By Charlene Giannetti

No one has to tell millions of New Yorkers that spring allergy season is here. “When you start to see the yellow forsythia bloom, that’s when people start to complain,” said Dr. Lisa Liberatore, whose medical office, Lexington ENT, begins to fill up with patients suffering stuffy noses, itchy eyes, and, if not treated, sinus infections. And it’s not your imagination: New Yorkers suffer more. “In the city we have high rates of asthma and sinus problems probably caused by pollution as a secondary irritant,” she said.

Liberatore’s advice is to keep nasal passages free of irritants by using a netti pot, a device that resembles a small teapot and is used to send a stream of saline water in one nostril and out the other. “Rinsing is one way to effectively wash everything out—pollutants and allergens, from the nose,” she said, adding that the netti pot should be used every evening before bedtime.  If irritants are not washed away, the nose makes mucous to cleanse itself, thus starting a chain reaction that may trigger a sinus infection.

If the netti pot seems basic, like something your grandmother would recommend, Liberatore makes no apologies. “I try to use natural methods as much as possible,” she said. Her approach is proactive, advising her patients with allergies to use a saline spray during the day, take Mucinex D to promote drainage, and perhaps take a decongestant to ward off infection. Once the sinuses become infected, it may take time and several rounds of different antibiotics to cure. “We’re seeing more severe cases and they often fail the initial course of antibiotics,” she said. Ears, too, may become infected when blockages cause the Eustachian tube to become inflamed. “Ears take a long time to heal and if you fly, you lengthen that time,” Liberatore said.

Sleeping becomes more difficult for anyone with a nasal problem. In the past, Liberatore frequently sent her patients to a sleep lab when she felt they would benefit from a sleep study. “Patients were often complaining about the sleep labs, that they were dirty, not comfortable,” she said. So she decided to open her own, first on the second floor of her Upper East Side office, and for the last eighteen months on East 62nd Street. “It looks like the W Hotel,” she said, with a laugh. “We try to make patients not nervous about going there.”

During a sleep study, a patient is monitored and the information analyzed by a technician who sends the data to a doctor board certified in sleep medicine. After Liberatore receives the report, she meets with the patient. “Almost always the recommendation involves weight loss,” she said, noting that many sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, may result from being overweight. Another cause may be anxiety, the inability to close down worries and stress from the day in order to sleep. Liberatore is not a proponent of sleep medication like Ambien, and prefers holistic methods, such as massage therapy, acupuncture, exercise, and changing the diet to avoid substances like caffeine, in order to enhance sleep.

Liberatore is board certified in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and facial plastic surgery. “I take a more natural approach to aging and believe it should be as natural and graceful as possible,” she said, explaining how the plastic surgery part fits into her practice. If a patient is not feeling well and not sleeping well, she is probably not looking her best. “I try to think about it in terms of the medical issues first,” she said. “Whatever I do will be natural and not overdone.” She doesn’t market the services to everyone and, even then, uses products like Restylane, Juvederm, and botox just “to enhance.” If a woman is in her early forties, small touches “will promote a youthful look for a long time,” she said. “She won’t need a facelift.”

Liberatore knew from age five that she wanted to be a doctor. Growing up she played the piano in competitions and always felt very confident using her hands. A graduate of New York University, Liberatore earned her medical degree from Stonybrook University. At first she thought about becoming a cardiologist, but found that specialty boring during her medical school rotations. Someone suggested she look into otolaryngology and she has never regretted her decision. For three years, she studied under world renowned otolaryngologist, Vijay K. Anand. She launched her own practice thirteen years ago and has been in her current location on East 85th Street, east of Lexington Avenue, since 2002.

She met her husband, Dimitri Kessaris, during their freshman year in college and they attended medical school together. He is an urologist with a practice in Great Neck. “We did our matches for residencies and both got New York placements,” she said. Married for nineteen years, they live in Manhasset with their two children, Alexander, 12, and Michael, 11. Their younger son is autistic and Liberatore is very involved in investigating possible treatments for autism. As a family, she said they pursue outdoor sports, not only because they love being physically active, but also because such activities benefit Michael.

Doctor’s offices can be spartan and antiseptic. Liberatore’s are warm and welcoming, like walking into your great aunt’s parlor. Her mother, an interior designer, decorated Liberatore’s offices, as well as the sleep center, the one that resembles a fine hotel. The chairs in the waiting room resemble fine antiques, while the examining rooms themselves are comfortable and non-threatening. Liberatore’s associate, Monica Nguyen Okun, is also a board certified otolaryngologist and, like Liberatore, helps to put patients at ease.

When Liberatore moved her offices into the neighborhood, she ventured across the street to introduce herself to the fire fighters at the engine company on East 85th Street. Because Liberatore’s office is located in a rather imposing building, the firefighters joked with her saying the wrought iron gates in front of her office meant, “we don’t take GHI (for government health insurance) gates.” Liberatore, however, has a way of winning people over. When the fire fighters found out that her brother is Freddy “The Pitbull” Liberatore, a Golden Gloves boxer, she was immediately accepted. She said with a laugh, “They said, `not bad for a girl from Queens.’”

Dr. Lisa Liberatore’s website is www.lexingtonent.com

Favorite Place to Eat: Nino’s, 1354 First Avenue, between 72nd and 73rd Streets, because they always know how to make you feel welcome and the Lobster fra diavolo is fantastic.

Favorite Place to Shop: Searle, but I really need a personal shopper because I really do not like to shop and never have the time to shop.

Favorite New York Sight: Seeing all the people sprawled in Central Park on the lawn on a beautiful, sunny Saturday in the early spring when everyone is so excited to be over the winter.

Favorite New York Moment: The first time attending a concert at Lincoln Center with my then boyfriend who is now my husband, Dimitri .We were eighteen years old and although I played the piano since I was seven years old I had never been to Lincoln Center. When the orchestra began playing, I got goosebumps all over and felt like I was transported to another magical world.

What I Love About New York: The ability to always have some place to go which satisfies any craving you might have at that moment. If you want peace, you go to the museum. If you want excitement, you can find a great nightclub and dance. Whatever kind of food you crave, you will find the best place outside of that country to eat it in NYC.

What I Hate About New York: The subways. I just feel an assault to my senses when I go down into the subways. I hate the noise, the dirt and the tense feeling there. I wish we could have a beautiful subway system like I have seen in Europe.