Published November 18, 2009 in the North Island Weekender 

I was reading an ad recently in the National Post about Movember and I thought “they spelled November wrong!”  having never heard of Movember before! So in researching more on the subject I realize that this is the correct spelling and here is what it is in a nutshell from their website: “The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia.  The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back.  In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research… never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about a taboo subject – their health. The money raised in Canada goes directly to Prostate Cancer Canada. Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer. In 2008 the Movember campaign in Canada raised $2.4 million making it the largest charity event for men. Significantly, awareness of men’s health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread important health messages directly to thousands of Mo Bros & Sistas.”

I recently studied a lecture on the subject by Dr. Lise Alschuler N.D author of Definitive Guide to Cancer: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment and Healing. The following are some key points from this lecture.  If men with prostate cancer are in the “watchful waiting” stage,  keeping an eye on the PSA doubling time, naturopathic medicine therapies can provide “active risk reduction”.  These therapies are useful concurrently with conventional therapy while PSA’s are monitored every 4 months.  

 1.   Exercise: Men over the age of 65 need vigorous exercise to slow the progression and reduce mortality from prostate cancer.

 2.   Men need more sleep than women and they need 9 hours per night to lower their risk of prostate cancer.

 3.   Men who ate the most vegetables had a 49% lower risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer that had advanced to stage III or IV. Eating broccoli more than once per week lowered risk of advanced prostate cancer by 45% while eating cauliflower this often cut the risk by 52%.

 4.   Men who consume more vegetable proteins and less animal proteins including dairy products had a substantially lower PSA doubling time compared to men who ate more animal protein and saturated fats.

 5.   Delphinidin is an anthocyanidin (bioflavinoid) found in pigmented fruits such as blueberries. It is a potent inducer of creating cell death in cancer cells and inhibits tumor growth. It is recommended to eat one cup of blueberries per day.

 6.   Vitamin D may exert its anticancer effect on prostate cancer by improving the circulating form of vitamin D 1,25 (OH)2D and buffering the effect of calcium which has suppressed circulating 1,25 (OH)2D. Vitamin D helps cancer cells to differentiate thus making cancer cells less aggressive.

 7.   Selenium and vitamin E were found in the SELECT study to not benefit men who were 50 years of age or older. This study had many flaws and some conclusions are: men should start taking selenium in their 20’s and 30’s and not wait until they are 50 and don’t take synthetic vitamin E as it displaces natural vitamin E in the body. Look for mixed tocopherols vitamin E.  

 8.   Prostate cancer is an inflammatory condition so measure C reactive protein(CRP)  levels in the blood (an inflammatory marker) along with the PSA .The higher the CRP number the lower the survival time. Common anti-inflammatories in the diet include: rosemary, turmeric, ginger, green tea and oregano.

 9.   Green tea (ECGC): when taken in early stage prostate cancer this herb taken in dosages of 8-12 Japanese cups per day lowers PSA levels and tumor incidence. Green tea has a half life of about 4 hours so it is important to ingest throughout the day with meals. ECGC is available in capsules and dosing will vary depending on standardization of the ECGC per capsule.

10.  Remember that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer but only 1 in 35 will die of it. PC is the leading cause of cancer death in men second to lung cancer. The 5 year survival rate is 100%, the relative 10 year survival rate is 91% and the 15 year relative survival rate is 76%, so prostate cancer represents an opportunity to utilize these “active risk reduction” therapies.