nonprofit gun violence prevention group, Kylie is sharing her story in hopes of making a difference. Podcast transcript Learn more about March for our Lives. Learn more about Northwell Health's Center for Gun Violence Prevention. Learn more about the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital.

In recognition of World AIDS Day today, we encourage you to listen to this classic episode of the podcast from early 2022 exploring the injectable form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the first option to prevent HIV that does not involve taking a daily pill. At the time of this recording (June 28, 2022), the newly approved treatment had begun to hit the market. Our colleague David Reich-Hale sat down with a panel of experts specializing in HIV treatment and prevention at the local, state and federal levels. Listen in to learn about the benefits and what people at risk for HIV should know, the challenges of implementation among providers and more. Podcast transcript The panel includes:  David Rosenthal, DO, PhD, medical director for the Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV. Demetre Daskalakis, MD, director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Charles Gonzalez, MD, medical director for the New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute This was the second in a 2-part conversation with our panel of experts. More from the experts Dr. Rosenthal talks about strengthening HIV prevention with PrEP and expanding the four key strategies to end AIDS by 2030.  

Exposure to the smoke from burn pits — the large open-air fires the military has used to dispose of waste — harmed veterans such as Juan Serrano, Patrick McCaffery and Robert Auletta, who work with Northwell Health's Military Liaison Services. Of the more than 10K U.S. veterans who have already been diagnosed with burn pit damage to their airways, the picture is grim and the reaction, most often, is shock. Conditions range from asthma and COPD, to sleep apnea, to a long list of cancers. On this episode, Juan Patrick and Robert talk about their experience and efforts in addressing burn pit exposure. They’re joined by Anthony Szema, MD, a pulmonologist and leading expert on burn pits; Dr. Szema is director of Northwell’s International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences. He has launched a clinical trial that monitors the health of veterans with burn pit exposure. (Many of the veterans on Juan’s team have already signed up.) Explaining his goals for the trial, Dr. Szema also provides an update on the PACT Act, new legislation he played a key role in getting passed; it expands VA benefits to care for veterans with burn pit exposure. To further assist veterans, Juan, Dr. Szema and staff at the Military Liaison Office are helping service members sign up for the PACT Act. To file a claim online or apply for VA healthcare, click here. 

On this episode of 20-Minute Health Talk, we take another look at our August 2022 conversation with Anthony Szema, MD. At the time of this episode's recording, the pulmonologist was days removed from a visit to the White House to celebrate the passage of the PACT Act, new legislation that is now helping impacted veterans get treatment. As a leading expert in the health effects of burn pits, he played a key role in making that legislation a reality. Now, He is conducting a trial to collect data on the veterans of the greater NYC area. We'll do a deep dive into his trial and three of the veterans participating in it. That episode will be available tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 10.  Dr. Szema is director of Northwell Health’s International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences, as well as a published researcher and author.