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
Yom Tov is over. Time to turn our thought to influenza or flu season which is just around the corner. Flu season generally runs from October through May. My readers know I am a proponent of the flu vaccine. The flu vaccine assumes special importance this year. Let’s start with the flu vaccine during “ordinary”
My lifelong drive to do for people and for my community is one of the reasons I became a physician. But my drive is not just about doing. It’s about doing the right thing and doing it properly. Hence, what I’m about to say may not be popular. Yet winning a popularity contest has never
Uncertainty Noun 1. The state of being uncertain 2. Something that is uncertain or causes one to feel uncertain Uncertainty is part of life and it most certainly sums up the last five months of life in this world. Covid-19 barreled into our lives, turning almost everything upside down and inside out. Many people were
In transparency, these musings are being written over what should be my lunch time. However, I have no appetite (a rare occurrence) following a harrowing morning. The phones have been ringing off the hook, a scene that is repeated daily nowadays, and I understand why. But we all need to take one big collective step
We know summer as beach time. Playing in the sand and swimming in natural water. Sports. Hiking. Travel programs. Art programs. Learning programs. Pools. Barbecues on Bubby’s Grandpa’s deck. Sadly, summer 2020 is being truncated programmatically. This means many kids will be home this summer with plenty of time on their hands. Plenty of time
“Dr. Lightman – Will there be camp this summer?” This question rolls off every parent’s tongue nowadays, together with a look of longing that rivals that for a rebuilt Jerusalem replete with the Beit HaMikdash functioning at full capacity. I sure hope that summer camp happens. This important tool for lifelong growth could possibly happen
The rollercoaster called COVID-19 has slammed the world. It is a vortex of information, misinformation and everything in between. Facts and speculation about this moving target change so quickly that a fatiguing mental whiplash is one of its results. Back in the “ancient days” of this pandemic, meaning less than two weeks ago, scientists believed
A new kind of schedule or rhythm is emerging for our children and for us. Children are Zoom-ing through learning. I sincerely hope that children of all ages with disabilities and/or special needs have the proper support to maximize their growth during this unprecedented time. Yet a disquiet pervades. It is ubiquitous. It is in
Megillat Esther is not just a story, let alone a simple one. There are lessons to be gleaned that can help us to address issues that are eclipsing life. Let’s begin with Haman the vizier who was able to pass a decree calling for our annihilation. How did we Jews ever get ourselves into the
Winter 2020 — The virus Hylton I Lightman MD DCH(SA) FAAP It’s been quite the sick season and it’s not even the middle of February yet. Your child is coughing or sneezing. The runny nose. The fever which can make even the most rambunctious child into an endearingly pathetic creature. Waiting rooms in pediatric and
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Orthodox Union