Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH for short), is a common condition in men characterized by frequent day and night-time urination, increased urgency to urinate, straining to urinate, and a feeling the bladder hasn’t completely emptied. Sound familiar? BPH often shows up in middle age, with half of all men between the ages of 40 to 60 affected. However BPH can begin in the late 20s, however, generally younger men tend to get prostatitis, an infection of the prostate, with burning or painful urination, low back pain and fever. See your doctor.
The walnut-sized prostate’s job is to secrete a nutrient-rich fluid to enhance sperm mobility and viability. It also produces a fluid called prostatic fluid, which guards a man’s urinary system and genitals from infection. BPH is one of the most common conditions seen by an Urologist. Conventional treatments include drug therapy and then maybe surgery. If you suspect you have BPH get it checked out, self-diagnosis or hoping the problem will go away if ignored is not a good idea.
What are some of the alternatives to drugs?
The goal when preventing or treating BHP naturally is to correct contributing nutritional factors and to enhance restorative factors. It is very important to get enough water, aim for 4 large glasses a day as a minimum, 8 would be better. Decrease or give up coffee. Coffee seems to exacerbate BPH symptoms. Avoiding alcohol especially beer lowers your risk of developing BPH. Knowing which fats to eat and which to minimize is very important in controlling BPH. Some prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds) are vital for proper prostate function. Unfortunately most people’s diets are low in essential fatty acids (EFA), the building blocks of these necessary prostaglandins. EFA are not called ‘essential’ for nothing. EFAs are found in raw nuts and seeds, a particularly good source for the prostate are walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Minimize the fats that encourage BPH, such as processed vegetable oils, vegetable shortening and margarine. Instead stick to the oils that are cold pressed such as ‘extra virginal olive oil’ for salads, and ‘coconut oil’ for cooking.
Zinc is extremely important. This mineral is more concentrated in the prostate than in any other tissue. Zinc works by inhibiting 5-alpha reductase (5-AR) an enzyme that naturally increases with age and is responsible for converting testosterone to the more powerful dihydrotestosterone (DHT) – a male hormone concentrated in the prostate. The net effect of enough zinc is the decrease of DHT and thus prostate size. A good source of zinc is green pumpkin seeds.
Well publicized, the herb Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), plays a significant role in BPH prevention and treatment. Saw palmetto is a small palm tree that produces purple red fruit the size of olives. The taste has been described as ‘soapy’ (can be taken in capsules), and the scent as nutty. The berries contain saponins (responsible for that soapy taste) essential oil, enzymes, tannins and resins. Like zinc, saw palmetto also blocks the 5-AR and hence DHT formation. Men who take saw palmetto for BPH usually notice a difference after 4 to 6 weeks, not quick in its action and some have found that it took longer. Studies seem to show that it is quite safe for long-term use, if taking normal doses.
Zinc levels have been found to be lower when cadmium levels are higher than normal. Cadmium is a toxic, heavy metal and cigarette smoke has very high levels. To protect yourself you need to give up smoking or cut right down or failing that you need to increase your levels of selenium. Whole grains and plenty of onions are a good source of selenium, failing that take selenium supplements.
A major clinical study was published in the journal, The Prostate. This large multi-center study involving dozens of researchers from France, Scotland, England, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland and the United States, compared saw palmetto extract with the drug Finasteride found both treatments relieved symptoms. However, saw palmetto had a very slight edge over the drug due to its lack of side-effects. It is worth bearing in mind prevention is always better than treatment.
In a nut shell
Drink that water, reduce your coffee and cigarettes or better still give up, eat plenty of whole grains, raw nuts, raw seeds, fruit, vegetables and avoid processed oils. Make sure you have enough zinc in your diet and take some saw palmetto.