  I've spent the morning looking into colon issues and I'd like to share some of what I've found. For starters, urlLink did you know that the common person carries between five and twenty pounds of fecal matter in the intestines? Crazy! urlLink Dr. William Sears , longtime beloved author of attachment parenting books, is a survivor of colon cancer. His web site has an urlLink entire page on the many benefits of yogurt, which also delineates which kinds of yogurt to avoid. I never knew how amazing yogurt is! My research on the topic is personally motivated. I've been dealing with ongoing colorectal health stuff for almost a year now. Yesterday at the co-op backyard social, I was just about to pay for my locally-grown, organic veggies when the volunteer taking money asked if I was interested in her homemade almond kefir. Now here's the mysterious thing. She explained that it was especially good for colon health. I know she's a reader (psychically) because I heard her making plans to fill in for another reader at an event a few months back. Did she sense my colon health? Or did she just peddle her slow-moving product? Regardless, I bought it and today looked the urlLink stuff up online.
I found urlLink stories of studies in which lab animals' tumors were slowed or even lessened by kefir. I'm sure if the stuff were patentable, pharmaceutical companies would be all over it, but since it's naturally occurring and has been used for thousands of years, the stuff is relegated to the dark realm of alternative medicine. urlLink Dr. Weil recommends slippery elm for coating your intestines and protecting against the irritations many foods can cause.
He also names stress as one of the leading colon irritants and recommends biofeedback for management. He admonishes colon sufferers to avoid any coffee, caffeinated or not, along with any other stimulants. As always, Dr. Weil says green tea several times a day is the best protector against cancer. So this brings us to the best of all colon advice I've found today: a beer a day keeps the gastrointerologist away!
In a Japanese study, rats who were given beer developed far fewer tumors that those who abstained. urlLink This article on the study discusses the puzzled researchers who tried to reduce the effect down to simple hops with no luck. Seeing as stress is a major colon irritant, I can't believe these guys are discounting the amazing relaxing powers of getting a little buzz on! 
