This week researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand published the results from their study which showed that taking a short walk after a meal may be effective in controlling the blood glucose levels of type 2 diabetics.

The researchers conducted this study to expand on the current advice that regular physical activity is effective in diabetes management. They wanted to determine whether the timing of  physical activity in relation to meals enhances the benefit of physical activity.

How did the researchers explore this?

To explore this, researchers conducted a study with 41 adults with type 2 diabetes. Participants either took part in 30 minutes of physical activity every day or were advised to walk for 10 minutes after their main meal. Both of these scenarios met the t physical activity guidelines for people with type 2 diabetes.   The blood glucose level of participants was then  measured 3 hours after each main meal.

What did they find?

The researchers found that  blood glucose levels were 12% lower when participants had walked after their meals compared to if they had just carried out physical activity once a day.  They also determined that the improvement was enhanced after the evening meal (22%), as this is the meal where the most carbohydrate is eaten and when people are more inactive.

What were their conclusions?

The study concluded that

“The benefits relating to physical activity following meals suggests that current guidelines should be amended to specify post-meal activity, particularly when meals contain  a substantial amount of carbohydrate.”

The importance of this research

The black community is three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than their white counterparts and the African and Caribbean diet tends to be quite rich in carbohydrate so this research is helpful for black type 2 diabetics in understanding how they can manage their condition.

As well as following your doctor’s advice on the type of diet you should be consuming, as a type 2 diabetic, make sure you are engaging in enough physical activity and from the results of this research, taking a short walk after your main meal appears to be of benefit.

Reference

Reynolds, A.N., Mann, J.I., Williams, S. et al. Diabetologia (2016). doi:10.1007/s00125-016-4085-2

We are delighted to announce that Noire Wellness has selected The Lake Foundation as its charity of the year.  This means that over the next 12 months Noire Wellness will aim to raise £2000 for our charity. One of the ways that they will achieve this is through their Fibroids Wing Walk in June 2017!

On 17^th June 2017, representatives from Noire Wellness, including their very brave founder, Candice Bryan, will take to the skies with this daring fundraiser to experience the thrill of a wing walk thousands of feet up in the air (wow!), all for a good cause.

All the money raised by Noire Wellness will go towards our work to continue to develop a fibroids awareness, information and support programme.  Specifically we hope to develop an engaging, interactive, digital information hub, expand our outreach work and create a  support programme for women affected by fibroids.

You can support Noire Wellness in this wonderful fundraising activity by:

• Making a donation on their Go Fund Me page
• Sharing their Go Fund Me page with your contacts and asking them to make a donation
• Or, if you are brave enough, you could also take part in the Wing Walk! Email us for more information.

About Noire Wellness

Noire Wellness is an organisation that aims to improve the health and wellness of the African and African-Caribbean community through the offer of local wellness clubs, community consultancy services and a newly created network of professionals.

Currently Noire Wellness is running a 12-week pop-up club which started on 1^st August and will run until 24^th October. The pop-up club sessions are a health and fitness club, spa lounge and workshop zone all rolled into one. It features the talents of wellness professionals who have been inspired by the traditions of Africa and the Caribbean to deliver fitness, rejuvenation and nutrition services.

The next pop-up session will be on Thursday 13^th October from  7pm -9pm and will start with a one hour Afrikan Yoga (Goddess Edition) session followed by a fibroids awareness presentation delivered by The Lake Foundation’s founder, Abi Begho.  For more information and to book a place please click here

Find Out More About Noire Wellness

You can find out more about Noire Wellness by following them on Twitter, liking their page on Facebook or signing up to their newsletter here

Last week, NHS Digital, NatCen Social Research and the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Leicester published the latest results of the National Study of Health and Wellbeing (sometimes referred to as the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey).

The National Study of Health and Wellbeing Survey  is carried out every seven years and has been running since 1993. It aims to determine how everyday stresses, strains and joys affect the health of people living in the England.  It focuses on common mental disorders which are disorders that cause emotional distress, interfere with daily function but do not usually affect insight or cognition. Common mental disorders include types of depression and anxiety. Depression occurs when a person experiences low moods and a loss of interest in everyday things and experiences. Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder.

The current survey focuses on data collected in 2014 and is based on interviews with 7,500 adults over the age of 16. It explored a range of areas including wellbeing, disability, physical health, pain, lifestyle behaviours, work and stress and life events. The results of the survey can be used by those working in the health field to get a clearer picture of the public’s health and wellbeing so they can plan their services accordingly.

What does the study tell us?

The study revealed that one in six  (17%) adults have a common mental disorder and more women were affected by mental illness than men with one in five (20.7%) women having a common mental disorder compared to one in eight men (13.2%).

Other disorders were also explored and it was found that one in a hundred adults were affected by psychotic disorder and autism each.  Also, one in fifty people experienced bipolar disorder and one in thirty people were drug dependent and a similar proportion of people were found to be alcohol dependent.

The study found that young women were particularly at risk of developing a mental disorder having high rates of common mental disorders (28.2%)0, self-harm, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.

The survey also found that common mental disorders were more common in Black women, adults under the age of 60 living alone, women living in large households, adults who were not in employment or were in receipt of benefits and in those who smoked cigarettes.

When the researchers looked at ethnicity they found that in men common mental disorders affected all ethnic groups similarly but when they looked at women there was a difference. In women, common mental disorders were more common in Black and Black British women (29.3%) compared to non-British White women (15.6%) and British White women (20.9%).

The survey suggested that depression was more prevalent among Black women and panic disorder appeared to be more prevalent in Black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups.

Conclusion

Common mental disorders are a significant issue in England and the survey reveals that these are more common in Black women and there is a need to understand why this is and provide Black women with the appropriate support to address this. As a charity we will do what we can to address this issue.

You can download the National Study of Health and Wellbeing below.

‘So You Think I’m Crazy?’ is an emotive drama that explores the UK’s mental health system, told through the eyes of a young black man. It uses music, poetry, rap and dance to take audiences from the streets of London to the secure wing of a psychiatric hospital. The play highlights the issues surrounding mental ill-health in the black community and questions whether the mental health system in the UK is effective. The exploration of the issues raised in the play continues after each performance with a panel discussion made up of mental health professionals.

‘So You Think I’m Crazy?’ is written and directed by Ekanem Hines, the co-founder of Know My Mind which is a Croydon-based community group which aims to highlight mental health issues from the perspective of service users and carers.

The play was launched in 2014 and has featured in theatres and events across the UK and has been endorsed by the Mayor of Croydon, Mind and Royal College of Psychiatrists, and has also received excellent reviews.

Know My Mind started in 2013 when the co-founders decided to capture the stories of users for a report on the UK’s mental health system. This report entitled ‘Tell it like it is Mental Health in the Community: Opening Pandora’s Box?’ was published in 2014 and aimed to address the fact that the voice of service users tends to be lost in academic and professional jargon. Therefore the reality of the experience of mental health patients is not fully understood. The report addressed this by challenging the system and putting forward a set of recommendations to improve the system. Following the publication of this report Know My Mind put together the script for ‘So You Think I’m Crazy’ with assistance from consultants.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see ‘So You Think I’m Crazy’, there will be performances on Saturday 8^th October at 2:30pm and 8pm at  The Broadway Theatre in Catford, tickets are £10.

The Macmillan Information Centre in St Georges Hospital, Tooting has teamed up with the charity Thrive to support cancer patients in Wandsworth through a gardening group.

Thrive is a charity that has been in existence for 35 years and they use gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people with a disability, who are experiencing ill-health,  are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable.  This means they help people with a variety of disabilities and diseases such as mental ill-health, stroke, heart disease,  visual impairment, dementia and learning disabilities.

Their work is based on evidence that has shown that gardening improves physical and mental health which has led to the field of social and therapeutic horticulture.  This is where formal programmes involving plants and gardens are used to improve health and well-being and also communication and thinking skills.

Thrive has described the specific benefits and these are:

• Better physical health through exercise and muscle strengthening
• Improved mental health through a sense of purpose,  achieving a sense of peace and tranquillity, restoring attention and stress alleviation
• Reduction in isolation and exclusion through group work and connecting with others
• The development of skills which can lead to improved employment opportunities

Gardening and Cancer Support

As a result of the success of gardening in the above diseases, Macmillan Cancer Support has teamed up with Thrive to organise an interactive gardening group for residents of Wandsworth who are living with and beyond cancer. The programme will be led by a trained horticulturist and is available in all weather conditions as there are facilities for indoor gardening work across the many greenhouses in Battersea Park.

Each programme will last for 8 weeks and those who are interested just have to complete a very simple registration form.

More information

For more information please download the flyer below, call Macmillan on 0208 725 2677 or email  cancer.information@stgeorges.nhs.uk

The Eve and Grace Wellness Centre in Battersea opened its doors to the public on Saturday 10^th September 2016. This is a lovely space that aims to connect the community and promote healthy behaviours by providing education, support and wellness services to all. The services that the centre will offer will include yoga, reiki, massage,  pre and postnatal care and much, much more.

Our founder, Abi Begho, attended the launch of the wellness centre and said:

“We were delighted to attend the opening of the Eve and Grace Wellness Centre. This is a lovely space that will offer much-needed services to the community and play an important role in improving the health and well-being of its service users. We fully support this organisation, wish them all the best and look forward to exploring opportunities for collaboration”

The centre will start its activities with taster sessions from Monday 19^th September. To find out more and register an interest to attend please visit www.eveandgrace.co.uk

Macmillan Cancer Care and Croydon Health Services are inviting anyone affected by cancer to their upcoming health and well-being event on Tuesday 13^th September 2016 from 2:30pm to 7:30pm. This event has been organised for people who have completed or are near the completion of their cancer treatment.  The event aims to provide patients with the information and support needed to improve their well-being with speakers covering a range of topics including diet, stress, exercise, work and sexuality.

The event will take place at: Oasis Restaurant, 1^st Floor, Croydon University Hospital

To book your place on this course please call Macmillan on 0208 401 3441 or email  ch-tr.wellbeingMCS@nhs.net

For more information please download the poster and the invitation letter below.

Public Health England is conducting the first national survey to explore the health and wellbeing of people working in the sport, fitness and leisure industry.  This is a large industry with around 630,300 people working in the field accounting for 2% of the UK’s workforce.

Similar surveys have been conducted on people working in other sectors to determine the reasons for sickness absence. This is a significant issue in the UK with about 131 million work days lost through sickness absence.  These surveys found that sickness absence was due to ill health caused by feelings of discrimination, stress in the workplace and lifestyle choices.

This survey is being conducted to understand the general health and work status of people working in the sport, fitness and leisure industry.  They’d like to use the findings of the survey to inform employers on how they can better support the health and wellbeing of their staff.

If you’re interested in taking part in this survey, please click here for more information.

If you’re black African, black British or black Caribbean, we highly recommend that you take part so that any issues related to race and be properly identified and explored.

If you’re a man and have had a conversation with your GP about the PSA test, Prostate Cancer UK would like to hear from you.

Prostate Cancer UK knows, anecdotally, that men have mixed experiences when speaking to their GP about the PSA test, but they would like to collect and record this information formally to help inform their campaigning work.  They are inviting anyone who has had a conversation with their GP about the PSA test to complete a short survey asking how the conversation with your GP went and how this impacted your decision whether or not to have the test.

What is the PSA Test?

PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen and the PSA test measures the amount of PSA in the blood.

PSA is a protein produced by cells in the prostate and it is normal for men to have a small amount of PSA in their blood.  A high level of PSA in the blood suggests that there is a problem with a man’s prostate. For example, they may have an enlarged prostate, a prostate infection, or it could be something more serious like prostate cancer. Additionally, men can have a raised PSA if they take part in vigorous exercise or sexual intercourse in the 48 hours before they have a PSA test, or if they have a urine infection.

This means that when it comes to diagnosing prostate cancer the PSA test is not the best test as it isn’t accurate enough to determine whether a man has prostate cancer or not. In fact 76% of men with a raised PSA do not have prostate cancer.

The PSA test can be helpful in diagnosing prostate cancer if a man’s PSA level is extremely high (in the hundreds of thousands) but the challenge arises when PSA levels are slightly or moderately raised, then the test becomes hard to interpret.

Also, it is important to note that the PSA test can actually miss prostate cancer in some men because in 2% of men with fast-growing prostate cancer, PSA levels remain normal.

Why is Prostate Cancer UK Conducting a Survey?

The PSA test can be quite confusing for the reasons mentioned above. Hence why it is not used as a screening test and hence why men have to think carefully before having the test, if they don’t have symptoms. Therefore the conversations men have with their GP about the test are extremely important.

GPs need to provide men with accurate, balanced information about the PSA and men need  to feel empowered to make an informed decision about  whether they should have  a PSA test once they have spoken to their GP.

Through their survey Prostate Cancer UK would like to ensure that the conversations that men are having with their GPs are useful and if they are not, a survey like this provides much-needed information on what needs to be improved.

How Can I Take Part in The Survey?

If you’d like to take part in this survey, please visit Prostate Cancer UK’s website here. If you’d prefer to complete a paper version of the survey please email us and we’ll arrange for one to be sent out to you.

Is there Anything Else I Need to Know?

It is very important that black men are aware of the symptoms of prostate cancer as black men are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as their white counterparts. The symptoms of prostate cancer are:

• a weak urine flow
• needing to urinate more often, especially at night
• a feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly
• difficulty starting to urinate
• dribbling urine
• needing to rush to the toilet – you may occasionally leak urine before you get there
• blood in your urine.

These symptoms may be a sign of prostate cancer but could also be due to other prostate conditions such as an enlarged prostate or an infection.

For more information about black men’s risk of developing prostate cancer visit Prostate Cancer UK’s website here, view the video below or if you have any concerns you can call their helpline 0800 074 8383

In July, the Healthy London Partnership launched NHS Go, a new website and mobile phone app aimed at young people. These new digital resources aim to:

• Give young people greater control over their health;
• Enable young people to make healthier choices;
• Provide trusted advice and information on a range of health issues.

The app is aimed at 16-26 year olds after young people stated that they wanted better and easier access to health and wellbeing information.  In creating the app and website the NHS worked with young people at all stages of development. They have also recruited well-known YouTube vloggers to not only promote the app but raise awareness of a number of health issues.

One of the YouTube vloggers supporting this campaign is the very popular hair vlogger Laila whose YouTube channel, Fusion of Cultures, has over 179,000 subscribers. As well as creating a promotional video with other vloggers, Laila has also discussed mental health touching on anxiety, suicide and depression.

Black Health is Covered in NHS Go

NHS Go has a section on black health. This section starts with diabetes, explaining how young people can reduce their risk of developing diabetes. There is a also a personal story from diabetic Brian Hunte, a Trinidadian who lives in London  and was diagnosed with diabetes 24 years ago. He shares his story telling of how diabetes affects his daily life

“When I was diagnosed with diabetes, it was a surprise. I didn’t feel unwell, but I had been losing weight and I felt thirsty all the time. I was drinking lots of water and going to the loo more often. I had to get up twice in the night to urinate, which wasn’t normal for me.” – Brian Hunte, diabetic

Another black health issue that NHS Go covers is vitamin D. Black people are more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency because melanin blocks the sun’s UV rays and therefore reduces our skin’s ability to make vitamin D.  The NHS Go app gives young people advice on how to get enough vitamin D discussing diet and safe levels of sun exposure.

The app also touches on prostate cancer with a moving testimony from Darcus Howe, high blood pressure, stroke, skin-lightening, mental health and keloid scars.

 Useful App

The NHS Go is a useful resource for young people and if you’re a young person and have a general question about your health please do make use of the app. If you think you have a serious health issue or have symptoms  that you are concerned about please make an appointment to visit your GP.

You can download NHS Go from the Google Play Store or itunes