Selected Podcast
Time For Women to Reclaim Their Health
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz leads a discussion on women's health.
Featuring:
Nelly Kazzaz, MD, FACC
Dr. Kazzaz is a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Health, with SJH Cardiology Associates. She received her medical degree from University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine and has been in practice since 1996. Transcription:
Prakash Chandran: Women who began working from home during the pandemic may have had to don multiple hats. The intricacies of home and family care may have made some women forget about their self-care.
If you're listening to this and this sounds familiar, now might be a good time to reclaim your healthy habits. And today, we'll learn exactly what that means and how to do it. Let's talk about it today with Dr. Nelly Kazzaz, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Health with SJH Cardiology Associates.
Intro: St. Joseph's Health presents another edition of its podcast, St. Joseph's Health MedCast.
Prakash Chandran: This is St. Joseph's Health MedCast from St. Joseph's Health. My name is Prakash Chandran. So Dr. Kazzaz, really great to have you here today. Thank you so much for taking the time. You know, when it comes to women's health in general, perhaps, especially during this pandemic, what would you say is the most neglected aspect of care?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Thank you for having me. As a woman, a mother, a daughter of aging parents in the midst of a pandemic and as a cardiologist, I believe it's very critical to take control of ourselves and our health status. We must resolve to reclaim our healthy habits. So I would say preventive care is the most important aspect of our healthcare as woman, as you mentioned, wearing multiple hats during this time.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, absolutely. And so when we say preventive care, what exactly does that mean? Because I think that for a woman that is wearing so many hats, it almost feels like there's no time to take time for oneself. So maybe talk a little bit about what that means and where one can get started.
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: As we know, it's challenging to reestablish healthy patterns. But we learned one thing during this pandemic, we're strong, resilient, and we're very capable to adapt. So we have to remember that creating space for self-care is not being selfish, but rather essential. We cannot pour from an empty cup, so we have to make time to practice gratitude, allow ourselves to mourn losses, keep a schedule, even get dressed every day. Avoid mindless snacking. Increase your physical activity. It does not have to be a major exercise program. It could be walking, it could be jumping, it could be dancing to a music that make us feel better. We have to decide what works for us and follow it.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that's really great advice. One of the things that I wanted to ask you is, you know, as we're all under a lot of stress during this time, what can someone do to identify that, you know, it might be getting to the point where they really need to take action? Are there signs that you have seen or you start to look out for that women should be aware of?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Yes, the prolonged stress, the grief, the trauma, the isolation that we experienced had affected our eating habits. Our sleep is the major problem that I see dealing with my patients or even my family members and friends. I advice each and every one of the women that are listening to make an appointment with their physician. Talk about their physical health and mental health and seek companionship, accountability from a friend. We advise people to have physical distance, but that doesn't mean emotional and mental distance. We can always do Zoom meeting. We can be accountable by asking a friend or a neighbor to take a walk. But first and foremost is make an appointment with your doctor because a lot of people ignore that fact for preventive care, their usual mammograms and blood pressure check and cholesterol check. And of course, we can't forget our mental health, our sleep patterns because it will affect everything else that we try to pursue.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, it's one of these things where our body is a vehicle and, if we keep running it down and we don't do those frequent checkups and we especially don't check in with ourselves from a mental health perspective, then that's when things really start to bubble over or get to a point where something might happen. So it's so important to pursue, as you're saying, this preventative care checkup. Go to your annual physicals. Go see someone, go talk to someone if you are feeling something. Isn't that correct?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Absolutely. It is very important. That is a good start, knowing your numbers, where you stand. And usually, primary care physician, family physician will be the right person to start with and direct you and to the direction you need if we need to see a specialist or to see a mental health specialist or otherwise, but that's a very good place to start.
Prakash Chandran: So, you know, I want to talk about my wife here for a minute, who is amazing. She is taking care of a newborn. She is taking care of our two-year-old. She is taking care of me and, let's face it, I need lots of help. And she is just running things in the house or around the house just so well. And I know that doing all of that takes a toll. And it's hard because sometimes, there's just no time for herself. You know, a lot of the things that we're talking about that I know that she needs, it's hard to even imagine. Or I know for her, it's like, "Well, I have all these responsibilities. How do I even begin to start to take care of myself?" So if there's like one step, like a low-hanging fruit step where someone can just start to reclaim their healthy habits, as you're saying, what might that one step be?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: I teach all the women in my world to say, it's okay to say no. And it's okay to claim even if it's 10 minutes for yourself, and this is how it starts. So you can prioritize your responsibilities and your needs, even in these 10 minutes or even if you prefer to have half an hour every Sunday. But it's very important to say no when you can't. It's not selfish because if it's beyond your ability to keep going, it will affect what are the important things in life. I always felt like I can't be a good mother, unless I'm a happy mother. I can't be a good mother unless I had my sleep. And this is how I learn not to feel selfish about prioritizing my needs also, because it did affect my relationship with my children, with my husband, with my parents, with everybody around me.
So it's okay to say no when you can't add to all the responsibilities that you already have. It's okay to prioritize self-care. It is not selfish. It is actually critical.
Prakash Chandran: That is so well said, Dr. Kazzaz. As a partner, it sounds like the best thing that I can do is not only be understanding when my wife says, "No," or "I need that space" And obviously be supportive, but also to be proactive, right? To notice that, "Hey, you know what? There's a lot that she has on her plate, maybe this is something where I can step in and say, "Hey, you know what? Take the day off or take half a day. Take whatever time you need to rejuvenate and recharge." So is that the advice that you would give partners to kind of be understanding and proactive?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Absolutely. Allow it, prioritize it, normalize it. It's okay to take time away. I have to tell you we, as women, we are more social beings and this pandemic has affected us in a very different way. And I think just taking the time to call a friend for 10 minutes to socialize, it makes a huge difference in our mental wellbeing. So my advice would be allow it and normalize it to take that time away.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. Another piece that I have noticed is that when you don't talk to someone or you don't connect with people for a long time, sometimes you don't even yearn it anymore. You just think that it's normal not to speak to anyone. And it's only when you connect with someone, you're like, "Wow, I really needed this," right? I've noticed this with my wife certainly. Is this something that you're also seeing?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Without a doubt. You know, they say it takes 60 days to develop new habits and we all know it's been more than 60 days during this pandemic. We learned not to socialize. Maybe if we like to host parties, we like to plan events, we have not been able to do that. And it became the new normal. And it's okay that there will be a new normal, but we can't forget who we are. We can't forget what makes us who we are or what makes us happy or what fills our cup. So we do have to relearn how to develop new habits of maintaining the things that we enjoy to do, but maybe make a twist to it. Maybe enjoy the outdoors more or maybe just make our party that we'd love to host with less people. So it's very important to go back to who we are and what makes us who we are, just with a new normal, but It made us change the habits we have. We learned not to do this, not to get dressed, not to host a party, not to plan an event. And these sort of things that, again, made us who we are, even if we didn't plan it, attend it or look forward to it. So put something on the calendar. And it can be different than pre-pandemic, but put something on the calendar, plan it and look forward to it. That can make all the difference in the world.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. One question that might be a little strange is you're a cardiologist, you're not a psychologist, you're not necessarily in mental health, why are we speaking about this today? And why is this so important to you?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Because for the last year and a half, I spent more time talking to my patients about their struggles than actually their chest pain or their blood pressure or their cholesterol. And a lot of the studies had showed some difference in woman physician care to their patients, because the fact that we listen to that part. It's a very vital part of their overall health. We all know that stress, lack of sleep, increase our stress hormones, which can affect our blood pressure, our cholesterol, our weight, which can obviously lead to cardiovascular problems and events.
So I appreciate you mentioning, and I want to make that claim. I am not a mental health specialist. I am not a psychiatrist. But I am a physician and I care about my patients and it is indirectly and directly related to all the preventive care that I try to practice every day for the last 20 years.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And you're not only a physician, but you're a fellow woman who has a lot of these same struggles. And you're coming from a place where you're seeing these patients come to you and talk about some of these things that are unrelated or maybe on the surface unrelated to the field of cardiology. But, as you know, everything is connected. And so I think it is so important for more physicians like yourself to speak up about mental health. Because I think as you alluded to, one thing connects to the other, relates to another, right? So we have to be mindful of all the things that are the major driving forces in our health. Isn't that true?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Without a doubt. We have to treat our patients as a whole. And, yes, I am a cardiologist. But, as I said, we all know that all the risk factors associated with increased cardiovascular events except for aging and family history are definitely directly related to stress and bad habits and lack of sleep, which increase stress hormones and increase the weight, increase insomnia, increase blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and lead to events even if it's not immediately down the line. So it's very important for us as physicians, as cardiologists, as friends, as a fellow woman, as you said, that I address these things and give them a voice and be able to connect them to their overall health and wellbeing.
Prakash Chandran: Dr. Kazzaz, just before we sign off here, we've talked about a lot of important things. Do you have any parting words or any advice or encouragement that you'd like to leave our women listeners today?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: We hear you. It's been hard. It's been a trial that again showed our resilience, our ability to adapt. And we made it through the hardest part. I think what's coming, it's going to be better. And we have to remember to mourn our losses, not to cover them up. It's okay to feel grief, but it's okay also to celebrate our victory, whatever job we did and successfully do it. Being mothers, being wives, being friends, and being daughters, and, come up victorious at the end.
Prakash Chandran: Dr. Kazzaz, I think that is the perfect place to end. Thank you so much for your time today.
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: No, thank you for having.
Prakash Chandran: That's Dr. Nelly Kazzaz, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Health with SJH Cardiology Associates. For more information, you can visit sjhsyr.org, select find a service or specialty at the top of the page and search for women's health.
If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is St. Joseph's Health MedCast from St. Joseph's Health. My name is Prakash Chandran. Thank you so much for listening.
Prakash Chandran: Women who began working from home during the pandemic may have had to don multiple hats. The intricacies of home and family care may have made some women forget about their self-care.
If you're listening to this and this sounds familiar, now might be a good time to reclaim your healthy habits. And today, we'll learn exactly what that means and how to do it. Let's talk about it today with Dr. Nelly Kazzaz, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Health with SJH Cardiology Associates.
Intro: St. Joseph's Health presents another edition of its podcast, St. Joseph's Health MedCast.
Prakash Chandran: This is St. Joseph's Health MedCast from St. Joseph's Health. My name is Prakash Chandran. So Dr. Kazzaz, really great to have you here today. Thank you so much for taking the time. You know, when it comes to women's health in general, perhaps, especially during this pandemic, what would you say is the most neglected aspect of care?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Thank you for having me. As a woman, a mother, a daughter of aging parents in the midst of a pandemic and as a cardiologist, I believe it's very critical to take control of ourselves and our health status. We must resolve to reclaim our healthy habits. So I would say preventive care is the most important aspect of our healthcare as woman, as you mentioned, wearing multiple hats during this time.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, absolutely. And so when we say preventive care, what exactly does that mean? Because I think that for a woman that is wearing so many hats, it almost feels like there's no time to take time for oneself. So maybe talk a little bit about what that means and where one can get started.
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: As we know, it's challenging to reestablish healthy patterns. But we learned one thing during this pandemic, we're strong, resilient, and we're very capable to adapt. So we have to remember that creating space for self-care is not being selfish, but rather essential. We cannot pour from an empty cup, so we have to make time to practice gratitude, allow ourselves to mourn losses, keep a schedule, even get dressed every day. Avoid mindless snacking. Increase your physical activity. It does not have to be a major exercise program. It could be walking, it could be jumping, it could be dancing to a music that make us feel better. We have to decide what works for us and follow it.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that's really great advice. One of the things that I wanted to ask you is, you know, as we're all under a lot of stress during this time, what can someone do to identify that, you know, it might be getting to the point where they really need to take action? Are there signs that you have seen or you start to look out for that women should be aware of?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Yes, the prolonged stress, the grief, the trauma, the isolation that we experienced had affected our eating habits. Our sleep is the major problem that I see dealing with my patients or even my family members and friends. I advice each and every one of the women that are listening to make an appointment with their physician. Talk about their physical health and mental health and seek companionship, accountability from a friend. We advise people to have physical distance, but that doesn't mean emotional and mental distance. We can always do Zoom meeting. We can be accountable by asking a friend or a neighbor to take a walk. But first and foremost is make an appointment with your doctor because a lot of people ignore that fact for preventive care, their usual mammograms and blood pressure check and cholesterol check. And of course, we can't forget our mental health, our sleep patterns because it will affect everything else that we try to pursue.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, it's one of these things where our body is a vehicle and, if we keep running it down and we don't do those frequent checkups and we especially don't check in with ourselves from a mental health perspective, then that's when things really start to bubble over or get to a point where something might happen. So it's so important to pursue, as you're saying, this preventative care checkup. Go to your annual physicals. Go see someone, go talk to someone if you are feeling something. Isn't that correct?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Absolutely. It is very important. That is a good start, knowing your numbers, where you stand. And usually, primary care physician, family physician will be the right person to start with and direct you and to the direction you need if we need to see a specialist or to see a mental health specialist or otherwise, but that's a very good place to start.
Prakash Chandran: So, you know, I want to talk about my wife here for a minute, who is amazing. She is taking care of a newborn. She is taking care of our two-year-old. She is taking care of me and, let's face it, I need lots of help. And she is just running things in the house or around the house just so well. And I know that doing all of that takes a toll. And it's hard because sometimes, there's just no time for herself. You know, a lot of the things that we're talking about that I know that she needs, it's hard to even imagine. Or I know for her, it's like, "Well, I have all these responsibilities. How do I even begin to start to take care of myself?" So if there's like one step, like a low-hanging fruit step where someone can just start to reclaim their healthy habits, as you're saying, what might that one step be?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: I teach all the women in my world to say, it's okay to say no. And it's okay to claim even if it's 10 minutes for yourself, and this is how it starts. So you can prioritize your responsibilities and your needs, even in these 10 minutes or even if you prefer to have half an hour every Sunday. But it's very important to say no when you can't. It's not selfish because if it's beyond your ability to keep going, it will affect what are the important things in life. I always felt like I can't be a good mother, unless I'm a happy mother. I can't be a good mother unless I had my sleep. And this is how I learn not to feel selfish about prioritizing my needs also, because it did affect my relationship with my children, with my husband, with my parents, with everybody around me.
So it's okay to say no when you can't add to all the responsibilities that you already have. It's okay to prioritize self-care. It is not selfish. It is actually critical.
Prakash Chandran: That is so well said, Dr. Kazzaz. As a partner, it sounds like the best thing that I can do is not only be understanding when my wife says, "No," or "I need that space" And obviously be supportive, but also to be proactive, right? To notice that, "Hey, you know what? There's a lot that she has on her plate, maybe this is something where I can step in and say, "Hey, you know what? Take the day off or take half a day. Take whatever time you need to rejuvenate and recharge." So is that the advice that you would give partners to kind of be understanding and proactive?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Absolutely. Allow it, prioritize it, normalize it. It's okay to take time away. I have to tell you we, as women, we are more social beings and this pandemic has affected us in a very different way. And I think just taking the time to call a friend for 10 minutes to socialize, it makes a huge difference in our mental wellbeing. So my advice would be allow it and normalize it to take that time away.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. Another piece that I have noticed is that when you don't talk to someone or you don't connect with people for a long time, sometimes you don't even yearn it anymore. You just think that it's normal not to speak to anyone. And it's only when you connect with someone, you're like, "Wow, I really needed this," right? I've noticed this with my wife certainly. Is this something that you're also seeing?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Without a doubt. You know, they say it takes 60 days to develop new habits and we all know it's been more than 60 days during this pandemic. We learned not to socialize. Maybe if we like to host parties, we like to plan events, we have not been able to do that. And it became the new normal. And it's okay that there will be a new normal, but we can't forget who we are. We can't forget what makes us who we are or what makes us happy or what fills our cup. So we do have to relearn how to develop new habits of maintaining the things that we enjoy to do, but maybe make a twist to it. Maybe enjoy the outdoors more or maybe just make our party that we'd love to host with less people. So it's very important to go back to who we are and what makes us who we are, just with a new normal, but It made us change the habits we have. We learned not to do this, not to get dressed, not to host a party, not to plan an event. And these sort of things that, again, made us who we are, even if we didn't plan it, attend it or look forward to it. So put something on the calendar. And it can be different than pre-pandemic, but put something on the calendar, plan it and look forward to it. That can make all the difference in the world.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. One question that might be a little strange is you're a cardiologist, you're not a psychologist, you're not necessarily in mental health, why are we speaking about this today? And why is this so important to you?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Because for the last year and a half, I spent more time talking to my patients about their struggles than actually their chest pain or their blood pressure or their cholesterol. And a lot of the studies had showed some difference in woman physician care to their patients, because the fact that we listen to that part. It's a very vital part of their overall health. We all know that stress, lack of sleep, increase our stress hormones, which can affect our blood pressure, our cholesterol, our weight, which can obviously lead to cardiovascular problems and events.
So I appreciate you mentioning, and I want to make that claim. I am not a mental health specialist. I am not a psychiatrist. But I am a physician and I care about my patients and it is indirectly and directly related to all the preventive care that I try to practice every day for the last 20 years.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And you're not only a physician, but you're a fellow woman who has a lot of these same struggles. And you're coming from a place where you're seeing these patients come to you and talk about some of these things that are unrelated or maybe on the surface unrelated to the field of cardiology. But, as you know, everything is connected. And so I think it is so important for more physicians like yourself to speak up about mental health. Because I think as you alluded to, one thing connects to the other, relates to another, right? So we have to be mindful of all the things that are the major driving forces in our health. Isn't that true?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: Without a doubt. We have to treat our patients as a whole. And, yes, I am a cardiologist. But, as I said, we all know that all the risk factors associated with increased cardiovascular events except for aging and family history are definitely directly related to stress and bad habits and lack of sleep, which increase stress hormones and increase the weight, increase insomnia, increase blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and lead to events even if it's not immediately down the line. So it's very important for us as physicians, as cardiologists, as friends, as a fellow woman, as you said, that I address these things and give them a voice and be able to connect them to their overall health and wellbeing.
Prakash Chandran: Dr. Kazzaz, just before we sign off here, we've talked about a lot of important things. Do you have any parting words or any advice or encouragement that you'd like to leave our women listeners today?
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: We hear you. It's been hard. It's been a trial that again showed our resilience, our ability to adapt. And we made it through the hardest part. I think what's coming, it's going to be better. And we have to remember to mourn our losses, not to cover them up. It's okay to feel grief, but it's okay also to celebrate our victory, whatever job we did and successfully do it. Being mothers, being wives, being friends, and being daughters, and, come up victorious at the end.
Prakash Chandran: Dr. Kazzaz, I think that is the perfect place to end. Thank you so much for your time today.
Dr. Nelly Kazzaz: No, thank you for having.
Prakash Chandran: That's Dr. Nelly Kazzaz, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Health with SJH Cardiology Associates. For more information, you can visit sjhsyr.org, select find a service or specialty at the top of the page and search for women's health.
If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is St. Joseph's Health MedCast from St. Joseph's Health. My name is Prakash Chandran. Thank you so much for listening.