Health Matters

Are you seeing the headlines about lead poisoning?  Maybe you’ve heard that water bottles contain lead, or that cinnamon in applesauce was poisoning shoppers. Host Faith Salie talked with Dr. Adam Blumenberg to discuss the crucial context for news about lead poisoning. A toxicologist and doctor of emergency medicine, Dr. Blumenberg explains what lead is, what makes it poisonous, and how exposure m...

Colon cancer is the deadliest form of cancer for men and the second deadliest for women under fifty, behind only breast cancer. Since 2020, colon cancer rates have risen nine percent in people under fifty. Millennials are at a higher risk for early onset colon cancer than previous generations have been. Take all of that together, and it’s very clear that people of all ages need to educate themselv...

Feeling tired? There are simple things you can do to maximize your energy. This week, Dr. Chiti Parikh shares with host Faith Salie ways to help our metabolism and circadian rhythms sync up — which will help with energy throughout the day. Dr. Parikh offers insights from her book, Intentional Health: Detoxify, Nourish, and Rejuvenate Your Body Into Balance , and explains how necessary it is to hav...

Faith Salie brings back clinical dietitian Gabrielle Gambino to discuss how to combat inflammation through food. They discuss how fermented foods and fiber provide the basis for a heart-healthy diet, what inflammation really means, and how superfoods and nutrient dense foods give our bodies what we need to fuel a healthy lifestyle.

February is American Heart Month. When's the last time you measured your blood pressure? Do you know what "good" blood pressure even is? Or what about "good" cholesterol? Brush up on the fundamentals – and get some clear guidelines for keeping tabs on your heart health - from Dr. Marc Eisenberg, a cardiologist from NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia. Click here for the episode transcript. 

Are those chest pains signs of a heart attack…or a broken heart? Can a broken heart send you to the hospital? Broken Heart Syndrome is a real cardiac event brought on by an intense emotional reaction to life events. In honor of Valentine’s Day, our host Faith speaks with Dr. Joy Gelbman, cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, about how the heart is a physical and emotiona...

Have you kept up with your new year's resolutions? Dr. Jennifer Cruz, a clinical psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia discusses how to manage and maintain realistic goals. Dr. Cruz shares her perspective on setting goals, how to make them more achievable, and why you deserve credit — even when you feel like you’ve fallen short. Click here for the episode transcript .

Many people started off the new year committing to a dry January. But what happens once the month is over?  How should we approach alcohol in February and beyond? Whether you're having a dry January or a damp January, Dr. Robert Brown, the chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, explains why being mindful of our alcohol consumption has many heal...

It’s that time of year again - cold season. While sniffles and congestion are a hallmark of winter, there are a few respiratory viruses that can be far more serious. In this episode, Dr. Harjot Singh, an epidemiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian  and Weill Cornell Medicine, explains why we’re more likely to get sick during the colder months and how to protect ourselves from the three major illnesses...

For National Blood Donor Month, Courtney Allison speaks with Dr. Elizabeth Stone, assistant director of transfusion medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia. Unprecedented blood shortages mean that the need for donated blood is as critical as ever. Dr. Stone demystifies the process of giving blood, explains blood types, and shares how both the recipient and the donor can benefit from a single...

Faith Salie talks with clinical dietitian Gabrielle Gambino, who offers advice on connecting our bodies and minds to our food choices. She explains why a rigid diet plan doesn’t work for most people, and how a mindful approach can help us be more compassionate to ourselves when it comes to what we eat.   Click here for the episode transcript.

To kick off the new year, Courtney Allison speaks with sports cardiologist Dr. Sonia Tolani about how we can set ourselves up for success with our resolutions around fitness. She describes which forms of exercise are recommended for improving our long term health, why focusing on exercise is more important than focusing on weight loss, and how much it can help to bring along others on our fitness...

We’re taking a break for the holidays. New episodes of Health Matters will return in January. For the holiday break, we are republishing one of this year’s most impactful episodes:  Faith Salie talks with Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia. He’s also the Director of Clinical Research at Columbia’s Celiac Disease Center, and an expert on the connections...

This week our host, Faith Salie, talks to NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine endocrinologist Dr. Rekha Kumar, about the effects of sugar and artificial sweeteners on our health, recommendations to moderate sugar intake, and how to navigate the holiday season’s plethora of sweets and treats.   Click here for the episode transcript. 

For Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Faith Salie talks to Dr. Silky Pahlajani, a behavioral neurologist and neuropsychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine who specializes in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Pahlajani describes how Alzheimer’s is diagnosed, what it really means in the body, and the reasons why Alzheimer's is more significant in women than in men. They also discuss why it’...

NewYork-Presbyterian Managing Editor Courtney Allison speaks with Dr. Warren Ng, a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia, who shares the health impacts of loneliness. Dr. Ng provides ways to strengthen our connections when we’re feeling lonely and gives tips on how to navigate loneliness during the holiday season. Click here for the episode transcript. 

NewYork-Presbyterian Managing Editor Courtney Allison talks to psychologist Dr. Robert Leahy from Weill Cornell Medicine. He helps define regret and dives into its many manifestations. He shows us how this messy emotion can be used, believe it or not, to our advantage. He provides insight on how to reframe regret from rumination and despair into productive ways of thinking by forming healthy habit...

This week our host Faith Salie is joined by registered dietician Jamie Leskowitz, and endocrinologist Dr. Judith Korner, from NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia, to discuss the highly buzzed about obesity and weight loss medications like Ozempic and WeGovy. They break down how these medications work, who benefits most from them, and the side effects to be aware of. Click here for the episode transc...

This week, Courtney Allison speaks with sports cardiologist, Dr. Sonia Tolani, who explains how exercise changes the heart. These changes are easy to see in elite athletes, Dr. Tolani gives a behind-the-scenes look at the screening process for athletes to ensure their safety in high-level competition. She also describes how teams can prepare for emergency response, and the life-saving measures tha...

The immense weight of a world in crisis can feel overwhelming. In this special episode of Health Matters, we hear from three mental health experts: Drs. Elena Lister, Shannon Bennett and Warren Ng. They share guidance on how to cope with the anxiety, fear, sadness, and sense of helplessness that many of us are feeling when we witness the unfolding of tragic events. They also offer advice on how we...

This week, our host Courtney Allison is joined by Dr. Elena Lister, a psychiatrist with NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine who specializes in grief. Dr. Lister discusses the importance of facing the many emotions that come with the death of a loved one or other losses. She also talks about her personal experience with grief after the death of her youngest daughter and how to find hope...

This week our host, Angelique Serrano, talks to NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia transplant hepatologist Dr. Alyson Fox. They talk about the differences between living donation and deceased donation, walk through the steps of preparation and recovery for organ donation and transplant, and the importance of this lifesaving gift.   Click here for the episode transcript. 

This week our host, Angelique Serrano, talks to NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia breast oncologist Dr. Meghna Trivedi. For Breast Cancer Awareness month, they discuss the major risk factors behind breast cancer, the most common genetic factors in cancer risk, and the kinds of prevention strategies that can limit genetic risks.

NewYork-Presbyterian Managing Editor Courtney Allison talks to psychologist Dr. Shannon Bennett about the youth mental health crisis. Dr. Bennett, also the clinical director of the Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian, discusses the effects of the pandemic, social media, and climate change on youth mental health. She also provides insight on signs and symptoms, and ways to suppor...

This week our host, Faith Salie, talks to NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine endocrinologist Dr. Rekha Kumar, about the effects of caffeine on the brain and body, considerations to take when pregnant, recommendations on caffeine consumption, and if caffeine can help us live longer.   Click here for the episode transcript.