Cancer treatment

The part of the large intestine that joins the small intestine is called the caecum. Directly above the anus is a short length of large intestine - 12-15cm long - called the rectum. The colon extends from caecum to the rectum and is divided into 4 parts: the ascending colon, which rises upwards from the caecum; the transverse colon, which runs across the body from right to left; the descending colon, which sweeps downwards; and a relatively short section called the sigmoid colon, which leads to the rectum.

A major function of the colon is to extract fluids from what remains of food after its nutrients have been absorbed in the small intestine. The colon also provides a temporary storage place for solid wastes, as well as a channel for their removal from the body. Colon cancer and rectal cancer, often referred to collectively as cancer of the bowel, is one the most common cancers of the digestive system. All parts of the large intestine can develop cancer although most cases of colon cancer occur in the descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum.

The type of food you eat seems to increase or decrease your chances of getting colon cancer. A variety of studies suggest that people who consume large quantities of high-fat and low-fibre foods run a greater risk than those who eat a low-fat and high-fibre diet. Therefore, you can reduce your chances of getting colon cancer by, decreasing the amount of ‘bad’ foods you eat and, increase your intake of ‘good’ cancer preventing foods.

Among the ‘good’ cancer preventing foods are vegetables (especially broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower), whole grains and legumes (beans and peas). Your diet should also include sufficient amounts of vitamin A and C, which, according to experts help to neutralise cancer-causing substances in food. Diet is one aspect that can control the onset of colon cancer, however, there are factors that you may have no control over. For instance, an uncommon inherited tendency to develop many small to large growths in the colon. These growths, or polyps, look somewhat like mushrooms.

There are signs that may be heeded as to whether cancer of the colon or large intestine is present or a condition that may lead to it, may be present in the body. In general, any persistent change in bowel habits should alert you. Diarrhoea or constipation that will not go away after about a week, despite the use of medication; stools that are narrower than usual, which can occur if a growth is blocking or narrowing any part of the colon or rectum are not sure indicators of colon cancer, but may indicate a problem and the sooner you find out exactly what these changes mean, the better your chances will be in dealing with them.

One indication that you may have cancer of the colon may turn up when a routine test for invisible traces of blood in the faeces is positive. Bear in mind that many other conditions besides cancer can lead to the presence of small amounts of blood in the faeces; these conditions can include haemorrhoids (piles), non-cancerous tumours or infections. A routine physical examination by a doctor should be done even when no colon cancer is suspected. After a general inspection, he may refer you to a specialist who will use an instrument called a sigmoidscope to examine the rectum and lower part of the sigmoid colon in more detail. If a colon cancer growth is detected, the specialist, perhaps in collaboration with a surgeon, will outline a course of treatment. The choice of therapy will be based on the size of the growth, on how much of the colon is affected and whether the cancer has spread to other areas.

Like many other cancers, there are three basic ways in which colon cancer can be treated: with surgery, radiotherapy or with anticancer drugs, or with a combination of these three approaches. The treatment will depend on where the colon cancer is situated, on its size and on whether it has invaded the wall of the colon or areas beyond it.

Colon cancer, although non-infectious, has been sometimes called the plague of our time due to the increasing number of lives it has ended or debilitated. Cancer is genetic; therefore, if your parents had it or your uncle had it, chances are you will have it too. If you can’t run from it, you will have to face it and fight. Your best weapons will be screening, early detection and possible prevention. Prevention is key for everyone whether or not they have a history of cancer. Plus, it is easy to do. Since the disease presents itself in the large intestines, which is part of the digestive system, the prevention is closely related to diet. One thing you should keep in mind is “Keep it Natural”.

Remember your mother saying “Eat your vegetables”? She was absolutely right. Eat your fruits too. What’s cooler is that they are color-coded so it is easy to follow. The red, yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables are rich in Antioxidants. Some of these are oranges, strawberries, peppers and carrots. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are also very rich in these natural cancer fighting chemicals. Generous amounts of unprocessed grains help a lot too. The “bad food” you would want to avoid as much as possible is saturated fat. The problem nowadays is that there are so many products on the market that contain saturated fat. Meat has saturated fat so eat only your recommended daily allowance. Many non-animal foods have high fat content such as your favorite cakes, pastries, ice cream and cookies. Make sure you read the food labels to see how much fat you’re getting. Food such as these increase your risk of colon cancer because when these fats are broken down by the digestive juices and bile, the by-products are known to cause neoplastic growths in the colon where they get dumped. Increasing fiber in your diet helps flush out these toxins and clean your colon.

It would surprise many but increasing your intake of calcium might help lower your risks of colon cancer. Calcium is one of the basic minerals in the body and is necessary for bone strength and the regulation of many chemical processes of the body. However, studies on animals have found that a lack of calcium has led to excessive cell growth in the colon. Although it is not clear if it would have the same effect on humans, calcium is still important in so many other ways that you should still get enough of it. All adults must have 1000mg of calcium per day. Women, especially during pregnancy and after menopause have a greater risk for osteoporosis and should have 1500mg of calcium per day. Adequate calcium can be given by drinking a quart of milk per day. If you can’t drink this much milk, try mixing it in your food or eat other dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Also rich in calcium are seafood and shellfish and many green leafy vegetables. If still not enough, your physician may recommend calcium supplements for you.

Research studies are now going on how best to prevent colon cancer as more and more people are diagnosed with this condition today. It is found that colon cancer usually starts in the large intestine, also known as colon, or the rectum. Colon cancer then develops from dead cells that have been accumulated in a lump over a period of time. The risk to getting colon cancer increases if you have a genetic medical background of parents or close relatives who have been diagnosed with colon cancer. Research also showed that that colon cancer is aggravated by unhealthy diets such as ready meals and fast food.

Hence, it is vital that you seek the advice of your doctor should you feel the discomfort of colon cancer symptoms. The symptoms to look out for include unhealthy bowel occurrence such as diarrhea, constipation or bowel infection, severe pain in abdomen, blood in the stools, narrow stools, anemia, intestinal obstruction and drastic loss of weight.

Prevention is still better than cure. So you really should consider the following 5 ways on how best to prevent colon cancer:

1. Adopt healthy habits. Colon cancer usually develops over a length of period before it actually shows. Hence you should not wait till you notice the symptoms of colon cancer before starting to adopt healthy habits. Eat healthy meals, exercise and have an adequate amount of sleep.

If your diet contains too much high fat and red meats with little fiber, you are definitely at a high risk of developing colon cancer. Fat accumulates on the walls of the intestine and rectum, forming lumps of dead cells. You should therefore adopt a balanced natural diet which includes lots of green vegetables, fruits and water.

Exercise helps by flushing out harmful toxins and waste matter which if left accumulated in your body can cause cancerous growth.

2. Know your family medical history. It appears that colon cancer is a genetic disease that is hereditary. As such, if you belong to the high risk category due to your family history, then you should take extra precautions by leading a healthy lifestyle.

3. Stop smoking. Chain smoking increases your chance to developing colon cancer. Inhaling tobacco can easily transfer carcinogen (a cancer agent) to your colon and rectum, thus resulting in colon cancer. Hence, do not hesitate to find ways to quit smoking.

4. Reduce exposure to radiation. Excessive exposure to radiation has been found to cause colon cancer. Radiation rays are harmful and can render healthy normal cells abnormal. By all means, avoid unnecessary X-rays, CT scans, mammograms so that you can best prevent colon cancer.

5. If you observe that you are experiencing symptoms like skin allergies, weak immune system, poor movement of bowels, bloating, etc, then it may be that you have too much toxins in your body. Consider colon cleansing as a way of detoxification. There are a couple of ways to perform colon cleansing. These include consuming herbs for colon cleansing and colon hydrotherapy.

Most people wonder where they should start when they are ready to start improving their health. There is so much information on getting healthy and every practitioner or health guru wants you to start with their program. So here’s what do you need to do and where you’ll find this information.

If you go back and read many of the books written during the 50′ to 80’s you will find that most of the natural health healers always recommended you start with the colon.

If you go to your health food store you will find numerous colon cleansing products and in health magazine you will finds many advertisements on colonics.

If you first concentration on improving your colon health, you will do your whole body a favor and you will start to feel and be healthier. Because your colon serves your whole body with nutrients and information, you can make a big impact on becoming healthier.

Every part of your body is reflected in the colon. This means that every spot on the colon corresponds to some part of the body. It is through this spot that nutrients and information is sent to that part of the body. Can you imagine if that spot that represents your brain is filled with toxic matter and filled with layer after layer of toxic material that has built up over the years.

When the brain spot on your colon is corrupted, then toxins move readily into your brain and in addition traumatic life incident can readily move into the brain and settle there forever. The toxins in the brain make you senile in old age and the traumatic feeling can activate a heart attack when your heart immune system weakens.

Can you then imagine all parts of your colon walls being covered with toxic matter or being constantly exposed to toxic matter that stays there for 3-5 days because you were constipated? You could expect toxins to be flooding all parts of your body and weaken those parts to the point of failure when you get older.

It is my opinion that if you do anything for your health that you concentrate colon cleansing. This can be done by always eating and living a lifestyle that gives you a natural colon cleanse. Here are three things that you can do as a natural colon cleansing.

1. Change the way that you eat and not what you eat by helping your body during its normal body cycles. The body detoxifies from 8 am to noon, so don’t eat any heavy food during this period. Eat only fruits and vegetables and their juices. This helps to detoxify your colon and other areas of your body.

2. Eat more fiber since this helps to keep your colon clean and free of constipation and of other disease. Get your fiber from fruits and vegetables. For those of you that are over 60, since you may have diverticulosis, avoid these foods, seeds, nuts, black berries, cucumber, tomatoes, wheat, and rye. Avoid those foods with seeds since they my get lodged in the diverticula pockets and cause inflammation.

3. Use a colon cleanse once a year that helps to dissolve built up toxins along the colon walls. Once such product is Oxypowder.

Keeping your colon in good health is your key to your overall health. Plan to remove toxic matter from your colon. Eat a diet high in fiber to keep your colon strong and healthy. And, assist your body to detoxify by eating foods and liquids that digest quickly from 8 am to noon.

Colon and rectal cancer is the third most common cancer for both men and women in the US. This year, nearly 150,000 people will be diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer and over 50,000 people will die from the disease. Some strides have been made in prevention, and fewer cases are being diagnosed each year.

In the past few years, colorectal cancer screening has been responsible for reducing the number of incidences and deaths from this disease. Colo-rectal screening allows doctors to find small polyps in the colon and rectum and remove them. Left in the colon, these polyps often turn into cancer.
Colo-rectal screening also helps doctors find cancer in earlier stages, when treatments are more likely to be successful. In addition, colo-rectal cancer treatments have improved, reducing the mortality rate from this form of cancer.

But, as with any serious illness, we are also consistently looking for ways to prevent colo-rectal cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the most important steps you can take to prevent colo-rectal cancer are:

Get tested – In most cases, it is recommended that you get your first colo-rectal screening at age 50. However, if you have a family history of the disease, it may be recommended that you begin at an earlier age.

Eat right and exercise – The American Cancer society recommends eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and limiting your intake of high fat foods. Some studies also suggest that folic acid and calcium supplements can lower your risk. In addition to eating properly, it’s also important to get regular exercise. Thirty minutes of exercise a day 5 days a week can help lower your risk of many diseases, including colo-rectal cancer. Being overweight is a risk factor for colo-rectal cancer, so be sure that you maintain a normal weight.

Stop smoking – Smokers have a 30-40% greater likelihood of developing colo-rectal cancer than non-smokers. Most people know that smoking increases their risk of lung cancer, but many are unaware at how significantly smoking increases your colo-rectal cancer risks.

Are other lifestyle habits increasing my risk?

There have been questions about other habits and whether or not they can increase your risk of colo-rectal cancer. One of the most commonly questioned habits is drinking caffeine.

One study, reported by the UK Tea Council, attempted to answer this question. The study observed men and women beginning in the early 1980s, and continuing on until 1998. The study observed dietary habits, other factors, among them caffeine consumption through drinking coffee or tea. Throughout the course of the study, just over 1400 cases of colo-rectal cancer were observed.

The study noted no increase in the incidence of colo-rectal cancer in those people who drank tea or coffee over those who did not consume these caffeinated beverages. So, researchers concluded that drinking tea and coffee with caffeine is perfectly safe and does not increase your colo-rectal cancer risk.

However, one additional finding in the study is particularly interesting. While the study did not find that drinking caffeinated beverages increased your colo-rectal cancer risk, it did find that drinking decaffeinated coffee seemed to actually lower your risk of rectal cancer over those people who never drank decaffeinated coffee.

This finding is surprising, as little research has been performed on any health benefits associated with decaffeinated beverages. Why the decaffeinated coffee offered protection is unclear, as is whether this protection extends to other decaffeinated beverages, such as tea.

As with most research conclusions, more studies and conclusions are needed before we fully understand the ramifications of drinking coffee and tea, whether caffeinated or not. As years go on, we’ll have better direction on how to use such beverages to protect our health and reduce our risks.
In the meantime, it appears that drinking your favorite caffeinated beverages is safe.

This is good news for coffee and tea drinkers, whose beverage consumption mostly consists of these two drinks.

And, there’s reason to believe that there might be health benefits associated with these beverages. Both coffee and tea are good sources of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important because they neutralize the free radicals created by our bodies during the digestion process. Left unchecked, these free radicals cause disease and aging. But, with the proper dose of daily anti-oxidants, we can prevent the damage that free radicals can do.

If you’re interested in increasing your anti-oxidant intake, start by ensuring that your diet is loaded with fruits and vegetables. Some of the best fruit and vegetable sources are blueberries, artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries and pomegranates.

But, the easiest way to get your daily anti-oxidants might just be to drink one of the world’s most popular beverages. That’s right, tea; particularly green tea, offers some of the best anti-oxidant protection you’ll ever find. Green tea’s most important anti-oxidant is EGCG, which has been linked with preventing, and even treating many forms of disease.

Green tea has been linked to preventing cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. It is also thought to naturally regulate blood sugar and help in weight management. It’s likely the world’s most perfect beverage – low in caffeine and rich in protection.

Preventing cancer is something all of us are concerned with. Even if you have a higher than average risk of developing colo-rectal cancer, it seems you’re safe drinking your coffee and tea. However, your best bet for beverages just might be decaffeinated coffee and green tea to prevent this and other forms of disease.

Colon cancer is a disease that affects the large intestine, an organ that absorbs the nutrients from the food, and stores and eliminates the fecal material. The large intestine has two parts, the colon and the rectum. Colon cancer occurs when tumors appear inside the colon and rectum. These tumors can be malignant, in which case they do not present any danger and they can be removed by a simple surgery, and beningn. Beningn tumors are cancerous tumors that can spread and cause life-threatening complications. If you have been diagnosed with a beningn colon tumor you must begin the colon cancer treatment as soon as possible because if the illness is left untreated it can spread to other organs such as the liver and the lungs.

There are three methods of treating colon cancer - by surgery, radiation therapy and by chemotherapy.

Colon cancer surgery is the most widely-used method of treating the disease. In colon cancer surgery, the part of the colon that has the tumor and the infected tissue on it is removed, and then the remaining parts of the colon are sewn back. Lately, colon cancer surgeries are done with the help of an instrument called laparoscope, which enables the doctors operate through a very small abdominal incision, leaving only a small scar behind.

Radiation therapy is a treatment that involves the use of high energy rays that can kill the cancer cells. The advantage of this method is that it can also kill the cancerous cells that have spread and were not detected yet. Radiation therapy is required when the cancer has spread to another organ and the surgery can not remove it form there.The bad part of radiation therapy is that it has side effects that include diarrhea, tiredness or bladder irritation.

Chemotherapy uses special anti cancerous drugs that are injected into the patient’s blood and spread through the whole body, killing all the cancerous cells. This kind of therapy is used when the cancer has spread to many places and surgery or radiation therapy can’t cover such large areas. Unfortunately chemotherapy has the worst side effects. The most common are loss of hair, loss of appetite, fatigue, easy bruising and bleeding, vomiting and diarrhea.

The method used and the survival rate depend on what stage has colon cancer advance to when the treatment begins. In the first stage the survival rate exceeds 90%, in the second stage 70%, in the third 60%, and in the fourth is goes down to somewhere around 8%. That is why it’s important to pay attention at the symptoms and start the treatment as soon as you can.

Colon cancer is, as its name suggests, a disease that affects the colon. The colon is a tube shaped organ, located in the abdomen, that starts at the end of the bowel and ends with the anus. It twists and turns a lot, so its length is over 4 feet. The functions of the colon are to digest the food, absorb the nutrient substances from it (proteins and aminoacids), and to create the concentrated fecal material, which is then stored and eliminated from the colon when the time comes. The end of the colon is called rectum. The rectum and the colon together form the large intestine.

When colon cancer occurs, tumors appear on the inner walls of the large intestine. There are two types of tumors - benign tumors, also called polyps, which are not dangerous, and malignant tumors, which are the cancer.Polyps do not spread to other cells and tissues and they can be easily removed. Tumors on the other hand, can spread and cause life-threatening complications. Remember that a benign polyp will turn into a malignant tumor if it is not treated in time.

Once a colon cancer appears it will start to spread and attack other tissues and cells, and eventually it can reach the lungs or the liver and form new tumors there.The causes of colon cancer are nor entirely known, but what is known is that some people are at a higher risk of developing colon cancer than others. Those who consume large quantities of fats and those who had a history of colon cancer in the family are most likely to get colon cancer. Smoking and alcohol also increases the risks.

The disease has almost no symptoms when it is in its early stages, and when it advances the symptoms are different from one person to another and they depend on the size of the cancer and its exact location. The most commonly encountered symptoms of colon cancer are:

-narrow stools
-stool that contains blood
-abdominal cramps and pain
-excessive gas
-weight loss
-change in bowel habits

If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above consult a doctor as fast as you can. He will make several tests in order to establish a diagnose. Some people consider these tests to be embarrassing, because among them there are rectal exams, and fecal sample tests.If the test results indicate colon cancer than treatment must begin as soon as possible before it spreads to other areas. The main options for colon cancer treatment are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery the most popular treatment method.

The good news is that most of the people survive colon cancer, as time passes the survival rate increases. Survival depends on which stage of colon cancer the patient has. If the cancer has reached the final stage then the chances are much lower because the cancer has already spread to other distant organs of the body.

Although the treatments are improving and the survival rate is increasing colon cancer is still one of the leading cause of death, because many don’t know that they have it until they reach the final stages. It is important to pay attention to its symptoms and consult a doctor for medical advice from time to time.

After researchers discovered another colon cancer gene, the second so far, they concluded that they have found the causes of over 90 percent of the disease in its inherited form.

Every year 156,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer and six of those cases are caused by those two genes together. In the same time, around 30 percent of non inherited cases are caused by these two genes of colon cancer.

It is expected that in the near future researchers will come out with some new tests to identify the presence of these genes in an individual and if either one of these is found, doctors can do tumor checks more frequently permitting them to discover them earlier while they can still be surgically removed. With this new knowledge it is assumed that over 90 percent of all that cases caused by inherited colon cancer can be evoited.

Researchers are confident that this new discovery will lead to new anticancer drugs in a very short time period, a period of two to five years.

The genes are found on different chromosomes, but both of them act almost in the same way, being just like a guardian checking every new piece of synthesized DNA to make sure that no mutations appeared. But, if one of these genes is corrupted the new synthesized DNA pieces will be altered really bad and you will develop cancer as a result. Usually inherited cancer appears at the age of 50.

Thanks to these new discoveries new screening tests will be available for the general population. Most specialists agree that this is a huge step for the medical science resulting in the saving of countless lives and a great cost reduction in the medical system.

One of these genes is present in about 1 every 200 people all around the world making it the number one genetic defect. Screening will save a huge amount of lives but researchers already raise economic concerns regarding the medical health care; it may be possible that future agencies will deny the right to a health insurance just on the reason that a client presents a higher risk because he has one of these genes.

Colon cleansing is one of those dirty subjects that nobody feels like talking about. This is unfortunate, since it is a process that can truly benefit those who undergo it. If more people would be willing to get the word out, then we could see a number of health benefits that it would be responsible for. Here is some information about colon cleansing, and how exactly it can be helpful for you.

There are three main types of colon cleansing that you can do. The first is the more manual variety. This is when water is pumped through the colon and drained to clear all of the unwanted fecal matter. This is also known as an enema, and many people have a slight aversion to this method.

Another type of colon cleansing is the herbal, natural variety. This is when you change your food intake to a certain recommended diet. By taking in all of the necessary materials and ingredients, you will have a slight laxative effect and be able to cleanse your colon. This can be a pill, a dish, or any other thing that you would ingest as normal.

Oxygen-based colon cleansing is another method that is becoming much more popular as time goes on. It chemically dissolves all of the waste in the colon that is causing blockage or irregular activity. This is usually more expensive, but very quick, effective, and unobtrusive.

No matter what method you choose, the end results will be essentially the same. Your colon naturally holds a large amount of stagnant waste, and when you get done with colon cleansing treatment you will be free of all of this waste. It isn’t unheard of for someone to lose 10 to 30 pounds of waste as a result of a colon cleansing session.

But if the body naturally stores all of that waste, isn’t it meant to be there? This is not always the case. Many people suffer from bowel conditions such as diarrhea or constipation. If you maintain a healthy colon by cleansing it on a regular basis, you can get rid of many of these problems.

Do these benefits sound appealing to you? A quick cleansing of the colon can provide you with relief from so many different things, that you have almost no reason to avoid it. If you want to find supplies for some of the more popular methods of colon cleansing, you can simply look on the internet. Many different sites are devoted to bringing you the most effective methods and supplies on the market, so if you just find those sites then you will be in business.

Colon cleansing definitely isn’t for everyone. Before you commit to a certain method, you should do plenty of research. Make sure that your conditions are perfect and that it is a necessary and viable option. Don’t use it just because of some slight stomach discomfort ñ consult a doctor and see if you are experiencing something natural or whether you do have a problem that can be helped with colon cleansing.