Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a senior statesman amongst pediatricians, an internationally-recognized authority and diagnostician, a public speaker, expert witness and go-to resource for health issues in the Orthodox Jewish community and beyond. Originally from South Africa, he started his current practice, Total Family Care of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, PC in 1987. Dr. Lightman is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). Over the years, Dr. Lightman has served in a number of leadership roles: director of the adult allergy clinic at Louis Lasky Center, director of pediatric allergy and asthma at Queens General Hospital, and co-director of pediatric and adult outpatient allergy at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. Lightman is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. In addition, he is actively involved in teaching pediatric and family nurse practitioners through Columbia University, Pace University, Lehmann College, and Molloy College, as well as mentoring physician assistants through Touro College. As the Medical Director and a practicing physician, Dr. Lightman has an accessible and friendly manner with parents and children alike. He holds himself and the whole practice to the highest standards of medical excellence, whether it be a simple camp physical or a child with serious symptoms. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com
Adar is a time of simcha, of joy stemming from our connection with HaShem and with people. We should aspire to add more joy to our lives by deepening our connection with HaShem and with other people. We are doubly blessed this year with two Hebrew months of Adar. This year has afforded me with
They’re pretty and they surely enhance the look of your baby’s room. Yet I respectfully request that you refrain from indulging in crib bumpers, also known as “bumper pads” used in infants’ cribs. True confession: All seven Lightman children luxuriated in cribs festooned with bumpers. The youngest Lightman was born in 2003, two years before
Parents are familiar with this scenario. Your child wakes up in the morning complaining his throat is itchy and dry. It’s a sore throat. Actually, Mommy and Abba are convinced it is strep throat. They phone the pediatrician’s office, asking for an appointment. An immediate appointment. They want instant information. And medication to assassinate those
You have read the title and must be thinking, “What in the world is Dr. Lightman writing about now?” Hands? Is this about our handing over the reins of leadership from one generation to the next? Eventually, yes. But that’s not what this is about. I am bringing to your attention something basic and fundamental
On the cuteness scale of 1-10, it’s a 12. I’m talking about watching toddlers and small children play together. Or two children are on the same mat, each doing his own thing. It’s a delight to behold. These friendships and relationships are an important part of a child’s development. They are so important that they
I bet I’m not alone on this one. Raise the metaphorical hand if, when you were growing up, your parent or grandparent poked a finger in your back, admonishing to stand taller and straighter. Both my late mother A”H and grandmother A”H did it to me. More than once. Good posture means being aware of
As I write, our teenagers are engaged in midterms, hanging onto to the sliver of the proverbial sunrise on the horizon called winter break or Yeshiva Vacation Week. Jerusalem. Miami. Vail. Acapulco. St. Moritz. No matter the continent, whether it’s warm or cold or you’re staying home, you need to prepare to assure a win-win.
Recently, a mother said to me, “I made two smart decisions in my life, Dr. Lightman. The first was to get married and the second was to divorce. At least I have three beautiful children.” Indeed, her children are beautiful, inside and out. But are they going to be whole? With their childhoods compromised –
Today’s world is filled with stress and uncertainty. The recent tsunami in Indonesia. The terrorist attacks in Israel. Fires in California. The Pittsburgh massacre. And the increasing number of attacks on visibly Jewish Jews. Is it any wonder that children, adolescents and adults of all ages are riddled with anxiety? The unfortunate fact is stress
Dr. Richard Friedman, a Cedarhurst surgeon and founder of a Manhattan branch of the Hatzalah ambulance service, was struck and killed by a car late Saturday afternoon as he walked on a Lawrence, NY, street. The tragic event on Erev Hanukkah which claimed the life of Dr. Richard Friedman A”H brings into 20/20 focus the importance of walking and
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Orthodox Union