Studies have proven that colonoscopies cut cancer deaths.

Although most people are nervous about the test, it has been proven that early testing is the best way to prevent death from colon cancer.

Polyps can be detected, removed and tested for malignancy before they have a chance to spread.

The new study followed 2,602 patients who had precancerous growths removed during colonoscopies for an average of 15 years. Their risk of dying from colon cancer was 53 percent lower than what would be expected among a similar group in the general population — 12 patients followed in the study died, versus 25 estimated deaths in the general population.

Perhaps the new health care reform law will start to become more popular as the law starts to kick in. Many provisions went into effect this week.

On Thursday, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a number of its most central consumer protections take effect, just in time for the midterm elections.

Starting now, insurance companies will no longer be permitted to exclude children because of pre-existing health conditions, which the White House said could enable 72,000 uninsured to gain coverage. Insurers also will be prohibited from imposing lifetime limits on benefits.

The law will now forbid insurers to drop sick and costly customers after discovering technical mistakes on applications. It requires that they offer coverage to children under 26 on their parents’ policies.

It establishes a menu of preventive procedures, like colonoscopies, mammograms and immunizations, that must be covered without co-payments. And it allows consumers who join a new plan to keep their own doctors and to appeal insurance company reimbursement decisions to a third party.

All of these provisions will be very popular, for good reason.