EE K
W
ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH EAT YOUR GREENS!
LL
G
March 2-8 2022
WE
IN
Powered by LJMU journalists
FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY
BE
MNL
Mersey News Live
WHAT IS HEALTH ANXIETY? HEALTHY BODY HEALTHY MIND
COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE
Spectacular night-time view of the Royal Liver Building © Sophie Moore
MNL MNL
CONTENTS WELLBEING WEEK 4 5
6&7 4
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
‘Eat them to defeat them’: Encouraging children to eat healthier
6&7 Coppafeel! the first breast cancer charity for young people
8 9
Health and the plant-based revolution New community diagnostics centre at
Women’s Hospital
10 11
Tackling the trauma of health anxiety
How exercise can help cope with effects of chemotherapy
12 13 14 15
9
8
Healthy body, healthy mind Endometriosis Action Month Medical bags help save lives 27 miles, 27 days: fund-rasing for MIND 12
K
It’s Wellbeing Week across MNL!
eeping a healthy body and mind is very important to everyone, across Mersey News Live’s website and magazine we’re bringing you everything to do with health! To kick things off, Ellie reports on Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month with an interview with Hillary Bates, an admin for the Facebook group Ovarian Cancer UK. Sophie has a piece all about encouraging younger people to take up a healthy diet, and speaks to a children’s dietician from the Wirral. Evan talks you through the plant
-based revolution hitting Liverpool. Ella takes a look at the new community diagnostics centre opening at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, while Catrin warns of health anxiety and the problems with self-diagnosis relying on help from Google. Oli has an interesting piece on how keeping active whilst in chemotherapy can help reduce the size of tumours. Amna talks about Endometriosis Action Month and how many people are not even aware of
3
the condition. Ailis talks to a company suppling medical bags and equipment throughput the UK to those in the health sector and emergency services. Gabby, meanwhile, investigates how university can add to mental health struggles for students and why one students has taken it upon herself to try and make a difference. Luke Pollitt, Health Reporter
M “
arch is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to spreading awareness to the disease once dubbed ‘the silent killer’. Merseynewslive spoke to Hilary Bates, 63, from Buckinghamshire, admin of the Facebook group, Ovarian Cancer UK. She also commented on the infamous name of the disease, she said: “The term “silent killer” is outdated, and the current thinking is ‘It whispers, so listen.’” Hilary was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer when she was 48. She believes on spreading awareness of the disease as: “It’s important to share because too many people (women included) don’t even know that it exists and because family history is extremely important and Lynch syndrome can increase the risk of ovarian cancer,” Hilary emphasised:
MNL It’s also really important for people who are recently diagnosed to know that there ARE long term survivors
“
WELLBEING WEEK
The group was set up as a support outlet for those presenting symptoms of the disease, as well as those already in their battle to beat Ovarian Cancer. They use the platform as a place to hold open conversations and support one another. Hilary emphasised the importance of identifying your symptoms, she said: “Know your body. Don’t dismiss symptoms as ‘one of those things’.” The charity Target Ovarian Cancer recommend not using the term
WELLBEING WEEK
Ending the stigma of ovarian cancer
ELLIE ROCHELL looks into why we should no longer refer to the disease as ‘the silent killer’
‘silent killer’, as it merely reinforces perceptions that the symptoms of ovarian cancer can’t be spotted until later stages. Thery said: “We want to increase early diagnosis, in order to save lives, and therefore need to change these perceptions.” Some common symptoms may include (but are not limited to) bloating (constant, not coming and going), eating difficulties (feeling full quickly), abdominal pain and toilet issues (Bladder irritability, Bowel problems, either constipation or diarrhoea or both). However, Ovarian Cancer is most common in middle-aged women, Hilary said: “Are often very busy with work, teenage offspring and/or elderly parents, or older women, who just expect to feel unwell a lot of the time.” Meaning that these symptoms can often be disregarded, leading the cancer to spread to a later stage of development. Target Ovarian Cancer said: “Because it is diagnosed late, the disease kills 3 in 10 women in the twelve months after diagnosis.” Another spokesperson from Ovarian Cancer UK said: “A symptoms diary to show the GP can be very useful.” These can be found through official organisations such as Ovacome. Those presenting these symptoms are urged to visit their GP and ask for a CA125 blood test and an ultrasound
Image Credit: Unsplash
Image Credit: Unsplash
Image Credit: Unsplash
4
scan to rule out ovarian cancer. Although, women experiencing these symptoms can be often turned away from these tests. Hilary said: “If the GP refuses these tests, she should ask for the reason for refusal to be recorded in her notes (this often gets some action).” Hilary told Merseynewslive: “The UK has a worse survival rate for ovarian cancer than any other European country. Resources are stretched to the limit, especially at the GP level.” Annwen Jones OBE, Chief Executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “Knowing the symptoms is crucial for everyone. “We need to make sustained and large-scale government-backed symptom campaigns a reality. Progress is possible. If we do this, fewer people will be diagnosed late, fewer will need invasive treatment, and ultimately, fewer will die needlessly from ovarian cancer.”
• Visit Target Ovarian Cancer at: https://targetovariancancer. org.uk/ If you’d had Ovarian Cancer, currently are being treated or have symptoms, view the Ovarian Cancer UK group: https://www.facebook. com/groups/ovariancanceruk/?ref=share
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
New strategy to promote healthy I eating in children
WELLBEING WEEK
a positive impact on the health of children. “There’s only so much a parent or guardian can do to try and make a change; kids are smart if they don’t want to eat something they won’t. “So sometimes action has to be taken.” The Food Foundation’s analysis of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that 80% of primary school-aged children don’t eat the recommended 3.5 portions a day. n fact, parents report that one in four children had no veg at all the previous day. The problem is even more prominent for families on a low income, who are likely to be eating on average half a portion less than those on a high income. The decades old ‘eat your greens’ approach is no longer working. According to adam&eveDDB the creators of the TV advertising campaign, the message has become outdated. “The message has become part of the problem. Vegetables are now the least exciting thing on the plate and in the supermarket and fewer kids are willing to eat them. " Too often mealtimes are battlegrounds. Coercion, bribery and threats become parents’ stock in trade to get kids to eat their veg. But this goes against a fundamental truth about kids and behaviour change. “If we were going to get kids to eat more vegetables, it was time to end the coercion and put kids in control. “We acknowledged the awkward truth about the thing we were
The government has released plans for a new healthy eating advertising strategy to target children. SOPHIE MOORE reports.
E
at Them To Defeat Them’ is a radical new advertising campaign that aims to get kids eating more healthily. This new strategy is designed in response to the rise in childhood obesity and diet related diseases. According to the Food Foundation’s recent research finding 96% of teenagers and 80% of primary school age children don't eat enough vegetables. This comes after new findings reveal 1 in every 3 children in Liverpool leaving primary school overweight or living with obesity. Lucy Harrow, a children’s dietitian from the Wirral told merseynewlive that a new strategy to target children was
needed. She said: “With the Covid pandemic, childhood obesity has only continued to increase. “Obviously there are reasons for this trend, like no access to physical education or pe clubs, that’s why now more than ever there needs to be a change in the which it is handled. “I think having more advertisements which advocate healthy eating is such a good thing. For years children have had healthy eating shoved down their throats quite aggressively, but by introducing the idea in a format that kids like, will encourage them to actively want to change their diets and see the food options available to them.” Lucy added: “By showing healthy eating in a positive and entertaining way, it will only have
‘ 5
trying to promote: most kids hate vegetables. “To kids, vegetables were gross. “Like Marmite, we had the chance to harness the hate and do something interesting with it. We asked ourselves ‘what if we made veg bad, not good? The governments has also released a Health and Care Bill: advertising of less healthy food. It will introduce a 9pm watershed for advertising of less healthy food or drink on TV, and a restriction on paid-for advertising of less healthy food or drink online. The bill came after obesity rates in both reception-aged and year 6 schoolchildren increased by around 4.5 percentage points between 201920 and 2020-21 which is the highest annual rise since the National Child Measurement Programme began. Jo Churchill, Public Health Minister, commented and said: “We are committed to improving the health of our children and tackling obesity. The content that youngsters see can have an impact on the choices they make and habits they form. With children spending more time online it is vital we act to protect them from unhealthy advertising.” She added: “These measures form another key part of our strategy to get the nation fitter and healthier by giving them the chance to make more informed decisions when it comes to food. “We need to take urgent action to level up health inequalities. This action on advertising will help to wipe billions off the national calorie count and give our children a fair chance of a healthy lifestyle.”
’
IT’S TIME TO END THE COERCION AND PUT KIDS IN CONTROL!
Image: Unsplash Gabriel Gurrola
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
WELLBEING WEEK
Committed to the Cause These boobs were made for walkin’. Liverpool’s Uni Boob Team set out on a 10km walk across the city to raise money for the CoppaFeel! charity. GABBY MAXWELL talks to SOPHIA SMITH about her story... hosting a brunch, there are heaps of ways you can raise money and help us give everyone the best possible chance of surviving breast cancer. “We can get out and do things now. The first year we set up the team it was all online, we did Zoom’s because of covid, but now we have lots of things coming up, we have a quiz night for International Womens Day, a boob dodgeball, a lush night! We’ve got lots of things to look forward to!” Gabby became President of the Uni Boob Team in 2020. “I had heard about CoppaFeel! when I was younger, but I followed them at the end of 2018 on Instagram. I began checking my chest after seeing their posts and in November 2018 I found a lump on my chest.” said Gabby. “I was at university in Liverpool at the time and I went to the doctors here and they said it was hormonal because of my periods and they didn’t offer me a follow up check. The lump was quite big so when I went home for Christmas, I had another doctor’s appointment.”
‘
Gabby and the Uni Boob Team
‘
W
e all have breast tissue, and breast cancer can affect any body. Whatever your age or gender, knowing your chest could save your life. CoppaFeel! is the first breast cancer charity in the UK to solely create awareness amongst young people, with the aim of instilling the knowledge they need to get to know their bodies. CoppaFeel! brings the serious message in a light-hearted way and empowers people to start healthy habits for life. Cancer is a condition that causes cells in the body to grow uncontrollably. These cells form growths, called tumours. Everyone has breast tissue – people of all ages, races and genders. In the UK, 1 in 7 women and about 1 in 100 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. If breast cancer is diagnosed early, it is curable. CoppaFeel! created the ‘Uni Boob Teams’ involving student ambassadors across the country who spend their time shouting about boob-checking and raising funds at university and have been doing so since 2010. From runs and swims, to throwing glitter parties and movie nights, these lot are well-equipped at getting students to cop a feel! The president of Liverpool’s Uni Boob Team is 22-year-old Gabby Maxwell, a third-year sociology student at the University of Liverpool. On Monday the team took to the streets of Liverpool in the wet and windy weather to walk 10km to raise money! The team encourage you to check your boobs regularly and empower you to seek advice from a doctor if symptoms persist. When they’re not busy shouting about boob-checking, they’re fundraising to support the life-saving work that CoppaFeel! do. Gabby told MNL: “Four of us started at University square for the walk, it was dry at this point, ten minutes in it began raining heavily and halfway through it was like torrential rain and we were completely soaked! We had the big boob so everyone could see it!” Whether you’re willing to offer up blood sweat and tears doing a sporting challenge or you just fancy
WE CARRIED THE BIG BOOB SO EVERYONE COULD SEE IT
The Boob Suit!
“My GP at home was really good, because they refer you anyway to get it checked out. I had a hospital appointment in January, and luckily, I was fine!” “At the time they thought it was breast cancer just because the lumps looked cancerous, so I had to have two biopsies in my boobs. I then had blood tests, an MRI, and a mammogram. Luckily it was okay but there was a lot of waiting because they did think something was wrong, so I had to wait three weeks for my results to come back. After this I wanted to see if university had any groups, but Liverpool University didn’t have a society, so I set one up in my second year!”
G
abby told MNL: “They had one three or four years ago but they stopped running it. Hopefully I will be doing a masters abroad but one of the girls in the
6
The Uni Boob Team at Liverpool Docks
WELLBEING WEEK committee is going to be running for the president next year! “We won a fundraising award from our student union, we managed to raise thousands from our Justgiving page. Some girls ran a half marathon and they managed to raise over £1500. We raised around £1200 too! All the money goes towards CoppaFeel!. They have subgroups so that each of our Uni Boob Teams can raise money seperately and it all goes together”. veryone has breast tissue – young, old, guys, gals and non-binary pals! Some of you might be surprised to know that around 400 men a year get breast cancer in the UK. Breast cancer in men is not common, but it can happen. If you are a man you should still be checking your chest. Gabby told MLN: “I live with three boys and I have my boyfriend, they really get involved with the events. It’s good to have a guy representation because lot’s of men think breast cancer can’t affect them and that’s not the case. We’re planning on doing a video encouraging men to check their chests soon! If you want to spread awareness in your healthcare practice, school, workplace, at your fundraising event, or even in your shower, CoppaFeel! has materials to help you get started. From fundraising packs, school packs, awareness packs and shower packs! If want to spread the chest checking message CoppaFeel have everything you need to get started, including leaflets, stickers, and handy checking card! CoppaFeel! was founded in 2009 by Kristin Hallenga and her twin sister Maren after Kris was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer at the age of 23. After finding a lump at 22, living abroad in China for 8 months and eventually visiting her doctor 3 times, Kris was told the news that
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
E
The Uni Boob Team on their 10K Liverpool walk a higher chance of surviving and recovering. She wanted people to learn from her story and become pro-active about their own health. The idea for CoppaFeel! was born. Since then CoppaFeel! has grown from a determined duo based in Kris and Maren’s living room to a team of eighteen housed at Boob Towers in South London. Knowing your boobs could save your life so join the fight, one step at a time. Get involved on the Coppafeel! website or donate at https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liv-
erpoolubt. Text UBT LIV to 70500 to get your free monthly reminder boob/ pec check text! Check your bumps for lumps with CoppaFeels! tips below...
Credit: CoppaFeel!
she had incurable breast cancer. Kris was unaware that breast cancer could affect people in their twenties and knew very little about the disease. It struck her that there was very little information out there for young people, educating them about the disease, how they could be looking after themselves and informing them that breast cancer doesn’t just affect women over 50. Although Kris will always live with cancer, she wanted to get the message out there to young people that catching cancer early means you have
7
WELLBEING WEEK
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
City’s eateries at heart of plant-based revolution great thing that is but in reality, they usually offer one thing on the menu and that’s about it. It’s never really that amazing and it seems it’s just put there so they don’t miss out on a big group of people booking because one of them is a vegan. I can’t think of many places where I order the vegan option and it doesn’t take twice as long. To be fair though in terms of the actual specific plant-based restaurants I’m seeing massive improvements and plenty of new options so it definitely is getting better but those places that aren’t specific to vegans still have such a long way to go. How can things imrpove? I think we just need to keep getting more variety in the plant-based restaurants and see more effort from the bigger mainstream companies really. If they do want to cater to vegans then give us good alternatives and not just one average item to tick a box. There are also still places that dont cater to us at all and even those that claim to have a vegan option but whenever you do go in it never actually seems to exist. Like they’ve just made it up to seem good for passers by but just hope nobody ever goes and orders it.” As Veganism becomes ever more popular, many brits are making the switch in diets for a number of issues from animal welfare, concern for the
Veganism is rising in Liverpool and across the UK. EVAN BARTON looks into the growing popularity of the plantbased industry and the benefits for our wellbeing
T
he UK’s vegan scene is expanding at a rapid rate with over 6,000 vegan friendly restaurants across the country and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. According to thegoodnessproject, the number of vegans from 20142019 quadrupled from 150,000 to 600,000 which is now actually just over 1% of the population. When you combine these figures with vegetarians, that means roughly 6 million people identify as veggie or vegan. It is encouraging times for vegans with most major restaurants and fast-food chains like McDonalds, Greggs, Burger King and even Nando’s offering plant-based items, the accessibility of making the switch to a meatfree diet is becoming practically mainstream. This is especially the case here in the North-West, Liverpool ranks 7th and Manchester ranks 6th in the most vegan and veggie friendly cities in the UK according to Nisbets.com. In Liverpool, Finder. com in 2021 ranked Liverpool 91st with an average of 4,501 people per restaurant as opposed to 3,406 in
2022. This clearly shows the vast and rapidly expanding plant-free business that is spreading through the city and is a very promising sign for every individual trying to go meat-free. MNL spoke to Tom Johnson, a student at the University of Liverpool who made the switch from vegetarianism to veganism in 2019 to find out if the cities plant based expansion is really as good as it sounds. How does Liverpool compare to where you lived originally for a plant-based diet? That’s the thing really, being from Ellesmere Port meant here wasa limited number of options locally. I’ve always just made meals myself but when it comes to eating out or getting fast food that’s when I’d struggle. You either went to the same place repeatedly or got the train into Liverpool, which is a bit too much effort really if you just wanted a quick bite to eat. So in those terms yeah Liverpool is like a vegan utopia but I think most places would be compared to Ellesmere Port. Are things getting noticeably better for vegans? Yes and no. I think people see that a restaurant offers a vegan alternative and automatically just assume what a
8
environment and weight management. Science has also claimed it can help reduce chances of certain types of cancers, improve kidney function,lower blood sugar and combat the risk of heart disease. With expanding restauraunts and a growing variety of selection, now may just be the best time to make that switch to a plant based diet or even to simply reduce your meat consumption. Whether your reason is to be healthier or to protect the environment, it is definitely worth a try.
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
WELLBEING WEEK
New test centre comes to aid of mums-to-be
A
By ELLA WILLIAMS
new Community Diagnostics Centre is to open in Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The diagnostic centre is a facility able to evaluate a person’s condition, using blood tests and X-rays. Patients across Liverpool can benefit from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home. The Trust has secured a share of £350m national funding to be one of the first 40 new Community Diagnostic Centres, announced by the Government and NHS. The new centre on the Liverpool Women’s Hospital site will provide diagnostic tests for people in the surrounding area, as well as reducing some of the current clinical challenges faced by patients by providing direct access to more diagnostic services on site, rather than requiring patients to travel to other locations. Eva Horgan, Chief Finance Officer at Liverpool Women’s, said: “This new investment will provide essential diagnostic tests to patients in the local area whilst also supporting Liverpool Women’s patients to get access to tests on site that were not possible before.” The centre will help achieve earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster, and more direct access to the full range of diagnostic tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms, a reduction in hospital visits which will help to reduce the risk of COVID-19
transmission; and a contribution to the NHS’ net zero ambitions by providing multiple tests at one visit, reducing the number of patient journeys and helping to cut carbon emissions and air pollution. “Work has commenced on our new Imaging and Colposcopy Unit, and we are delighted to be working in partnership again with Tilbury North. This comes after the completion of our amazing Neonatal Unit and Fetal Medicine Unit (FMU).” The centre will be developed in conjunction with the Crown Street Enhancements Programme. These services are anticipated to be provided by March 2022, followed by CT and MRI scans which are planned to be delivered during 2022/23.
T
he cemtre has been awarded initial funding of over £5m for this programme. When completed, the new centre on the Liverpool Women’s Hospital site will provide tests for a range of patients across the city and will see the Trust working collaboratively with other providers to deliver service. GPs will be able to refer patients to a centre so they can access life-saving checks closer to home and be diagnosed for a range of conditions, rather than travelling to hospital. This will be more convenient for patients, more efficient and more resilient to the risk of cancelled tests in hospitals due to COVID-19. The centres will be staffed by a multi-disciplinary
9
Photo: Liverpool Women’s Hospital team of staff including nurses and radiographers and are open 7 days a week. The centres are one of the recommendations from Professor Sir Mike Richards, the first NHS national cancer director, who conducted a review of diagnostic services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, published last year. There are still details to confirm
such as what the new centre will be called, plans for the development phases of the centre, and exact timescales for when services will start to be delivered. • The centre are asking the public to complete a form about their plans to develop CDC o site at the Liverpool Women’s. You can fill this out here: https://tinyurl.com/4umtnzuf
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
WELLBEING WEEK
Sick with Worry For Wellbeing Week, CATRIN JONES talks health anxiety and the issues of living as a hypochondriac.
H
ealth anxiety is an unfamiliar term for some; but the painful reality for certain people is that it turns their life upside down. This condition initially stems from the notorious side effects of GAD, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and can vary in its severity. A large part of the population experience anxiety at some point during their life; however, individuals who are prone to the condition, suffer from the perils of health anxiety. Health anxiety, commonly known as hypochondria, is the act of worrying that you are becoming ill to the point that you develop physical symptoms festered by fear. The intensity of this condition is so prominent that an individual’s thoughts can cause physical symptoms to appear and more often than not, these symptoms do not indicate that they are ill and once a person realises that they are perfectly healthy, these symptoms completely disappear. Jack, who requested to remain
anonymous due to the stigma associated with the subject, told MNL of their experience with the condition. “For about two weeks I was experiencing the exact symptoms of someone about to have a heart attack; tight chest, my arms hurt, really tired, short of breath- all the symptoms of a heart attack but it never came. “My issue would be that every symptom I got would give me more anxiety and I’d become more and more convinced that I had something wrong with me every single time I noticed something to the point I became really ill. “I stopped exercising, I was worried, I was watching my BPM, and then eventually I went to the hospital saying, ‘I think there’s something wrong with me, I don’t know what’s going on.’ I had about five different scans and blood work done, and each scan came back one by one OK, but I remember when I came home that night and woke up the next day, all my symptoms had gone! “I felt fine- got up, went on my bike and felt absolutely fine which I think
“
When you couple up a minor depressive episode and someone who’s prone to health anxiety, then you have a perfect storm.
”
Photo: Unsplash
Photo: Wikiemedia Commons is so evident of how psychological it is.” A phenomenon called Google Diagnosis is on the rise, as internet users are now able to search up their symptoms to find the diagnosis. This may sound helpful but in fact, this is one of the dangers of the accessibility of information online. This ability to predetermine your condition without seeking professional advice from a GP is proven to be harmful as it causes incorrect self-diagnosis and unnecessary panic. The dangers of both health anxiety and google diagnosis; however, is that individuals will be aware of these factors and perhaps neglect physical symptoms that may actually need to be assessed. 22-year-old Jack further explains the devastating truth about experiencing health anxiety. “I think a lot of it comes from the media about ‘perfectly healthy human diagnosed with cancer- 6 weeks to live’ sort of thing, but the problem I think you get from that is they become the normality and you start to think ‘oh my god, I might just wake up tomorrow and have cancer’ when in fact you’ve got more chances of getting hit by a car the next day.” The relationship between alcohol
10
Photo: Unsplash and anxiety has forever been notorious, as depressants are proven to have a negative impact on your mental health. “I think one of the biggest triggers are depressive episodes and any time you have high anxiety or been abusing depressants such as alcohol and nicotine- that really affects it.” However, getting symptoms checked out can also allow other conditions to be surfaced, as Jack recently discovered that their ongoing battle with health anxiety was due to ADHD. “I went for tests to see if I had Generalised Anxiety Disorder and thank god, I didn’t have it because that would be a living nightmare, but I ended up having ADHD. “Since my diagnosis, I think my health anxiety has gone down by 80 or 90%; I still get it now and then but barely and that’s because I now know I have ADHD and I know I suffer from hyper fixations.” The physical symptoms that accompany health anxiety are typically an increased heart rate, nausea, sweating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and muscle tension. For further information and advice on health anxiety, visit the NHS website.
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
WELLBEING WEEK
Study shows that exercise can help cancer treatment LJMU scientists have produced a ground-breaking study that shows exercise during chemotherapy can reduce tumour growth. OLI JOHNSON reports surgery. Twenty-one patients were assigned to a structured exercise regime for 16 weeks, while a second group of 19 patients followed standard care without structured exercise. The exercise was based on a ‘moderate intensity’ programme in line with World Health Organisation and UK Chief Medical Officer guidelines for physical activity for health. The results showed that the ‘exercise’ group demonstrated higher rates of tumour regression, improved immune function, reduced inflammation, and a reduction in chemotherapy-related reductions in muscle mass and physical deconditioning. Although this particular study included oesophageal cancer patients, the team say the data is potentially relevant to any cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy. Exercise will improve fitness, body strength and will aid the chemotherapy treatment. The ground-breaking study could
‘
‘
A
new study has found that cancer patients who followed a course of exercise ahead of their chemotherapy surgery saw their tumours begin to shrink, compared to patients who were treated in the usual way. Patients who took part in the trial also experienced a strengthening of the immune system, a partial reverse of chemo-related deconditioning (muscle loss) and improved muscle mass leading to an improvement in quality of life during treatment. Greg Whyte OBE, professor of sport and exercise sciences at Liverpool John Moores University, commented on the research and talked about how exercise can do more than just aid the treatment. He said: “Chemotherapy plays a key role in cancer treatment but can result in a number of unwanted side effects which have a direct impact on patients’ quality of life. “It is incredibly encouraging to see the positive impact of exercise during treatment on chemotherapy response as well as reducing some of the negative side-effects leading to an improvement in quality of life,” The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine early in February, and scientists involved have said: “It was an extremely encouraging moment to observe.” In the trial, the team compared two groups of oesophageal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy prior to
It is incredibly encouraging
prove hugely beneficial to patients due to undergo chemotherapy, and there are an increasing number of centres in the UK offering exercise prehabilition and rehabilitation as part of standard cancer care. Prehabilition means treatment, such as a course of exercise, prior to the surgery, and rehabilition is after the surgery. Andrew Davies, Consultant Surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and lead author of the study, is keen for more places to include exercise as a part of every treatment. He said: “This is the first time a relationship between exercise and chemotherapy response has been
Photo: LJMU
11
Photo: LJMU
shown in a human trial and opens up the possibility of benefitting patients with other types of cancer and those in palliative as well as curative settings. The argument for exercise now being a standard part of our treatment strategy for cancer becomes even stronger.” Exercise prehabilitation is highly beneficial for people undergoing any other surgeries as well, as it can reduce the length of stay in hospital, enhance post-op recovery and most importantly improve quality of life. The trial was funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, who pride themselves on supporting NHS staff and pioneering new approaches to treatment to help discover new solutions.
Professor Greg Whyte OBE Photo: LJMU
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
WELLBEING WEEK
Do you need any help with your mental health?
There are countless places for people to go who are struggling and getting past the stigma of speaking up is a key first step. The following are places you can visit if you feel you’re beginning to struggle. Some of which we go through in the article: Samaritans – offering a safe place for people to talk to 24 hours a day and seven days a week – 116 123 Papyrus – They offer support and advice specifically tailored to younger people. This can be used if you or someone close to you seems to be struggling – 0800 068 4141 Raw ‘n’ Real – These are a group on the Wirral helping younger men talk through any problems they have with a group of young men. https://www.instagram.com/rnr.nw/ Running Head First – Highlighting the link between mental and physical health and encouraging those struggling to get active.
https://runningheadfirst.org/
How a healthy body makes a healthy mind LUKE POLLITT investigates mental health and the links between keeping fit and a healthy mindset, talking about how local charities are tackling the stigma of opening up
C
hris Redmond is a personal trainer from the Wirral and runs a local charity called Running Head first. He set the charity up, in 2019, with the aim of improving people’s mental health through physical activity. In 2015, Chris himself suffered a mental breakdown. Describing it as the most harrowing time of his life, he had suffered with anxiety, stress and depression for a long time. Followed by a prolonged period of recovery. Throughout his recovery, Chris made the most of running to help manage the symptoms of his mental health. He noticed how little was available when it came to physical exercise to help people in similar situations to his, so he decided to change that. The charity provides a wide variety of services to aid in the recovery of mental illness. These include mental health interventions, inclusive social groups and treatment pathways that can benefit recovery, a running and walking club, catering to all fitness levels alongside an online run club currently in development and events in the community that are available to all. In 2020, Samaritans reported that 4,912 people committed suicide in England, 3,682 of which were men. Making up 75% of all suicides, men are3.1x more likely to take their own life than women in England. A strong link has been found between the how your mental and physical health affect each other. The World Health Organisation reported that
lifestyle choices work in unison when it comes to a person’s health. Physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and diet all have a massive say in how healthy someone’s mind is. The Mental Health Foundation goes into detail on how everyone can play a part in preventing suicide, explaining how a short conversation can sometimes be enough to make a difference.
‘WAIT’
or health professional. The Department of Health and Social Care released plans for suicide prevention with a more focused approach in relation to at risk groups. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and asylum seekers, lesbian, gay and bisexual people and transgender people. ‘No health without mental health’ is the cross-government strategy to help tackle the problem of deteriorating mental health. A report by the department said: “The stigma associated with mental health problems, can act as a barrier to people seeking and accessing the help that they need, increasing isolation and suicide risk. The Government is supporting the national mental health anti-stigma and discrimination Time to Change programme, which includes work targeted at BME communities.” Raw ‘n’ Real, again based on the Wirral, are a group of young men offering support for young men struggling with mental health problems. The group host a weekly walk and
This acroynm is a great way to remember how you can support people who are struggling: atch out for signs of distress and uncharacteristic behaviour sk “are you having suicidal thoughts?” t will pass – assure your loved one that, with help, their suicidal feelings will pass with time alk to others – encourage your loved one to seek help from a GP
W A I T
12
talk along the promenade, welcome to any young lad who is struggling. Offering emotional support and guidance an providing those men with a pathway to a healthier mindset. In February, the group also put together a community fun day in New Ferry, offering families a chance for an activity filled day, whilst at the same time raising money and awareness about mental health, wellbeing and fitness. Throughout last month, members took part in running over 100km to raise money for to the Wirral Mind charity. This came after one of the members, Martin, lost his uncle Drew to suicide over the Christmas period. The group said: “Ourselves and Martin believe the best way to deal with this situation is to bounce back and really make a positive impact by stepping out of our comfort zones within the February period in respect to Drew’s life.” For more information on this appeal visit (https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/raw-n-real-cic)
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
Don’t ignore painful periods
WELLBEING WEEK
Image: Sarah Harris
AMNA AKRAM spoke to two women who both have endometriosis about their experiences of the condition and what can be done to improve care around the UK
I
was missing lectures, I couldn’t see my friends, I literally could not leave the house because I was changing my super jumbo pads every hour and I was still bleeding through everything.” This is the experience of journalist Sarah Harris from Nottingham. She first got her periods at nine years old, but it wasn’t until she was twelve that it started to become extremely painful and still affects her daily life up until this day. Doctors often dismissed her pain as being normal, despite weekly visits and they even pulled her parents aside claiming it was ‘all in her head’. In the second year of university things took a turn for the worst when Sarah had her periods for longer than six weeks and decided that she had enough of not being taken seriously. The 24-year-old said: “I went to the doctor one morning, and he said the same thing as always - come back next week, a few hours later I went back again because I was so sick of it, and I just wanted someone to figure out what was happening to me.” After being seen by a technician it was confirmed that Sarah had Endometriosis. In 2017 Sarah had her first surgery many risks were involved including ovarian damage, but the result was tremendous as the journalist was able to live a normal life for two
years having completed her undergratude degree, started a masters and travelled the world. The condition seemed to have reappeared just before the national lockdown was enforced in 2020. Since then, Sarah has been put on multiple waiting lists to get an appointment due to Covid-19 restrictions. She did manage to get a second surgery after years of pressure but it seems to not have worked as her organs are starting to stick again. Sarah said that organisations and the school curriculum need to teach women about endometriosis from an early age to prevent long term pain. She said: “Organisations and the school curriculum in general need to be really clear when they teach you about endometriosis because otherwise, you’re just questioning how much period pain is normal your whole life and because it’s such a taboo topic you’re afraid to ask the people around you.”
E
ndometriosis is a gynaecological condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Symptoms may include chronic pelvic pain, heavy menstrual flow, infertility, pain during intercourse,
“
It’s a taboo subject nobody wants to hear about your period pain you just get on with it and that is part of the problem
painful bowel movements and painful urination during periods. The severity of these symptoms experienced depends on the stage a person is at with the condition. For several years March was a month dedicated to raising awareness on the often ignored and hidden condition which affects one in 10 women in the UK. From 2022 onwards, charity organisation Endometriosis UK is now challenging traditional norms and the healthcare system by referring to it as an action month. The aim is to reach a wider audience by launching public campaigns to improve endometriosis diagnosis and care across the UK.
L
Image: Lizzy Emmerson
izzy Emmerson, co-leader of Merseyside Endometriosis UK Support Group, has had similar experiences of not being taken seriously by doctors and feeling ignored for years due to the social stigma. In fact, Lizzy didn’t even know endometriosis had existed until five years ago when she went in for a scan and got diagnosed with the condition. Even after the diagnosis doctors kept prescribing her the contraceptive pill which was making no difference until surgery. She said: “I did eventually get the help I needed and had a diagnostic laparoscopic with excision, I actually
13
”
found someone who did listen to me and the difference it made to both my condition and mental state was incredible, so just having that support from the people who should be there to help you makes such a difference.”
A
national representative poll of more than 2,000 people conducted by Census wide reveals that across all age groups, 47% of women in the UK would feel concerned if they had to tell their employer about the condition that was causing them debilitating pain in the workplace. After her recent experience Lizzy doesn’t feel awkward or ashamed about having discussions on this important matter with friends and colleagues. She said: “In the last year or so I’ve managed to normalise it in my life, and I now have very open discussions with my manager at work.” To play her part in endometriosis action month the co-leader will be challenging herself by doing 10 minutes of squats every day for the rest of the month. There are also plans put in place for the Merseyside support group to meet in person for a walk and get to know each other, now that there are no Covid restrictions - to make up for lost time, create connections and share each other’s experience of endometriosis.
WELLBEING WEEK
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
Openhouse - the family business that is leading the way for NHS As the leading provides for the emergency services and healthcare sectors, Openhouse Products is a family run business that prides itself on its bespoke hand crafted medical bags made here in Merseyside. BY AILIS FINN-LOOBY
S
peaking to the founder’s daughter and sales and marketing director Sam Proctor, she told merseynewslive how the company stared and their future expansion ambitions, “My dad (Brian Jones) started as a machine repair man and repaired sewing machines across the Wirral, he also had three seamstresses that worked for him making laptop bags. One of their husbands was a firefighter and said that the laptop bags would be perfect for the ambulance service.” At the time, before Openhouse started, paramedics were using lunch boxes, holdalls, and gym bags to carry equipment which was inefficient. Brian Jones tweaked the laptop bag slightly, and the ambulance service loved it; and the famous Openhouse brand was born. The family is also very musical, with Brian Jones having a recording studio in the house, when Sam was younger “we always had people coming and going all the time and one day a friend made reference to it, saying it was like an ‘openhouse’ and
it stuck.” Originally being named Openhouse studios and then Openhouse Products. The family is also very musical, with Brian Jones having a recording studio in the house, when Sam was younger “we always had people coming and going all the time and one day a friend made reference to it, saying it was like an ‘openhouse’ and it stuck.” Originally being named Openhouse studios and then Openhouse Products. It is not often that bags are hand made in the UK now, with most of them being made overseas due the cost. But for Openhouse this isn’t the case, because of the complexity of the bags there isn’t a machine that is able to produce the same level of work. Sam added “Due to how durable they have to be for the environment they are used in in the ambulance service, they’ve got to be well made. There isn’t a machine that could make the quality that we need.” The factory does have certain automated machines, such as cutting and trim machines but the majority of the products have to be handmade.
14
After an unusual couple of years due to the pandemic, PPE and constant sanitisation has become the norm. For Openhouse, there were already ahead of their time, creating a material that is anti-bacterial for the bags, “back in 2006 there were big talks about infection control and how it was really important for the ambulance services. “We developed micrAgard and now every two to three years we have continued to develop it and make it bigger and better. As a result we have now created a dual sided fabric.”
“ It’s nice to come to
work and know that you’re making a big difference because what we are doing, to some degree is helping save lives
”
Eager to expand the company internationally, Openhouse have recently opened a factory floor in China that produces the standard range bags which are more affordable to smaller companies and volunteers. They have also moved down under, with director Andrew moving to Australia in order to improve of the sales and further expand the business, “down the line it is in our business plan to look at creating a factory over there so it mirrors what we have here – hopefully that can be something for the future.” It’s a no-brainer that the leading supplier for the NHS is looking to grow their business to gain more clients and awareness of their products as they also make bags to order for private and smaller companies. The vision for the brand is growing, after recently working with three new distributors that are starting up in several countries, Sam hopes this will raise bigger awareness of the OH brand and expand to more distributors in every country to “get brand awareness across the world”.
WELLBEING WEEK
MNL
WELLBEING WEEK
Best foot forward to aid mental health Courtney Barr will be running 27 miles in 27 days to raise money for students’ mental health. She spoke to GABBY BERGONZI
L
ooking after students’ mental health at university is a top priority. With exam stress, financial stress and all the other worries, it is so important to support each other to make sure everyone’s mental health stays stable. Courtney Barr, 21, from Manchester is a student at John Moores University who truly understands the struggles of mental health. She will be running 27 miles in 27 days with Strava and Spotify to raise £200 for mental health charity MIND to 27 miles over 27 days in solidarity with every student struggling with their mental health.
MIND is a charity who provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
Courtney Barr from Manchester
Courtney knows the struggles of how it feels to feel low during university. She said: “Mental health can be a silent torture. It has the power to isolate and steal any happiness from things that once brought you joy. Studies have shown that 1 in 5 students suffer from a mental health problem. Let’s end the stigma and beat mental health together.”
“Let’s beat mental health together” Physical activity such as running has a huge impact on our mental wellbeing. It can help to increase our self-esteem and can reduce stress and anxiety. It also plays a role in preventing the development of mental health problems and in improving the quality of life of people experiencing poor mental health. Knowing this, Courtney decided that a sponsored run would be an effective way to help support such an important cause. “University can be a stressful time.
Photo: Courtney Barr
Running along the seafront Even though it is full of amazing memories and fun, the pressure of exams and Uni work can get on top of you. Even though I am not the best runner, I am practising every day in preparation for this. I feel so passionate about changing the stigma of mental health.” According to UCAS, over the last decade there has been a significant shift in the willingness of students to talk about their mental health – the number of UK applicants to UCAS that shared a mental health condition has increased by 450% in this time. Their most recent report showed 3.7% of all UK applicants declared a mental health condition in their application to study in 2020 – up from 0.7% in 2011. UCAS also discovered that women are 2.2 times more likely to declare a mental health condition than men. A University of Liverpool student who donated £10 to the cause said: “It makes me so happy to see fellow students coming together to support our mental health. I am so proud of Courtney for doing this – she will smash it.” Go to Givepenny.com and simply choose how much to donate and sponsor Courtney’s challenge. In return, you can choose any track on Spotify to add to Courtney’s playlist, which she will listen to during her run.
15
Photo: Unsplash.com
FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: •
1 in 6 adults experience a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression
•
1 in 5 adults have considered taking their own life at some point
•
Suicide was the leading cause of death for males and females aged between five to 34 in 2019
•
1 in 5 people have suicidal thoughts
•
1 in 14 people self-harm
•
Women are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and make suicide attempts than men
•
But men are 3 times more likely to take their own life than women All statistics from Mind.org.uk
Contact us: @: info@merseynewslive.co.uk Follow us: Mersey News Live magazine @MerseyNewsLive
The Panoramic 34 © Ailis Finn-Looby
