One Pill for a Cancer-Free Lifetime? Using Aspirin for Preventing Colorectal Cancer

With studies detailing its safety and usefulness, aspirin now seems to be a miracle drug that can cure all kinds of ills. It has been prescribed to ease headaches and cure fevers. Now, it is being touted as a pill to prevent cancer. Is there really such a pill that can guarantee a lifetime without the dreaded, slow cancer? Some doctors prescribe aspirin for preventing colorectal cancer, and research shows that they may indeed be right.

The cause of colorectal cancer is yet unknown, but its many types are much feared due to their late manifestation. Often, colorectal cancer is diagnosed late because people do not know how to prevent it. There are, however, existing methods of screening and treatment aside from taking aspirin for preventing colorectal cancer. One such method is colorectal screening to search for cancer-like growths or polyps. It takes about a decade to fifteen years for abnormal cells to fully develop into colorectal cancer, and treatment can begin the minute such abnormalities are detected.

Despite popular belief, colorectal cancer can actually be treated. If discovered early, this type of cancer is actually highly curable: all that one has to do is to begin regular sessions of colorectal screening at the age of fifty, and a few years earlier if there is an existing family history of colorectal cancer. There are also methods to prevent colorectal cancer. Eating fresh vegetables and fruits, and maintaining a diet with whole grains and lower fat can lower a person's chance of developing colorectal cancer. An hour or so of exercise at least five days in a week is also advisable in preventing this cancer.

The concept of taking aspirin for preventing colorectal cancer is not new; in fact, studies have shown that taking different vitamins can reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. For instance, multivitamins with folate, magnesium, and calcium have been shown to prevent colorectal cancer; vitamin D, which can be sourced from pills or cautious exposure to the sun, can also contribute to cancer prevention.