ADHD Awareness Month

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

October is ADHD Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness, challenging stigma, and celebrating the unique strengths that often come with a neurodivergent brain.

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Adult ADHD can lead to unstable relationships, poor work or school performance, low self-esteem, and other problems.

Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue to have major symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. Adult ADHD symptoms include:

Impulsiveness
Disorganization and problems prioritizing
Poor time management skills
Problems focusing on a task
Trouble multitasking
Excessive activity or restlessness
Poor planning
Low frustration tolerance
Frequent mood swings
Problems following through and completing tasks
Hot temper
Trouble coping with stress

Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Many adults with ADHD aren’t aware they have it.

The exact cause of ADHD is not clear, but research efforts continue. Factors that may be involved in the development of ADHD include:

Genetics
Environment
Problems during development

Factors that may increase the risk of ADHD may include:

You have blood relatives, such as a parent or sibling, with ADHD or another mental health disorder
Your mother smoked, drank alcohol, or used drugs during pregnancy
As a child, you were exposed to environmental toxins such as lead, found mainly in paint and pipes in older buildings
You were born prematurely

Signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults can be difficult to spot. However, the core symptoms of ADHD start early in life, before the age of 12, continuing into adulthood, creating major problems.

There is no single test that can confirm an ADHD diagnosis. A diagnosis will likely include:

A physical exam
Questions about your current medical issues, personal and family medical history, and the history of your symptoms
ADHD rating scales or psychological tests

Standard treatments for ADHD in adults typically involve medication, education, skills training, and psychological counseling. A combination of these is often the most effective treatment as they can help manage many symptoms of ADHD, but they won’t cure it.

If you need the assistance and support of a mental health professional at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, please call 718-206-5575 to schedule an appointment.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

How to Prepare for Cold and Flu Season

Posted on October 10, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

As we progress through the fall season and approach winter, it is essential to take proactive steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from seasonal illnesses.

Here are some steps you can take to prepare for the upcoming cold and flu season:

Getting vaccines, such as the flu shot, can help your body’s immune system recognize and defend against a variety of viruses before you get infected. They can also reduce the severity of symptoms if you do fall ill.
Avoiding and preventing the spread of illnesses by practicing good hygiene habits can help reduce your exposure to germs and viruses. Some good hygiene habits you can practice include:
- Washing your hands regularly, especially before eating and after using the restroom
- Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, even if it is just seasonal allergies
- Wiping down commonly used surfaces in your home, such as door handles, toilets, faucets, remotes, and other areas you and your loved ones may touch regularly
- Avoiding sharing personal products and utensils with others
- Wearing a mask to help reduce your exposure to respiratory illnesses
- Limiting time in shared spaces, when you can, to help stop germs from spreading around your home
Taking care of yourself by protecting your immune system. Some ways you can protect your immune system include:
- Getting a good night’s rest can help strengthen your body and immune system against illnesses
- Adding vitamin-dense fruits and vegetables to your meals can help you maintain your energy and ward off viral and bacterial infections.
- Staying hydrated, which can help loosen mucus and increase blood flow
- Staying physically active can help your body build resistance and resilience against infectious diseases
- Taking time to relax and manage stress is important to keep your immune system running at full capacity. Experiencing stress may affect self-care routines and lower the body’s resistance to infections

If you do start to feel under the weather, it is important to take quick action to protect your health and prevent the spread of illness to others. By following these simple steps, you can recover more comfortably and help keep you and your loved ones safe.

If you are experiencing any cold or flu symptoms, you can schedule an appointment with a doctor at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Center. Please call (718) 206-7001.

How Too Much Screen Time Can Affect a Child’s Health

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

In today’s digital society, screen time has become an integral part of a child’s life. However, a child’s heavy reliance on screen time has raised serious public health concerns because it is believed that too much screen time might harm their cognitive, linguistic, social-emotional growth, and overall physical health.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics in 2023, found that screen time may be associated with delayed development in young children. These findings were based on parent reports of screen time use at one year old and development skills at two and four years old from a group of nearly 8,000 young children.

According to data, using a validated screen tool, one-year olds who were exposed to more than four hours of screen time per day showed delays in communication and problem solving at ages two and four. Additionally, more screen time for one-year olds was associated with developmental delays in fine motor, personal, and social skills at age two.

This research supports several previous studies that have shown a correlation between the amount of screen time among young children and the presence of developmental delays, particularly in communication and problem-solving skills. A landmark National Institutes of Health (NIH) study that began in 2018, found that children who spent more than two hours a day on screen-time activities scored lower on language and thinking tests, and some children with more than seven hours a day of screen time, experienced thinning of the brain’s cortex, the area of the brain related to critical thinking and reasoning.

Too much screen time can be linked to:

Obesity

Focus and attention issues

Irregular sleep

Headaches

Eye strain

Behavioral problems

Impaired academic performance

Aggression/Violence

Less physical activity

Depression

Anxiety

Addictiveness

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages screen time use by children younger than two (18 to 24 months). They recommend the following guidelines for screen time use for older children:

Ages 2-5- no more than one hour a day

Parents of kids and teens ages 5-18- should determine what media limits work best for their children. They should consider their age, health, and personality. Screen time should not take the place of enough sleep or being physically active.

If a parent does allow their toddler (18 to 24 months) to use a screen, the AAP recommends that it be an educational program that they watch with their toddler.

Here are some tips to reduce or limit your child’s screen time:

Eliminate background TV

Keep TVs, smartphones, and computers out of the bedroom

Don’t eat in front of a screen

Co-watch whenever possible

Choose media wisely

Keep bedtime, mealtime, and family time screen-free

Limit your own phone use

Emphasize the big three: sleep, healthy nutrition, and exercise

If you would like to limit your child’s screen time and need the assistance and support of a pediatrician, you can visit Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Center. To schedule an appointment, please call (718) 206-7001.

How to Read Your Eye Prescription

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

When a person goes to an eye doctor appointment, they may receive a prescription after their exam. This prescription is made up of an odd series of letters and numbers that are instructions for making your glasses. Here is what they mean:

In a typical prescription, there are two acronyms, one for each eye.

D.- is short for oculus dexter, which is your right eye
S.- is short for oculus sinister, which is your left eye

The sphere column is often abbreviated as SPH. This is the lens power needed to fix your vision. A minus sign (-) next to the number means nearsightedness. This means you see better up close and need distance correction. A plus sign (+) indicates that you are farsighted and can see better from far away and need your near vision corrected.

Lens power is measured in diopters, the unit of measurement used to calculate the focusing strength of a pair of glasses or contact lenses. If you see the sphere field written above as -9.00 D, this means there are 9 diopters of nearsightedness. The measuring system is an integer line, with zero in the middle, needing no correction. The further you get away from zero on either the minus or plus side, the stronger your prescription is.

The cylinder number is how much astigmatism you have, if any. This is when part of the cornea has a different curve. Normally, an eye is shaped like a basketball, rotated in any direction, with the curve staying the same. An eye with astigmatism is oval, or egg-shaped, or more like a football, with one curve being longer than the other. The CYL number corrects the different second curve.

The axis number tells you where the astigmatism is on the cornea. The axis is written in degrees between 1 and 180, indicating which way the astigmatism lines up.

The add column is where any additional lens power is written. For example, some people over the age of 40 may not want an extra pair of glasses for reading and may choose to wear bifocals instead. The lower half of the lens will give them their reading vision.

Additionally, there may be a field for prism on the right side. This is a special type of correction built into the lens for some people with double vision. This means they see two separate images of the same object. The prism fuses the two images together so they will only see one image.

The prescription for contact lenses is different because they sit directly on the eye. A contact lens prescription includes measurements specific to the size and brand of your contacts. Before you fill a prescription for contact lenses, you will need a contact lens fitting to see if they are right for you.

If you require an eye exam, you can schedule an appointment at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Ophthalmology Center by calling (718) 206-5900.

Why Do We Eat When We Are Stressed?

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

Stress can impact our health in various ways, including our eating behaviors. It can influence our appetite, how much we eat, and the types of food we choose. Studies show that stressful events activate systems associated with metabolism, cognition, and reward.

When a person is stressed or overwhelmed, their body produces cortisol, the hormone that creates the body’s fight-or-flight response to help protect itself. When a person has elevated cortisol levels for a prolonged period of time, such as during repeated and constant stressors, this can lead to fat storage, weight gain, and increased consumption of foods that are energy-dense and high in sugar and fat. These types of foods are “comfort” foods that can seem like they are counteracting stress; however, they may contribute to a person’s stress-induced craving for those foods.

There are several ways to manage stress eating, including:

Practicing mindful eating
Finding healthier options for your sweet or savory cravings
Watching your portion sizes
Meditating
Exercising
Finding sources of social support

If you need the assistance and support of a mental health professional at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, please call 718-206-5575 to schedule an appointment.

ALS

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly referred to as ALS, is a neurological disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes loss of muscle control.

ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. There is no exact known cause of the disease. However, a small number of cases, about 10%, are inherited. For the other cases, there isn’t a known cause.

The symptoms of ALS can vary from person to person. Symptoms depend on which nerve cells are affected. ALS typically begins with muscle weakness that gradually worsens over time. Symptoms might include:

Trouble walking or doing usual daily activities
Tripping and falling
Weakness in the legs, feet, or ankles
Hand weakness or clumsiness
Weakness associated with muscle cramps and twitching in the arms, shoulders, and tongue
Untimely crying, laughing, or yawning
Thinking or behavioral changes

ALS often starts in the hands, feet, arms, or legs, with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg. It then spreads to other parts of the body, causing muscles to get weaker as more nerve cells die. The disease eventually affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, chew, eat, swallow, and breathe. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this fatal disease.

There is generally no pain in the early stages of ALS. Pain is also not common in the later stages. ALS usually doesn’t affect bladder control. And it also doesn’t affect the senses, including the ability to taste, smell, touch, and hear.

There are several risk factors for ALS, including:

Genetics
Age
Sex

Several environmental factors have been associated with an increased risk of ALS. They include:

Smoking
Environmental toxin exposure
Military service

ALS can cause several complications as the disease progresses, including:

Breathing problems
Speaking problems
Eating problems
Dementia

ALS can be hard to diagnose early because it can have similar symptoms to other diseases. Tests that can rule out other conditions or help diagnose the disease can include:

Electromyogram (EMG)
Nerve conduction study
MRI
Blood and urine tests
Spinal tap
Muscle biopsy
Nerve biopsy

Treatments for ALS can’t reverse the damage, but they can slow the progression of symptoms. They can also prevent complications and make you more comfortable and independent.

You may need a team of healthcare providers and doctors trained in many areas to provide your care. This team will work together to prolong your survival and improve your quality of life. They will work to select the right treatment options for you.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two medicines for treating ALS:

Riluzole
Edaravone

There are many forms of therapy and forms of support when ALS affects your ability to breathe, speak, and move. They include:

Breathing care
Physical therapy
Occupational therapy
Speech therapy
Nutritional support
Psychological and social support

If you are experiencing any symptoms of ALS, you can consult with a neurologist at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. To schedule an appointment, please call (718) 206-7246.