How Do You Know When Prostatitis Is Cured

Help With Your Symptoms

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen or naproxen, may help with pain or discomfort. Ask your doctor if you can take these.

Warm baths may relieve some of your perineal and lower back pain.

Avoid substances that irritate the bladder, such as alcohol, caffeinated beverages, citrus juices, and acidic or spicy foods.

Drink plenty of fluids, 64 or more ounces per day, if your doctor says this is OK. This helps flush bacteria from the bladder. It can also help prevent constipation.

To reduce discomfort with bowel movements, you may also:

• Get some exercise every day. Start slowly and build up at least 30 minutes a day.

What Natural Or Home Remedies Relieve Pain Symptoms And Treat Prostatitis

In addition to medical treatment, natural home remedies for prostatitis include:

• Warm sitz baths
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods.
• Prostate massage: In a few studies, prostate massage has been shown to decrease symptoms in some patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.
• Lifestyle changes: If you cycle or ride horses, it is recommended to suspend this activity until you improve.
• Although there are many herbal preparations available, there is no current evidence that herbal remedies are definitely helpful with prostatitis.
• Acupuncture has shown a decrease in symptoms for some people who suffer from prostatitis.

How Is Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Managed Or Treated

Prostatitis treatments vary depending on the cause and type. Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis doesnt require treatment.

For chronic pelvic pain syndrome , your healthcare provider may use a system called UPOINT to classify symptoms into six categories. Your provider uses multiple treatments at the same time to treat only the symptoms youre experiencing.

Approximately 80% of men with CPPS improve with the UPOINT system. The system focuses on these symptoms and treatments:

• Urinary: Medications, such as tamsulosin and alfuzosin , relax muscles around the prostate and bladder to improve urine flow.
• Psychosocial: Stress management can help. Some men benefit from counseling or medications for anxiety, depression and catastrophizing .
• Organ: Quercetin and bee pollen supplements may relieve a swollen, inflamed prostate gland.
• Infection:Antibiotics kill infection-causing bacteria.
• Neurologic: Prescription pain medicines, such as amitriptyline and gabapentin , relieve neurogenic pain. This pain can include fibromyalgia or pain that extends into the legs, arms or back.
• Tenderness: Pelvic floor physical therapy may include myofascial release . This therapy can reduce or eliminate muscle spasms.

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Ways To Relieve Prostatitis Symptoms

By Christine Ruggeri, CHHC

• Precautions

If youre like many adult men, youve thought about your prostate health at some point in your life. Its an important issue because 90 percent of men experience some kind of problem with their prostate by the time they are 70 years old. And one of these problems is prostatitis.

Prostatitis is a common condition that involves inflammation or an infection of the prostate gland. Its estimated that prostatitis symptoms affect 35 to 50 percent of men during their lifetime. And unlike an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer, which commonly affect older men, prostatitis affects men of all ages, especially those between the ages of 20 and 40.

The severity of symptoms vary, but most men with prostatitis suffer from painful urination pain in the pelvic area, groin and lower back flu-like symptoms and issues during intercourse, such as painful ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Thankfully, there are natural and safe ways to relieve prostatitis symptoms that will help you to feel like yourself again.

Natural Ways To Relieve Prostatitis Symptoms

1. Take Quercetin

Quercetin is a type of flavonoid antioxidant that helps to reduce inflammation and pain associated with nonbacterial prostatitis. Research suggests that quercetin can be helpful for men with bladder or prostate symptoms and pelvic floor pain or spasms.

In one study, 500 milligrams of quercetin was administered twice a day for four weeks. Patients with chronic prostatitis showed significant improvement and reduced inflammation over the placebo group.

2. Try Bee Pollen

Studies show that bee pollen may be effective in prostatic conditions because of its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-androgen effects. In fact, the efficacy of bee pollen has been compared to anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen and indomethacin. According to research published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, clinicians confirm that, in nonbacterial prostate inflammations, pollen improves the condition of patients by effectively removing the pain.

The most common way to use bee pollen is to mix ground pollen with foods, like cottage cheese, yogurt, juices or smoothies. To reduce inflammation and boost your prostate health, I suggest taking 1 teaspoon of ground pollen three times a day.

3. Take Saw Palmetto

You can find saw palmetto capsules in most health food stores. Make sure the product label indicates that the contents are standardized and contain 85 to 95 percent fatty acids and sterols.

4. Avoid Inflammatory Foods

5. Eat Healing Foods

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What Kind Of Treatment Will I Need

There are many ways to treat prostate cancer. The main kinds of treatment are observation, active surveillance, surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemo. Sometimes more than one kind of treatment is used.

The treatment thats best for you will depend on:

• Your age
• Any other health problems you might have
• The stage and grade of the cancer
• Your feelings about the need to treat the cancer
• The chance that treatment will cure the cancer or help in some way
• Your feelings about the side effects that might come with treatment

How Do You Treat Prostatitis

There are many different methods for treating prostatitis. Generally, there is no best cure because the conditions of individuals are different. Its up to you, the patient, to decide what works best for you. Patients usually have to suffer from the annoying symptoms of prostatitis for years before they can get a radical cure. Some patients with chronic prostatitis may even live with it for decades. How do you treat prostatitis? Is you method efficient in prostatitis?

In USA, patients with prostatitis are usually prescribed antibiotics by their doctors for this medicine have the properties of antibiosis and anti-inflammation. Its effective on prostatitis that is caused by bacteria. That is to say, its useless for patients with non-bacterial prostatitis. This is a reason why many non-bacterial prostatitis cant have be cured completely. Moreover, the causes of non-bacterial prostatitis are not exactly clear is another reason for the difficulty in treating.

Sometimes doctors will recommend surgery or other high tech methods to heal prostatitis. However, the track record of these methods in prostatitis is poor, because the pain often persists and it will increase the risk of a new infection.

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Q& A

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What Research Is Being Done

Researchers are trying to find out more about prostatitis so that they can develop better treatments.

Theyre looking into the causes of CPPS and why it affects men differently. This includes looking at the genes involved. A better understanding of the causes will mean that, in the future, treatments can be tailored to suit each man.

Theyre also looking into different treatments. These include a number of medicines, botox, surgery, and using small electrical currents to reduce pain.

Another area of research is looking at ways to help men live with CPPS, such as cognitive behavioural therapy , and ways men can take more control themselves such as with diet and supplements.

At the moment, most of the research is happening in other countries, but if youre interested in taking part in a clinical trial, mention this to your doctor. There might be trials you can join in the future.

What Are Clinical Trials And Are They Right For You

Clinical trials are part of clinical research and at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. Researchers also use clinical trials to look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses. Find out if clinical trials are right for you.

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What If My Prostatitis Is Not Caused By Infection

Because we do not understand what causes prostatitis without infection, it can be hard to treat. Your doctor might try an antibiotic to treat a hidden infection. Other treatments are aimed at making you feel better. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, and hot soaking baths may help you feel better. Some men get better by taking medicines that help the way the bladder or prostate gland work. These medicines include oxybutynin, doxazosin, prazosin, tamsulosin and terazosin.

How Will Your Doctor Diagnose A Prostate Infection

A prostate infection diagnosis is based on your medical history, a physical exam, and medical tests. Your doctor can also rule out other serious conditions such as prostate cancer during the exam. During a physical exam, your doctor will conduct a digital rectal exam to test your prostate and will look for:

• discharge
• enlarged or tender lymph nodes in the groin
• swollen or tender scrotum

Your doctor may also ask about your symptoms, recent UTIs, and medications or supplements youre taking. Other medical tests that can help your diagnosis and treatment plan include:

• urinalysis or semen analysis, to look for infections
• a prostate biopsy or a blood test for prostate-specific antigen
• urodynamic tests, to see how your bladder and urethra store urine
• cystoscopy, to look inside the urethra and bladder for blockage

Your doctor may also order an ultrasound to get a closer look. The cause will help determine the correct course of treatment.

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Who Is More Likely To Develop Prostatitis

The factors that affect a mans chances of developing prostatitis differ depending on the type.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Men with nerve damage in the lower urinary tract due to surgery or trauma may be more likely to develop chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Psychological stress may also increase a mans chances of developing the condition.

Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis. Men with lower UTIs may be more likely to develop bacterial prostatitis. UTIs that recur or are difficult to treat may lead to chronic bacterial prostatitis.

How Common Is Prostatitis

Prostatitis is the most common urinary tract problem for men younger than age 50 and the third most common urinary tract problem for men older than age 50.1 Prostatitis accounts for about two million visits to health care providers in the United States each year.2

Chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome is

• the most common and least understood form of prostatitis.
• can occur in men of any age group.
• affects 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. male population.3

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Chronic Prostatitis/chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome produces similar symptoms to the bacterial form of the condition, but its causes are unknown. It was previously called chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.

CP/CPPS is the more common type of chronic prostatitis. According to a 2016 study, CP/CPPS cases make up at least 90 percent of chronic prostatitis cases.

The symptoms of both the bacterial form of chronic prostatitis and CP/CPPS are very similar. They usually start out mild and build in intensity over time.

Symptoms include:

Musculoskeletal pain and constipation are also possible.

Seek medical attention if you have any of these symptoms. Your doctor can rule out serious conditions or help you get started on an appropriate therapy, if necessary.

Both types of chronic prostatitis have multiple possible causes.

Questions To Ask The Doctor

• What treatment do you think is best for me?
• Whats the goal of this treatment? Do you think it could cure the cancer?
• Will treatment include surgery? If so, who will do the surgery?
• What will the surgery be like?
• Will I need other types of treatment, too?
• Whats the goal of these treatments?
• What side effects could I have from these treatments?
• What can I do about side effects that I might have?
• Is there a clinical trial that might be right for me?
• What about special vitamins or diets that friends tell me about? How will I know if they are safe?
• How soon do I need to start treatment?
• What should I do to be ready for treatment?
• Is there anything I can do to help the treatment work better?
• Whats the next step?

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How Is Prostatitis Treated

The treatment is based on the cause. Your doctor may do a rectal exam and test urine samples to find out the cause.

An antibiotic is used to treat prostatitis that is caused by an infection. Some antibiotics that might be used are trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxin. You might have to take antibiotics for several weeks or even a few months. If prostatitis is severe, you might have to go to a hospital for treatment with fluids and antibiotics.

Top Supplements For Prostatitis

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When To Seek Medical Care For Prostate Infections

Contact a doctor for any of the following symptoms. These symptoms are even more significant if accompanied with high fever and chills:

• Urinary burning or pain
• Difficulty or pain when starting urination
• Pain in the genital area
• Pain with ejaculation

Doctors usually diagnose and treat prostate infections on an outpatient basis. If a person develops high fever with chills or a new onset of difficulty in urinating, seek medical care immediately or go to a hospital’s emergency department because the infection may be spreading to other areas of the body.

Nitric Oxide And Blood Flow

The blood vessels in the prostate are the smallest and most delicate in the body.

Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to relax so they can receive oxygenated blood. The popular erectile dysfunction drugs Cialis and Viagra work because they flood NO into the prostate region . 15

NO is anti-pathogenic, but unfortunately, infection reduces BH4, a chemical the body needs to make NO. 16 In addition, fungal pathogens cause an uptick in the production of uric acid in the body, and high levels of uric acid also prevent the synthesis of NO. 17

So, in essence, an infected prostate loses the ability to receive NO because the body uses BH4 to fight off the invaders, rather than to synthesize NO. The uric acid mediated disruption of NOS can come from the activity of the fungal pathogen OR it can be the result of a diet too high in animal protein and sugar, as well as the result of certain genetic mutations. Its likely all three factors combine to form the serum uric acid levels of any given individual.

Therefore, lingering infection means lower NO bioavailability, reduced blood flow, and greater risk for infection, or greater risk for lingering infection to better protect itself with production of biofilm. 18 Reduced BH4 also results in a process known as NOS uncoupling, which produces the free radical superoxide instead of NO.

For more on the genetics of NO production, see our NOS3 gene page.

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What Is A Prostate Infection

A prostate infection occurs when your prostate and the surrounding area become inflamed. The prostate is about the size of a walnut. Its located between the bladder and the base of the penis. The tube that moves urine from the bladder to the penis runs through the center of your prostate. The urethra also moves semen from the sex glands to the penis.

Several types of infections can affect the prostate. Some men with prostatitis experience no symptoms at all, while others report many, including intense pain.

Eating Diet And Nutrition

Researchers have not found that eating, diet, and nutrition play a role in causing or preventing prostatitis. During treatment of bacterial prostatitis, urologists may recommend increasing intake of liquids and avoiding or reducing intake of substances that irritate the bladder. Men should talk with a health care provider or dietitian about what diet is right for them.

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What Are The Complications Of Prostatitis

Men with acute bacterial prostatitis may develop . This widespread inflammation can be life-threatening. It requires immediate medical treatment.

Antibiotics can cause an upset stomach. Men with chronic bacterial prostatitis may need lots of antibiotics to treat recurring infections. Some people develop antibiotic resistance, making treatment ineffective.

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis can lower sperm count, affecting fertility.

The Role Of Leaky Gut

In addition to the retention of urine, the prostate can become infected due to a break down in the intestinal lining, sometimes called leaky gut.

Leaky gut is characterized by bacteria, toxins, and even undigested food, which are all meant to stay within the digestive system, leaking out into the blood stream where these invaders have the potential to cause autoimmune like reactions in some people.11

For example, men who give up gluten sometimes find that their prostate issues go away.

Presumably, this happens because gluten increases the production of zonulin, a protein that is responsible for breaking down the intracellular tight junctions that form the gut wall. 12 Removing gluten reduces levels of zonulin, which allows the gut to heal, stopping the release of irritants that had previously reached the blood stream where they can cause autoimmune reactions.

As a practical matter, this will overlap with the anti-fungal protocol above, but stop eating gluten for a month and see if the condition improves. There are multiple anecdotal stories online about men healing prostate issues by cutting out gluten.

The point here is that a low-grade infection of the prostate can come from places you may not expect, including the gut.

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