Dr. Sol Silverman, DO, of Summit Health is a dedicated, compassionate family physician who provides personalized lifetime primary care, from young children to geriatrics. Specializing in wellness and preventative care, Silverman also provides expert management and treatment of chronic health conditions.
Dr. Silverman has been interested in medicine since he was about six years old. “I was experiencing various nonspecific symptoms and went from doctor to doctor taking blood test after blood test with no results. Finally, an ophthalmologist put all the pieces together from seeing a small amount of inflammation in my eyes. He diagnosed me with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, explaining all the pains in my legs and a limp that was ever so obvious. As a child I was fascinated how the whole body was connected and worked as a system.
“In medical school during the family medicine rotation, I realized that this specialty was for me. I was in awe observing my attending family medicine professor. Not only did he know every medical issue of each patient but also every personal detail, like where they vacationed or that a patient’s grandson played lacrosse. The longer I worked with him, the more I realized how being familiar with details of a patient’s personal life helped to provide them with personalized care. I knew that not only did I want to be a doctor for my patients but a companion as well, helping them to feel both physically well and mentally well.”
Silverman is strong on the concept of preventive medicine, emphasizing that the ideal efficacy is possible when there is continuity of care. “With the recent increase in urgent care centers, many people don’t see the need for having a primary care doctor and will just go to an urgent care when something comes up. But the goal, he said, “… is to have a doctor who knows your baselines and your history; a health care provider who is keeping you up-to-date on routine screenings and vaccinations in order to optimize your health and well-being.”
He added, “As a primary care physician, I am the first line of defense. Although family medicine requires a considerable range of knowledge, I feel confident in what I know and what I can treat; and I also feel confident in recognizing when a situation requires further evaluation from a specialist. I work closely with numerous excellent specialists and can make referrals, also assuring that they will be seen in a timely manner.”
Silverman explained that a significant aspect of his training as an osteopathic physician involves viewing a patient as a whole and not just “individual parts needing to be fixed.” The longer he knows and treats a patient, the more information he has at his fingertips in managing the patient’s health-care needs. “My goal is always to treat an individual experiencing an ailment as opposed to simply treating a ‘textbook’ illness.’” Refreshingly, Silverman shared that “While medications are a big part of what I do, medications aren’t always the right or only answers.”
For example, in his online interview (which can be viewed by using the link below), Silverman discussed a great deal about hypertension and diabetes. His advice to young patients who want to prevent these conditions showing up later in life includes: get annual physicals, know and understand the family’s medical history, eat well, and exercise and stay up-to-date on all routine screenings and vaccinations.
Another important consideration in Silverman’s care is the convenience, truly expedience, of acquiring essential routine as well as “not-so-routine” screening procedures. Patients have access within the same building to bloodwork (lab and results); a full imaging facility including mammogram, CT and MRI; and eight different specialties providing a smooth and swift transition to a specialist.
Silverman’s family practice serves the health, wellness and medical needs, and interests of the entire family. His expertise and broad spectrum of knowledge and experience accompanies families from early childhood through the cycles of life and into mature adult and retirement life with care and compassion.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Silverman, call (973) 685-5920, visit www.summithealth.com/doctors/provider/1902369416 or scan the QR code in Dr. Silverman’s ad on this page.
Ellie Wolf is a staff writer at The Jewish Link.
