How to Avoid Colonoscopy

People often have colonoscopies when they exhibit some of these symptoms: irregularities or blood in bowel movements, abdominal pain or sudden weight loss. While colonoscopies are necessary for some, they are extremely uncomfortable. During a colonoscopy a doctor inserts a long tube up the anus and through the rectum of the patient. There is a camera mounted to the tube that transmits findings onto a video screen. The doctor can take samples of problematic looking tissues or remove polyps. To avoid a colonoscopy you need to avoid problem signs of unhealthy bowels. You can do this by practicing healthy habits.

Instructions

1

Strive to eat five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day, half of which must be raw. Raw fruits and vegetables have a higher content of fiber which is necessary for healthy bowels. Fiber is like a brush that scrubs down the intestines, helping to remove toxins.

2

Avoid processed foods, such as white breads, pastas, packaged chips, frozen dinners, hot dogs, packaged lunch meat and canned beans. Refrain from eating food made with refined sugars, such as sugary breakfast cereals, packaged cookies, juices, cakes, donuts, condiments and candy bars. The less processed foods and refined sugars that you ingest, the better your intestines will be.

3

Eat in small quantities. You don't want to overwhelm you digestive system by giving it piles of food to break down all at once. Practice portion control. Don't eat an amount of food larger than two of your own fists. Also, don't eat during the two hours before you go to sleep; this can affect the proper digestion of food.

4

Drink more water. Drinking eight cups, or 64-ounces, of water is the absolute daily minimum. However, a liter more per day is ideal, particularly if you exercise or drink coffee, soda or tea. These things dehydrate the body. Water is crucial for optimum intestinal health: it keeps feces from drying up and allows them to move fluidly along the intestinal tract. Intestinal disorders which require colonoscopies like irritable bowel syndrome can be caused from toxins building up over time.

5

Take a probiotic supplement twice a day with meals. Common probiotic strains are: Lactobacillus acidophilus, L casei, L GG, and Bifidobacteria. Probiotics are essentially healthy bacteria that can help prevent or fight certain diseases, assist the immune system and help in the proper digestion of food. Probiotics may also be necessary if the balance of bacteria in the stomach has recently been thrown off by anitbiotics, which kill both good and bad bacteria, or if you've had parasites. There is evidence that probiotics can fight bowel diseases like Crohn's or ulcerative colitis; such diseases require colonoscopies a few times a year. According to the National Institutes of Health, taking probiotics can prevent bowel diseases and the colonoscopies that such diseases entail.

6

Exercise 30 minutes a day, not just because this is beneficial for your overall health, but because it stimulates muscle activity which can assist peristalsis: the movements which push food along the digestive tract.