COLONOSCOPY: IS IT WORTH IT?

by Konstantin Monastyrsky

Colonoscopies after age 50 aren't reducing anyone's chances of developing colon cancer. In fact, they boost the risk of colon cancer and digestive disorders by disrupting colon function, damaging intestinal flora, and aggravating preexisting colorectal disorders:

When selecting virtual colonoscopy (computer tomography), the exposure from a single abdominal scan is  comparable to exposure from the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima:

This guide identifies individuals who may benefit from colonoscopies, and spells out how to undergo them without incurring additional risks. It also explains how to reverse colonoscopy-related damage and cut down the risk of colon cancer at the same time.

Your odds of getting colon cancer, depending on your gender, ethnicity, occupation, residency, and some other factors are between 2.5% to 5% . [1] Since preventive colonoscopies became widespread in the United States in the early nineties, and an outright fad from 'The Katie Couric Effect' after her televised colonoscopy in March of 2000 [2], just as many people have been affected by colon cancer as before this hysteria.

When The New York Times[3] reported on this controversy back in 2006, it quoted Dr. Schoen, a gastroenterologist at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute:

In other words, the unlucky 2.5% to 5% of high-risk individuals will get colon cancer regardless of screening.

But what about the remaining 95% to 97% of people in the zero risk group? Would they benefit from screening?

Well, unfortunately, the answers aren’t pretty. Not only will they not benefit, but they will also encounter a number of significant side-effects, which may actually push low-risk individuals into a high-risk group:

• Intestinal flora disruption. Preparation for colonoscopy with synthetic laxatives and lavages disrupts fragile colon ecology and causes side effects, which may cause inflammatory bowel disease, known, in turn, to raise the risk of colon cancer up to 32 times. That’s three thousand two hundred percent, if you prefer it that way!

• Disruption of stools. If you are already affected by hemorrhoids, chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or diverticulosis, then bowel prep, intubation, and lavage may flare up and worsen these conditions considerably by disrupting an established defecation pattern — a situation very similar to the outcome of severe diarrhea.

• Post-interventional complications. Serious complications, such as colon perforation, occur in 5 out of every one thousand colonoscopies [4]. The risks of delayed bleeding, infection, and ulceration are even higher, but they rarely get reported in connection with colonoscopy.

• Increased risk of deferred strokes, heart attacks, and pulmonary embolisms. You must also consider the risk of blood clotting, which is a common side effect of anesthesia, particularly among patients with diabetes or heart disease. These blood clots may cause a deadly pulmonary embolism, stroke or heart attack weeks after the colonoscopy;

• Infections. There is an omnipresent risk of an infectious disease, such as pneumonia or pyelonephritis, associated with any medical procedure performed under anesthesia.

• Missed tumors create a false sense of security. According to multiple studies, even thorough doctors miss from 15 to 27 percent of polyps, including 6 percent of large tumors.

The last point is particularly appalling, considering all of the risks associated with colonoscopies. According to the research published in The New England Journal of Medicine [link], some doctors rush through colon exam so fast, that they may miss even cancer in full bloom. One such doctor can process 20 to 30 patients a day [5] with assembly line efficiency. Some are known to perform as many as 60 colonoscopies in a single day.

The average payment ranges from $1,500 to $2,000 per patient regardless of time spent. Not bad for a few minutes worth of shady work, particularly when multiplied times thirty, or, even better, times sixty…

Then, there is virtual colonoscopy, also known as abdominal computer tomography, or CT-scan. In addition to all the same side effects related to bowel prep, CT scans expose patients to radiation two to three thousands times more potent than a single dental x-ray.

To give you an idea what this dose of x-ray radiation really means, take one more look at the document I already sited in the opening paragraph. It is entitled “What are the Radiation Risks from CT?,” by the Federal Drug Administration [6]:

In other words, a single virtual colonoscopy turns an otherwise absolutely healthy person with zero risk for colon cancer into a cancer prone sitting duck. So much for cancer prevention...

On top of that insane radiation exposure, CT-scans aren't even that accurate. According to the American College of Gastroenterology[7], they missed 27 percent of colorectal lesions, including pre-cancerous colon polyps and actual cancerous tumors.

To add insult to injury, even if the radiologist in India or Pakistan — that’s where most of these x-ray readings are outsourced to boost profits — finds a polyp or two, you’ll need to undergo a regular colonoscopy anyway to remove them. The incidents of false positive readings are also common, according to the same FDA document.

So if you really would like to protect yourself from colon cancer, consider these points:

• Avoid abdominal computer tomography at any cost because it increases your risk of developing any cancer from radiation equal to the exposure on the outskirts of Hiroshima on August 6th of 1945.

• When push comes to shovel, choose lesser evil. Perform a conventional colonoscopy only if you have a good reason for getting screened for colon cancer. I explain these reasons here.

• Avoid haphazard, fast-track screenings. The difference in polyp detection from a good doctor to a bad one is up to ten times, while the cost is exactly the same [8]. So seek out a reputable specialist, who takes time to do it right. Otherwise, what’s the point?

• Weigh up your odds against the risks. If you aren’t in a high risk group, and do nothing, there is a 95% to 97.5% chance that you’ll never experience colon cancer, and a 100% chance that you will not face colonoscopy-related side effects, described in detail on a companion web page.

• Restore colon ecology properly after a colonoscopy. This is a particularly important point, otherwise you increase your risk of developing colon cancer even more, regardless of your initial risk. I explain how to do it on a companion web page.

• Eliminate avoidable causes of colon cancer, particularly if you are in a high-risk group. You’ll find all necessary recommendations on a companion web page.

• Get off processed fiber and fiber laxatives. The commonplace advice to consume dietary fiber and use fiber laxatives to prevent colon cancer is flat out wrong, at least if you believe the good doctors from the Harvard School of Public Health whom I already cited here.

If you are a physician or epidemiologist, and would like to get additional information about cancer screening, I recommend reading Dr. Gilbert Welch's book entitled “Should I Be Tested for Cancer?” The answer to this question is quite self-evident from the subtitle: “Maybe Not and Here's Why!”

Dr. Welsh — an ultimate insider — presents a good number of compelling reasons to explain why, in his own words “...cancer screening can do more harm than good”, and supports his analysis with detailed epidemiological data. 

According to Dr. Welch, the fear-mongering involved and risk of testing for other cancers are just as bad as for colon cancer. What else is new — where there is easy money to be made, victims are inevitable.

Common side effects of colonoscopy

The side effects of colonoscopy are similar to problems associated with any surgical procedure and are caused by the confluence of like factors: bowel prep, mechanical and surgical traumas by instruments, anesthesia, hypothermia, stress, opportunistic infections, fluctuations of blood sugar, excessive fluid consumption, sudden diet modification, and so on. Each stage introduces its own set of complications:

• Before the procedure: Osmotic laxatives and lavages cause inevitable dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes — a particularly serious issue for people with heart and kidney disease.

• During the procedure: mechanical impact of intubation on the anus, rectum, and mucous membrane, possible abrasions by the endoscope; tissue injuries from polypectomy (polyp removal) and biopsies; hypothermia (low body temperature) related to anesthesia — the common cause of bacterial infections (similar to catching colds, flu, pneumonia, or pyelonephritis (kidney infection) after an extended exposure to cold).

• Immediately after: A slowing or shutdown of gastric and intestinal peristalsis from anesthesia may cause severe dyspepsia, food poisoning, intoxication from the rotting of undigested protein, gastritis, duodenitis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, enteritis, and obstruction anywhere along the entire digestive tract. These conditions are often exacerbated by a quick resumption of the usual diet (i.e. solid food). 

A few days following colonoscopy, side effects are commonly exacerbated by following routine advice to increase fiber intake. These complications may differ in nature depending on the degree of disbacteriosis.

Patients with severe disbacteriosis may not experience much if any bacterial fermentation of fiber and associated gases and bloating but may be affected by large stools, straining, constipation, hemorrhoids and obstruction. Those who retained some bacteria following the test may experience fermentation-related bloating, cramps and flatulence.

Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) is commonly associated with any invasive procedure in general and cancer screening in particular. It is especially bothersome among persons in a high-risk group or susceptible to anxieties and depression. PTSS commonly interferes with digestion because an elevated level of stress hormones and muscular tensions inhibit the secretion of digestive fluids and peristalsis.

Here is a specific list of the most likely side effects you may experience after the colonoscopy in (more or less) chronological order:

Severe dehydration

Osmotic laxatives used for bowel prep cause a significant loss of body fluids. A rehydration isn’t simply a matter of drinking more water — it takes time because the body can only absorb a limited amount of water at any given time. Resuming solid food soon after a colonoscopy may intensify dehydration because solid food, particularly protein, requires several liters of saliva and digestive juices. 

YOUR ACTION: Hydrate yourself properly before the procedure. The best form of hydration is freshly-squeezed cucumber juice (with skin on) — a sugar-free source of potassium, about 600 mg per cup; mineral water with a high-mineral content; and several salty snacks because sodium chloride is essential to retain water. Start rehydration several days in advance — it isn't a matter of just drinking several glasses of water before the procedure.

Intoxication and food poisoning

These two related conditions may result from a rapid resumption of solid food particularly containing protein. The preceding liquid diet and residual effect of anesthesia cause the reduction of gastric digestion (i.e. an inadequate level of hydrochloric acid and proteolytic enzymes). Inadequate acidity may fail to properly sterilize incoming food from bacterial and viral pathogens.

The unchecked presence of pathogens may cause a condition commonly referred to as “stomach flu”: — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and other symptoms typical to infectious disorders of the GI tract. The enzymatic deficiency (combined with low acidity) results in putrefaction (rotting) of undigested proteins inside the stomach and intestines. This process produces cadaverine — a foul-smelling substance produced by protein hydrolysis. A gradual absorption of this substance into the blood may cause symptoms similar to food poisoning.

YOUR ACTION: Resume solid food gradually. Refrain from proteins for at least 3 days after the colonoscopy. Chew well and thoroughly to improve digestion. Do not drink fluids after meals, only 30 to 60 minutes before, so fluids have a chance to get down into the small intestine where they assimilate. Do not mix proteins with carbohydrates and fiber to ease the digestive load. Do not overeat. Do not consume more than one protein-containing meal a day. Use proteolytic enzyme supplements to assist in the digestion of protein. Make sure to consume the recommended 4-6 grams of salt daily to facilitate the proper synthesis of hydrochloric acid (salt is a source of chloride (Cl). Do not take acid reducers because they inhibit the digestion of protein and release of proteolytic enzymes. Do not take dietary fiber because it extends digestion and causes obstructions. Use the Colorectal Support Kit instead to normalize defecation without fiber.

Esophageal, gastric, duodenal, and intestinal obstructions

Foods are propelled through the digestive tract via peristalsis — a coordinated action of smooth muscles that make up the circumference of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Anesthetics, even mild ones, switch off peristalsis for a good chunk of the time particularly in combination with common drugs for hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, convulsions, pain relief (opiates), and some others.

If you follow your doctor’s advice, and take fiber-rich food or fiber laxatives soon after the colonoscopy, there is a good chance of clogging up the GI tract with this rapidly expanding fiber. The obstruction may cause a broad number of digestive complications and problems and may require emergency surgery. Nausea and vomiting, particularly with bile, is one of the most prominent symptoms of intestinal obstruction.

YOUR ACTION: Avoid fiber supplements and food rich in fiber. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead to normalize defecation without fiber.

Colorectal bleeding

This is a serious concern for people taking blood thinners and/or aspirin. The removal of polyps leaves a wound. It may not properly heal for several reasons: vitamin K deficiency related to prior disbacteriosis and low-fat diets, ongoing therapy with blood thinners and/or aspirin, collagen synthesis defects related to a low level of vitamin C and protein deficiency, an infection from pathogenic bacteria, elevated acidity and/or a high-level of alcohols from fermenting fiber, mechanical impaction from expanded fiber, irritation and inflammation caused by laxatives and, finally, colon stretching from gases and/or straining.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit before and after colonoscopy to facilitate healing, reduce inflammation, restore intestinal flora and enable normal and timely defecation.

Diarrhea

An outcome of disbacteriosis and inflammatory conditions inside the colon, both caused by bowel prep and dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber found in psyllium laxatives (Metamucil). The lack of intestinal bacteria compromises stool formation. Inflammation blocks fluids from absorption and causes an additional oozing of mucus into the lumen (colon cavity). Both conditions result in diarrhea (liquid stools). Excessive use of soluble fiber in food and laxatives blocks the absorption of digestive fluids and further exacerbates diarrhea.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit immediately following a colonoscopy to restore intestinal flora and eliminate inflammatory bowel disease. Avoid fiber laxatives and food that is rich in fiber. Exclude bananas, prunes and prune and beet juice. These common remedies for constipation contain sorbitol — a sugar alcohol and potent laxative. Sorbitol is a primary substance behind diabetic nerve and blood vessel damage, the factors behind diabetic neuropathies (nerve damage), retinopathy (blindness), erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, heart disease and amputation of lower limbs. (87,000 a year in the United States alone).

Small, hard stool

This condition is common after colonoscopy, particularly among patients who refuse to take fiber and results from disbacteriosis caused by bowel prep. Live and dead intestinal bacteria retain fluid (moisture) in formed feces. Even a 10% to 15% reduction of fluids (75% to 80% is a norm) in stools causes small, hard, lumpy stools.

This is, incidentally, why insoluble fiber is recommended in the first place: cellulose (an indigestible component of fiber) expands with water and bulks up stools. Alas, cellulose isn’t as efficient at holding water as bacteria because it dries out faster and results in anal abrasions. It gets fermented by the remaining bacteria which results in gases and bloating and requires a good dosing of insoluble fiber to keep the moisture locked inside - this results in diarrhea and more fermentation. On top of this, enlarged (bulked up) stools require straining which causes hemorrhoids, abrasions, fissures, prolapses and nerve damage.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead of fiber immediately following colonoscopy to restore normal stool morphology.

Flatulence, bloating, abdominal cramps.

Intestinal bacteria reside in the mucous membrane and inside the appendix. Many bacteria will die after the bowel prep but some may survive, particularly inside the appendix. When, following a doctor’s advice, fiber is added to the diet, these bacteria spring into action and ferment the fiber — a process no different from beer, dough, or wine making. Gases, produced by fermentation, cause flatulence, bloating and cramps.

Women are particularly sensitive to gas-related bloating because the genitourinary organs reside in the same tightly packed abdominal cavity. The uterus and fallopian tubes are particularly sensitive to pressure before and during periods, hence the typical after-effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The alcohols and acidity related to fermentation may cause mucosal inflammation which further inhibits the absorption of gases, and increases bloating, flatulence and pain.

YOUR ACTION: Do not use fiber and fiber laxatives following colonoscopy. Your doctor’s advice to use fiber is wrong because it is based on outdated and falsified information. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead to restore proper stool morphology without fiber and laxatives.

Hemorrhoids

Internal and external hemorrhoids are caused by large stools (from fiber) and the ensuing straining to expel them, or by intense, often involuntary contractions of anal and pelvic muscles in response to diarrhea, caused by disbacteriosis and soluble fiber.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead of fiber immediately following colonoscopy to restore normal stool morphology (i.e. reduce stool size, maintain moisture, eliminate straining.)

Anal fissures

Same reasons as above. The mechanical pressure of large stools on the narrow, anal canal passage-way causes skin tears. Daily effort to move the bowels and straining doesn’t allow the wounds to heal and the tear becomes larger and larger. Medication, infection (by passing stools) and malnutrition further interfere with healing.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to facilitate the healing process and maintain soft, semi-liquid stools until complete healing. Thereafter, to maintain proper stool morphology so you don’t have to strain.

Chronic constipation

 All of the above reasons. As fiber makes stools larger and larger, the anal- canal gets smaller and smaller from internal hemorrhoids. The ensuing pain and discomfort from large stools passing through the narrow anal-canal lead to incomplete emptying and stools remaining in the large intestine get larger, denser, and drier. A vicious cycle of dependence on laxatives to move the bowels ensues.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to restore and maintain proper stool morphology.

Irritable bowel syndrome

An alternating pattern of constipation and diarrhea along with abdominal pain, cramps, and discomfort caused by bloating and flatulence. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize the cause — they are all enumerated above. If you already have a history of irritable bowel syndrome, a colonoscopy and more fiber will only make this situation worse.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit and follow my recommendation in Fiber Menace. I’ve been IBS-free since I started doing   the same and so are thousands of my readers. This is the safest and least expensive approach to become and stay IBS-free for the rest of your life.

You aren’t likely to hear about it from the mainstream medical sector any time soon because it will deprive countless endoscopists, gastroenterologists, hospitals, clinical labs, radiology centers, and drug companies from one of their top money makers, according to the National Institutes of Health:

“As many as 20 percent of the adult population, or one in five Americans, have symptoms of IBS, making it one of the most common disorders diagnosed by doctors. It occurs more often in women than in men and it begins before the age of 35 in about 50 percent of people.” [9]

Colon obstruction

Excessive accumulation of unfermented fiber inside the colon on one hand and an incomplete emptying of stools on the other, may eventually cause fecal impaction and colon obstruction. It’s usually manifested by paradoxical diarrhea — a condition when fluids incoming from the small intestine flow around impacted stool and create a diarrhea-like condition. If you aren’t overweight (fat interferes with manual examination), an obstruction is easily determined during physical examination. Otherwise, an x-ray with contrast solution may be required. Insist on an abdominal x-ray instead of a CT-scan to reduce your radiation exposure.

YOUR ACTION: DO NOT use Colorectal Recovery Kit or any other medication/laxatives, particularly fiber, to manage this condition. This is a real medical emergency which requires an immediate visit to an emergency room for examination and if necessary, manual disimpaction (a procedure performed by a surgeon or a specially-trained nurse). After proper diagnosis and disimpaction, use Colorectal Recovery Kit to prevent any repeat occurrence.

Diverticulitis (the aggravation of diverticulosis)

Up to a quarter of people before 50 may already have one or more diverticula. This number grows to 50% after age 60. These diverticula result from large stools and straining caused by all of the factors listed above and namely, large stools and straining related to the excess use of dietary fiber.

Since most colonoscopies start after 50, the recommendation to hit on fiber immediately thereafter is particularly damaging to people already affected by diverticulosis. When large stools and fiber get trapped inside diverticula, they are likely to cause an inflammation of unprotected mucosa which may result in bleeding and severe pain related to ulceration, necrosis, or perforation.

YOUR ACTION: Do not use fiber and fiber laxatives following colonoscopy. The advice to use fiber is wrong and it is based on outdated and falsified information. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead to restore proper stool morphology without fiber.

Ulcerative colitis

The predisposition to ulcerative colitis — an inflammation and ulceration of the colon mucosa following colonoscopy is quite high because all the preconditions are there: mucosal inflammation, lack of protective bacteria, inadequate coagulation, poor healing, diarrhea, and excess use of fiber.

YOUR ACTION: It is easier to prevent than treat ulcerative colitis. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to prevent its occurrence or relapse, particularly if you have a history of diarrhea and/or ulcerative colitis.

Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease is a condition similar to ulcerative colitis except its localization may happen anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract and it has a strong auto-immune component. The reasons behind it and preventive actions are similar to ulcerative colitis.

Formation of pre-cancerous polyps and cancers

I believe the genetic and ethnic aspects of colon cancer are highly exaggerated. Polyps and cancers — abnormal cellular growths — don’t just pop-up out of the blue. It literally “takes a village” to grow one. Just like oral cavities respond to chewing tobacco hours on end with oral cancer, so does the colon respond with polyps and cancers to long-term assault of the large intestine with fiber, fermentation, large stools, straining, antibiotics and pollutants.

YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to wean yourself from fiber dependence, to restore intestinal flora, to maintain small stools and to prevent straining. Give your colon health the same attention you are giving to cutting your hair and brushing your teeth. I’ve yet to hear about “teeth cancer” or “hair cancer,” but people are dying from colorectal cancer left and right.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why aren’t the complications described in this guide discussed with patients in advance of the screening? Is it because doctors don’t know?

I believe there are three factors behind this particular health scare:

• First, you aren’t likely to encounter your endoscopist ever again. If the colonoscopy results are abnormal, you’ll be immediately referred to the GI surgeon or oncologist. So, yes, in essence, they may not know or want to know what’s happening afterwards.

• Second, many people undergoing colonoscopy may already have some or all of the symptoms and conditions that follow a colonoscopy, such as antibiotic-induced disbacteriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, flatulence, fiber dependency, hemorrhoids, straining and so on. So they just return to their “normal” state without connecting one and two.

• Finally, colonoscopies are an extremely profitable business. A mid-volume endoscopy practice with just a single physician may gross between $4 and $6 million annually. Why ruin a good business by focusing on a few side effects with patients you’ll never see again, especially when everyone and their uncle believes that a colonoscopy saves lives?

Regardless of these reasons — some sinister, some stupid, some inadvertent to this situation — you now have the knowledge of what’s causing them, how to avoid them and what to do about it.

Q. Do you see any reasons at all for getting screened for colon cancer?

Absolutely! Don't think for a second that I am against screening or colonoscopies. I am outspoken, but not dogmatic, prejudiced, conceited, or close-minded. In the right hands and with the right intent, colonoscopy screening is an essential and important, diagnostic tool.

At the same time I am adamantly against the unnecessary use of colonoscopy for the same reasons I am against binge drinking or running red lights — it may turn deadly.

So if anyone tells you that Konstantin Monastyrsky is anti-colonoscopy, that person either didn't read this page to the end, or has only his/her financial and parochial interests in mind.

I also recommend avoiding CT scans at all costs to prevent unnecessary exposure to x-ray radiation. An abdominal MRI scan without bowel prep is the safer (radiation-free) approach, but not without the risk related to false positive readings, which will still require patients to undergo invasive (i.e. traditional) colonoscopy.

When it comes to traditional invasive colonoscopy, seek out a top-notch and responsible endoscopist, who, at the very least, won't miss polyps or tumors, or cut corners in all other conceivable ways. There is no extra cost for having it done right!

Without further ado, here are, what I believe, some well-justified reasons to submit yourself to a colonoscopy. Please note that most of these reasons are self-made, fiber-made, or doctor-made. To avoid getting on this long list one must start avoiding all these perils as early as possible. Here we go:

• If you took antibiotics for any condition within the last 10 years and experienced any colorectal disorder afterwards, or your stools match the number 1 to 3 on the BSF scale.
  Why: because antibiotics disrupt intestinal flora, the key protective factor from developing polyps and colorectal cancer. (This particular qualifier places a lot of people into a high-risk category — one more reason to avoid antibiotics for a trivial condition.)

• If you have hemorrhoidal disease and have to strain during defecation. Why: because your stool morphology is compromised, it is larger than normal and your colon membrane is continuously exposed to mechanical damage.

• If you’ve been suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  Why: because it is caused by disbacteriosis (deficiency of intestinal bacteria), fermentation and large, impacted stools.

• If you have a history of chronic or intermittent constipation.
  Why: because it indicates that your stool morphology is compromised by disbacteriosis.

• If you had or still have amalgam (black) fillings.
  Why: because mercury and other heavy metals in amalgam are carcinogenic compounds.

• If you have been affected by diverticular disease: Why: because of large stools.

• If you have to take any laxative, including home remedies, such as prune or beet juice.
  Why: because you are affected by some or all of the above conditions.

• If you have a history of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease.
  Why? These conditions increase the risk of colon cancer up to 32 times.

• If your ethnic background is Ashkenazi Jew.
  Why: because Ashkenazi Jews are more susceptible to inflammatory bowel diseases from food allergies, particularly gluten, a plant-based protein from grains.

• If you are overweight or obese.
  Why: because epidemiological studies demonstrate the connection between the occurrence of colon cancer and obesity.

• If you are a current or former smoker.
  Why: because smoking increases the statistical probability of colon cancer by 30% to 40%.

• If you have been exposed to radiation, particularly CT-scan (computer-assisted tomography).
  Why: because each scan increases the overall risk of cancer.

• If you have an established history of colorectal polyps from prior examinations.
  Why: self-explanatory!

• If you have been diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) or Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC).
  Why: an unfortunate heredity.

• If your first-degree relative younger than 60 or two first-degree relatives of any age have been diagnosed with colon cancer or had polyps.
  Why: because of commonality of nutrition, genetics, and endemics.

• If you are hypochondriac.
  Why: Excessive Worrying Syndrome (EWS) elevates the level of stress hormones, which in turn impede circulation and immunity which in turn may cause cancer.

• If you have had a virtual colonoscopy already performed.
  Why: because it disrupts stool morphology, intestinal flora and exposes you to excessive radiation.

• If you already have a regular colonoscopy performed.
  Why: because colon lavage disrupts intestinal flora and compromises stool morphology. When should I get screened for colon cancer immediately?

• If you suddenly develop a change in bowel habits, such as absence of stools for several days followed by diarrhea.
  Why: this condition is called paradoxical diarrhea and it indicates colon obstruction. The obstruction may be caused by a tumor or hardened stools.

• If you feel an incomplete emptying accompanied by narrow stools, bloating, fullness, and cramps.
  Why: this may indicate a partial obstruction of stools by a tumor.

• If you suddenly have tarry (black) stool or streaks of blood on stools but unrelated to hemorrhoids and straining.
  Why: that’s for a specialist to find out. It may also indicate a bleeding in the upper digestive tract. Keep in mind that tarry stools can be caused by foods such as licorice, beets, blueberries, and red meat, by bismuth medicines such as Pepto-Bismol, by iron-containing supplements and by lead poisoning.

• If you are experiencing nausea and vomiting accompanied by absence of stools or diarrhea.
  Why: this may indicate intestinal obstruction but not necessarily related to a tumor.

• If you are affected by chronic fatigue and/or severe anemia.
  Why: blood loss, malnutrition, metastases affecting the liver and many other factors.

• If you are a man and experience a continuous sexual urge or have unexplained difficulty urinating.
  Why: a tumor may be putting pressure on the prostate gland, bladder and/or urethra.

• If you are a woman and experience PMS-like symptoms.
  Why: a tumor may be putting pressure on the genitourinary organs located in the same abdominal cavity.

• If your abdominal wall suddenly becomes stiffer, as if you’ve been exercising your abs.
  Why: it may indicate tumor growth, colon obstruction, metastases or ascites — the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity caused by cancer.

• If you are gradually gaining weight without any changes in diet.
  Why: extra weight may reflect the growth of a tumor, intestinal obstruction, and/or ascites (accumulation of fluids in peritoneal cavity, not necessary related to colon cancer.)

• If you begin losing weight without any changes in diet.
  Why: the liver may be affected by a cancer.

Keep in mind that some or all of the above symptoms may also accompany genitourinary cancers and some other conditions. This seems like a lot of reasons, and it is. If you wish to avoid them — and most people under 50 easily can — read and follow my recommendations in the next question.

Q. Konstantin, but this list includes almost everybody... Did they make you a spokesperson for the colonoscopy “mafia?”

Damned if you do, damned if you don't… I am as frustrated as you are, but I am also a responsible person. And I am not a priest to dole out indulgences and absolutions.  If you still have to undergo colonoscopy, at least do it right, avoid needless risks, and repair the damage with Colorectal Recovery Kit or similar means.

Q. Konstantin, did you or your wife ever have a colonoscopy?

No, we haven't and don't plan to have one done, even though we are both in the high-risk group. I am over 50, an Ashkenazy Jew, I was overweight and diabetic, I have a long history of IBS and constipation, I have taken plenty of antibiotics, I used to have mercury amalgams, and several of my relatives have passed away due to ulcerative colitis and/or colon cancer.

Tatyana didn’t have most of the above risks, except age, antibiotics, and the hereditary risk — her dad survived a bout with colon cancer back in 2004. He'll be 85 in a few months and is doing fine.

With all these factors in the picture, neither of us believes that a colonoscopy is warranted or worth the associated risk because for the last 10 years we have been free of all other risks, our diet is fiber-free, and we take professional-grade supplements.

Obviously, both of us accept the possibility of being hit by colon cancer. Even if that happens, most likely it will be a non-metastatic tumor, its removal may require only a minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery, we won't require chemo treatment afterwards, and we'll retain full colon function. No amount of colonoscopies will prevent that from happening, while each successive one will make it much more likely to happen.

Q. What can I do to minimize the risk of colon cancer?

For starters, begin studying this site and my book as if your life depends on it, but well in advance. Unfortunately, most people come here when their life already depends on it, which is usually too late or not as effective. The rest of your actions are common life-style issues:

• Do not consume processed fiber or fiber supplements and laxatives. The long-term (20-30 years) after effects of fiber consumption are, in my opinion, the primary contributing factors in the development of colon cancer. And fiber — neither supplemental nor natural — won't protect you from colon cancer either. The evidence against 'fiber-good-for-cancer-prevention' connection is unambiguous even for the ultra-conservative U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

• Avoid antibiotics at all cost, because they decimate intestinal flora, and leave your colon membrane unprotected.

• Restore intestinal flora after taking antibiotics using Colorectal Recovery Program or similar supplements.

• Remove dental amalgams, because they expose you to heavy metals (i.e. mercury, silver, zinc).

• Maintain small, light and soft stools to eliminate mechanical abrasions of intestinal mucosa, the stretching of the colon and formation of diverticula.

• Do not use vegetable fats, particularly processed and those used in cooking, because all vegetable fats during cooking form carcinogenic trans fats. Note that fats form the protective shield of every cell and vegetable fats in the “animal” system may leave cell membranes permeable to pathogens and seed cancers.

• Maintain top-notch circulation, so the cellular debris and metabolites are carried away efficiently. There is only one way to accomplish this goal — stable levels of insulin and a low-carb diet.

• Consume adequate amounts of animal fat because it’s essential for cellular and intestinal health. Cod liver oil — a source of essential fatty acids — is essential for good health and strong immunity.

• Consume adequate amounts of protein from quality meats, fowl, fish and seafood to maintain healthy mucosa.

• Avoid medication at all cost because practically all medicines are carcinogenic.

• Eliminate all known carcinogens from your household, particularly those that have contact with food such as plastic storage containers, Teflon-covered pans, silverware (source of silver), crystal glasses (source of lead), etc.

• Avoid processed food with additives, stabilizers, artificial colorings and preservatives. If the package contains the name of a component you don’t know, you can’t eat that.

• Avoid fruits, vegetables and beverages imported from Latin America. There are few, if any, controls there, hence these foods may contain harmful chemicals.

• Take professional-grade supplements throughout your life. Even if you are in a high-risk group for colon cancer and you get it, an optimal immune system will envelop the tumor in a defensive shield (adenoma). In this case, you may get away with minimally-invasive surgery, retain full colon function, and skip chemo and radiotherapy.

• Avoid unnecessary medical procedures, particularly requiring X-rays. The mutations caused by radiation may cause more cancers than all other causes combined.

• Maintain normal or close to normal weight. Extra weight by itself isn’t a cause of cancer. Many overweight people are just as healthy and long-lived as normal weight people. But that extra weight is a marker, just as much as excess blood sugar or elevated triglycerides, or an elevated level of insulin and the number one cause of elevated insulin levels are excess carbohydrates. The number two cause is excess stress and the number three cause is idleness.

• Avoid “preventive” diagnostic procedures. Today’s super-powerful diagnostic machinery can find fault with just about anyone beyond youthful bliss. And the more you look, the more you’ll find and the more you find, the more you’ll treat and the more you treat, the more harm you’ll cause. If nothing hurts, don’t invite bad luck.

• Maintain a positive outlook. Extended stress impedes blood circulation and depresses the immune system just enough to allow cancerous cells to take hold and proliferate.

These suggestions should help you to reduce or eliminate most risks associated with colon cancer and not just cancer. Just like anything else in nature, cancer is a last ditch reaction of an overstressed ecosystem. Remove these stresses, and you are much less likely to experience cancer.

Q. If virtual colonoscopies are so harmful, why are they permitted and encouraged?

The fear-mongering and promotion of colon cancer screening serves the financial interests of a narrow group of endoscopists, radiologists, pharmaceutical companies, and radiology equipment manufacturers who benefit financially from administering this procedure, not patients. Most likely not even patients in a high-risk group.

The shortage of qualified endoscopists has been producing the proliferation of radiology clinics which specialize in virtual colonoscopy. Many of these clinics are co-owned by the same gastroenterologists who profit from regular colonoscopies.

So I wasn’t at all that surprised, that despite increased risk of cancer from radiation, new screening guidelines were released on March 6, 2008 by the American Cancer Society and American College of Radiology, which in addition to colonoscopy, insist on performing double-contrast barium enema x-rays or a virtual colonoscopy every five years [10].

So, the answer to the question above: virtual colonoscopies are permitted and encouraged because they are a source of windfall profit to people who promote them. If they really cared about your health, they would have told you to avoid them like the plague.

If these machines were really harmless, why would doctors and nurses ensconce themselves behind leaded walls, wear protective shields, and carry personal radiation monitors?

***

Footnotes

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The references for this guide were compiled in March 2008. Some of the links may not match at a later date because publishers may revise their web sites. In this case, try searching cached pages on Google, or contact the respective publishers.

[1] Update on Colorectal Cancer; Am Fam Physician. 2000 Mar 15;61(6):1621-2, 1628 [link]

[2] The Impact of a Celebrity Promotional Campaign on the Use of Colon Cancer Screening; The Katie Couric Effect; Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 163 No. 13, July 14, 2003 [link]

[3] Study Questions Colonoscopy Effectiveness; The New York Times, December 14, 2006 [link]

[4]  Complications of Colonoscopy; Ann Intern Med. 2006 Dec 19;145(12):880-6 [link]

[5] Assembly-line colonoscopies at clinic described; Las Vegas Sun, March 9, 2008 [link]

[6] Whole Body Scanning Using Computer Tomography (CT); What are the Radiation Risks from CT; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, December 5, 2007 [link]

[7] Virtual Colonoscopy Misses Nearly One Third of Lesions; The proceeds of the 68th annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology; Oct 15, 2003 [link]

[8] Study Questions Colonoscopy Effectiveness; The New York Times, December 14, 2006 [link]

[9] Irritable Bowel Syndrome; The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIH Publication No. 07–693, September 2007 [link]

[10] American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer [link]