Dr. Maya Green: Its Time To Take Agency Over Our Health

Dr. Maia Green is the regional medical director for communities south and west of Chicago at Howard Brown Health. A graduate of Alabama A&M University and the MD/MPH program of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, he was the first to establish a COVID-19 testing center on Chicago's South and West Sides. He spoke with Munson Steed, editor of Rollout , about pressing medical issues for the black population.

Here's their conversation:

Munson Steed: You know, I want to thank you for all that you do to serve the entire black community. It's truly avant-garde; choosing to do this as a physician as well and not only treating those with insurance and those without insurance, but also being on the front lines of protecting the health of Black people. Thank you very much for this. I know it's not popular to be a doctor, standing up for ourselves in a system that clearly wants to reject us. It's new year. What should we do immediately as we begin to assess our health prospects as individuals this year?

Maya Green: First of all, thank you again for having me. It is an honor to care about your community. And wouldn't you know it, I've been good at it for almost two decades now. The number 1 thing we need to do this year is part of IQ's health focus, which is we need to embrace freedom of choice; we must control our mind, our body, our spirit and our entire health. This means that we are responsible for how well we do. We learn from our bodies and move toward making decisions that benefit us.

Munson Steed: When you think about society, if we can start with people who haven't had their first health assessment, why is it important for us to do health assessments at the beginning of the year?

Maya Green: I love the start of the year. And it's important to do a health assessment at the beginning of the year, because this is the moment, right? Many of us are busy making decisions. Some of us don't. But this is when you can say, "Hey, every year I have to go to a dealer I trust." Right? Don't go in alone. We are talking about agents who go to suppliers. You can trust your healthcare providers to meet you where you are and chart your path to health; these providers will accompany you on your health journey. So you realize that you need to where you're going, if you have to come back in six months, you know when that's going to be. It's June, so get started. And I also love the end of the year because it's a time for reflection, right? And when we think about the health of African Americans and today in the United States, there are things that are killing us faster than other people.

The leading cause of death for African Americans, according to the Center for Disease Control, is heart disease. Cancer, COVID, Accidents - Accidents, African Americans live in accidents, real things, we often have no free will: 5. stroke, 6. diabetes, 7. homicide, 8. chronic respiratory diseases like COPD or emphysema, 9 kidney disease and 10. Alzheimer's disease. So, a lot of times at the beginning of the year, when you look at these things and they put out all the stats, usually at this point, you can look and say, “Hey, what should I prepare for? I spoke to my doctor to talk? That's why I want to start it every year.

Munson Steed: You are a sister with superpowers; let's dig into one thing you talked about that's in the top 10: heart disease in the black community. But most importantly, heart disease for black women.

Maya Verde: Yes. So heart disease is one of the No. 1 killers of Black women, and a lot of times people just throw it away: heart disease. Thank you for creating this space. I want to go deeper into this, don't you? We know where our hearts are. We know that unlike our eyes, kidneys, and lungs, we only have one heart. You have two more, right? For the kidneys, when one kidney is damaged, the other kidney can compensate. But we only have one heart, and its job is not only to pump blood, but also oxygen and other nutrients that keep our body tissues healthy. Right? So I like to look at heart disease as the heart goes, as the heart goes, and everything else goes. So if my heart doesn't beat, my kidneys don't get enough oxygen and nutrients, that's kidney disease. If I don't get enough oxygen to my brain on a regular basis, it's a stroke. If you don't get enough oxygen to your lungs, it can cause lung disease. And another thing about heart disease that people don't think about is how good your dental health is, right? So if I eat something, if I don't keep my teeth and mouth healthy, it could have an impact on my heart. And if the heart goes first, one of the kidneys might stop or one of the eyes might stop, we don't want that. However, if this happens, the body will compensate. However, if the heart stops, it is called a heart attack. And this has important consequences, which unfortunately can be fatal for our communities.

Munson Steed: Let's dig deeper into what you're saying. Everything happened at once. There is a central organ that is actually responsible for communication and oxygen supply everywhere. And when you're stressed, what effect does it have on women? Women are definitely organizers and responsible for many things. How does it affect your heart? And why?

Maya Green: Yes, stress releases hormones and steroids, called cortisol, right? Cortisol really puts you in that situation and adrenaline puts you in fight mode, fight or flight mode, right? Great if you're in a situation that you need to leave immediately. But as time goes by, chronic fatigue has become the thing that affects the African-American community the most. There's a book on this topic called The Weathering , "but over time, chronic fatigue sets in and we adapt by trying to normalize the stress, but our bodies know better, right? So, in the long run, it's fight or flight and your body lacks focus on healing and focusing more on surviving the current situation.

So it actually has to do with oxygen and nutrients and the things you mentioned earlier; get the healing and start using it to survive whatever situation you are currently in. So let's move on to the heart and blood vessels and what they look like. When we sleep [and] when we rest, these are my veins; they should be, right? It's nice and easy when you get all the necessary healing, nutrition, and oxygen for all your organs, right? But when you're in a fight-or-flight situation and the cortisol is flowing, yeah, you go from nice and easy to that situation. Yes, all that stress causes vasoconstriction. This means you get less blood and fewer nutrients to the tissues. And again, it won't happen in two seconds. That happens over time, right? What this means is that it creates the situation that you're in right now, we've talked about ten different things that are in the top 10, but that's heart disease. These are heart disease and stroke; that's why you also see it first in African Americans, right? We are more aggressive; the whole system becomes more aggressive. This means you can see heart attacks, strokes, you know, it can cause brain damage, it can cause kidney damage, and it can also cause premature aging of your body organs. So when we talk about stress, I love talking about it because it should be part of our health IQ, the way we approach health, because it's definitely part of our health journey.

Munson Steed: You showed what stress does. What can you do to break this cycle? How can you mitigate, manage and strategize to truly relieve stress?

Maya Green : Yes, and stress, you know, stress is everywhere, right? We talk about how people sometimes see the world and how it affects them, but sometimes that's what happens at home, right? So you can't just leave the house. But what will you do? You can take time and make use of that time for yourself. You can have an open conversation, you know? Sometimes it is your partner who puts you in a stressful situation. When you're with a good partner, a good partner wants to know that he or she isn't adding stress to your life. I think communication is key, talking about what's happening, not just what's happening there, but what's happening here.

It's also about taking your time and finding what you love, right? Go for a walk you know, find an activity that suits you, whether it's drawing, whether it's a comedy show, like you said, you like watching comedy shows, what can we do to break that cycle You're going to go get your blood pressure checked regularly regularly, you know we all have that friend, you can be that friend, it's like, "Wow, I don't know. I'm just feeling a little high." Don't just say. Check; check your phone number, right? Because then you can track the number. Then if the number is high, you can work out a plan with your provider or, if you don't have a provider you trust, find one. I am here. There are many people like me in this country. You know, for us, this is something that we're very passionate about. But find someone you trust and form a partnership so you have a game plan if you notice your numbers are high.

Munson Steed: Well, if someone who takes precautions and invests in their health is also taking care of their health, why is that so important to the black community?

Maya Green: Well, you know, one of the things we don't talk about, and we often hear until it's too late, is that we are often the first line of defense. Right? Another thing that we don't hear is in medicine, when we look at the algorithms and the basic principles of medicine, we always talk about when it comes to patients of color, we have to lower the bar, you know, we have to, we have to use the lowest common ground when it comes to choice treatment. Right? And we didn't have that conversation. But if you go to any medical school, you will be taught that from our perspective, we have the worst of the worst treatment options. Often we have to discuss this with our health care providers when we go to the hospital or doctor's office, when we come to our clinic. So we have to protect ourselves; we have to say, “Hey, I heard there was a study like this. I know this is an option. I don't just want what has been given to me; I want to know what my options are. We must be our own advocates. And that also means finding suppliers you trust. I always tell people that if you are looking for a supplier, go to them and have a chat with them. I tell people that when you meet your suppliers, you interview them. Avoid situations where you have to go to him. And they say what to do. Ask them questions, you can even start your questions with them and say, "Hey, what do you think?" So give them what you want to know and let them talk. And see if it aligns with where you want to go on your health journey.

Munson Steed: In conclusion, because your knowledge is so broad and fundamental, if you could say one thing in a statement about how we can look at our health better and not take it for granted, what would you say?

Maya Green: I think your health is your wealth. Your health is your wealth. Your health is your wealth. And that's what we say - it's almost like a greeting, you know, in my family, when you leave the house, my mom says, "Hey, take care of yourself. Your health is your wealth." But this is something I firmly believe in. And if we changed our thinking and really started valuing our health as our wealth, I think we would make different decisions, we would look different, we would walk differently, we would talk differently, we would attract our friends and family in a different way, because your health is your wealth. .

Munson's Horse: Dr. Green, thank you so much for spending time with us during the presentation.

Maya Green: Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor. And I wish everyone a wonderful, prosperous and healthy new year. Happy New Year.

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