Only 5% of doctors are Black, even fewer are black females, and even fewer are black females with a specialization in Neurology. On this #WhiteCoatWenesday we would like to honor, Dr. Jessica Baity, the knowledgable neurologist from Louisana.
Dr. Jessica Baity is a Board Certified Neurologist serving patients in Southeast Louisiana.
She diagnoses and treats a variety of neurological conditions including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, migraine, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, and stroke.
She graduated from LSU New Orleans School of Medicine where she also did her Internal Medicine Internship and her Neurology Residency.
A native of New Orleans, Dr. Baity completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL where she studied International Relations and History.
She attended American University in Washington, DC earning a master’s degree in International Relations with a focus on Latin America.
Prior to medical school Dr. Baity worked in the international education field and was the owner of a small business focused on foreign language education and translation.
Today, she works in the hospital and clinic setting in a rural hospital in south Louisiana an hour south of New Orleans. When she is not working she is mom to a very fun 2-year-old and a very lively 5-year-old who keeps her very busy.
Dr. Baity recently guest-appeared on BDO’s Black History of Health Facebook live series. She covered the condition that the late Richard Pryor lived with, Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
She answered a range of common questions and concerns surrounding the disease including cures and treatments, symptoms, and signs that people should ask their doctor to get tested for MS.
“There are many symptoms of MS… and honestly the most common symptom is Fatigue and pain and that can be so vague, so it’s hard to go to your doctor and say ‘I’m tired,’ but when you have some of the other or more severe symptoms it’s usually a sign to bring up it to your doctor and get tested,” stated Dr. Baity.
While it is known that MS is seen more often in women, Dr. Baity also addressed the common misconception that black people were more likely to get it.
“Black people are not more likely to get MS.. all ethnicities and races can have MS. The one thing that is sort of bad is that while we’re not more likely to have MS, we’re more likely to have a more severe form of it.” Stated Dr. Baity
Many people living with MS are looking for different ways to remedy the condition and some have noticed that changing their diet has improved their experience with MS.
“Not exactly to say that improving your diet can help with Multiple Sclerosis in particular, but different diets are great at easing inflammation.” Dr. Baity Continues, “so the more exercising you do, the more fruits and vegetables and whole grains and fish and chicken. All of those things are going to reduce inflammation in the body.”
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