I’m passionate about educating and caring for my patients. The best way to prevent any type of disease is to arm oneself with information and to act early. 

I recently appeared on The Catholic Network’s CFN Live with Colleen McVey. In my interview, I talked about how to take active measures when it comes to preventing colorectal cancer and preventing the spread of COVID-19. 

Watch my interview with Colleen here starting at 4:48. 

 

Since March is National Colorectal Awareness Month, it’s the perfect time to raise awareness and take action toward prevention. The good news about colorectal cancer is the survival rate is much higher than most cancers if detected early. 

The best way to detect any cancerous polyps on the colon or rectum is through colon screening. People will often try to put off getting a colonoscopy as much as possible. 

The stigma around colonoscopy prep has caused people to avoid them at all costs. But colonoscopy prep has changed so much over the past few years and more options are now available for patients. Don’t delay this simple procedure until it’s too late! Once you have it done, you’ll have peace of mind. 

The American Cancer Society has changed the average age for starting colon screenings from 50 years old to 45 years old. Unfortunately, there are more and more cases of younger patients getting this disease, so it’s incredibly important to take preventative measures early on. 

When it comes to what you can do in your everyday life to help prevent colorectal cancer, here are some things you can incorporate into your lifestyle: 

  • Avoid eating fatty foods and processed meat
  • Eat a high fiber diet – this includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains
  • If you’re a smoker, quit! 
  • Try to cut out alcohol, or at least drink in moderation 
  • Daily exercise – this could as simple as going on a 30 minute walk everyday 

During this interview, I also talked about staying safe and healthy during the current coronavirus outbreak. I specialize in colorectal health, but I’m getting more and more calls each day regarding COVID-19. 

Information is changing minute by minute, but there are easy things that everyone can do to actively take preventative measures: 

  • If you’re sick, stay home! If you have questions about your symptoms, call your doctor first before heading into their office
  • Keep washing your hands. 20 to 30 seconds with soap and warm water. A fun way to do this is to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice to yourself 
  • Stay in your home as much as possible  

If we all do our part, we can get through this together as a community. 

Stay healthy, and stay safe.