ALIPRINTS

“It was the American Dream.”

says Dr. Tallaj, who now enjoys painting and international horse racing in his free time. “It was the American dream.”

Prevention is The Key

Today, as New York heals and reopens, Dr. Ramon Tallaj has been appointed as the cochairman of Mayor Eric Adams’s COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force. Even with all of this on his plate, he is still with his people—in the streets, at their homes, and in the hospital. That may sound strange for a Manhattan doctor and healthcare executive, but Dr. Tallaj says that is precisely why we have to transform our “sick care” system into a true “health care” system. “We have really done something unique in New York City,” he says of the healthcare platform he founded in 2015. “We establish genuine relationships with our patients and get to know their family circumstances, social lives, and the environmental factors that impact the health of the patient and their families. Prevention is the key.” And because so many of SOMOS’s patients rely on Medicaid, those long-term health improvements mean big savings for the state via a 25-percent reduction in hospital admissions.. P

Dr. Lee Phillips Sex & Couples Therapist

BY BENNETT MARCUS

Opens Hamptons Practice Dr. Lee Phillips, an awardwinning psychotherapist and Certified Sex & Couples Therapist (CSCT) with practices in both New York City and Virginia, is bringing his expertise to the Hamptons. He just opened a new office in Watermill. drleephillips.com With over 13 years of experience, Dr. Phillips has built a successful, safe, non-judgmental, sex positive, empathetic, and warm practice, helping his clients achieve their goals using holistic approaches to treat the whole person and not just the symptoms. Dr. Phillips works withand patients with depression, sexual challenges, anxiety disorders, trauma, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, chronic pain, chronic illness, disabilities, and disease. He also works with LGBTQIA populations. Dr. Phillips also offers advice on his Sex & Chronic Illness Podcast to connect with individuals all over the world. podcasts. apple.com

What is a Sex Therapist?

Sex therapy is a form of talk therapy; people talk about sexual challenges. These may be lack of desire and arousal, erectile challenges, women experiencing painful intercourse, or those struggling sexually with their partner due to lack of emotional connection. Psychotherapy helps calm the body by restructuring our thoughts, becoming more relaxed during sex, and being able to communicate intimate and sexual needs to one’s partner. Some clients may have fetishes or fantasies that they don’t feel comfortable sharing with other people. “We talk to patients about how to have healthy sex and how to be honest and how to change their behavior through a sex-positive lens, because people have erotic needs,” Dr. Phillips says. “We’’ve normalized a lot in sex therapy and give “WE TALK TO PATIENTS ABOUT HOW TO HAVE HEALTHY SEX.”

people a comfortable place to be able to talk about their sexual desires and their issues.”

Sex Positive; Inclusive; Kink-friendly

As a certified sex therapist, Dr. Phillips provides a safe, non-judgmental environment for all types of relationships and all sexualities. Those in non-monogamous, polyamorous, and/or kink relationships are welcome, as are swingers, people of color, and members of the BDSM and LGBTQ + communities. “I’m kinkaware and see a lot of folks that are in different relationship structures, so patients know that they may throw out a term and I’ll know what it means,” he says.

A Nonmonogamy Agreement

He helps couples who may want to open up their relationship to come up with a nonmonogamy agreement. Others may want to close their relationship back up, – a phenomenon that became more prevalent after Covid hit.

“My thing has always been as long as it’’s consensual and you’’re protecting yourself, have the sexual freedom that you want to have, because pleasure is our birthright, and it’’s something that we all deserve, no matter what that is.”

Dr. Phillips also works with people to help them have different types of sex. “There’’s this idea that we have to have intercourse, but no, the skin is the largest sex organ, and the brain is the most important sex organ. So, we have erogenous zones on our bodies that we can explore. There’’s a lot of power to touch that can really enhance eroticism,” he says. People can be sexual in different ways. “And that’’s really the work that I love doing, because I love when my patients can walk out of my office and say, ‘There’’s really nothing wrong with me. I can enjoy pleasure any way that I want to.’”

A Widely Quoted Expert

With his unique background in treating people of all sexualities, genders, and abilities, Dr. Phillips’ expert advice is highly sought after by the media. He has been quoted in Teen Vogue, Men’s Health, The Washington Post’s “The Lily,”, and Bustle. He has been featured on many podcasts focusing on sexuality, including that of internationally renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel.

Dr. Lee Phillips, Dahiana Perez & Micah McLaurin

PHOTO BY PATRICK MCMULLAN

Specialty: Chronic Illness & Intimacy

“Psychotherapy has become one of the leading treatments for chronic pain, because doctors can prescribe but people need to learn how to regulate their thoughts and their emotions as it relates to their pain,” explains Dr. Phillips. “If they can do that, what the research finds is that they can manage their pain a lot better.”

He treats patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, and chronic migraine headaches, as well as accident victims with chronic back pain or neck pain. Dr. Phillips is a recognized specialist in treating people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and neurologists and other medical professionals often refer their patients to him.

When diagnosed with a chronic illness, a person’s life is shattered; it changes, and they eventually reach a resolution phase in which they start to adapt to their new needs as their body has changed. That is where the desire for intimacy may resurface. “They want to be able to reclaim their life again, to be able to have sex. Maybe they can’’t have the sex that they used to because they have a lot of pain. So, we work on how do we map that out.”

Divorce & Chronic Illness

An example might be an MS patient who has more energy in the morning, so they may be sexual in the morning where prior to getting sick, they were sexual in the evening. “We talk about how to manage that, and how to support the healthy partner because sometimes they can become their caretaker,” Dr. Phillips explains. That is an important factor, since a high percentage of marriages end in divorce due to chronic illness. “It’’s really hard for someone who had a vibrant sex life prior to getting ill because sexuality is definitely a part of our identity.” P

The Ritual

BY BAILEY BECKETT

Spilling the Tea T he healing properties of teas have been an essential component of Eastern medicine for centuries yet have only recently begun to be explored by Americans seeking an alternative to pharmaceuticals. Four years ago, when New York entrepreneur and model Anna Chernitskaya discovered that she was chronically ill, she turned to the tradition she knew from her youth to treat herself successfully and naturally through tea and lifestyle changes. Anna has since founded @the.ritual.tea, bringing teas of exceptional quality and healing potential into the marketplace, beginning with her Buckwheat Tea.

Anna Chernitskaya

Upon moving to the US from Eastern Europe, Anna was becoming ill frequently. “There is constant air-conditioning everywhere, which I was not used to, and my body reacted. I was diagnosed with chronic tonsilitis and treated with antibiotics and other medications, but the symptoms persisted.” Anna began seeing her body reacting to problematic American food. “I was definitely not feeling like myself because so much of the food here is processed. I gained more than twenty pounds.” She explored ways to treat herself with intermittent fasting and Buckwheat Tea. “A lot of illness is attributed to sugar intake, which creates many complications, up to and including cancer.”

Buckwheat Tea

What makes Anna’s Buckwheat Tea unique is the taste and the process through which it is produced. Originating in China, where much of the world’s highest-quality teas are grown, its benefits are abundant. “I am obsessed with this tea because it’s filling and tasty. It’s FDA-approved, and it has no caffeine,” she says. “It has a relaxing quality, reducing stress, and the body feels more comfortable, in addition to curbing your appetite. When I lost twenty pounds by drinking Buckwheat Tea, I was hooked for life.” Born in Poland, Anna says, “I grew up in a very healthy environment, where we used nature for medicinal needs by treating ailments like high blood pressure, flu, and heavy monthly periods with herbs and teas. Also, we ate a cleaner diet without processed foods. Natural foods are much more satisfying to the body.”

Blueberry & Valerian Root Teas

Developed during the pandemic, @the. ritual.tea is launching with Buckwheat Tea, but Anna has more in the works, including a sleep-inducing tea driven by valerian root extract, and then a blueberry tea, high in antioxidants. “I really love the idea of helping yourself with supplements as part of a broader healthy routine and healthy rituals,” she says. “That’s why I named my brand The Ritual. It is a ritual that you can add to your daily life for improved health.” You can purchase Anna’s The Ritual Tea at

Anna Chernitskaya

PHOTOS BY MARK GRGURICH Anna with Ritual Tea