Actress Beverley Mitchell (remember her? she played Lucy Camden on the TV show 7th Heaven) announced she is expecting a baby girl in April, and she’s blogging about her pregnancy on People.com. In her first post she mentioned that her food allergies to yogurt, eggs, and cheese have gone away and she can now happily munch on things she hasn’t had in years, like pizza! I had no idea that pregnancy could affect allergies, so I decided to find out more.
By Maggie Puniewska
January 14, 2013
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Actress Beverley Mitchell (remember her? she played Lucy Camden on the TV show 7th Heaven) announced she is expecting a baby girl in April, and she’s blogging about her pregnancy on People.com.
In her first post she mentioned that her food allergies to yogurt, eggs, and cheese have gone away and she can now happily munch on things she hasn’t had in years, like pizza! I had no idea that pregnancy could affect allergies, so I decided to find out more. Turns out, Mitchell’s situation is not uncommon and many pregnant women find they can eat foods they had problems digesting in the past, says Sandra Hong, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. However, what Mitchell experienced is more accurately described as a food intolerance rather than a true food allergy. “Food intolerances are when people do not tolerate certain foods for various reasons, such as a lactose intolerance, which is caused by a low level of enzyme to break down lactose that is ingested,” Dr. Hong told me. “Food intolerances are not life threatening.” An intolerance affects the ability to digest a food and explains why people who are lactose intolerant may have to run to the bathroom after eating a grilled cheese sandwich. Food allergies on the other hand, are more serious. “A food allergy occurs when a person develops an IgE antibody to a particular protein found in foods. The common foods causing food allergies are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and seafoods, soy, and wheat,” says Dr. Hong. “If a person has this IgE antibody and they come in contact with the food they are allergic to, they can have an immediate life threatening anaphylactic reaction.”Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction with symptoms such as shortness of breath, facial swelling, hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a sensation that you want to pass out, and low blood pressure, says Dr. Hong. While it is possible for food intolerances to fluctuate (like during pregnancy), that’s less likely with food allergies. So if you are truly allergic to a food, don’t expect pregnancy to be a safe time to eat it! So how can you tell if you have a food intolerance or food allergy? Your doctor can perform a blood or skin test to help accurately diagnose the difference. If it’s an allergy, it’s potentially dangerous to try to eat the food during pregnancy. “If a mother is truly allergic to a food, it can be life threatening for both herself and the fetus if she ingests the food and has an anaphylactic reaction,” she says. But with careful eating habits, food allergies don’t have to be a great threat to your pregnancy. And if like Mitchell, your lactose intolerance has subsided, go ahead and treat yourself to a chocolate milkshake! Read more:
When I first discovered I had breast cancer, I felt shocked and afraid. I thought maybe there had been a mistake. I was 52, and didn’t have any symptoms: there were no lumps, just what I thought was a cyst under my armpit. I’d gone to hospital to get it checked, and had a mammogram and biopsy.
A week later I received several calls from the doctor, which I didn’t respond to until a voicemail asked me to come in. This was over the holiday period, and I went with a family member who herself had gone through a recent diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer and understood the process. That’s when they told me I had stage two cancer. I remember thinking that this couldn’t be right. I’m healthy and fit, and play a lot of sports.
I believe black women are less likely to go for screenings because the prevention work is not targeted at us
As a black woman, breast cancer wasn’t something I had received much information about. No one in my family had had it, and I don’t remember learning about it in school. When you pick up a breast cancer leaflet you tend to see a white woman staring back at you. I never saw it as an issue that specifically affected me.
But, of course, it does. In fact, new analysis shows that black women in England are twice as likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer as white women. This is for many reasons, including possible differences in tumour biology, low awareness of symptoms and screening, and barriers to seeking help. In my community here in Leeds I know two women who have lost their lives to breast cancer, one of them only 49 years old.
I believe black women are less likely to go for screenings because the prevention work is not targeted at us. It would be great if larger charities made sure that their messaging reached women of colour.
There are charities working with black communities already, such as Black Health Initiative (BHI), but we need help spreading the message. BHI has a national cancer programme – BME Cancer – which launched in the House of Commons in 2014 and addresses the disparities within cancer among diverse communities. This kind of outreach and awareness cannot be time-limited; we need to keep going until it’s clear everyone is getting the message. After all, many from these communities support the national cancer fundraising drives, such as Stand Up To Cancer, Macmillian’s Coffee Mornings and Race For Life. Let’s be deliberately inclusive rather than accidentally exclusive when it comes to tackling inequalities. We have enough evidence to show it’s time for action.
My journey taught me to be more open and talk more. I had a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, chemotherapy and three weeks of radio therapy. My treatment involves being on a drug for five years. I also have a mammogram every year. On being diagnosed, I felt a tinge of sadness, not knowing who to tell. But then I found some great support here in Leeds among other black women. It helped me get through some difficult days. It’s so comforting knowing that you’re not alone and that someone else is going through the same journey as you. We are able to share stories and talk, hold each other’s hands and raise awareness.
Only last week someone approached me, as they had to go for a mammogram and didn’t know what was going to happen. I gave them just a brief description of my experience, as I didn’t want to instil fear in them, but it was good to be candid and open. I hope I helped reassure them.
I just wish there was more awareness nationally. If the government, charities and those who hold the financial pot through fundraising do not recognise a need for inclusion when it comes to breast cancer awareness, then black women will continue to die at a higher rate. It’s as simple as that.
