The little-discussed risks and side effects of colonoscopy screening and why, in some cases, people would do best to avoid them. If you must have one, how to minimize the dangers as much as possible and a safe alternative to consider as a logical middle ground.
March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month each year. At that time, the usual health experts trot out on TV and print media to urge us all to get a colonoscopy. The inherent risks of this reviled procedure especially for those over age 50 are usually conveniently glossed over in favor of an aggressive push about the benefits.
That “kick in the butt” might initially sound like a good idea. However, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine, the rate of serious complications from colonoscopy screening is ten times higher than any other commonly used cancer-screening test.
According to Konstantin Monastyrky, author of Fiber Menace:
The odds of being killed or injured by the side effects of colonoscopy may exceed your odds of getting colorectal cancer in the first place.
He further points out that the procedure is far from infallible. It often fails to catch colorectal cancer in the first place. In addition, it can cause, contribute to or accelerate the growth of colorectal and other cancers.
Let’s go into each of these colonoscopy risks in detail.
Dysbiosis
Intestinal flora is disrupted by a colonoscopy because the procedure requires a thorough washing out of the large intestine with large doses of synthetic laxatives. This is followed by bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol and hypertonic electrolytes.
These substances kill bacteria, both good and bad just like antibiotics. The gut dysbiosis that inevitably follows contributes to irregularity, constipation, colitis, IBS, Crohn’s, and other diseases known to increase colon cancer risk. Dysbiosis also contributes to a wide range of other autoimmune health problems.
Worsening of Stool Patterns
Those already affected by hemorrhoids, chronic constipation, IBS, or diverticulosis may find these conditions become worse after colonoscopy.
Complications
Serious complications, such as colon perforation, occur in five out of every one thousand colonoscopies.
The risks of delayed bleeding, infection, and ulceration are even higher. Unfortunately, reporting of these complications in connection with colonoscopy is rare.
Increased Risks of Stroke, Heart Attack, and Pulmonary Embolisms
Dangerous blood clotting is a side effect of anesthesia, particularly among patients with diabetes or heart disease.
Infections
Procedures performed under anesthesia are associated with an increased risk of serious infections. This includes pneumonia or pyelonephritis.
False Sense of Security
Doctors miss from 15-27 percent of polyps, including six percent of large tumors. The New England Journal of Medicine even reported that some doctors blast through the colonoscopy so fast they miss cancer in full bloom!
Indeed, the desire for speed is why most colonoscopies today are done under anesthesia. Might there be a profit motive? Some doctors do 60 colonoscopies per day at an average cost of $1,500 to $2000 each. You do the math.
Colonoscopy Alternative
Many people do not realize that you can order an at-home colorectal screening kit to avoid most colonoscopies. They are inexpensive, safe, and convenient. Blood, polyps, and other abnormalities are quickly detected by using a simple stool sample. Results are available fast with lab accurate results.
If you have a positive result from one of these home tests, then go get a colonoscopy. But, in most cases, you will get a negative result, saving you the discomfort and risks of the actual colorectal screening.
Ways to Manage Colonoscopy Risks
Here are a few suggestions about how to increase the level of safety and accuracy in the screening for colon cancer.
- Those with a family history of colon cancer or otherwise at high risk probably should do a colonoscopy. But it is best to request to have it done without general anesthesia. That’s where the majority of the risks are. Some doctors offer inhalation sedation as a safer alternative. Doctors who prefer knocking the patient out use this approach so they can ‘jam’ through the colon much faster. Billing for anesthesiology increases revenues for the hospital too.
- Doing radiography first is pointless. The reason? If they find some polyps, you will still need to have a colonoscopy. Besides, you don’t want all that huge exposure to ionizing radiation.
- If you do decide to go through with a colonoscopy, at least prepare with clear broth you make yourself. Commercial brands at the store are not nutritious and contain unhealthy additives and MSG. Exposure to these chemicals can potentially make digestive issues worse and recovery more difficult.
- After the colonoscopy, follow this protocol to rebuild gut flora. It is the same process recommended by experts after a round of antibiotics.
So the second surgury just dammaged the sphinter muscle more. I need a suggestion for a liquid diet book so I wont put any pressure on that muscle for a few months.
@Maggie: A liquid diet can actually make matters worse because it may turn your stools into hard pebbles. The safest way to manage this condition is by using this supplement as described, but only every day, and in a larger dose than required for keeping stools small, soft, and moist to reverse chronic constipation. Here is a link: http://goo.gl/tWrDJ
My mother died of colon cancer when she was 50, we have no history of ANY cancer on either side of her or my dad’s family. I believe she brought her cancer on with her OCD. She would not drink water, she was afriad to use a public restroom and would hold it in. Anyway, I do not believe it runs in my family. I have had 4 colonoscopy’s because she died of colon cancer. The prep makes me extremely ill. I never take as much dulcolax as they tell me too because I get too sick, my whole body is so affected, it’s a nightmare for me to go through, the prep never starts working right away on me anyway and then last time I was not fully cleaned out. I would be thrilled to never go through this again. but have I ruined myself cuz I have gone through so many? I’ve also taken a ton of antibiotics in my lifetime. I am battling candida right now, I am on a homeopathic course. I am conflicted on getting another colonscopy. What is an alternative test to prevent colon cancer? Thanks
@Prudence: There is no viable alternative to preventing colon cancer by removing cancerous polyps. That said, removing polyps doesn’t do much (if anything) to prevent a colon cancer, many of them are missed anyway (up to 30%), and more cancers in the colon are related to flat lesions, not polyps.
In other words, polypectomy is a crapshoot. That said, colonoscopy for people in a high risk group has its value because it allows to detect early cancers, and treat them with less risks.
Considering your family history, you should definitely get tested at least every 5 years, but do a safer prep, such as colonics, and insist on having no anestethia to avoid complications. This approach is well described in this article written by a medical doctor in Forbes Magazine: http://goo.gl/Gux75
Please do NOT let this discourage you from getting a colonoscopy. DO make sure you have a Gastro Specialist who does this all day long. Also check them for complaints, etc. My brother and husband both had polyps removed during a colonoscopy and this prevents cancer. You do NOT want colon cancer.
I have had two in two years because of IBS symptoms and my Dad had colon cancer. The prep is not fun but you can prepare and make it better. Go online for some tips. The risk can be managed and it is worth it to prevent cancer.
Thank you very much for your answers.
For years I see ,ocasionally-not all the time- red blood on the toilet paper-some times just some traces and sometimes a drop- and a few times (in these past years) I have seen that red blood in the toilet water.I don’t know if its on or in the stools.
This (blood on the toilet paper) was intense when I gave birth and I thought that it was related with hemorhoids or a fissure because it was red and not brown.I want to start the gaps diet because of these and other reasons.
I will,although i hate the idea, get examined, after your response.
@ zoi: You’ve been seeing blood in your stools, off and on, for 10 years???? When I mentioned blood in the stool, I didn’t mean blood on the toilet paper, I meant blood you can actually see without a microscope. Anal fissures can cause blood to show up on toilet paper and that happens to nearly everyone at some point in their lives. If you can see true, red blood either in or on your poop, you probably need to have it checked out. I’ve heard some talk about virtual colonoscopies but I don’t know anything about them, and I’ve also read about the DNA type testing mentioned in one of the posts above. I also don’t know how helpful that would be. So you’ll have to choose your own type of “doctoring” to find out the cause. And just because there is no family history, it doesn’t mean a thing. As I said above, you’re not your father or sister or mother or brother. You have your own physical make up and should look at your health accordingly.
Food allergies can be known to trigger the onset of colon inflammation, so you might look at some things in your diet. Even foods that are “healthy” might be at issue, if you’re allergic to them. Try looking up nutritional ideas to support the intestine/colon, and I know there are some herbs that help support and replenish the digestive tract. Probiotics are excellent for this, even just plain acidophilus is nourishing to the whole body. You could/should consult with a MD or a ND about these problems.
i didnt write that i am 34 years old
i see blood in my stools (not continously) for the last 10 years or so, this got worse after giving birth to my son 3 years ago and now is again a less often phenomenon.i have no family history of colon cancer.i was never examined physically by a doctor ,the only examination i had was an upper and down belly ultrasound that came clear. i dont want a colonoscopy but i do see blood occasionally.is there another test that i can have except colonoscopy?
@Zoi: For the sake of your children, get examined ASAP. It may be just a fissure related to internal hemorrhoids, or it may be something else, but you can’t let this situation fester unchecked, and wait until hit with a massive blood loss.
I repeat again: Dr. Daniel’s post and my underlining reporting concern the colonoscopy screening of HEALTHY people. Nowhere does Dr. Daniel (or I) “recommend” skipping diagnostic colonoscopies, and especially so when blood is present in stools.
Hi Sarah
I saw this picture yesterday and it got me very confused. I think it can make many people confused too!
In it they say that eating a high fat based diet (whole milk, animal fats) will lead to colon cancer and can lead to breast cancer and advise everybody to eating a low fat diet and raw food instead.
Could you please see and explain if that is heathy or not, if a high fat based diet (animal fats) can really lead to cancer or not and last but not least if eating only raw and a low fat diet can be a prevention to cancer?
Thank you in advance!
Maria.
Maria,
Dietary fat (the right kind) is essential for colon health. If you do consume a great deal of rancid or overheated vegetable fats they are, indeed, known to contribute to all type of cancers, including the cancer of the colon.
To get a better understanding of this subject, please start here: http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats
Now, in regard to dietary fat and colon health:
1. Dietary fat triggers intestinal peristalsis. This action is essential for regular bowel movements. People who skip on fats are more likely to develop constipation. In turn, chronic constipation may lead to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This condition increases the risk of colon cancer by… 3200% (32 times.)
2. Dietary fat is required to assimilate fat-soluble vitamins A, K, D, and E. Vitamins A, D, and E have strong anticancer properties, while vitamin K is essential to prevent bleedings, including the internal ones.
3. Dietary fat is needed to assimilate calcium and magnesium. These two macrominerals regulate, among other things, all of our muscular functions, and are just as critical for a normal functioning of the large intestine.
4. Dietary fat neutralizes bile. The secretion of bile is an ongoing process. If this incredibly astringent substance is left intact in the small intestine, it gets down into the colon, and may cause inflammation, severe diarrhea, and all other problems associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
In regard to fats and breast cancer. All of the above points (other than 3 & 4) apply to breast cancer just as well. The breasts themselves are the depositories of “animal” fat. When this fat is getting displaced with vegetable fats, the chance of getting hit with a cancer goes up, way up. Again, you can learn much more more about this on the Weston A. Price Foundation’s website.
Finally, the illustration on Sarah’s Facebook page is not from Sarah, but from Mayo clinic. It contains a great deal of factual information, but if you aren’t well familiar with Sarah’s work in relation to wholesome animal fats, you may, indeed, find it confusing.
My uncle had this done just this week- immediately after he fainted in the bathroom out cold….they labeled it as dehydration. Even though he mixed all of that “clean out” with Gatorade so that he wouldn’t… But that is a whole other topic isn’t it! Poor guy, I told him a little but kept it simple and left an offer if he wanted to learn more.
@Natasha: Yes, unfortunately these past-prep, past-fast, and past-anesthetic falls are quite common, particularly among elderly. And the risk of a major trauma (fracture or head) is also high.
The causes are multiple: dehydration (the least likely), hypotension (blood pressure too low), and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). The last two conditions are the most common, and they are often exacerbated by the interaction of prescription medication with anesthetic.
There are several simple ways to prevent these problems:
1. Reducing or stopping diabetes and hypertension medication while on the liquids-only diet. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST.
2. DO NOT DRINK GATORATE, particularly sugar-free. It may cause severe hypoglycemia.
3. Take salt tablets with water, or salty broth (best) for good water retention, and use sublingual glucose tablets to prevent hypoglycemia.
3. Don’t leave elderly people unsupervised for at least 24 hours following the procedure.
I think doctors and nurses can do a better job on educating patients to avoid these residual complications.
Check out the following link on a noninvasive screening test being developed by Exact Sciences and Mayo clinic:
http://www.exactsciences.com/about/latest-news/new-noninvasive-test-colorectal-cancer-shows-promise/
Well, a trained dog is better at sniffing out colon cancers (95% vs 85%) than these exotic tests. .
And a dog from a kill shelter can be trained and maintained for a year for less than a cost of a single colonoscopy. Actually, the “smell of cancer,” or the rotting of the nectrotizing tissue is so strong, a trained person can determine it as well.