Colon cancer is a medical condition where malignant cancerous growths mainly originate in the colon or the large intestine. Believed to be the sixth most common type of cancer prevalent in India (As per the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre), the colon cancer can metastasize and affect the other healthy body parts and organs.

The symptoms that may be indicative of colon cancer include:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
A person may suffer from anemia (triggered by iron deficiency).
Rapid and unexplained loss of body weight.
There may be rectal bleeding (blood may also appear in the stool). There may also be pain and discomfort during the bowel movement.
A person may experience extreme weakness and fatigue.
Frequent diarrhea or constipation.
A person may complain of abdominal pain and cramps.
There may be a change in the consistency of the stool.
Unfortunately, in most cases, the symptoms associated with colon cancer may not appear in the initial stages, thus complicating the situation.

Prevention and management of Colon Cancer
A little alertness on your part can help to prevent colon cancer.

Regular health checkups and screening: Whether the symptoms appear or not, health check-ups at regular intervals are a must. In addition to preventing colon cancer, regular health check-ups can also help to avert a host of other health complications. The screening tests for colon cancer are necessary for people who have a family history of colon cancer and also those who are above 50 years of age. The various screening tests for colon cancer include:
Colonoscopy (used to examine the inside of the colon for any abnormalities).
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)/Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) (These tests are carried out to detect the presence of blood in the feces).
The screening may also be done using Virtual Colonoscopy or Flexible Sigmoidoscopy.
Forget the unhealthy lifestyle habits: Smoking and drinking (excessive) can be the chief contributors triggering colon cancer. Limiting your alcohol intake and quitting smoking will not only keep you healthy but also keep colon cancer at bay.
Shed the extra pounds: The harmful effects of obesity are known to all. Obesity is considered to be one of the underlying factors that can trigger a colon cancer. A healthy body weight can go a long way in preventing colon cancer and keep you fit and active. Minimum 30 minutes exercise daily is all that you need to stay fit and healthy.
Make healthy changes in the diet: If you want to prevent colon cancer, make your diet as healthy as you can. Enrich it with fruits, vegetables and food items that are rich in fibers, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Dietary fats (red meat or any other processed meats) are a strict no. Choose whole grain products over refined ones.

Colon Cancer - How To Prevent It?

Nuts and dry fruits are probably the oldest and traditional superfoods which our mothers have diligently offered us for our good health. Packed with proteins, iron, magnesium, healthy fats, vitamin B and fiber, these nutritional powerhouses are a must in our diet, but only in a limited quantity. Yes, taking almonds, dates, cashews, pistachios, and walnuts in excess amount can lead to excessive body heat, giving rise to nasty pimples and rashes. Not more than 2 tablespoons of dry fruits are recommended in a day because of their sugar content, they can easily help to put on weight by adding excess calories.

But, how true is the claim or is it a myth? Let's find out.

Here is a brief overview of how overconsumption of dry fruit is detrimental to health:

Weight gain: Studies conducted by researchers over the years has revealed that it takes over 3500 calories to gain 1 pound of weight. However, consuming just 250 calories from dry fruits can result in over 2 pounds of weight in a single month. A sudden increase in weight can bring in other complications such as obesity, menstrual problems in women, high blood pressure, etc. It is therefore imperative to avoid excess intake of dry fruits. To ensure minimum intake of calories, we could focus on dates, apricot, cranberries, blueberries, etc.
Asthma: Sulphur dioxide is often used to process dry fruits. Studies revealed that this foul-smelling gas isn t very harmful when consumed in limited quantities. But, as per food safety experts, the permissible limit of Sulphur dioxide in humans should not be more than 20 mg per day as it can cause asthma, allergic reaction and skin rashes in an individual.
Gastrointestinal problems: Food items with high fiber content help in regular bowel movement and smooth blood flow. However, consuming too much fiber can lead to bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, cramps and constipation. This is exactly the case with dry fruits as well. They contain fiber and have the capacity to wreak havoc in the intestinal lining on overconsumption. Gradual and steady consumption of dry fruits over a period of time can mitigate this risk. 
Tooth decay: Dry fruits that are available in the market come with a thick coat of sugar so that they do not infuse moisture and stick to each other. This sugar significantly contributes to tooth decay. This is the reason why overconsumption of dry foot should be avoided.
Sugar crash: Most dry fruits have a high glycaemic index which can quickly surge blood sugar levels and spike energy levels. Therefore, patients suffering from high pressure should strictly refrain from dry fruits.
While the cons appear frightening, do not cross the nuts off the grocery list completely. Dry fruits when consumed under control, can be really helpful. So remember that moderation is the key. And in case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to all your questions!

Dry Fruits - 5 Reasons Why You Must Not Eat Too Many!

A great alternative to refined sugar, honey is packed with essential nutrients and is really delicious to eat. There are many health benefits of honey. It can be easily added to any diet as a topping, say for fruit salads, ice-creams or as a spread. But are you aware that the jars of this tasty golden liquid can sometimes not be honey at all but syrup that tastes exactly like honey? So, How do you evaluate if you are buying real honey?

In order to boost profits, honey manufacturers dilute their product with adulterants such as flour, syrup or molasses and even sand and chalk. If you want to get the most out of this tick liquid, you should buy only pure honey.

What Is Pure Honey?
Real honey is not produced in factories but from bees. Usually, organic and natural honey are referred to as pure honey. However, it is not always feasible to tell if the honey is pure by just looking at it. Natural honey is made only by honey bees and when these bees are fed only at organically grown flowers, the honey they produced is classified as organic.

What Is Fake Honey?
Also known as artificial, adulterated or impure, fake honey contains additives including corn syrup, glucose, molasses, sugar syrup, dextrose, invert sugar, flour or starch apart from the floral nectar.

How To Find Fake Honey?
Listed below are a few simple tips that you can carry out at the comfort of your home to determine whether the honey you are buying is genuine or fake.



Read The Label: In addition to buying well-known and reputed brands of honey, ensure that you check the label for the logo and brand name. This will guarantee that the jar you pickup is not only good quality but also genuine. The label on the jar should list only one ingredient, honey, no additives, or flavourings.
The Warm Water Test: Add a teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm water. If the honey is pure, then it will sink to the bottom of the glass as a lump or stick to the spoon when the mixture is stirred. If the honey is adulterated with any kind of syrup, it will dissolve in the water.
The Thumb Test: Put a drop of honey on your thumb. If it spreads or spills, then it is not pure. Pure honey is thick in texture and would remain intact on your thumb.
The Flame Test: Honey is inflammable and easily catches fire. Dip a dry matchstick in honey, then strike the matchbox. If the matchstick lights with ease and continues to burn, then the honey is pure. Due to the moisture present as an adulterant in fake honey, a matchstick dipped in fake honey will not light easily.
The Foam Test: Add 2-3 drops of vinegar essence to the honey and mix well. If it becomes foamy within 2-3 minutes, then the product you have purchased is not pure and contains additives.
The Tissue Paper Test: Put a drop of honey on a piece of tissue paper. If it gets absorbed and leaves the paper wet or a watermark on the paper, then it is adulterated and not pure honey.
The Heat Test: If the honey is pure, then on heating, it will caramelize. However, fake honey tends to form bubbles on heating and does not caramelize.
The Bread Test: Pure honey when spread on the bread, makes the bread hardened within a few minutes. On the other hand, the slice of bread remains soft and moisturized if there are any additives present in the honey.
The Crystallization Test: Pure honey has a natural tendency to crystallize over time because of the presence of glucose oxidase, an enzyme that removes water/moisture from honey. Fake honey does not become thick, when stored.
The Egg Yolk Test: When honey is mixed will egg yolk in a bowl and both are blended together, the yolk looks like it is cooked. However, fake honey does not produce this effect on the egg yolk.
You might sometimes be able to spot fake honey by its taste and smell, though not always. Honey being a natural product and produced from the nectar of different flowers, it does not always taste or smell the same. It is also not possible to taste honey before buying it if as the product comes in a sealed bottle or jar. Therefore, it is recommended to only pick branded or organic honey to ensure that the honey you are buying is pure and genuine.

Honey - How To Spot If It Is Fake Or Not?

Colon cancer is believed to be one of the common types of cancer affecting people. As the name suggests, here, the point of origin of the cancer is the colon or the large intestine. Though colon cancer can affect anyone, people with unhealthy lifestyle (sedentary) and habits (excess smoking and consumption of alcohol), obesity, certain medical conditions like diabetes, or exposed to radiations (radiation therapy) are at a greater risk of colon cancer. Colon cancer may also be hereditary.

Colon cancer usually proceeds through five stages, stage 0 (zero), stage I, II, III and IV.

In stage 0, cancer remains in situ, (it remains confined within the innermost layer of the colon).
In stage I, cancer slowly starts spreading to the other layers (second and third) of the inner walls of the colon.
In stage II, cancer spreads further to the muscular walls of the colon (the lymph nodes, are, however, still not affected by this condition).
In stage III, cancer spreads outside the colon, affecting one or more lymph nodes.
Stage IV is more severe and metastatic. Here cancer has spread to and affected vital organs like the liver and the lungs.
Many of the symptoms do not appear at the initial stages. As a result, colon cancer mostly gets detected at a later (often metastatic) stage. Thus, a person should be alert. The initial symptoms, no matter how trivial, should be taken seriously. There is no harm in seeking medical help. It will only help you in the long run. 

The following symptoms are often the initial or first signs of something as big as colon cancer.

Unexplained poor appetite followed by sudden and rapid weight loss. Losing weight at an alarming rate without sweating it out needs thorough investigation. More than often, colon cancer interferes with the digestion process in a person. A person is not able to eat well. There is a feeling of being full (irrespective of how much you eat) all the time.
Constipation, gas or (and) diarrhea. Often overlooked and mistaken for common bowel disorder, these are some of the initial symptoms of colon cancer. The symptoms may be an outcome of polyps (abnormal tissue growths that can take place in any organs. These polyps are mostly benign in nature) or malignant tumors in the colon. Seek medical help if the conditions persist for more than a week. It is better to be safe than to be sorry.
A person feels exhausted, sleepy and weak all the time. The symptom may be an outcome of iron deficiency and anemia. Colon cancer can cause injury to the digestive tract. There may be bleeding followed by blood loss and hence the associated symptoms.
Mild to severe abdominal pain. The abdomen also appears tender than usual (in the case of metastatic tumor).
Stomach upset accompanied by pain, nausea, vomiting, cramps and at times, indigestion (an outcome of intestinal obstruction and inflammation).
There may be blood while passing stool.

Colon Cancer - What Signs You Must Watch Out For?

A polyp is a cauliflower-like growth on the skin or the mucosal surface. Colon is the medical term for the larger intestine and the rectum. A growth on the mucosal surface of this part of the intestine is known as a colon polyp. Although not visible, colon polyps is present with symptoms, which can lead to their diagnosis. The main cause for concern is that some colon polyps can turn into colorectal cancer, which is the third largest cancer in America.

Types: There are two main types of polyps

Hyperplastic or inflammatory: These are benign growths and do not carry the risk of developing into cancer.
Adenomas: These carry the risk of turning into cancer, and so early detection and intervention is essential.
Though not all polyps develop into tumors, yet all tumors develop from a polyp. There is a strong genetic component, which makes it worse. Someone with inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn s disease is also at a higher risk of mucosal inflammation, which can induce dysplasia and then polyps.

Risk factors:

Family history
Inflammatory bowel disease
Obesity
Diet rich in processed meat and red meat
Smoking
Lack of physical activity
Type 2 diabetes
Being male, being African American
Symptoms: Though often silent, some symptoms which also appear only after the polyp has grown considerably include:

Bleeding with stools   often small amounts intermittently, which is occult bleeding, not visible though
Altered bowel habits (constipation, diarrhea)
Abdominal pain and discomfort
Unexplained weight loss
Anemia (due to blood loss)
Diagnosis: If a person is at risk from medical history and has the above symptoms, then the following are done:

Sigmoidoscopy Viewing the colon and rectum to see if there are any polyps. A biopsy may also be taken to confirm cancerous growth.
Colonoscopy The entire colon is viewed to rule out polyps in other areas of the colon.
CT scan of the abdomen which is non-invasive and can be used as the first step.
Treatment:

If a polyp is diagnosed, then it needs to be removed.
If it turns out cancerous, then detailed evaluation should be done to rule out spread to other areas. Additionally, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be required to completely eliminate the tumor and contain it.
The surgical removal of the tumor would be planned depending on the stage of the tumor.
Adapting a healthy lifestyle is very essential to managing polyps and preventing cancer. Quitting smoking, managing weight, eating healthy, and being physically active are some ways to prevent colorectal cancer.
Repeat colonoscopy needs to be done to ensure these are not recurrent.

Colon Polyps - What Are The Available Treatment Options?

The colon is a part of the digestive system of your body, which extracts the vitamins, nutrients, water and salt from the indigestible food. This helps in getting rid of solid waste from your body. Now, you may wonder why colon cleansing is necessary. It is required when there is some disorder in the normal colon function, such as when the colon absorbs the toxins in place of removing them from your body, you may experience colon problems. These results in syndromes like gaining weight, fatigue, lack of energy, constipation, bloating and many more.

Cleaning the colon in a natural way is one of the earliest processes by which you can get a normal colon. This process is also called autointoxication. There are some ways by which you can go for natural colon cleansing.

One of the easiest and best ways for colon cleansing is drinking plenty of water. Regular intake of water will keep your body hydrated and the body organs functioning. It will also help your body to get rid of various toxins.
Intake of apple juice is yet another process of colon cleansing. Apple juice normalises your bowel movements and keeps your liver fit. It keeps the digestive system functioning as well. One glass of raw apple juice followed by one glass of water half an hour later works best for colon cleansing.
Lemon juice with a high amount of vitamin C is excellent for the digestive system. A glass of warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey keeps your liver, colon and the entire digestive system fit and fine.
Stay away from fried and processed food for a couple of days. It is better if you drink fresh vegetable juice for a number of times in a day. Green and leafy vegetables remove toxins from your body. They have high amount of minerals and enzymes which provides energy to your body.
Yogurt is your best companion when it comes to colon cleansing. It contains some bacteria, which are good for your body and helps accelerate the digestion process. It is one of the best way by which you can cure every stomach and digestion-related problems.

Colon Cleansing - 5 Ways You Can Do it At Home

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