Archive for October, 2009
Many people suffer from colon related health problems today. There are so many different types of colon (large intestine) problems it is hard to believe. Did you know that in 2005 in the United States of America, 72,007 men and 69,398 women were diagnosed with colorectal (colon) cancer? Shockingly, 26,781 men and 27,259 women died from colon cancer in that same year. Most people know someone close to them who has suffered from the disease or a similar illness. It has become an epidemic in our society.
It is very important to see a health care provider that can treat and diagnose these problems. But, first, how do you know if you have problems with your large intestine ? Here is a list of common disorders involving this critical internal organ.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a disorder that affects the GI tract; it is the most common colon health related problem that doctors see today. The cause is unknown and symptoms include bloating, gassiness, abdominal pain, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, constipation and blood in the stool. These symptoms tend to worsen during times of stress, bad diet and some sexual activities.
Treatment of IBS includes diet change, lifestyle change and sometimes medication. Staying away from certain foods can help avoid bloating and gassiness such as beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
Another common treatment is the addition of fiber into the diet. It helps reduce the chances that the digestive tract will spasm as it digests food. Adding fiber to the diet also helps with regular bowel movements and reduces the chance of constipation.
Stress also causes flare ups of IBS to occur. By regularly exercising and eating a well balanced diet, you can reduce some stress and other problems associated with the illness.
Smoking can also worsen symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and some food can make IBS worse.
Constipation
It is important to understand that constipation is not a disease, it is a symptom. Constipation occurs when a stool is hardened because it doesn’t contain enough water. This condition is hardened stools and can also mean difficulty passing said stool. Many people today suffer from this colon related health problem, but it can be treated.
A person with a blockage will experience less bowel movements; usually it will be from three movements a day to three movements a week. If the bowels are not moved for three straight days, there may be pain and difficulty when defecating.
There are many causes of constipation such as not eating enough fiber, some medications, being pregnant, IBS, ignoring the desire to make a bowel movement, and using laxatives too much.
There are many ways to prevent and alleviate this ailment, including eating more fiber (try flaxseeds, rice bran, oat bran, beans, peas, apples, pears, blueberries), regular exercise, drinking lots of fluids most importantly water, avoid using over the counter laxatives and going to the bathroom the same time each day.
There are also many types of colon cleansing products available that you can search for online or at your health food store. Having an enema will clear out the bowels and allow for feces to pass more easily. Enemas can be purchased over the counter and work by inserting a tube into the rectum and flowing water into the bowel. The water is then retained for a period of about ten minutes and then released.
Another colon cleansing choice is a colonic irrigation. A doctor or practitioner performs the colonic; the patient will lie on a table and have a tube inserted into the rectum allowing water to flow in and out of the bowel taking the waste out of the colon. Colonics are generally more comfortable than using an enema.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the frequent passage of loose watery stools accompanied by bloating and gas. Diarrhea is also a symptom and not a disease although related complications can often cause severe illnesses. The most severe problem caused by diarrhea is dehydration, since stools are commonly watery; it causes the body to lose too much water. Diarrhea is often accompanied by vomiting which also causes the body to lose water.
Diarrhea can be brought on by a number of things such as, viral infections, bacterial infections, and IBS.
This annoying malady usually goes away within two to three days without medical treatment. Many people can treat it at home by drinking plenty of water and eating normally. Some medications can be used to treat diarrhea such as loperamide and some antibiotics.
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative Colitis is basically inflammation of the colon. There are many different causes of colitis including poor blood flow, infections and autoimmune reactions. Viruses and bacteria are the cause of many different types of intestinal infections. Most come from food poisoning, E coli, shigella, and salmonella can cause colitis.
Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, a consistent urge to have a bowel movement, often constant pain, fever and chills.
Treatment for colitis includes antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and a combination of medications that are given to the patient and then monitored for a period of time.
Crohn’s disease
Crohn’s disease affects around 500,000 people in the United States today. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease or IBD; it causes inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract. It usually affects the small intestine and parts of the colon and is often mistaken for other colon disorders such as ulcerative colitis, IBD, and diverticulitis.
Symptoms of Crohn’s illness include persistent diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and fatigue. There is no cure, but there are many treatments available to help manage the disease and keep symptoms from returning for a long period of time. Treatments include aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immune modifiers, biologic therapies, and antibiotics.
Some people suffering from the disorder may even have to have surgery at some point in their lives. Surgery can clear the intestinal blockage, treat symptoms medication couldn’t, and repair the damage to the intestines.
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal (Colon) cancer occurs when tumors form on the large intestine and or the rectum. Sometimes benign tumors called polyps form inside the intestine, while malignant tumors in the large intestine are called cancers. Benign polyps can be removed during a colonoscopy and they are not life threatening. If polyps are not removed, malignant cancers can form over time.
Colorectal cancer can be inherited or caused by a high fat diet, the presence of polyps in the intestine and chronic ulcerative colitis. As you may already know, it is fatal in some cases, but sometimes can be treated.
Surgery is the most common treatment for this intestinal cancer. During the operation, the tumor is removed. The patient is then watched and tested to make sure that the cancer hasn’t spread to any other organs, but if it has, more surgery may be required and, or, chemotherapy will be administered.
Colon cancer is the most fatal of all colon health related problems. That is why it is so important to take care of yourself by eating a well balanced diet, exercising regularly, and reporting any abnormality to your doctor.
By: Ken Black
About the Author:
Ken black is a writer and expert on many health related matters. Visit http://www.coloncleansechoices.com for more vital Colon Health Articles.
Have you ever thought of making it to the office while you are extremely ill? Well no sane person would do that? So why compromise on your colon health that is responsible for keeping you healthy on the whole. Colon is that silent part of the digestive system of which a number of people hardly think. Moreover, most of these people tend to ignore this important organ of the digestive system of the body considering it to be a mediocre one. May be if you are one of those people, you are not aware of the fact that the colon is the sole organ that is responsible for constipation if not taken care of properly.
Actually all the unnecessary wastes and the toxins inside our body that is generated right after the digestion of the food that we eat reaches inside the colon which is located near the large intestine. Now from here all such toxins and waste are washed out only by the colon if it is in a good shape. Moreover, if the colon health is good, there would be around 14 contractions taking place inside the colon every minute that would help the colon to push out all the waste and toxins out from the body. On the other hand, a poor colon health would mean accumulation of such wastes and toxins inside the colon would lead to constipation due to which a person would not be able to have even a single bowel motion in very critical cases at times. Hence, here is where you need to get your colon cleansed at regular intervals of time either in the form of minor surgeries or by natural methods as well.
Thus, in order to keep your colon health good, it is advised that you keep a constant eye on your diet as well as your lifestyle. Avoid all kinds of processed, junk, fast and high-calorie foods as such kind of meals only contribute to a poor colon health. On the other hand it is important that you take such foods that are high in fiber like apples, vegetables, fruits, grains like wheat etc, cut on the foods that contain increased amounts of fats and carbohydrates and starch thus, deteriorating your colon health. Besides if you are a person who has a strict working schedule, then you are the person who needs to take care of the colon health most, since people like you hardly bother to consider what to eat and what not to eat.
In addition to this, you need to have regular sessions of workouts and take proper sleep of six to eight hours everyday so that your whole body gets proper rest and gets back to work when ever you need it in the fittest manner possible. In continuation to this, it would be better if you take six to eight glasses of water everyday, as water is another antioxidant that helps a lot in washing out toxins from your body and keeping your colon health in a good shape.
By: Victor Rumsfield
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So if you want to lead healthy and disease free life it is important for you to monitor your colon health. It is always better to use natural colon cleansers to maintain a good colon health, thereby keeping yourself away from diseases.
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Colon cleansing is an excellent way to improve your health and lose weight naturally. It has also started becoming quite popular in recent years because it can have such a positive effect on your overall health, and there are excellent home remedies and diets which can help you lose weight quickly using colon cleansing techniques.
Colon cleansing isn’t for everyone, and if you’re new to the concept it may seem a bit gross and strange. In general though, there are two common ways to do a colon cleanse: The first is to use enemas to flush toxins and waste out of your colon; and the second is to use herbs, recipes and remedies which cause your body to flush itself out naturally via standard elimination methods.
The best form of colon cleansing is a personal choice, but the fastest results often come from using enemas because they can clean your entire system out with just one or two applications.
Using herbal laxatives, teas, and supplements to cleanse your colon takes a bit longer to do, but tends to be much less messy and embarassing. There are however, herbs and teas which can have similar effects as enemas, so things can still happen quickly using these methods.
The colon is the human body’s waste disposal system. The waste that it moves out of your body contains harmful toxins, disease causing bacteria, and sometimes even parasites.
Human waste does not always move very quickly through the body though. In fact, due to today’s eating and activity lifestyle choices, most waste takes quite a long time to move fully through and out of your body. And the longer it takes to move through, the more time it has to “leak” those toxins and bacteria into your system.
By cleansing your colon, you’re helping your body to get rid of that waste and all the health hazards it contains more quickly. Thus there’s not enough time for it to start causing general health problems with the rest of your body.
Now there are some very simple formulas, recipes and products which can help you with colon cleansing. Home made lemonade is one of them. In fact, there’s even a lemonade diet which works quite well at both colon cleansing and causing quick, sometimes drastic, weight loss.
The lemon diet is more of a juice fast than anything though, and many people aren’t able to go without food for major lengths of time. You don’t have to use the lemonade diet to cleanse your colon though, you can do that simply by drinking 6-8 glasses of real lemonade each day. This helps your body eliminate more waste when you use the bathroom, and that of course is the goal of colon cleansing.
Epson salt is another natural option to use for cleaning your colon, and the recipe is quite simple. Mix a tablespoon of Epson salt with a quart of warm water, and drink it all at once. Stay close to the bathroom for about two hours though, because you will need it desparately.
Another easy colon cleanse option is to simply buy herbs and supplements. One specific herb that works quite well by is chlorophyll. Depending on how strong of a dose you take, the colon cleanse can happen just as quickly and dramatically as it does when using epson salt.
A less dramatic yet all natural way to cleanse your colon is to simply get more fiber in your diet. You can do this by eating more roughage such as salads and green leafy vegetables, or you can take a fiber supplement as well.
There is much more than can be written about the benefits of cleansing your colon, and all natural ways to go about doing it yourself from the privacy of your home. The above tips and information should be plenty to help you get you started though, and on your way to a much healthier, happier you.
By: Adriana Copaceanu
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