Women’s Health Month: 5 Questions with Dr. Julaine Braham of Kiwi-Med
By Ranata Reeder, Co-Chair Emerging Leaders Awards, WWPR
In this candid Q&A style blog, Dr. Julaine Braham, double board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine specialist, shares the importance of preventative medicine in women’s health, current women’s health trends, and information on how women can take a comprehensive approach to wellness.
“When it comes to their health, I implore women to advocate for themselves.” - Julaine Braham, M.D.
What trends are you seeing in women’s health?
Now, more than ever, women are looking for trusted healthcare providers to guide them with a comprehensive approach to wellness that incorporates holistic methods.
What should every woman speak to her doctor about?
I advise adult women to ask and be proactive about their preventative screenings. This includes checking your risk for cardiovascular disease and checking your cholesterol panel. For women over 30, getting a calcium score done which ultimately checks the vasculature around the heart, and making sure you're on top of your pap smears. For those over 40, making sure you're on top of your mammograms or doing self checks. As women, when we go through our cycles, we can have dense tissue in our breasts, and certain areas will become more dense. That can be scary, but it's still important to do those checks so you can talk to your doctor, because early detection can save your life.
Also, if you are having concerns about random symptoms, say you have chronic fatigue and weight gain, but you know you're eating right, exercising properly, and you should be seeing the scale go down - if it's not, you definitely need your hormone levels checked.
What is one tip you have for women during Women’s Health Month?
The number one cause for death in women is cardiovascular disease. It's outpacing men especially as we get older. So I will go back to preventative screenings, and encourage women to stay on top of our modifiable risk factors (such as, making sure your blood pressure and A1c levels are controlled, eliminating or limiting meat, dairy, and alcohol intake, avoiding tobacco products and eating a well balanced diet) in order to prevent chronic diseases. This is why I'm very big on making sure to check in on patients diets, exercise routine and frequently monitor cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk factors.
What is one small lifestyle change someone can make that will have a big health impact?
Hydration and not only H2O water hydration, but with fruit water. For instance, cucumbers are 98% water and also carry a lot of minerals and vitamins. Hydrating fruits like pineapples, watermelons, and cucumbers, should be staples especially coming into the summer months. Fruits can have antioxidants, salts, nutrients, and the vitamins that you need. With fruits, you're getting hydrated plus you're helping your body be equipped to have a strong immune system.
What’s the best health advice you’ve seen on Instagram or TikTok lately?
The best advice I've seen is juicing. For your fruits and vegetables, if you're not eating it, juice it. Doing a weekly green juice at home to help detoxify the body and build your immune system would be awesome.
About Julaine Braham, M.D.
Dr. Julaine Braham is a double board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine specialist. She is deeply passionate about sharing the importance of health and wellness. Originally from Jamaica, Dr. Braham founded Kiwi-Med to provide high-quality virtual care for busy professionals who need convenient access to their healthcare provider. Dr. Braham is passionate about diving deep with patients and brings a mixture of Western medicine plus a holistic approach. Dr. Braham earned a Bachelor of Science from Oakwood University, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the American University of Antigua, and completed her Internal Medicine residency through Florida State University at Sarasota Memorial Hospital before completing the Obesity Medicine Certification Program at Columbia University.
