World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February and is the single initiative under which the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), its members, partners and the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic.

Under the tagline ‘Not beyond us’, World Cancer Day 2015 will take a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach.

The campaign explores how we can implement what we already know in the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment and care, and in turn, open up to the exciting prospect that we can impact the global cancer burden – for the better.

World Cancer Day 2015 will be articulated around four key areas of focus:

• Choosing healthy lives
• Delivering early detection
• Achieving treatment for all
• Maximising quality of life

For more information on how to get involved, please visit: www.worldcancerday.org

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This article was written by the World Cancer Day team.

Last night was the second session of our new aerobics class, AfroFit, which aims to give attendees a great workout whilst having a whole lot of fun.  The class is inspired by the Afro beats movement and thus the workout is choreographed to toe tapping Afro beats music.  It’s not all about fun though as there is some pain involved, but like our instructor says “no pain, no gain!”

AfroFit is led by Eunice Adu-Appiah a health promotion professional with ten years of nursing experience. Eunice is extremely knowledgeable with years of experience in fitness training having been an athlete herself (sprinter) in university. She’s absolutely fantastic, explains everything and has developed a really fun class that will appeal to everyone.

In last night’s session we worked every part of our body,  but it was so much fun that it really didn’t feel like a workout (well, some of it did, especially the floor work, ouch!). We started with a light warm up and then moved on to cardio which included some great African dance moves . This was followed by some floor work and then we finished with a cool down with some relaxation – ahh lovely.

This was a great session and is part of our drive to get our community fit and active. Please do join us next week at 7pm at Christ Church Methodist in Croydon. We’d love to see you.

For more information and directions click here.

In October, we launched our Fibroids Ask the Expert, a resource that aims to provide anyone with a question or concern about fibroids with accurate reliable information from an expert in the field. Since its launch we have received a number of really interesting questions which our experts have been delighted to answer. We thought it would be useful to share some of the questions and the answers with you.  So, this week’s blog is a fibroids Q&A.

Question: “How much are fibroids are likely to shrink after menopause?”

Answer:  “Fibroids may shrink after menopause, but not always.  There have been reports of fibroids shrinking by 50% after menopause and that symptoms improve or disappear completely after menopause.  This isn’t an instant process though and our understanding is that if shrinkage occurs it is usually gradual.”

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Question: “My sister was diagnosed with fibroids one being 11cm, is that large?”

Answer: “A fibroid of 11cm is on the large side. Fibroids can vary in size from as small as a coin (about 2cm) to as large as a watermelon (about 19cm).”

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Question: “Would Doctors consider the use of proteolytic enzymes as a part of the fibroid shrinking protocol?”

Answer:  “Proteolytic enzymes have the potential to “shrink” fibroids, however to answer your question, a doctor’s protocol is relative to his/her academic training.  If the physician has been trained in biomedical sciences, he/she are less likely to promote this approach, unless perhaps to assist in decreasing the fibroid size prior to surgical intervention.  Nonetheless, there has been no major studies conducted that support a significant impact between proteolytic enzymes and fibroid shrinkage.  This is just another reason medical doctors may be less likely to support this protocol.  Naturopathic or homeopathic doctors would be more inclined to consider proteolytic enzymes in addition to other forms of treatment to address fibroids, however this decision needs to be made in consultation with your selected physician.”

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Those are just a selection of some of the questions we have received. If you have a question about fibroids, no matter what, please do submit it  here or email us

A brisk 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an individual’s risk of early death, according to new research. The study of over 334,000 European men and women found that twice as many deaths may be attributable to lack of physical activity compared with the number of deaths attributable to obesity, but that just a modest increase in physical activity could have significant health benefits. – See more at:http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/lack-of-exercise-responsible-for-twice-as-many-deaths-as-obesity#sthash.hSDv1MLp.dpuf

Physical inactivity has been consistently associated with an increased risk of early death, as well as being associated with a greater risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Although it may also contribute to an increased body mass index (BMI) and obesity, the association with early death is independent of an individual’s BMI.

To measure the link between physical inactivity and premature death, and its interaction with obesity, researchers analysed data from 334,161 men and women across Europe participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study. Between 1992 and 2000, the researchers measured height, weight and waist circumference, and used self-assessment to measure levels of physical activity. The participants were then followed up over 12 years, during which 21,438 participants died. The results are published today in the American Journal of Clinical Exercise.

The researchers found that the greatest reduction in risk of premature death occurred in the comparison between inactive and moderately inactive groups, judged by combining activity at work with recreational activity; just under a quarter (22.7%) of participants were categorised as inactive, reporting no recreational activity in combination with a sedentary occupation. The authors estimate that doing exercise equivalent to just a 20 minute brisk walk each day – burning between 90 and 110 kcal (‘calories’) – would take an individual from the inactive to moderately inactive group and reduce their risk of premature death by between 16-30%. The impact was greatest amongst normal weight individuals, but even those with higher BMI saw a benefit.

Using the most recent available data on deaths in Europe the researchers estimate that 337,000 of the 9.2 million deaths amongst European men and women were attributable to obesity (classed as a BMI greater than 30): however, double this number of deaths (676,000) could be attributed to physical inactivity.

Professor Ulf Ekelund from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, who led the study, says: “This is a simple message: just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive. Although we found that just 20 minutes would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this – physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life.”

Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Unit, adds: “Helping people to lose weight can be a real challenge, and whilst we should continue to aim at reducing population levels of obesity, public health interventions that encourage people to make small but achievable changes in physical activity can have significant health benefits and may be easier to achieve and maintain.”

Reference

Ekelund, U et al. Activity and all-cause mortality across levels of overall and abdominal adiposity in European men and women: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study (EPIC). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 14 Jan 2015

This article was written by Cambridge University and was first published on 14^th January 2015 here. We have used this content as stipulated by its Creative Commons Licence.

Today, The Lake Foundation formally published the findings from its fibroids survey.

Our fibroids survey was launched last summer and we invited women with experience of fibroids to take part. The aim of the survey was to understand the needs of women with fibroids to inform the development of our fibroids information and support programme.

We explored five main areas and our key findings are as follows:

Awareness of fibroids prior to diagnosis

• There was a general low level of awareness of fibroids amongst participants prior to their diagnosis.
• There was a good level of awareness of some of the main symptoms of fibroids but a low level of awareness of other symptoms.
• Participants were aware that ethnicity was a risk factor for fibroids but less aware of other risk factors.

Route to Diagnosis

• The majority of participants delayed seeing their GP for six months or more after first noticing symptoms.
• After visiting their GP, most women received a confirmed diagnosis within 4 weeks but over a quarter stated that it took 12 months or more to receive a confirmed diagnosis.

Treatment

• Despite the fact that 79% of participants had a discussion with their GP about treatment options, 63% stated that they didn’t feel that they had enough information to make an informed decision about their treatment.
• The majority of participants (42%) had surgery to treat their fibroids.
• A quarter of respondents were very happy with their follow-up and aftercare whilst 33% stated that they were not at all satisfied.

The Effect of Fibroids and its Treatment on Quality of Life

• Participants reported that fibroids and its treatment significantly affected their quality of life, affecting them not just physically, but emotionally.
• Many participants did not feel like they had enough support to assist them in managing or overcoming the emotional, physical and medical impact of fibroids.

The Availability of Information and Support

• The biggest gaps in the availability of support were in information and peer support with a small gap in emotional support.

In 2015 we will work towards addressing these issues and have started this with our Fibroids Ask The Expert which was launched at the end of last year.

For more information on the findings of our survey please download our report below.

This week’s guest blog post comes from Sydney Ross Singer, Medical Anthropologist and Director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease. Sydney discusses the recent media headlines that reported that two-thirds of cancers are a result of “bad luck”.

When a single medical study is trumpeted around the world as “truth”, you can be sure you are dealing with marketing and not medicine.

A recent study announcing that two-thirds of all cancers are just a matter of “bad luck” has made its marketing rounds, with the conclusion that all we can do to deal with our rogue mutated cells is to go to the doctor for early detection and treatment. (Variation in cancer risk among tissues can be explained by the number of stem cell divisions, Science 2 January 2015: Vol. 347 no. 6217 pp. 78-81).

Of course, this is good for the cancer detection and treatment industry. If cancer is out of our control, unrelated to lifestyle and genetics but merely a chance event, then you need repeated and thorough cancer screening throughout your life.

You can see why this one study has been embraced by media worldwide. Media, after all, is about selling products and services, just as the Internet is paid for by ads. Here they are selling cancer services.

However, if you step back from the hype, you can see a clear flaw in the conclusion of this study.

Essentially, the study asserts that tissues with higher rates of stem cell activity have higher rates of random mutations. Stem cells are the progenitor cells of the tissues. Tissues that have higher rates of turnover than other tissues have more frequent stem cell divisions which increases the likelihood of more cellular reproduction errors.

Some of these errors can cause the cells to reproduce excessively, resulting in tumor development and cancer.
This sounds reasonable on the surface. However, it ignores part of the equation.

The body has a mechanism responsible for managing cellular mutations and killing these rogue cells. That part is the immune system.

Cancer cells are not normal, healthy cells, and the immune system recognizes these cells as defective and attacks and destroys them. This happens all the time, except when there is some immune system problem that allows these defective cells to continue reproducing. At that point, the mutated cells reproduce and grow, resulting in cancer.

This means that random mutations may cause a stem cell to go rogue. But a poorly responding defense system allows that rogue cell to develop further into cancer.

If we had no immune system mechanism for fighting mutated cells, then you would expect that there would be a direct correlation between stem cell reproductive rates, mutation rates, and the ultimate development of cancers.

However, if we had a perfectly operating and robust immune defense system, where every mutated cell was destroyed, you would expect that mutated stem cells would be killed before they could develop into cancers. There would then be no correlation between stem cell division rates and cancer incidence in those tissues. In fact, there would be no cancer at all.

In other words, stem cell random mutations don’t cause cancer. Immune system dysfunction causes cancer.

While the study did not look at breast tissue, we can see this role of the immune system in the development of breast cancer. It has to do with impairment of a central component of the immune system, called the lymphatic system.

The immune system consists of cells which fight disease and infection, the organs which produce and activate these fighting cells, and a lymphatic system through which these cells travel throughout the tissues. A problem with any aspect of the immune system can result in reduced resistance against disease, including cancer.

When it comes to breast cancer, the immune system is impaired by constriction of the lymphatic system caused by the cultural habit of wearing tight bras for long periods of time every day. The lymphatic system consists of extremely thin tubules which passively drain lymph from tissues. These are easily compressed by the pressure of a bra.

Compression from the bra is apparent by the red marks and indentations in the skin. This pressure result is chronic fluid accumulation in the breasts, as the lymph fluid that bathes the cells is prevented from properly flushing out of the breast. This increases the toxin load in the tissue, reduces oxygen availability, impairs tissue repair and maintenance, and increases stem cell mutation rates.

Constriction of the breasts also reduces the ability of immune cells to fight infections and cancers within the tissue. White blood cells cannot function properly in stagnant, low oxygenated, congested, and toxic tissue.

Numerous studies have confirmed the link between breast cancer and wearing bras. In fact, it has been shown that bra-free women have about the same incidence of breast cancer as men, and the longer and tighter the bra is worn the higher the incidence rises, increasing over 100 times for 24/7 bra users compared to bra-free women. (Seehttp://www.killerculture.com/breast-cancer-is-preventable/)

Unfortunately, this information does not create a market for products and services. Indeed, it challenges the multi-billion dollar lingerie industry, as well as the cancer detection and treatment industry.

In a world where media exists to sell products and services, information that challenges the sales of products or services is ignored. Hence, news about the bra-cancer link has been suppressed and censored for the past 20 years. If the goal of media was to improve the human condition, the bra-cancer link would have been extensively publicized long ago.

But one study on the bra-cancer link was recently publicized worldwide, with similar fanfare as the “bad luck” cancer study. Not surprisingly, the study concluded there was no link. While the study admitted it was flawed by not including bra-free women, along with other problems, it was heralded as the final word on the issue. The conclusion, of course, was the typical sales pitch promoting early detection and treatment.

Of course, early detection and treatment of cancer means you still get cancer. But when prevention is considered naive and futile, and cancers are considered just “bad luck”, there is nothing you can do but make an appointment for medical tests to see if you have cancer, and then treat it once you do.

Most cancers are not “bad luck”. They are bad immunity. If we are to discover the causes of various cancers, we must look at the reasons why the immune system is being compromised, allowing mutated cells to develop into cancer.

Of course, if any of these discoveries do not result in increased sales of a product or service, you will not hear about them. What you will hear about is any study, even if it is flawed, that concludes that you are helpless to prevent disease, and that all you can do is rush to the doctor for early detection and treatment.

It’s not about health. It’s about money. That’s not bad luck, just bad medicine.

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The Lake Foundation would like to thank Sydney Ross Singer for his guest blog piece which was first published on 7th January here. If you have any questions or comments please do leave them below in the comments section. 

This week, from 12^th – 18^th January, is National Obesity Awareness Week in the UK. During NOAW campaigners are urging the public to join their National New Year’s Resolution to tackle obesity by making a commitment to make a small lifestyle change – such as going for a regular walk or run, or eating a healthier diet.

Research has shown that black African women in the UK have the highest prevalence of obesity? The same is true for African American women. Let’s turn this around.

During NOAW The Lake Foundation will be sharing a range of health tips on our social media platforms so that we can turn these statistics around. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

In the middle of last year we started our search for office space and soon found what appeared to be the perfect opportunity – free office space for charities with no bills to pay.  We thought: “Yay! All our prayers have been answered.”  But sadly, after a very frustrating and disappointing process  this fell through and we were back to square one.

Just when we had given up all hope and the year was coming to an end we discovered 3Space.

3Space is an innovative, award-winning charity that was founded in 2010 to unlock the value of empty commercial properties. They work in partnership with property holders to make empty commercial space available free of charge for community use. They create a shared space that builds local networks and provides the infrastructure for innovation by social entrepreneurs and not-for-profit organisations.

They have repurposed properties across the UK giving start-ups and charities the opportunity to access free office space and meeting room facilities,  ensuring that these types of organisations have a great start where the stress and challenges of finding funding to cover the costs of rent,  utility bills and overheads are  eliminated.

We’re based in Croydon and after we come across 3Space we were delighted to learn that they were offering workspace right in the centre of Croydon.  The process of registering was really straightforward and within two weeks we had viewed the workspace, registered and were ready to go. Furthermore the staff at 3Space were great. Harry, Head of Operations and Lucinda, Project Manager, were extremely warm, welcoming and helpful.

The workspace 3Space has to offer in Croydon is lovely. As part of the Cabinet Office’s Space for Growth, it is based on the 5^th floor of Southern House, it has great views of Croydon and is very spacious. It is home to a number of start-up companies and not-for-profit organisations making it a great environment to work in and meet people with similar interests.

In addition to the office space there is also access to meeting and conference rooms making it ideal for external meetings and hosting small seminars.

We’ve been at 3Space for about a month now and love it. It’s a great place to work; it’s an environment that motivates us and gets the creative juices flowing.

From this experience of securing office space, I have definitely learnt a lot.  I can now vouch for the saying that goes: “when one door closes a bigger and better door will open”. That’s what has happened to us. All I can say is: if you are going through a hard time with your business or project, hang in there, be patient and know that it’s only temporary. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you 3Space!

For more information about 3Space please visit their website.

Today, we had a great time raising awareness of prostate cancer at our Understanding Prostate Cancer seminar at Trinity Baptist Church.

This event was a collaboration between The Lake Foundation, Trinity Baptist Church and Prostate Cancer UK and was organised as part of  Prostate Cancer UK’s engagement and empowerment pilot which aims to understand the best methods of reaching the black community with the key messages about prostate cancer.

Understanding Prostate Cancer formed part of TBC’s Men’s Fellowship’s monthly breakfast meeting giving us the perfect forum to disease this condition and raise awareness.

After a lovely breakfast prepared by the Women’s Ministry (thank you!) the seminar began with a welcome and introduction by Abi Begho from The Lake Foundation. This was followed by an excellent presentation by Georgina Graham, a volunteer from Prostate Cancer UK.

From Georgina’s presentation attendees learnt that prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the UK with 43,000 cases diagnosed every year and 1 in 8 men expected to develop prostate cancer. We also covered the three main prostate conditions that affect men – an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancer. It was stressed that an enlarged prostate and prostatitis are not linked to prostate cancer and do not increase a person’s risk of developing prostate cancer.
We then moved on to what symptoms men should look out for and these included:

• Needing to pee more often, especially at night
• Difficulty starting to pee
• Straining or taking a long time to finish peeing
• A weak flow
• A feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly
• Needing to rush to the toilet
• Dribbling urine

Today’s blog post comes from Orvel Douglas a Nutrition and Diet specialist at Body Sculpt of New York. Mr Douglas is a certified Nutrition and Diet Specialist and has worked as an independent nutrition consultant for various organisations and companies. He has provided nutrition counselling and workshops for the following organizations: Medgar Evers College Empowering Youth to Excel and Succeed Project (“EYES”); United Federation of Teachers; DC 37 and 1199 SEIU.  Mr. Douglas is currently providing nutrition workshops for the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services(OASAS) for their Access to Recovery Program (ATR) in Brooklyn, New York and is also the Lead Nutritionist for Body Sculpt of New York’s Six Weeks to Fitness programs.

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What I have noticed in the last 20 years is that we are getting sicker and sicker. Some of the diseases that are prevalent amongst the older generation are showing up in teenagers. One thing I can say is that we are eating way too much processed and junk food.

Many studies are showing that animal proteins are causing many preventable diseases. What I have found is that when a person removes all animal protein from their diet many ailments tend to disappear.

I have seen people’s type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arthritis disappear, just to name a few.

One of the leading doctors in this field is Dr Colin Campbell. Dr Campbell is an American biochemist who specializes in the effect of nutrition on long-term health. He is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University.

Campbell has become known for his advocacy of a low-fat, whole foods, vegan (plant-based) diet. He is the author of over 300 research papers on the subject, and two books, Whole (2013), and The China Study (2005), which became one of America’s best-selling books about nutrition.^[1] Campbell featured in the 2011 American documentary, Forks Over Knives.

Campbell was one of the lead scientists in the 1980s of the China–Oxford–Cornell study on diet and disease, set up in 1983 by Cornell University, the University of Oxford, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine to explore the relationship between nutrition and cancer, heart and metabolic diseases. The study was described by The New York Times as “the Grand Prix of epidemiology.”^[2]

There is a group of doctors in an organization called Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and what they are doing is putting a new focus on health and compassion. The Physicians Committee combines the clout and expertise of more than 12,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of 150,000 members across the United States and around the world.

They are changing the way they treat disease such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer and arthritis. They are putting prevention over pills.

We at Body Sculpt have been promoting a low fat, plant-based diet and what we have seen are some of our participants are no longer on medication through this small change.

My advice to anyone who is reading this and are suffering from ailments I would strongly suggest that you do some research and try a plant-based diet. The only thing you have to lose is your ailments.

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The Lake Foundation would like to thank Orvel Douglas for his guest blog post. If you have any questions for Orvel please leave them in the comments section below and for more information about Body Sculpt’s Six Weeks to Fitness program click here