Colon: Colon Health - Why It's Important

With 655,000 deaths worldwide per year, colon cancer is the third most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world.

70% of your immune system, which keeps you healthy, is found in your digestive tract. Your colon, or large intestine, is the main hub of your digestive tract. Keeping your colon healthy, helps strengthen your body's immune system and helps prevent colon cancer.

Using a probiotic like SeroLife®, can help administer adequate amounts of microorganisms to confer a health benefit to your colon. SeroLife® Probiotic bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body's naturally occurring gut flora, an ecology of microbes, to re-establish themselves.

SeroLife® is sometimes recommended by doctors, and, more frequently, by nutritionists, after a course of antibiotics, or as part of the treatment for gut related problems. In these cases, the bacteria that work well with our bodies may decrease in number, an event which allows harmful competitors to thrive, to the detriment of our health. Using SeroLife® Probiotics strengthen the immune system to combat allergies, excessive alcohol intake, stress, exposure to toxic substances, and other diseases.

Probiotics has become a dietary staple for individuals looking to improve colon health.

Improves Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms & Ulcerative Colitis & Colitis
Maintains a healthy beneficial gut flora
Fosters health and immunity
Manages Lactose Intolerance
Reduces inflammation
Lowers blood pressure
Lowers Cholesterol
Helps prevent colon cancer
Aid in Treating H-pylori
Ideal for use after certain medications that can destroy good bacteria
Improves Mineral Obsorption
Improves immune system function

Alli diet pills and Digestive Disorders

Alli diet pills: Not Wise Choice For Those with Chronic Digestive Conditions .

If you have a chronic digestive condition, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's or Colitis) or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), where diarrhea is predominant, you shouldn't take Alli fat burners, since this drug would likely make your diarrhea much worse. However for those with IBS where constipation is the main symptom, Alli could actually help. But IBS patients looking to alleviate their constipation shouldn't take Alli just to treat constipation if they aren't trying to lose weight.

Colon:Ulcerative Colitis Treatment

Ulcerative Colitis Treatment : Probiotics & Bacterial Balance

Bacterial balance can be the most significant factor influencing gut ecology and health. With more than 400 microorganism species residing in the human gastrointestinal tract, their overall balance can profoundly influence gut ecology and health. Intestinal bacteria produce toxins and antitoxins, alter chemical composition of foods and drugs, produce and degrade vitamins, degrade dietary toxins and inhibit the growth of certain pathogens. Gut-derived products may also play a role in increasing the systemic immune inflammatory response. Bacterial lipopolysaccharides found in the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria, for example, have been shown to initiate immune responses and elevate pro-inflammatory cytokines.

A fundamental question is whether people with IBD have pathogenic flora, an unbalanced amount of flora, or simply an overly aggressive, improperly regulated immune response toward some of the normal bacteria.

Perhaps the most important function of probiotics is their antagonistic activity toward pathogens and other resident bacteria, which probiotics perform in a variety of complementary ways.

The first activity has been called colonization resistance — the ability of normal flora to protect against the unwanted establishment of pathogen populations.

Second, probiotics may produce various antimicrobial substances. For instance, Lactobacillus casei GG (L-casei or LGG) has been shown to produce substances inhibitory toward a broad spectrum of gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. Other probiotics have demonstrated antimicrobial activity as well.

Competition for nutrients is a third activity. By competing for available nutrient substrate, beneficial bacteria can inhibit the growth of other, less favorable flora.

Competition for bacterial adhesion sites is probiotics' fourth strategic activity. For instance, Lactobacillus acidophilus inhibits the adhesion of several enteric pathogens to human intestinal cells. A related activity is enzymatically modifying a toxin receptor. Studies using Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast, indicate that its interactions with host cell receptors may be important in reducing the pathological effects of infections.

A fifth activity involves a systemic effect. Human LGG, administered orally, has been shown to increase various markers of immune response.

These varied activities may also decrease the likelihood that pathogens will develop resistance against probiotic agents. Thus, probiotics may be viewed as a vehicle to neutralize or inhibit other bacteria in the gut, and increase or stimulate host immune stimulant activities as well.

We recommend SeroLife™, a targeted probiotic with 5 different strands and over 1 Billion live organisms.

Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides

Aloe mucilaginous polysaccharides are long-chain sugar molecules composed of individual mannose and glucose sugar molecules connected together — which have been attributed to subduing and reducing symptoms associated with colitis, ulcerative colitis.

We recommend SEROVERA® AMP 500. SEROVERA® AMP 500 is a GI-specific supplement that has been used with great success by individuals with UC.

Major symptoms of colon or rectal cancer

Change in bowel habits: The change can last more than a couple of weeks and include constipation, diarrhea, thin stool and abdominal pain with bowel movement.

Bleeding: Tumors tend to bleed. As a result, some of that blood may show up in your stool.

Persistent abdominal discomfort: Sometimes a tumor causes a bowel obstruction. This leads to abdominal cramps, which can be severe, especially if the blockage restricts blood flow to the colon. Painful cramps also might indicate that a tumor has perforated the bowel wall.

Unexplained weight loss: With colon cancer, it can be a sign a tumor is releasing chemicals that are increasing your metabolism.

Full feeling: A tumor that grows toward the end of the colon or in the rectum may cause a sense of fullness.

Gas or bloating: A pattern of gas and bloating may be an indication that a tumor is growing in the colon and occasionally causing a blockage.

Weakness or fatigue: Sometimes the presence of a tumor causes iron deficiency anemia, a condition that can cause you to feel extremely tired. Tumors tend to bleed, which results in a loss of iron.

Information from County Courier Times By: JO CIAVAGLIA Bucks

Colon:What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis?

The most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Patients also may experience

•· anemia
•· fatigue
•· weight loss
•· loss of appetite
•· rectal bleeding
•· loss of body fluids and nutrients
•· skin lesions
•· joint pain
•· growth failure (specifically in children)

About half of the people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis have mild symptoms. Others suffer frequent fevers, bloody diarrhea, nausea, and severe abdominal cramps. Ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease, and osteoporosis. It is not known why these problems occur outside the colon. Scientists think these complications may be the result of inflammation triggered by the immune system. Some of these problems go away when the colitis is treated.

Colon:Diverticulosis Prevention

Diverticulosis, which are little outpouchings of the gastrointestinal wall, and may contribute to a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, and irregularity in bowel movements. No treatment has been found to prevent the complication of diverticulosis. However, there are some guidelines that can be followed to manage the condition. They are as follows:

Eat a high fiber diet, consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain bread, cereals and bran.

Avoid foods containing indigestible roughage, such as celery and corn, and use bran to prevent constipation.

Avoid straining during bowel movements.

Establish a normal bowel routine. Try to have a bowel movement at approximately the same time every day and spend at least 10 minutes in the attempt.

Add bulk to stools by eating fruits and vegetables with a high fiber content, such as seedless grapes, fresh peaches, carrots and lettuce.

Avoid extremely hot or cold foods and fluids (which cause gas).

Avoid alcohol (which irritates the bowel).

Lose weight if you are overweight.

Exercise moderately.

Use natural laxatives (only when needed).

Drink at least three (3) to five (5) glasses of water or other liquid per day.

Do not smoke (it irritates the gastric mucosa).

Colon:The effect of Water and Colon

Most humans do not get the water that we require to completely flush all of the waste and toxins out of our bodies. What we don't realize is the detrimental effects this has on our bodies - especially our colons. We often mistakenly think that we are getting plenty to drink, simply because we do not feel thirsty. Unfortunately, this is not a correct assumption.

Experts agree that we need eight full glasses of water every twenty four hours. They also agree that if we drink coffee or tea, we need an additional glass of water for each cup of coffee or tea that we drink. If we smoke, we need an additional glass of water for each cigarette. If you smoke and/or drink coffee or tea, you could be consuming a great deal of water!

But this water intake is vital to the proper operation of our very complex human systems - even if you don't feel thirsty. Dehydration has nothing to do with thirst, and few people realize this. Many people also mistakenly believe that they are tending to their bodies need for water by drinking beverages that have water as an ingredient, such as sodas, coffee, or tea. Again, this is not a correct assumption. What your body needs is pure water - and not the water out of the tap!

Water that comes out of the tap is not very pure. In fact, it has toxins in it that get into your body. There are even parasites living in the water that comes through the tap. Always drink bottled water, and choose your bottled water carefully as well. There have been reports that some bottled water brands are filled from - you guessed it - tap water, without being purified!

Because most of us don't drink enough water, our colons are full of waste that has not been excreted. There is even up to twenty five pounds of rotted fecal matter stuck to the walls of our intestines. That in itself is a good reason to go gulp great amounts of water this very minute! But at this point, even that won't help to rid your body of these disgusting things.

What will benefit you the most at this point is a colon cleansing? Colon cleansing can be done with an oral formula that does not work like a laxative, but will cause you to increase your bowel movements to two or three per day, ridding your body of all that excess waste, parasites, toxins, and even the rotted fecal matter.

Colon cleansing benefits you by detoxifying your body, removing parasites, preventing toxicity, aiding in weight loss, preventing illnesses and disease, and by preventing colon cancer. After having the colon cleansed, most people feel a great deal better than they did before. They experience better sleep and find that they have a great deal more energy as well. Health problems that persisted before tend to disappear!

After a colon cleanse, you should increase your intake of water to keep your system from getting ‘gunked up' again, and do a colon cleansing at least once a year.

Information from healthocrates.com

Colon:Probiotics for Inner Balance

Probiotic and your colon.

Where anti-biotics kill bacteria, including the friendly ones, pro-biotics work with the existing inner ecosystem to restore the balance.

Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. That’s why when you look at yogurt containers you want to find the ones that have *live* cultures. They are also called "friendly bacteria" or "good bacteria."

The world is full of microorganisms (including bacteria), and so are people's bodies—in and on the skin, in the gut, and in other places. Friendly bacteria are vital to proper development of the immune system, to protection against microorganisms that could cause disease, and to the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients.

Probiotics have been known to help with:

-Diarrhea
-Irritable bowel syndrome
-Inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease)
-Infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that causes most ulcers and many types of chronic stomach inflammation
-Tooth decay and periodontal disease
-Vaginal infections
-Stomach and respiratory infections that children acquire in daycare
-Skin infections

Available in foods and dietary supplements, they can easily be added to your diet. Some foods containing probiotics are: yogurt with live cultures, fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, and some juices and soy beverages.

Information from MedicineNet.com.

Colon: How is ulcerative colitis diagnosed?

Many tests are used to diagnose ulcerative colitis. A physical exam and medical history are usually the first step.

Blood tests may be done to check for anemia, which could indicate bleeding in the colon or rectum, or they may uncover a high white blood cell count, which is a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body.

A stool sample can also reveal white blood cells, whose presence indicates ulcerative colitis or inflammatory disease. In addition, a stool sample allows the doctor to detect bleeding or infection in the colon or rectum caused by bacteria, a virus, or parasites.

A colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy are the most accurate methods for making a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and ruling-out other possible conditions, such as Crohn's disease, diverticular disease, or colon cancer. For both tests, the doctor inserts an endoscope a long, flexible, lighted tube connected to a computer and TV monitor into the anus to see the inside of the colon and rectum. The doctor will be able to see any inflammation, bleeding, or ulcers on the colon wall. During the exam, the doctor may do a biopsy, which involves taking a sample of tissue from the lining of the colon to view with a microscope.

Sometimes x rays such as a barium enema or CT scans are also used to diagnose ulcerative colitis or its complications.