80% of men will get this issue (how to manage prostate health)

While women are generally very proactive when it comes to their health and the health care system tends to serve women’s healthcare needs regularly. Men are often overlooked or fail to prioritise their own health, shrugging off any concerns or ignoring signs that they may need the support of a health professional.

The prostate is a small, walnut sized gland. A part of the male reproductive system, it is located below the bladder and the urethra passes through it. Its function is to transport and nourish sperm and to produce seminal fluid.

As the prostate is largely unnoticed, a healthy prostate is rarely thought about and so ignored. It is only when something goes wrong that we pay attention and start to consider what may have caused the problem and how to get better.

Most people have heard about Prostate Cancer but not everyone is aware that there are a number of more common health problems with the prostate that can also be risk factors for prostate cancer.

As with all natural medicine, prevention is worth a thousand cures.

The main complaints that tend to occur with the prostate gland are:

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) - BPH means an enlarged prostate. Hyper meaning elevated and plasia meaning growth.

Prostatitis - This is usually an acute infection of the prostate.

or Prostate Cancer, which has excellent outcomes for recovery with early diagnosis.

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Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

BPH is the prostate problem most commonly found in men over the age of 50 and over 90% of men over 80 years old have BPH. Men with hypertension, obesity, with erectile dysfunction, sedentary lifestyles, with a family history of BPH and who have Type 2 Diabetes are more at risk of BPH.

BPH doesn’t mean that the prostate is cancerous. It refers to the enlarging of the prostate gland which then presses on the urethra and can interrupt urine flow due to the narrowing. With this then the bladder wall can get thicker which over time can lead to men not being able to empty the bladder completely of urine.

It is not properly understood why BPH develops however it has been noted that men who do not make dihydrotestosterone, which is a kind of testosterone involved in the development and growth of the prostate in younger men, do not develop BPH.

Symptoms that occur as a result of this process include:

• Difficulty urinating despite effort

• Dribbling at the end of urination

• Nocturia (waking at night to urinate)

• Sensation that the bladder isn’t emptied

• Weak stream of urine or several interruptions in the flow

• Frequent urination

• Complications can include urinary incontinence

Always seek immediate medical attention if you have haematuria (blood in the urine). This can mean there is BPH but it can also indicate more serious conditions that need urgent attention.

Prostatitis

There are a number of different kinds of prostatitis. The term refers to inflammation of the prostate gland. Prostatitis is not a cancerous condition.

Chronic prostatitis can herald symptoms that come on suddenly and without warning. The causes of this are usually unknown and they can disappear just as quickly.

Acute bacterial prostatitis is the least common kind of prostatitis. It is marked by difficulty passing using, severe pain around the genitals, lower back and burning during urination. If this happens then contact a medical professional immediately.

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Prostate Cancer

In the US prostate cancer is now the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men. If caught early, prostate cancer has a good prognosis and survival is likely however it is often unsymptomatic and slow growing and may go undetected for years.

Symptoms

• Bone pain in the hips, back or chest.

• Difficulty urinating

• Blood in the urine (Haematuria)

• Blood in the semen

• Erectile Dysfunction

• Weight loss (without trying)

• Needing to urinate more frequently

• Weakness or numbness in the legs

• Loss of bladder or bowel control (due to compression on the spinal

cord - less common)

Most prostate cancers are found as a result of screening for PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels.

Men without prostate cancer usually have PSA levels of under 5ng/ml in their blood

With a PSA level of between 4-10ng/ml men have around a 1 in 4 chance of having prostate cancer

If the PSA level is over 10ng/ml the chances of having prostate cancer is over 50%.

It is important to remember that men may have prostate cancer and have very low levels of PSA, this is an indicator only and not determining.

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Supplements that support a healthy prostate

• Lycopene

This is an antioxidant which gives certain fruits and vegetables their red/pink colour. It belongs to the family of carotenoids and works against free radical damage or oxidative stress. Lycopenes protect against all kinds of cancer by protecting against DNA damage.

It is recommended that two tablespoons of tomato paste be consumed every day to get the required amount. Or a supplement be taken under the guidance of a health professional.

Lycopenes have also been shown to reduce the experience of nerve pain/neuropathy.

Food that contains Lycopenes are: (per 100g)

Sun dried tomatoes 45.9mg

Tomato Puree 21.8mg

Watermelon 4.5mg

Fresh Tomatoes 3mg

Canned Tomatoes 2.7mg

Papaya 1.8mg

Pink Grapefruit 1.1mg

Cooked Sweet red pepper 0.5mg

• Pumpkin Seed Oil

Rich in zinc which is essential for a healthy prostate, this oil also contains plant chemicals that stop the action of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone. This hormone is thought to be involved in the action of the growth of the prostate. It is particularly useful for the prostate when used in conjunction with Saw Palmetto.

• DIM

This compound is found in cruciferous vegetables and has great benefits for sexual health, human sex hormone regulation, it is anti-cancer and anti-viral. It has been shown in trials to have preventative effects on prostate cancer and BPH. It causes cancer cells to die (apoptosis) and stops the blood vessels from being created that feed cancer (angiogenesis). DIM is also anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant.

Foods which contain DIM are:

• Broccoli

• Cauliflower

• Mustard Greens

• Brussels Sprouts

• Cabbage

• Kale

• Turnips

• Collard Greens

• Kohlrabi

Beta Sitosterol

Sometimes used to lower cholesterol, beta sitosterol is a plant compound which has been proven to improve heart health. It is used to treat enlarge prostate (BPH) and studies have shown that it reduces typical urinary symptoms associated with BPH, probably by its anti- inflammatory action.

The effects on cancer in trials have been promising but to date there are no trials on humans, just in a lab. The trials showed that this compound was anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.

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