MSI Press Blog

  The color of poop - a visual guide to the quiet warnings our bodies send 🟥 Red Possible cancers: • Colon cancer • Rectal cancer • Anal cancer Why it happens: Fresh blood mixes with stool when tumors in the lower GI tract bleed. Clue: Blood is on the stool or in the toilet bowl, not digested into it. ⚫ Black / Tarry Possible cancers: • Stomach cancer • Esophageal cancer • Small intestine tumors Why it happens: Blood from higher up in the GI tract gets digested, turning stool black and sticky. Clue: Looks like coffee grounds mixed with tar. 🟤 Dark Brown / Maroon Possible cancers: • Right‑sided colon cancer • Small bowel tumors Why it happens: Slow bleeding higher in the colon darkens stool without turning it fully black. Clue: Often overlooked because it still “looks like poop.” 🟡 Yellow / Greasy / Floating Possible cancers: • Pancreatic cancer • Ampullary cancer Why it happens: Tumors block pancreatic enzymes → fat isn’t digested → stool becomes oily, pale, ...

  If you’ve spent any time online in the last few years, you’ve probably seen two very different claims about mRNA vaccines. One paints them as a breakthrough in cancer treatment. The other whispers that they might cause cancer. Both ideas travel under the same banner, but they couldn’t be more different. And for anyone living with cancer, recovering from it, or simply trying to stay informed, the noise can feel overwhelming. So let’s slow it down. Let’s separate the science from the static. 1. The hopeful side: mRNA as a cancer treatment This is the part of the story that deserves more attention. mRNA technology—the same platform used in COVID‑19 vaccines—is now being adapted to teach the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells . Not in theory. In clinical trials. In real patients. Here’s the simplest way to picture it: Cancer cells carry mutations that make them look slightly “off,” but not off enough for the immune system to notice. An mRNA cancer vaccine delivers t...

  (Sula in the arms of Fr. Ed at her godparents' house in Hollister, godparents on the left, friend on the right, and another MSI Press author, CB Leaver , in red in the front) Sula has been the parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista for 13 years and through four bouts of cancer (fourth just starting/reappearing). With Covid-19 and the shutdown of the Mission, along with the rest of the state of California, Sula retired to live with her godparents in Hollister, where she can be watched after and can even have a visit occasionally frnom a retired priest from the parish who lives neaby. She still works on Sundays, though -- and visitors are always delighted to find her in the pews at Mass, where she goes on her own and sits with whomever seems to need her at the moment even though she does have her own pew with her name on it, and between Masses at the Mimssion gift shop. Here is her bio: Sula is a very unusual cat. She is the parish cat for Old Mission San Juan Bautista and, b...

  Most people hear “hernia” and think of a bulge in the groin. But a hiatal hernia is different: part of the stomach slides up through the diaphragm into the chest, changing the geometry of digestion and breathing. It’s common, often silent, and occasionally blamed for everything from reflux to fatigue. But does it have anything to do with cancer? The Relationship Between Hiatal Hernia and Cancer The short answer: indirect, not direct. A hiatal hernia doesn’t mutate cells or seed tumors. What it does is distort the barrier between stomach and esophagus , making reflux easier and more persistent. That reflux — not the hernia itself — is the real culprit. Mechanism The hernia weakens the lower esophageal sphincter. Acid and bile reach the esophagus more often. Chronic exposure leads to Barrett’s esophagus , a precancerous change. Barrett’s can progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma . So the hernia acts as an architectural accomplice , not a carcinogen. Evidence Large reviews show: No...