With the COVID-19 vaccine distribution broadening (including people 65 years and older, essential workers, and people with certain comorbid illnesses), more and more racial and ethnic minorities are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, as of February 4 only 49% of blacks planned to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, (the virus that causes COVID-19), with only 19% agreeing to the vaccine right away and 31% expressing plans to wait to see what happens to other people before getting vaccinated. 31% of black adults says that will not get the vaccine and another 12% are unsure. While the number are somewhat higher for Latinx people, the numbers of people willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine is lower than that of whites.  Dr. Dial Hewlett, Medical Director-Division of Disease Control, and Deputy to the Commissioner of Health at Westchester County Department of Health and Dr. Adam Aponte, Chief Medical Officer at the East Harlem Council for Human Serivces and the Boriken Neighborhood Neighborhood Health Center joined the Health In Harlem Team to discuss the issues surrounding mistrust of the COVID-19 vaccines in minority communities and why it is imperative that the people in these communities consider getting vaccinated. Please check out the links below for more information and don't be afraid to share what you learn form this program. 

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer Website: Everything I've heard About: Testing and vaccines

https://www.manhattanbp.nyc.gov/testing-and-vaccines/

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: COVID-19 Vaccines

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page

New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Finder

https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/

January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and though it is now January, we could not pass up the opportunity to talk about this wholly preventable cancer. In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Sharan Abdul-Rahman, an OB/GYN and the Founder of the The Black Woman's Health Directory, a directory that lists black male and female healthcare providers including physicians, therapists, and even midwives. Dr. Abdul-Rahman breaks everything down, from the reasoning behind and the need for the Pap smear to the importance of considering vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in order to prevent development of cervical cancer.  Ladies enjoy gentlemen, enjoy the program and please share this information with anyone that will listen because this is truly life saving information!

The Black Woman's Health Directory

https://www.theblackwomanshealthdirectory.com/

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

https://www.nfid.org/tag/cervical-cancer-awareness-month/#:~:text=January%20is%20Cervical%20Cancer%20Awareness%20Month%2C%20a%20great%20time%20to,women%20in%20the%20United%20States.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/cervicalcancer/index.htm

More than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma and according to the National Eye Institute that number will balloon to more than 4.2 million people by 2030. In African Americans it is the second-leading cause of blindness. Perhaps even more distressing is the fact that many people with this disease have little to no symptoms until it's too late; when their vision is severely compromised and there is no chance of recovering what was lost. With that said, we hope that you learn from this episode as we sit down with Dr. Neha Shaik, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. Please enjoy this EYE OPENING (I know, we're so corny sometimes) talk so that this disease doesn't sneak up on you. Check out the following resources for more information:

Glaucoma Research Foundation

https://www.glaucoma.org/news/glaucoma-awareness-month.php

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/resources/features/glaucoma-awareness.html

National Eye Institute

https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/glaucoma

According to the Pew Research Center, one-third to one-half of Americans make resolutions each year. Despite a desire to make important and often healthy changes in their lives, millions of people barely make it past the first month of the year before they abandon their new diets, exercise routines, and budgets. If the vast majority of us are destined to fail, then why make resolutions at all? In this episode we explore this question and begin to understand when, how, and why you should make a new years resolution and we discuss the strategies and tools you can employ at any point in time when you resolve to make important, healthy changes in your life.

Psychology Today: The Practice and Habit of Happiness by Jeffrey Davis

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tracking-wonder/201912/the-practice-and-habit-happiness

The Atlantic: New Years Resolutions That Will Actually Lead to Happiness by Arthur C. Brooks

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/12/new-years-resolutions-will-make-you-happier/617439/

The New York Times: This Year, Try Downsizing Your Resolutions by Christina Caron

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/29/well/live/new-years-resolutions-2021.html

The New York Times: How to Make (and keep) a New Years Resolution by Jen A. Miller

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas

BNT162b2 by Pfizer/BioNTech and mRNA1273 by Moderna are vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 that have been granted emergency use authorization by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Besides the efficacy and effectiveness of these vaccines, one of the major questions everyone is asking is whether or not these vaccines are safe. Dr. Stephen J. Thomas of SUNY Upstate University sat down to answer just that question. Dr. Thomas is the co-author of the paper titled "Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine) featured in the New England Journal of Medicine and he is the Coordinating Principal Investigator for the world-wide Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial, thus he is probably the best person to answer the safety question. Special thanks to Ms. Kathleen Froio, Assistant Director of Public and Media Relations at SUNY Upstate Medical University for helping to make this happen. Listen up and enjoy! Check out the links below (including the article by my good friend and colleague, Alexa Mieses-Malchuk and my Mentor Dr. Teresa Smith) for more great information pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccines.

The Oprah Magazine- This Doctor Who Just Got the COVID-19 Vaccine Has a Message for Black and Latinx Patients

https://www.oprahmag.com/life/health/a35034365/covid-vaccine-doctor-experience/?fbclid=IwAR339i_YnijwWF24Im_rreWXKVdlilicTHB0LVoLNqEx4teb6GYtKl8_TIs

New York Daily News- Take the Vaccine Like I did: A Black doctor urges her community to protect itself from COVID

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-take-the-vaccine-like-i-did-20201223-btu5bd7bqjhtlhd3abjx53y5lq-story.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety.html

According to Barry A. Franklin, PhD and Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH in an article that appeared in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, "there was a 64% decrease in the risk of heart disease from the least to the most aerobically fit and a 30% decrease from the least to the most physically active." Heart disease is the leading killer of people in the United States and the world (with stroke not far behind as a leading killer internationally). By being more physically active (and more specifically aerobically fit), you can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease while simultaneously improving your overall health and wellness. From memory and mood boosts, to better bowel movements and even better sex, increasing your cardiorespiratory fitness will lead to tangible improvements in your mind, body, and spirit. In this episode we are joined by Leonard Kaminsky, PhD. Dr. Kaminsky is an expert in kinesiology and exercise physiology and he is the John and Janice Fisher Distinguished Professor of Wellness and the Director of the Fisher Institute for Health and Well Being at Ball State University in Indiana. In this episode we discuss the vital role that physical fitness plays in living a healthy life, the difference between physical activity and exercise, how much physical activity and/or exercise you should get each week, and why physical fitness is an important concept/point that should be addressed when individuals are being assessed by their healthcare providers. Please enjoy and also send us your questions, comments or concerns so that we could have a robust dialogue. Check out the links below for more information. Be safe, be active, and enjoy!

Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Cardiorespiratory Fitness: An Independent and Additive Mark...

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)60486-2/fulltext

European Journal Prevention and Rehabilitation: Cardiorespiratory fitness relates more strongly to Cardiac disease risk factors in family in healthy children and adolescents: the European Youth heart study

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17667650/

Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials: The (Many) Benefits of a Cardio Workout

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/head-toe-benefits-cardio-workout-infographic/

The Mayo Clinic Diet: Cardio 101: Benefits and Tips

https://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/move/cardio-101

It's official, on December 11, 2020 BNT162b2, aka the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 received Emergency Use Authorization by the United States Food and Drug Administration. As the first vaccine against the coronavirus approved for use in the United States, its acceptance amongst the general public will be critical in curbing spread of the virus and ending the pandemic as we know it. Is it effective? Is it safe? Is it something you should consider for yourself and your family. We discuss all of this in this episode and this will be the first in a series of episodes designed to give you the information you need to make the most informed decisions when it comes to this intervention. Check out the links below for more information:

The New England Journal of Medicine: Safety and Efficacy of an RNA-based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine 

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577?articleTools=true

The New York Times: FDA Advisory Panel Gives Green Light to Pfizer Vaccine

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer-fda.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vaccine Basics

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/test-approve.html

The Undefeated: Half of Black adults say they won't take a coronavirus vaccine

https://theundefeated.com/features/half-of-black-adults-say-they-wont-take-a-coronavirus-vaccine/

It's the most wonderful time of the year! And it's also the time where fire emergencies and burn injuries increase. In this episode of Health In Harlem, we invited one of New York's Bravest, Lieutenant John Leary of Ladder 15 of the FDNY to discuss the things you can do to safeguard your home and family when it comes to fire awareness and prevention this Holiday season. As always, we wish you the best in health and happiness and the only thing we ask is that you not be selfish with the information you learn on this program. Be safe and enjoy! 

Check out the following links for more holiday safety tips:

FDNY Winter and Holiday Fire Safety 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/pdf/safety/fire_safety_education/2014/winter_fire_safety_english.pdf

FDNY Twitter

https://twitter.com/FDNY/status/1336728524535771136

FDNY Fire Safety Education: Residential Apartment Building Fire Safety

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/pdf/safety/fire_safety_education/2010_02/07_residential_apartment_fire_safety_english.pdf

Gothamist: Fatal Manhattan High-Rise Fire Caused by Overloaded Power Strip- By Jen Chung

https://gothamist.com/news/fatal-manhattan-high-rise-fire-caused-by-overloaded-power-strip

The New York Times: Trapped by a Fire on the 20th Floor- By Winnie Hu

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/nyregion/trapped-by-a-fire-inside-apartment-20d.html

The link between gratefulness and good health is real and intriguing. Over the last two decades, there have been countless studies demonstrating the power that being grateful can have in our lives, from boosting our spirits and decreasing rates of depression and anxiety, improving sleep duration and quality, to physical benefits and overall increases in well-being and quality of life. Being grateful is clearly a crucial part of a healthy and active lifestyle. In this episode we discuss the importance of gratitude and its roles in improving our health. Finally we lay out specific tips and strategies that you can employ each day to ensure that you acknowledge and rejoice in the things we are grateful for in our lives, even when the times are rough and challenges abound. From the Health In Harlem family, we are grateful for you our listening audience and the opportunity and privilege of sharing with you what we have learned in living the happiest and healthiest lives possible.  Happy Thanksgiving and peace and blessings to you all out there!

Check out these links to learn more tips and strategies in practicing gratitude in your life: 

Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_ways_to_become_more_grateful1

Forbes Magazine: 8 Ways to Have More Gratitude Everyday https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2016/07/08/8-ways-to-have-more-gratitude-every-day/?sh=45aa126c1d54

Huffington Post: 10 Things Grateful People Do Differently

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/habits-of-grateful-people_n_565352a6e4b0d4093a588538

Gratefulness.Org: How to Practice Gratefulness https://gratefulness.org/resource/how-to-practice-gratitude/

This week it's battle of the nerds! No, this has nothing to do with the 1980s classic, nor Comic Con, and certainly nothing to do with dissecting the themes and allegorical significance of Game of Thrones. This is a battle about life and death (and essentially everything in between. In this episode, we discuss the public statements put forth by two groups of scientists and public health professionals that advocate two completely different ways of handling the COVID-19 pandemic. The Great Barrington Declaration advocates reaching herd immunity by taking away restrictions and letting young and less vulnerable people lives their lives (and freely spread SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19) while using "focused protection" for those at higher risk for serious illness with COVID. The authors of the John Snow Memorandum advocate continuing to observe social distancing guidelines, policies that restrict large gatherings and other events/practices that could increase the spread of COVID-19. By the end of this program, you will see that only one approach must prevail. 

The Great Barrington Declaration

https://gbdeclaration.org/

The John Snow Memorandum

https://www.johnsnowmemo.com/