Nostradamus predicted that the world would end this year, but for the Chinese 2012 is the lucky year of the dragon and a year of prosperity and change.
Many of us have started the year with a list of resolutions, promising ourselves better food, not to overeat, to drink more water and to include a little more exercise in our busy schedules.
But how about our bowels? It is a personal area and discussions can be highly embarrassing.
Men may find it manly and funny to tell jokes on passing wind but, when it comes to the important stuff, many of us will find it uncomfortable to discuss such matters, even with close family members.
This includes subjects such as: Has your bowel habit changed? Do your bowel motions look different? Is there blood present? Are you getting stomach discomfort with more gas pains, bloating or cramps, unexplained weight loss, tiredness, anaemia, diarrhoea or constipation?
Bowel cancer is one of the second most common causes of cancer death among men and women in New Zealand.
In 2008, the cancer registry recorded 2759 new cases of colorectal cancer. Although 90 per cent were found in people over 50, bowel cancer can occur at any age.
Scientists are still unsure about the causes of bowel cancer, which usually starts as a non-cancerous (benign) polyp that becomes cancerous.
A polyp is a mushroom-like growth inside the bowel area.
In most cases it can easily be removed before it becomes menacing.
There are factors which can increase the risk of developing bowel cancer and these are:
A high fat (especially animal fat) and protein diet and eating little fruit and vegetables. Many studies show that regularly eating red meat, which is rich in saturated fat and protein, increases risks.
Alcohol and smoking.
Little physical activity and weight gain, particularly around the waist.
A family history of bowel cancer.
Other diseases are associated with colon cancer, such as family history of colon polyps, inflammatory disease of the colon, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and cancers of the pancreas, breast, ovaries or uterus.
It is important to understand that you cannot catch bowel cancer or pass it on through personal contact.
Although bowel cancer is a terrible disease in most cases it can be detected early.
A doctor can easily conduct a rectal examination or an abdominal examination.
Another test is having a barium enema, where the bowel can be shown on x-ray or a CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy).
The most common and effective way is a colonoscopy. If you've been avoiding having an examination then maybe it is time to consider it.
The procedure takes just 20 minutes and could save your life.
You'll be under a light sedation and probably won't even remember the procedure.
Leaving symptoms and concerns to a later time may result in something more serious.
Sometimes during the procedure the surgeon may find some polyps which will be removed and this could prevent cancer from developing.
In some situations, when cancer is found, treatment can be started immediately and this will give you a better chance at beating it.
Getting the right information is good for your family members, too, because they can then take any necessary steps to reduce their risk of cancer.
Although anything to do with the bowels is often considered distasteful and embarrassing it is also an area of great importance to us all and therefore needs to be looked after just as well as our skin or hair or other body parts.
It is easy to find information regarding testing for a healthy colon through your GP and, if you are too busy or it is not convenient to go through that channel, then just phone or email a clinic.
Shirley Dan is a trauma counsellor and journalist working for a medical specialist clinic.