Warm Welcome

Warm Welcome to Dr. Steven Geanopulos

Functional Medicine joins Hallowell NYC 

As you know, we are always seeking to partner with caring providers who will help our patients take their lives to the next level. Because we take pride in our results-oriented approach, we are extremely selective with this process.  We consistently have patients visit our office and say, “This place just feels right,” and the reason is because the people we invite to join our team understand our mission…

Unwrapping the Gifts in All Minds.  

We employ a strength-based model to help all of our patients transform their most significant challenge into their most profound opportunity.  We treat the whole person using our multi-disciplinary team to coordinate care.  That being said, we would like to announce the arrival of a new physician to the Hallowell NYC team offering an innovative approach to treatment - another opportunity to unwrap YOUR gifts!

Dr. Steven Geanopulos is a Chiropractor, Board Certified Functional Neurologist (fewer than 600 in the world!), and an expert in Functional Medicine. He has the specialized skill set to uniquely understand the correlation between the nervous system, blood chemistry, immunology, endocrinology, brain chemistry, and GI function. Over the past ten years, Dr. Steve has helped 1,000’s of people in New York City lead happier, more productive lives, regardless of their circumstances and this is why he is a welcomed addition to our team. His intellectual background, combined with his desire to heal, and his dedication to the patient is what will provide many of you with the results that you have always yearned to achieve in your lives. Dr. Steve has said, "Everyone in life has a unique purpose and mission. Some spend their lives trying to understand what this means, but for myself, I have crystal clarity. The reason why I do what I do is because I desire to help those who do not fit into the mainstream medical model. My mission is to help patients that no one else seems to be able to."

We would be honored to have you schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Steve because outside of his ability to help children and adults who are battling with ADD/ADHD, he has a vast background other brain based challenges, gastrointestinal difficulties, and auto-immune disorders.  Dr. Steve will begin having office hours Friday, June 1.

Once again, we would like to warmly welcome Dr. Steven Geanopulos to the Hallowell Center NYC and we are extremely enthusiastic about the new dimension and depth that he brings to our practice.

Be Well,
Hallowell NYC Staff 

Yoga and ADHD

Yoga and ADHDby Kelly Coppola, LCSW

Research has shown that practicing Yoga increases several important neurotransmitters such as GABA, Seratonin, and Dopamine.  Such neurotransmitters play an important role in the brain's ability to function properly; with increased levels showing a decline in depression, anxiety, and AD/HD.  In addition to helping the brain, yoga increases oxygen in the body at the cellular level, and has been shown to improve stress, tension, asthma, inflammation, and sleep disorders.   


Yoga is not just for therapeutic purposes. Yoga can benefit everyone! Yoga is simply physical movement that is paired with breath. It can have a positive impact on physical health, concentration, balance, self-esteem, and on self-regulation. If you are interested in learning more about yoga for yourself or your child, try taking a class near your home or office, pick up an introductory book or DVD. There are many wonderful and fun videos available that provide clear, simple, easy-to-follow instructions. In addition, you may find that doing yoga provides another opportunity to connect as well as an enjoyable activity for the family to share!

For the brief article in Yoga Journal

If you would like to read the full article in the Journal of Attention Disorders, 

Kelly Coppola has been a clinician at the Hallowell Center for over 4 years, in addition to a Registered Yoga Teacher.  She has been trained in Vinyasa Yoga, a dynamic style of Yoga linking movement with breath, and recently was mentored by a Jivamukti instructor learning to incorporate meditation and breathing exercises into her practice.  Through her own daily practice of Yoga, Kelly has learned to manage her own symptoms of AD/HD, and would like to share this with you. 


Kelly will be forming 2 groups, with the date and times to be determined.  If you would like to be contacted please send us a quick email.

Beginner Yoga for AD/HD-90 min

This group will focus on the fundamentals of yoga, with an explanation of the postures combined with correct breathing techniques. Class will be interactive, and at a relaxed pace where students are encouraged to ask questions. Ideal for first timers to yoga, or those looking to go back to the basics.  Breathing exercises and meditations with be incorporated into each session.

Yoga for AD/HD-90 min

This group is suitable for those students who have taken yoga classes, and have a basic understanding of the asanas.  Classes will comprise of an asana practice with a specific focus, pranayama techniques, a meditation practice, and a group discussion.

Gaga or Gershwin?

Gaga or Gershwin?  

What We Need to Know About the Way Music Affects Our Emotions and Behavior

by David Horvath, PhD PMHNP-BC

Recently, I was one of nearly 3000 people attending a performance of Gustav Mahler’s 6^th Symphony performed by the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall.  It was a sold out crowd, and for 1 and ½ hours (no intermission), we sat silently and motionless, uninterrupted by cell phones, iPads, Mp3 players, or other electronic techno-gadgets.  There were no costumes, explosions, or dancers on stage, and except for a few muffled coughs, all was quiet during the brief pauses between movements. The conductor, Maestro Alan Gilbert never uttered a word, and his back was to the audience the entire performance.

Though commonplace in most major American and European cities, these kinds of musical events are the exception to the rule in a world of pop glitter, adrenaline pumping, subsonic bass beats, and a plethora of 3 chord songs that are virtually indistinguishable from each other. But whether you like Lady Gaga, George Gershwin, or Gustav Mahler, our attraction to music is rooted in our neural architecture. That is, our brains. are “hardwired” receive, interpret, and enjoy musical input.  Yet, are there some kinds of music that are better for us then other kinds?  Can music help us become better people?  Or can some music be harmful for us?

Music, like food, has many purposes. Some food is “fun food”- popcorn, candy, snacks. Some food we eat because we find it “comforts” us: hearty soups, mac’n’cheese, or meatloaf. Similarly, we like to dance to fun music, and often find comfort in songs that remind us of good times, a special person, or melodies associated with hope and faith, such as “Amazing Grace”.

But what about music to help us grow emotionally? Can music help us discover our inner strengths? Our capacity for love?  Or our innate resilience? Can music even help us to improve our focus?

Not long ago, I once sat next to a woman at a concert featuring a new work by a modern composer. Midway through the piece she began writing on a pad. Thinking she was a music critic, I asked her if she was drafting a review for the New York Times. “No, she replied”… “I’m actually writing a letter to a man who I’ve been meaning to write to for a long time. I don’t know why, but after hearing this piece, I’m ready to do it.”  We can only wonder what she said, but we do know that somehow, the music  had a profound effect on her in a way nohing else to date had. 

There are endless examples of how music resonates with human emotion and behavior. Film composers for example know that a two adjacent notes played together, (technically known as a minor 2^nd) creates psychological tension. Composers Bernard Hermann and John Williams used this device effectively in the films “Psycho” and “Jaws” respectively. Opera lovers are familiar with the opening motif of “Parsifal”; a beautiful, haunting unadorned melody which captures you attention and focus for its duration.  It is reasonable to say that this kind of musical experience might be therapeutic for people who have trouble staying on task. The so-called “Mozart Effect” demonstrates that listening to Mozart helps individuals with organizational performance. No surprise, given Mozart’s compositional gift of creating exquisite order and symmetry in his compositions. 

Luckily, science has shown that our musical brains are “forward compatible” so we can all gain by “upgrading” our listening choices and broadening our musical horizons. It may be time to get out of your musical “comfort zone.” So, if you are hooked on Lady Gaga or Adele, try some Sarah Brightman. If you like her, check out Renee Fleming. Into “Death Cab for Cutie?”   Miles Davis may be for you. Or even Mahler. Don’t get stuck in a rut with one band, one artist, or one style of music. Be adventurous. You may find out something new and interesting about yourself, or rediscover that sense of inner peace that has escaped you for so long.

Happy Listening!  

David Horvath is a member of the dynamic holistic treatment staff at the Hallowell Center NYC.