This week the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) published the results of their research exploring cancer deaths in the Caribbean. This was an interesting piece of work revealing what the common causes of cancer deaths are in the region.

This piece of research looked at 23 Caribbean islands and looked at the most recent five years of mortality data during the period from 2003 to 2013. When they looked at all cancers combined the number of cancer deaths ranged from 32 deaths in the Turks and Caicos Islands to 26,135 in Puerto Rico. They converted the deaths into an age-standardised rate which allows a better comparison because this rate takes into account the size of the population and the age of the people in that population. This is important because a larger country will have more deaths simply because they have a larger population and a region with an older population will have more deaths because cancer is more common in older people. By taking these two factors into account we can get an idea of other underlying factors that may be causing cancer deaths which could be prevented, or in countries where cancer deaths rates are low we can explore what factors are contributing to this so other countries can learn from this.

When cancer deaths were converted into an age-standardised rate it was found that the lowest  cancer death rate was found in the Turks and Caicos Islands at  46.1 cancer deaths per 100,000 people and the highest rate was in St Kitts and Nevis at  139.3 per 100,000 people.

The researchers then looked at specific cancers and they found that across 20 of the Caribbean islands prostate cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths amongst men accounting for 18.4% to 47.4% of cancer deaths.  This was followed by lung cancer which accounted for 5.6% to 24.4% of cancer deaths.

When they looked at women, breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths in 16 of the Caribbean islands accounting for 14% to 29.7% of cancer deaths.  Cervical cancer was found to be the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women with 4.5% to 18.2% of cancer deaths being attributed to cervical cancer.

The researchers also found that bowel cancer was the third most common cause of cancer deaths in men and women and that overall cancer was second leading cause of death in all islands.

When the deaths rates in the Caribbean were compared to those in the US, it was found that death rates for cervical cancer were  2 – 9 times higher in the Caribbean, prostate cancer death rates were 2 -8 times higher in the Caribbean and lung cancer death rates were lower in the Caribbean.

It was explained, in the publication of the research, that there could be an under or overestimation of the data in the Caribbean for several different reasons such as missing, unknown, invalid and non-specific information. Despite this, important conclusions can be made from this work with researchers concluding that:

“Lung and cervical cancers are important preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in most of the Caribbean countries. Lung cancers can be prevented through primary prevention of exposure to risk factors such as smoking, and cervical cancers can be prevented through human papillomavirus vaccination.

The leading causes of cancer deaths in the Caribbean region for both males and females also can be reduced through screening, early detection, and effective treatment for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancers. Although prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among men in the Caribbean, effective screening strategies that result in reduced mortality have not yet emerged globally, highlighting the need for strengthening referral and treatment strategies.”

The Lake Foundation welcomed this research which provides some good insight into areas that require attention in order to improve cancer outcomes in the Caribbean.

We are delighted to announce our fibroids Twitter chat on Wednesday 18^th January 2017 from 7pm-8pm. We will be joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids and Renee Brown Small Co-founder of The Fibroids Project with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

This Twitter chat has been organised to allow for an in-depth discussion on fibroids, what they are, why black women are more at risk, symptoms, treatment and more.

We’ll be putting questions to our expert panel and you can put your questions to them too. So if you have a burning question about fibroids or just want to get involved in the discussion then do join us on the day. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

We look forward to tweeting with you!

This week several media outlets ran the story that women who are optimistic live longer. You may be asking: where did the media get this story from? This story was based on a research study, conducted at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, which was published in the Journal of Epidemiology on 7^th December 2016.  The study found that women who were optimistic were less likely to die from cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and infection.

The study involved 70,021 women and ran from 2004 – 2012.  Women’s levels of optimism were measured by asking women to rate how optimistic they thought they were on a scale of 0 to 24 and then researchers determined how optimism and other factors such as race, diet and physical activity affected a woman’s chance of dying from a particular condition.

They found that the most optimistic women were 30% less likely to die from any of the diseases explored in the study than the least optimistic women. Looking at individual diseases the most optimistic women were 52% less likely to die from infection, 39% less likely to die from stroke, 38% less likely to die from heart disease, 38% lower risk of dying from respiratory disease and 16% less likely to die from cancer.

They did find that some of this effect could be explained by health behaviours and health conditions. So, for example, the most optimistic women smoked less and were more physically active. Additionally,  more of the least optimistic women had  a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, cancer and stroke. Despite this, health behaviours and conditions only partially explained the link between optimism and the lower risk of dying from various conditions which means that there is something about optimism in itself that is beneficial to our health.

The researchers suggested that optimism may have a biological and psychological effect on the body and they concluded that: “it [optimism] may provide a valuable target for new research on strategies to improve health.”

This study shows the power of the mind and demonstrates that if we have a positive outlook on life this can contribute to improving our health.

The researchers stated that the good news is:

“Previous studies have shown that optimism can be altered with relatively uncomplicated and low-cost interventions—even something as simple as having people write down and think about the best possible outcomes for various areas of their lives, such as careers or friendships. Encouraging use of these interventions could be an innovative way to enhance health in the future.”

So, if you struggle with having an optimistic view on situations, you can actually learn to be more optimistic and you may benefit from a mindfulness class. Mindfulness helps people change the way they think about stressful situations helping people respond in a positive way.

The UK government have recognised the benefit of mindfulness and formed the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group who described mindfulness as:

“Mindfulness means paying attention to what’s happening in the present moment in the mind, body and external environment, with an attitude of curiosity and kindness. It is typically cultivated by a range of simple meditation practices, which aim to bring a greater awareness of thinking, feeling and behaviour patterns, and to develop the capacity to manage these with greater skill and compassion. This is found to lead to an expansion of choice and capacity in how to meet and respond to life’s challenges, and therefore live with greater well-being, mental clarity and care for yourself and others.”

For further information you can read the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report on mindfulness.

Finally, organisations like The Eve and Grace Wellness Centre in Battersea, the Mindfulness Project and SLaM offer mindfulness sessions. You can get in touch with them to try out this concept.

Yesterday, the UK government published its policy document, ‘Overview of Legislation in Draft’,  which outlines the changes to tax law which the government plans to introduce in its 2017 finance bill, in secondary legislation and in future finance bills.

This draft legislation includes information on the soft drinks industry levy (sugar tax) which will come info effect from April 2018.

With regards to the sugar tax the Overview of Legislation in Draft says:

“As announced at Budget 2016, and following consultation on the design and implementation of the levy over the summer, the government will legislate in Finance Bill 2017 for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. This is a levy on importers and producers of beverages that contain added sugar to help tackle childhood obesity. The 2 thresholds, at 5g and 8g of sugar per 100ml have been designed so that, by taking reasonable steps to reduce sugar content, UK producers and importers of soft drinks can pay less or escape the charge altogether. The levy will take effect from April 2018.

There will be an exemption for the smallest operators and a credit against levy liability, subject to evidence, for liable drinks that are exported.”

The government expects the sugar tax to raise £520M in its first year and these funds will be used to double the funding available to primary schools for PE and sports programme. The government has estimated that the sugar levy will raise £320 million a year for primary schools to support healthier more active lifestyles in children. The funding will not only go towards expanding PE and sports programmes but to also expand breakfast clubs in primary schools ensuring that children have access to a healthy breakfast every week day.

The government has also published a full policy document on the sugar tax which gives further information on the objectives of the tax, who it will affect and how it will be monitored.

The Lake Foundation is glad to see that the government is making progress on implementing the sugar tax and hope that it will go some way to tackling obesity in the UK.

Have you been diagnosed with fibroids? Are you considering treatment options, or have you recently received treatment for fibroids? Then the fibroids patient support group at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital may be of interest to you.

Living with fibroids and being asked to make a decision around surgical options can be emotional and difficult for both you and your loved ones. So, Transforming Outcomes and Health Economics Through Imaging (TOHETI) organise regular fibroids support sessions that  provide a safe, informal setting for  patients to meet other women and share their questions and concerns, both before and after surgery. All are welcome to attend, you do not need to be a patient of Guy’s and St Thomas’.

The next session will be on Monday 23rd January, 6:00 – 7:30pm at the  McNair Centre, Guy’s Hospital. Refreshments will be provided.

This next session will  include a presentation from Dr Irfan Ahmed, Consultant Interventional Radiologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’. Dr Ahmed will talk more about a minimally invasive procedure he performs called uterine artery embolization, and answer any questions you may have.

For more information and to book a place at this session please, email fibroids@kcl.ac.uk or just turn up on the evening!

Last Saturday, our cycling club decided to do something a bit different – combine cycling with another activity.  We opted for a visit to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham.

We started our session with a 30 minute ride from our starting point in Elmer’s End and took a very picturesque route to Monks Orchard Road in Beckenham, where the museum is located.

Upon arrival we were welcomed by very friendly staff who gave us a quick overview of the museum, the current exhibitions (The human influencing machine and the Art of Louis Wain), upcoming events and their collection of work, and we then proceeded upstairs to visit the main collection.

During our visit we learnt that the museum was formally opened in 2015. It explores the history of mental healthcare and treatment, looks at the use of art as therapy and provides insight into the former patients at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The Bethlem Royal Hospital first opened its doors in 1247 and is the UK’s first psychiatric institution. The museum takes visitors on a journey that explores the hospital’s history and the history of mental health in general. The museum covers how mental health is labelled, diagnosis, patient narratives, physical restraints, medical treatment and more. There is also an interesting collection of artwork from patients which, during their stay in hospital, would have provided them with the opportunity to address their battle with mental ill-health and express how they feel. This collection of artwork gave us an informative and touching look at how mental health conditions affect patients.

One set of artwork that stood out for us were the two pieces created by William Kurelek .  His first painting, ‘The Maze’, which he painted whilst in hospital, conveys how he felt in the lead-up to and during his battle with clinical depression and other emotional problems.  Whilst his second painting  reveals his state of mind after recovery (the paintings are shown below).

We found the museum to be very engaging with good use of a range of media to powerfully take us through the world of mental health. There were audio recordings of patient stories, paintings, hospital record books, samples from a padded room and a short film that allowed us to reflect on where we should draw the line between freedom and restraint.

Another interesting feature was the Human Influencing Machine exhibit. This was based on the paranoid delusions of James Tilly Matthews, a former patient of Bethlem Royal Hospital who believed that influencing machines were being used by those in power and that one of these machines had been placed in or near the hospital with bad intentions against him.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Bethlem Museum which ended with a nice stop at their cafe for a warm drink to prepare us for our ride back to Croydon. We highly recommended visiting the museum and will definitely be returning as they do organise a number of interesting events.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament of Westminster. The group aims to empower women to ensure that they can make an informed choice about the best treatment for them and that they are treated with dignity and respect.

The group has launched an inquiry into whether women are given informed choice about the treatment options available for particular conditions. They aim to publish a report that will assess their findings around informed choice and provide recommendations on the improvements that need to be made.

Fibroids is a condition that they would like to shine the spotlight on and they would like to hear from women about their experience of living with and accessing treatment for fibroids. They are asking women with experience of fibroids to complete a survey which you can find here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/fibroids-informed-choice

If you’ve been affected by fibroids we strongly encourage you to complete the survey so that any issues that exist can be identified and addressed to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment pathway for all women is improved.

If you have any questions about the survey or about the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health please  email  appgwh@pbpoliticalconsulting.com or call 020 7735 6963

If you would like help completing the survey, please get in touch with The Lake Foundation by emailing us

In this week’s blog our cycling club coordinator, Sheila, inspired by a challenging and invigorating cycling session, discusses the benefits of cycling.

This month The Lake Foundation Cycling Club ventured on a 4-hour ride to Greenwich (great!). We cycled in the rain – erm, I’ll see you next month! (I don’t blame you). Had it not been for enthusiastic members and a guest from the USA I’d have headed to Costa Cafe. In hindsight the ride was invigorating. In spite of the rain, I can’t deny the satisfaction pressing through the desire to go home. So we thought we’d share the love and break down some benefits that you too can enjoy on our Saturday morning rides.

Early to Rise

“Early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy wealthy and wise” so the proverb goes. Sleep experts say going to bed earlier and waking up early is good for your body.

Why? The Circadian Rhythm. That’s the flashy word to describe the internal 24-hour clock that all living organisms have e.g. when to sleep, rise, eat etc.  Our Circadian Rhythm is linked to light, darkness and our environment. The theory says that if we follow this cycle, e.g. through better sleep patterns, we will be in tune with nature. Sleep regenerates the protein molecules that make up our immune system.

Cycling and Psychology

Psychologists say that taking an active role in your exercise benefits mental health. This action can create a sense of control and has the added bonus of boosting self-esteem, which is how we see ourselves, our place in the world and value to others. Self-esteem impacts how much we trust, our relationships and actually spills out into most areas of life.  

Cycling and the Brain

White matter (not to be confused with grey matter) sits below the surface of the brain. It’s likened to a subway that connects different regions of the brain. This brain connectivity is key to everyday life. In developing adults it’s linked to motivation, demeanour and executive function (i.e. our ability for mental control and self-regulation). A study in the Netherlands reported that practising motor skills improves flow between regions. So a repetitive physical activity like cycling is perfect.

Cycling and your mood

Another buzz word today is endorphins ( endorph… what?). Discovered 40 years ago endorphins are a natural painkiller. We generate them through exercise. Activity releases chemicals that interact with receptors in your brain. Their function is to reduce discomfort and make you feel good. Another benefit of cycling is that exercise can be a helpful distraction from worries.

Next time, we’ll inspire ourselves by breaking down the physical benefits of cycling.

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Sources

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-top-5-benefits-of-cycling

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/minding-the-body/201505/bicycling-can-sharpen-your-thinking-and-improve-your-mood

http://dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39152

http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-biology/2014/03/14/the-subway-of-the-brain-why-white-matter-matters/

https://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/hr/hrdepts/asap/Documents/Self_esteem.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256323/

OpenMinds is a new not-for-profit, specialist mental health organisation based in Croydon which makes recovering from a mental health difficulty the main focus of their work. Their core values are recovering, advocacy and changing mindset.

OpenMinds will be hosting their launch event on Tuesday 22^nd November at the Croydon Voluntary Action Resource Centre, 82 London Road, CR0 2TB from 5pm to 8pm.

The purpose of this event is to promote the work of OpenMinds’ floating support service, but more importantly, to stimulate conversations that will challenge and facilitate change in mindsets, with the goal of reducing stigma and discrimination in mental health service and provision.

All are welcome to attend and for more information please contact: info@openmindssocialcare.co.uk or you can find out more about OpenMinds by downloading their brochure below.

Today, Cancer Research UK and Public Health England announced that a recent analysis of cancer data revealed that black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast cancer as their white counterparts. They found that 25% of black African breast cancer patients and 22% of black Caribbean patients had late stage disease compared to 13% of white patients.

The fact that black women are more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage has been known for some time and has also been observed in not just the UK but in the USA too. The Lake Foundation has conducted work in this area to explore the possible reasons behind this. In 2011, we carried out some qualitative research to explore black women’s beliefs about breast cancer and their help-seeking behaviour to determine whether these two factors may lead to delays in diagnosis. Overall our study suggested that, when it comes to seeking help, black women are quite proactive and there would be no delay in visiting their GP (doctor) if they noticed a breast lump; delays in visiting a GP could occur if black women experience other symptoms as they were less aware of these.

We also found that the following factors could delay help seeking in black women: other priorities such as family or work commitments; language barriers; lack of access to information; age (older people are more likely to delay visiting their GP); difficulty getting appointments; cultural insensitivy of the healthcare system, inaction by GPs; and a lengthy referral process. You can read more about this work on our research page (scroll to the bottom of the page).

National data suggests that black women are less likely to take part in the NHS Breast Screening Programme and this could be another reason for the late stage diagnosis. In 2011, our founder Abi Begho worked with Betterdays Cancer Care, the NHS and Cancer Black Care to determine why black women are less likely to attend breast screening and whether patient navigation could be an effective way of improving screening uptake in black women in Peckham and Lewisham. We found that, at the time, black women living in Lewisham and Peckham who were of screening (over the age of 50) were very mobile with many women being unreachable, on an extended trip abroad; having moved from their GP registered address or had relocated and lived abroad,  hence they missed their breast screening appointments. We found that patient navigation was effective at reaching women as numerous and extensive attempts were made to contact women and then support them to attend their screening appointments. You can read more about this work here

Finally, scientific research has also suggested that black women are more likely to develop a more aggressive form of breast cancer which grows rapidly, so this could explain some of the late stage cases. Studies also suggest that black women are more likely to develop breast cancer at a younger age.

This recent analysis by Cancer Research UK has reminded the nation that there is an issue around black women and breast cancer that needs to be addressed. We need to ensure that black women are aware of all the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and that they seek help quickly if they notice any of the symptoms. We also need to understand the biology of the disease and the best ways of detecting and treating the more aggressive forms of breast cancer.

So, the message to black women is:

• Be aware of all the signs and symptoms of breast cancer
• If you’re worried about any symptoms that you have, please visit your doctor as soon as possible
• Eat a healthy diet, keep active and maintain a healthy weight to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer
• If you’re aged 50 or over, consider accepting your invitation from the NHS to take part in breast screening
• Know your family history. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer you may be at an increased risk so visit your GP for some advice and information