Interviews
Q&A with Eliz Greene
Thursday, October 4, 2007
PTINR.com Staff
Woman's heart health advocate, Eliz Greene, shares her passion with PTINR.com
This month we are treated with a special interview with Eliz Greene. Eliz survived a heart attack at age 35 while seven months pregnant with twins. As the director of the Embrace Your Heart™ Wellness Initiative, Eliz is on a mission to inspire women to pay attention to their heart health, and educate health care professionals about the challenges faced by female heat patients.
From Wisconsin, where warfarin (Coumadin ®) got its name, Eliz was gracious enough to field our questions.
Question: The saying, a difference in a woman’s heart goes beyond the romantic side, in your experience – is healthcare delivery different for men vs. women?
Answer: I regularly talk with women who are a little over weight and have high blood pressure, but since their doctors don't address the problem, think they are fine. Only twenty percent of doctors talk to their female patients about heart disease – even though it is the number one health threat for all women! No one wants to talk to a woman about her weight, but when a physician fails to take notice, the woman is given permission to continue on her unhealthy and potentially life threatening path.
Women are far less likely to be prescribed medications to control blood pressure and cholesterol and do not receive the type of tests and early intervention as men with similar risk factors. Fueled with these statistics, I have been motivated to actively support the HEART for Women Act. Not only does the Act provide funding for screening of uninsured and underinsured women, but educates health care providers about the importance of addressing heart disease with all women. In addition, the Act sets standards for including women in clinical trials and guidelines for early intervention. It is an extremely important piece of legislation.
Q: Share with us your goal of your website: www.EmbraceYourHeart.com?
A: Following my heart attack, I knew I had survived for a reason. I've been given a powerful story to tell and am grateful for the opportunity to use it to make a difference. My mission has three parts:
Inspire women to pay attention to their heart health through down-to-earth strategies and motivation.
Educate health care professionals about women and heart disease and the importance of addressing heart disease with all female patients.
Champion the cause of women and heart disease and dispel the stigma of heart disease by celebrating female survivors who make a difference.
Q: Your issue of Patient’s Perspective magazine (available online) focuses on women living on blood thinners – what are key issues unique to women?
A: Certainly having your period on blood thinners is an unique experience! Younger women like myself can find that time of the month very challenging. Active women can find bruising and injury difficult as well. In addition, trying to balance work, home and your health can be quite trying when you are managing a drug like warfarin. When my daughters were young it was hard to get into the lab to get my blood tested. I am certainly glad there are tools available to make managing your INR easier!
Q: What questions would you recommend women ask when seeing their doctor when starting Coumadin (warfarin) therapy?
A: How will this impact my daily life? What activities will I have to stop or modify? How will this effect my menstrual flow? Can I adjust my medication during my period? How can I best balance a healthy diet and my medication? (Not avoiding nutritious vegetables) How can I best prepare for an injury or emergency? (Having emergency information and a plan) .
Q: Much of your work is to promote quality of life for today’s active women – how do you see home INR monitoring supporting an improved quality of life for women taking warfarin?
A: Anything which can make a woman feel in control is a great asset. Being able to use warfarin as a tool for your health as opposed to an ordeal you must endure is a remarkable difference! Travel, diet changes, hormones and many other factors can influence a woman's INR. Being able to detect and manage these changes quickly is an enormous improvement in the quality of life.