Lake Health and Wellbeing is  happy to support Dafina Malovska’s campaign calling on the UK’s Department of Health to introduce annual gynaecological check-ups for every woman in the UK. We believe a policy like this will save many lives by enabling the early diagnosis of gynaecological cancers that have no screening programmes – ovarian, womb, vulval and vaginal cancers.

Also, annual check-ups can assist in the early diagnosis of a range of conditions that significantly affect women’s quality of life, such as fibroids and endometriosis.

You can show your support by signing Dafina’s petition here and please read the article below to find out more about this issue.

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At the age of 35, Dafina Malovska was diagnosed with stage 2 womb cancer which had spread to her ovaries. Her only option, at the time, was to have a total hysterectomy (the removal of her womb and both ovaries) which sadly deprived her of having her own children and plunged her into an immediate surgical menopause.

Dafina was lucky that her cancer was diagnosed at a fairly early stage and she survived, but many women are not so lucky and are diagnosed at a late stage when it is too late for successful treatment.  The late diagnosis of these gynaecological cancers occur, in part, because there is no screening programme for most of these cancers.

Currently in the UK cervical cancer is the only gynaecological cancer with a screening programme and this has successfully reduced the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer.

Developing a cancer screening test is challenging and researchers across the world are working tirelessly to develop screening tests for those cancers that require one.  Until then, when it comes to womb, ovarian, vulval and vaginal cancers, women have to be aware of the signs and symptoms, but this can be problematic as it can be hard to identify symptoms as the symptoms of these types of cancers are similar to a range of other conditions which can lead to misdiagnosis.

For example, in February 2014, before Dafina was diagnosed with womb cancer she started experiencing extreme bloating and visited her doctor almost monthly. Eventually her symptoms were wrongly attributed to gluten-related bloating and by November of that year Dafina became very unwell while abroad and it was subsequently discovered that she had 14cm tumour weighing 500g .

If Dafina had access to an annual gynaecological check-up her tumour could have been discovered earlier before it had spread to her ovaries.

In many countries throughout the world, girls and women have annual gynaecological examinations and it’s important that the UK explores this approach as its survival rates for gynaecological cancers such as ovarian cancer are significantly lower than other countries’ rates.

Change is needed and you can make a difference by signing Dafina’s petition which appeals to the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock MP, and the Minister for Women and Equality, Penny Mordaunt, to explore the introduction of annual gynaecological check-ups for women in the UK.

The first target for this petition is 10,000 signatures and her ultimate target is 100,000.  So far, Dafina has been able to secure 3,723 signatures. When her target is achieved, her petition will be presented to Matt Hancock and Penny Mordaunt.

Dafina would be very grateful if you could please sign, share and spread the word and for more information, you can follow her campaign on Instagram

We’re always looking for volunteers so if you have an interest in dedicating some of your time to a good cause, then please do complete the form below.

Our opportunities are very flexible so you can dedicate as much, or little, time as you’re able to. For most of these roles you can work  from anywhere in the world using collaborative tools like Zoom, Google Docs and WhatsApp  to work virtually with team members and other volunteers.

Our current volunteer opportunities include bloggers, social media officers, admin assistants, event assistants and graphic designers. Find out more below:

Bloggers

Do you like writing? Are you interested in health and inequalities? Then why not volunteer to become a Lake Blogger. As a blogger you’ll write articles on health issues that are of interest to the black community and can select health topics or we’ll provide you with a topic list. You can then submit your blog articles when you’re able to, we’ll review your article, provide feedback and then publish it. You’ll be listed as the author and are welcome to share your articles far and wide. After major milestones (e.g. first 10 blogs, volunteering for a year, getting to 1000 blog views) you’ll receive a certificate and the opportunity to be interviewed about some of your stories.

Want to see some of the great blog posts that our previous volunteers have worked on? You can check these out here

Social Media Officers

Is social media your thing? Then this opportunity is perfect for you. You’ll manage our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts creating engaging content that promotes our work, raises awareness of health issues that are particularly relevant to the black community and assist with developing specific social media campaigns. You’ll also assist with organising our fibroids Twitter chats and explore ideas for social media events.  After major milestones you’ll receive certificates and awards to recognise your contribution to our organisation.

Admin Assistants

Are you able to give just a few hours a week to help us behind the scenes? We’re looking for Admin Assistants who can help with organising and evaluating health awareness events (including liaising with speakers and vendors), being the point of contact for email enquiries, assisting us in writing reports, conducting desk-based research and  assisting with a range of other administrative tasks. After major milestones you will be recognised for your contribution to our organisation.

Event Assistants

In 2019, we’ll be hosting a series of women’s health events in St Kitts  entitled ‘Girl Talk: Informal, Informative and Empowering Discussions on Women’s Health.’ These events are being organised in collaboration with the University of Medicine and Health Sciences and we’re looking for volunteers to assist on event days with the following tasks:

• Setting up the venue
• Assisting with social media coverage of the day
• Helping collect data  (encouraging people to complete feedback forms, encouraging attendees to sign-up to our mailing list, counting the number of attendees etc.)
• Welcoming vendors and speakers and helping them set up
• Handing out promotional material
• Selling raffle tickets
• Clearing up at the end of the event
• Ushering duties (showing attendees to their seats and giving directions)

Graphic Designers

We’re looking for graphic designers who can volunteer for a few hours a week to assist with a variety of design projects. These include:

• The redesign of our fibroids booklet
• The design of our fibroids fact sheets
• Creation of flyers for health awareness events
• Design of social media promotional material for campaigns
• Design of information packs, information sheets, guides, reports etc.
• Creating website images
• Designing infographics and educational material

More Information

For more information about these roles, please email info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com 

Apply

You can apply for any of these roles by completing the form below.

No Fields Found.

The information that you provide in this form will only be used to help us find the best volunteer opportunity for you and won’t be shared with, or sold to, any third parties.

Back in January we had the pleasure of joining Go Venture SKN’s first hike of the year which was to the summit of Mount Liamuiga.  This was such a wonderful experience, personally and physically (great exercise!), so we thought we’d share it.

About Mount Liamuiga

To give you a bit of background, Mount Liamuiga is a 3,792-foot volcano found in the north-western region of the beautiful Caribbean island of St Kitts. The peak of Mount Liamuiga is the highest point in St Kitts and it has a steep-walled, 1-km wide crater.

The last confirmed eruption of the volcano was 1800 years ago, reports of eruptions in 1692 and 1843 have yet to be confirmed. So, it’s pretty much considered a dormant volcano except for some active fumaroles in the crater and two periods of earthquake swarms from 1988 to 1989 and 1999 to 2000.

Our Hike

We have had our eye on the great Mount Liamuiga for some time, contemplating a hike up to its peak and then down into its crater.  We’d heard stories of how challenging the hike is, so that had deterred us until this opportunity arose and we thought “How difficult can it really be?” –  we certainly found out!

The Go Ventures SKN team (our guides for this hike) was great, we loved their positive energy and great customer service throughout the process starting with keeping us informed in the lead up to the day of the hike and giving us a quick check-in call the day before to brief us on what to expect (it usually rains at the peak) and what to bring (snacks, drinks, water resistant clothing etc).

It was a fairly early start on the day of the hike (7:15am meeting time) and after a warm welcome, an introduction and driving up to the starting point, we began the hike at about 8am.

Our hike up to the peak was amazing, I can’t provide you with a description that would do justice to the beautiful scenery we encountered as we made our way through the lush rain-forest that covers the slopes leading up to the top of the mountain.

As I looked around, I marvelled at the intricate arrangement of trees and plants – roots were beautifully intertwined, smaller plants were happily sharing living space and creeping along huge imposing trees and unusual root structures led from tree to tree.

I was surprised to learn that the rain-forest wasn’t home to many insects or animals.  I was expecting to dodge spiders and other creepy crawlies, and possibly spot some interesting animals along the way. Not at all. Our Go Ventures SKN guides explained that you rarely see any signs of insects (just a few snails sleeping under leaves) and the monkeys that are found in large numbers all over the island don’t venture out to the mountains.  So, it was pretty uneventful from that point of view, thank goodness!

It Was Tough!

The hike was tough with a capital T!

After about an hour I was absolutely exhausted, and we weren’t even half way to the top of the mountain. I didn’t think I would make it. The hiking trail is rocky and there was a lot of climbing, as in holding on to rocks and trees and climbing up (or in my case being pushed up by my husband!). I had envisioned a nicely landscaped path that would gradually lead us up the mountain. This was not the case and to be honest, I am glad it wasn’t a nicely landscaped path. This was much better, I got an excellent workout and it was fun, even though at times I was ready to quit because I was so tired and my heart was pounding.

As we climbed further and further up the mountain, the temperature steadily dropped and by the time we got to the top of the mountain (over 2 hours after we started), it was freezing cold and raining heavily. Thank goodness we came prepared with our raincoats.

Sadly, the rain was so heavy and the cloud cover at the summit so thick that we couldn’t go down into the crater for safety reasons. We tried to wait it out, but alas the rain and cloud wouldn’t let up. So, we braved the rain as much as we could, had our packed lunch, took in the fresh air and as much of the view as we could whilst in the midst of quite dense cloud cover and then proceeded to make our way back down the mountain.

The hike back down was just as tough and made all the more challenging by the rain, so it was quite slippery. I had a few close calls but managed to make it back down in one piece and still smiling. I loved it!

All in all, the hike took us 5 hours. This included quite a few breaks and a 30-minute stop at the top of the mountain. By the end of the hike we were muddy, wet and exhausted but I was feeling invigorated and inspired by my encounter with nature.

Some Lessons Learnt

Nature is such a great teacher. As I was making may way up and down Mount Liamuiga, I reflected on the wisdom this old mountain had to offer. Lessons that speak to our wellbeing.

We can be so focused on getting to our destination that we forget to enjoy the journey

About an hour or so into the hike, I was one determined lady. I was going to get to the top of the mountain even if it killed me. This meant I was laser focused on that objective and had stopped looking around to truly appreciate the journey up the mountain. It wasn’t until one of the Go Ventures team members said: “Turn around and look at that view” did I realise that I was missing the best part of the hike – the beauty, the unusual trees and the artwork created by the way in which all the vegetation was connected. It was at that moment that I stopped focusing so much on getting to the top and started to really take in the scenery and appreciate the beauty all around me.

Life can be like that too. We can be so focused on getting to the top of our careers or achieving a particular goal that we don’t enjoy our experiences in their entirety . Oftentimes,  when we get to our destination it is often too late to really appreciate the journey or we’re so focused on moving on to the next goal that we forget to take a moment to bask in our success or take time out to enjoy the important things in the journey of life, like our family and friends.

The need for real connection in communities

One thing Mount Liamuiga kept teaching me with every footstep is the need for real human connection in our communities.

In this fast-paced world we live in, it’s hard to form a real community that is connected, where there is genuine interest and concern about each other. This means people can become very isolated and lonely and miss out on forming important friendships and relationships.

As I looked at the rain-forest community, I could see the connections that make the rain-forest a thriving eco-system. Trees and plants are interconnected. Larger plants provide support to smaller plants helping them reach the sunlight, plants with deep root systems provide much-needed grounding to those that need it and root systems talk to each other daily – there is constant contact and checking-in.  No one is left behind or alone.

This made me think that it’s important for us to make time for face-to-face interactions so that we can begin build genuine relationships within our community, making our communities stronger.

The importance of silence

One thing that struck me, particularly on the way back down the mountain, when the guides had switched off the music, was how quiet the rain-forest was. It was a bit eerie at first. I was expecting to hear signs of life, but nope, it was extremely quiet.  It was hard to believe that despite the rain-forest being packed with trees, plants and sleeping snails, it was really quiet. It got me thinking that I am not used to being still. I am used to so much noise. If it’s not the TV, it’s music, podcasts and radio. If it’s not that then it’s my inner noise – constant worrying, inner thoughts, thinking, planning and endless restlessness.

The two hours of peace and quiet during the hike started to feel like bliss. Time to clear my mind and reflect. I didn’t realise how mentally tired I was, and the silence gave my mind a much-needed break.  Mentally I never felt better than in those moments of silence. It had been a tough few months and this moment of peace had been the medicine I needed to usher in a sense of peace.

A short video of our hike to Mount Liamuiga

We All Need a Nature Break

This hike was a wonderful experience .The beauty of our surroundings, being at one with nature, getting some good exercise and the positive vibes from Go Ventures SKN made this a memorable experience. This hike highlighted the importance of the great outdoors in improving our mental wellbeing and giving us the opportunity to recover from the pressures of modern-day life.

Find Out More

Do you live in St Kitts or will you be visiting St Kitts soon? Then we highly recommend that you give the Go Ventures SKN team a call and book a hike with them. You can visit their Facebook page to find dates for their next hikes.

If you want to find out more about the wellbeing benefits of the outdoors, then check out a guest blog post from Capital Garden Services about gardening and wellbeing here

Childhood obesity is a major health issue in the Caribbean with 1 in 3 children being overweight or obese. Being obese and overweight in childhood is linked to the development of a number of health issues such as diabetes and hypertension, and it also negatively impacts a child’s mental health. These health issues can follow children into adulthood with children affected by obesity, or who are overweight, having an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese adults and developing non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease in later life.

Childhood obesity is a significant challenge here in St Kitts and Nevis. A PAHO report revealed that 33% of secondary school children in the twin island state were overweight and 14% were obese. More recently, in 2017, a UNICEF report published that 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis are obese.

Childhood Obesity Solutions

To combat childhood obesity we have to ensure that children adopt a healthy lifestyle and one approach is to explore how we can reduce the consumption of products that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. One strategy is to focus on nutrition education and making it easier for to parents identify which foods are high in these components, so they can easily make healthy choices when they purchase groceries.

Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling

Front-of-pack nutrition labelling has been introduced in many countries to provide a quick and easy way for consumers to assess the health of the foods they purchase. Currently there are several front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems with the main options being:

Summary indicators. These include the Health Star Rating developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand which gives foods a 1 to 5-star rating based on their healthfulness and France’s Nutri-score which puts foods into five categories, A to E, based on how healthy they are deemed to be.

The traffic light system. This uses the colour code green, amber and red to communicate whether products have a low, medium or high level of salt, sugar and saturated fat based on daily intake references.

Warning labels. This uses a ‘high-in’ label to inform consumers that foods are high in certain nutrients

Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling Consultation in the Caribbean

Caribbean countries are starting to explore the introduction of front-of-pack nutrition labels. The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality held a consultation from 15^th October 2018 to 31^st January 2019 on pre-packaged food labelling which included front-of-pack food labelling. The labelling system being explored is warning labels and we were pleased to have been able to submit a response to their consultation.

Our Views

• We support the introduction of front-of-pack nutrition labels in the Caribbean
• We believe that front-of-pack nutrition labels present a quick, easy and useful way of communicating the healthiness of pre-packaged foods
• We believe that front-of-pack labelling provides information in a way that is easier to understand, with respect to healthiness, than back-of-pack nutrition labelling
• We believe more work is needed to determine which front-of pack  labelling system would be most effective in the Caribbean
• We believe that a full assessment is required to determine if front-of-pack food labels will influence consumer behaviour in the Caribbean and if not, why not
• We feel that if the ‘high-in’ labels are to be used, the colour of the labels should be reconsidered, from black to red. This is important so that we begin to steer dialogue away from black always being seen as a negative, which has a wider societal context with regards to race and ethnicity
• We believe a standard international front-of-pack nutrition label is required to ensure consistency and to prevent confusion

Next Steps

CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality will review all the comments it has received from throughout the region and decide on a way forward with respect to nutrition labelling of pre-packaged foods.

We look forward to seeing how the strategy for FOP labelling in the Caribbean develops and are pleased to see this action being taken on this matter.

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References

1. UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area and the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, Christ Church, Barbados, 2017
2. PAHO, Health in the Americas, 2012: St Kitts and Nevis, PAHO, 2012
3. Kanter, R., Vanderlee, L., & Vandevijvere, S. (2018). Front-of-package nutrition labelling policy: Global progress and future directions. Public Health Nutrition, 21(8), 1399-1408. doi:10.1017/S1368980018000010

World Cancer Day is on 4^th February and it  gives the world the opportunity to come together to raise awareness and campaign on key issues to improve the care, support and treatment given to patients.

Organisers, the UICC,  announced that the theme for World Cancer Day is #IAmAndIWill and this theme highlights that fact that whoever you are, you have the power to reduce the impact of cancer for yourself, the people you love and for the world.

The campaign therefore encourages everyone to make a commitment by using the hashtag and sharing who you are and what you will commit to in order to tackle cancer.

Our #IamAndIWill Commitment for 2019-2021

Our World Cancer Day commitment is to focus on children and raise awareness of the fact that overweight or obese children are more likely to become overweight or obese adults, and being overweight as an adult increases a person’s risk of developing cancer. In  fact, the World Cancer Research Fund has found that being overweight or obese throughout adulthood is linked to an increased risk of developing 12 types of cancer.

Our campaign appeals to parents to reduce their children’s future cancer risk by ensuring they’re a healthy weight now, and this can be achieved by ensuring that children:

• Are physically active and take part in 60 minutes of physical activity every day
• Eat a healthy diet

Childhood obesity is a significant challenge here in St Kitts and Nevis. A PAHO report revealed that 33% of secondary school children in the twin island state were overweight and 14% were obese. More recently, in 2017, a UNICEF report stated that 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis are obese.  We have to tackle childhood obesity to improve the health of our children to ensure they become happy, healthy adults.

We believe that by beating childhood obesity we can also contribute to beating cancer, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“I am Lake Health and Wellbeing and I will make an impact by spreading the word

about childhood obesity increasing a child’s future cancer risk” – #IamAndIWill

What We’re Doing Beyond World Cancer Day

Our work doesn’t stop after World Cancer Day, we’re working to beat childhood obesity all year round through our new childhood obesity prevention project. 

We’re currently working on developing innovative resources to get children active so they can easily get to and maintain a healthy weight.

How You Can Get Involved

You can get involved by raising awareness on social media and sharing your thoughts on this issue. You can use any of the images below or the short video clips below.

                                                               

                                                               

Also, we’d love it if you could support us by making a donation, which will go towards our childhood obesity prevention project.

You can make a donation below:

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Thank you for any support you’re able to provide and we hope you’ll join us for World Cancer Day to #BeatChildhoodObesity and #BeatCancer

References

1. UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area and the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, Christ Church, Barbados, 2017
2. PAHO, Health in the Americas, 2012: St Kitts and Nevis, PAHO, 2012
3.  World Cancer Research Fund, Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: A Global Perspective,  World Cancer Research Fund International, London, UK, 2018.

Back in 2013 we conducted a survey to understand the needs of women affected by fibroids. As we conducted this survey, we kept hearing very strong words and phrases describing how living with fibroids was affecting the mental health of women.

“I have hated life at times because of fibroids. I feel like I am being punished for something.”

“Depression from feeling that my only options were drugs or surgery”

“Fear of not being able to have children”

“Just a constant fear of what they could become”

As a result of this we started to explore this issue further by speaking to women who attended our fibroids awareness events and soon realised that this was a much wider problem. To compound this issue there was little information available, at the time, about the emotional impact of fibroids and no services to support women with fibroids in addressing these issues.

So, we decided to reach out to counsellor, Olivia Haltman, the founder of OH Services to speak at our Fibroid Focus event, a conference we held in 2016 for women with fibroids.

Olivia gave an excellent presentation that explored the emotional impact of fibroids explaining how fibroids can affect not just women’s physical health but their mental health too. The reaction from women after her presentation was profound, a stunned recognition that:

• Other women feel the way I do
• What I have been feeling isn’t trivial
• Someone articulated exactly how I was feeling in a way that I never could
• There is a way to address this aspect of my experience with fibroids

Following this event OH Services began work on developing their first 4-week online course on the emotional impact of fibroids. Not only was it a first for them but, to our knowledge, it is the first ever course on this topic. This course was launched in November 2018 and we had the pleasure of attending.

Over the 4 weeks OH Services created a safe space for women to come together to discuss the emotional impact of fibroids. As we listened to the discussion, we realised this was the first time that attendees were exploring this side of fibroids, and it was challenging. They were given the opportunity to reflect and explore their emotions and how these have been impacted by their experience with fibroids.

Ms Haltman explained with some clarity what specific emotions many women feel categorising them into the emotions that women may experience before and after a diagnosis, as well as some general emotions.

We learnt of the fear, anxiety and uncertainty that can occur in the lead up to a diagnosis which is particularly significant as many women with fibroids have symptoms weeks, months and sometimes years before receiving a confirmed diagnosis.

We also learnt of the emotional toll that managing symptoms such as pain, heavy bleeding and anaemia can have on a woman’s quality of life, affecting her personality, relationships, effectiveness at work and restricting the activities she can participate in.

Ms Haltman also described the difficulty of having to deal with treatment decisions, the potential of  a loss of fertility and the possibility of a recurrence after treatment.

The discussions during this course were insightful and thought-provoking and to ensure that participants made the most of each session, participants were given activities after each session to consolidate their learning.

The course ended on a positive note, one of hope and sisterhood with Ms Haltman taking participants through methods and techniques to address these emotions and start a self-development journey.

We really liked that the way this course was delivered. It was interactive and practical with participants being split up into groups to share experiences and explore specific topics. Also, the homework ensured that what was learnt in each session was explored further and applied immediately.

This course fills a huge gap and we believe it is much-needed so that women with fibroids have the support they need. Therefore, we highly recommend this course to anyone who has been affected by fibroids or is supporting a friend, family member or client with fibroids.

The next course starts on 6^th March at 7pm UK time and you can register online here or for more information you can email ohservices@counsellor.com

More Resources and Information

• Fibroids and Your Mental Wellbeing – a fact sheet by Lake Health and Wellbeing and OH Services
• OH Services – Improving the Mental Wellbeing of Our Community
• Podcast: We Talk to Olivia Haltman About the Emotional Impact of Fibroids
• OH Services Starts an Online Forum for Women With Fibroids

Early-bird registration ends soon for our fibroids and exercise webinar, in just a few days!

This webinar will focus on ‘The Importance of Exercise, Relaxation and Me-Time. ‘ and will take place on Saturday 23rd February at 11am AST (that’s 3pm GMT or 10am US Eastern Time).

In this third webinar we are pleased to have as a guest speaker Candice Bryan, the Founder and CEO of Noire Wellness. Candice will discuss the impact that exercise, physical activity and stress have on fibroids and how you can take control, balance your hormones and alleviate your symptoms through exercise, relaxation and having a bit of me-time.

“If sport and physical activity were a drug, it would be regarded as a miracle.” ~ Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, UK

Discounted Early Bird Tickets Are Now Available

Early bird tickets for this webinar are available until 23rd Jan and are just $10 (about £8) and you can book your place and find out more here or make a quick payment below using your credit card.  After 23rd Jan tickets are $15 (about £11).

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Previous Webinar

Did you miss the first webinar in our series: Fibroids, Diet and Hormones with guest speaker Le’Nise Brothers,  Registered Nutritional Therapist and the Founder of Eat Love Move?

Have no fear, you can download and purchase the recording of this webinar for just $15 and you’ll have on-demand access to this in-depth session on fibroids, diet and hormones which guides you through the changes that you can make to improve your hormonal health and therefore alleviate the symptoms associated with fibroids. Find out more and download this webinar here

More Information 

We hope that you’ll join us on 23rd Feb  for this really interesting online event and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at events@lakehealthandwellbeing.com and you can book your place here

Cancer Research UK has reported that its scientists have developed a very comprehensive method of predicting a women’s risk of developing breast cancer.

This work was recently published in Genetics in Medicine where it was explained that by combining information on family history, genetics and other factors like weight, age at menopause, alcohol consumption and use of hormone replacement therapy, scientists are able to determine a woman’s breast cancer risk.

What makes their prediction more precise than previous methods is that researchers, for the first time, included 300 genetic indicators for breast cancer in their risk calculation.

This piece of work has led to the development of an online calculator that General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK can use in their surgeries. Currently this online  calculator is being tested by GPs, nurses and genetic counsellors before it is released nation-wide. The hope is that this tool will enable healthcare professionals to explore early detection and prevention strategies for women based on their risk and therefore improve survival rates for breast cancer.

Although this work is very exciting more work is needed, as expressed by lead author, Professor Antonis Antoniou, who said:

“It could be a game changer for breast cancer because now we can identify large numbers of women with different levels of risk – not just women who are at high risk.

This should help doctors to tailor the care they provide depending on their patients’ level of risk. For example, some women may need additional appointments with their doctor to discuss screening or prevention options and others may just need advice on their lifestyle and diet.

“We hope this means more people can be diagnosed early and survive their disease for longer, but more research and trials are needed before we will fully understand how this could be used.”

Additionally, Dr Richard Rope, Cancer Research UK’s GP expert warned that:

“Research like this is hugely exciting because in the future it will enable us to offer much more tailored care which will benefit patients and make best use of the services that we have available.

“Although having an increased risk of breast cancer means a woman is more likely to develop the disease – it’s by no means a certainty. A woman at high risk may never get breast cancer just as a woman at low risk still could. But any woman with concerns should speak to her GP to discuss the options.”

For more information on this work, you can read Cancer Research UK’s research paper here

Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, the Junior Minister for Health in Nevis, has joined FIT’s National Weight Loss Campaign (a project that we have been working on).

Hon Brandy-Williams will be leading by example and allowing the cameras to follow her journey as she endeavours to lose weight and get fit and healthy.

Find out more about day 1 of Hon Brandy-Williams’ journey and why she decided to take part in the video below.

The National Weight Loss Campaign starts on 26th Jan and you can join too by registering at to take part by emailing admin@fitwellnesscenter.com or calling (869)-662-8749

We’ve been working with the FIT Wellness Centre in Nevis and assisting with their National Weight Loss Campaign.  We’re delighted to let you know that this campaign gets started on 26th January at the FIT Park, Bath Plains, Nevis.

Director of the FIT Wellness Centre, Mr David Walwyn, was recently interviewed about the campaign and you can read a nice write-up of his interview by Nevis Pages below. 

To register for the National Weight Loss Campaign, please visit the sign-up page here 

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Update: The start date for the National Weight Loss Campaign has been pushed back, a new date will be released shortly.

Article by Nevis Pages:

David Walwyn of the Fit Wellness Center on Nevis, in a recent interview, explained that the National Weight loss campaign will be officially launched at the Fit Park, on the 26th of January.