Welcome to the Health & Fitness Section

Warning to women: Heart attacks can come without pain


May 9, 2008
by Laurence Degelsmith, MD

Coronary heart disease is the primary cause of death for women in the United States.

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Carbon monoxide: the “silent killer”

March 14, 2008
by Dr. Laurence Degelsmith

This is the time of year when we tend to see a handful of patients each week in the emergency department that were sent to rule out carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide kills hundreds of people per year across the United States and is responsible for up to fifteen thousand visits to emergency departments annually. 

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Alcohol Poisoning

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
January 11, 2008

Acute alcohol intoxication can kill you. 

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Do I need an antibiotic?

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
December 14, 2007

‘Tis the season of cold and flu once again. 

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What’s your emergency?

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
November 30, 2007

It’s 5 p.m. and you’ve arrived at the emergency department with severe back pain, or perhaps a splitting headache, and you want to see the doctor right away. 

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Should I stay (home) or should I go (to school)?

By Patricia Pollock, R.N.
November 23, 2007

Is it the dreaded school-itis or should you keep your child home? 

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Turkey, hold the Salmonella

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
November 16, 2007

It’s turkey time again. Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather. It’s also a time for all of us to stuff our faces, right after stuffing the turkey. Hopefully, we will all keep that food in our stomachs where it belongs and not fall victim to a food borne illness such as Salmonella.

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Do I have a concussion?

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
November 9, 2007

I can always tell when football season starts because we see one head injury after another in the emergency department.

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Healthy Weight

By Deborah Weiss
November 2, 2007
For many of us, Halloween is the soft kickoff to the upcoming holiday season, where temptation abounds in the form of candy, parties and holiday food.

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Trick or (healthy) treat—it’s easy!

By Ann Marie Fallon
October 26, 2007
Halloween doesn’t have to mean a sugar rush. 

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Reflections on the Millwood Bike Path


By Mark S. Tulis
October 26, 2007
Westchester County is truly one of the best biking venues which I have seen anywhere in the United States or overseas.

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In work session, town board discusses off-leash hours, dog bite incidents with residents


In the work session
June 27, 2008
by Liza Margulies

With “off-leashing” becoming as familiar a sight across the country as soccer games and little league, sooner or later rules and guidelines for park usage in this manner would need to be established.  So it was that a small but devoted group of dog owners were in attendance Wednesday, June 18, night for the town board’s work session discussion regarding the parks and recreation department’s recommendations to regulate dogs in the town’s parks—most notably, Gedney Park. 

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Food for thought at district-wide nutrition event on May 20

May 16, 2008
by Joanne Knight

The Chappaqua PTA Nutrition Committee will sponsor a film and panel discussion on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Seven Bridges Middle School, which is located at 222 Seven Bridges Road in Chappaqua. It is free and open to the public. Come with your questions for the panelists. 

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The Old Croton Aqueduct: A hidden gem for bikers

March 21, 2008
by Mark S. Tulis

Recently I wrote about the joys of the North County, South County and Putnam Trailways, which extend from the Westchester border with Van Cortlandt Park all the way up to Carmel along the Old Putnam Railroad Right-of-Way. [Reflections on the Millwood Bike Path] However, there is another wonderful recreational path that very few people know about, The Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway. 

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Is my headache meningitis?

by Laurence Degelsmith, MD
February 1, 2008

It’s hard to think of a more ominous, fear-provoking disease than meningitis. 

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MRSA—do I need to be afraid?


By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
November 2, 2007
We are all seeing a lot of press lately about the latest superbacteria: MRSA. I know there is a lot of anxiety and fear about contracting this new threatening bug.

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What’s My Specialty?

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
October 26, 2007
Not a week has gone by in the last ten years without a patient inquiring as to my specialty, forcing me to promptly bite my tongue, pause, and take a deep breath before calmly giving my response, “My specialty is everything.”

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Should you get vaccinated against influenza?

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
October 19, 2007
I’ll skip right to the punch line.....

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NSAIDS and Acetaminophen in Adults

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
October 12, 2007

My last article focused on ibuprofen and acetaminophen for children. Now I will discuss their uses in adults, which are a bit more complicated. 

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When Giving Tylenol or Motrin to Children, Keep in Mind. . .

By Laurence Degelsmith, MD
October 5, 2007

I’ve been an emergency physician for ten years and I’m constantly reminded that parents and patients are often confused about the difference between acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil).

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