Prostate Problems

Our Pages

ABOUT
- Herbal Medicine
- The Clinic
- Richard Whelan

HERBS
- Alphabetically

CONDITIONS TREATED
- By Group
- Alphabetical

CLINIC INFORMATION
- Clinic Hours
- Clinic Location

CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE
- Ancient wisdom in the modern world



 

Finding a good herbalist
As you probably already know, the diagnosis and treatment of prostate problems present complex and often conflicting viewpoints. Much of what's written in this article is entirely suitable for a person to work through themselves but, especially if things are quite bad, or you just know that you need further help, then there may be a great deal of benefit to you to go to whatever lengths necessary to find a good herbalist to guide you on to a safe and strong treatment program. There's a short write-up to suggest how you might go about finding such a person here

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Benign prostatic hypertrophy

A great many men suffer from the symptoms of an enlarged prostate in some form or another. Ageing eventually imposes a number of indignities on the flesh and, for men, it is a statistical guarantee that, if he lives long enough, his prostate will eventually swell to a point that he starts noticing its affects!

Information about the science and symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) are readily available from numerous sources, this article aims to identify several common factors that cause or worsen BPH and describe some safe, practical steps to help.

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Metabolic syndrome

Top of the list for what brings about a premature problem in the prostate is something called the 'metabolic syndrome'. In a nutshell, this is a very common, genetically inherited tendency to over-produce the hormone insulin in response to excess carbohydrates in the diet.

There is a well proven cause-and-effect connection between high insulin levels and an escalation of other male hormones that directly contribute to both BPH and, potentially, prostate cancer.

If, along with whatever urinary symptoms might be happening, you have any of the following:

a) a tendency to a round belly, i.e. the 'apple' shape
b) high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol
c) a diet high in carbohydrates i.e. bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc.

then consider the possibility that you have the metabolic syndrome and that this may be the key driver for your prostate problems. This problem is entirely treatable if you are ready to make some lasting changes in your diet, more here


common signs of the metabolic syndrome

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Zinc deficiency

Research has shown that people with BPH have a much higher likelihood of being deficient in zinc. For example, in a 2011 study put out by the Indian Journal of Urology, 83% of the men with prostate cancer had lower than normal levels of zinc and 61% of the men with BPH had lower than normal levels -- the full study may be found here if you copy it into your browser http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114577/

You don't need a lot of zinc to correct a deficiency and the old folk-remedy for prostate problems of eating plenty of pumpkin seeds may well have helped because of the especially high zinc levels in this food.

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Herbs for BPH

If the zinc levels are ok and there is no issue with the metabolic syndrome, then the prostate may simply be enlarging as a part of the normal ageing process. In this case, there are certain herbs that have been well-proven to reduce symptoms of night-time wakening, difficulty controlling or stopping urine flow etc. Ideally, you would get these herbs from a herbalist or other reputable supplier.

Nettles

One of the best herbs for a man with urinary problems related to an enlarged prostate is Nettles. The root, seeds and leaves are all potentially beneficial and, given the certainty of it being a safe herb to take, there is much to be said for a 'try and see' approach, although at least a few weeks may be necessary to start seeing obvious improvements, more about Nettles here

Corn silk

The regular use of Corn silk in a tea or a tincture is famous for helping to soothe inflamed tissues anywhere in the genito-urinary tract and it has been used for prostatitis and difficulty with urination for thousands of years. Highly recommended, more here


Golden Rod

If taken over a reasonable time frame, Golden Rod has been seen to have a tonic and restorative action for men with prostate problems. Golden Rod is a deep-acting herb that has been used for diverse conditions in traditional medicine where an increase in cleansing is required. Think of it less as a remedy for the prostate and more as a cleansing agent that can help the genito-urinary system as a whole, more here

Juniper

I recommend Juniper as a herb that may help the whole man with prostate enlargement or inflammation. In many ways, Juniper berry is our most important 'kidney' herb and any man who has experienced the symptoms of an enlarged prostate will understand the value in better flushing out their urinary system. Juniper starts working quickly and, if taken in adequate dosages, should be soon be felt to be helping a better urinary flow, more here


Urtica dioica (Nettles)

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Prostate cancer

Everything discussed above may improve the symptoms and general outlook for prostate cancer but now, of course, we are dealing with a much more worrying prospective and all options, including serious medical interventions, need to be considered.

That said, if this is you, then I'm sure you already know that many prostate cancers are extremely slow growing and that there is a legitimate 'wait and watch' approach that many clinicians, including urologists, will advocate.

Given that 'wait and watch' is where many men with prostate cancer find themselves, there is a strong case for taking steps to try to at least prevent any development of the cancer, if not to even beat it back.

Some men will elect to use hormonal drugs for this purpose and, whilst this may be a good option for some, it can be seen that for some men the side effects of such drugs are too disruptive to continue on in good conscience. Fortunately, there are other, legitimate options.


Echinacea angustifolia

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Immune health

Supporting and strengthening the immune system will make a great deal of difference to the long-term outlook for any man with prostate cancer. For example, certain key herbs, such as Echinacea, Astragalus, and Reishi mushroom, have consistently shown excellent results with many men with respect to their long-term symptom development and PSA levels.

Further thoughts on the difficult subject of cancer are expressed here, if a man has prostate cancer, then he must give the overall health of his immune system the highest priority, and this subject is covered in much more depth here


blood cells under dark-field microscopy ((used to help assess treatment effects)

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

Coffee & the prostate

Prostate cancer does not come about because of a deficiency in coffee but nonetheless studies have clearly shown that you are significantly less likely to get prostate cancer if you are a regular coffee drinker, with or without the caffeine, more here

Constitutional health note

Finally, you might benefit from learning about your constitution to know what kind of foods, herbs, exercises etc. will work especially well for your health in general.

There is a brief introduction to the subject here and a more detailed section on working out which constitution you are here

Please understand that I cannot personally advise you without seeing you in my clinic.
This living 'book' is my labour of love so, wherever you are, I wish you peace & good health!

TOP | CONDITIONS TREATED A-Z or BY GROUP

 

© 2011 R.J.Whelan Ltd