Don't delay that prostrate exam
Published December 2, 2000 in the Campbell River Weekender
As men age there are several conditions of the prostate that can occur. Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), prostatitis (infection of the prostate gland), prostadynia (painful prostate without infection) and prostate cancer. I will elaborate on the latter topic in a future article.
The most common problem most men face is BPH which is a non cancerous swelling of the prostate gland resulting in discomfort, urination at night with increasing frequency, sudden urge to urinate, incomplete emptying of the bladder and dribbling at the end of the urinary stream. If left untreated the prostate will eventually obstruct the urinary tract leading to the retention of urine in the blood called uremia. This is a potentially life threatening condition so treatment is crucial.
Many of the symptoms of BPH may occur in men in their thirties and I urge men to treat their prostate immediately, rather than waiting to see if it goes away. The prostate converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) using the enzyme 5- alpha reductase. DHT stimulates prostate growth and medical treatments for BPH such as Proscar inhibit this enzyme to lower levels of DHT and thus decreases size of the prostate. The herb saw palmetto has been extensively studied and found to be more effective than Proscar for the symptoms of BPH, ie the urinary frequency, night time urination and urinary dribbling. There is some question whether saw palmetto actually decreases the size of the prostate however. There has been some favorable research on a defined pollen extract under the name of Prostaphil, Cernitin or Cernilton which has been documented to not only reduce the symptoms of BPH but the decrease the size of the prostate. The downside of using Proscar is that it is expensive, takes up to a year to work, may not work at all in a certain kind of patient, and has side effects including erectile dysfunction and loss of libido.
There are two blood tests used to evaluate the health of the prostate, the PSA (prostatic specific antigen) and PAP ( prostatic acid phospatase). I recommend that men at the age of fifty have these tests done yearly as part of their physical exam. Normal levels of PSA are not necessarily accurate in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, however there is no other test available at this time. I also recommend that men know their antioxidant levels using the simple urinary Oxidata test that we perform in our office. This will give you an idea if you have enough antioxidants to fight off cancer forming cells which your body is making continuously, but with adequate antioxidants can be kept at bay.
Other issues which I feel are imperative for prostate health include adequate levels of selenium, zinc, soy and essential fatty acids in the diet; colon health; to decrease cholesterol and to decrease the level of pesticides and heavy metals in the body.
Selenium is the most important mineral to take for prostate cancer prevention and as Vancouver Island does not have any in the soil, it needs to be supplemented. It is cheap and easy to take.
Zinc and soy both inhibit the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. Stress on the prostate is kept to a minimum by keeping the colon (large intestine) healthy with regular cleansing programs. Cholesterol damaged by free radicals is toxic to the prostate gland and reducing elevated levels has resulted in improved symptoms of BPH. Pesticides encourage the 5-alpha reductase enzyme promoting BPH and heavy metals such as cadmium have been found to concentrate in the enlarged prostate.
To lower inflammation in the prostate and inhibit growth factors responsible for prostatic overgrowth the herb Pygeum has been found to be effective.
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