What Are The Causes Of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
The exact cause is not known. Enlargement of the prostate gland is a normal process that develops as men get older. Therefore it becomes more common with increasing age. it is thought that changes in the male sex hormones that occur with ageing may be at least part of the cause.
Prostate gland enlargement can be caused by other conditions such as prostate cancer, acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis. See the separate leaflets called Prostate Cancer, Acute Prostatitis and Chronic Prostatitis.
What Is Enlarged Prostate Size
The prostate gland is an important part of the male reproductive systemâ½Â²â¾. Located just under the bladder and in front of the rectum, the gland is responsible for producing fluid that supports sperm, and for providing the muscle power required for ejaculationâ½Â³â¾. The prostate gland is often compared to a walnut, as a typical prostate is roughly the same size and shapeâ½â´â¾ as the proverbial nut.
As men age, their prostate glands continue to grow. For many, this is an unremarkable process. But for others, a growing prostate spells a growing problem.
BPH symptoms affect up to 50 percent of men between the ages of 51 and 60, and up to 90 percent of men over 80 years oldâ½âµâ¾, although some men may feel the effects of an enlarged prostate as early as their 40sâ½â¶â¾.
Not everyone with a prostate will experience symptoms of BPH, but those who do will likely observe a negative impact on quality of life.
What Is The Best Treatment For Enlarged Prostate
The best treatment is the one that works for you, and that will depend on the nature of your BPH and your current health status, as well as other factors, like your access to insurance and your household health budget.
Dr. John F. Fellerâ½Â¹â°â¾ is Chief Medical Officer at HALO Dxâ½Â¹Â¹â¾, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. Dr. Feller is also one of the inventors of a patent-pending surgical procedure to treat prostate cancer in outpatient settings using MRI-guided laser focal therapy.
Dr.Feller stresses the importance of seeking medical care, particularly if youâre experiencing pain or discomfort. â
âSee your doctor rather than suffering the symptoms of this, because between medication, surgery, and emerging focal therapiesâ½Â¹Â²â¾, there are many good options to improve quality of life,âhe says.
âIn addition to pharmaceutical and surgical treatments, there are many natural remedies believed to benefit prostate patients. Although these therapies are generally safe, and have quite a bit of historical and anecdotal support, there is limited clinical evidence to suggest they work.
âThat’s why randomized controlled trials or double blinded studies are so important,”â½Â¹Â²â¾notes Dr. Feller, emphasizing that the best studies test natural supplements against placebos.
With that in mind, here are the most popular natural remedies for an enlarged prostate, or BPH.
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If Youre The Giving Partner
Cleanliness and safety are a must, even for the giver.
Cut and file your nails smooth to help avoid scratching or tearing the delicate skin in and around the anus.
Wash your hands thoroughly, even if youre planning to use a condom over your finger to penetrate your partner. For extra comfort, stuff cotton balls inside the condom or glove.
You can also get the party started in the shower together, which serves as foreplay and gets you both all nice and clean for the big show.
Youll probably need to try a few different moves and experiment with speed and pressure to find what feels best.
Here are some techniques to try, whether youre using fingers or toys.
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How To Add More Legumes And Soybeans To Your Diet
To add more legumes and soybeans to your diet, consider swapping meat for plant protein in at least some meals. This could mean trying Meatless Mondays or moving toward a plant-based diet.
Try making a black bean burger with lots of veggies. Alternatively, homemade hummus made with blended chickpeas makes a delicious dip for vegetables or whole grain bread.
Finally, tofu is an excellent source of soy. Try flavoring tofu with sauces and baking it or browning it on the stove, or adding it to stir-fries.
Summary
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When Should You Call A Doctor For Bph
Urinary symptoms related to enlarging prostate initially affect the quality of life, and if no complications exist, as mentioned above , the decision to treat is optional and is left to the patient. This means that if you don’t feel bothered enough to take a medicine or undergo a procedure for it, you’ll need to follow up with your doctor to ensure the symptoms are stable, and the bladder empties well. This can be assessed by prostate symptom questionnaires and a measure of the strength of the urinary stream and residual urine in the bladder. If complications develop, however, or if the bladder starts holding increasing amounts of residual urine after urination, treatment should be started.
If you experience bladder pain or burning with urination, blood in the urine associated with fever/chills or nausea/vomiting, or if the prostate enlargement condition worsens and symptoms such as blood in the urine or lower back pain are present, consult a doctor immediately. If you cannot reach your doctor when these symptoms are present, seek evaluation at a hospital’s emergency department.
For acute symptoms such as acute urinary retention , you should immediately go to the closest emergency medical facility for bladder drainage, usually with a catheter, which is a tube inserted into the bladder.
Men over 50 years of age should have their prostate checked annually by their physician even if they have no symptoms.
Continue Learning About Enlarged Prostate Prevention
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.
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How To Get Brazil Nuts In Your Diet
While some nuts should not be consumed raw, this is not the case with Brazil nuts. This makes it much easier to get your daily dose of these nuts. With this in mind, the easiest way to add Brazil nuts to your diet is to simply snack on them. Aim to eat about one ounce of Brazil nut as this is considered a single serving.
Alternatively, there are other ways in which Brazil nuts can be added to your diet. One option is to cook with Brazil nut oil. The oil is versatile and can even be added to your favorite salads. Some recipes also use Brazil nuts. In these cases, you will usually chop the nut into smaller pieces. You can also use Brazil nuts as a nutty addition to salads that you prepare.
Best Exercises For Enlarged Prostate
A prostate enlarged from benign prostatic hyperplasia can really affect a mans quality of life and urinary habits.
Lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH can affect your sleep and lifestyle, but you dont have to take this sitting down. In fact, it is best if you dont, as one of the best natural ways to prevent and manage BPH is to get more exercise.
While all exercise is beneficial, studies have found that some types of exercise are better for prostate health and preventing BPH than others. In order to get a better understanding of the relationship between BPH, LUTS, and exercise, researchers from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine analyzed the data from 11 studies that involved a total of 43,083 men.
What they found was that moderate or vigorous exercise significantly reduced a mans risk for BPH and LUTS. The investigators found that compared to a sedentary lifestyle, moderate to vigorous exercise can reduce the risk for BPH or LUTS by up to 25 percent. Exercise also helps general with your prostate health.
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What Juices Are Good For Prostate
You’ll still need to see your doctor for regular prostate cancer screenings, but you can start boosting your prostate health by trying these six foods.
- Tomatoes. Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene.
- Broccoli.
In this manner, what drinks are good for prostate?
Drink tea. Both green tea and hibiscus tea are among the top drinks for prostate health. Both types of tea contain potent antioxidants. Studies show that green tea can help prevent prostate cancer from forming and may also slow the growth of aggressive prostate cancer.
Secondly, is Cranberry Juice Good for the Prostate? Cranberry juice.Urinary tract infections are more common in men with an enlarged prostate gland. Although more research is needed, drinking one or two glasses of cranberry juice a day does seem to ward off urinary tract infections in some individuals.
Similarly, you may ask, what juice is good for enlarged prostate?
Citrus: Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are all high in vitamin C, which may help to protect the prostate gland. Onions and garlic: One study found that men with BPH tended to eat less garlic and onions that men without BPH.
What foods are good for shrinking the prostate?
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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.
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.
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.
Reduce Caffeine and Alcohol Consumption
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Natural Remedies For Enlarged Prostate
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The prostate grows
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that wraps around the urethra, the tube that urine flows out of. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system. One of its main jobs, along with other organs, is to add fluid to semen. This is the fluid that carries sperm.
The prostate gland starts out small and has two main phases of growth. It doubles in size during the teenage years, then continues to grow again after age 25 throughout the rest of a mans life.
An excessively enlarged prostate results in a disease known as benign prostatic hyperplasia . Eventually, an enlarged prostate can clamp down on the urethra and restrict the flow of urine from the bladder. This leads to problems such as:
What About Herbal Supplements
Although some people have reported relief from bothersome BPH symptoms by using herbal supplements such as saw palmetto, beta-sitosterol, pygeum, stinging nettle and rye grass pollen extract, there’s really no evidence to back up their benefit. The same goes for turmeric.
“It’s all hypothetical,” Dr. Maria says.
And supplements bought over-the-counter may even be harmful. “Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so that means that anything goes as far as bringing a product to market,” says Dr. Swenor. “They don’t have to prove what’s in the supplement, and there’s no standardization.”
Some supplements also have medications in them and can interact with other drugs, like blood thinners, adds Dr. Maria.
For these reasons, make sure to talk to your doctor before trying any herbal supplements.
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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 condition’s 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. It’s been suggested that the relative increase in oestrogen may stimulate prostate growth.
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.
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Traditional Treatments For Bph
Until recently, treatments for BPH were limited to medications such as alpha blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors or surgical procedures such as transurethral resection of the prostate . In TURP, a surgical instrument is inserted into the tip of the penis and then used to trim and remove excess prostate tissue.
There are pros and cons to both treatment approaches.
Medications can help relieve symptoms and reduce the size of the prostate. However, the medications can have unpleasant side effects, including chronic stuffy nose, lightheadedness and loss of libido.
In comparison, TURP surgery is better at improving symptoms more quickly. But in some cases, a prostate is too large to be removed through a TURP procedure. TURP also carries a risk of causing new problems such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction or retrograde ejaculation .
The Best Foods For Prostate Health
The prostate gland is an integral part of the male reproductive system. About the size of a walnut, it continues to change and grow during a mans lifetime. Maintaining prostate health should be of maximum importance to all men if they want to lead a long and healthy life.
Lets look at three medical issues that can arise as a result of the prostate gland, and some recommendations for the best foods for prostate health.
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Tweak Your Bathroom Habits
One of the simplest things you can do for the bothersome urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate is change some of your bathroom habits.
Make sure you urinate as soon as you feel the need to go and that you empty your bladder completely each time you go. This will reduce the number of trips you need to make to the bathroom, both day and night.
Michigan Medicine offers the following tips to make it easier to fully empty your bladder when you have BPH:
- Relax as much as possible before you urinate. As we mentioned earlier, anxiety can make it even more difficult to urinate, so try not to worry about your symptoms and consider meditation for a few minutes or doing some deep breathing.
- Don’t rush. Give yourself plenty of time in the bathroom.
- Consider sitting on the toilet instead of standing, to help you relax.
- Turn on a faucet or visualize running water this may help get your urine flowing.
- Read or think of other things while you urinate, to help you stay relaxed.
- Try “double voiding,” when you urinate as much as possible, relax for a few moments, then urinate again.
Additional Types Of Therapy For Prostate Cancer
A few other treatments exist for advanced prostate cancer or prostate cancer that has stopped responding well to other forms of hormone therapy. They are usually taken with one of the therapies discussed above.
Chemotherapy. For cases of very aggressive prostate cancer, or when hormone therapy isnât effective, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy. This class of anti-cancer drug, taken by mouth or injected, fights cancers that have spread beyond the prostate to other parts of your body. The schedule of your treatment will depend on the specific drugs you require, but chemotherapy is typically given in cycles that last two to three weeks. Once you finish a cycle, the next cycle begins. The length of your treatment hinges on how well it works and whether you can cope with the side effects. Chemotherapy drugs are used to help you live longer. They rarely cure prostate cancer, according to the ACS, and can cause unpleasant side effects, including hair loss, nausea, and fatigue.
Immunotherapy. This type of treatment harnesses the power of your immune system to fight cancer. While it has been used successfully in several types of cancer, it hasnt proved as effective in prostate canceryet. Researchers are working to discover the best ways to incorporate immune therapy into prostate cancer care, particularly for men whose cancer no longer responds to hormone treatment. In 2019, more than 100 such studies were underway.
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