Don't Gamble When It
Comes To Your
Prostate!
By Dr. Mark
Rosenberg
By the time you
are 60 -- if you're
a man -- there's a
fifty-fifty chance
that you'll be
suffering from an
enlarged prostate.
If you live long
enough, your chances
climb to 90%.
An enlarged
prostate -- a
condition called
benign prostate
hyperplasia (BPH),
is a non-cancerous
swelling of the
prostate. As your
prostate begins to
swell, you'll find
that you need to
make more frequent
trips to the
bathroom, your urine
stream will be weak,
and you'll have a
hard time finishing
what you started...
if you know what I
mean.
Of course,
annoying bathroom
urges are only part
of the problem. An
enlarged prostate
can also interfere
with your sex life
and your overall
quality of life.
Often an enlarged
prostate is a
symptom of a hormone
imbalance that could
be having a more
significant impact
on your health than
you realize.
Most doctors take
a wait-and-see
approach to an
enlarged prostate.
They figure if it
doesn't grow too
fast and the
symptoms don't
become too severe,
then it's something
you can live with.
If the symptoms
become unmanageable,
then the next option
is surgery.
This approach
ignores several
middle-ground
options. In fact,
you can begin
treating your
enlarged prostate
right away. Many of
the same steps you
take now can also
protect you from
prostate cancer in
the future -- an
unrelated condition.
You'll also relieve
a lot of the
symptoms that come
with an enlarged
prostate -- it's a
win-win strategy.
Caring
for an Enlarged
Prostate...
How to Slow
Its Growth and Keep
it From Becoming a
BIG Problem
Most doctors
chalk up prostate
growth to a natural
part of the aging
process. And that's
why they feel
comfortable taking a
hands-off approach
until things get
real bad!
I'd much rather
see my patients take
action to slow their
prostate growth and
to attempt to
prevent the need for
surgery from ever
arising. This
strategy improves
the quality of your
life and has the
added bonus of
cutting your risks
of cancer.
So, just how do
you keep your
prostate from
growing
out-of-control?
Your first step
is to start eating
the foods that can
most help your
prostate. I suggest
that you include a
quality protein with
every meal and then
have cruciferous
vegetables like
broccoli,
cauliflower, or
cabbage four to five
times a week. Snacks
that are high in
zinc and magnesium
are also beneficial
to your prostate.
But there's more
you can do.
It's important
that you be
physically active.
I'm not saying you
have to kill
yourself working out
for 90 minutes at a
time, but anything
you can do to
increase your daily
physical activity
will help. Research
shows that men who
get the most
exercise reduce
their risks of an
enlarged prostate by
40%.1
You can also help
reduce your risks of
an enlarged prostate
or slow the growth
of your prostate by
taking a supplement
that contains saw
palmetto. Saw
palmetto contains
compounds that help
slow prostate
growth. It can help
prevent your
prostate from
becoming enlarged,
or if you already
have an enlarged
prostate, it can
help reduce your
symptoms.
I recommend that
you choose a
supplement that's
been standardized to
at least 85% active
fatty acids and
sterols. Take
between 300 and 350
mg each day.
Of course, you've
probably already
heard of saw
palmetto and know
that it can help
your prostate, but
it isn't the only
supplement that can
ease prostate
problems. A lesser
known supplement
called beta
sitosterol can also
be of help...
especially when it
comes to preventing
cancer. In
laboratory tests,
beta sitosterol
slowed the growth of
prostate cancer
cells.2
Another good
supplement to help
prevent prostate
cancer is cranberry
extract. Cranberries
contain several
natural compounds
that stop cancer
cells from
multiplying. In lab
tests, cranberry
extract effectively
slowed all types of
prostate cancer by
an impressive 50%.3
When it comes to
an enlarged
prostate, it's
important to take
action and to take
control of your
health. You can slow
down or even stop
your prostate from
continuing to grow,
and while you're at
it, you'll be giving
yourself some extra
protection against
prostate cancer. All
told, these steps
can make a big, big
difference in your
quality of life
later on.
Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg,
MD
References
-
Dal Maso L, et
al. Int J
Cancer.
2006;
118(10):2632-35.
-
Jourdain C, et
al. Eur J
Cancer Prev.
2006;
15(4):353-61.
-
Seeram NP, et
al. J Agric
Food Chem.
2004;
52(9):2512-17.
[Ed. Note:
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
is director of the
"Institute for
Anti-Aging in South
Florida. He is a
highly sought-after
speaker for lectures
on topics such as
integrative cancer
therapy and
anti-aging medicine.