About Me
New York’s First Acute Pain Service
During my surgical and anesthesia residencies, I became increasingly drawn to the then fledgling field of pain management. The suffering I witnessed moved me to learn how to treat pain effectively. At the time, there were few pain experts; for those suffering with pain, whether due to sciatica, surgery or cancer, the medical community offered little. Although a medical career devoted exclusively to treating pain was unusual at the time, I decided to focus my practice on treating that overlooked and under-treated portion of the population.
With encouragement from Beth Israel Hospital and Medical Center, I created and became Director of the first acute pain service in New York City. My message quickly became familiar to nurses and doctors: controlling pain after surgery was not only possible and desirable, but also necessary for proper healing and recovery. I taught staff to carefully assess their patients’ pain and counseled patients to report pain that was inadequately treated. It was not long before the surgeons in the hospital routinely turned to me for their patients’ postoperative pain care.
I also began a private practice for the treatment of patients with chronic pain, using the techniques I learned during my fellowship in pain management at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center.
As I gained recognition in the field, I was invited to lecture on the how to, as well as the importance of pain management to professional organizations, hospitals, on television and radio. I was also elected President of the Eastern Pain Association, the regional branch of the American Pain Society. I have been repeatedly honored as a “Best Doctor” and “Top Doctor” and have received Hospital awards for my service to patients. One of the greatest honors of all was that, due to my commitment to patient advocacy, I was asked to chair the hospital ethics committee.
Stress management
Because pain often causes people to experience added stress, which not only negatively effects health, but also can result in unhealthy lifestyle choices, I wanted to help my patients better manage their stress. Stress and unhealthy lifestyle living can lower immunity, and promote heart disease, obesity and diabetes. It can increase anxiety and blood pressure, worsen depression, cause premature aging and shorten lives. But, just as important, healthy lifestyle living can reverse these effects.
To offer patients scientifically proven methods to reverse the impact of stress and enhance wellness, I trained in mind-body medicine (how the state of our minds can affect our bodies and how the state of our bodies can affect our minds) at Harvard University. I then studied Complementary Medicine under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health to learn which of the many non-traditional medical treatments offered today are actually proven effective; And, for an in depth understanding about what happens to us as we age and what we can do about it, I immersed myself in the McArthur Foundation’s landmark study on Successful Aging.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is among the complementary medical techniques I have embraced. It can be used to treat pain, but also to promote health and wellness. I am a medical acupuncturist, the term reserved for physicians who are also acupuncturists. (Most acupuncturists are not physicians).
Lifestyle Medicine and Health Coaching
As I learned about the truly endless health benefits of good nutrition, physical activity, stress reduction and life balance, I became increasingly interested in the connection between health and happiness, sometimes referred to as wellness. Wellness is not only about eating well, staying active, and having appropriate screening tests, but also building solid social support and connections, paying attention to the joys and finding meaning in our lives and learning how to turn off our stress response. In creating wellness, people experience control over their lives, experience deep happiness, and become unstoppable!
As I offered patients information about what was good for them and options for helping themselves, I realized something else needed to change: me. As a physician, I was skilled at and comfortable delivering information to my patients, telling them what they needed to know and do, but my medical degree had not prepared me to actually help my patients to make lasting change. Oddly enough, while physicians are the designated experts on good health, no one teaches us how to help you embrace our advice. If information were all that was needed, everyone would already be healthy.
There are actually research-proven, predictable ways to maximize success when people seek to make lifestyle change, which I now have the skills to offer as a result of additional training and certification in Health and Wellness Coaching. Health and Wellness Coaching emphasizes nonjudgmental collaboration, careful listening and achievable goal-setting. Instead of just being the information expert, I now know how to help people take the steps they need to make lasting lifestyle changes of almost any kind. Health coaching isn’t therapy; I don’t try to fix or heal you. I assume you are whole and simply in need of a spark to help you reach your most important goals, enabling you to be your best self.
For two decades, I have made it my work to evaluate the latest scientific research on informed lifestyle choices. I am always happy to share that information, if you like. What I offer honors your capacity for self-care. We’ll work as a team, in a relaxed and professional atmosphere, whether in my office or on the telephone.
I encourage to you to take the reins on the path towards your optimal wellness. My role is to collaborate with you and guide you on a personally motivating path towards your best health.