Saw Palmetto

I'd like to do a survey to determine how many urologists in the US are using saw palmetto in place of Proscar in the treatment of prostate enlargement - benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) - but I don't have the dough.

Fortunately, for once, here in Europe, we're way ahead of the US in terms of using this remarkable herb. More than 90 percent of physicians in Germany and about the same percentage in Italy use palmetto combinations rather than Proscar (also known as finasteride).

Since there's no loss of libido or sexual function with saw palmetto and it works so well to alleviate BPH symptoms, why wouldn't patients and doctors choose the herbal product? So why haven't American doctors taken up the cudgel and fought for better and safer passage for their patients too? (You and I both know the reason there's no money to be made from a natural herb, but Proscar is worth millions. Luckily, this is one area where you have complete control over which treatment you take).

And surely - even taking the 'need' to protect drug company profits into consideration - there will be an explosive increase in the use of saw palmetto for BPH now that the bible of the medical plumbers, the Journal of Urology (JU), has come out unequivocally for using it as the treatment of choice in early BPH.

You might be able to avoid that unpleasant trip to the urologist after all!The JU study was the first American one to prove the efficacy of a saw palmetto 'blend', as the authors called it. The blend was a combination of saw palmetto, nettle root, and pumpkin seed oil.

It is somewhat of a mystery how palmetto works. It doesn't cause hormonal changes, which is why Proscar works - and destroys your sex life. Let me modify that. It works a little, sort of, and destroys your ability, or even desire for sex. Urine flow tests prove unequivocally that palmetto is the superior product.

If you are having serious problems with your right of passage (like pain or bleeding), I recommend you see a urologist. BUT, if you have no other signs of disease of the prostate, you can give palmetto a try without seeing a urologist. If it works, and your urine flow is normal again, then passing on the urologist will save you time and misery.

Let me explain the sequence of events: Once you enter the urologist's office, he will do a digital exam (no fun) of your prostate and inform you that it is enlarged you have BPH. He will then perform a cystoscopy (really no fun) by running a fibre optic cable up your penis to have a look at your bladder. But since you had no signs or symptoms of anything but BPH, i.e., slow flow, urgency ('gotta go right now!') and frequency (the three-times-a-night syndrome), the other stuff the urologist does is unnecessary in your case.

There is no relationship between prostate enlargement and cancer of the prostate. The urologist knows that, but he also knows that you don't know that. Hence, the excessive testing in a benign condition that a simple combination of herbs could handle.

Action to take:
(1) Saw palmetto is a valuable effective treatment option for normal symptoms of BPH. However, let me repeat, if you have bleeding or other signs and symptoms, see a urologist.

(2) Saw palmetto is available just about everywhere these days, and the other two ingredients in the 'blend' used in the study - nettle root and pumpkin seed oil - are available in most health food stores. You should take 640 milligrams of saw palmetto (look for a brand that contains 85-90 percent fatty acids), 600 milligrams of nettle root extract, and 400 milligrams of pumpkin seed oil each day. Supplements in soft gel or capsule form are easier for the body to absorb. RH

References:
'Effects of a saw palmetto herbal blend in men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia.' J Urol 2000; 163(5): 1,451-1,456