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Colonoscopy: Not Worth the Risk for Some of Us?
Related: cancer, colonoscopy, follow the money, follow the self-interest, health, The Epoch Times
re: colonoscopy
I am “due” for a colonoscopy as 7 years have passed.
I am reluctant, as I consider my body overall very healthy, I dislike the anesthetic effects (I had bad dreams for 3-4 weeks once though maybe current knockout drugs do better I still fear brain effects), swallowing antifreeze (polyethylene glycol) seems very unwise, and most of all: recent studies call the value of colonoscopy into question (barring individual circumstances).
A cousin died of colon cancer in mid-50's but that cousin was hardly a poster child for health. No other family history of colon cancer in siblings or parents or grandparents. Why should I bother, here in my late 50's?
The “prudent” move is to get the colonoscopy. Or is it? They are hardly risk free, in fact the risks are very significant.
And as a huge money-maker for Big Medicine, I’ve grown increasingly skeptical of the medical justification (follow the money)—there is no credible objective advice out there in the general medical community.
The Epoch Times: The Truth About Colonoscopies, Part 1
2022-11-21, by Sherri Tenpenny
...While a colonoscopy is a good and important procedure for diagnostic purposes, it may be time to remove its standing as the “gold standard” of colon cancer screening.
The Epoch Times: The Truth About Colonoscopies, Part 2
2022-11-21, by Sherri Tenpenny
...Given that 15,000,000 colonoscopies are performed each year in the US alone, the study points out:
- Exam only, no biopsy/polypectomy: Up to 15,000 persons per year (1/1000) can have a serious complication – colon perforation, persistent pain/burning, persistent diarrhea, etc.
- Exam with biopsy/polypectomy: Up to 105,000 persons per year (7/1000) can have a serious complication
- 75,000 persons per year (5/1000) may experience extended bleeding that may result in hospitalization, surgery and/or need for blood transfusion.
- 15,000 persons per year (1/1000) may have a perforated colon. Small perforations are less likely to cause immediate peritoneal irritation and the diagnosis can be delayed for as long as 30 days, leading to poor prognosis.A person can even die from a colonoscopy. The reported death rate after colonoscopy is around 0.09%. That sounds like a tiny number, but when applied to 15,000,000 exams per year, up to 13,500 person per year can die as a result of a colonoscopy!
...
If these were the odds for an airplane ride, I’d never get on an airplane.
The Epoch Times: The Truth About Colonoscopies, Part 3
2022-11-21, by Sherri Tenpenny
...Recall, an ideal screening test should be safe, readily available, convenient, inexpensive and have a high sensitivity. I think several stool and blood tests discussed in this substack that are much better for screening than an expensive, marginally safe colonoscopy which, in my opinion, should only be used to confirm a diagnosis and should NOT to be used for routine screening.
The Epoch Times: The Truth About Colonoscopies, Part 4
2022-11-21, by Sherri Tenpenny
...Throughout this 4-part series, I have shown that routine colonoscopies are not all they’re cracked up to be. There are several other, non-invasive screening options and many foods and supplements that should be your cornerstone to overall colon health.
While a colonoscopy is a good and important procedure for diagnostic purposes, it may be time to remove its standing as the “gold standard” of colon cancer screening.
