Nigerian-born doctor and scientist Dr Funmi Olopade is one of the world’s leading authorities on hereditary breast cancer and cancer risk assessment. She has a special interest in women of African descent, and her research into the genetic basis of breast cancer in young women of African ancestry has broadened our understanding of the interactions between genes, lifestyle and the environment in the development of breast cancer.

In October 2008, in recognition of her work, Dr Olopade was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and in February 2011, Dr Olopade was nominated by President Barack Obama for membership on the National Cancer Advisory Board.

Dr Olopade directs a multidisciplinary clinical and laboratory research program at the University of Chicago Medical Centre, is a haematology oncologist and the Walter L Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago.

Dr Olopade has received numerous honours and awards, including honorary degrees from North Central, Dominican, Bowdoin, and Princeton universities. She is also a recipient of the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist and Exceptional Mentor Award, an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professorship, a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship and Officer of the Order of the Niger Award.

On Saturday 20^th February, we attended Black Action for Health’s African-Caribbean Health Day. This event aimed to provide experts in the field with a platform to raise awareness of the health issues that are of particular concern to the African and Caribbean community. A key part of this event was highlighting the fact that ur community are more likely to die too early from or suffer from preventable diseases.

The event was hosted by Dr Charlie Easmon, Medical Director at Your Excellent Health Service and the actor Hugh Quarshie with remarks from the president of the Royal College of Nursing Cecilia Amin and the Mayor of Lambeth Donatus Anyanwu.

Obesity

The event began with a presentation by Dr George Grimble on ‘The Importance of  a Healthy Weight and Low Waist Size’. From Dr Grimble we learnt that the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly over the past 20 years and those who are overweight or obese are at increased risked of premature death with many diseases being linked to obesity. Additionally, there is a huge cost associated with obesity with a recent report by McKinsey and Co stating that the cost of obesity is $2 Trillion.

Dr Grimble stated that the rise in obesity is due to our lifestyles becoming remarkably sedentary which means we are in a positive energy balance (we aren’t burning off what we eat) and this makes us all more likely to gain weight.  He explained that for many people weight gain is gradual and occurs from 30 years of eating what equates to 200-240 large meals. What this means  is that when it comes to weight loss  we have to “uneat” these 200-240 meals and this will take a long time, there is no quick fix to weight loss.  He stressed that mainstream diets don’t work over the long-term and that to achieve long-term weight loss requires a change in lifestyle and the right motivation – the desire to achieve good health.  He told the audience there is no secret to weight loss it’s all about good nutrition, it’s tough but we can all do it.

Dr Grimble spoke about research that showed that what is important for weight loss is reducing our energy intake (i.e. what we eat). This is more important than exercise. Whilst exercise is good for overall general health and some weight loss we can achieve more significant weight loss through managing our energy intake.  Additionally, what we have to do is pay attention to belly fat, this is what increases our risk of a number of diseases such as diabetes. It was interesting to note that Asians and the African-Caribbean community are more sensitive to the effects of belly fat and people from these communities with belly fat are more likely to develop diabetes, stroke, hypertension and metabolic syndrome  than their white counterparts with the same amount of belly fat.  Because of this it is more important for black people to be as lean as possible and to be as physically active as possible.

Blood Pressure
Next, we heard from Prof Graham McGregor who delivered a presentation on ‘Raised Blood Pressure and the Black Community’. In his presentation Prof McGregor stated that raised blood pressure is by far the biggest cause of death in the UK with the risk of ill health starting at 115mmHg.   He explained that a raised blood pressure kills through direct effects but also indirect effects. He demonstrated that people with low blood pressure are at a lower risk of stroke, heart disease and many other health conditions and the most important strategy that we can use to improve people’s health is that of reducing everyone’s blood pressure, which is a more effective strategy than treatment.

Prof McGregor spoke about treatment and stated that there are a number of drugs available to treat high blood pressure with very clear guidelines on how they should be used, the use of these drugs can be confusing. He stated that black patients shouldn’t use ACE inhibitors as these aren’t effective in this population.  He reminded the audience that if you have high blood pressure you have to do something about it. You have to take control of your treatment and be assertive with your GP and make sure you’re getting the best care.  He stated that he sees many patients being poorly managed so it’s important that guidelines are followed.

Prof MacGregor then discussed black people and salt. We learnt that up to 5000 years ago we weren’t eating very much salt and we’re now eating significantly more salt than our body needs. We were surprised to learn that 80% of our salt intake is hidden in processed food, takeaways, fast food and restaurant food. He stated that there has been a huge drive to get the food industry to reduce the amount of salt in their products. Over the past few years there has been some success in this and a 30% reduction of salt in many products such as bread has been achieved which has resulted in an overall reduction in the public’s blood pressure.   We learnt that black people are more sensitive to salt’s effect on blood pressure  making salt toxic to black people. Unfortunately we are addicted to salt with the majority of black people using large amounts of salt when preparing food. He recommended that all black people throw away their salt, stock cubes and salted seasonings stating that it takes four weeks to get accustomed to food cooked without salt.

Finally, Prof McGregor discussed genetics and said that there is a genetic element to high blood pressure, but it’s not clear what specific genes are involved; there are about 30 possible genes which researchers are looking it. He stressed that what they do know is that these genes are of no importance if you don’t eat salt.

These presentations really stood out for us

These two above presentations on obesity and high blood pressure really stood out for us as these are conditions that are very common in the African-Caribbean community and can easily be prevented through a healthy lifestyle and this was clearly articulated in both presentations.

Other presentations

Other presentations on the day were very interesting and these included a talk by Dr Adeola Olaitan on ‘Cancer of the Cervix –Inevitable or Avoidable’ where we learnt that through cervical screening and the HPV vaccination cervical cancer can be prevented . We also heard from Mr Leye Ajayi on ‘Prostate Cancer’ where he discussed black men’s high risk of developing this disease and the challenges that exist in diagnosis without a screening test. Finally, we heard from Dr Michael Rudenko who spoke about allergies.

As well as the main presentations we heard from Levi Roots who discussed eating ethically,  Brenda Thompson-Murray who explored the role of carers and Iyamide Thomas who gave an overview of sickle cell and the work of the Sickle Cell Society.

An excellent event

This was an excellent, informative event and we’d like to thank Dr Charlie Easmon for organising this event and look forward to the next one.

Every year has something unique and different about it compared to the previous. In my opinion 2016 will probably be the year forever linked to the Zika virus. Although the virus was discovered decades ago,its immense media coverage means it has become a global talking point.   But what do we really know about Zika? Below is our top 10 Zika Q&As.

What is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus is an infection transmitted by mosquitoes and was first discovered in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947.

If it was discovered decades ago, why are only talking about it now?

It’s a fairly common virus in parts of Africa and Asia but it became more widespread from May 2015 after an outbreak in Brazil.

So how many people have it now?

Literally millions of people have been infected by the virus particularly in South and Central America and the Caribbean.

That’s a lot of people! How does the virus affect them?

If you are infected by the virus the symptoms you can expect include: a mild fever, joint pain, itching, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and eye pain. The symptoms are usually mild lasting no longer than 7 days. However, many people infected by the virus don’t experience any symptoms at all.

That doesn’t sound too bad so remind me of why Zika seems so scary?

It’s a concern for pregnant women, as it’s been linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly(pronounced micro-sef-alee). A person with this defect has an abnormally small head and potential bran damage. There is some evidence that babies born to women who have been infected with the Zika virus are more likely to have microcephaly.

So what exactly can we do about this? People travel to those parts of the world all the time.

If you would like to travel to areas affected by the Zika outbreak it’s best to seek advice before your trip from a healthcare professional. If you are pregnant or actively trying to become pregnant and have recently returned from those regions – a trip to your GP is recommended. Although you can reduce your risk of catching the virus in the high risk regions by using insect repellent and covering your limbs with long loose clothing, you may prefer to avoid the risk by not visiting these areas if you are already pregnant or trying to become so.

You have mentioned the mothers but what about potential fathers? Can they transmit Zika to their partners and subsequently to an unborn baby?

There is a very low risk that the Zika virus may be transmitted through sexual intercourse. The recommendations are: if a partner has travelled to a country with a Zika virus outbreak, the couple should use barrier contraception (a condom) for 28 days following his return, whether he has Zika or not.If he begins to experience Zika symptoms or is diagnosed with a Zika virus infection by a doctor, the couple should use condoms for 6 months.

What if I have been to one of those countries and now want to try for a baby?

In the first instance, see your GP or midwife and tell them the name of the country/region you have just returned from. You should do this whether you have symptoms or not. The guidance also states that you should wait for at least 28 days following your returnhome before you try to become pregnant( evenif you have no symptoms). If you have developed any symptoms which remotely resemble the Zika symptoms(within two weeks of returning home) then it is recommended that you wait at least six months after a complete recovery before trying for a baby.

 I know someone who is pregnant and she has just returned from there!  What should she do?

She should make an appointment with her midwife or doctor as soon as possible. But tell your friend that although there is an increased risk of the birth defect, not everyone who has been pregnant in a Zika outbreak region has had a baby with microcephaly.

Where can I found out more?

Below are a few links that you might find useful:

WHO
NHS
Travel Health Pro
Zika countries

But please speak to a healthcare professional (doctor, pharmacist, nurse or midwife) for more information.

Last Saturday, eleven of us braved the cold, windy and rainy weather for the first session of our new cycling club. Despite the weather we had a really nice time exploring the back roads of Beckenham. Our route took us on a circular route starting at Elmer’s End and riding alongside Eden Park, Kelsey Park, Beckenham Junction, Cator Park, Clock House and back to Elmer’s End.

Our cycling club is a project that aims to get our community fit and active through cycling. It also aims to improve people’s confidence cycling and provide people with a fun, practical way to get active.

This project is being funded by Sport England, an organisation committed to helping people and their communities create sporting habits for life.

We are very grateful to Sport England for supporting us and believing in our project and look forward to our club members not only getting some great exercise but discovering the beauty of South London as we cycle through the lovely green spaces of Croydon and the surrounding area.

A big thank you to everyone who made it on Saturday and we look forward to our next session. For more information please visit our events page.

Prof Frank Chinegwundoh is a Consultant Urological Surgeon.  He was appointed as a Consultant to Barts Health NHS Trust and Newham University Hospital NHS Trust in 1996.  He is a lecturer at  the University of London and in that capacity examines theses for doctoral degrees in urology.

He is an expert in the field of prostate cancer and is invited to speak at international meetings.  Prof Chinegwundoh published the first paper in the UK to show that black men in the UK have a three-fold excess risk of developing prostate cancer compared to white men.  He has authored numerous publications and book chapters.

Prof Chinegwundoh sits on the Department of Health Prostate Cancer Advisory Group, the Cancer Reform Strategy group, the National Cancer Equalities group and a working party on cancer survivorship.  He also sits on the Bowel Cancer Screening Advisory Group.  He is the spokesman for the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action.  Since 1998 he has chaired the Charity Cancer Black Care.  He is a Trustee of the Prostate Cancer Support Federation and was previously a trustee of Prostate Action.

Apart from expertise in prostate cancer therapies he is also able to employ a variety of technologies to deal with the enlarged benign prostate, for example TURP, TURIS, TUNA.

In 2008 he received a National Clinical Excellence Award and in 2013 was awarded an MBE for services to the NHS. In 2010 he graduated with a Master of Medical Law degree from Glasgow University.  In 2002 he was appointed a visiting Professor in Urology to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu.

On Monday, we attended Breast Cancer Care’s reception in Parliament where they launched the findings of their research into the needs of Black, Asian and minority (BAME) women after treatment for breast cancer.   Their research was funded by the Big Lottery Fund and was a collaboration with King’s College London.

This event was hosted by Dawn Butler MP, whose mother and sister were affected by breast cancer. Speaking at the reception, the Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Care  Samia al Qadhi, summarised the findings stating that BAME women felt  a greater sense of isolation after treatment, there was still a significant amount of stigma associated with breast cancer in certain cultures, there is a lack of culturally sensitive support, a number of communication and language issues, and services do not always meet the needs of BAME women.  Breast Cancer Care explained that to address these issues they piloted a new culturally inclusive service in 2015 called PROWESS (Promoting Recovery, Wellbeing, Equality and Support in Survivorship). This service supported the self-management of BAME women after their hospital-based treatment for breast cancer. You can read more about PROWESS here.

Breast Cancer Care stated that policy-makers must consider the needs of BAME women in the implementation of current cancer strategies and ensure that new policies are inclusive and that everyone working in this area has to develop an understanding of how services can be culturally adapted.

During the reception we also heard from Heather Wilson from the Black Health Initiative in Leeds. Ms Wilson was very supportive of the research and its recommendations and stressed the importance of effective partnerships in addressing the issues raised during the research project.

We applaud the work being done by Breast Cancer Care to address the inequalities that exist in this area and look forward to seeing the next phase of this work. We were pleased to have been a part of the working group for PROWESS and hope that this programme will be launched nation wide.

It’s cervical cancer prevention week  (24th to 30th Jan) so it’s an ideal time to remind everyone about the cervical cancer screening test- otherwise known as The Smear.

Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer in women aged 35 and under and over 3,000 UK women are diagnosed with the disease each year.

The term cervical cancer describes the uncontrolled division/growth of abnormal cells in the neck of the womb (cervix).   In over 99% of cases the cancer is caused by prolonged infection with a high risk strain of a virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV can spread between peoplethrough skin to skin contact in and around the genital area. HPV infection doesn’t lead to cervical cancer in everyone. However, as it’s such a common virus it is important that we do all we can to help prevent the occurrence or spot early signs of the disease. Below are 3 important steps:

1. Attend you smear test
During a smear test, a nurse or doctor removes a sample of cells from your cervix. These cells are then examined for any changes that might lead to cancer in the future. The process may be uncomfortable but it is over in a short period of time and is important in spotting potential problems. You should normally receive a request to attend a smear test from the age of 25. But if you do not receive one or are below 25 and have any concerns about your cervix – speak to your GP.  Women from ethnic minorities are less likely to attend their smear appointments. This short video discusses the reasons for this.

2.  Be aware of  the symptoms of cervical cancer
Changes to the cells of the cervix do not usually cause symptoms. But if these changes become cancerous they can lead to symptoms such as:

· Unusual bleeding (e.g. during or after sexual intercourse,  between periods, after the menopause)
· Unusual vaginal discharge
· Discomfort or pain during sex
· Lower back pain
· Changes to the frequency of urination
· Blood in the urine
·  Rectal bleeding
· Diarrhoea
· Incontinence
· Leg swelling

Many of these symptoms may be associated with other conditions and have nothing to do with cervical cancer. But it is always best to get them investigated by seeing your GP as soon as possible.

3.  HPV vaccine
Another nationwide programme which helps to reduce the occurrence of cervical cancer is the HPV vaccination programme. The NHS routinely offers vaccinations to girls aged 11–13 in Scotland and 12–13 in the rest of the UK. Girls normally receive the vaccine in school, but they can also receive it from their GP. The vaccine is free for all girls aged 11–17 in Scotland and 12–17 in the rest of the UK.  The vaccine does not offer 100% protection against cervical cancer so anyone who has received it still needs to regularly attend their smear appointments as do all women seeking to prevent cervical cancer.

Please have a look at some women’s experiences of cervical cancer and let us know your thoughts. The smear test may not be pleasant- but is skipping it a risk worth taking?

The Christmas and New Year break are over and although I enjoyed it, I felt strangely relieved.  I think that’s because although it’s normally a really enjoyable time of year- it can also be highly stressful.  We know stress has an effect on general health. But how much do we know about how stress affects particular conditions associated with the Black community?  Black women have the highest risk of developing fibroids (non-cancerous growths in or around the womb). They can lead to heavy periods, period pain and pregnancy challenges (amongst other things). It is useful to know if stress plays a part in the existence of fibroids since we can control the way we handle stress.

A basic search of the literature doesn’t reveal many studies focused on the link between stress and fibroids.  One study did note that the increase in stress hormone cortisol can cause fluctuations in oestrogen and progestogen. Low levels of these hormones are linked to a reduction in fibroid growth.  This particular US study actually investigated the links between major-life event stress and fibroids in both Black and White women.  The authors reported  that the greater the number of ‘major life events’ the female experienced, the more likely she was to have fibroids. The pattern was evident among white women who had experienced all levels of stress yet only obvious  among  very highly stressed  Black women.  The authors of another study looked at 22,002 premenopausal  US Black women.  They reported that high levels of self-reported racism increased the risk of fibroids.  However, a study on Chinese women did not find any link between stress and the presence of fibroids. You can find out more about these studies here, here andhere.

Due to the small number of studies which investigate the link between fibroids and stress, it is difficult to say whether there is a true link- more work needs to be done in this area.  However, some people do find that they discover their fibroids after a period of stress in their lives. Have any of you had this experience?

Comfort Momoh is a  Female Genital Mutilation/Public Health Specialist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London and  is the founder of the African Well Woman’s Clinic, a service that provides counselling, support, information and surgical reversal to women and girls who have undergone FGM.  

She was an advisor to the World Health Organisation, represented the UK at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2001, is the Chairperson for  Black Women’s Health and Family Sport,  is the vice-president of the European Network on FGM and is a member of the UK’s FGM National Clinical Group.

 In 2003, she was awarded the first ever nurse/midwife of the year award by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust , in 2014 she was the recipient of the Nigerian Centenary Awards’ 100 Outstanding Nigerians past and present who have lived in the UK over the past 100 years and in 2008 she was awarded an MBE for her services to women’s health.

[Photo credit: Top Forma]

Have you heard of the expression: ‘don’t do things by halves’?  It normally means that people shouldn’t do things without putting maximum effort into it. So for example – if you are doing an exam you may wake up in the early hours of the day to study and revise. If you have an interview – you read up about the role and company until the point of saturation.  If you’re going out for a New Year celebration, you may select your outfit and venue (and maybe even hairstyle!)  well in  advance.  But for me, doing things ‘by halves’ can take on a different meaning.  It can mean achieving your goal ‘piece by piece’ i.e. piecemeal.  So instead of exhausting yourself to achieve a goal, you could achieve it by breaking it down into manageable chunks or ‘half- measures’

So what has this got to do with the New Year?

Well, every year millions of people make a pledge to be healthier and fitter. But six months down the line – the pledges are largely forgotten and definitely not achieved. Perhaps if we make small changes or ‘half-measures’ our goals would be easier to achieve.

So how can we break down key health and fitness activities into manageable chunks?

1.   Eating more fruit and vegetables

This is a common goal for most people. You don’t have to consume large plates of vegetables or fruits in one go.  Vegetables can easily complement many meals. Why not add some slices of fresh cucumber to your already prepared jollof rice?  Or add scoops of avocado or finely chopped mushrooms to your rice and peas?

2.    Increasing exercise
Do you find gym membership too expensive?  Is it too cold to go for walks outside? Jogging on the spot at home whilst watching your favourite soap for just 30 minutes could burn at least 100 calories! You could start off by jogging through one programme and then slowly build up to two. Do you love exercising to music? Why not find some old school Rnb tunes on YouTube, switch it on and dance while you are doing the dishes?

3.   Reduce fried food intake
Fried food isn’t great for many reasons including the fact that it is high in calories because it absorbs the fat from the oil. But many people find fried chicken irresistible! If you are one of those then why not alternate between fried and grilled food to begin with?  You could have fried chicken on one day then the next time you have chicken make it grilled or roasted. You could do the same thing with other meats.

4.   Reduce alcohol intake
Did you overdo the Baileys or the rum punch at Christmas? Next time you’re out for the evening or even at home and you feel like a drink – why not pour yourself two drinks? One of the drinks could be your favourite tipple and the other could be a glass of water.  You could alternate between the two drinks, sips from one then another.  You would ultimately end up drinking less alcohol.

So hopefully you now have the gist of ‘doing things by halves’ to achieve your goals.  What other ideas can you come up with?