About Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer begins with a malignant growth that forms in the rectum or colon. The American Cancer Society reports colorectal cancer has moved from being the fourth leading cause of cancer in men and women under the age of 52 to the first cause of cancer.
Colorectal cancer is now on the rise in young adults. Anyone with these suspicious symptoms needs to talk to their doctor: rectal bleeding, sudden changes in bowel movements and constipation. Patients often think the bleeding is just from hemorrhoids but any rectal bleeding should be medically investigated. Weight loss and fatigue are other symptoms that should spark concern.
Do not take the risk of contracting colon cancer. Get evaluated. Standard of care oncology treatment can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
What lifestyle changes can help you avoid chronic inflammation leading to colorectal cancer?
- Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, start a plan to lose weight.
- Increase your fiber intake by eating more vegetables, whole grains, beans and fresh fruit. Talk with a functional nutritionist to learn more.
- STOP eating inflammatory foods FOR GOOD. These include fast food, fried foods, and processed foods. Cow’s milk dairy and gluten also play a role in inflammation and damage to the gut. Contact a functional medicine practice to learn more.
- Optimize your G.I. microbiome. This is critical for anyone with cancer risk, as it houses 70% of the immune system required for healing.
- Increase your activity. Exercise lowers your risk of cancer. Brisk walking 30 minutes a day several days a week is a great way to start.
- Minimize drinking. The American Cancer Society advises no more than two alcoholic drinks a day to prevent cancer.
- Quit smoking.
What Medical Screenings are Available to Screen for Colorectal Cancer?
Hyperion Functional Oncology strongly urges patients to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for colonoscopy. People with an average risk of colon cancer should start regular screening at age 45. (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info/screening/index.htm). If you’re having any of the symptoms described above, you should make an appointment with your provider for evaluation and get a colonoscopy scheduled ASAP.
In functional oncology, we take gastrointestinal symptoms very seriously. We recommend all patients with gastrointestinal symptoms or with any cancer perform a stool test that will evaluate their G.I. microbiome for inflammation, toxins, bacterial overgrowth, bacterial infections and parasites. Intestinal bacteria secrete toxins that cause DNA damage to host cells, leading to the initiation, development and response to treatments of many cancers, such as gastric, cervical and colorectal cancers, especially in those areas that are constantly exposed to microorganisms.*
* Source: Zitvogel L, Galluzzi L, Viaud S, Vétizou M, Daillère R, Merad M, et al. Cancer and the gut microbiota: an unexpected link. Sci Transl Med. 2015;7:271ps1. https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/7/271/271ps1.short, Published online: 21 January 2015. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list].