Health

Let’s Talk Butthole Maintenance

Men and women alike should take better care of the area 2 feet below that block we call a head

Courtesy of nicktonyous | Creative Commons

Recently I went through some things. Some very non-pleasant things relating to the health of my often overlooked butthole. While we’ve heard about the importance of prostate care for men and getting your colon checked in the fight against colon cancer, the latter has been getting attention to the recent deaths of popular people who died within a year of diagnosis.

Prostate and colon care are being recognized as important aspects of preventative healthcare in our lives. Going in for regular colonoscopies to check things out is simply a part of life. Doctors generally recommend that people start getting screened around 45 years old. However, people who are at higher risk, such as Black people, should start sooner around the age of 40.

“The occurrence of colorectal cancer (CRC) shows a large disparity among recognized races and ethnicities in the U.S., with Black Americans demonstrating the highest incidence and mortality from this disease,” says the National Institute of Health

For the “bros” out there, there’s no shame in getting a colonoscopy. There’s nothing to it. Well, the prep absolutely SUCKS, but the procedure is super easy. You go into a room that looks like an operating room, you get knocked out, you wake up in recovery, and you go home in about an hour. You won’t even feel like you’ve been violated. Easy peasy.

Also, knowing things are good is nice. All doubt about the potential to die relatively fast from a sometimes terminal illness (when not caught early) is a huge sigh of relief. Recently, my wife’s aunt died from colon cancer less than a year after being diagnosed. This is why getting checked out is so important. Especially for my Black brothers and sisters. Y’all are at a much greater risk.

“Colorectal cancer is a disease in which cells in the colon or rectum grow out of control,” says the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). “Sometimes it is called colon cancer, for short. The colon is the large intestine or large bowel. The rectum is the passageway that connects the colon to the anus,”