“Of the 22,000 operations I have personally performed, I have never found a single normal colon.”

- Dr. Harvey Kellogg

I was almost to laugh when I read that the only place where you can find a normal colon is found only on anatomy books. But then, the humor that it brings accompanies the fact of the worsening threat of colon diseases. Read it again, there is no normal colon nowadays.

Let’s talk about the most common colon disease and be more aware about each.

Colon Cancer – This is also referred to as colorectal cancer and is said to be the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. It is a curable colon disease that takes many years to develop. If you were able to detect this earlier, there is a great chance of cure. Some of the factors that develop this colon disease are heredity, age, polyps of the colon, smoking and drinking alcohol, improper diet, and inactive physical lifestyle. Some of the symptoms are: change in bowel habit, black stool which looks bloody, fatigue, palpitations, weight loss and decreased appetite.
Crohn’s Disease – Until now, its causes are unknown by doctors but is initially concluded that it may be a result of its low and abnormal response of the body’s immune system to viruses and bacteria. This curable colon disease develops in the digestive tract anywhere from the mouth to the anus. Some of the factors family history and smoking. Some of its symptoms are mouth sores, stomachache, diarrhea that sometimes happen with blood, and you lose weight.
Colon Polyps – Anyone can have this kind of disease. Usually, colon polyps are harmless but if taken for granted, might lead to colon cancer. In fact, this doesn’t exhibit symptoms but you may consider consulting a doctor if you are experiencing rectal bleeding, stool with blood, abdominal pain and diarrhea. So to have a lower risk of developing this disease, you must have high fiber diet, low-fat diet, and smoke and drink moderately.
Ulcerative Colitis – This is a persistent inflammation of the colon. The cause of this colon disease is still unknown like the Crohn’s disease. There are inconstant symptoms of this colon disease depending on the amount of the colon and rectum that are inflamed. Some of these are rectal bleeding and diarrhea.

These are only some of the most common colon disease. It exhibits almost the same symptoms. The bottom-line is we have to take a very good care of our colon to avoid these diseases. But if you have it, be not worried, there’re experts who’ll help treat your colon diseases. But might as well, you start taking care of it. Who knows, you may the first to prove that there’s still a single colon that is normal.