Hey everyone, we’re just stopping by the blog quickly to say a big big thank you to everyone who supported our My Haircare Nightmare crowdfunding campaign. We really appreciate all your support and although we didn’t meet our target we were overwhelmed by all your kind words and encouragement – thank you!

Not only did we get some lovely emails and messages on social media, the media also picked up on our campaign and really got behind it. You can view some of the media coverage below:

• African Voice: Documentary to reveal effects of hair products in black women
• Black Hair Magazine:  Author Tola Okogwu launches campaign to kickstart black haircare documentary
• Natural Hair Weekly: My Haircare Nightmare
• Ariatu Public Relations:  Are Hair Products for Black Women Safe
• FabAfriq: Are Hair Products for Black Women Safe?
• The Voice Newspaper:  Support This Documentary
• Afrocks: Interview Of Blogger, Writer And Hair Coach Tola Okogwu Who Is Crowdfunding To create Documentary About Hair Products For Black Women

In case you missed our crowd funding campaign, we’ve teamed up with Tola Okogwu of My Long Hair Journey and filmmaker Sheila Marshall to answer the question: Are Black Hair Care Products Safe? Through a documentary we aim to highlight the recent research which showed that 80% of black hair products tested contain endocrine disrupting chemicals and ingredients linked to asthma. Although we haven’t raised all the funds we need just yet, we’re still fired up and ready to turn our dream into reality and are exploring other funding opportunities.

We’ll keep you informed of our next steps and for those of you who donated, your perks will be with you in due course.

Have a great week!

On  Tuesday 8^th October 2018,  the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization in collaboration with the Ministry of Health organised a workshop at the National ICT Centre in St Kitts. The workshop was part of PAHO’s regional consultation to inform their Strategy and Action Plan on Health Promotion in the Context of the Sustainable Development Goals (2019 – 2030).

We were invited to attend this event along with representatives from a diversity of organisations across St Kitts. Similar events have been held across the Caribbean and the Americas, and the data collected will allow PAHO to recover information, lessons learnt and gain perspectives that will contribute to the construction of their new strategy.  The aim is to renew health promotion through a social, political and technical movement, addressing the determinants of health as a path towards sustainable development and towards reducing health inequities.

The objectives of the national consultation are:

• To involve the countries in the construction of the Strategy and Plan of Action on Health Promotion for the revitalization of the movement in the Region.
• To identify key elements that the Strategy and Plan of Action must include to support the countries on the positioning of Health Promotion.
• To collect the Health Promotion experiences in the countries that contribute to the Strategy and Plan of Action.
• To identify the role of actors involved for the implementation of the Strategy and Plan of Action.
• To support the countries in the renewal of the Health Promotion movement with the identification of a lead group at the national level.

Those attending the workshops participated in discussions on four key areas:
1. Settings and local action
2. Intersectoral work, social determinants of health, Health in all policies, and public policies
3. Community participation and social participation for Health
4. Health systems and services

The above discussion points were based on important health promotion concepts as outlined by the Ottawa Charter of 1986 for Health Promotion.

Going forward the Ministry of Health in St Kitts will summarise the information from this event and PAHO will add this to the data collected from all countries taking part in the consultation. They will then analyse the data, identity common themes and important approaches and include these in the draft strategy which will be circulated for comment before a final strategy is published in September 2019.

We would like to thank the Ministry of Health in St Kitts for inviting us to take part in this consultation and look forward to seeing the draft and final strategy when they are made available in 2019.

We do hope that the information collected as part of this consultation will provide PAHO with the information required to develop an effective strategy that supports the needs of each country in the Americas.

In today’s blog we’re absolutely delighted to hear from Kerthy Sugunathevan and Ashley Carter, two very enthusiastic medical students from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in St Kitts.

 Ashley and Kerthy are passionate about making a difference and developing the skills required to be the best health practitioners they can be and as such they are the co-founders of a new campus club called ‘Because We Care’

 Kerthy and Ashley tell us about their club, its mission and why they started it. Please support this new initiative by liking their Facebook page and if you have any questions, please do leave them in the comments section below.

---

Because We Care (BWeC) is a new club to UMHS this semester.  Our club centres on three main pillars: Build – Widen – Connect

• Build a relationship between the UMHS community and St. Kitts
• Widen the impact of UMHS in St. Kitts by promoting healthy living and providing education on high risk health topics
• Connect UMHS Students to volunteer opportunities to allow them to improve interpersonal skills while making a difference in the community

Our mission is to conduct events that promote health education and awareness in St. Kitts by engaging the community in outreach events. Our goal is to provide students with various opportunities to take part, while creating a positive impact in the community.  We hope to help students build upon their interpersonal skills. We will also be promoting various events surrounding healthy living for students physically and mentally (i.e. 3vs3 basketball, boot camps and stress relief events).

We are looking forward to creating a positive impact while on our journey to becoming great doctors alongside our peers.  Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any events you would like to see in the future!

Please like our facebook page and follow us for events and weekly posts.

Welcome back to our blog! Today, we’re delighted to have a guest blog submitted by Nina Johnson-Campbell of the NJC Therapy Practice.

Nina discusses how we can manage stress through emotional intelligence and provides some really useful tips that just require 10 minutes of your day. 

This is the second blog from Nina Johnson-Campbell, in her first blog Nina explored a new tool to support the wellbeing of children and adults. You can read her first post here

---

What Exactly is Stress?

Stress is a necessary, innate/natural part of our survival instinct and physiological make up; it motivates us to take action to keep us safe or to keep reaching just that bit further to achieve our dreams and aspirations; it’s the ‘fuel’ that propels us.

Stress only becomes a problem when the physiological and physical symptoms build up in our body without being released and as a result starts to negatively impact our: memory, concentration, emotions, thinking abilities, health, our overall wellbeing and eventually our mental health.

What is Emotional Intelligence(EI*)?

EI is the ability to recognise and understand your emotions and those of others; the ability to use that information to guide your thoughts and actions; the ability to empathise (and therefore build better, successful relationships).

How can Emotional Intelligence (EI) help to manage stress effectively?

• Helps you to reduce excess stress as you better understand your emotions (becoming more self-aware);
• Use that information to guide your thoughts and actions;
• Increase your empathy through better understanding of others’ emotions, which in turn
• Improves your relationships, at school, at home, in the work place** and socially.
• Improving your emotional intelligence will help you to discover your inner strengths, remain calmer and in control in any situation.

Start to improve your Emotional Intelligence right now, today, by doing this simple exercise:

Set aside just 10  mins.

1. Think of the last time you had a strong negative feeling towards someone, it may be a friend, partner, work colleague or even a stranger.
2. Name the exact emotion you were experiencing in that moment (maybe anger, resentment, frustration, disappointment etc)
3. Next take a few moments to explore why you were feeling that emotion (for example you may have felt mistreated, undervalued, ignored, inadequate, unloved).
4. Now consider how the other person may have felt in that moment too, could they have been experiencing similar emotions? How do you know for sure how or what they were really thinking?
5. As you’re now aware, you cannot be sure without further information what they were feeling/thinking. In light of this new awareness,
6. Consider how you could have responded in a better/constructive way for you.
7. What did you learn from that situation, good or bad?
8. What will you do differently next time?

As it’s your response and not the situation that determines your outcome, take time to pause and by practising the few simple steps outlined above, I guarantee you will start to see better results as you  reduce your stress by taking control of your emotions, instead of them controlling you and allow space for you to think more clearly.

Remember as Confucius said:

‘Mighty is the man who can command an army of thousands, Mightier still is the man who can command himself’.

If you would like to discover how managing stress through EI could improve other areas of your life, please contact me at: Johnsm2643@gmail.com or visit my website www.life-njctherapy.co.uk

---

Notes

*M. Beldoch c.1964

** Some studies have shown that job candidates with higher levels of EI are often more successful; perform better once employed; make great managers and business owners ( Forbes.com; Times on Sunday; Harvard Business School)

The above article was  published in  2016: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/health/20161116/stress-management-through-emotional-intelligence

Copyright N.Johnson-Campbell (2016)

Last week was Caribbean Wellness Week and on Friday we celebrated the last day of this week with the grand finale  at the Marriott in Frigate Bay.

This event was organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Marriott Resort and we were delighted to have been invited to have an information table.

The event started with free health checks at 2:30pm where members of public and Marriott staff were able to get their blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI and cholesterol levels measured as well as have an HIV test conducted. Also, attendees had the opportunity to visit information tables, one of which we hosted.

We were delighted to welcome people to our information table to introduce the public to our work and raise awareness of our upcoming Living Well With Chronic Disease Course, let women know about our fibroids survey and promote the Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s childhood obesity prevention campaign and call-to-action

[metaslider id=”4928″]

Then, at 4pm it was party time! The chairs were cleared away, the music was turned on and soca-cise began. This was a fun, fast-paced aerobics session with a Caribbean twist. Instructors led the audience through a 2-hour routine that got our heart rates up and worked every part of our bodies. It was a fun session and the 2 hours flew by and before we knew it the session was over ☹, proving that exercise doesn’t have to feel like torture to be effective.

We had a great time on Friday and would like to thank the Ministry of Health for the opportunity to be a part of this event. We’d also like to say a big thank you to everyone who visited our information table, it was lovely meeting you all.

We look forward to Caribbean Wellness Week next year and for more information about Caribbean Wellness Day and Week vist CARPHA or PAHO’s websites.

We like listening to the podcast The Nod. It’s a fun, witty and insightful look at black American culture. The hosts have a great way of exploring important topics and unearthing interesting untold stories.

In their episode released on 10th September 2018, ‘Bleeding and Healing‘, host Brittany Luse focuses on a common women’s health issue (we won’t tell you which one, so we don’t spoil the episode for you), that is overlooked and disproportionately affects black women.

This health issue is one that we have explored over the past couple of years and this episode of The Nod does a great job at raising awareness and highlighting some of the keys challenges such as:

• The extent to which women normalise pain
• Not having a clear idea of what is normal and abnormal when it comes to period pain and menstrual bleeding
• The lack of awareness of women’s health issues
• The length of time it takes for women to be diagnosed
• The confusion that can exist when it comes to making treatment decisions
• The challenges of finding not just a good doctor, but one black women feel comfortable with

This episode provides some good food for thought. You can listen to it here and below is the description of the episode from The Nod team.

“For years, KalaLea experiences painful periods that keep her in bed for days at a time. As she tries to figure out what’s happening to her body, she discovers that she has a condition that disproportionately affects Black women. This is the story of how KalaLea listened closely to her own body and made her doctors listen, too.

“This week’s story comes from the Bodies podcast. After the show, KalaLea joins Brittany in the studio to share advice on how to better advocate for your own wellness.” 

Have you listened to  the ‘Bleeding and Healing’ episode of The Nod? We’d love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment in the comments section below or send us an email.

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

On 8^th September we were up at 4AM for the St Kitts Caribbean Wellness Day Walk. It was hard waking up at that time, way before the sun was up, but it was worth it.

This walk was months in the making and started as an idea, back in June, at the first planning meeting of Caribbean Wellness Week. The planning meeting brought together the Ministry of Health and its partners all working towards a common goal of  improving the health of the nation.

So, on 8^th September, feeling pretty sleepy, we drove to the meeting point at the Caribbean Cinemas parking lot and joined about 50 other people to recognise Caribbean Wellness Day and the importance of physical activity.

The walk was led by Elite Fitness, a local gym, who started off the morning with a warm-up and then we hit the streets of Basseterre for a lovely walk. The route took us through town, all the way down Cayon Street and then we turned left onto Wellington Road and continued to the airport roundabout and then turned onto the bypass road and made our way back to the cinema where we finished off with a cool-down session.

[metaslider id=4885]

We walked a total of 7.49KM which took us an hour and 20 minutes and with the inclines in two locations, the route provided us all with a great workout.

We had a great time and it was a so nice to see the diversity of people in attendance – old, young, male, female and all shapes and sizes.

This event not only celebrated Caribbean Wellness Day, but it was the launch of Caribbean Wellness Week which runs until Friday 14^th September. Look out for all the events being organised this week. Highlights include the a Health Fest on Thursday 13^th September, National Sneaker Day on 14^th September where everyone is encouraged to wear their sneakers to work and the grand finale at the Marriott, a soca-cise party starting from 4pm with free health checks from 2:30pm.

Come out, get active and let’s make sure that we create a healthier nation!

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the My Hair Care Nightmare Documentary Crowd Funding campaign is kicking off on Monday 3rd September, and we’d absolutely love for you to be involved.

We’ve teamed up with Tola Okogwu of My Long Hair Journey and filmmaker Sheila Marshall to answer the question: Are Black Hair Care Products Safe? We aim to highlight the recent research which showed that 80% of black hair products tested contain endocrine disrupting chemicals and ingredients linked to asthma.

Our goal is to educate and empower women caring for Afro textured hair so they can make an informed decision about the products they choose to buy and use. The film also seeks to highlight alternative and safer brands so that consumers realise they have options.

We’d very much appreciate you supporting our crowd funding campaign by making a donation and helping us spread the word so we can raise the funds to make this film a reality.  We want to make a big splash and create a buzz this week.  If you can please post about the campaign on your social media platforms and let your networks know, that would be great. We started a hashtag #MyHaircareNightmare where people can share their hair and product stories.

The link to our Indiegogo Campaign Page is https://igg.me/at/myhaircarenightmare

We’ve included some images and videos in the Dropbox folder below. Please use #myhaircarenightmare and tag us @myhaircarenightmare (Instagram) and @myhaircarenigh1(twitter).

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ek76ijvmyx8hzej/AADUvB3z4Vrz70lLdSkLzrXra?dl=0

Don’t have time to create a post? Have no fear, below are some suggested posts.

• Are your hair care products safe? My Haircare Nightmare documentary aims to find out. Support @myhaircarenightmare (Instagram)/ @myhaircarenigh1 (twitter) Indiegogo campaign to help make this film happen. https://bit.ly/2NwnOJm #MyHaircareNightmare #HaircareNightmare

• We’re supporting @myhaircarenightmare (Instagram)/ @myhaircarenigh1 (twitter) indiegogo campaign because 80% of hair products marketed at black women contain potentially harmful ingredients. Be part of the REVOLUTION by giving at https://bit.ly/2NwnOJm. #MyHaircareNightmare #HaircareNightmare

Want to have a bit more fun? Then share your #HaircareNightmare story.

–       Tag your friends, nominate other people. Help us to get the conversation going
–       Your post could make all the difference

What We Know

Research published in April in Environmental Research found that 80% of black hair products in this study contain endocrine disrupting (EDC) and asthma-associated chemicals. A second study published in 2017 by researchers at Rutgers University found a link between breast cancer and the use of hair dyes and relaxers and a research study published in 2012 identified a small link between fibroids and relaxers.

We surveyed 215 black women and 86% of respondents were very concerned and 13% of women were concerned about the main conclusion of the study published in April.

63% of women in our survey stated they didn’t feel able to identify the chemicals, that researchers stated may be cause for concern, and a further 30% stated that they can only sometimes identify these chemicals.

The most recent Nielson Beauty & Personal Care Report stated that black women spend nearly nine-times more than their non-black counterparts on hair products, demonstrating a high quantity of product consumption, which means exposure to any chemicals could be high and long-term.

More Information

We really appreciate your support! Let’s make a difference and once and for all get to the bottom of this issue. For more information please email info@lakehealthandwellebing.com and you can also sign up to the My Haircare Nightmare mailing list here

Looking For Organic Black Hair Products?

Check these brands out:

Afrocenchix
Almocado 
Camille Rose Naturals
Pure Goodnes
Root2Tip
Shea Butter Cottage
Shea Decadence
Yaphene
CARA B Naturally – Natural Products for African American babies

And view some more on Amazon – Organic Black Hair Products

---

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

We just finished reading Flow Fighter: How I Kicked My Fibroids and Heavy Periods to the Curb by Holly Bridges. We thought this was a very insightful and informative book that not only explores the personal experience of the author but that of other women, young and old, with fibroids, endometriosis and heavy menstrual bleeding. In this book we also hear from gynaecologists, young doctors, women’s health advocates and sexual health experts and through all these perspectives readers are given a comprehensive view of the fibroids experience.

We were also taken on an educational journey with the author having conducted extensive research into fibroids, other gynaecological conditions and heavy menstrual bleeding. The book explains, in detail, the latest warnings from the FDA and Health Canada on laparoscopic power morcellators and the drug Esmya. Helpfully and impressively we’re provided with:

• Timelines that provide context and background to these warnings,
• Letters, quotes, summaries of research, recommendations and reports from all interested parties on both sides of the argument of these warnings – the FDA, Health Canada, gynaecologists and other government agencies

The above facts were interspersed with commentary from the author which gave us some good background into both issues.

Our educational journey continued with a reminder of the structure and function of the women’s reproductive system, what fibroids are and what constitutes heavy menstrual bleeding.  The book covered all the treatment options for fibroids and what their pros and cons are. The author also reflects on the injustices that exist with respect to women’s health where the lack of focus on conditions like fibroids mean:

• There are still major gaps in research;
• There is a significant delay in the diagnosis of many women leading to years of unnecessary suffering;
• There is no clear understanding of the cause of fibroids and the best approaches to treat women;
• We have a healthcare system that is not patient-centred leading to women feeling isolated and confused.

Author Holly Bridges also discusses the reasons why hysterectomies are so common, why doctors recommend invasive treatments over non-invasive approaches, and why this needs to change.

At the core of this book is the message that women need to be empowered with all the information they need to make an informed decision about their treatment.

The format of the book is useful with many chapters ending with a list of takeaway messages. In addition, the author, throughout the book, refers readers to useful resources. These include books, research papers, videos and websites.

The book ends with a chapter entitled ‘Empowering Our Daughters’ which we thought was very important section because there is a need to ensure that the generations of women who follow have a better experience.

The only topic that we felt was missing was a discussion on the impact of diet, exercise and environmental toxins on fibroids. This was touched on very briefly and there was recognition at the end of the book that this is an area that requires some attention and the author will be exploring this in the future.

This was a very interesting and informative book and we recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the experience of women with fibroids and how we can move forward and ensure that women get the best care possible.

You Can Claim A Discount on this Book

We’re delighted to say that Holly Bridges is offering a 20% discount on her book to all our blog readers. To claim your discount, visit her website and use the discount code LakeHealth at check out.

Also, the first few people who register to attend our fibroids self-care webinar in October will be entered into a giveaway and one lucky person will win a copy of the book.

Have You Read Flow Fighter?

Have you read this book? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave them in the comments section below or send us an email

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

We love collaborations and are so delighted to have teamed up with the family business Almocado for our upcoming fibroids self-care webinar series.  As a sponsor of our webinar series Almocado will be offering those who attend our webinars a 20% discount on their hair and body products – yay!

About Almocado

Almocado is a small family-run business based in the UK who we discovered several years ago. Almocado was founded in April 2010 and create artisan hair products for curls, kinks and coils which are handmade with love, you can tell by the way each order is packaged with care – sometimes a surprising free sample is included or a note that expresses that love – we really appreciate their personal touches.

Not only do they create hair products, but their collection includes skincare products and they are certified Sisterlocks consultants.

The founder and CEO of Almocado is the lovely Annette Clark-Headley who is very warm and friendly and has a truly inspirational story.

Annette is a British-Barbadian who graduated from the very prestigious Cambridge University and started her career in the fast-paced world of investment banking. It was during this time that she started exploring holistic therapies becoming passionate about wellness and stress management which led her to receive training in this area.

“In a nutshell, the company was birthed to fulfil a desire I have to provide holistic solutions (hair care, skin care, emotional & physical wellbeing) to the community.” – Annette Clark-Headley

Not long after starting Almocado, in July 2010, Annette was diagnosed with Alopecia Totali and by October 2010 she was completely bald. This was a difficult time for Annette personally and professionally, and professionally she was deeply concerned about whether her business would survive – could someone bald succeed in the hair industry? Annette rose to the challenge and refused to let her baldness act as a barrier to her business success and continued to spread the message of love and acceptance as the basis for cultivating healthy hair.

As an Oxbridge graduate she utilised her research and analysis skills to identify effective natural ingredients and by bringing together nature and science she has created products of the highest quality that have made her business an award-winning one.

Why Almocado?

We love Almocado and teamed up with them for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are a brand that truly cares about the health and wellbeing of their customers – their products are hand-made, paraben free, natural and organic.  In addition, their products are safety assessed and meet the stringent EU regulations. All of this means that their products don’t contain endocrine disrupting chemicals which many women with fibroids are keen to avoid.

Furthermore, the genuine interest the team at Almocado have in their customers’ wellbeing means they regularly host open-house events at their studio so they remain attuned to the needs of they customers, we also like that they go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure their customers are satisfied and it’s nice to see that they donate a percentage of their sales to Alopecia UK.

We just really like that love is the foundation of their business, and it’s genuine, as it is evident in everything they do.

Products We Love

We’ve been using Almocado’s products for quite a few years now and our two favourite products are their Avocado Honey Hair Milk and their Cherry Vanilla Moisture Mist

Avocado Honey Hair Milk

The product description states that:

“This luscious easily absorbed treatment is what your precious coils have been crying out for. Rich in moisturising soy lecithin and honey and packed with Pro-vitamin B and Silk Protein, the Triple Treat Moisture Milk strengthens, moisturises, improves manageability and reduces breakage while delivering botanical extracts and nutrients to the hair shaft.”

We can attest to this, this is a great moisturiser leaving our hair feeling soft and hydrated.  Once we purchase it, we pretty much use it daily, but since moving to St Kitts it’s harder for us to get products shipped to us so we’ve been rationing our last order!

Cherry Vanilla Moisture Mist

On Almocado’s website they say about this product:

“Think of this as a conditioning berry-tastic hair tea! Carefully blended with natural Aloe Vera and herbal extracts to refresh and hydrate without feeling sticky or greasy.”

All we can say about this fantastic hair mist is: wow! It smells divine and is perfect for adding some much-needed moisture to kinky hair. It’s just beautiful, we think of this product as a special treat for our hair and try to savour every drop of it. This product has the added benefit, for us at least, of having an aromatherapy effect, the smell just relaxes and soothes us…hmmm.

Thank you

We’d like to say a big thank you to Annette for supporting our webinar series, we’re so grateful. We’d also just like to thank and acknowledge her for being such an inspiration and fantastic role model for black women in business. She does business the right way, with kindness, dedication, excellence and integrity; we applaud her and wish her continued success with her business.

More Information

You can find out more about Almocado on their website here.

You can find out more about our webinar series and sign up to the first session on fibroids, diet and hormones led by Le’Nise Brothers, the founder of Eat Love Move, on our website here