Holistic Approach To Prostate Cancer

Featured Patient Testimonial: Dr David Mantik

As a physician speaking to a patient, I have on a number of occasions disclosed to them that I myself had prostate cancer and actually had this procedure and I highly recommend it for the appropriate candidates.

Dr. David Mantik is a radiation oncologist. For more than 40 years, hes specialized in the use of radiation therapy to treat patients with prostate cancer.

However, at the age of 79 when he noticed his PSA score was rising, Dr. Mantik went to see Dr. John Feller. Now in remission, Dr. Mantik shared why he chose laser focal therapy over radiation treatment for his prostate cancer.

How Does Laser Focal Therapy Compare To Other Focal Methods

In comparison to another popular focal treatment methods like high-intensity focused ultrasound , laser focal therapy is not limited to only small glands and has demonstrated much higher levels of accuracy with lower risk of side effects such as, erectile dysfunction.

High intensity focused ultrasound uses ultrasound instead of laser to heat the tissue. To obtain the ablation diameter of the laser used in our approach, HIFU would require > 20 overlapping ablations. What if the patient moves a little and the device misses a spot? When treating cancer, its important to get all of it. The vast majority of HIFU centers use ultrasound guidance , losing the precision of MRI and the important real-time information that MRI thermometry provides in protecting vital structures. Studies show significant urinary and sexual problems after HIFU because important tissues and nerves can be damaged during the procedure.

Laser focal therapy boasts many benefits for patients compared to other treatment methods for prostate cancer. No general anesthesia is required for the therapy, and patients are able to return to work as early as the day after the operation. Additionally, laser focal therapy carries lower risk of side effects compared to other treatment methods such as, impotence, and urinary incontinence. Laser focal therapy also does not rule out the exploration of further treatment options such as surgery or radiation therapy if needed later.

*Results may vary

What Do We Know About Saw Palmetto Berry For Prostate Problems

Several antioxidants and other nutrients have been identified as potentially helpful supplements for conditions of the prostate. Those conditions include benign prostatic hypertrophy , or enlarged prostate. Clinical trials are being conducted to find out more about the benefits of these super nutrients.

In the U.S., men have relied more on the herb saw palmetto than on other natural therapies for relief from enlarged prostate. Men participating in several studies had better results when taking saw palmetto as compared to taking placebo. Saw palmetto hasnt been shown to prevent or treat prostate cancer.

The most common side effect of saw palmetto is mild digestive distress. Saw palmetto also seems to have some health benefits when used with African plum tree bark extract. But researchers caution that not all extracts are the same. Some preparations of these herbs can have different properties. Because herbs and dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there are no guarantees about the quality of natural products.

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Nutrition And Dietary Supplements

Preliminary studies suggest that some nutritional supplements may reduce the symptoms of some prostate cancers, or lower your risk of developing it. Ask your team of health care providers about the best ways to use these therapies in your overall treatment plan. Always tell your health care provider about the herbs and supplements you are using or considering using. DO NOT try to treat prostate cancer with supplements on your own.

Follow these tips to reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer:

• Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits and vegetables .
• Include more cruciferous vegetables in your diet. One preliminary study found men who eat three or more servings a week reduced their chance of getting prostate cancer. Another study found that men who ate 28 or more servings of all kinds of vegetables per week were 35% less likely to develop prostate cancer than men who had fewer than 14 servings per week. These foods also seem to kill cancer cells in test tube studies.
• Eat more fish. Some studies show men who regularly eat fish have a lower risk of prostate cancer than those who do not eat as much fish.
• DO NOT eat foods high in saturated fat. High-fat diets may raise your risk of prostate cancer.
• Stay at a healthy weight, and exercise regularly.

These nutrients may have cancer-fighting properties:

The Role Of The Prostate Gland

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that sits beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum.

The urethra, which is the tube that drains urine from the bladder and passes it out of the body, goes through the center of the prostate gland.

Facts About Prostate Cancer According to American Cancer Society, aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the United States.

It is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind lung cancer. The average risk of a man in the United States developing prostate cancer sometime in his life is 1 in 8.

It is estimated that:

• About 287,850 new cases of invasive prostate cancer will be diagnosed in men.
• The average age of men at diagnosis is about 66.
• About 34,500 men will die from prostate cancer.
• 1 in 41 men will die of prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it.

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Exercise Caution Before Employing Natural Remedies In Lieu Of Medicine Therapy

Coping with prostate disease is never easy. You may find that established treatments are not always particularly effective and you may want to try other more natural methods for prostate cancer, such as herbs and supplements. But you should use them with caution, and always check with your doctor before taking any new type of medication.

An estimated one-third of American men with prostate cancer use at least one form of complementary medicine therapy, including herbs and supplements. Some studies have suggested herbs and supplements might help with prostate cancer treatment and support. But the main concern is that some herbs and supplements can interact with each other, or with your prescribed medications. For example, they may enhance the effects of some medications or negate any benefit.

One of the most common interactions involves herbs like St. John’s wort that affect the liver by acting on cytochrome P450 enzymes, which metabolize drugs.

Other herbs, like saw palmetto, which some men take for benign prostatic hyperplasia and melatonin supplements, which some men take in hopes it will slow the progression of prostate cancer, may increase their risk of bleeding when taken with other drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, anticoagulants, or antiplatelet medications.

Another issue is that it’s not 100% clear if herbs and supplements might protect against prostate cancer or slow its growth. There are also concerns they may even increase your risk.

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Lifestyle And Diet May Stop Or Reverse Prostate Cancer Progression

Peter Carroll, MD —–

Men with early stage prostate cancer who make intensive changes in diet and lifestyle may stop or perhaps even reverse the progression of their illness, according to a new study.

The research is the first randomized, controlled trial showing that lifestyle changes may affect the progression of any type of cancer. Study findings are published in the September issue of the Journal of Urology.

The study was directed by Dean Ornish, MD, clinical professor, and Peter Carroll, MD, chair of the Department of Urology, both of the University of California, San Francisco, and the late William Fair, MD, chief of urologic surgery and chair of urologic oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The research team studied 93 men with biopsy-proven prostate cancer who had elected not to undergo conventional treatment for reasons unrelated to this study. The participants were randomly divided into either a group who were asked to make comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle or a comparison group who were not asked to do so.

None of the lifestyle-change participants had conventional prostate cancer treatments such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy during the study, but six members of the comparison group underwent conventional treatments because their disease progressed. Patients in the lifestyle-change group also reported marked improvements in quality of life.

Maintain A Good Exercise Regime

Dont live a sedentary life. If you happen to have a job working from home or possibly in a cubicle where youre spending inordinate amounts of time sitting, this can result in a myriad of health complications over time.

This kind of immobilized life can be particularly detrimental to your prostate, as it can result in inflammation. With this being the case, its crucial to have some type of exercise regime in place for your life. Here are some exercise ideas pick one that seem the most appealing to you to try out:

• Basketball with friends

The idea is to have some form of regular exercise in your life to offset the amount of time you spend parked at a desk all day. Pick an activity and commit to keeping it as a part of your routine and lifestyle. Your prostate will thank you.

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The Bane Of Civilization

Im not the first person to think this way. That is actually the title of one of my favorite books, a book by Vilhjalmur Stefansson called Cancer: Disease of Civilization? . The idea started some time before Stefansson in a lecture given at a Paris medical society in 1842 by Stanislas Tanchou, a physician and one of Napoleons surgeons. At that time France was a primary center of science and medicine in the world. You have to remember where we were in the world at that time: it was the era of scientific discovery and manifest destiny white people were going to conquer and civilize the world and make it safe for Christianity. Against this political backdrop Tanchou in his lecture claimed he could predict the exact incidence of cancer in all the major European cities over the next fifty years, and it was all dependent on the percentage of grain in their diets.

Tanchous numbers were all recorded and in time they came exactly truea certain cancer percentage for Berlin, a certain percentage for Munich, and so on. The cancer incidence all depended on the amount of cereal grains in the diet. This set off a huge furor around the world since the great mission of the age was to civilize every inch of the globe. Here was somebody in a center of civilization who declared that these people who dont eat grains, who have the more indigenous hunter-gatherer diet, never get cancer.

Grilled Or Fried Meats

The National Cancer Institute in the United States advises against eating meats cooked at high temperatures, typically by grilling or frying.

When a person cooks muscle meat, including beef, pork, and poultry, at high temperatures, the meat may form chemicals that cause changes in DNA, resulting in an increased risk of cancer.

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Active Holistic Surveillance: The Nutritional Aspect Of Delayed Intervention In Prostate Cancer

Aaron E. Katz

Abstract

Purpose. Active surveillance is an emergent strategy for management of indolent prostate cancer. Our institutions watchful waiting protocol, Active Holistic Surveillance , implements close monitoring for disease progression along with various chemopreventive agents and attempts to reduce unnecessary biopsies. Our objective is to report on the treatment rates of men on our AHS protocol as well as determine reasons for progression. Materials/Methods. Low risk and low-intermediate risk patients were enrolled in AHS at Winthrop University Hospital between February 2002 and August 2015. Our IRB-approved study analyzed survival rate, discontinuation rates, and definitive treatments for patients in our AHS cohort. Results. 235 patients met inclusion criteria. Median age and follow-up for the cohort were 66 years and 42 months, respectively. The overall survival for the cohort was 99.6% and the disease specific survival was 100%. A total of 27 patients discontinued AHS.. The incorporation of chemopreventive agents in our AHS protocol has allowed patients to prolong definitive treatment for many years. Longer follow-up and additional studies are necessary to further validate the effectiveness of AHS.

1. Introduction

Diets Role in Prostate Cancer Progression

2. Methods

2.1. Cohort Enrollment

2.2. Holistic Regimen

2.3. Follow-Up

2.4. Statistical Methods

3. Results

4. Discussion

5. Conclusion

Disclosure

Competing Interests

Natural Prostate Cancer Treatment

In 2020 in the U.S., there will be an estimated 1,806,950 new cancer cases and 606,520 cancer deaths. Of these, there will be almost 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer, which is the third most common cancer.

It is estimated that approximately 15.3 per cent of U.S. males will be diagnosed in their lifetime. This is the male equivalent of breast cancer and it is time to raise awareness of the condition and what the alternative treatment options are for prostate cancer.

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Traditional Biopsy Can Miss 30% Or More Of Cancers

More traditional prostate biopsy procedures, like a transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy, take a poke and hope approach poke the prostate multiple times and hope to hit the right area of the gland. With a TRUS biopsy, cores are taken with much less clear views of the prostate which often can lead to missing tumors at the front of the gland and under-sampling the area furthest from the bladder. Because of this, a TRUS biopsy can miss 30% or more of cancers, potentially leading to inaccurate diagnoses.

Active Holistic Surveillance Protocol: Dietary Recommendations

• Elimination of red meat and increased intake of fish or poultry
• Increased intake of fresh vegetables
• 12 tablespoons of ground flaxseed added to oatmeal, cereal, or yogurt daily
• Reduced dairy intake, with the exception of organic yogurt
• Reduced sugar intake
• Soy milk instead of cows milk
• Whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta
• 12 cups of green tea each day
• 1 glass of Pinot Noir red wine with dinner 23 times a week

At baseline, 75% of men had a Gleason score 3+3, 12% had a score of 4+3, and 2.5% had a score of 3+4. A total of 43 had only one positive core on initial biopsy 21% had two positive cores, and the remaining patients ranged from four to nine positive cores. Data on 10% of patients were missing.

Median age was about 65 years for men managed with active holistic surveillance. Median time on active holistic surveillance was 40 months. Overall, 12% of men discontinued active holistic surveillance over the time period .

Our rates of discontinuation are low compared to other publications in the literature for discontinuation of active surveillance. We have shown that active holistic surveillance can be a successful protocol for low-risk and low/intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients and that a holistic approach can be beneficial for patients eligible for active surveillance, Dr. Katz declared.

Additional Comments

Stephen A. Mihalcik, MD, PhD

Disclosure: Ms. Kosinski and Drs. Katz and Mihalcik reported no potential conflicts of interest.

Reference

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How Effective Are The Natural Treatments

As discussed previously, the response to therapy and type of natural regimen varies according to the patient factors, overall health of patient and staging of cancer. It is imperative to mention that dosing and dosing combination also plays a vital role. For example, it is believed that toxic intake of vitamin E can lead to prostate cancer in the men. Similarly the use of soy which contains essential amounts of isoflavones is also effective in the management of prostate cancer but excessive soy can aggravate the risk of other complications.

Based on several studies following combinations and dosing frequencies are usually recommended for the management of prostate cancer.

Benign prostate cancer is usually less of a problem however, once the cancer cells begin to metastasize to other organs or parts of body via new vascular formation active interventions usually becomes inevitable. Various research studies indicates that progression of a benign prostate cancer can be prevented by dietary modification and active supplementation.

Other natural remedies include:

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Holistic Therapy: 6 Natural Treatments To Maintain A Healthy Prostate

Home // News // Holistic Therapy: 6 Natural Treatments to Maintain a Healthy Prostate

According to cancer.org, one in every 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. This makes prostate cancer one of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer. And unfortunately, the standard methods of treatment include the often harmful and life-changing procedures of chemotherapy and radiation.

However, for many patients, this method is often a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Since these treatments often cause more harm than good, many men are looking for more holistic and natural therapy alternatives.

For this reason, we have compiled a list of 6 holistic and natural alternatives to help you maintain a healthy prostate.

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