Prostate Cancer Symptoms | Treatments

As men age, the risk of experiencing the discomfort and embarrassment of prostate enlargement - a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - poses a real threat. It is now estimated that BPH affects as many as 60 per cent of men between the ages of 40 and 60, and up to 80 per cent of those aged 80.

Your prostate is a small walnut-sized gland found at the base of your bladder and which surrounds your urethra (the tube that carries urine from your bladder). Any enlargement of this gland automatically puts pressure on your urethra, which results in problems when you urinate - such as increasing your need to urinate more frequently, and then leaving you feeling like you haven't emptied your bladder properly following each trip to the toilet.

Fortunately there are safe, natural steps you can start taking straight away to prevent BPH from developing. Better still, there are many natural supplements that have been found to be equally as effective as prescription drugs for treating the condition, without harmful side-effects.

Why you should go easy on the beer to prevent prostate problems
BPH is caused by changes that occur in men's hormone levels as they age. Testosterone levels decline and levels of other sex hormones, including prolactin, increase. Prolactin steps up the production of 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a very potent hormone that stimulates the growth of your prostate gland. With age, a man's ability to break down DHT is greatly reduced.

Due to the fact that prolactin levels are increased by stress and beer consumption, you should try and take measures to help you relax (yoga can be particularly beneficial in lowering stress levels), and avoid having more than an occasional glass of beer.
Other factors, such as obesity, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure (to find out whether your blood pressure is putting your health at risk, make sure you read the special report inside this month's issue of NHR) and particularly diabetes, can all aggravate BPH.

Excessive insulin levels, often found in people with Type 2 diabetes, can also stimulate the growth of your prostate gland (European Urology 25 (1, Suppl.): 6-9, 2001). It makes sense, therefore, to follow a low-carbohydrate diet - excluding sugar and strictly limiting starchy foods, coffee and alcohol - to help keep your blood insulin level low.

Beware: Surgery for BPH can leave you impotent
If you suspect that you may have BPH, you should visit your doctor for a check up. This is important in terms of making sure that you aren't suffering from a more serious problem, like prostate cancer. However, if your doctor does diagnose BPH, think carefully before following his treatment advice.

The most popular drug, finasteride (Proscar) helps shrink your prostate gland but can cause (or worsen) reduced libido or impotence. Alpha-blockers may also be prescribed to relax your urethra and the neck of your bladder, so improving urine flow and bladder emptying. However, their side-effects can be unpleasant, causing drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and headaches.

Some doctors view drug therapy as an interim measure only and consider surgery to be the only long-term solution for BPH. Surgical techniques include microwave and laser treatments to destroy prostate gland tissue, the insertion of devices to widen your urethra, or surgical removal of parts of your prostate. None of these techniques is without risk and any of them could result in irreversible impotence.

Natural nutritional supplements and herbs offer a far safer alternative to drugs and one that is often equally effective - especially in the early stages of BPH.

Natural remedies can ease your symptoms in under 12 weeks
In fact, if you're a man over 50, you should consider taking some of these supplements as a preventive measure, even if you have no symptoms of BPH. For example, Beta-sitosterol, a natural plant fat, has been shown to be an effective preventative and treatment for an enlarged prostate.

When 100 men with BPH took beta-sitosterol for 12 weeks, 90 per cent of them reported an improvement in their condition by an average of 44 per cent (Lancet 345: 8964, 1995). Other studies show that beta-sitosterol works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT. Take two 150mg capsules daily.

Zinc is an essential nutrient for prostate health too. It prevents the conversion of testosterone to DHT, encourages the excretion of DHT from your body and blocks the production of prolactin. Studies have shown that taking zinc supplements reduces the size of the prostate and relieves symptoms in the majority of BPH patients (Fed Proc 35: 361, 1976).

Take 60mg of zinc a day for the first 6 months, then reduce to 15 to 30mg a day, which is also the preventive dose for men without BPH symptoms. Vitamin B6 is essential for the proper absorption of zinc, so take 50mg of this nutrient at the same time.

Herbs can be as effective as conventional drugs but often work faster and are safer too
The herb saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) has been shown in clinical trials to work as well as conventional drugs for BPH, without their undesirable side-effects. In a randomised international study of more than 1,000 patients, both saw palmetto and the drug finasteride relieved BPH in two thirds of cases, but saw palmetto worked faster and resulted in far less problems of sexual function, decreased libido and impotence (Prostate 29: 231-40, 1996).

The fruits of this small palm are rich in sterols, which appear to be the main active ingredients in saw palmetto, and work by blocking the production of DHT (Prostate 43(1): 49-58, 2000). Unlike drug treatments, saw palmetto is virtually free from side-effects. The treatment dose is 160 to 240mg of saw palmetto extract, taken twice a day. 80 to 160mg a day would be an appropriate preventive dose.

Pygeum africanum, a large tree that grows at high altitudes in Africa, is another good source of sterols and other compounds such as triterpenoids, which have been shown to reduce swelling and inflammation of the prostate (Phytotherapy 68(3): 205-218, 1997). In three placebo-controlled, double-blind studies, men using this herb had a marked improvement in their symptoms and a reduction in prostate size (Wein Klin Wochenschr 102: 667-73, 1990). The recommended treatment dose is 100 to 200mg a day.

With both saw palmetto and pygeum, 6 to 12 weeks of treatment may be needed before significant improvements are seen, but taking the herbs for 6 months is likely to result in lasting improvements for a further 18 months.

Make Sure You Recognise The Symptoms Of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
If you experience any of the symptoms listed below, you need to see your doctor immediately as you could be suffering from BPH:

• Frequent need to urinate, which often involves waking several times during the night to empty your bladder
• Feeling an urgent need to urinate, which can make you feel like you may have an accident if you don't get to a toilet in time
• Difficulty in urinating - experiencing an initial hesitation before urine starts to flow
• Weak or interrupted flow of urine
• Dribbling after urinating
• Feeling like you haven't emptied your bladder properly, which can lead to irritation or infection
• Loss of libido or impotence
• Blood in your urine (due to small blood vessels breaking)