30-05-2025
From work/life balance to regular check-ups: 'Super Doctors' discuss staying ahead of good health
It's important to stay ahead of good health, because there's not much happiness and productivity without it, said a panel of the region's female 'Super Doctors' during a wide-ranging discussion of women's health topics and issues.
During the discussion, which was part of the morning's events during Kaleida Health's Women's Wellness Summit, May 6 at Kleinhans Music Hall, they provided actionable advice on preventive care and tackling the health issues facing the women in Western New York.
Panelists were:
Dr. Lachaundra Johnson, obstetrician/gynecologist at Niagara Street OB/GYN, Kaleida Health
Dr. Renée Reynolds, neurosurgeon, Oishei Children's Hospital, Kaleida Health
Dr. Stuti Tambar, breast surgical oncologist, Kaleida Health
Heather Ly Wesolek, marketing relations specialist for Kaleida Health, served as moderator.
The doctors agreed that women can't be available for their families if they don't take care of their health — health matters, they said. Make time for it.
Creating that elusive work/life balance
Reynolds offered advice to women who have a goal of balancing work and home.
For her, it's about organization and efficiency. This includes a Sunday ritual of planning meals and writing a schedule for the week so her children are clear on what is happening when for the next seven days.
Built into that schedule is an expectation that things could change unexpectedly, so flexibility becomes part of the plan as does the notion that doing something is better than doing nothing. If something interrupts her scheduled plan to get in a 30-minute run, for example, she will take advantage of the time that's left.
"I can take a 15-minute run. That's not what I set out to do but it's something. I feel you have to have that mentality," she said.
Johnson, a first-time mother with a 9-month-old son, professes to still trying to figure out the balance between work and home. She has allowed herself the grace to accept help from others.
"Realize you can ask for help," she said. "You don't have to do it all by yourself. It takes a village to raise a child."
Tambar values quality of time over quantity while raising her now nine-year-old triplets with her husband.
"I couldn't spend three hours with each of them, so it was usually a collective time. Maybe I didn't feed them the best cooked meal, but while they were eating, I was talking to them. My focus must be on quality time, because I don't think we'll ever have quantity," she said.
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Make time for your personal health
The panelists have all experienced patients who are reluctant to avail themselves of medical care. For some, it could be a scheduling issue. For others, perhaps fear is keeping them away.
Reynolds has heard of women who say they don't need to go to the gynecologist after seeing their primary physician, saying, "I'm fine. Nothing is wrong" or "I'm afraid of what they're going to tell me."
That is misguided thinking, she said. It's better to find any health concern early so it can be fixed, rather than letting it go so it can fester.
"We're not looking for something. We're looking at prevention, optimizing their health and them feeling well every day," she said. "Parents are such good advocates for their children. They want them to do well and be healthy, but they don't do that for themselves. You have to realize you are sometimes that important person for the other people in your life, but you want to be that important person for as long as you can, so your health matters."
Tambar agreed. Women who complain about being pulled in too many directions by children, aging parents and work, should never be too busy to get an annual mammogram, she said.
"At the age of 40 we should start getting mammograms once a year. Starting at age 50 that's when we hit menopause and that's when the risk of breast cancer increases. So it's very important to check your breasts once a month and stay true to that mammogram once a year," she said.
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Mark Mulville
Should a diagnosis lead a woman to Tambar, that patient can be assured of being presented with all treatment options. Tambar makes it her mission to keep her patients well informed so they can make the best choice for themselves, not just for their health, but also for their appearance.
Understandably, most patients are laser-focused on getting the cancer out of their body. Tamber wants them to consider the long view as well.
"It's valid to worry about physical appearance," she said. "In five years when the cancer is behind you and you look in the mirror, I want you to see what you want to see and be happy. My goal is to offer my patients every possibility and make them feel better and look good."
Johnson encourages all of her patients to become engaged, be informed and be active in their health care. This might be an even greater concern for Black women facing pregnancy.
The statistics are unbelievable for the era: Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To fix that problem, health-care reform is needed on a national level along with improvements to community-based organizations that serve the Black community, experts say.
Johnson faces it on a patient-to-patient basis. She finds her own experience with pregnancy to be helpful in relating to her patients and making them comfortable with her.
"I know what that's like. You've been working all day, your feet are swollen and you're numb and uncomfortable. To be able to connect with my patients on that level has opened my relationship with them. I can talk with them about it and give them tips, what works and what doesn't," Johnson said. "I'm able to educate patients, make it more relatable and connect with them to open up that dialogue."
