6 WARNING SIGNS OF COLON CANCER

      

 Consult your doctor if you are experiencing this signs:

  Considering your colon: why it’s so crucial ?

Colon health is incredibly important, although it’s not something most people want to talk about. The colon is a major organ essential for waste removal in the body. If the colon is not working properly, the body can’t absorb essential nutrients or rid itself of waste.

Lifestyle choices and eating habits contribute to your colon’s overall health. When your colon isn’t functioning properly, something as common as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be to blame.

Gautamy Chitiki Dhadham, MD, with Bayhealth Gastroenterology explains why it is important to take steps now to maintain colon health.

     WORST AND BEST FOODS FOR YOUR COLON

                                                                   

           

Q: WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO MAINTAIN COLON HEALTH?

A: To improve colon health it’s important to drink plenty of water, eat fruits and vegetables and increase fiber intake. You should limit your intake of red and processed meat. It is also important to not smoke, limit alcohol consumption and get moderate exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

A: The patients I see in my office often complain of a change in their bowels, possibly blood in the stool, general abdominal pains, constipation and/or diarrhea. Many patients are suffering from IBS.

Q: WHAT TREATMENT OPTIONS CAN YOU OFFER?

A: For some patients, the treatment may include over-the-counter medications, including stool softeners or laxatives. If patients have tried these options and have no relief, we can try prescription medication. I also counsel patients about lifestyle modification, including diet changes, eating healthy, cutting down on fast food, avoiding dairy products and drinking eight glasses of water per day.

Q: HOW DOES STRESS AFFECT THE COLON?

A: The neurotransmitters that work in our brain are the same that work in our gut. Stress increases symptoms related to our colon. I always advise patients to manage their own stress levels and make sure they aren’t drinking too much caffeine.

Q: WHY ARE COLONOSCOPIES SO IMPORTANT?

A: Colon cancer is a major concern. According to the National Institutes of Health, colon cancer is the third most common cancer and the second deadliest cancer in the U.S. Colon cancer is a preventable cancer with early detection. If colon cancer is caught early, the survival rate is 95%.

I always tell my patients how this screening is essential for early detection.

                      

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What is the large intestine?

The large intestine is the last part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the long, tube-like pathway that food travels through your digestive system. It follows from the small intestine and ends at the anal canal, where food waste leaves your body. The large intestine, also called the large bowel, is where food waste is formed into poop, stored, and finally excreted. It includes the colon, rectum and anus. Sometimes “colon” is also used to describe the entire large intestine.

What are the different parts of the large intestine?

The large intestine is one long tube, but slightly different things happen in different parts of it. Its three parts are the colon, the rectum and the anus. The colon can also be divided into parts. The entry point, about six inches long, is called the cecum. The rest of the colon is divided into segments: the ascending colon (traveling up), the transverse colon (traveling across to the left), the descending colon (traveling down) and the sigmoid colon (headed back across to the right).

Because there is no real division between the parts, people divide up the large intestine differently in their minds. Some people think of the large intestine as everything but the anus. They might say the three parts of the large intestine are the cecum, the colon and the rectum. Or they might call it the colon, but mean the same thing: the cecum, the rest of the colon and the rectum. Here we consider the cecum part of the colon, and everything part of the large intestine.

What does the large intestine do?

When the large intestine receives food from the small intestine, the food has been liquified by the digestive process and most of the nutrients have been absorbed. The colon’s job is to dehydrate what’s left of the food and form it into stool. It does this by slowly absorbing water and electrolytes as its muscle system moves the waste along. Meanwhile, bacteria living in your colon feed on the waste and break it down further, completing the chemical part of the digestive process.

How do the different parts of the large intestine work?

Cecum

The cecum is the beginning of the colon. The small intestine feeds into the cecum through a small channel in the side of it (the ileocecal valve), so the end of the cecum is actually closed like a pouch. This pouch, the first 6 inches of the colon, is also the widest portion of the large intestine. This is the reservoir where food from the small intestine arrives in the large intestine. When the cecum is full, it triggers the muscle movements of the colon to begin.

Colon

As food proceeds to the ascending colon, it travels upward and eventually sideways across the transverse colon. These segments frame the small intestine, which is coiled inside. Any remaining water and electrolytes are absorbed in the ascending and transverse colon so that the food waste that arrives in the descending colon is mostly solid. The colon secretes mucus to bind and lubricate the food waste to help it pass through smoothly as it is dehydrated.

Like the small intestine, the large intestine churns the food against its mucous lining and also moves it forward through periodic muscle contractions. But this process is much slower in the large intestine — about 24 hours. Digestion also happens here, but not by enzymes as it did in the small intestine. Here, friendly gut bacteria break down the remaining carbohydrates to produce key vitamins (B and K) that are absorbed through the mucosa. This takes longer.

Rectum

By the time the sigmoid colon delivers the food waste to the rectum, it resembles the poop you know. The poop now consists of indigestible matter and dead cells shed from your intestinal mucosa, along with small amounts of mucus and water. If about 16 ounces of liquid food entered the large intestine, about 5 ounces of it remain as poop. When poop enters the rectum, it triggers the urge to defecate. This is the natural continuation of the mass muscle movements of the colon.

Anus

The anus is the canal your poop will travel through to leave your body. It’s closed on each side by a muscle sphincter. On the inside, the internal sphincter opens automatically to let poop through. The outer sphincter is the one you control to let poop out when you’re ready. When poop in the rectum triggers the urge to defecate, nerve signals cause the internal sphincter to relax. This is your cue to find a toilet where you can let the poop out through your external sphincter.

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How can I keep my large intestine healthy?

These general health guidelines will help you maintain a healthy gut:

Eat more fiber. Fiber triggers the muscle contractions that move food through your colon and helps clear out residue there that could slow things down. The best way to get it is by eating plants.

Eat better fats. Saturated fats, such as those found in red meat, are associated with higher rates of colon diseases. On the other hand, healthy fats — the Omega-3s found especially in oily fish — promote friendly bacteria in the gut.

Drink more water. The gut uses a lot of water — for cleansing, for lubrication and absorption of nutrients — and most of us don’t drink enough of it.

Get your colonoscopy. Colon cancer is both common and preventable. Anyone with a colon can get it, and by the time you have symptoms, it might be too late to treat it. Regular screening is the best way to prevent it and treat it in time.

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