
Are You Behind on Your Regular Health Screenings?
By Amit Sharma, MD
Has the COVID-19 pandemic put a wrench in not only your plans but also your routine health screenings? Find out how you can get your health back on track.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic put a wrench in not only your plans but also your routine health screenings? Find out how you can get your health back on track.
Learn the difference between a prebiotic and probiotic and why you need both to maintain a healthy digestive tract.
In combination with regular screenings, eating a healthy diet is a great way to keep your colon healthy, helping to prevent colon cancer and other disorders. Here are the top tips on what to eat to support a healthy colon.
Polyps are often discussed when talking about colorectal cancer or its screening tests including a colonoscopy. While you may be familiar with the term, you may not know what a polyp is, how it forms and what you can do to prevent them. Gastroenterologist, Kaitlin Wanta, DO, shares what you should know about polyps and some tips to prevent them.
It’s no secret that completing preventive screenings, like a colonoscopy, significantly lowers your risk of developing (or dying from) colorectal cancer. Even though it has been proven to be an extremely effective way to prevent colorectal cancer, nearly a third of eligible adults have not completed their colonoscopy. To encourage you to complete your screening, our board-certified Gastroenterologists offer their reBUTTals to some of the most common excuses used to delay getting a colonoscopy.
Everyone experiences stomach pain at various times throughout their life. Stomach pain can occur in a variety of locations – it may be felt in a specific, isolated area or may affect your entire abdomen. Stomach pain doesn’t always feel the same either. Sometimes it can feel like a dull ache, while other times you may experience cramping and/or sharp gas-like pains. It can develop due to a variety reasons, and depending on the cause, may require different treatment. All of these variables can make it challenging to determine what’s causing your stomach pain. To help, gastroenterologist, Nisha Shah, MD, discusses several common culprits and tips to help you tell them apart.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
This introduction to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, written in 1859, could just as easily been written to introduce colorectal cancer. In the best of times, greater understanding and tools to manage colorectal cancer have been developed. In the worst of times, these tools are not being used to their fullest potential. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the US. It is believed that a majority of these cancers and deaths could be prevented by a stronger adherence to screening recommendations and ensuring timely, standard treatment. Progress has been made in screening rates; however in 2010 only 59 percent of people eligible for screening reported having received colorectal cancer testing.
Colon Cancer
Colon Cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women. Last year approximately 140,000 Americans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and over 50,000 of those individuals died from their colon cancer. Colon Cancer does not discriminate; rather it affects men and women of all races. It is a silent killer…it often has no symptoms until it is in a late in an incurable stage.
Did you know that women are six times more likely to experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder characterized by symptoms including stomach pain, gas, bloating and diarrhea or constipation, than men? Learn about the different factors that put women at a higher risk for certain gut conditions.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the colon that causes a variety of uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition to affecting between 25 – 55 million people in the United States, IBS is the second highest cause of illness-related work absences. During normal digestion, your brain and gut work together to send signals to your hormones, nerves and the good bacteria found in your gut to activate the muscles of your colon. When you are experiencing an IBS episode, these signals become jumbled, causing the muscles of your digestive tract to become tense. This leads to symptoms such as constipation or diarrhea, gas and stomach cramping. IBS symptoms and their severity vary by person, but often include: