schneider. press breakfast in washington friday morning. >>> it's an affliction that affects more than half a million americans. and many people may not know they have it. we are talking about chronic gastrointestinal issues. jessica kartalija is live in studio b to ask the experts. jessica? >> we're joined now with dr. howard byrd. and we're talking about the colon. and a lot of people have an aversion to go in and get tested. >> right. a lot of people don't want to have a colonoscopy because they feel it's going to hurt. or they don't want to do the prep. and those are just misconceptions. it's actually a very simple procedure. you're typically skated during -- sedated during the whole procedure. and the prep has dramatically improved. many times, people can just take pills or simpler preps where you're just drinking fluids for a shorter period of time. >> and if you do find something in there, as long as it's treated early, you could avoid a more serious problem. >> right. if we find a polyp or growth, which could become more serious. most of the time you can remove that. if you find an early cancer, that's the best time to treat a cancer before it is symptomatic. >> be brave. go get checked. >> right. >> back