Just How Important Our Colon Is

The colon is one organ in the body that has been overlooked one too many times by the average individual. Who would think that our colon would need just as much attention as our brain, heart, or lungs even, right? That mentality is exactly the reason why colon cancer has become the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States alone. Colonic cancer strikes silently but with such efficiency that by the time it is diagnosed, more often than not, treatment would already too late.

With that being said, the question now is, what can we do to protect our colon? The answer to this is relatively easy. As with all the other parts of the body, the key to a healthy colon lies solely on diet, exercise, and hydration.

The colon needs at least 20 grams of dietary fiber a day. Dietary fibers or roughage are the indigestible parts of the fruits and vegetables that we eat. They move through the digestive track, absorbing water and, therefore, easing defecation in the process.

Food moves down the intestinal tract through a process called peristalsis. This is a wave-like contraction of the smooth muscles of the digestive organs to propel food distally. Although involuntary, these contractions are somewhat affected by the external movement of the body. If the body is physically active, then the contractions would be faster when compared to that if the body is sedentary. This, in turn, affects the transit time of food with direct proportionality. Transit time pertains to the length of time food stays in the tract. The longer it stays, the greater amount of water is reabsorbed, the harder the feces, thus resulting in what is known as constipation.

The elimination of waste from the body occurs between 18 to 24 hours after eating. So, it follows that one should have at least one bowel movement everyday. If you don’t, there is no real cause for alarm just yet, but there would be telltale signs of discomfort. Common signs and symptoms would include bloating, fatigue, heaviness on the lower abdomen, and sluggishness and of course, when you do defecate, the stool would be hard and this would cause you to strain more.

Straining is performed when you forcibly exhale while keeping the mouth and nose closed. This would cause an increase in the pressure inside the body that aids in physically moving the hardened stool out. Doing this repeatedly would cause extraordinary strain on your heart and if you have a preexisting heart condition, this may lead to potentially fatal results. This can also lead to the development of hemorrhoids. These are varicosities of the veins in your rectum and anus. Straining causes excessive irritation to these swellings and may cause them to bleed. Ultimately, though, the worst that can happen would be the development of colon cancer. A diet high in red meat and low in fruits and vegetables has been implicated and one of the warning signs is a change in your bowel habits. If your bowel movement is regular then a change can easily be identified but if your bowel movement irregular, then this sign may be missed and it may be too late to stop the progression.

It is never too late to start being healthy. If you know that you are at risk, then as early as now, put a stop to it and take your name off that list.

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