#152: Preventing Colon Cancer Before it Starts with Dr. Elizabeth Boham

Did you know that colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women combined in the United States? While traditionally a disease of older adults, it has crept into younger and younger age groups. There are also racial and ethnic groups that see its devastating consequences at a higher rate. 

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host Dhru talks to Dr. Elizabeth Boham, a physician and nutritionist who practices Functional Medicine at The Ultrawellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing, she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the Functional Medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well. 

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Boham talk about why we are seeing an increase in colon cancer incidence and mortality in young people. They discuss the risk factors and the importance of screening and early detection. They also talk about how to create a terrain in the body where cancer is less likely to grow through specific diet and lifestyle modifications. 

In this episode, we dive into:    -Dr. Boham’s personal journey with breast cancer (4:46)  -What causes colon cancer (11:22)  -Why we are seeing higher rates of colon cancer in younger people (12:42)  -Racial disparities in the risk of colon cancer (17:51) -Testing and screening for colon cancer (19:53)  -How to create an environment in the body where cancer is less likely to grow (25:59) -The important role physical activity plays in cancer prevention (29:20) -The connection between gut health and colon cancer (31:27)  -Foods that support our microbiome and can lower our risk for colon cancer (40:28)  -The connection between red meat and colon cancer (50:28) -The fear of cancer and how to look at it in a different way (59:15) -Where to learn more about Dr. Boham (1:02:17)

For more on Dr. Boham you can follow her on Instagram @ElizabethBohamMD, on Facebook @ElizabethBohamMD, on Twitter @DrBoham, and through her websites http://www.drboham.com/ and https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/.

Also mentioned in this episode: -Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer DVD - http://www.drboham.com/order. Use code: breast30wellness to receive 30% off. -Gut Microbes Combine to Cause Colon Cancer, Study Suggests - https://nyti.ms/2FFPxIr -The Journal of Physiology: Acute High Intensity Interval Exercise Reduces Colon Cancer Cell Growth - https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/JP277648

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.

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