Forum Health Integrative Medicine Podcast · Forum Health

Why is Colon Cancer in Young People on the Rise + Holistic Solutions

·34 min·2 clips

Dr. Epperly says the main takeaway is “diet, diet, diet,” then ties it to glycemic load and inflammation.

1. Forum Health Integrative Medicine Podcast focuses on colon cancer in young people and how integrative medicine approaches prevention. 2. Dr. Clayton Bell, a functional and integrative medicine physician in Asheville, and Dr. Bill Epperly, who has practiced almost 40 years, lead the discussion because they combine cancer care and lifestyle medicine. 3. The episode asks why colorectal cancer is rising in young adults and what screening, diet, and lifestyle changes can reduce risk. 4. Bell says recent studies show a rise in young adults, and he connects that trend to greater environmental exposures and diets that differ sharply from those of past centuries. 5. He contrasts U.S. prevalence with hunter-gatherer and indigenous populations, where colorectal cancer can be almost nonexistent, and he cites an almost 10% increase in young people over the last five years. 6. Bell describes fast food culture, processed meats, red meat, low vegetables, low fruit, and low fiber as part of the risk picture. 7. Epperly says colon cancer can advance without symptoms, which is why regular screening matters even when people feel normal. 8. He names blood in the stool, hidden blood, bloating, pain, cramping, diarrhea, and bowel-habit changes as warning signs. 9. He adds that strong family history, Lynch syndrome, prior polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic constipation raise concern. 10. He also says the standard American diet, sedentary behavior, poor sleep, stress, and environmental toxins create conditions for cancer and other chronic disease. 11. Bell says stress suppresses white blood cells and natural killer cell function, which he links to vulnerability to infection and cancer. 12. He describes modern society as pushing people into constant fight-or-flight, with little emphasis on meditation, prayer, journaling, art, or restoration. 13. Bell says he sees a connection between held emotions, constipation, and colorectal cancer in some male patients, while acknowledging that this is his clinical observation. 14. Epperly recommends a diet built around fruits, vegetables, beans, greens, seeds, nuts, blueberries, kale, purple cabbage, strawberries, peppers, and fiber. 15. He says spicy foods such as chili peppers and turmeric or curcumin appear associated with lower colon cancer risk in populations that eat them often. 16. The pair discuss screening options, including hemoccult testing, second-generation FIT testing, sigmoidoscopy, Cologuard, and colonoscopy. 17. Bell and Epperly speak in an interview format with back-and-forth questions, practical examples, and repeated emphasis on prevention. 18. The tone stays educational and clinical, but both doctors also use plain-language phrases such as “diet, diet, diet” and “if you have to read a label.” 19. People interested in colorectal cancer prevention, functional medicine, and screening choices. 20. People wanting a short entertainment episode without health guidance.

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