Did you know that Colon Cancer is the 2^nd leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women? Colon cancer or colorectal cancer, which includes colon cancers as well as cancers that form in the rectum, affects everyone- all races and ethnic backgrounds.   March is devoted to helping communities, families and medical professionals work together to help spread the word, provide treatment options and information, and providing tips for prevention.

Colon cancer is a malignancy that starts in the large intestine and/or colon and begins as benign polyps. The polyps are growths attached to the lining of the large intestine and occasionally produce symptoms such as bleeding and/or constipation. However, sometimes you will not receive a warning sign! Prevention is the always the key and March provides a platform to remind everyone how important it is to get checked and pay attention to the warning signs. As a result of the increased attention – prevention, early detection and treatment have resulted in death rates decreasing and we can still do more! Here’s some tips to follow for better health:

• Get Screened! 50 is the magic number, unless you have a family history or other risk factors.
• Exercise
• Limit the amount of red meat; eating processed meat and/or red meat, such as hamburger or steak, increases your risk of colon cancer.
• Take a multi vitamin; This is an easy way to help protect against colon cancer and as an added bonus calcium and vitamin d have also been show to also reduce the risks! One a day is plenty!
• Don’t smoke!
• Maintain a healthy weight-obesity and additional weight gain is linked to at least 10+ different kinds of cancers! Do yourself a favor and lose the weight, lose the risk!

Know the risks, talk with your doctor and practice prevention!
CPR Choice cares about you & your health!