Best Practices: Elektra Health
Board-certified gynecologist, Dr. Anna Barbieri, and family nurse practitioner, Jackie Giannelli, shine a light on perimenopause and menopause care and the importance of keeping women healthy during Covid-19 and beyond.
As women’s health providers who are passionate about holistic care, Anna Barbieri, MD, and Jackie Giannelli, FNP-BC, were drawn to Elektra Health and its mission of providing an innovative and integrative approach to perimenopause and menopause. Given the pandemic-related challenges of in-person provider visits and the emotional and physical strains connected to this, Dr. Barbieri and Jackie Giannelli know how important it is to offer continuity of care for women — especially now. Read on to learn about Elektra’s unique approach to women’s health and why these clinicians believe easier access to care is increasingly important during this time.
How did each of you find your way to women’s health?
Anna: When I started my clinical experience with patients as a newly minted third year medical student, I had the intention of following in a mentor’s footsteps and specializing in medical oncology. But after just two days of my OB-GYN rotation, I realized my heart and passion were in women’s health. I rearranged my schedule for the remainder of my education, applied to a residency program in OB/GYN, and now have spent over two decades working in this wonderful field.
Looking back over the last twenty years since I’ve been in practice as a board-certified gynecologist, I realize that part of this field’s appeal is that it places a whole person’s health at the center of care. OB-GYN doesn’t just have to do with getting pregnant, delivering babies, or treating fibroids. It’s a varied field that offers continuity of care, personal relationships with patients and the ability to impact not just our patients’ lives, but their wider communities, too. To this day, women are the predominant caretakers in our country. When I effect positive change in my patients’ lives, it can have a larger ripple effect on their families and beyond.
Jackie: I’m a board-certified family nurse practitioner and I love taking care of families, but I found my way to women’s health soon after moving back to the East Coast from the Bay Area. My first job after moving back was in urology and gynecology, which were both new fields for me. I kept an open mind at the time, but I soon fell in love with women’s health, in particular. I realized early on that when you’re taking care of a woman, you’re healing the heart of the family, and families are the fabric of our society. From that point on, I’ve relished every opportunity to be a part of women’s healthcare.
How would you describe your philosophy around women’s health?
Anna: My philosophy centers around two ideas. The first is that gynecological health is not just about the uterus or ovaries or how regular one’s menstrual cycle is. Rather, it’s a reflection of the whole body’s health. Our systems are interconnected, and should be treated as such.
Secondly, care should always be personalized for each individual. Sometimes, medicine can be very cookie-cutter and protocol-oriented. While I certainly believe in evidence-based medicine, I also believe that a patient’s background, genetics, and preferences need to be taken into account when choosing the right recommendations and treatments for them.
Jackie: There’s no doubt that women’s healthcare is nuanced, but I really believe that it should start with a shift of thinking. Many women are socialized to put their needs last, and it can be difficult to encourage them to put these needs first. I like to use the airplane mask analogy — you have to care for yourself before you can care for anyone else. Once a woman can finally start to prioritize her care, she’ll be better equipped to take advantage of the possibilities available. Like Anna, I also believe in a holistic approach to women’s healthcare — it’s about caring for the body, mind, and soul.
What connected you to Elektra Health and its mission?
Jackie: After working in female sexual medicine, I developed a strong interest in menopause care. I had witnessed the gap in our healthcare system when it comes to this and wanted to be part of the solution. Because I started my medical journey in the Bay Area, I already had an interest in leveraging technology to help patients.
So when I connected with Elektra founders Jannine Versi and Alessandra Henderson, I knew there was something special there. We met over coffee and bonded over our mutual interest in bringing menopause care into the 21st century. It also meant a lot to me that they were an all-female founded team.
Anna: I actually connected with Alessandra through one of my patients who understood my interest in women’s health and especially in women’s hormonal health. At the time, Alessandra was working on developing the early philosophy of Elektra, and we realized how well our interests aligned. We both wanted to provide more in-depth care for women going through one of the biggest transitions in life — menopause. Specifically, we were both interested in approaching women’s hormonal health from a whole person perspective by combining evidence-based medicine with more integrative methods, rather than one-time, quick fixes.
What makes Elektra Health’s approach to perimenopause & menopause care and treatment different?
Jackie: To start, Elektra is on a mission to smash the menopause taboo by empowering women with world-class care, education, and community. The traditional medical approach to perimenopause and menopause care is primarily centered on symptom management. Take hot flashes, as an example. If a patient complains about hot flashes, they’ll likely be offered a supplement or medication as a quick fix. Not surprisingly, this approach doesn’t address the root cause, and the “solution” is not long-lasting.
At Elektra Health, we go deeper. There are over 31 million women currently navigating menopause in the United States, and 80% of them report that menopause has negatively impacted their quality of life. Elektra aims to reframe this transition in a positive way. Our thorough patient intake process helps us build personalized roadmaps for each patient, enabling us to deliver effective, sustainable care that empowers every woman. Our partnership with Capsule has also been essential in ensuring that our patients get their medications when they need them.
Anna: I think Elektra elevates the topic of perimenopause and menopause health to something that merits time and consideration. Few providers give menopause care the time it needs to be effective and in some cases, life saving. This is the period in women’s lives that can affect their future risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. At Elektra, we ensure that every woman has the time they need to discuss this important transition that will ultimately impact the rest of their lives.
Elektra combines conventional medical approaches, like hormone replacement therapy or medications, with evidence-based integrative approaches, like lifestyle management and botanical supplements, to ensure that every woman continues to thrive throughout this phase and beyond. Finally, because our model has always been virtual, we’re uniquely positioned to offer care regardless of external circumstances.
In March, Elektra Health opened its platform for free 15-min OB/GYN visits to any woman, regardless of age. Why was this an important step at the onset of the pandemic?
Anna: The pandemic took us all by surprise. The world, and patients’ ability to access healthcare, changed very rapidly. Offering these free 15-minute visits was an important step in Elektra’s mission of offering continuity of care. We wanted to increase access for women who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get treatment during this time. We received calls from women in different locations and in many different stages of their lives and it was wonderful to be able to help them.
Jackie: We knew we had to step up to help our community. The women we treated were incredibly grateful to have access to fast, secure, high-quality medical visits during the crisis. This pandemic has forced us to confront the many weaknesses and disparities in our healthcare system. I hope that by offering care to all women, not just women in menopause, Elektra has been able to help on this front.
In what ways have you seen Covid-19 affect the physical and mental health of your patients?
Jackie: Anxiety has been a tremendous mental and physical consequence for my patients. In my sexual health practice, I’ve seen a lot of manifestations of anxiety in pelvic pain. For my menopausal patients, there have been a lot of complaints of disrupted sleep. In general, we’re witnessing how chronic stress can have significant effects on our overall health.
Anna: We’ve seen an increase in the number of behavioral health issues, including depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. Chronic stress can also affect hormones, which is an important factor for our perimenopausal and menopausal patients.
How are you helping your patients combat these new obstacles?
Jackie: We just launched our 21-day Sleep Workshop at Elektra, which is a symptom-specific workshop that focuses on common sleep problems throughout the menopause transition. The tools we’re teaching at the workshop — mindfulness, breathwork, and body scanning — are also applicable to combating the physical effects of the pandemic. Also, educating patients about anxiety management, and the implications of chronic long-term stress on the body, have been big topics of late.
Anna: Elektra’s workshops are great examples of action-oriented education that can be really helpful when it comes to combating the effects of chronic stress and anxiety on the body. We’re lucky to have a robust team that’s experienced and knowledgeable about the different women’s healthcare modalities from prevention to prescription medications.
What positive outcomes do you see on the horizon?
Anna: I think this time has shifted how we think about the importance of health. We know there’s a direct correlation between Covid-19 complications and chronic disease, and I’m hopeful that this pandemic will force us to focus more on personal health and societal health.
What’s more, Covid-19 has helped us realize the importance of redesigning an old healthcare system that hasn’t been radically changed in decades. Elektra is helping redefine that system by offering greater access to care, as well as greater ease of care. By using telemedicine and remote and delivery services like Capsule, we are working to improve convenience and access — something that will be of increasing importance as we navigate the future of healthcare.
What are some misnomers about menopause that you’d like to dispel?
Anna: That the experience is negative. Menopause is varied and not at all an indicator that the “rest of your life is downhill from here.” I’d like to reframe menopause as a transition to a different time of life that can be just as vibrant and productive as the years before.
Jackie: Definitely. Though menopause is mandatory, suffering is not. Menopause is not the end of the good years of your life. It’s a new beginning, and taking care of your body during this transition can be incredibly empowering.
Vital Signs
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Jackie: In order to grow, you have to be OK with getting uncomfortable.
Anna: It’s a Gandhi quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
New favorite at-home activity?
Jackie: At-home exercises. I’m loving the classes from The Sculpt Society.
Anna: Growing tomatoes. It’s not as tricky as you may think, anyone can do it!
What are you reading for fun?
Jackie: As an essential worker and a mother, free time is limited! But I’m currently re-reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle, which relates so well to my practice of taking care of women.
Anna: I also have very little time to read for fun, but am currently making my way through Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng, before I watch the HBO show.
What’s one healthful habit you’d love to see patients adopt?
Jackie: This may not be the most popular answer, but I’ve seen a lot of memes emerging in my mom circles about coping with quarantine parenting with alcohol. Unfortunately, always having a glass of wine in your hand isn’t the best answer, especially as it can increase the effects of anxiety. The long-term physical consequences of drinking can also include depression and poor sleep — especially for menopausal women.
Anna: I’m a passionate believer in the power of diet and nutrition when it comes to health promotion and maintenance so I’d like to see women going three-to-five days without any added sugar or processed foods. I’ve found that this is a great exercise to see benefits to your mood, sleep, and productivity. A lot of positive things can happen when we nourish our bodies the right way.
Know a great female doctor in NYC? We’d love to meet her, introduce us here!
