Dr. John Salerno

Dr. John Salerno

Dr. Salerno, Board Certified in Family Practice joined the Atkins Center in Manhattan in July 2002. Dr. Salerno brings more than 15 years of combined experience in Family Medicine, medical directorship and complementary Medicine.

Prior to joining The Atkins Center, Dr. Salerno most recently served as medical director of the World Trade Center Landfill. From 1998 to 2001, he worked in family practice and urgent care at locations in Ocala, Florida; and Bayshore and Lake Ronkonkoma in New York. From 1993-1997, he served as Medical Director for St. Vincent’s Immediate Health Care in Shelton, Connecticut. He was a preceptor at Yale University School of Medicine from 1994 to 1996.

Dr. Salerno is a licensed physician in the State of New York and in Florida. He is also a diplomat of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and a member of the American Osteopathic Board of Family Practice—of which he is a board certified member—the American Osteopathic Association, the American College for Advancement in Medicine, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine.

Dr. Salerno graduated magna cum laude from Adelphi University, in Garden City, New York, where he earned a bachelor of science in biology. He received his doctor of osteopathy from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of the New York Institute of Technology. He also did lab research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. He completed his internship and two-year Family Practice residency at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, New York. Dr. Salerno was nominated in 2002 by the America’s Registry of Outstanding Professionals.

Dr. John Salerno's Featured Product of the Month:

The Benefits of Saw Palmetto:

The round, red berries of the Saw Palmetto plant are the part used medicinally. They contain a fat-soluble extract, which acts by inhibiting the natural enzyme that converts the hormone testosterone into DHT. Medical research shows that DHT plays a role in benign prostrate hypertrophy (BPH) in which the prostate gland enlarges without malignant cells. Saw Palmetto works by regulating the amount of DHT, thus helping to control or reduce the growth of an enlarged prostate.
Saw palmetto berries also have anti-inflammatory and anti-fluid retention activity. The exact chemistry of the extract that causes this is yet unknown, but it is also part of the fat-soluble group. It also showed improvements in the urinary system of users. A three-year study in Germany found that taking Saw Palmetto extract reduced nighttime urination in 73 percent of patients with prostate problems and improved urinary flow rates significantly. Saw palmetto extract does not interfere with accurate measuring of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker used by doctors to detect prostate cancer. The effectiveness of Saw Palmetto has been shown in clinical trials to last from three to six months after regular dosages have been taken for at least 30 days. Various studies showed a reduction in prostate size within 30 days of use.
Clinical trials show that 320 milligrams per day of the extract from saw palmetto berries is a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of BPH. In other research saw palmetto extract proved to be as effective as the prescription medication finesteride, (brand name Proscar) in decreasing the growth of enlarged prostates.
Originally found in North America, saw palmetto first came to the notice of the scientists when they found that animals that consumed the plant benefited in many ways, including putting on fat to their bodies. They discovered that the plant’s actions on animals were similar to that of berries that became the animals’ staple diet after the food deficiency during summers. Significantly, the plant extracts had beneficial effects on humans, too. Humans, who were administered the saw palmetto extracts experienced better digestion, improvement in strength and vitality as well as putting on flesh and weight. As a result, medicines or tonics containing saw palmetto extracts were prescribed for people suffering from diseases that led to health deterioration. Tonics prepared from saw palmetto were specially found to be useful in the human reproductive system and was widely used to cure weakening of the testes, poor libido, sexual inability, prostrate swelling as well as all irritations in the reproductive system.
Physicians have been prescribing saw palmetto as a reproductive stimulant to women for enhancing their sexual vitality, fertility, to normalize irregular menstrual cycles, alleviate them from anguished periods as well as increasing milk flow in new mothers. It is also a useful remedy for irritating conditions like salpingitis and soreness of the ovary. Apart from being beneficial for the reproductive system, saw palmetto has proved to be useful for the urinary system too. It can be administered to people suffering from urinary diseases, maintaining fluids in the urinary system and bed wetting. Among its many uses, saw palmetto also helps to calm the nervous system and relieve people from anxiety and tension. Additionally, saw palmetto is a good healer for any mucous-related problem throughout the human body and is a good remedy for colds, catarrh, and sinusitis. The herb is also used widely to cure bronchitis and asthma owing to its rich expectorant qualities.
Saw palmetto is unique in the sense that it is one of the widely used Western medicines that is anabolic in nature and helps to develop body tissues from simple molecules. Hence, it is an ideal tonic to enhance strength, vitality and weight. Saw palmetto's fruit pulp is used to cure general weaknesses and inability to intake nourishment. Generally, saw palmetto is used to cure diseases in men, but keeping in view the plant’s potential estrogenic functions, it can be administered on women, too. Interestingly, saw palmetto has also been dubbed as ‘plant catheter’ as it is beneficial for reinforcing the bladder neck as well as for curing swellings in the prostrate glands. As mentioned earlier, this herb is applied as a diuretic to regularize urine gush and also as a urinary antiseptic to treat cystitis. While treating prostrate infection, saw palmetto is generally combined with hydrangea and horsetail.
As men age more male hormones such as testosterone collect in the prostate gland and in the blood stream. This testosterone is converted by the body into a more potent form called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Too much DHT in the body causes varying reactions in different individuals, including male pattern baldness, excess body hair growth and cell multiplication, which eventually produces enlargement of the prostate. Left untreated, a certain percentage of cases will lead to prostate cancer.
Other conditions, including cancer of the prostate, may produce symptoms similar to those in an enlarged prostate. It is also important to understand that Saw Palmetto is not a cure for all prostate conditions, but it can be used to maintain prostate health in men and for relief from symptoms. Men over the age of fifty should have regular prostate examinations by their physicians.