March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month.
It's one of the most common cancers diagnosed in the United States. It's also one of the most preventable.
Doctors say having a colonscopy can stop cancer in its tracks. Things like age, being overweight and smoking can put you at higher risk.
But one of the most important risk factors for developing the disease is your own family.
"Family history is probably the most important thing you need to know. It doesn't necessarily mean if someone in you family has cancer that you have a syndrome, but it puts you at a little bit higher risk. It's important not just for colorectal cancer but for any diseases in your family just to really understand what's going on in your family," says Dr. Matthew Kalady with the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Kalady says screening may be different for different people, depending on risk factors.
In other health news, they say "money talks" but it can also be a great motivator for losing weight.
A Mayo Clinic study looked at 100 obese adults placed into four weight loss groups, two with financial incentives and two without.
All of the weight loss plans included an educational component. Individuals in the financial incentive group, who met their monthly goal, were awarded 20 dollars. Those who didn't had to pay 20 dollars.
Findings show that those who were paid money for shedding pounds lost more weight.
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