Prostate Health

According to statistics, most men over the age of 50 are liable to get prostate cancer. In America, about 300,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and some 35,000 men die of this disease annually. The numbers are increasing as well.

This article is all about simple ways of keeping your prostrate healthy.

What is the problem?

The prostate is a chestnut-shaped gland and organ that sits right below the bladder and is wrapped around the urethra. Other than closing the urethra during erection, the prostate has nothing to do with a man’s urinary system.

The prostate is needed for ejaculation, as the ejaculate passes through the same urethra as the urine does. The prostate gland’s basic job is to add special fluid to the sperm before it exits the penis during ejaculation.

This is why the prostate sits below the bladder, and also why prostate problems interfere with a man’s ability to urinate and to have sex.

The prostate is affected in three ways:

1. Infection

2. Enlargement

3. Cancer

What are the symptoms of the problem?

In the case of infection (called prostitis), there is a great deal of pain, fever and urinary problems. There are medicines and conventional therapies; however, following the dietary rules below is very beneficial for prostitis.

Enlargement (known as BHP or benign prostatic hypertrophy) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. The symptoms are hesitancy in urinating, dribbling of urine before and after urinating, frequent urination, straining to start the stream, urgency of urination and getting up several times at night to urinate.

Cancer of the prostate symptoms are the same as in BHP, and many men are quite unaware they have cancer of the prostate, as there are often no symptoms at all. Having a PSA test done every 6 months is now a necessity for every man over age 45. (Some health-care providers will only want you to have one every year if you have had normal PSA levels in the past).

What can be done about it?

Actually, a lot. Diet and stress appear to be the main culprits. Here is a list of “do eat” and “do not eat” items that is time-tested.

Eat the following: lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes (peas, beans and lentils) and fresh fish. Specifically, fish from cold ocean waters (such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and cod) have large amounts of essential fatty acids. Eat whole grains in moderation, rather than refined (white) breads, pasta, crackers, rice and other grains.

Don't eat the following: fatty meats, excess salts, hydrogenated oils (such as those found in margarine), donuts, cookies, cakes, other desserts, potato chips and other deep-fried foods. Avoid canned, packaged or otherwise processed foods, as well as sodas, alcohol, black teas (which includes most iced teas) or coffee, and dairy foods, especially if they have been pasteurized.

Are There Special Foods That Can Cure the Cancer?

Perhaps: This is still a subject open to debate, but chili peppers have been shown to inhibit the cancerous cells of the prostate. A study done recently at UCLA indicates as much.

Several herbs and food additives are also known for their beneficial action on the prostate. (Always check with your health-care provider, as herbs can interfere with some prescription medications). They are:

Saw palmetto: This herb is now well-known to shrink enlarged prostates and to lower PSA.

Green tea: The catechins found in green tea are the likely “medicines” for the prostate, although it is not known exactly how they prevent or combat existing prostate cancer. The usual dose is no less than six cups per day.

Pygeum: Pygenum has been used to treat diseases of the prostate and urinary tract for many years.

Nettle: The Nettle is rich in vitamin C, iron and other proven nutrients that bolster the prostate.

Kelp: This is seaweed; plentiful in iodine, it contains minerals that help to prevent and treat prostate cancer. Asian men with high doses of kelp in their diet (more than American men) have a much lower incidence of any prostate problem.

If you follow the above suggestions, you will have and keep a healthy prostrate.

For more information on prostrate health and other health problems and solutions, visit Net-planet.org.