March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

So naturally there will be a lot of “awareness” being trumpeted to the masses—primarily telling people age 50 and over to get their colonoscopies, watch for changes in bowel habits and basically hope your number doesn’t come up in the colorectal cancer lottery.

Well, I have a lot more to say than that.

Here’s what you should really be “aware” of:

Colorectal cancer—good news and bad

There’s good news and bad news about colorectal cancer.

First the good news:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rates of colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and/or rectum) have been steadily declining about 3 percent per year since 2002 for both men and women, and death rates have dropped similarly.

Experts attribute much of this decline to colonoscopies and their ability to enable doctors to remove precancerous growths or polyps before they become cancerous.

Now for the bad news:

Colorectal cancer is still the second most common cause of cancer death in men and women.

So, in a nutshell, we’re better at finding colorectal cancer, we’re more efficient at removing it, but we’re still GETTING it!

The CDC’s advice is lacking to say the least

Here is the top CDC recommendation regarding colorectal cancer:

The best way to reduce your colorectal cancer risk is to get screened regularly beginning at age 50

Read that again. 

The best way to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer is to get a colonoscopy?

How in the name of heaven does an invasive test that will only detect cancer once it has occurred (and misses about 17 percent of those, by the way) reduce your risk of developing colon cancer?

I’ve never read anything so absurd in my life.  That’s like saying the best way to prevent heart disease is to get an echocardiogram every year.

Now let’s take a look at…

What IS cancer really?

I know you may find this unsettling, but chances are excellent that you have had "potential cancer" in your body several times over.

Cancer starts when the DNA in one of your cells gets damaged—from things such as pollutants, carcinogens in your food or the environment, poor nutrition, radiation or in some cases genetic mutation.

Usually your immune system will detect these “cancer wanna-bes” and destroy them.

But if the damaged cell is allowed to progress uninterrupted, it will begin to replicate itself unusually fast until it forms a tumor.

At the same time, natural cell death (apoptosis) is slowed with cancer, allowing the tumor to flourish.    

The warning signs

Although the most common signs of colorectal cancer are changes in bowel habits (diarrhea, constipation or narrower stools than usual) or blood in the stool, here are some others you might not be aware of:

• Weakness or fatigue
• Cramping or gnawing abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite or nausea
• Unexplained weight loss
• Straining to have a bowel movement

REAL prevention is where it’s at!

The fact that is being muddied by all of this awareness talk is that colorectal cancer happens to be one of the most preventable forms of cancer!

Here are some surefire ways to help reduce your risk:

Make half of your plate fresh fruits and vegetables and eat a tossed salad every day.

I know I’ve said this countless times before, but studies still show that only 5 percent of the average American’s daily calories come from fruits and vegetables, and less than one person in four eats at least five servings a day—so go ahead and call me a broken record.

If you are a vegetable-phobe or if Jimmy Carter was President last time you ate a salad, then my Great Taste No Pain system can help by giving you delicious ideas for enjoying fiber-rich foods!

Plus, in Great Taste No Pain I show you how to pair foods together in your meals to promote better digestion and less constipation—another checkmark in the colorectal cancer prevention column!

Avoid sugars and refined carbs.

Sugar literally feeds cancer cells, plus it is nourishment for harmful yeasts and microbes in your gut.  When harmful microbes get the “upper hand” in your intestinal tract, this weakens your immune system function, so it is less able to protect you against cancer.

Note that refined carbs (like breads, pasta and pastries) turn to sugar upon digestion, so from your body’s perspective, there’s no difference. 

And “sugars and refined carbs” also includes SODA, so stay far away from that liquid poison.  Note that diet soda is no better—the artificial sweeteners in diet soda are a poison as well.

Get enough vitamin D. 

Vitamin D is especially protective against colorectal cancer, and for those people who are already suffering from it, it has been shown in studies to double your chances of survival!  Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B can help ensure you have health-supporting levels of this crucial nutrient.

Pamper your colon and immune system with probiotics. 

Probiotics help encourage more complete digestion and elimination of wastes, which is very important since constipation is a major colorectal cancer risk factor!  Plus probiotics help support strong immune function, which protects you against cancer.

Super Shield multi-strain probiotic formula is as good as it gets!  Super Shield is a full-spectrum formula that provides a variety of 13 strains, each having their own “specialty” as to how they help support intestinal and overall health, plus prebiotics which are nourishment for your friendly microbes.

Eat the right fats and stay away from the wrong ones. 

About 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fats, broken down between saturated fats like butter, coconut oil and avocado, monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) and polyunsaturated fats (like omega-3 fats). 

And although they are supposed to be getting eliminated from our food supply, you should still watch out for trans-fats.  The primary way to spot trans-fats is to look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils on a product label.  Trans-fats are impossible for your body to break down, and can form a residue in your colon that can irritate and damage your cells (in addition to clogging your arteries and increasing your heart disease risk!).

In addition, avoid cooking with polyunsaturated vegetable oils because when they are heated, they form dangerous compounds similar to trans-fats!  Use stable fats like butter, coconut oil or even lard in cooking.

Eat meat the right way. 

Meat is a very nutritious food—where it can increase your risk of colorectal cancer is when you eat too much of it or the wrong kind.  A sensible serving of meat is 3 ounces—a piece about the size of a deck of cards. 

Strive for organic varieties to avoid the hormones, antibiotics and GMO feed given to conventionally raised animals.  Stay away from highly processed meats.  And pair meats with lots of vegetables to buffer the acidity and help support efficient digestion.

To your healthy colon and rectum,

Sherry Brescia