Word: colons
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...double-contrast barium enema, a technician coats the inside of the intestine with the metallic dye and pumps the colon full of air. Then an X ray of the large intestine is taken, allowing doctors to visualize the outline of most abnormal growths. Provided the colon is clear, a barium enema should be repeated every five to 10 years. Cost...
That is why some doctors and quite a few activists are lobbying to make colonoscopy the test of choice. They point to small studies of people with a genetic predisposition to colon cancer that show that snipping out polyps on a regular basis decreases chances of developing the disease. Dr. Sidney Winawer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City is directing a larger study to see if that holds true for the general population...
Executives at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly aren't waiting for government action. They offer free colonoscopies to all their employees starting at age 40. "The guidelines typically suggest screening at age 50, because that's when the incidence of colon cancer becomes statistically significant," says Dr. Gregory Larkin, director of corporate health services for Lilly. But since it takes precancerous polyps five to eight years to develop, he notes, why wait a decade to start removing them...
Still not ready to sign up for a colon exam? Researchers are trying to perfect the so-called virtual colonoscopy, which doesn't require threading any medical instruments into the colon. Instead, doctors rely on cat-scan imaging to create a computer-generated 3-D picture of the inside of the intestine. It's still not clear, however, how accurate the new technology is. So don't put off getting the tests that are available today in hopes of taking a less invasive one later...
...eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day (a serving consists of a medium-size banana, apple or orange, half a cup of solid vegetables or a full cup of lettuce). There's evidence that natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables can help protect against colon cancer. Besides, fruits and vegetables lower your blood pressure and help preserve your heart...