Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a tricky disease. You can go without symptoms for many years until the disease has progressed into the later stages. However, just because this is possible does not mean you should not be on the look out for the signs and symptoms of colon cancer.

Because when it is caught in time, you can completely recover from colon cancer. This is particularly why colon cancer screening is so important. However, there are many things you can keep an eye out for as well.

Bleeding

Rectal bleeding is a major sign of colon cancer. However, bleeding can be a sign of many other conditions such as hemorrhoids, fissures, the consumption of certain foods or iron supplements. Make sure to eliminate the possibility of these conditions before becoming overly concerned.

Pain

If you have pain in your lower abdomen, it could be a sign of colon cancer. Again, this can also be a sign of many other conditions, so it is important to see your doctor.

Change in Bowel Movements

A change in bowel movements is always a sign that something is amiss. It could be due to a change in diet, stress or some other factors, but again, see your doctor to find out for sure. This is especially the case when you have dramatic changes such as suddenly having watery stools, frequent stools, constipation or feeling as though your bowels have not entirely emptied.

Anemia

Sometimes, a sudden onset of anemia can be a sign of colon cancer. Visit your doctor to find out the cause.

Weight Loss

A sudden, dramatic or unexplained weight loss can be a sign of colon cancer. It is a somewhat rare symptom, so should definitely warrant immediate medical attention.

Abdominal Tenderness

Sometimes, the lower abdomen can be tender to the touch if you have colon cancer. It all depends on where the cancer is located in the colon, really.

Narrow Stools

If your stool suddenly appears thin or narrow, it may be a sign of colon cancer. This is especially the case if your stools become narrow all of a sudden. Stools typically take on a narrow appearance due to an obstruction in the bowels.

Fatigue

A sudden loss of energy can be a sign of many conditions, but it can also be a sign of colon cancer. If you feel run down and unable to function, it may be a good time to head off to the doctor.

Bloating

Again, bloating can be a sign of many conditions, but it is also indicative of colon cancer. You may simply feel bloated for no reason or your abdomen may be visibly distended. In either case, it is a good idea to have the condition checked out with your physician.

Shortness of Breath

As you may have gathered by now, symptoms of colon cancer can imitate many other conditions as well. If you feel out of breath often or feel as though you can not catch your breath, see your doctor.

So you see the common theme here? See your doctor! Symptoms of colon cancer can be sneaky and the key to successful treatment is early diagnosis. Do not risk it. If you feel ?off? and exhibit any combination of the above symptoms, let your physician know about it.

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This article is written by Christy Berger. A longer version of this article can be found along with other home testing and early disease articles at Colon Cancer Signs & Symptoms and 10 Early Signs & Symptoms of Colon Cancer. You can also read signs and symptoms of Colon Cancer in the frequently asked questions about colon cancer testing.

So is there really a benefit of colon cleansing? You’ve most likely heard of the many ways that you can cleanse your colon. But without understanding what a cleanser does, you cannot begin to understand some of the ways that colon cleansing can benefit you.

Read on as I’ll be discussing some of the ways that a colon cleansing session can improve your health. You may just decide that it’s something you would like to do.

Constipation is a major problem and a big reason why someone would want to cleanse their colon. A poor diet or a lack of nutrients can lead to your intestinal walls being lined with a hard plaque substance which becomes a major hindrance for the digestion process. When you cleanse your colon, you break down all of these hard linings and allow all of the waste to pass through your body.

Clearing up cases of diarrhea is another benefit of colon cleansing. When you suffer from excessive liquid waste output, your digestive system is not working the way it should be. This is usually caused by some sort of toxins that are getting in the way of the process that causes the waste to be solid. When you cleanse your colon, it is like getting a fresh start from before you did whatever you did to get your colon in bad shape.

Colon cleansing is also an excellent habit to get into because of its benefits regarding the risk of colon cancer. You shouldn’t obsessively evacuate your colon on a daily basis, but it definitely has more benefits than it does possible ways it can harm you. If your family has a history of high colon cancer risk, you may consider cleansing your colon at least every couple of years.

An exciting secondary benefit to cleansing your colon are is losing that gut that you’ve been dealing with for many years. Waste buildup can accumulate over time and eventually weigh as much as 30 pounds. There is no reason why this should continue sitting stagnantly in your intestines, so colon cleansing is a great idea if you’re looking for ideas on how to lose stomach fat.

Despite the numerous benefits of colon cleansing, you shouldn’t just jump on board because it sounds like a good idea. Do much more research and consider your own problems and your own bodily needs. Do you feel as though there is at least one solid benefit of colon cleansing? If so, look at some of the ways that you can accomplish it and begin to take advantage of the many positive aspects that a clean and healthy colon can bring to your overall wellness.

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For more information on another major benefit of colon cleansing and to read Colonix reviews, visit www.ColonCleansingForum.com today.

More and more researchers start focusing on the results of high-meat intake over colon cancer rather then researching the effects of high-fiber diets on the disease.

Until recently most reseachers studied only the benefic effects of a high-fiber diet against colon cancer, but they started shifting their attention to the bad effects of a diet rich in high-meat.

Many of the older studies showed that a diet rich in fibers reduced the risk of colorectal cancer, but a few newer studies found that there is no connection between the high-fiber intake and precursors of colon cancer like colon polyps.

After the results of these new studies were published, most of the researchers moved on studying the other aspects of a diet like obesity, fat, lack of folate, lifestyle and the consuming of red meat.

More large studies, studies that watch the diet and the disease rates of large comunities over more years, found a connection between intakes of red meat and the development of colon cancer. One of these studies, conducted on 150,000 people between the ages of 52 and 75 years found that the ones who had a very high meat intake had 50 percent more chances to develop colon cancer then the ones who ate smaller quantities of meat, although their psychical condition, weight and the mineral supplements used where taken into account.

Several theories were developed by researchers to explain the connection between red meat and colorectal cancer. One of them states that cancer tumors are caused by a the heme iron pigment found in the red meat. Although the results of all studies are published and more information about the negative effect of red meat will be released specialists think that high fibers will still be promovated even if recent studies demonstrated that there are no connections between the intake of fibers and reducing the risks of colon cancer.

Most people including specialists and consumers don’t understand that the chemicals in the meat are mostly responsible for cancer. Sodium nitrite, pesticides and heavy metals are just few of the elements you can find in red meat. This is the reason for which red meat is so bad for the health.

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For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about colon cancer diet or even about stage3 colon cancer

The Amazon rainforest is situated in South America and is also known to be the largest of its kind covering over seven million square kilometers in size.

In the Amazon rainforest, you can find many types of herbs, fruits and vegetables that have not been heard of or ever seen by mankind. However, there are also a number of Amazon herbs that are used today for different types of cures and health boosters.

Different Types of Amazon Herbs

There are Amazon herbs that cure a large variety of illnesses from life threatening diseases to minor injuries. Amazon herbs are used for weight loss purposes as well as for improving the skin appearance by curing acne and other skin diseases. Most natural herbs will help your body and immune system to recover from a disorder or illness, and strengthening it in the process. Natural herbs do not cause side effects generally, but it is still recommended you consult a doctor before you start any herbal treatment.

Where do Dou Find Amazon Herbs

The best place to look for these Amazon herbs is natural stores and homeopathic centers where you will also have the possibility to consult a doctor for a proper consultation and prescription of herbs. Natural herbs do not really cause side effects but you may have a reaction if administered at the same time with contraindicated medications. Therefore, you should never self-medicate especially if it is for a serious disease or medical disorder. Usually having herbal tea in order to sleep well or help your digestive system is quite a safe thing to do. However, starting an herbal treatment for a life threatening disease without a doctor?s advice can cause you more damage than benefits even if it is a pure natural herb cure.

Things to Remember When Using Natural Remedies

It is important to remember that natural remedies always work with your body. And whether it is an Amazon herb or one from China it may take longer than you planed to obtain visible results, during which time you must be patient and follow the herbal treatment as indicated.

Stopping a treatment halfway because you don?t see any results or you stop it because you feel better can in turn eliminate its effects and you may have to start the treatment all over again from the beginning. Listen to your body intimately, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits as well as exercise regularly for a healthier, longer and richer life.

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Tangopang is the author and owner of www.naturalhealthherbalremedies.com For more information on Natural Remedies, please visit Natural Herbal Remedies

In the fall of 2003, Bridget Beranek, a 44-year-old wife and mother of two young girls, was gearing up for a busy holiday season filled with family functions, parties and shopping.

So when she began to lose her appetite and energy, Bridget initially chalked it up to holiday stress.

When the New Year came and went, but Bridget’s symptoms were still present, she knew it was more than stress. After several visits to her primary care physician, Bridget saw an internist, and underwent a colonoscopy. In March 2004, she was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver.

“I know it sounds clich?, but I couldn’t believe this was happening to me,” said Bridget. “Scheduling a colonoscopy was not a priority for me because I was under 50 and lived a healthy lifestyle. I ate right, didn’t drink or smoke, and went regularly for a mammogram. One thing I learned from this experience is that colon cancer is a disease more people, especially women, need to be better informed about.”

The American Cancer Society reports that colorectal cancer, commonly referred to as colon cancer, is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, second only to lung cancer. It is also the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women.

Risk factors for colon cancer include a family or personal history of the disease, intestinal polyps or chronic inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, a high-fat diet, and being age 50 or older. Symptoms may include changes in bowel habits, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, fatigue, blood in the stool or unexplained weight loss, though many people are diagnosed without any symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends men and women over age 50 who have an average risk for colon cancer receive screening. Higher-risk patients, such as those with a family history of the disease, should talk with their physicians about when they should begin screening.

Fortunately for Bridget, a new treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer had just been approved by the FDA, only weeks before her diagnosis. Her oncologist decided to treat her with a combination of traditional chemotherapy and a targeted therapy called Avastin? (bevacizumab). Though she occasionally has side effects such as fatigue, Bridget’s cancer has responded to the treatment and she is doing well. She is thankful to be able to spend time with her husband and daughters, and to practice her favorite hobby, photography.

Typically, metastatic colorectal cancer patients undergo surgery followed by chemotherapy. Today’s targeted therapies, which are designed to attack cancer cells in a more specific way than chemotherapy, provide an additional tool for doctors to use in treating this disease. Avastin, for example, is an angiogenesis inhibitor, which means it interferes with the blood vessels that feed cancer tumors, to help prevent tumors from growing and spreading to other parts of the body. Avastin is approved for use in combination with intravenous 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

It is important to keep in mind that Avastin has been associated with side effects in colorectal cancer. Serious side effects occur rarely, but can include gastrointestinal perforation and slow or incomplete wound healing and blood clot complications. Other more common side effects seen in clinical trials include nosebleeds, high blood pressure, proteinuria (too much protein in the urine, which may be a sign of kidney damage), weakness, pain, diarrhea, and a reduced white blood cell count.

Because everyone is different, it is not possible to predict what side effects an individual may experience. If you have questions about side effects or treatment with Avastin, talk to your doctor or another member of the health-care team.

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For more information on risk factors and screening for colorectal cancer, visit www.cdc.gov. For full prescribing information on Avastin, including Boxed Warnings, please call (800) 821-8590 or visit www.avastin.com.

Inherited colon cancer represents at about 5% of all the colon cancer cases. This type of cancer is caused by genetic abnormalities inherited from someone in you family.

Often, people that have cases of colon cancer in their families present colonic polyps that can become cancerous. There are more types of polyps inlcuding familial adenomatous polyps. There are variants of colon cancer that present few if any polyps like the inherited non-polyposis cancer. There are some other types that occur very rarely like the Gardner’s syndrome which is a variant of the familial adenomatous polyps cancer type and the Peutz-jeghers syndrome wich is not cancerous but it gives the patient a greater risk of developing colon cancer. Most families with a colon cancer presence have at least one of these types. Inherited colon cancer appear very often to young people, while sporadic (non-inherited) colon cancer appears very rarely before the age of 40.

Hereditary colon cancer specialists recommend that people that come from families with higher then normal colon cancer risk factor need to take regular tests even if they don’t have any symptoms. The most effective and the most spread method to identify colon cancer is colonoscopy. A very small camera and a light attached to a tiny tube is inserted trough the rectum into the colon of the patient permitting physicians to check the inside of the colon for any signs of cancer. Signs of colon cancer like colonic polyps or adenomas are easy to identify using coloscopy. The familial adenomatous polyposis and the Gardners syndrome are characterized by a huge number of polyps (thousands). Cancer can be prevented by surgery if the diseased is found in time, in its precancerous stage. If the disease has reached the cancerous state it may be possible that surgery won’t help. Colonoscopy should be performed even at the ages of 10 years for members of a family known to have a gene of one of these disease.

Even though inherited non-polyposis cancer isn’t characterized by the presence of many polyps, colonoscopy remains the best way to diagnose it. Inherited non-polyposis cancer is usually accompanied with cancers of the small bowel, stomach, urinary tract, larynx, pancreas. One type of the inherited non-polyposis cancer, called the Lynch syndrome I, starts at a young age and it is usually found in the upper colon. Families that know they had inherited non-polyposis cancer in their bloodline should begin colonoscopy since the age of 20.

Lists with all the people with inherited colon cancer can be found at local hospitals. People known to have a higher risk should be encouraged to take regular colonoscopies from an early age. By using these lists lives can be saved by preventing colon cancer from appearing of curing it in its early phases.

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For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about colon cancer treatment or even about metastatic colon cancer