April is Cancer Awareness Month and I would like to bring you up to speed on colon cancer. Last year approximately 19,600 Canadians were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 8400 people died from it. It is the second leading cause of cancer death while lung is the first and it is the most preventable through early detection. This is done by checking the stool for occult (invisible) blood (FOBT) provided by your ND or MD. If the test is positive for blood on several repeats then further testing is warranted. This may include sigmoidoscopy, barium enema and a colonoscopy looking for polyps. Removing these polyps early is the trick for colon cancer prevention.

The prevalence rises with age, family history and those with a history of benign polyps and inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Many ND's recommend yearly FOBT for every man and woman over the age of 50, and younger if the above risk factors are present. Patients often need to remind their doctors to do this test with them and the patients need to collect the specimen correctly to avoid false positives.

Many people are reluctant to discuss bowels and colon health but not in a naturopathic office! Normal bowel movements should be same size as a five year old's, large in diameter, long like a log and floating (but not with visible fats). Possible symptoms of colon cancer include: bowel habits have changed, alternating diarrhea and constipation, visible blood in the stool, narrowness of stool, feeling that the bowel does not completely empty and constant tiredness, anemia and weight loss. Celebrities that have died of colon cancer include Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Montgomery.

The standard lifestyle information about prevention of colon cancer is eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, limiting red meat consumption and avoiding smoking and alcohol. Naturopathic physicians recommend these foods to be organic as much as possible and to avoid wheat.

Naturopathic physicians recommend other nutrients that are equally as important. 

1. Butyrate is a fatty acid produced by the cells of the colon and this level can be measured in a stool test. If there are high levels then the cells are healthy and colon cancer risk is low, if the levels are low, the risk is increased. Probiotics such as lactobacillus acidophilus and consuming one ounce of fiber per day increases butyrate levels naturally.
2. Digestive enzymes help digest dietary fiber also increasing butyrate levels. 
3. Vitamin D: this vitamin is a general anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer vitamin. The body has a huge capacity for vitamin D, absorbing 10,000IU's in 15 minutes of direct sunlight exposure in high sun, so taking a supplement of 2000IU's per day for adults is well within the range the body can tolerate! Don't think of vitamin D just for the bones! This is the number one reason I recommend purified Carlson's cod liver oil to everyone! 
4. Calcium and magnesium is well known to reduce risk of colon cancer. 
5. Folic acid and B12: promotes healthy division of all cells in the body. 
6. Vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium are important anti-oxidants for cancer prevention in general. 
7. Fish oils (Essential fatty acids): Vitamin D and EFA's act as anti-inflammatories and cancer is well known to be an inflammatory response in the body. 
8. Vitamin A and carotenes are especially important for the health of all mucous membranes from the nose to the anus! 
9. Quercitin is a bioflavinoid that programs cancer cells to die.

This lists sounds like it could be for breast and prostate cancer prevention as well and it is. This is the joy of naturopathic medicine as many nutrients are protective against many different disease processes of the body. This protocol is also very good for the optimal functioning of the thyroid and the liver. Don't wait for Shania Twain's publicity on the disease to get your fecal test ordered. This is one disease which is much easier to prevent than to treat!