Fact: Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer
On a more positive note though if it is treated early enough it can be successfully treated. But so often due to embarrassment it can often be too late…… with one person dying from it every half hour!
The risks of developing bowel cancer is 1 in 15 for men and 1 in 19 for women and it is a disease that can affect anyone, male or female, young or old – in fact approx 2,000 people who are under the age of 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year and there has been an increase of 120% over the last 10 years with people under the age of 30 being diagnosed with bowel cancer.
So why as a colonic hydrotherapist am I telling you this?
Quite simply I would like to break the ‘taboo about poo’ and get you talking about your bowels. I have so many jokes about my job – “oooh did you start from the ‘bottom up’ and work your yourself to the top”! “Are you having a bum day?” , to name but a few comments! On a serious note your stools can tell you whether or not your insides are working properly or not, unfortunately in today’s busy life few of us know what is normal and what isn’t. The good news is that medical evidence suggests that simple changes to your daily diet can actually improve your health in the majority of cases.
There is a growing body of research which says increasing our dietary fibre and also the fluid intake (ideally water), especially soluble fibre (such as vegetables and fruit fibre) is closely linked to the reduction in bowel cancer. Enzymes and fibre are essential for proper digestion. Sadly, the typical Western diet is generally lacking in these requirements. Fibre acts as a bulking agent and speeds transit time of food in the digestive tract. These actions prevent metabolic waste from creating toxic by products. A major benefit of fibre is that it binds acids to bile can carries the bile along with excess fats out of the body. It also promotes bowel regularity, aids digestion, and helps to keep the bowel clean.
18 grams of fibre a day is the recommended levels and can be a positive measure for the UK Population.
Jackie Powell from WASH Advocates www.WASHadvocates.org talks about taboos that make us uncomfortable, like poo. Her mantra is: shit isn’t sexy, but it’s necessary to talk about!
*Please note that for health reasons there are some people who should not increase their intake of fibre for example if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, have inflammatory bowel disease, previous gut problems or if you are pregnant. Intolerance towards high fibre may cause discomfort so it is better to avoid.