Category Archives: Colorectal Disease
Probiotics and Their Effects, if any, On Intestinal Health
Probiotics have been touted as having incredible health benefits. This, on the surface, stands to reason because our gut is made up of billions of bacteria that work in harmony to digest food properly, maintain a normal metabolism and normalize colon and general intestinal function. But if simply downing a delicious drink from the supermarket to improve colon health sounds too good to be true, you’re right.
Should I Get Genetic Testing for Colon Cancer?
Some of our patients, especially those who have a family history of colon cancer or other cancers, are very nervous about their risk of developing cancer. And they are often justified in that fear as close family members who have had colon cancer, in turn, increase your risk of colon cancer as well. However, we have studied decades of colon cancer research and the result is solid guidelines on how to screen for the disease. For those with average risk, a colonoscopy every ten years, starting at the age of 45 is recommended. For those with above average risk, this interval may be much shorter and depends on the judgment of Dr. Crean or your primary care physician.
Recurring Polyps of the Colon – Genetic or Environmental?
As we know, a colonoscopy is the most effective way to prevent colon cancer. Routine colonoscopiesstarting at 45 years old for those with average risk and repeated every ten years, can drastically reduce the risk of developing colon cancer by finding pre-cancerous polyps before they have a chance to become malignant. These colonoscopies, while dreaded by many, have reduced the rates of colon cancer cases and deaths over the past couple decades.
If polyps or pre-cancerous growth are found in the colon, colonoscopies can also remove these growths. This is all completed during the same procedure while the patient is sedated. But for some, regardless of their risk of colon cancer, polyps may return over and over again.
Five Tips to Improving your Colon Health and Reducing the Risk of Colon Cancer
There are almost 150,000 cases of colon and rectal cancer each year, of which there are between 50,000 and 60,000 deaths. This makes colon cancer more deadly, in absolute terms, than breast cancer and prostate cancer. And yet, colon cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable diseases. Much of the increase in colon cancer occurrence is due to poor dietary and exercise habits that we, as a society, have adopted in the past several decades. Processed foods, amongst other poor dietary choices, have contributed to an obesity epidemic that has caused rates of colon cancer to increase dramatically through the mid-80s. Fortunately, better screening and education has mitigated some of this rise through the use of colonoscopy. As prevention is always better than even early treatment, here are our top five recommendations on reducing the risk of colon cancer.
When You Can Ignore Blood in Your Stool
In fairness, the title of this blog post is misleading, but we did so on purpose. We did so, very simply, because there’s never a time that blood in the stool should be ignored. Yet, over and over again, we see patients who have experienced blood in their stool, convinced themselves it is something minor and avoided coming to see their doctor or colorectal surgeon. The problem is, that something minor and very treatable today may progress to something more aggressive over time and can ultimately cause significant quality-of-life issues – even malignancy – and ultimately, fewer treatment options. While the only good option is visiting your doctor, following is an idea of the most common causes of blood in the stool and, ultimately, what should be done to address them.
