What You Need to Know About Your Colon

No one likes to discuss colon health. But it’s serious business, and learning about it—and what you can do to take care of your colon—can help ensure you and your loved ones lead healthier lives. Here, Benjamin Hopkins, MD, a Duke Medicine colon and rectal surgeon, touches every condition you don’t want to talk about – from hemorrhoids, and fecal incontinence to anal pain and diverticulitis. Q. What’s the most important thing to do for colorectal health? A. The best approach to good colorectal health is to maintain a high-fiber diet and drink plenty of water. Eight glasses of water a day helps prevent constipation. A high-fiber diet will help prevent complications of hemorrhoids and anal tears and will help to prevent diverticulitis. Q. Most people know that surgery is used to treat colorectal cancer, but what other conditions do you treat with surgery? A. Surgery is necessary to treat recurrent or complicated bouts of diverticulitis and inflammatory bowel diseases that don’t respond to other treatment. It is also used to treat benign problems of the anus and rectum when conservative management fails. Q. Can surgery really cure these conditions? A. Yes! That’s why I love my job so much. Q Does surgery leave an ugly scar? A. We specialize in minimally invasive surgery, including robotic, laparoscopic, and single-site surgeries, which leave patients with smaller scars, less pain, and a faster recovery. There is no scar from transanal endoscopic microsurgery s...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Colorectal Cancer Duke Primary Care Source Type: news