“I had already seen what would happen [to those infected],” recalls Wilson, who back then ran a giftware manufacturing company called Black is More Than Beautiful. “I had visited the hospitals. I sat at the deathbeds. And I delivered the eulogies of so many of my friends who died from the disease.”

So when Wilson found out he was HIV positive in the summer of 1985, he saw it as a death sentence. “The confirmation was devastating,” he recalls.  “At that time I fully expected that it was going to end in a quick, painful, horrible death.”

Today, as founder and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, Wilson fights the epidemic for himself and others. “I get up every morning and do what I can to help end this disease,” says Wilson, who founded the Los Angeles-based organization in 1999 and is now living with AIDS. With a staff of 14 and an operating budget of nearly $2.5 million, the Black AIDS Institute serves as a national think tank for HIV/AIDS focusing solely on African Americans. The organization reaches millions through mobilization, advocacy work, and public policy. It has garnered attention from organizations such as the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it receives funding though major partners, including the MAC AIDS Fund, the Ford Foundation, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Census reports estimate black people make up about 12% of the U.S. population, but according to the CDC they accounted for more than 40% of all HIV cases at the end of 2007. The CDC also reports that about 20% of all people living with HIV don’t know of their infection.

Wilson says neither he nor his partner at the time knew their status because HIV tests had just become available in 1985. “It was very different thinking I had HIV than it was knowing that I had HIV.” He says while conversations about HIV/AIDS have improved greatly since then, too much focus remains on stigmatizing victims. The 54-year-old adds: “Not enough of our conversations are about how resilient a people we are and how we can end this epidemic.”

Among the institute’s current campaigns are We > AIDS and Test 1 Million. The former is an initiative promoting safe sex and solidarity against the disease, and the latter encourages people to know their status. Both seek to heighten public awareness of HIV/AIDS; combat the stigma and myths attached to the disease; and provide vehicles for community education, engagement, and information about free testing.

Wilson says the institute’s mobilization and advocacy work reaches 4 million to 5 million black Americans each year, and training efforts touch about 100,000. The effectiveness of these campaigns is increased by the star power of celebrities such as actress Regina King, who has been a staunch supporter of the HIV/AIDS cause. She also served as a spokeswoman for the Test 1 Million campaign. All these efforts keep Wilson optimistic. “I believe black people have been greater than any of the challenges we’ve faced in the past,” says Wilson. “And we are greater than AIDS as well.”

Dr. Durado Brooks urges men to consider all the options when it comes to getting screened for prostate cancer.

An informed business professional usually tries to weigh pros and cons before making a decision, and the American Cancer Society advises that men do the same when it comes to prostate cancer screening. The disease is the most diagnosed deadly cancer for all men, but the death rate from prostate cancer for black men is two times higher than that of white men, and the highest among all races.

• SEE ALSO: Diligence in Detection

Although African Americans should consider this information when deciding whether to screen for this cancer, the choice is not cut-and-dried.  Dr. Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancers at the American Cancer Society, talked with the Wellness Insider to offer some insight in light of the organization’s update of its early detection guidelines.

Prostate screening isn’t for everyone and it isn’t perfect. One European study, published in 2009, showed that the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test may save lives but there is conflicting research. “PSA tests are not right for every man though they’ve long been promoted that way,” says Brooks. “The decision to screen for cancer should be made based on [a man's] preferences and values. Some men want to know anything and everything wrong with their bodies, so the PSA may be good for them.”

Not all prostate cancers need to be treated. “The idea of having cancer and not treating it creates cognitive dissonance. It’s hard for people to wrap their heads around,” Brooks says.  Because of our impression of cancer, patients – and sometimes their doctors – are reluctant to leave it untreated, he says. A man with no symptoms who is of advanced age (who has a life expectancy of less than 10 more years) or who has a life-shortening medical condition should not be screened.  Treating the disease could be more of a health threat than leaving it alone.

There is an alternative to surgery or chemotherapy. Although some newly diagnosed cases are advanced to a point where they clearly warrant treatment, “in many cases it’s not clear whether the cancer will be aggressive or slow-growing,” Brooks says.  “Active surveillance has grown in the U.S., but it’s still used relatively infrequently.”  In active surveillance, physicians keep watch on the cancer to gauge its progress.  Men who are in fragile health or who don’t want to live with the side effects of treatment might choose this alternative. When it comes to prostate cancer, the picture is blurry, Brooks says. Nevertheless, “I’m confident that over the next decade, we will have some answers.”

For more information:
Prostate Cancer: Early Detection
Testing for Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide for African Americans

Dr. Susan Evans says that even blacks should protect their skin with sunscreen.

In business, you always want to put  your best face forward. Of course, being highly knowledgeable and passionate about your area of industry is important too, but your complexion might be saying more to your client than you are. Corporate executives should be proactive about taking care of their skin, says Dr. Susan Evans, a skin care specialist and director of dermatology at her Beverly Hills practice, Cosmetic Physicians of Beverly Hills. Evans is creator of Cosmeceuticals, a line of specialty skin care products with natural ingredients, moisturizers, sun-screens, antioxidants, and exfoliants to help reduce aging, protect skin from damage, and prevent acne. Dr. Evans took time out from her celebrity clients to talk with the Wellness Insider at BlackEnterprise.com about the three tips you should follow to keep skin healthy and make a strong impression.

1) Protect yourself from the Sun. The ozone layer is not what it used to be, says Evans who appears regularly on the television show Dr. 90210. It doesn’t matter if you have pigment in your skin Wear sunscreen.

2) Moisturize. Look for a moisturizer with antioxidants like Vitamin C and Vitamin E, says Evans who is also co-founder of the Skin Deformities and Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

3) Exfoliate. You will look better and feel better when you remove your old skin layer. You will get brighter skin with a healthy glow.

For more information look for Cosmeceuticals and Dr. Evans on the Home Shopping Network or visit: www.RefreshSkin.com

H.I.Mistry Skincare Inc.

Its a Beautiful Thing

Marcia Wade Talbert also contributed to this post.

Talk to a doctor if you're having trouble falling asleep.

Last week, Wellness Insider highlighted the National Sleep Foundation’s poll on sleep and ethnicity, and listed ways to ensure a restful sleep.  This week, we’re offering an extra dose of advice on how to sleep better and boost your work performance.

“Sleep is as important as diet and exercise to a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. Craig Schwimmer, MPH, an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat doctor) and medical director of The Snoring Center in Dallas. “If you have to go through a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and a shower to wake up, then you’re not getting enough sleep.”

Schwimmer’s tips for healthful sleep:

• You’ve probably heard this one before, but it bears repeating: Use the bed only for sleep and sex.
• If you are in bed for 30 minutes and are still awake, get up and do something else.  Make sure it’s not a stressful or stimulating activity like paying bills, heavy exercise, or watching TV.  Light reading, gentle stretching, or warm milk should help you.
• Get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Have a bedtime ritual.  Your mom or dad probably tucked you in and read you a story, so do an adult variation of that.  “A lot of the things we do for kids, we forget to do for ourselves,” Schwimmer says.  A warm bath, pleasure reading, light stretching, or a cup of tea are among things that can help you wind down.

• What if you’ve done all of the above but you’re still having trouble sleeping? “Ideally, talk to your doc,” Schwimmer says. Your physician should be able to help you determine whether your problem is something more, like a sleep disorder.  Schwimmer’s center, for example, specializes in treating snoring and sleep apnea, an illness for which being African American is a risk factor, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. Depending on your symptoms, other sleep disorders your doctor may screen for include insomnia and restless legs syndrome.

But there’s one other person you should consult–your spouse or significant other, because they could be affecting your sleep.  For example, if your spouse only needs seven hours of sleep but you need eight, your spouse should respect your need for extra sleep.  “If one is an early bird but the other a night owl, some accommodations need to be made,” remarks Schwimmer.

For specific insight on sleep and the corporate world, read:

Harvard Business Review’s “Sleep Deficit: The Performance Killer.”

The National Sleep Foundation poll finds inadequate sleep affects work performance

Deadlines and other workplace pressures may make a good night’s sleep seem like an elusive dream.  Nearly 60% of blacks agree that inadequate sleep affects job performance, yet only 25% say their workday routine allows for enough sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America survey.  This year the annual poll focused for the first time on sleep differences among ethnic groups.

“There’s a large body of evidence that shows fatigue, whether due to short sleep or sleep disorder, can affect [work] performance,” says Dr. Stefanos N. Kales, MPH, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, which were not involved in the Sleep Foundation survey released in March.

Neglecting sleep could grow your waistline and shrink your bottom line.  Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders cost U.S. employers at least $100 billion a year in lost productivity and absenteeism. And research, including a University of Chicago study released in 2004, documents a link between poor sleep and obesity.

“Short sleep or chronic partial sleep deprivation has been associated with metabolic syndrome and weight gain,” says Kales.  In turn, metabolic syndrome and weight gain could put people at risk for diabetes, sleep apnea, and hypertension–three illnesses that affect African Americans more often than other ethnic groups.  And sleep apnea and diabetes adversely affect sleep. “It’s like a vicious circle,”says Kales.

Investigations into 1986’s Challenger space shuttle disaster and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 found that those who were making key decisions in both situations were working under extreme sleep deprivation. Inadequate sleep can contribute to mistakes at the office, too.  “In an office environment, [the effects of sleep deprivation] may be harder to measure, but you can see decrements in productivity and performance,” Kales says.

Here are some tips from Kales and the Sleep Foundation on how to get a good night’s sleep:

1. Avoid caffeine later in the day
2. Don’t exercise too close to bedtime
3. Avoid alcohol too close to bedtime
4. Schedule adequate time in bed. Seven to eight hours is ideal sleep time for most adults.
5. Allow yourself time to unwind before bed

The Sleep Foundation’s poll found that African Americans had the busiest bedtime routines of the four ethnicities surveyed.  Blacks also were more likely to do job-related work just before bed.

For more information on changes you can make at work, the science of sleep, and more visit:

Harvard Medical School’s Sleep and Health Education Program

You Snooze, You lose

The Walking Wounded

Check back in at the Wellness Insider next Wednesday for Part 2 on sleep and an interview with Dr. Craig Schwimmer, an expert on snoring and sleep apnea.

United Health Group's Dr. Reed Tuckson, a frontline warrior in the battle against obesity among African Americans: "We must take control of our lives."

One of life’s greatest tragedies is witnessing a talented professional or entrepreneur about to reach the pinnacle of success who is cut down in his or her prime. Such untimely deaths rob us of major contributors whose energy, intellect, and ability could have helped move our communities, industries, and nation forward. What’s even more tragic is the victim usually winds up being the culprit. Far too many African Americans engage in behavior that proves to be deleterious to their health and commits them to premature death sentences.

Part of the problem is connected to a condition most of us can avoid or reverse: obesity. This disorder continues to be a weighty issue and it’s literally killing us, morphing into deadly diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and breast and colon cancers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering 45% of African American adults are obese. And for black women the statistics are even more alarming: the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health reports that four out of five black women are either overweight or obese. As a result, African Americans have become twice as likely as whites to be diagnosed with diabetes and 40% more liable to contend with high blood pressure. Moreover, black men have a 60% greater probability of dying from a stroke than their white counterparts.

So who’s at risk? It could very well be you. Building a business or advancing in the workplace requires intense focus and long hours—believe me, I know. But I’ve seen far too many business people—including a number of close friends—work so hard that they place health concerns way on the back burner. Others have found convenient excuses to miss gym dates as well as doctor’s appointments. UnitedHealth Group Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs Dr. Reed V. Tuckson, one of BE’s 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America, has an uncompromising view when it comes to African Americans and health: “At the end of the day, we’ve got to get past blaming someone else. We [must] take control of our lives.” (For more from Dr. Tuckson, read “Obesity: The Silent Killer.”)

I wholeheartedly agree. Even though I spend countless hours running my company and dealing with an array of business and personal matters, I made the decision to make my health a priority. Six days a week, I rise at 6 a.m. and hit the gym for a vigorous workout. In fact, what I used to consider a sacrifice has become a treasured part of my day. No interruptions, phone calls, or impromptu meetings. My workouts represent my personal sanctuary where I de-stress or think through problems. The residual benefits: I’m much stronger and not prone to the fatigue and irritability that force worn-out execs to make poor business decisions during the course of a long, grueling day. To complement the workout regimen is a healthy diet. This approach has pushed me to become more disciplined, scheduling every workout session and meal as I would a business appointment. The ritual doesn’t stop when I travel either; I make sure I’m booked at hotels with outstanding gym facilities.

I’m not sharing my personal workout program to get compliments, rather I’m doing this because I strongly believe it is important for business people to adopt a healthy lifestyle so they can be in peak condition, handling challenges with focus and dynamism. Too many black executives and entrepreneurs die in their 40s and 50s as they reach the peak of their earnings and power, never fully realizing the benefits of decades of hard work.

Despite decades of strenuous activity as a high school, college, and professional athlete, I’ve had my challenges over the years adhering to such a strict routine. But I’ve learned, as I hope most of you will, that a brisk walk to a fried chicken restaurant offers zero benefits. I am determined to stay the course because I fully appreciate the value of longevity and vitality. True success comes with a healthy mind and strong body.

Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. is the president and CEO of Black Enterprise.

The Jones family during happier times. And (inset) Jennifer smiles through the difficulties of cancer treatments. (Photo by Ryan Smith)

Jennifer Jones Austin thought she just had a stomach virus. The married mother of two and senior vice president of community investment for the United Way of New York City attributed her sickness to her busy schedule. But as Jennifer became weak and suffered blurry vision, vomiting, and temperatures as high as 103.5 degrees over nearly five days, she and her husband, Shawn, knew her illness was more serious.

On Sept. 23, 2009, Jennifer’s diagnosis was in: she had adult acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer.

“It felt like having all the air sucked out of you,” recalls Shawn, 43, about getting the news. (At press time, Jennifer was hospitalized and unable to comment.) “As the day wore on, it began to sink in and she wondered if she would be around for her kids.”

Jennifer, 41, needed a bone marrow transplant. Her siblings were tested but weren’t a match. The next option was to find one through The National Bone Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) Be The Match Registry.

Currently, the registry is made up of more than eight million people. “We assumed it was no big deal to find a match,” says Shawn. But that would be no easy task. African Americans are significantly underrepresented as bone marrow donors. They make up roughly 7% of the registry, compared with 74% whites and 10% Hispanics.

Because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match the tissue type of someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage. Currently, the likelihood of finding at least one potential match on the registry ranges from 60% for African Americans to 88% for whites. To increase the chances of finding someone with similar markers, more black people need to register. Donating marrow benefits patients with more than 70 diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell anemia.

Mary Halet, director of recruitment and community development for the NMDP and its registry, believes bone marrow transplantation has not reached the same level of awareness that other health issues have within the black community. Additionally, there is a perception that donating is painful.  However, registering as a donor starts with swabbing cells from the inside of your cheeks. If later confirmed as a match, you will be prepped for donation, which includes taking a physical exam and giving a blood sample. For the actual donation, the patient’s doctor will choose between two methods, based on what’s best for the patient: bone marrow (a surgical procedure performed in a hospital with general or regional anesthesia) or peripheral blood stem cells (an outpatient procedure similar to donating plasma). Short-term side effects may include headache, muscle aches, or fatigue.

In 2009, more than 50,000 potential African American donors joined the national registry, 5,000 more than in 2008, according to the National Bone Marrow Donor Program. And in some states, expectant parents have the option of donating their baby’s umbilical cord blood. (About 7% of cord blood units on the registry identified as black).

Friends, colleagues, and the community rallied around Jennifer, holding more than 200 events across the country that recruited nearly 13,000 people to the registry. Jennifer received a transplant from umbilical cord blood on Feb. 24. Though at press time she was battling post-transplant complications, Shawn says she is expected to make a full recovery.

Click here to register as a marrow donor.

The Klumps may be funny, but obesity in black families is literally as serious as a heart attack.

Obesity is an epidemic that is killing Americans and costing the health care system $80 billion a year.  If that’s not alarming enough news for you, how about this?

Obesity is growing faster than any previous chronic health issue our nation has faced. Today, more than one in four Americans are considered obese. According to America’s Health Rankings (www.americashealthrankings.org) if current trends continue, 103 million American adults — or 43 percent of the population — will be considered obese by 2018. Left unchecked, in 2018 alone, obesity will add nearly $344 billion to the nation’s annual direct health care costs, accounting for more than 21 percent of health care spending.

Indeed, obesity is fueling a tsunami of preventable health problems, from diabetes and hypertension to cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory disease.

Many public health experts, physicians and others – including myself –  believe that obesity has become equal to, and will exceed, tobacco use as the most significant risk factor for death and disease in the nation. This is not surprising. Considering that, while tobacco continues to produce extraordinary health consequences, tobacco use has declined slightly in the past 20 years, while obesity is on a dangerous, and as yet unchecked, upward trajectory.

Obesity is also an epidemic that is taking a particularly significant toll on some of our most vulnerable citizens: communities of color and low-income families. African Americans were 1.4 times as likely to be obese as non- Hispanic Whites in 2007, according  to the Department of Health and Human Services.  African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese with about four out of five African American women considered overweight or obese. In Mississippi and Alabama, approximately 41% of the adult population is obese.  To see where your state ranks – and the future projections – go to www.americashealthrankings.org/2009/spotlight.aspx .

As a regular Black Enterprise reader and a supporter of minority-owned businesses, I am especially concerned about the implications of this data on the affordability of health insurance and the impact on the productivity of the minority workforce. These obesity stats will lead to  sicker people, with higher health care costs, who will lose time from work. Lost work time negatively impacts the economic vitality of black-owned businesses. We must get on top of this national public health problem now.

The question, therefore,  is:  What can we do to reverse this alarming and potentially deadly trend?

First, it’s up to parents to help tackle this health care crisis. When confronted with very limited budgets, families are more inclined to make food purchases based on cost rather than nutritional value.  In addition, many lower-income neighborhoods don’t have convenient grocery stores that are reasonably priced. Yet another factor that plays into this epidemic is that some families lack the knowledge or resources to prepare cost-effective meals that are healthy and can last longer. This is a critical issue, as limited  food choice is associated with a range of health issues, including obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three children in the U.S. is obese or overweight, putting them on the road to lifelong chronic conditions like hypertension, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

From a child’s first breath, the top priority for every parent is to ensure that child is properly fed, meaning enough, but not more than he or she needs Tips for healthy nutrition, including what to eat and how much, can be found at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan .

Physicians, nutritionists, schools and health care companies all share a responsibility to help educate parents in healthy nutrition. Unfortunately, more and more children are eating too much and too many of the wrong things.

Next, we need to commit to exercising and moving our bodies. If you’re not exercising regularly, then start today. Exercising does not have to mean joining a gym or buying expensive equipment. It can mean walking, gardening, swimming, playing active games with kids, praise or ballroom dancing, or “vigorous” house work.  Get started by visiting www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children .

(And, by the way ladies, is your hairstyle a barrier to exercising? If so, it’s time to put your SURVIVAL first. After all, what’s more important?)

Finally, all of us have a responsibility to urge government and business to do more to combat obesity. If we don’t do something about it, the health care costs tied to obesity will more than quadruple in eight years.

If you are a member of a church, civic association, fraternity or sorority (and I bet many of you are), you can mobilize these organizations to change the communities touched by these organizations.  Are there safe, accessible walking and biking trails? Advocate for the creation of them. Do the schools that serve your children have healthy food choices and PE programs? Lobby the school administration. Are there adequate healthy choices at the supermarkets near you? Work with the store managers to change that.

Obesity is tipping the scales as one of the nation’s biggest problems, but as First Lady Michelle Obama has pointed out, this is the first time in history that children may have shorter life expectancies than their parents.  Mrs. Obama is on a mission to change that. Working together, at the national, local and individual levels, we can make real and lasting progress.

Reed V. Tuckson, M.D., is Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs at UnitedHealth Group, and is responsible for working with all of the company’s business units to improve the quality and efficiency of health services. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the United Health Foundation. Dr. Tuckson is also ranked among the Black Enterprise 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.

Vanessa Jones Briscoe

Oprah Winfrey once said, “Each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint—and the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”

For me that personal calling is with outreach and community-service projects that empower individuals with knowledge and resources for better health care.  Through the American Diabetes Association I have been able to equip thousands of individuals with information to help them to better understand and take control of their diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, and an additional 57 million Americans are at risk for developing the disease. I’ve witnessed this first-hand, with family members and in my career, the physical and mental damage caused by a disease that so many people with the disease took lightly.  Has anyone ever said to you, “Oh, honey I only have a touch of diabetes; ” or “ I don’t have the bad kind of sugar”?

Many individuals take their disease lightly and  often end up with -blindness, amputations, kidney disease, stroke or heart disease. These are devastating complications of diabetes that may have been avoided or delayed if they had access to adequate information, education and healthcare resources.

More and more people are without healthcare because America’s healthcare system is broken and resources are fragmented or no longer available.  For many years, I have been readily involved with the American Diabetes Association—an organization that offers services to the community and fills the gap with reliable information and educational tools about diabetes.

The ADA offers community outreach programs that have allowed me as a volunteer to educate and give tools to thousands of Americans in my community living with diabetes.  So at my next diabetes lecture, health fair, church presentation, interview, or gathering at a family reunion—I will reach one person with information that will make a difference in their life and empower them to take control of their diabetes.

Helping people and their families to live with diabetes and providing accurate and updated information about the disease is only one of the ADA’s missions.  The ADA is also actively involved in finding a cure for the disease and each year gives institutions millions of dollars for research.

November is American Diabetes Month and this year the ADA is launching a national movement to Stop Diabetes—the goal is to help us “confront it, fight it and most importantly, stop it.” The ADA is taking this campaign to communities across the America.  It’s just one more step in the organization’s tireless effort to stop diabetes. Here are six things you can do to join the fight:

Learn about the symptoms of diabetes and become familiar with terms commonly used when discussing diabetes—www.diabetes.org .

Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes.  Eat well-balanced meals in the correct amounts.  Get and stay active.

Take the Diabetes Risk Test—3.7 million or 14.7 percent of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes.

Find answers to your questions about living with diabetes at the ADA website– www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/

Get involved in your local ADA chapter and participate in an event.

Make a donation. The gift you make to the ADA today will help discover new ways to detect, treat, and cure diabetes.

Vanessa Jones Briscoe, PhD, NP, CDE, is a research assistant professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism