The Health Hunt: Real Healing Journeys, Everyday Wellness & Expert Tips

Ep 27 - Colonoscopy: What You Really Need to Know (The Real Experience, Prep & Colon Cancer Prevention)

• Sandi Magder and Daniel Schuman • Episode 27

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Colonoscopy & Colon Health: What it’s really like, how to prepare, and why a test can prevent colon cancer

Colonoscopies, colon cancer, and gut health, this might not be the sexiest topic, but it could be one of the most important conversations you’ll ever hear. With colon cancer rates rising in younger adults and screening guidelines now starting at age 45, understanding your options (and what actually happens during a colonoscopy) can literally save your life.

In this episode of The Health Hunt, Dan shares his firsthand colonoscopy experience from the prep (yes, we go there) to the procedure itself and why this test is one of the few in medicine that is both diagnostic and preventative. Together, Dan and Sandi break down screening options like colonoscopy vs. Cologuard, the reality of false positives, and what you can do daily to support long-term colon health.

If you’ve been putting this off, avoiding the conversation, or assuming it’s something to think about “later”, this episode is your nudge to rethink that.

What We Cover

  •  Why colon cancer is trending younger 
  •  The updated screening age (45+) 
  •  Colonoscopy vs. Cologuard vs. other tests 
  •  What actually happens during the procedure 
  •  Why colonoscopies are both preventative and diagnostic
  •  Simple daily habits to support colon health (fiber, movement, sleep) 

Colon Health & Prevention: What Actually Matters

  • Fiber is foundational – supports digestion, feeds gut bacteria, reduces inflammation 
  • Variety matters – diverse foods = diverse microbiome = better health 
  • Movement counts – even light activity supports colon health 
  • Sleep & stress – chronic inflammation impacts your gut 
  • Limit risk factors – processed meats, smoking, and excessive alcohol 
  • Don’t ignore symptoms – blood in stool, bowel changes, or unexplained weight loss

Key Takeaway

This isn’t just about testing, it’s about prevention. The best time to think about your colon health is before something goes wrong.

Text us your thoughts, questions, or takeaways. We read every message.

All views, opinions, and commentary expressed on The Health Hunt Podcast are solely those of the hosts. They are shared in a personal capacity and do not represent the views, policies, or positions of any current or former employer, including any organizations with which the hosts may be professionally affiliated.

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Intro: Why Colonoscopies Matter Now

Dan Schuman

Hello everyone, welcome back to the Health Hunt, the human, humble, and humorous exploration of how to really level up your health. Alright, today we're talking about something that no one wants to do. After going through it myself, I actually think it's one of the most important things you can do for your health. A colon oscopy. I got mine early. Everything came back clean, thank goodness. Which is exactly what you want. And in this episode, I want to walk through my experience, what actually happens, the prep, yes, we will go there, and why this is more about prevention than anything else. And what you can actually do to keep your colon healthy day to day. Because recently I've had multiple friends tell me, I'm finally getting my colonoscopy. They'd call me or text me, and because they kind of mentioned it for a couple years here and there. Or I'm not doing a colonoscopy, I'm doing colegaard. We'll talk about what cola guard is briefly. Or, hey, if you Dan, have you heard there's a blood test right now? Yep, there is a blood test. You've probably seen the commercial, and if you haven't, you will. It's called Shield. Uh I don't have any much more information than that, but I just know that that exists. So now we have Blood Stool, and then we have the actual colonoscopy. But um, we'll get into all this stuff. But first, as we have to do with every episode, there's a quick disclaimer, which I actually enjoy reading. The Hellphone podcast is for the informational and entertainment purposes only. We're not medical professionals, and nothing shared should be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health. And that is

Colon Cancer Trends & Screening Age (45+)

Dan Schuman

my micro machine version of it.

Sandi Magder

So nailed it.

Dan Schuman

I nailed it. So now let's break this all down and hopefully make this a little bit less intimidating or hopefully informative. So why does all this matter? Why am I why would you have this episode of colonoscopy? And, you know, episode was it, 26, Sandy, 27? What are we doing here?

Sandi Magder

Uh well, we haven't, I don't know when we're releasing it, so never mind the number.

Dan Schuman

Okay, fine. But no, it's like, why colonoscopy? Where there's so many other things to talk about. Well, colon cancer used to kind of be thought of as an old person's disease. And I don't, I don't, you know, this episode is not about colon cancer, but I'm I want to just point out some things as perspective, top line, and then we can talk more about what we're intended to talk about, which is colonoscopy. So these are some from some stats. I'm not gonna, I mean, I have the sources. You can, if you want to talk about it offline um to our 20 listeners, you can, but basically, rates in adults under 50 have been rising since the 1990s. People may know this, they may have seen articles about this in the news, TV. Incidents are increasing 2 to 3% a year in younger adults. So in today, about one in five cases of colon cancer are in people under 55. This is different. This is not the way it used to be. This is trending younger. And it's exactly why the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force lowered the screening age from 50 to 45 in 2011. So um just just so for our listeners out there, the age has been lowered from 50 to 45. Maybe your primary care physician has allergy to this, but this is very real and there's a reason why they've done so. So we're not doing colonoscopies because we expect to find cancer. We're doing them to prevent it entirely. Colonoscopies are the one of the few things in medicine, at least in my opinion, and just from the test itself, that are diagnostic and preventative

What a Colonoscopy Actually Is (And Why It Matters)

Dan Schuman

at the same time. So the colonoscopy versus what we may call the easier options. Uh the colonoscopy is the standard. Okay, so it's done every 10 years uh if you're at normal and average risk, uh, meaning you had one and then uh there was no findings and you don't have a family history. Um, talk to your doctor again, that's as much as I'm gonna say about that specific thing. But um, if they find a polyp, they'll remove it in the real time during the test. Again, detection and prevention. And just to demystify, if you haven't had one, if you if you have had one, you're having visuals as I say this. During a colonoscopy, the doctor guides a thin, flexible camera through your colon to look for abnormalities. If they see small growths, and these growths are called polyps, they can remove them right then and there. So it's just on a checkup. It's stopping problems before they start. And yes, you are completely asleep the whole time. This is the best moment of your life, trust me. I don't want to say a colonoscopy isn't my favorite thing to do, because it's certainly not. But when you get put out, that's not so bad, Sandy.

Sandi Magder

I mean, this is debatable, but is this perhaps the sexiest conversation we've ever had? Whoa. Putting that out there.

Dan Schuman

I mean, everyone who's yeah. Everyone who's had a colonoscopy is running through the visual of their experience right now as I'm talking about this. So it's just pretty funny to know that they're doing it as I'm doing it.

Sandi Magder

Speaking of experiences, I didn't get the memo that the age was lowered to 45, but also I don't know that the age was even on my radar. I've probably talked about this, joked about this, but it's not actually, it's it's a real thing. I have like severe age dysmorphia. So I've talked about, I'm not gonna say it out loud, I am turning a big age this year, and it is past the age that Dan has mentioned for the recommendation for a colonoscopy. But like my brain just can't reconcile that. And so it's really hard when I hear about these testings for, you know, for certain age groups. I just I don't connect with it. And this is, you know, I have to, I'm gonna have to find a way to do that because I do need some of these tests. But just to put that out there, I have not had a colonoscopy, not even on my radar.

Dan Schuman

And just also to add to that, and we're not telling you to get a colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy vs. Cologuard & Other Tests

Dan Schuman

It's not um, that's it's a personal decision. You have your health history, you have the own thing, your own, you know, medical choices you want to make. So that is not the case here. I am just giving information, informing people of what's out there. And so now I mentioned Colaga earlier. Uh it's an at-home stool test. It looks for DNA markers in your blood. Uh it's done every three years, and it's very convenient. It's sent home, it's sent right to your home. I think most insurances cover it. But here's the reality: ColGuard is good at catching cancer. Uh, it finds over 90% of the cases, as resources have indicated to me. But for precancerous polyps, it only finds about 40%. And about one in 10 people get a false positive. So I just want to stop right there, the false positive. So I've talked to a lot of people or um anecdotally and heard that there was some marker that they had to go get a colonoscopy for, then they go get the colonoscopy that they weren't going to get, and nothing shows up. And so it can be some we kind of one of the themes we talk about in this podcast is chasing your health and false positives, and you know, very much similar to what we, you know, would talk about in pre novo and other types of tests. It's chasing, chasing, chasing. Obviously, cold guard, that's not the intent of cold guard, but it's a very real possibility that it's a false positive for a false negative. So that does exist. And I'm just wanted to mention that.

Sandi Magder

No, because that's a stressful thing to go through. Because the min, obviously the minute that you hear there's potentially something there, your brain goes through all the things, right? And you don't think, well, maybe it's a false positive. You have the reaction that if someone told you you had cancer. And so I I don't know how you get around that because I don't know how you have what kind of superhero human you have to be to be like, oh, maybe it's not real.

Dan Schuman

Yeah, no, it's um it's just one of those. And so the reason why I even bring this up and why, you know, is that I had my colonoscopy early, and then I went to my new, I established care with a gastro recently. Very smart person, uh, really enjoyed the conversation, had some interesting things to say, but kind of issue issued me a cold guard in between my first colonoscopy and what will be my next one soon. And I was just kind of, I got the cold guard and been thinking, and I'm sitting at it, and I'm like, well, why do I want to take this? Like, what's what's it gonna do? It's gonna either tell me nothing or it's gonna tell me to go get a colonoscopy, which I'm gonna get anyway soon. So and she knew she knew these these facts. I told her, you know, I've gotten my first colonoscopy, we reviewed that report, and then my next ones will will come soon. And we still she still issued this test anyway. So it's got me thinking, uh, and I'm gonna make my own form decision incision about this. I'm gonna talk to some other people, but I don't know that I'm gonna take the cold guard. I think it just can cause more headache than helpfulness.

Sandi Magder

Yeah, okay. That's interesting. That's a good point.

Dan Schuman

Yeah, and it's I'm not sure if anyone else is out there has had this, but I don't know that there's a a protocol that's consistent where it's colonoscopy, cold guard, colonoscopy, cold guard. I just that you just, you know, I get it, but it's too much.

Sandi Magder

So I think it feels like overkill a little bit. And I think that's maybe what's happening, you know, there's so much liability that the doctors face these days. And so I guess they want to be extra cautious and do more things and in theory be more proactive. But, you know, like you said, it's like is there a benefit? You're

False Positives & “Chasing Your Health”

Sandi Magder

you're on your regular schedule, and so do you need it?

Dan Schuman

All right. So in full disclosure, uh, we took we just took a couple second break because um I had a cough, so we had to just kind of pause it for a second. But I did, as a podcaster, should not do check my phone during this little like mini cough break. And uh as I checked my phone, I got an update text from Colgaard asking me if I had taken my test as a reminder. Literally, as I was talking about this section in the segment in the podcast.

Sandi Magder

So they're listening to us.

Dan Schuman

So I don't know what's going on with this Colegaard thing, but uh I gotta look into it. I don't know if I'm gonna do it, but it's yeah, the phones are listening. All right, so let's talk about this colonoscopy thing, the real experience. Um the colonoscopy prep is everyone out there getting their visuals ready. For me, I took something called Sue Prep, basically sodium, potassium, magnesium. It's like adrenal for your digestive system, really is. It clears everything out and puts makes it all clean. And the reason why this is important, why, and this is the part that everyone talks about is oh, I can't eat for like you know a day, and like I gotta be taking this um this solution to clear me, clear out my colon, is because there's something called the Boston Bowel Preparation Score. And this is kind of the score that the doctor uses who's giving you the colonoscopy of the gastro to understand, you know, how clean, you know, how quality is the the view of your colon. Uh, what does it look like? And because there's an accuracy score, I think it's one to ten or one to seven, I can't remember. And that score matters because if it's low, if you're like at a three and ten is optimal, then it wasn't the best test. And so the results that you're getting may not be optimal and it may have to either retest or it's just something to asterisk as you approach your next tests. But um, yeah, the prep does

The Prep: What to Expect (Yes, It’s That Part)

Dan Schuman

suck, and you do need to be kind of close to the bathroom to the porcelain god. I mean, you don't want to be, you know, go walk into a CVS that's a mile away and then be taking your prep. You will be an Olympian getting back to your apartment uh if you do so. So I'm just warning you if you can sprint, then you're good. But uh otherwise, you know, stay stay home. Just chill out near the bathroom.

Sandi Magder

The plan accordingly, PSA.

Dan Schuman

So I've kind of mentioned most of the procedure already. It's just a procedure. You show up, you get set up, you get put into a hospital gown, you get, you know, it's almost like you're you're checking into a hospital and like you're you're going in for a major surgery, even though you're not. Like, you know, so I mean, I'll stop there and say, and I I didn't think about this initially, is that you are in a hospital gown, like they are taking your vitals and getting you prepped for a you know diagnostic test. So if you are a certain person that's nervous being in hospitals and being in a medical setting like this, I guess maybe because I took mine at a hospital, but I I do assume that if it's even at a doctor's office, it kind of feels like medically and hospitally kind of thing. So it's just something to know. Uh it's not, you know, obviously you're not going to get heart surgery or, you know, but it's you kind of feel like you're being set up to. So there's a little kind of mind-body type thing going on there. And just um to make everyone aware. But again, I'll mention here, and this is, you know, you get you're in, you're ready to go, you get into that uh room. There's probably a couple assistants and the gastro who you know does these tests, like he's he's doing one like every 30 minutes. It's not like you know, you're like the third person he's ever done, he's gonna see anything is strange. This is a factory. People get these all the time. And so the um severity or the risk here is really, really low. Um in just my opinion, just from in these actors are doing this all the time. So, you know, then you get a um anesthesiologist coming in or someone of that sort would give propofol to you. Propofol knocks you out. I think I mentioned five to 30 seconds, you are gone. You wake up and you are in a different room, test is done, your results are in, and you're kind of just a little bit groggy, and you're gonna need a ride home. You're gonna need a, you know, whether that's an Uber or Sarah friend, uh, because even though you get back up pretty good, it's just, you know, for safety purposes, uh, you're gonna need that ride home.

The Procedure: What Really Happens

Dan Schuman

So, you know, as I mentioned, the results then and there, at least for me, I assume for most people. Uh, do you have polyps? Uh, is there inflammation? Uh is there nothing? Do they need to send your polyps to a lab to see, you know, what the what the polyps look like? So uh again, 10 years if you're average and you have no family history is is kind of the protocol. Could be shorter at this point. But again, the the huge takeaway here is this is prevention, not just detection. So I just want to drive that point on. So the theme here with colonoscopy is prevention. That's the point of this podcast. There's been a lot of details up until now, but let's talk about, let's unpack prevention. And in doing so, let's hand it over to Sandy for some prevention conversation.

Sandi Magder

Thank you. So I am not a colon expert. Like I said, it's not on my radar. I don't worry about it. I mean, I you know, we've talked about before with magnesium, I like things to be moving, but it's not something that I think about on a daily basis. So when Dan and I had talked about having this conversation, I kind of wanted to do a little bit of research on, you know, again, prevention and what do you do to keep your colon healthy and happy? Okay, so let's just zoom out for a second and talk about some of the things you can do in your daily life, because, you know, the things that you should be doing in between your 10-year doctor's office appointments or your cold or whatever you're doing. So, really, like your daily habits probably matter more than you even realize. So the first one is fiber is your foundation. And if anyone has listened to the episodes that we did with Dr. Jerry Who, which I believe are episodes 25 and 26, he actually talked about fiber as a foundation for sort of everything. We talked about gut health. And so it's true that most people are getting way less fiber than they should, and your colon is feeling that. So, what fiber does is again, talked about liking this, it keeps things moving, but it also feeds your gut bacteria. And so you want good gut bacteria. And it also helps reduce inflammation in the colon, which again is good because if you sort of go back to the research, inflammation can really be a trigger for a lot of disease all over the body. So obviously, we don't want an inflamed colon. So for fiber, we're talking about things like vegetables, fruits. Obviously, you want to be mindful of sugary fruits, things like beans, whole grains. Basically, if it came from the ground, it's probably making your colon happy.

Dan Schuman

Sandy, do you think we could do a um like a rock and roll inflamed colon shirt? You know what I'm saying? Like it'd be very 80s rock.

Sandi Magder

Yeah, I mean, I for sure I have never thought about that. So I appreciate that and the visual that we've given every time.

Dan Schuman

I'm sorry I ruined your flow, but I just thought of like this flaming colon and then like the I'm I'm here for that.

Sandi Magder

Flaming colons.

Dan Schuman

Like motley crew, warrant, cherry pie, like metal band type thing.

Sandi Magder

Like with the with the circle and X, like the corrosive

Results, Polyps & What Comes Next

Sandi Magder

or whatever the don't do this, stop. Okay. I'm sorry. I can go ahead. Just carry on. I like it. It's good. So I mentioned gut bacteria and what fiber is doing. So, like I said, when you're eating fiber, you're feeding the good gut bacteria. And you may have heard this again, I think uh Dr. Jerry, who mentioned it in the episodes. These are called prebiotics. Basically, they are the fuel for your good gut bacteria in your colon. And when those bacteria are well fed, they produce compounds like short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation, which we said we want. They support a whole healthy colon and the colon lining. And in in doing that, they could protect against cancer development. So we're just this is about keeping you in an environment that maybe lowers your risk. Okay, obviously there's hereditary issues and things like that. And so it's really not just about like going to the bathroom regularly, it's about creating this environment from inside your gut. And it's also not just about more fiber, variety is important. So different plants feed different bacteria. So if you're eating like the same, and I'm air quoting for people who can't see us, healthy foods every day, you're sort of feeding the same small group of microbiome. And when you mix it up, different types of fruits, vegetables, grains, things like that, you're creating a much more diverse and more resilient microbiome. And so that's what we want because that's going to prevent a lot of disease and other even digestive issues. And all of that, like that healthy, diverse microbiome, is also stri strongly linked to

Prevention: Daily Habits That Matter

Sandi Magder

better colon health. So just something to consider. And it's actually something like I've talked about before. I'm a vegetarian. And so, yes, I mean, we're talking about eating fruits and vegetables and beans and things like that, but I also I'm kind of a creature of habit. I find things that I like and I eat very similar things all day. So I have to be mindful of creating and adding variety to my diet. And I, if you guys had heard some of the episodes with um the health coach Debbie Ropo that we brought on, she has the philosophy about rainbow eating. And so that's kind of a good guide. I think if you're getting lots of different colors of things, you're obviously increasing the variety of different types of foods. So on the flip side of this, there's a lot of things that can also work against the environment. I'm not going to go into these very deeply, but I'm just going to touch on them. So these are diets that are high in processed meats. Excessive alcohol. So again, we're not here to be the fun police. I love a little bit of tequila, but excessive drinking can have an impact on the colon and smoking. Again, people know they shouldn't smoke, but I'm not here to be that type of police. But it's something to be mindful from.

Dan Schuman

Does anyone smoke anymore? Like, is that really a thing? People still smoke cigarettes?

Sandi Magder

Yes, because I was at a the casino nearby watching watching a band that I friends with people, and I was like, I was literally shocked that people were just I I it's maybe because the type of casino it is, it's the seminal. So it's uh or I don't know, it's coconut cream. Anyway, whatever. Anyway, I think yes, you can smoke in there. I was shocked. I looked around and I was like, remember, by the way, just as a segue, you remember when there was a smoking section on the airplane or in restaurants? Sure. Yeah. Well, you remember how stupid that is? Because like you're in one one big tube in the sky and some people are smoking and others are not. It's anyway.

Dan Schuman

At Miami Airport, there is a and I'm not sure if it's still TGI Fridays that is englassed. There's a part that's in glass and like has has like an air filtration system up and it's like a smoker's lounge for the restaurant. I don't know if that still exists, but like what is the deal, you know?

Sandi Magder

I mean, that's like my nightmare because I mean my hair is like a sponge for scents. And so if anyone's near me smoking, I just I gotta go get a new blowout the next day, and that's not I don't have time for that. So okay. So moving on, let's go back to a few things that really support the system. And these are very intuitive. I mean, I'm not gonna say anything. There's no rocket science here. The first one is movement. So regular physical activity is linked to lower colon cancer risk, and it's not the extreme. This can just be like walking outside, maybe doing some light lifting, a little bit of sports, all of that counts. The movement is just really good for you, and it's better not to and this is for health in general, but it's also specifically linked to colon health. And again, something we like to talk about all of the time sleep. And going along with that, like getting good sleep and lowering your stress matters because, again, the topic of inflammation, chronic inflammation in the body is a big driver of disease, including cancer and including cancer in the colon. So, you know, poor sleep and high stress, again, more inflammation disrupts the gut health because things aren't doing what they need to at night. So over time, that can in theory impact your colon. And in that line, too, we talked about movement, maintaining a healthier weight. So higher body fat, especially the visceral fat, is linked to a higher increase. So obviously we just want to be mindful of that. And then the last thing I want to mention is don't ignore the symptoms. And again, this goes across everything we talk about on this podcast. And sometimes you don't even know what a certain symptom means in relation to a particular part of your body. But it's important. So even if you're doing again, air quoting everything right, don't ignore the signs that your body is giving you. So that's things like blood in your stool. I can't imagine most people see that and they're like, eh, no big deal. But maybe you think it's something short term, but that's certainly something you should have investigated. Or persistent changes in bowel habits, and that could really mean sort of a sort of a myriad of things, but uh also unexpected weight loss or unexplained weight loss. You know, that might sound great if you're trying to lose weight, but if you're really not doing anything that's changed in your daily life, that is something to investigate. So like don't brush them off, get them checked. And a big picture, you know, we talk again. This is for me, this is some what of a mind-body element, but like you can't control everything. So stressing about it, worrying about it, trying to do all the things is also gonna cause you potentially other problems. And while you can't control everything, you can control some of your daily activities and the environment that your body lives in every day. And the healthier that your environment, the lower your risk

Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Sandi Magder

over time. It's pretty simple.

Dan Schuman

All right, so if there's one takeaway from all this, it's don't wait until something feels wrong. The colonoscopy is a prevention tool. The good news: screening works. Prevention is possible, and in many cases, this is avoidable. So here's your move: if you're 45 or older, talk to your doctor about getting a colonoscopy or some type of screening. Begin to have these conversations. If you have symptoms, don't ignore them, as Sandy just said. And regardless of your age, start taking your daily habits seriously: lifestyle, movement, diet, everything. That's not a colonoscopy thing. That's just being a healthy, human feed thing. Because again, this isn't just about one test, it's about stacking the odds in your favor over time. And if this episode made you think about someone else, a friend, a partner, a parent, send it to them. You know, maybe it's motivating. It's one of these conversations that can actually save a life. And yeah, the prep still stocks, but not as much as finding something too late. And so the real reason why I did this entire episode is this last part. And I'll leave you with these dad jokes. I simply cannot record this podcast without saying this. Don't be an asshole, and don't put yourself in a position to be shit out of luck.

Sandi Magder

And there you have it.