What Is A Colon Test?

Just like any other body, there are also diagnostic and laboratory tests that involve our large intestine or what most people refer to as the colon. You might be thinking there is not much need for having our colon tested to determine its health but what you probably do not know is our colon has much to do about our overall health and fitness. Our large intestine is primarily responsible for eliminating unnecessary material and toxins from our body. If it fails to function properly, we can easily become sick and susceptible to diseases. This is one of the reasons why medical professionals would require you to undergo a colon test should you tell them that you are having difficulty with your bowel movements or if there are noticeable abnormalities in your stool.

There are different kinds of colon tests available, and each has its benefits and disadvantages. It is always best to seek medical advice before submitting yourself for colon testing. There are times that a screening of the large intestine is no longer necessary and at other times, it can very well tell the exact condition of your colon.

Very much like how colon tests vary, there are also different kinds of colon cancer tests. Colon cancer testing can come in the form of a colonoscopy test, sigmoidoscopy, virtual colonoscopy, stool testing or barium enema. Undergoing a colon cancer test might be necessary when you notice undigested food and presence of blood in your stool. These are typically telltale signs that there is something wrong in your large intestine or digestive tract. A test for colon cancer can tell much about the present condition of your large intestine, how possible it is to progress to a more dreadful state, and what you can do to restore the health of your colon.

Colonoscopies are by far the most popular screening methods for colon cancer. During this process, a medical doctor will insert a colonoscope into the anus until it reaches the end of your colon. Most people have apprehensions about this method but patients are sedated during the whole process. A colonoscopy will not only give you an image of how the inner part of your colon looks like, it also has the ability to remove pre-cancerous growths or polyps.

Stool testing is also one of the most common ways of checking the health of your large intestine. This kind of test typically comes in two forms: stool DNA testing and fecal occult blood test.

Colon Health: Colon Cancer Symptoms

Nowadays, it is no longer unusual to about someone suffering from colon cancer. More and more people seem to be at risk of having this dreadful disease simply because they have neglected the health of their colon. Keeping our colon clean and healthy appears to be the best way to keep us safe from colon cancer. However, when we are too busy to detoxify our colon, is there a way for us to determine if we are at risk? Learning more about the signs and symptoms of colon cancer can help us much in taking the necessary actions at the first indications of this awful disease.

What are the symptoms of colon cancer? In many cases, colon cancer symptoms are not obvious. Knowing more about what the symptoms of colon cancer look like and how they feel like can help us much in working with our doctor to determine the root of our discomfort. This can also help us better understand the impact of such symptoms so we can take care of our health in the long term.

Cancer of the colon can have lots of symptoms. In the earliest stages, people with colon cancer may not exhibit any sign or symptom at all. By the time we reach the age of 50, it is important that we have ourselves regularly screened for early symptoms of colon cancer because they are often too difficult to notice. Generally, colon cancer symptoms are categorized as systemic or local.

Local colon cancer symptoms refer to those indications that affect your colon, as well as your bathroom habits. The most common local symptoms include constipation, changes in bowel habits, loose or watery stools, alternating constipation and diarrhea, pencil stools, inability to empty your bowels completely, appearance of blood in stools, bloating, midsection discomfort, cramps, and frequent gas pains. Systemic colon cancer symptoms affect your whole body. These can include unintentional weight loss, unexplained fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting or nausea, jaundice, and anemia. Symptoms of advanced colon cancer are more systemic in nature.

It is important that you seek medical attention in the earliest signs of colon-related discomfort. Your doctor will typically take note of your medical history, collect samples of your blood and stools for testing, and schedule follow-up consultations and tests if necessary. If you have concerns about preparing for a colon cancer test, talk to your doctor about it. Doctors can recommend solutions on how to best prepare yourself for such procedures.

New Guidelines For Colon Cancer Screening

One of the leading causes of deaths due to cancer in the world today is colon or colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer happens when the cells in the colon or the rectum or both mutate into abnormal cells and divide rapidly, forming masses called tumors. At high risk of contracting this disease are middle-aged people who has a personal or a family history of colon cancer and other colonic disorders, those who live a sedentary lifestyle, those who do not eat colon-friendly foods, and those who indulge in vices like smoking and drinking.

Colon cancer is usually being diagnosed during a colon cancer screening when the doctor sees it fit to have a person examined because of symptoms associated with it, like blood in the stools, a sudden change in the bowel movement habit, mucus in and on the stools, changes in the quality of the stools, and black and tarry stools. Colon cancer screening tests are also important because they are ways to check if colon diseases are existing before a person even exhibits symptoms related to them. Early diagnosis will help prevent these diseases, especially colon cancer, from spreading and, ultimately, becoming fatal.

The different types of colon cancer screenings are the following:

1. FOBT or Fecal Occult Blood Test – checks the quality of blood in the stools.
2. Sigmoidoscopy – this examines the lower colon through the use of a sigmoidoscope, which is a lighted instrument that can detect growths in the lower colon.
3. Colonoscopy – this examines the entire colon using a lighted instrument called the colonoscope. They help detect growths in all parts of the colon.
4. Virtual Colonoscopy or Computerized Tomographic Colonography – a special X-ray equipment is used for this test. It takes pictures of the colon and the possible growths in it.
5. DCBE or Double Contrast Barium Enema – this test involves giving the patient enema with a barium solution which is introduced into the colon to help outline the colon in a series of X-rays to help detect growths.
6. DRE or Digital Rectal Exam – examines the lower part of the rectum only. This is conducted by a medical personnel by inserting a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum to feel for abnormalities. This is routinary for physical examinations.

The new colon cancer screening guidelines, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS) in collaboration with the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer and the Americal College of Radiology, are the following:

1. To be able to find both polyps and cancer:
   1. Flexible sigmoidoscopy for every 5 years
   2. Colonoscopy every 10 years
   3. Double contract barium enema every 5 years
   4. Virtual colonoscopy every 5 years
2. To be able to find cancer:
   1. Guaiac-based Fecal Occult Blood Testing every year
   2. Fecal Immonochemical test every year
   3. Stool DNA test

These colon cancer screening guidelines will really be able to help you determine what to do in cases of colon diseases. You can avail of free colon cancer screening through some hospitals. Also, your health care provider has it covered. It is advisable that you go through one screening for colon cancer from time to time just to make sure that you are healthy and, if something is detected, treatment can be done right away.

What Is A Colon Biopsy?

Perhaps one of the most overlooked systems in our body is our excretory system. We may not be paying much attention to it but our colon and all the other parts of our excretory system is primarily responsible for ridding our body of toxins and waste products. Naturally, if we fail to take good care of our colon, it will eventually fail. Different kinds of diseases can develop from an unhealthy colon and doctors might need to conduct colon biopsies to determine the proper method of treatment for diseases of the large intestine.

A colon biopsy refers to the removal and examination of tissues, cells, and/or fluids from the large intestine. A doctor might find growths in the large intestine during a colonoscopy biopsy and he might try to remove these growths or pieces of such growths. During an abdominal surgery, a doctor might also conduct a colonic biopsy.

Colon biopsies are usually performed when doctors suspect the presence of abnormal growths in the colon of a patient. These growths are also called polyps, which typically mark the benign stage of cancer. Some polyps can look more suspicious than the others due to their size, texture or color. A colon polyp biopsy can be performed on each of the growths as a preventive measure. It is also possible that a biopsy of the colon will show irregular tissues in the large intestine. In this case, further sampling and analysis might be required.

A biopsy of colon tissues involves the removal of polyps or abnormal cell growth. If you are troubled by the thought that a piece of your large intestine will be removed, you do not need to worry any further. Many of those who have undergone a colon polyps biopsy or colon cancer biopsy report that they have not felt a thing during the procedure. This is possible because the procedure is done on the innermost lining or wall of your large intestine (or the mucosa) which is particularly not sensitive to pain.

If your doctor recommends a biopsy of your large intestine and you are a bit worried of the outcome, you can actually expect the colon biopsy results in about a week’s time. Your doctor will need a sample of your colon tissue or fluid which will then be sent to a laboratory for analysis. The analysis will determine whether or not there are cancer cells present in the tissues of your large intestine.

Traditional or Alternative Colon Cancer Treatment?

According to the U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group, in 2005, 72,007 men and 69,398 women were diagnosed with colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer. People who are 50 years above, has a family of colon cancer or even just colon polyps, and has a lot of vices are more prone to developing colon cancer at any given time.

Although the word cancer might seem a really frightening word since it is the cause of why millions of lives were lost, it is treatable. Colon cancer is not an exception. The traditional colon cancer treatment options are the following:

1. Surgery

The most common among the colon cancer treatments is colon surgery especially if the cancer is detected at an early stage.

1. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, or chemical treatment, is used to be able to kill cancer cells and to keep them from dividing and multiplying. It is sometimes recommended as a stage 2 colon cancer treatment, often recommended as a stage 3 colon cancer treatment, and is a must for stage 4 colon cancer treatment.

1. Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is also known as radiotherapy or radiation oncology. As its name implies, it involves the use of radiation to get rid of cancer cells. There is a concern about using this, however, since it may trigger the development of radiation-induced types of cancers.

Aside from these traditional colon cancer treatments, alternative ones are also being considered nowadays. These colon cancer alternative treatments can best be defined in layman’s terms as non-traditional treatments and are generally being accepted only just recently. Some of these colon cancer alternative treatments are the following:

1. Herbal Therapies
2. Nutritional Therapies
3. Biological Therapies
4. Pharmacological Therapies
5. Metabolic Therapies
6. Adjunctive Therapies
7. Energy Therapies
8. Mind-Body Therapies

To be able to determine which colon cancer treatment would be the best for a patient, the doctor would need to run several tests first. Among the colon cancer tests are colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, barium enema, and biopsy. These tests will be able to help determine whether cancer cells are existing in the colon and also, help determine as to which stage the cancer has already metastasized. For advanced colon cancers, which are more or less at stage 3 or 4, the most common treatment is surgery with chemotherapy, which are considered as an advanced colon cancer treatment combination.

To be able to prevent contracting colon cancer as early as now, avoid foods that are high in fat and are low in fiber, exercise often,  and live a healthy lifestyle. To be able to really have a great preventive measures program, you may go ahead and consult a physician.

What is Inflammation of the Colon?

Do you know that your colon tells much about your overall health, more than you think it can? You colon or large intestine is responsible for most of the detoxification processes in your body. Whatever food materials that we cannot digest and no longer need all go to our colon and they stay there until such time that they are excreted out of our system. Therefore, it is important that we keep our colon healthy so it can function properly. So how can you tell if you have a healthy colon? One reliable way is through your bowel movement. Unhealthy bowel movements are often characterized by constipation or diarrhea. When you often experience either of these two symptoms, along with the appearance of undigested food, mucus or parasites in your stool, then you can say that you are suffering from an inflammation of the colon.

You might be asking what is inflammation of the colon and how does it happen? Colonic inflammation refers to the swelling and irritation of the large intestine. People who suffer from inflammation in the colon are often those who do not have sufficient liquid intake or those who lack fiber in their diet. Dehydration is one of the biggest factors that contribute to the inflammation of the colon. Even with high amounts of fiber in our diet, our body still cannot produce healthy stool if the colon is dehydrated. When this happens, the colon is typically irritated and can eventually swell.

It can be difficult to have colonic inflammation, especially when it has developed into sigmoid colon inflammation. You will have irritated bowel movements and you will have to deal with unhealthy stool each time you excrete waste products from your large intestine. It is important that you take colon inflammation treatment at the first sign of colon inflammation symptoms.

One natural colon inflammation treatment that you can resort to is aloe. Aloe Vera juice has been found to be very soothing to the intestines. If your doctor does not see anything wrong in adding this to your diet, then it helps to have a regular intake of pure Aloe Vera juice. You can also take fiber-rich foods and dietary fiber supplements but you will need to drink plenty of water. Adding more fiber to your diet without having sufficient amounts of water in your system can only worsen your irritated colon.

To keep yourself from experience an inflammation of the colon, drink lots of water everyday. Having a well-balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables also helps.

Colon Bleeding: Causes, Symptoms, And Preventions

The colon is one of the major parts of the digestive system (along with the mouth, the stomach, the esophagus, the rectum, and the anus. It is vital to survival since it is where nutrients, vitamins, and water are processed and are, eventually, distributed to different parts of the body. Without it functioning the way it should, consequences can be fatal if not treated right away.

One of the most common symptoms of diseases related to the digestive tract and others is colon bleeding. The word symptoms should be emphasized since some people would mistake colon bleeding as a disease. Bleeding from the colon occurs as the result of different conditions. Some of these conditions are not serious, while some of them can be life-threatening since it can also be a symptom of colon cancer which is the 3^rd highest cause of death in the United States.

Bleeding in the colon, as mentioned earlier, might be serious or not. But that really depends on where the bleeding started. To be able to determine the gravity of the cause, consulting your doctor is really a must so that he will be able to diagnose where the colonic bleeding started and be able to treat it accordingly.

Some of the most common colon bleeding causes are the following:

1. Stomach acid
2. Infections associated with aspirin, alcohol, and other medicines, especially NSAIDs or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs which are used for arthritis or gout and blood-thinning medications
3. Ulcers
4. Benign tumors or polyps
5. Stomach cancer
6. Colon cancer
7. Hemorrhoids
8. Inflammation due to intestinal infections

The cause or causes of bleeding in the colon may be detected through the following tests:

1. Endoscopy
2. Barium X-ray
3. Angiography
4. Radionuclide scanning

Among all these tests, endoscopy is the main diagnostic technique in determining the cause or the causes of the colon bleeding. Other symptoms accompanying colon bleeding are the following:

1. Weakness
2. Shortness of breath
3. Diarrhea
4. Lethargy
5. Faintness
6. Cramps
7. Abdominal pain

In order to prevent colon disorders that cause colon bleeding, traditional practices like taking a lot of vitamins, especially Vitamin D, have a diet that is low in fat and high in fiber, avoid vices, and have a periodical check-up to ensure that your body systems are in tip-top shape. Constant exercise have also been shown to ensure that you have a healthy digestive system. Take good care of yourself. Always remember that prevention is ALWAYS better than cure.