DR:  So Dr. George what is the one thing you focus most of your time to as a Gastroenterologist?

I’m happy you asked that question because I spend most of my time in preventative medicine.  The old adage of I’m well because I haven’t been to the doctor, is actually false.

JANINE:  Oh!

DR:  The new adage is, I’m well because I’ve had my check ups and my doctor told me I’m well.  So we spend a tremendous amount of energy and actually a lot of finances and time on screening.  We screen for heart disease, for prostate cancer, and for me I do a lot of screening for colon cancer.   Colon cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancers there is.  Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the United States.

JANINE:  Really!

DR:  Over 150,000 people die, every year, from colon cancer.   So if we can continue to find ways of preventing this then we are doing something right and can really make a difference and we are. The incidence of colon cancer is decreasing every year.

JANINE: Therefore, our first step, in prevention, should be to make an appointment with our physician, and get tested.  

DR:  Yes.  That is very important.  I can’t emphasize enough, the importance of getting a colonoscopy. We recommend everyone, over the age of fifty, to get a colonoscopy; especially, African Americans.  For some reason African Americans have a higher rate of colon cancer.  Even after they are diagnosed, they are diagnosed with a much more advanced stage of colon cancer.  So they have a higher rate of mortality, and morbidity.

JANINE:  Well, I know how people are, and the thought of going to the doctor can be scary.  But this is something we all must do.

DR:  Absolutely.   I strongly encourage everyone to get a colonoscopy at the age of 50.

JANINE:  Well that’s a lot of great advice.

CONTACT INFO:

Alister A. George, M.D., Gastroenterology & Hepatology.  Board Certified Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

www.mygastrodoc.com  tel - 805.492.4800

3510 N. Moorpark Road. Suite 201, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360