Bidii Health Supplement - Issue 04 2022 by BIDII

issue:202204

This supplement on health is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a trusted health advisor for any questions you may have regarding any specific medical conditions.

Credits: Editor: T. Prendergast Publisher: Bidii Ltd Layout & Graphic Design: D. Palmer Stephen Ssali, Valerie Goode, Anastasia Chikezie and Lou Taylor

Contributors:

@UKBIDII

With great information available on food, health and beauty, Bidii aims to encourage a better and healthier lifestyle for both men and women.

BIDII is dedicated to educating the African Caribbean community on matters of health and well-being to stimulate our collective prosperity.

for eight years, where he was personally taught about research and nutrition.

A: Inflammation is something that happens to all of us at any point. Our bodies can become inflamed in different areas. In fact, I would say inflammation is your body’s natural response to any injury or infection. Your body creates an inflammatory response to heal and repair itself. If a mosquito bites your skin, that part of your skin swells and the swelling is a signature of Ifinflammation.youhaveever

Stephen Ssali, the Son of the Late Professor Charles Ssali, Founder of the Mariandina Research FoundationStephen(mariandina.com/about-us/history).workedalongsideProfessor Ssali

Q: What is inflammation, and how does it have such a negative effect on the body?

Now as the CEO of Mariandina Research Foundation, Stephen is focused on developing the Foundation and distribution of the Mariandina Nutritional Health Products. In this interview we explore inflammation. Looking at how it impacts the human body, its prevention using food as medicine, and what we can do to heal using natural remedies.

Our InflammationHealthCausesand

How We Heal

twisted your knee, sprained your ankle, cut your finger, or been stung by an insect, you have first-hand experience with inflammation. The familiar sensations of pain, redness, swelling, and heat that result from an injury or infection are hallmarks of the inflammatory process. Inflammation repre sents an essential survival mechanism that

mation becomes prolonged over weeks, days, months, sometimes for years. This prolonged state of inflammation is termed as chronic inflammation and can lead to diseases like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, irrita ble bowel syndrome, psoriasis and lupus.

Q: For the black community specifically is our lifestyle bringing on inflammation?

Chronic inflammation occurs when your body continues to send inflammatory cells even when there is no outside danger, which can lead to symptoms of fatigue, fever, joint and muscle pain. Chronic inflammation can also lead to atypical symptoms like balance issues, insulin resistance, muscle weakness, eye problems and skin issues. Inflammation itself is something that the body does to heal. In fact it creates inflammation, so when your ankle is sprained, or you cut your finger that immediate response is inflammation - resulting in a sensa tion of pain or swelling in the area. High levels of inflammation in the body can result in states of chronic or acute inflammation, leading to heat in the body while sleeping at night.

The liver is the number one detoxification organ and performs five hundred functions in the body, which can be compromised by inflam mation. An impaired liver function will lead to impaired blood sugar balance, which will lead to other complications around the body. Poor liver detoxification will create a state where toxins will remain in the blood returning back into circulation, causing inflammation in different parts of the body. Auto-intoxification

A: Chronic inflammation is becoming an epidemic in our community. This is related to our lifestyle, diet and levels of stress in our lives. Poor digestion due to poor gut flora, low enzymes levels and poor fibre intake in our diet, has led to high inflammation in the digestive system. This has led to digestive diseases because the gut itself has literally become inflamed. The skin is the largest organ of the body and can become inflamed in different parts, leading to dermatitis which is inflamma tion in the skin triggered by allergies and toxins.

Lupus is an auto-immune disease where the immune system is actually fighting against itself, causing friendly fire in the body leading to inflammation in the body. When the inflam

Water is essential to good health and as a community, we are facing dehydration disor ders due to insufficient water intake and poor water absorption. The body is made up of 70% water. Once we are not drinking enough water this can lead to a situation where the body’s vi tal systems and organs become compromised due to a toxic build-up causing inflammation. Dehydration can also cause low blood circula tion, creating greater levels of inflammation in other organs due to nutrients being unavailable as a result of poor absorption and assimilation.

Inflammation in the liver is called hepatitis, inflammation in the skin is dermatitis, inflam mation in the joints is arthritis, inflammation in the pancreas is pancreatitis, inflammation in the kidneys is nephritis, inflammation of the prostate is prostatitis and inflammation in the brain is encephalitis. The suffix ‘titis’ shows the different levels of inflammation that occur within the body.

helps the body fight off hostile microbes and repair damaged tissue. There’s evidence that inflammation, promoted in part by such factors as obesity, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to a variety of diseases.

Inflammation can also block the natural channels of the body, like the arteries and veins - leading to narrowing the passage of blood through the veins and arteries, due to inflam mation causing high blood pressure. Arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, can all be linked to chronic inflammation.

can be linked to manganese, which is what the body uses as an antioxidant to fight off inflammation. Magnesium is an anti-inflammatory mineral that is used to actually fight off inflammation by activating cells called the leukocytes and macrophages. Every cell produces glutathione to repair dam age to the cells. If you are low in glutathione, you are not able to produce cytokines which are used for anti-inflammatory response.

causes acne and allergies, as toxins circulate around the body causing inflammation in our systems - attempting to leave the body through other Deficiencychannels.ofessential minerals and vitamins required for body healing and repair can also cause inflammation. Melanin, a healing chemi cal and superconductor, is responsible for optimal body function. Deficiency of nutrients to nourish the melanin can lead to poor melanin function, creating melanin blockage diseases like diabetes and cancers. Melanin requires key nutrients for optimal function. Deficiency of these nutrients can lead to inflammation in the Inflammationbody.

Class 3 - Prostaglandins are also anti-inflammatory agents derived from omega 3 fatty acids mainly found in fish oils. Fish oils inhibit excessive inflammation and thin the blood by working like a natural aspirin.

Vitamin C is required in large amounts to main tain the integrity of the most abundant tissue in the body called collagen. Lack of Vitamin D can lead to rickets in children, increase the risk of prostate cancer in men and predispose women to breast cancer.

Class 1 - Prostaglandins quench inflammation and are derived from a fatty acid called DGLA (found in mother’s milk). Our bod

Omega 3, 6 and 9 essential oils regulate a vari ety of cellular functions including inflammation. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that regulate most bodily functions which

Vitamin B2 helps to minimize the pain asso ciated with inflammation. Zinc is the number one nutrient for immune boosting and wound healing. If there are high levels of inflammation in the body, then, there is a high demand for zinc. Copper is essential for iron absorption and the main ingredient for melanin production. A

Nutrients play a key role inside the body, as part of your wellness journey. Glutamine creates a wall inside your gut lining in your co lon, allowing just the right amount of particles to get through the gut wall for assimilation. Low levels of glutamine can cause poor gut integrity, leading to ‘leaky gut’ syndrome which causes inflammation in the gut lining.

Vitamin E is also important for dealing with conditions related to inflammation, as it is used to improve cholesterol management. If you have poor vitamin E levels, your LDL choles terol starts to oxidise in the arteries and veins causing inflammation to build up leading to increased blood pressure.

Magnesium is life’s lubricant. It relaxes and expands blood vessels to stop muscles from cramping and also prevents inflammation. Magnesium allows energy to be used efficiently. When Magnesium levels are low, the body releases stress hormones and substances that constrict the blood vessels causing blood to clot more easily.

ies make this from Alpha Linoleic acid found in nuts and seeds. A variety of women’s health issues are triggered or worsened by deficiency of Omega 6.

• Class 2 - Prostaglandins are power ful pro-inflammatory fire starters made from omega fatty acids. Too many class 2 Pros taglandins can lead to chronic inflammatory •illnesses.

•include:

Body health is sustained through balance. Eating fresh fruits and vegetable such as toma toes, broccoli, blueberries, cranberries, lemon, green cabbage, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, celery and salads, all maintain an optimal inflammation free state.

Genetically modified foods in the form of seedless oranges, grapes and lemons, interrupt the body’s capacity to function optimally. The modified food product can become a problem in its capacity to be used as a spare part in body repair and regeneration. This can cause inflammation, as the body may find it difficult to recognize the modified food.

If the free radicals are not neutralized or taken out of the system, the body moves into an inflammatory response. People de-worm their cat and dog, but they don’t de-worm them selves. A build-up of parasites in the body could lead to inflammatory responses around the body. Parasites can cause bloating, gas, abdominal pain or itching. This can be the origin of allergies or food sensitivity leading to inflammation in the body.

deficiency in copper will create low enzyme activity and will reduce the body’s capacity to fight inflammation. Melanin requires a high nutrient rich diet to maintain optimal health.

Food plays a central role is helping the body fight inflammation. However, certain foods promote inflammation in the body. Fast foods, refined foods and processed foods and micro wave meals are in most cases depleted of es sential nutrients required by the body. Anytime we put our food in the microwave, we change the very structure of that food, creating a state of inflammation because the body now has to take nutrients from somewhere else to properly digest, compensate or neutralize preservatives or additives and this can also contribute to chronic inflammation.

The nutrient level in foods is compromised through food processing and refining. Some of our foods are radiated to increase food shelf life; however, this reduces the level of nutrients available to us in the food, predisposing us to inflammation.

Q: Is there a link between inflammation and our acidity? If so, is an alkaline diet necessary to help improve this condition?

Ginger and peppermint both help reduce in flammation along the digestive tract. Fresh live vegetables in the form of salads are sometimes missing from our plates. As we prepare our food, we tend to overcook our vegetablesleading to nutritional loss.

Free radicals are what the body creates after cell metabolism. This can lead to a situation where free radicals cause further damage to the cell membrane and nucleus, when the body’s ability to respond is compromised by nutrient deficiency.

All cancers are linked to inflammation. Our ca pacity to heal depends on our body’s internal environment and availability of nutrients in the form of antioxidants.

Detoxification plays a key role in prevention of inflammation. High levels of toxins in the body stop the spleen from functioning properly, causing inflammation all around the body. The inflammation over a period becomes chronic.

Poor food choices will promote inflammation,

A: What you are describing is a PH balance scale. PH is the measurement of acidity and alkalinity in the human body. The human body thrives in balance. You can’t be all alkaline or all acidic. There is a PH scale between 0 to 14 and our optimum PH state is between 7.1 to 7.4. If it is too alkaline, the body does not like it. If it is too acidic, obviously this promotes disease and dysfunction in the organs.

Statistics in the United Kingdom state one in four black men have prostate problems. These prostate statistics are linked to hormonal imbalances created by low levels of hormones DHEA and testosterone. Hormone decline as we age can lead to a variety of diseases.

lead to leaky gut and many other digestive diseases. Low fibre intake and deficient gut flora can also lead to inflammation in the digestive Inflammationtract.can

be linked to a range of body processes; however, nature has provided a range of natural anti-inflammatory solutions we can Anti-inflammatoryuse.

Jamaica has one of the highest levels of pros tate inflammation and cancer in the world. Dur ing the time of slavery, the sugar cane planting stripped the soil of a component called boron. This created a deficiency of boron in the soil, causing food grown in the soil to be deficient in boron. As a result of this the rise in prostate inflammation, prostate enlargement, prostate congestion and prostate cancer is evident in Jamaica. This is why we are seeing that gener ation after generation in Jamaica have a high degree of these conditions.

Inflammation is the body’s way of healing; however, if a situation occurs where the body is deficient in nutrients, overactive or underactive, having dysfunction of organs or systems, this will lead to inflammation. When you have poor digestive function, it can

foods are important to help manage and treat inflammation. Foods like papaya, avocado, blueberries, chia seeds, ginger, broccoli, turmeric, celery all have anti-inflammatory response, which the body relies on. If you are lacking omega 3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids you can develop inflam mation in the brain. Your brain is made up of 60% fat and requires essential fatty acids for optimal brain function. Inflammation in the brain called meningitis causes the brain to become inflamed and reduces brain function. Anti-inflammatory seeds like pumpkin seeds, celery seed, fennel seed, chia seeds and sesame seeds, all play a key role in preventing inflammation of the brain because they are rich in essential fatty acids. Nuts like walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashew nuts, red skin peanuts, hazel nuts and pine nuts, are essential in main taining good brain health.

Holistic Health Therapist Stephen Ssali provides specialised wellness consultations.

Mariandina is also available to distribute and buy worldwide.

Visit mariandina.com for more information

Hormonal imbalance causes inflammation and can lead to prostate inflammation in men. There is plenty of research showing that inflammation can increase during menopause, due to declining estrogen. Estrogen is anti-in flammatory so as it decreases, inflammation increases. To reduce inflammation, limit your intake of sugar, processed and refined foods.

lack of water will promote inflammation, lack of nutrients in the body will also promote inflammation and sleep deprivation will also promote states of inflammation.

health.waythetotunitiessite(coco-collective-community-hub.business.)basedinsouthLondon,provideoppor-tousecropgrowingasagreatwayunderstandthefoodweeat.Encouragingcommunitytoconnecttothelandasaofself-healingandimprovingmental

Growing Food, Growing a Community

One of the founding members, Valerie, ex plains how the organisation started and future plans to support the community.

The CoCo Collective - Ital Garden

like jewellery makers and footwear makers etc. were there for about a year. We came across issues internally, and also the pandemic hit. We had to shut our doors and got involved in food growing, but during that time, we were still inviting the community to put on their YouTube demonstrations of how

Q: How did the CoCo Collective and the Ital Garden start?

A: We started a community project, which

People from the community could put their events on there and what I really wanted to do was create an open plan workspace for our people to make their products, so bridging that gap between products being made and the

Soconsumer.people

was called Lewisham Village. It was a 20,000 square foot empty shell next to Matalan in Lewisham. My background is in ethical fashion, and we had an ethical/sustainable retail space for products made in Africa and the Caribbean, representing organic, artisanal African products.

A: We will be expanding at some stage, this is going to be our first growing season, so we are going to see how that goes, in terms of growing crops. Some people have wondered who gets the food, or where it’s going. We have more immediate plans of supplying food banks particularly those that cater to Afro-Caribbe an people. Also selling to restaurants in our community, so we had a good number of chats with local black owned vegan restaurants who might want to buy some scotch bonnets from

Q: What is the aim of those workshops?

Q: What are the long-term goals?

A: When we first started, I wanted to galvanise as much of the community as possible, and the best way to do that is to put on events. So at the time that I opened, I received some funding to explore the lack of access for people of colour into green spaces, community garden spaces. That manifested as panel discussions on the land, and we invited local community to come in and other growers. People who’s work had nothing to do with growing were interested. We had a good conversation about it. People from all different walks of life, all gave their own perspective on the matter. We did that a couple of times, broke bread and brought in food to eat together and then, had a good number of gardening sessions. So, this year now is more about growing food. So, we put the land to sleep over winter, and now we’re just getting prepared for growing this season. We just got a load of compost in, and this year we are planning to sew our scotch bonnets, okra, sweet corn and sweet peppers, etc. Just before Christmas, we built the first lot of polytunnels, two just before Christmas and two thereafter. So those crops that need tropical heat, will be planted there. Things like sweet corn, they don’t need to be in a polytunnel but

we’ve got the beds. Right now, we’re just clear ing the land, it’s a mass clean up. So we must clear back the whole land and repair some of the beds. We put a load of woodchips into the beds to eliminate the weeds coming out, and be replaced with compost. As of next month, we are starting a social prescribing project for people with mild mental health issues, because within our community, we don’t have the support needed. We sometimes get over diag nosed medication, when it’s not necessary. So social prescribing is that step before all of that happens, where that patient might be encour aged to do more social activities and the best place for that is a garden. We will be starting some workshops next month (May 2022) and that will take us right through to November.

A: To be an intervention method - there’s a real disparity with black mental health from being misdiagnosed. We have had the pandemic and heard of people feeling isolated and men tal health is a real hot topic at the moment, like what constitutes as mental illness? So, we’re saying to people that you don’t need to be at a stage where you’re having to be referred to a befriender or another hospital. If you’re feeling just slightly under the weather come to the garden. You are going to meet new people, exercise or maybe learn new skills. So come down at that stage and do a bit of gardening.

to make sustainable products. We have a YouTube channel where people are making jewellery from up-cycled plastic and making musical instruments from household waste. So I setup CoCo Collective then, just before the shutdown. We had first, an outdoor park and that was music, drumming, dance and the retailers that I took out there. Then I got into food growing and I went back to the coun cil and asked for space for the community, and the rest is history. Now we have the Ital Community Garden. The initial reason was to create a platform or hub for people of colour to showcase their skills and talents. Now obvi ously, food growing as well, and we opened the food growing space on 19th June 2021.

Q: What are your aspirations in the near future?

CoCo Collective is the organisation while Ital Garden is the garden itself, and we wanted to make sure the garden very much reflects our heritage. It being Ital, we don’t use any animal by-products, no chemical growing; it’s all organic! Most of us are of Caribbean her itage, and a few are of African heritage. For the most part we wanted to touch upon our Jamaican and Caribbean heritage and grow in that manner. The ethos of it being all natural, and everything that comes out of the garden is natural and organic.

us, for example. So that’s more about immedi ate sense of growth, but very long term it would be great to buy a plot of land!

The great thing about our plot is that we’ve got an outdoor event space so more for next

A: This has been a very personal journey, actually. One to reconnect back to my heritage and back to the soil. Understanding how you grow food. We’re not that far removed from a generation, that lived on the land, who would have grown their own food, gone into the yard to pick their bushes to heal themselves. But growing up in London we’ve become a bit removed from that. But here our youngest member has just turned 22 and he actually grows his own food. There are very few peo ple of his age group who do that, and we are trying to encourage that age group to get into it. It does seem to be a bit of a generation gap between those that know how to grow and those who are starting to learn.

year. We have a full summer calendar, full of people who can put on Black health talks and lectures, speaking events, spoken word, yoga for women and more!

Q: How has this work helped you?

So, to me, it’s a very personal journey of self-discovery. But also, I love the fact that I can bring my community together.

We have just started to build a mini outdoor kitchen, and we have our herbs growing as well. So once that is up and running, we can do cooking workshops for young people. It is much bigger than just growing food, it’s a whole lifestyle, the chemistry of understand ing your soil before you plant in it. The bio logical aspects of understanding how plants need a certain type of compost compared to other crops.

“The strength of a man can’t be determined by his size”

A: I personally put it down to a lot of black American musicians, social media influencers and people in the media. These male role models are growing their hair and I’m finding now about 60 to 70% of my clients are men. However, men and boys are not necessarily into hair. They don’t know about haircare, so they need someone else like a third party to look after it. With women in a general sense, they are more self-sufficient when it comes to hair. We do a little bit of research online or Instagram and socials, and find a little bit of information regarding quick hairstyles. Remember we can throw on a wig if we need to. We can do protective styles and things like that and have our hair away for a period of time, but most men don’t have that option.

Our Hair

Q: There has been a significant trend of brothers that now come into your hair salon for new styles. Why do you think this is?

Changing Times and the New Style Of Men’s Hair

Anastasia Chikezie is the founder of Purely Natural (purelynaturalhair.com), one of the first and finest natural hair salons to open in the UK with a host of celebrity clients. Anastasia is the winner of over 11 industry awards, with an extensive knowledge and experience in textured hair. She has also worked on expert panels for HABIA helping to write the NVQ qualification in Afro hair dressing, for natural hair.

Q: Is there any fundamental difference between men and women’s hair, or is our hair the same across the genders?

they can go way beyond that without washing their hair. And there is a misconception that if you have locs you don’t have to wash the hair, retighten or maintain them in anyway either; of course unless they have free form locs. If a man comes into my salon for a consultation re garding his hair, I would obviously recommend that he has a regular trim, that is important. If they are going to grow their hair, they need to maintain it, and should have regular treat ments. Most men are not colouring, straight ening or doing anything that could irreversibly damage their hair. But I just think in a general sense, make sure you wash your hair, that is the first thing. Then get yourself a hair regime to include treatments every six to eight weeks, and a trim every 3 months.

They’re not familiar with haircare but yet they are growing their hair because of influencers, especially in the American media. For example, we have Jay-Z with his free form locs (where you allow your locs to grow in anyway). With other rap artists like A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, who are growing their hair—especially with the tapered sides and braids on top. So they see all these images, but yet they don’t know the first thing about how to do those styles or even how to maintain them. So, that’s why we have got a huge male client database right now. They don’t come in and ask for tips about haircare, they just have an image and say “Can you do this for me, and how much does it cost?”

Also, a lot of the guys we’re seeing are not familiar with the kind of products used if you have locs. We just make sure we familiarise them with oil-based products. We see clients with build-up, and explain how they are using the wrong products for their hair. There are dif ferent products that are more suitable depend ing on the way you choose to wear your hair.

A lot of guys were forced into growing their hair due to no access to barbers. They just left it and like it. But are still not concerned about the maintenance, moisture or porosity. They just want the style.

A: Our hair is the same for both genders, but because men, generally aren’t messing with

Even now I noticed the locs clients are trimming their hair. I have got locs, and I trim them down every couple of months. For a lot of the guys, they want the locs styled and maybe a fringe that hits a certain length. As opposed to back in the day when you had locs, you just grew them and that was it. Scissors were a no-no! But now guys are really cultivating cutting them down, trimming and shaping their locs, which is great! So, I recommend they come to the salon to get a regular trim, and get the roots retightened every 6-8 weeks.

It’s as simple as that. So, we’re getting free form locs which is beautiful and really nice! And then we have young guys that have ta pered sides with twists, locks, braids on the top of their head. Every other guy is sporting that hair style now. Men come to us to help them, but not regarding information or maintenance. That’s definitely 80% of our male clients. Then the remaining 20% of the clients, during lock down, didn’t have access to a barber, and just grew their hair. Then decided ‘I like this’ and continued with it. From 2020, they now have 2 years of growth and decide to locs, twist or braid.. This was all down to lockdown.

A: It would depend on the style they are after. There is no difference to the way I would advise men or women in that regard, but for men directly, I would recommend they shampoo at least every two weeks. A lot of guys think

Q: If men were to be conscious of their hair care, what would you advise?

Our hair is generally thicker and curlier than other hair types, and every time you manipu late and mess with it, it will break. So in a general sense, men who choose to grow their hair have longer, healthier, thicker than women, but not down to the fact that they are men. But due to the low manipulation practic es in comparison to women overall.

Q: Now there is a market for beard oils, shampoos etc. Is this needed or could normal hair products do the same job?

A: Hair is hair. But you would not use the same hair products that you would use on your head

A: Folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicle) was a major concern for a lot of brothers and there are several factors that can cause it: from dirty tools, if you don’t clean the tools in between uses; to ingrown hairs, if not using the right technique to shave. I’m definitely seeing that a lot less, and that’s because guys gen erally aren’t cutting or shaping so much, and if they are, they are going to a barber who is obviously doing it a lot better than they would at home. We don’t see the Folliculitis in the beards either because now men are growing their beards too. Before, when they were clean shaven, you saw a lot of the bumps but now, thankfully, beards are in!

their hair, so there’s less manipulation. They generally have longer, thicker, healthier hair, when they choose to grow it. We have a couple of clients that come once every couple of months to take down, wash and retwist their hair. So in the general sense, men tend to grow better, healthier hair. Women tend to be in their hair every couple of days. That amount of manipulation and messing with their hair tends to cause it to break.

Q: Some brothers experience shaving bumps at the back of their head. What advice is there for this?

on any other part of your body. So, I think it is necessary. Funnily enough most men’s beards grow a lot coarser than on the head. So, they generally need oils and moisturising products that will soften the beard area. And they want that shine as well, so they need products that would leave a little glisten or just coat the beard for shine. So, there is a need for all the shampoos, oils, combs and brushes etc. Also, the scents smell different. They are more masculine and you have to make products to appeal to men. So to recommend a men to pick up any shampoo to wash their beard wouldn’t be right. I just think the shampoos for men’s beards are definitely designed to soften and moisturise more so than what we use on our head.

A: In a general sense, we all need it including men obviously. Our nutrition needs to be on point. If not eating well, it will be reflected in our hair. We feed our hair from the inside out. If you are eating an unbalanced diet it is re flected in the skin and hair. I think most people get that you have to make sure your nutrition is on point. And if you are not eating well then make sure to take the relevant supplements.

But there is a resurgence in surgery, a lot of men are getting hair transplants. That’s a big

Unfortunately, guys have this thing called androgenetic alopecia also known as (male pattern baldness) women have it too (female pattern baldness) but not as much as the guys. They come in with male pattern baldness and want to hang on to the last shred of hair, which is unfortunate. I get clients and I really felt bad. Some of them are young and thinning. Unfortunately, with androgenetic alopecia when it’s gone it’s gone.

Q: When it comes to men’s health and hair, is there anything specifically that men could do that nourishes them which is good for their hair?

deal right now. They are going in their droves to Turkey. But these men need to be aware that there is a big difference in the way afro hair and European hair grows. So, if anyone is interest ed in doing something like that, they should do their research. I have about four or five clients that come to me now, had zero hair on their crown, and now have hair growing. It does work. But just make sure if it’s something that you’re thinking about, make sure you do your research, go to a surgeon who has worked with afro hair before.

Q: On social media we see a trend with broth ers using styled afro toupees. What are your thoughts on this?

But good for them. I have seen the toupee or male wigs with locs attached to it. You may have locs around the sides and back of the head, and no hair on the crown, when you glue on the wig it creates a full head of locs. It looks fabulous!

Check out the London based Purely Natural salon for a great range of hair treatments here our-treatmentspurelynaturalhair.com/pages/ - to start your care routine and improve the strength, moisture and elasticity of your hair.

A: I think these are fabulous. Can you imagine guys wearing these mini toupees which would have been shunned or laughed at years ago, but now it is trending. I think it serves as a temporary measure. It is not something to use long term. But if you have a big event coming up or are concerned about being bald why not. I think bald is sexy! But the toupees work and they’re a fabulous temporary measure. It’s not something that you would be wearing perma nently. Not long term.

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Making a great collection of natural products all free from parabens, mineral oils and sodium lauryl sulphate to care for your hair. The products are all beautifully scented giving softness and nourishment for healthy hair.

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Brands Supporting Our Hair Journey

To win, simply complete our Natural Hair Survey by the 15th Oct 2022 The survey can be found at www.bidii.co.uk

Hair Hamper Competition In celebration of World Afro Day on 15th September 2022,

Plus, our regular favourites Mielle Organics, Mane Choice and Camille Rose.

Bidii is pleased to announce the return of our great natural hair hampers competition! To attain healthy hair is a journey. And to assist with a successful hair regime, the products are important too. The hampers offer great quality products to help look after your coils, from root to tip!

Participants will be entered into the draw where 5 winners will be randomly selected on 20th October 2022 to receive a hamper worth over £150! The hampers include a great selection of high-quality shampoos, deep conditioners and products from the great brands featured on the previous page:

How To Win A Bidii Hamper

Pure Goodness, Laid Locs and Purely Natural by Anastasia.

The B-Uzuri App Promoting Fitness for Black Women Designed For: iOS version COMING SOON! Check out the B-Uzuri site and download the app today! Available on Android via the Google Playstore. Visit b-uzuri.co.uk for more info. Follow B-Uzuri on Instagram and Facebook BEAUTY | UZURI | GRACE 20 www.bidii.co.ukCOPYRIGHT © 2022 BIDII LTD

Self-care is a proactive unconditional way to help improve your current state and harness unlimited BEAUTY from the inside out.

Exercise has numerous benefits and is a great way to give back to your body! From a gentle stroll to feeling the burn, can help your body, mind and spirit!

B-Uzuri offers great fitness and meditation videos, nutrition information and recipes with FREE and £10 per month membership options!

The B-Uzuri platform provides you with a website and app designed to give black women inspiration and encouragement to start or assist in your fitness goals and more. B-Uzuri provides workouts, meditation, infor mation on diet and nutrition, plus much more - all aimed at the black women’s lifestyle.

Our Sisters

B-Uzuri

Q: Over the last year of your PSA campaign, how has it been received?

Prostate Cancer - Southampton Our Brothers

A: It’s been well received and what I have no ticed is previously people say to me “I’ve heard of the campaign”. And now I am meeting people who’ve had treatment. People who would never have mentioned it are now saying to me “I had a treatment last month.” One guy said he had just finished his treatment. People are aware of our work and it has been well received. But more importantly, Black women who have said “We like what you are doing”. There has been that kind of feedback, but there

Q: What are your aspirations for your work in Southampton and beyond?

A: We are looking to run the same campaign again next year, provided we can get the funding. I think running it once is all very well, but we need a sustained campaign. Might be slightly different and more creative to raise the profile of our work.

is no way to measure the impact other than directly from the general public.

Q: Has running the campaign made you more aware of your own health?

Bidii catches up with Lou Taylor from Black History Month South to discuss their campaign for prostate cancer awareness, their continued work and future plans for Black men over 40 learning to discuss their pros tate journey through discovery to recovery.

A: I think for me personally, I’ve always been aware of my own prostate health, but it hasn’t changed my habits. From when we spoke last time, I still go to the gym and eat well. But I am mindful I suppose. I am very mindful of any

tate-cancer-campaigncancermatterswessex.nhs.uk/pros-

The webinar was put together by the Wessex Cancer Alliance who sourced the experts.

symptoms, so waking up in the middle of the night more than once you think, “what’s going on here?” It’s that common thing with men, we don’t share with each other. The campaign has upped those conversations.

A: Yes, we recently hosted a webinar including Professor Frank Chinegwundoh MBE, who is a consultant urologist and other experts. We spoke of our journey and treatment. There was an openness among us as Black men and the webinar was really well received by all.

I’ve seen on a fairly regular basis people saying “Oh yeah that happens to me” where we would never have had those conversations. Men, and Black men in particular, just don’t have conver sations around health. Other than “My back is hurting today!”

Q: From your own campaign did men get the chance to discuss these things?

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Read previous editions online, via bidii.co.uk/our-hs/

The Our Health supplement is published twice per year and was created to provide great information in the areas of nutrition, exercise and our holistic wellbeing.

The supplement promotes the valuable businesses, services and work of experts from our community.

Issue: 1 - 2021 Issue: 2 -2021 Issue: 3 -2022