DR MAX PRESCRIBES...

MEASURE YOUR BOWEL HEALTH

I Had a huge response to last week’s column on FOFO (Fear of Finding out), whereby people put off going to their GP about worrying symptoms because they’re fearful of bad news. Many of you wrote to say that, after reading it, you’d made a GP appointment.

so when this week I saw a nifty innovation that aims to tackle the ‘FOFO’ factor in bowel cancer, I wanted to share it with you.

half of bowel cancers are picked up late because people are too embarrassed to go to their GP. Now, the biotech arm of oxford University has launched the first digital DIY bowel cancer screening kit.

of course, all men and women aged 60-74 are automatically sent a free Nhs bowel cancer screening kit every two years. You take samples at home and send them back in a sealed envelope for testing in a lab.

But I know there are people — perhaps younger ones, too — who might prefer a different approach. With this device, you take samples over three days and get the results straight away via the digital display. You then discuss the results with your GP. For more information, see