Possible Cancer Protection From Prostate Drugs
Early research suggested that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors , a class of drugs used to treat prostate enlargement, might increase the risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. However, newer studies have found that not only do the drugs appear to pose no extra risk, they may even protect against prostate cancer.
For instance, research from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial study in 2013 showed that taking the 5-ARI finasteride for seven years could lower the chance of getting low-grade prostate cancer by 25% among men ages 55 and older. A follow-up study of almost 9,500 men, published in the Nov. 1, 2018, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, also showed that finasteride lowered the risk by a similar amount , and found the protective effect lasted for at least 16 years.
What Is The Prostate
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that is part of the male reproductive system. The main function of the prostate is to make a fluid that goes into semen. Prostate fluid is essential for a mans fertility. The gland surrounds the urethra at the neck of the bladder. The bladder neck is the area where the urethra joins the bladder. The bladder and urethra are parts of the lower urinary tract. The prostate has two or more lobes, or sections, enclosed by an outer layer of tissue, and it is in front of the rectum, just below the bladder. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. In men, the urethra also carries semen out through the penis.
Proven Bph Treatments And Advice On Herbs
While herbal supplements may help with some conditions, always talk with your doctor before beginning a regimen.
Other treatments for an enlarged prostate exist. Sometimes, a doctor will closely monitor you and advise you to modify daily habits to improve symptoms. For example, diet and certain prescription medications can cause prostate problems.
If the problem is severe, several medications exist to treat BPH. You can take them either alone or in combination with other therapies. Minimally invasive procedures also can provide relief.
When To Contact A Medical Professional
- Less urine than usual
- Back, side, or abdominal pain
- Blood or pus in your urine
Also call if:
- Your bladder does not feel completely empty after you urinate.
- You take medicines that may cause urinary problems, such as diuretics, antihistamines, antidepressants, or sedatives. DO NOT stop or change your medicines without talking to your provider.
- You have tried self-care steps for 2 months and symptoms have not improved.
Enlarged Prostate Treatments In The Pipeline
Researchers continue to investigate new therapies for enlarged prostates. Another category of drugs is under development, says Slawin. Weve come a long way in treating BPH. Its no longer the life-threatening disease it once was. Now, in treatment, were working on quality of life issuesââ¬Â¦ reducing side effects of treatment.
Also being studied is a procedure called water-induced thermotherapy , an experimental procedure that involves destroying excess prostate tissue utilizing heated water and an air-filled balloon, which protects normal prostate tissue. The procedure is performed with only local anesthesia. Results may not be fully apparent for three to four months. However, preliminary studies examining WIT have shown positive results, with a near doubling in urine flow. However, the American Urological Association has not thus far endorsed WIT as a viable treatment option for symptoms of BPH.
Bigger But Not Better
Prostatic enlargement is pretty much inevitable. The urinary symptoms associated with it are treated with pills called alpha-blockers, which essentially enlarge the urethral channel by relaxing the muscle fibers within it. You can start with herbals like that of the woody shrub saw palmetto, pumpkin seeds , stinging nettle extract, pygeum, rye grass or beta-sitosterol extract and cruciferous vegetables but in randomized trials herbals take a distant second place to alpha blockers. Other drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors actually shrink the gland by 1/3 of its size and can also help urination. If these pills don’t keep you peeing straight and strong, there are also various indescribable procedures that can remove the excess prostatic tissue. And yes, some of them involve lasers, which you just gotta love.The prostate can also become inflamed, termed prostatitis, which occurs in about 10% of men at least once during their lives. This diagnosis is not subtle as most men with prostatitis pee firewater several times an hour. Ways to avoid this include good hydration, regular, timed voiding and treating BPH when it occurs.
What Are The Causes Of An Enlarged Prostate
In a vast majority of cases, BPH is idiopathic, meaning it has no known cause. Doctors and researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how and why some peoples prostate cells start to divide abnormally.
But most cases of BPH impact men of at least 40 years of age, most commonly those 50 years of age and older. So most studies suggest that BPH is related to hormonal changes, specifically those that occur naturally with age.
As men grow older, their hormone levels change, especially levels of testosterone, estrogen, and a by-product of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone .
A few studies have shown that changes in the balance of these hormones may trigger some prostate cells to abnormally grow and divide.
Potential risk factors of an enlarged prostate include:
- age
- heart disease
- Asian heritage or descent
Most men have a 50 percent chance of having BPH by the age of 60 years old, and a 90 percent chance by the age of 85 years old.
Several types of foods and nutrients can reduce or trigger BPH and its associated symptoms.
Foods that may be beneficial to BPH include:
Foods people with BPH, or those at risk of developing it, should avoid or limit include:
- caffeine
What Other Problems Might An Enlarged Prostate Cause
A small number of men may find it difficult to empty their bladder properly this is called urine retention. If youve been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, your doctor will look at your test results to see if youre at risk of urine retention. You may be more likely to get urine retention if:
- youre aged 70 or over
- your prostate is very large
- you have a raised prostate specific antigen level
- you have severe urinary symptoms and a very slow flow.
Chronic urine retention
This is where you cant empty your bladder fully, but can still urinate a little. It usually develops slowly over time. Chronic means long-lasting. The first signs often include a weak flow when you urinate, or leaking urine at night. You may feel that your abdomen is swollen, or that youre not emptying your bladder fully.
Chronic urine retention is usually painless. But the pressure of the urine can slowly stretch your bladder muscle and make it weaker. This can cause urine to be left behind in the bladder when you urinate. If you dont empty your bladder fully, you might get a urine infection, need to urinate more often, leak urine at night, or get painful bladder stones. You might also see some blood in your urine. Chronic urine retention can damage your bladder and kidneys if it isnt treated.
There are treatments for chronic urine retention, including:
- passing a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to drain urine from your bladder
- surgery to widen the urethra.
Acute urine retention
, Prostate
When Is A Big Prostate A Big Deal
If symptoms of BPH are affecting your daily life, your doctor may prescribe alpha-blockers, which relax the muscles near the prostate and help urine flow more freely, or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, which help shrink the prostate to relieve symptoms.
If your prostate is so enlarged that it is causing other health problems, you might need surgery. Surgery is an option when medications stop working or for those who can no longer urinate at all.
If you have an enlarged prostate, visiting a urologist who specializes in this condition can help prevent worsening symptoms and lead to dramatic improvement through minor interventions.
How Is Enlarged Prostate Treated
Treatments for enlarged prostate include:
Lifestyle changes: These can include reducing liquid intake, bladder training , abstaining from alcohol and caffeinated beverages and regularly exercising the pelvic muscles.
Medication: A class of medication called Alpha Blockers works to relax muscle fibers in the prostate and bladder. This relaxation allows for increased urine flow and less frequent urination. A second class of medication, called Alpha Reductase Inhibitors, works to block the hormones that cause the prostate to swell. Many patients will take a combination of these two types of medication.
Minimally invasive procedures: Our specialists are trained in two minimally invasive procedures that can help remove or reduce the obstructing prostate tissue:
Surgery: For severe cases of a very enlarged prostate, surgical removal of the prostatecalled transurethral resection of the prostate may be the recommended course of action. Patients will decide with their doctor if aggressive treatment is warranted, depending on the size of the prostate and severity of symptoms.
Natural Ways To Shrink The Prostate
, Prostate
If you are one of the 14 million men who suffer from an enlarged prostate due to benign prostatic hyperplasia , it is understandable that you would like to find a way to shrink your prostate or at least reduce its symptoms. You may wonder how to take the prostate back to a younger, more normal size that doesnt keep you running to the bathroom all night long.
When enlarged, the prostate gland can put pressure on the urethra and cause symptoms such as frequent urination and nighttime urination. The growing prostate can also keep the bladder from completely emptying and can affect the flow of urine, making for a weaker flow, starting and stopping of the flow, and urinary tract infections. More severe cases of BPH can make it difficult to urinate.
Even though BPH is not cancerous, it does affect a man and his familys quality of life. If you are waking up several times a night to urinate, chances are you are waking up your family members at least some of the time. Having to stop activities due to urinary urgency can have an effect and cause stress and annoyance for everyone involved.
Growth of the prostate with age is normal. One-third of men experience symptoms of an enlarged prostate by age 50. By age 70, 70 percent of men are affected, according to Johns Hopkins. So what can you do about it? Actually, there is a lot you can do.
New Procedure Shrinks Prostate Without Surgery
‘Prostatic artery embolization’ didn’t cause troublesome side effects in study
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 15 — Men who need treatment for an enlarged prostate may soon have a new nonsurgical option, a small, early study suggests.
The temporary loss of blood supply causes the prostate to shrink, relieving symptoms, according to study lead author Dr. Sandeep Bagla. What’s more, the new treatment doesn’t appear to have the same risk of serious complications, such as incontinence and impotence, that often accompany enlarged prostate treatment.
“This is fantastic news for the average man with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Many men decline current treatments because of the risks. But, for the average man, PAE is a no-brainer,” said Bagla, an interventional radiologist at Inova Alexandria Hospital, in Virginia.
The procedure has only been available as part of Bagla’s trial until recently, but he said some interventional radiologists have started doing prostatic artery embolization, and he expects the procedure will become more widely available by the end of the year.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the medical term for an enlarged prostate. An enlarged prostate is very common as men get older. As many as half of all men in their 60s will have an enlarged prostate, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . By the time men are in their 70s and 80s, up to 90 percent have benign prostatic hyperplasia, according to the NIDDK.
When To Call Your Doctor
- Fever and/or chills
- Blood in your urine after two weeks or excessively bloody urine
- Painful or swollen testicle or scrotum
- Inability to urinate
Your first follow-up visit will be around two weeks after your procedure. At this appointment, your doctor will monitor you for complications, ensure you are able to empty your bladder appropriately, and review improvements in your BPH symptoms.
What Is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
BPH is an age-related enlargement of the prostate gland. BPH is one of the most frequent medical problems in elderly males. In humans, it can result in urinary tract problems, obstruction of the urethra, sexual dysfunction, and blood in the urine. One of the most frequent symptoms is having to get up to use the bathroom multiple times during the night.
BPH results from urogenital aging, although the etiology is not precisely known. Traditional treatment options for men with BPH include medications such as alpha-blockers or surgical interventions. Side effects of treatments may include the inability to ejaculate, retrograde ejaculation , erectile dysfunction, and even loss of bladder control. Some men affected have reported that taking saw palmetto, an herbal supplement, gives them relief but clinical evidence for its effectiveness is not conclusive. Clearly, effective and less invasive treatments for this common disease are needed.
Can Fasting Correct The Imbalance
Intermittent fasting is growing in popularity. A leader in the health benefits of fasting is the USC Longevity Institute under the direction of Dr. Valter Longo. This group conducted a clinical study using a monthly 5-day intermittent fast . One of the study participants, Peter Bowes, is a writer for BBC News . He detailed his personal experience in an article, Intermittent Fasting: The Good Things it did to My Body, .
Bowes reports that eating very little for five days left him feeling more alert, but hungry and often tired. During the fasting days, he lost several pounds and his blood pressure dropped 10%. These effects did not last, however, and before the next round of fasting he regained almost all the weight and his blood pressure returned to its previous state. However, some effects endured. In his words, the most interesting changes were in the levels of a growth hormone known as IGF-1 . High levels of IGF-1, which is a protein produced by the liver, are believed significantly to increase the risks of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer. Low levels of IGF-1 reduce those risks.
How Effective Is Saw Palmetto
Early studies showed that saw palmetto might help reduce BPH symptoms. However, when researchers repeated the studies, they didnt get the same results. Even so, many men continue to use saw palmetto in an attempt to reduce BPH symptoms.
Early studies started with doses of 320 milligrams of saw palmetto every day. Researchers in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association investigated whether doubling and then tripling that dose increased effectiveness. Even at higher doses, saw palmetto remained ineffective. In fact, the study found no difference over placebo. Some evidence suggests that saw palmetto improves nocturia in men, which is a frequent urge to urinate at night, but any noted improvement has been modest.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine , a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, people use saw palmetto to treat a variety of other conditions. Even though there isnt sufficient evidence to show that it works for any of these conditions, people use it to treat:
- alopecia, or hair loss
- prostate cancer
- pelvic pain
Its not just men who use saw palmetto. Some women have tried using it to enlarge their breasts, according to the Mayo Clinic. Scientific evidence hasnt shown it to be effective.
According to the University of Michigan Health Service, people used to think saw palmetto increased sperm production and sex drive in men, but that hasnt been shown to be true.
Remedies For An Enlarged Prostate
Even if you have an enlarged prostate, that does not mean you must live with the symptoms for the rest of your life. Your doctor might advise one of several approaches to coping with BPH, including lifestyle changes, medication changes, and other treatments. The remedies and treatments available will depend on your own health situation and how disruptive the symptoms have become.
Get Sufficient Exercise
Exercise can improve with your overall fitness, as well as benefit your prostate health. Studies have shown a connection between increased physical activity and reduced risk of BPH, with exercise of any type having some degree of benefit.Â
Seated activities, such cycling, can put pressure on the perineum and groin. This can lead to numbness or pinched nerves. To avoid these issues, make sure you utilize a wide seat and engage in a variety of activity types.
You can also try Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles and reduce urine dribbling. To do these exercises, squeeze the muscles that affect urine flow and then release, repeating several times to train the muscles.Â
Slow Down
When you head to the bathroom, make sure you slow down. When you relax your muscles and leave time to account for delayed urine and possible dribbling, you’re much more likely to completely empty your bladder. Urine that remains in the bladder because of an enlarged prostate can lead to urinary tract infections or painful bladder stones.Â
Reduce Caffeine and Alcohol Consumption
What Other Bph Treatments Available
Treatments for BPH usually include one or more medications. For example, tamsulosin, finasteride, and others.
But most urologists are open to using phytotherapy, Ayurveda, and other side therapies. Moreover, they also recommend a few lifestyle changes to recover your prostate health.
Heres a list with some of them :
- Rye-grass pollen: Rye-grass pollen used by millions worldwide, and improves the most concerning urinary symptoms. Most patients report they are not urinating so frequently at night and sleeping better.
- Ganoderma lucidum: Extracts prepared with this fungus inhibit prostate growth. It inhibits 5 alpha-reductase, an important hormone in the progression of BPH and prostate cancer.
- Lycopene: Foods with carotenes, including lycopene, can inhibit the progression of BPH. It is found abundantly in tomatoes and other red-colored fruits.
Other recommendations include performing pelvic floor exercises, known as kegel exercises. They are meant to increase control of your pelvic muscle and help you control urination.
It is vital to eat a healthy and balanced diet based on fruits and vegetables. Do not forget to include cruciferous vegetables in your grocery list, and listen to the recommendations by your doctor.
Causes Of Benign Prostate Enlargement
The exact cause of benign prostate enlargement is unknown, but research suggests that hormones probably play an important role in the conditions development.
Hormones are powerful chemicals that can have a wide range of effects on the cells of the body.
One theory is that as some men get older, the levels of a type of hormone called dihydrotestosterone increases, which may stimulate the growth of the prostate.
Another theory suggests that two hormones, testosterone and oestrogen, play a role. Younger men produce high levels of testosterone and much smaller levels of oestrogen. But as men get older, their levels of testosterone decrease, which means they then have a higher proportion of oestrogen in their body. Its been suggested that the relative increase in oestrogen may stimulate prostate growth.
What Causes Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
The cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia is not well understood; however, it occurs mainly in older men. Benign prostatic hyperplasia does not develop in men whose testicles were removed before puberty. For this reason, some researchers believe factors related to aging and the testicles may cause benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Throughout their lives, men produce testosterone, a male hormone, and small amounts of estrogen, a female hormone. As men age, the amount of active testosterone in their blood decreases, which leaves a higher proportion of estrogen. Scientific studies have suggested that benign prostatic hyperplasia may occur because the higher proportion of estrogen within the prostate increases the activity of substances that promote prostate cell growth.
Another theory focuses on dihydrotestosterone , a male hormone that plays a role in prostate development and growth. Some research has indicated that even with a drop in blood testosterone levels, older men continue to produce and accumulate high levels of DHT in the prostate. This accumulation of DHT may encourage prostate cells to continue to grow. Scientists have noted that men who do not produce DHT do not develop benign prostatic hyperplasia.
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Tips For Coping With An Enlarged Prostate
When a man reaches about age 25, his prostate begins to grow. This natural growth is called benign prostatic hyperplasia and it is the most common cause of prostate enlargement. BPH is a benign condition that does not lead to prostate cancer, though the two problems can coexist.
Although 50% to 60% of men with BPH may never develop any symptoms, others find that BPH can make life miserable. The symptoms of BPH include:
- a hesitant, interrupted, weak urine stream
- urgency, leaking, or dribbling
- a sense of incomplete emptying
- more frequent urination, especially at night.
As a result, many men seek treatment. The good news is that treatments are constantly being improved. Patients and their physicians now have more medications to choose from, so if one doesn’t do the trick, another can be prescribed. And thanks to some refinements, surgical treatments are more effective and have fewer side effects than ever before.
But there are some things men dealing with BPH can do on their own. When symptoms are not particularly bothersome, watchful waiting may be the best way to proceed. This involves regular monitoring to make sure complications aren’t developing, but no treatment. For more troubling symptoms, most doctors begin by recommending a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. Often this will be enough to relieve the worst symptoms and prevent the need for surgery
Does Finasteride Shrink And Heal The Prostate
Finasteride does shrink the prostate and therefore appears to have some benefit. The benefits are most visible for men with prostates larger than 40g, and it offers some symptomatic relief by reducing the size of the prostate.
Studies have shown that the reduction in prostate size is sustained for five years following a course of Finasteride treatment.
They also note that the majority of the benefits and effects of Finasteride on prostate size will be achieved within six months.
For information on natural remedies for an enlarged prostate click here.
How Do You Give A Prostate Massage With Your Fingers
If, after talking through a few specifics, youre still not sure where to start, Brown-James has some techniques. Bring your pointer, middle, and ring fingers together, then push up into , Brown-James explains. Stimulating this area with gentle but firm strokes also stimulates the prostate. Its basically a playground down thereBrown-James recommends techniques like rubbing clockwise for 810 strokes, then going counterclockwise, stroking toward the scrotum or touching the penis while you massage your partners perineum. Even though youve hopefully discussed what youd both like beforehand, you and your partner should talk about what you think you might each like to do and feel and then, if you agree to test things out, try that next, making sure youre each being open about what feels good and what doesnt feel so good in the moment.