By Denrele Animasaun

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.–Jim Rohn

I  have wanted to write about the health concerns of our people for some time, but other issues kept getting in the away and so it had been consigned to the back  burner for  some time until…now. In my day job, I work with the black community in South London.

Part of what I do, is to set various health programmes to encourage black people to access health services and promote better health care.  I strongly feel it is important we have a frank conversation about our health, particularly in light of Ebola and the way most of us have reacted to the outbreak.

It is shocking that in this day and age, people can remain ill-informed and paranoid that they would rather deal with the charlatans and quacks who promise to rid them of Ebola with holy water or salt and water.

It is apparent that Ebola kills and it is virulent and no matter what the pastor or the quack says, salt and water will not ward away Ebola.

Although,Nigeria  is not  the index source, we should  heed warnings of  the  health  officials, who had  said that  Ebola virus is “spreading like wildfire” Up to 5 September, 2014 people had been reported as having died from the disease in four countries Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

We have to engage the grassroots health promotion and using medium that people can understand with up to date facts and none of these myths and scaremongering. Most of all, we have to be responsible for our health. If  I seem to be  on my  soap box  and  preaching  to the converted,  I apologise.

I really wanted to draw your attention to the way we ignore our health and leave to the very last minute to seek help. So we wonder why the outcome is poor. It is bad enough that we have a health care system that is patchy, extortionate in parts and non- existent in other. We should warm to the maxim that; prevention is better than cure.

I spoke recently at a church about diabetes in the Black community and I wanted to share that on my page.
Currently diabetes affects 371 million people worldwide, and according to the International Diabetes Federation, around 187 million of them do not even know they have the disease. More than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. WHO projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death in 2030.

Did you know that over 50% of us know too little about common health issues such as dementia, diabetes, sexual health, cancer or drug and alcohol misuse?  We  often stick  our  necks  in  the  sand and refuse to  broach the  subject as we believe that  the mere mention, means that  we are inviting illness. I can assure you that this is not the case.

Or we theorise that there are some malevolent forces at play. So you can imagine how many people have diabetes in our community and do not know.  It is a fact that some of us are predispose to developing type two diabetes and that delay seeking help can lead to complications and inevitable death.

We have been conditioned from   very young to admit that we have a problem and very reluctant to tell people our   health problem. Recently, I  had to deal with a young  man who only  found out that  his  father had  died of  prostate cancer  many  years  back because his educated mother refuse to  share that information with  him.

Please, understand that this is not a man bashing article, it is instead an appeal that we want our men to take care of their health and we would like them around much longer to see their children grow up. Too many of our men die at such a young age and it is shame that there are many children, without fathers, mothers without sons and it need not be like that.

Here are the facts: Black men have a 50% chance of developing diabetes, but most black men pay little heed to the warnings — and pay the price. Black men had the highest rate of getting prostate cancer. Our men are more likely to be dragged to the doctors for a long standing ailment or the discovery of one. It seems (to the men) admitting to feeling unwell is a sign of weakness and it is not manly. They will rather seek spiritual and social intervention before accessing medical assistance. This delays the diagnosis being made and more likely make the prognosis poor.

They often have to be nagged, pulled, and dragged to see to their health. It  has  actually  been  proven that married men are healthier than single men as  their wives often pay  attention to  their  health and would encourage them to seek  help  earlier rather than  later. It is no secret that black men often ignore health problems.

Some of the reason may include lack of money, lack of concern or fear.  We need to educate and address health care disparities in particular when it comes to cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes. Our health sometimes, is not a high priority and it is often left on the back burner and ignored until it becomes acute.

The saying that we are what we eat is true. What we eat does affect the way we feel, mentally as well as physically. It is important to look at what we put in our mouths and stomachs.  We sometimes choose foods that is very salty, oily and with not enough roughage and too large a potion.  Many people who have been diagnosed with diabetes still continue to cook and eat the same amount of oils, fried foods, starches, carbohydrates, sugars and fats as before. They know it is not good for them but are unwilling to make the health changes to manage their diabetes.

In fact, some studies show that black men eat fewer fruits and vegetables.  Come on, how many men have said that fruit and vegetable are for goats! Or give me meat! There is a serious dichotomy in health seeking behaviours, in that  women are more likely to know  more about their own health , while  men  are  convinced that they  are well and there is nothing is  wrong  with  them.

When black men have diabetes, they’re also much more likely to develop one or more of the serious complications associated with the disease, these include: amputation, kidney failure, blindness, and cardiovascular disease. There is  a  shame amongst   our men  in  particular, to  admit  that  they are diabetic and  as  being  healthy is linked to virility.

There is also the case of the myths and misinformation. The diagnosis is perceived as a shameful secret and has an attached stigma.  Diabetes is often recognised by many as a disease of the elderly, the obese and the lazy.

Sometimes, when it is known by other members of the family that one of their own has diabetes, this person is often scolded and blamed for causing the diabetes. This lack of support and understanding can be counterproductive and isolate the person even further.
Some strongly believe that diabetes is caused by sexually transmitted diseases when there is a sudden weight loss.