Enlarged Prostate

See the blog: Prostate Study.
Most men between the ages of 40 and 45 experience a gradual increase in enlarged prostate. An increased urge to urinate and weak urinary flow effects of prostatic hyperplasia are common signs of an alteration in the male hormonal balance.

Close to 50% of men in their fifties and as many as 75% of men between the ages of 60 and 70 suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

BPH causing a narrowing of the urethra and promoting bladder problems.The exact cause of prostate enlargement is not fully understood. Although the body normally turns ordinary testosterone into a very potent form called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), it can cause an enlargement when there is too much DHT. Wrapping around the urethra, the tube that allows urine to exit the bladder, a swollen prostate gland acts like a clamp, sometimes resulting in problems with urination.

Symptoms of BPH include:

Getting up frequently at night to urinate.
More frequent urges to urinate.
Diminished, weakened stream.
Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder.
Pain and burning sensation.
Left untreated, prostate problems can prevent the bladder from emptying itself completely. As the volume of residual urine increases, a humid environment creates the perfect conditions for the proliferation of bacteria.

This can cause urinary tract infections, with symptoms of pain and fever. The final stage of benign prostatic hyperplasia can cause acute urine retention which is extremely painful.

Natural Solution to BPH:
Saw palmetto, a very beneficial and well-studied herb, provides great therapy for the enlarged prostate. In fact, one study showed significant improvement in 45 days with only mild or no side effects.
Hydrangea root or horsetail are often used to reduce the inflammation of the prostate gland. Nettle root tincture or capsules are also helpful. In fact, scientific studies have proved its ability to diminish this enlarged gland. Amounts used in successful studies range from 6-12 mL of tincture per day in divided doses, or 120 mg capsules twice a day.
The mineral zinc may halt the processing of testosterone into DHT and thus may prevent or even reverse the condition. Pumpkin seeds from your garden are an excellent source of zinc, especially if you fertilize with kelp, and may contain other helpful substances as well. Eating 2 ounces of pumpkin seeds per day significantly boosts your zinc intake. Some people prefer to take zinc supplements for BPH. If you decide to supplement with zinc, use no more than 50 mg per day for three months and include a copper supplement of 2 mg per day. These two minerals compete for absorption zinc will win out and cause a copper deficiency if you’re not careful. Look for a zinc supplement that includes copper.
Keep in shape and maintain an active lifestyle by walking or doing some exercise to slow down the aging process, one of the main causes of BPH. Research suggests that pygeum (P. africanum) helps to reduce nocturnal symptoms, hesitancy, and urgency (30-40% reduction in symptoms). Lycopene, Vitamin D, pomegranate juice, and omega-3 fatty acids as supplements that have been shown to have a protective role in the prevention of prostate cancer.
Avoid bicycling, the sitting position compresses the prostate
Cold temperatures exacerbate the symptoms.
Make sure you keep the abdomen warm.
Do not drink too much before going to bed to prevent nighttime visits to the bathroom.
Don’t ignore the need to go to the bathroom.
Fully empty the bladder. Void your bladder every time you urinate.
Constipation can aggravate the prostate problems, so it is important to have good bowel health.
Stop smoking, if possible.
Pay attention to certain prescription drugs; diuretic, antispasmodic, tranquilizers and some anti-depressants worsen BPH
After age 45, do not neglect yearly medical exams.
Food
Avoid drinking chilled beverages or iced cocktails. Cold drinks do more harm than good and can cause a sudden blockage of the urinary track, resulting in difficult and painful urination.
Reduce alcohol intake
Reduce caffeine intake; coffee substitute is a great alternative.
Drink plenty of water and lemon and empty bladder regularly.
Avoid substances that irritate the prostate gland: pepper, hot peppers, spices
Maintain a diet high in fiber, vitamins and minerals
Are best avoided: saturated fats, such as those in most processed foods, dairy products, red meats and hard fats. Replace by cold pressed vegetable oils.
A diet low in fat and red meat and high in protein and vegetables, as well as regular alcohol consumption, may reduce the risk of symptomatic BPH.
Vegetarian foods, raw fruit and vegetables, soy products and pulses including linseed are useful in bringing relief.

Fat Content and Cardiovascular Disease
Dairy productsincluding cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurtcontribute significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat to the diet.15 Diets high in fat and especially in saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease and can cause other serious health problems.

A low-fat, plant-based diet that eliminates dairy products, in combination with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart disease, but may also reverse it.

Dairy and Cancer
Consumption of dairy products has also been linked to higher risk for various cancers, especially to cancers of the reproductive system. Most significantly, dairy product consumption has been linked to increased risk for prostate and breast cancers.

The danger of dairy product consumption as it relates to prostate and breast cancers is most likely related to increases in insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which is found in cows milk. Consumption of milk and dairy products on a regular basis has been shown to increase circulating levels of IGF-1. Perhaps the most convincing association between IGF-1 levels and cancer risk is seen in studies of prostate cancer. Case-control studies in diverse populations have shown a strong and consistent association between serum IGF-1 concentrations and prostate cancer risk. One study showed that men with the highest levels of IGF-1 had more than four times the risk of prostate cancer, compared with those who had the lowest levels.26 In the Physicians Health Study, tracking 21,660 participants for 28 years, researchers found an increased risk of prostate cancer for those who consumed ≥2.5 servings of dairy products per day as compared with those who consumed 0.5 servings a day. This study, which is supported by other findings, also shows that prostate cancer risk was elevated with increased consumption of low-fat milk, suggesting that too much dairy calcium, and not just the fat associated with dairy products, could be a potential threat to prostate health.

In addition to increased levels of IGF-1, estrogen metabolites are considered risk factors for cancers of the reproductive system, including cancers of the breasts, ovaries, and prostate. These metabolites can affect cellular proliferation such that cells grow rapidly and aberrantly, which can lead to cancer growth. Consumption of milk and dairy products contributes to the majority (60-70 percent) of estrogen intake in the human diet.

In a large study including 1,893 women from the Life After Cancer Epidemiology Study who had been diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer, higher amounts of high-fat dairy product consumption were associated with higher mortality rates. As little as 0.5 servings a day increased risk significantly. This is probably due to the fact that estrogenic hormones reside primarily in fat, making the concern most pronounced for consumption of high-fat dairy products.

The consumption of dairy products may also contribute to development of ovarian cancer. The relation between dairy products and ovarian cancer may be caused by the breakdown of the milk sugar lactose into galactose, a sugar which may be toxic to ovarian cells. In a study conducted in Sweden, consumption of lactose and dairy products was positively linked to ovarian cancer. A similar study, the Iowa Womens Health Study, found that women who consumed more than one glass of milk per day had a 73 percent greater chance of developing ovarian cancer than women who drank less than one glass per day.

Last year a government task force reversed five years of advice on whether men should have a prostate specific antigen (PAS) test to screen for prostate cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reversed itself, it said, and once again began advising men to be screened because new evidence indicated that routine PSA blood tests can slightly reduce some mens chances of dying from prostate cancer and that drastic treatment can sometimes be avoided with close monitoring when cancer is detected.

But new research published this week in one of the worlds most prestigious medical journals, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), debunks that argument. If orthodox medicine was actively working to muddle the issue of prostate health and the PAS test, it couldnt do a better job of throwing men into confusion on the subject than this.

The study by a team of researchers at the University of Bristol and University of Oxford found that PSA screening could only identify low-grade prostate diseases and failed to detect some aggressive and lethal prostate cancers.

As Medical News writes, researchers conducted the largest-ever prostate cancer trial over a decade, studying 400,000 men between ages 50 and 69. The trial compared 189,386 men who had a single PSA screening with 219,439 men who were not invited for screening.

After a decade of follow up, the total number of cases of prostate cancers reported in both the screening group and the control group were 8,054 (4.3 percent) and 7,853 (3.6 percent), respectively; however, the percentage men dying from prostate cancer in both the groups was 0.29 percent.

In other words, there was no difference in prostate cancer deaths between the tested and the untested group.

This has long been the consensus of those of us in the alternative medical community, and Ive been writing about it for years. Research has long placed substantial doubts about the validity and reliability of the PSA test. Even so, conventional doctors continue to use the test and rely on it to determine male prostate health.

Here is the point: The literature says a low PSA number of about four indicates a normal or healthy prostate, whereas higher numbers put prostate health in doubt and even suggests malignancy. A higher number, of course, calls for biopsy and may lead to prostate surgery.

Yet some men may have prostate malignancy with very low PSA numbers or no malignancy with very high PSA numbers.

This makes the whole test doubtful. I personally would not rely on the PSA test and would certainly refuse prostate surgery based on it or even biopsy at my age, 85.

Many men have been ruined because of prostate surgery. At the very least, all considerations of prostate surgery should be preceded by a detailed understanding of the pros and cons of relying on the PSA test.

Researchers participating in this latest trial agree.

The results highlight the multitude of issues the PSA test raises causing unnecessary anxiety and treatment by diagnosing prostate cancer in men who would never have been affected by it and failing to detect dangerous prostate cancers. Cancer Research UK is funding work that will allow us to follow the men for at least a further five years to see whether there is any longer-term benefit on reducing prostate cancer deaths, said Professor Richard Martin, lead author of the study.

Our large study has shed light on a highly debated issue. We found that offering a single PSA test to men with no symptoms of prostate cancer does not save lives after an average follow-up of 10 years, Martin said.

Integrative medicine specialists have told me to a man that a high PSA reading does not indicate cancer. Instead it indicates that something is going on to inflame the prostate. That something could indeed be cancer, but it is much more likely that a high reading is due to a recent infection or a completely benign enlargement of the prostate gland.

The literature claims that many or most men age 50 and older have dormant prostate cancer and that most never become active.

There are quite a few herbs and other plant extracts that help with prostate health, including pumpkin seeds, saw palmetto and stinging nettle. But the two most important things for your prostate are exercise and nutrition.

To prevent prostate enlargement and cancer, you should strive to be as active as possible. At least walk as much as possible. Walking often has the same health benefits as running, without the inflammatory side effects. A study last year performed in Sweden that suggested more intense exercise can cut your risk of prostate cancer in half. Further, the researchers discovered that exercising with vigor for 60 minutes inhibited the growth of existing cancer cells by over 30 percent.

I believe that prostate health is also based on diet plus whether one is a smoker or heavy drinker. Its obvious that unhealthy lifestyles will lead to unhealthy outcomes.

Zinc is your most basic prostate food, along with another essential mineral, selenium. They work together to maintain cellular health and are must-have for mens health because they reduce aromatase, and enzyme you want to reduce because it converts testosterone into estrogen, putting you on the path to reproductive cancers.

Spinach, beans, red meat, pumpkin seeds and oysters all have plenty of zinc in them, and for selenium, tuna and Brazil nuts should give you all you need.

Heres the thing about zinc that is not well known but important. It can interfere with the absorption of other minerals. Thats why you want to take zinc separately, preferably before you go to bed so that you have a whole night of sleep to absorb it, and before taking any other supplements during the day.