Catherine H. Fincher, Editor

WE ARE OUR OWN FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST COLON CANCER

We read stories about it every day. Eating plenty of leafy vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals prevents colon cancer. Consuming fewer alcoholic drinks and getting more exercise also helps prevent colon cancer. But we also know that it’s hard to break old habits.

Maybe we could try to do it one bad habit at a time. This month we could make up our minds to include more cereal in our diets. We could start having a bowl of cereal for breakfast, instead of donuts or a breakfast sandwich bought at a drive-through-window. I know we’re all busy, but if we introduce new things into our routine slowly but surely, we can improve our lifestyles and enjoy better health for years, maybe even decades to come.

Diet and Colon Cancer

PREVENT COLON CANCER THROUGH DIET

Eating foods with a lot of fiber promotes good digestion and improves colon activity. Diets rich in fiber also help prevent hear attacks and diabetes as well as lowering cholesterol. Men should eat 38 grams of fiber every day, and women should eat 25 grams.

Barley, peas and fruits have water soluble fiber which helps lower cholesterol and glucose. That helps prevent diabetes and heart attacks. Nuts and leafy vegetables add roughage, which helps keep our colons healthy. These foods are also rich in vitamins and minerals that help our immune systems stay strong and our bodies remain healthy.

Read Full Article Here: Colon Cancer Prevention
Also See Cancer and Nutrition

LEAFY GREENS REDUCE THE RISK OF COLON CANCER

Researchers in Western Australia have found that eating vegetables rich in folate decreases the risk of getting colon cancer by 70%. Eating an orange, a cup of broccoli and a cup of beans every day can significantly reduce your chances of developing colon cancer. Alcohol stops folate from being absorbed, so we should limit how much of it we drink. Professor’s Lin Fritschi and Barry Lacopetta recently published the results of their study in the International Journal of Cancer.

Read Full Article Here: Folate Reduces Bowel Cancer Risks
Also See Colon Cancer Diet

SOUTH DAKOTANS TO RECEIVE FREE COLON CANCER SCREENINGS

This January South Dakotans who don’t have medical insurance will be eligible to get free colon cancer screenings. People aged 50-64 will be able to go to their own doctors to schedule a test for blood in the stool.

A $600,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be used by the State Department of Health to fund the program. David Law quotes Jill Ireland, South Dakota’s contact with the State Department of Health, regarding a wide assortment of state-supported health groups that are involved in a program that is serving as the blueprint for the project.

Read Full Article Here:South Dakota Develops Statewide...
Also See Hoasptal Insurance Issues

CHARRED MEAT LINKED TO COLON CANCER

Meats that are fried or grilled at high temperatures increase the risk of colon cancer. Karen Collins reports that a study of 25,000 adults done in Europe found that both red and white meats that are charred form heterocyclic amine (HCA) compounds. DNA is damaged by these compounds and that can start the growth of cancer.

The HCA’s must be activated by proteins that exist in our bodies, and this process is related to diet as well as genetics.

Red meat, white meat, poultry and fish should not be fried, and if they are grilled, cook them at a low temperature and avoid charring. Generally speaking, a diet that includes lower meat consumption and higher vegetable intake is the healthiest.

Read Full Article Here:Meat and how it’s cooked...
Also See What Causes Colon Cancer

HEALTH CARE REFORM MAY HINDER DOCTORS WHO TREAT COLON CANCER

Comparative Effectiveness Research means treatment decisions will be based on cost and longevity. That means policy makers may decide that some medicines and treatments are too expensive or less successful and they will no longer be offered to patients.

Colin Hanna compares this legislation with a one-size-fits-all method of practicing medicine and points out that one treatment does not have the same effect on every patient.

Hanna also expresses his concern that congress may be steering America’s health care system in the same direction as Britain’s health care system, where new medicines and treatments are not made available to British patients.