How To Prevent Prostate Cancer Naturally
Follow these prostate cancer prevention tips:
#1. Follow a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle ideally protects you from various diseases, including prostate cancer.
Hence, smoking and drinking should be avoided as much as one can do!
In fact, smoking is one of the major causes responsible for the widespread menace of cancer.
Hence its ideal to stay away from smoking.
And that is, obviously, independent of the fact whether celibacy can cause prostate cancer or not.
#2. Following a Proper Meal Plan
A healthy diet rich in fruits and veggies and low in refined foods is ideal for a healthy prostate.
It protects as well as promotes the healthy functioning of your gland.
According to experts, you can have a diet plan containing whole grains, fruits, veggies, tomatoes, and yogurt.
#3. Do Not Use Supplements
People usually prefer going for nutrient supplements or for supplements that boost performance.
But such supplements may have a negative impact on your glands increasing the risk of prostate cancer.
Hence, try taking foods rich in specific nutrients instead of supplements.
#4. Using Medicines Right
People often skip the medications or overdo them the wrong way.
Apart from this, it has also been seen that people take medicines without proper consultation.
For example, long usage of aspirin.
Such practices harm your glands.
#5. Have More Sex and Masturbate Less
Ejaculatory frequency has a controversial link with reducing the risk of prostate cancer.
What Causes An Enlarged Prostate
We still dont really know all the things that cause the prostate to grow. But we do know about two risk factors that can increase your risk of having an enlarged prostate.
Age
Your risk of having an enlarged prostate increases as you get older. Many men aged 50 or over have an enlarged prostate, but they dont all get symptoms. And some men have symptoms that don’t bother them.
Hormone levels
The balance of hormones in your body changes as you get older. This may cause your prostate to grow.
Other factors
Some studies show that obese men and men who have diabetes may be more likely to develop an enlarged prostate. Regular exercise may help to reduce your risk of urinary symptoms. But we still need more studies into the causes of enlarged prostate to know for certain if, and how, we can prevent it.
There is also some research that suggests you may be more at risk of developing an enlarged prostate if your father or brother has one. Again, further studies are needed to confirm this.
How Is Bph Diagnosed
After evaluating your medical history and giving you a complete physical, your doctor will perform a digital rectal examination.
Because the prostate gland is in front of the rectum, the doctor can feel if the back of the gland has any abnormalities during this examination. This enables the doctor to estimate the size of the prostate and to detect any hard areas that could be cancer.
Several studies may be done to help diagnose your condition:
- A urine test called a urinalysis
- A seven-question BPH Symptom Score Index survey to evaluate the severity of your symptoms
- A flow study to see if the urine stream is slow compared with normal flow
- A study to detect how much urine is left in the bladder after urination
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What Is Your Prostate And What Does It Do
Your prostate is a small gland that lives inside your body, just below your bladder. It sits around the urethra, which is the tube that carries pee from your bladder through your penis. Only men have a prostate.
Your prostate produces some of the fluids contained in your semen, the liquid that transports sperm. This liquid contains special enzymes and hormones that help your sperm cells function properly, which means the prostate plays a key part in your fertility. The muscles in your prostate also help push semen through your urethra when you ejaculate.
How Is Prostate Cancer Treated
Treatment options for prostate cancer include:
- Surgery to remove the prostate .
- High intensity focused ultrasound .
- Cryotherapy .
- Hormone treatment, also called androgen suppression therapy.
- Chemotherapy.
You may continue to have PSA level tests during and after prostate cancer treatment. These tests check that the treatment is working.
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Three Stages Of An Enlarged Prostate
It is difficult to tell how many men actually have an enlarged prostate since most men do not have any noticeable symptoms. It is believed there are three stages.
The first is known as the microscopic stage where small areas of the prostate are enlarged but can only be seen through a microscope. Symptoms are rare at this stage, and only one in four men will ever develop symptoms.
The macroscopic stage shows larger areas under a microscope, and can be felt by McIver Clinic during a rectal exam.
The symptomatic stage is noted by changes in urinary habits. There is decreased blood flow to the prostate and there can be additional symptoms related to inflammation of the prostate, an infection, or even prostate cancer.
What Is The Prostate
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that rests just below the bladder. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. The prostate plays a critical role in the male reproductive system by helping to nourish sperm and direct it from the testicles when a man ejaculates.
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What Is An Enlarged Prostate
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the official medical term used to describe an enlarged prostate. An enlarged prostate occurs when the prostate gland, a gland that produces seminal fluid located around the urethra, grows larger than its regular size, which is about the same as a walnut.
While the exact causes of BPH are unknown, medical professionals know that its linked to aging. In other words, the older you get, the more likely you are to have an enlarged prostate. Other risk factors include:
- Family history of BPH
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
In addition to the above factors, scientists believe BPH may also be linked to rising testosterone levels and changes at the cellular level in the testicles. The condition isnt cancerous, nor does it increase your chances of getting prostate cancer, but it can cause uncomfortable symptoms.
What Medications Are Used To In The Treatment Of Bph
Several types of medications have been approved for treatment of urinary symptoms secondary to prostate enlargement. Men with severe symptoms may require treatment with a combination of these medications. Your doctor will determine the optimal combination for your condition:
Alpha-blockers, such as terazosin , prazosin , or doxazosin , relax the muscles in the prostate and thus may relieve symptoms. Newer alpha-blockers, such as tamsulosin , alfuzosin , and silodosin, are more commonly prescribed because they may have fewer side effects.
Finasteride or dutasteride can cause the prostate to shrink. As a result, the urinary symptoms may improve. These drugs are most helpful in men who have at least moderate enlargement of the prostate.
Tadalafil has recently been approved for the treatment of BPH.
Bladder calming medications that help with the symptoms related to bladder irritability from prostate blockage: oxybutynin , solifenacin , darifenacin , trospium , and mirabegron .
Once your doctor has given you a medical plan, you should stick to it and follow up as recommended. Sometimes men need follow-up with a urologist.
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Tests Used To Check The Prostate
This first step lets your doctor hear and understand the “story” of your prostate concerns. You’ll be asked whether you have symptoms, how long you’ve had them, and how much they affect your lifestyle. Your personal medical history also includes any risk factors, pain, fever, or trouble passing urine. You may be asked to give a urine sample for testing.
Risk Factors For Prostate Cancer
Some risk factors have been linked to prostate cancer. A risk factor is something that can raise your chance of developing a disease. Having one or more risk factors doesn’t mean that you will get prostate cancer. It just means that your risk of the disease is greater.
- Age. Men who are 50 or older have a higher risk of prostate cancer.
- Race. African-American men have the highest risk of prostate cancerâthe disease tends to start at younger ages and grows faster than in men of other races. After African-American men, prostate cancer is most common among white men, followed by Hispanic and Native American men. Asian-American men have the lowest rates of prostate cancer.
- Family history. Men whose fathers or brothers have had prostate cancer have a 2 to 3 times higher risk of prostate cancer than men who do not have a family history of the disease. A man who has 3 immediate family members with prostate cancer has about 10 times the risk of a man who does not have a family history of prostate cancer. The younger a man’s relatives are when they have prostate cancer, the greater his risk for developing the disease. Prostate cancer risk also appears to be slightly higher for men from families with a history of breast cancer.
- Diet. The risk of prostate cancer may be higher for men who eat high-fat diets.
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Enlarged Prostate Doesnt Just Affect Your Bladder
According to research, as many as half of the men aged 51 to 60 will develop BPH or benign prostatic hyperplasia. An enlarged prostate. The good news about BPH lies in that one little, yet the uber-important word benign. To have an enlarged prostate doesnt indicate that you have prostate cancer, or that your risk for cancer is substantially higher. It can mean that you have to face a few unpleasant symptoms, though.
The most common symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia revolve around urination. Because your prostate gland is adjacent to the bladder, its enlargement can cause the blockage. This may result in frequent urination, difficulty starting urination, a sensation of fullness after urination, dribbling, and weak urine flow. These are the symptoms that most men have been told or experienced for themselves. But theres more. BPH can also affect your sex life. Heres how:
- Reduced sex drive and sexual satisfaction. This is related to the loss of sleep that stems from having to urinate frequently through the night more than it does any other aspect of BPH. Additionally, when the bladder feels uncomfortably full due to pressure from the blockage, anxiety may coincide with sex, diminishing the overall experience.
Talking With Your Doctor
Different kinds of doctors and other health care professionals manage prostate health. They can help you find the best care, answer your questions, and address your concerns. These health care professionals include:
- Family doctors and internists
- Physician assistants and nurse practitioners
- Urologists, who are experts in diseases of the urinary tract system and the male reproductive system
- Urologic oncologists, who are experts in treating cancers of the urinary system and the male reproductive system
- Radiation oncologists, who use radiation therapy to treat cancer
- Medical oncologists, who treat cancer with medications such as hormone treatments and chemotherapy
- Pathologists, who identify diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope
View these professionals as your partnersâexpert advisors and helpers in your health care. Talking openly with your doctors can help you learn more about your prostate changes and the tests to expect.
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Can Prostatitis And Bph Be Cured
The prognosis for BPH for most patients that undergo treatment is good to fair, depending upon how well patients respond. BPH that requires surgery may result in complications such as erectile dysfunction. The prognosis for patients with more severe BPH symptoms that require surgery and medication for symptom relief is fair. There is no cure for BPH.
Most men with prostatitis may have significant symptom relief, and most men can be cured with long-term appropriate antibiotic treatments. The prognosis for prostatitis ranges from good to fair because some patients have a tendency to have recurrent bouts of the condition.
Who Should Have Regular Screening Tests For High Psa
The PSA test was first developed to observe prostate changes in men who had a history of prostate cancer. Then it became more widely used in the general population as a way to detect and prevent prostate cancer before symptoms developed. But routine screening can find prostate cancers that grow slowly and do not need treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if you should have regular PSA tests.
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What Causes An Elevated Psa Level
Prostate cancer is the main cause of an elevated PSA level. But PSA levels increase with age and can reflect different prostate conditions. Other factors that may raise a persons PSA level include:
- Prostate enlargement and inflammation .
- Urinary tract infection.
- Urinary catheter placement.
Your healthcare provider will also consider whether your medications affect PSA levels. For example, 5-alpha reductase blockers treat enlarged prostates and will lower PSA levels.
Normally The Prostate Gland Is About The Size Of A Walnut Its Attached To The Base Of The Bladder The Urethra Which Is The Tube That Carries Urine Out Of The Body Goes Right Through The Prostate Gland
Normally, the prostate gland is about the size of a walnut. Its attached to the base of the bladder. The urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body, goes right through the prostate gland.
In most men, the prostate gland slowly grows with time. This type of growth is not cancer. Its benign, meaning it is not life-threatening. The medical name for this condition is benign prostatic hyperplasia . Hyperplasia means tissue growth. More than half of men over age 60 have signs of BPH, and about 90% of men over age 70 have this condition.
Many men have an enlarged prostate and dont know it, but sometimes the swelling causes problems. Because the prostate wraps around the urethra, as it grows, it can close like a fist, squeezing the urethra. This typically causes the bladder to fill up too much, while at the same time making it harder to empty the bladder fully. The most common consequence is frequent waking during the night to pee.
That may sound like a minor problem, but its not. The frequent waking interrupts sleep, and as a nation, were sleep-deprived enough as it is. Sleep is one of the most important ingredients of a persons overall health, so its important to treat BPH if its causing a problem.
The simplest thing to try is limiting your intake of liquidsparticularly alcoholic liquidsnear bedtime. Alcohol stimulates urination and, of course, the extra liquid adds to the load of urine in your bladder.
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What Does A Mushy Prostate Mean
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When Prostate Cancer Symptoms Are Not Related To Voiding
Only when prostate cancer metastasizes to the bones and other organs do secondary and systemic symptoms of bone pain, weight loss and fatigue develop.
It is important to remember that the majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will die with itnot from it.
Yet early detection and appropriate management will help to achieve the best outcome and quality of life for each individual.
If you are a man of African descent or have a family history of prostate cancer, you should discuss with your physician about the option of screening starting at age 40, explains Dr. Lutz.
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How Can Treatment Affect The Risk Of Prostate Cancer
While BHP is not prostate cancer, the 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can reduce a mans risk over time of developing prostate cancer by about 25%. There are two benefits to this: First, it makes prostate cancer easier to detect, and second, it prevents the treatments down the road that cause side effects. These hormonal agents are not as effective on more aggressive prostate cancers, and have not been shown to save lives due to prostate cancer. As always, its important to discuss the risks and benefits of these medicines with your doctor.
That said, symptoms are symptoms, and no matter whats most likely to be causing them, you should get them checked out by a doctor.
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The prostate uses male hormones called androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone , to trigger and maintain male sex characteristics and reproduction. Normally,…
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How Is Bph Treated
In some cases, in particular where symptoms are mild, BPH requires no treatment. At the opposite extreme, some men require immediate intervention if they cannot urinate at all or if kidney/bladder damage has occurred. When treatment is necessary, many men will simply require daily medication. If this fails to completely treat the symptoms, or if there are signs of damage from BPH, the doctor may recommend minimally invasive endoscopic surgery . Or, in some cases, traditional surgery may be recommended.
- Drug treatment: The FDA has approved several drugs to relieve common symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, including drugs that inhibit the production of the hormone DHT and drugs that relax the smooth muscle of the prostate and bladder neck to improve urine flow.
For surgery, there are many procedures to choose from, and the choice depends largely on your specific prostate anatomy, and surgeon preference and training. These procedures all have a common goal of widening the urethral channel as it passes through the prostate. Procedures include the following:
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