Enlarged
Prostate Solution
WHAT IS THE PROSTATE?
The
first step toward understanding how the prostate affects your health is
to learn what the prostate is and how it functions. It is surprising
how little many men know about such an important part of their anatomy.
The prostate is an important segment of the male reproductive system.
It is a gland that is located in the lower abdominal cavity, just below
the bladder, in front of the rectum and behind the pubic bone. It
partially surrounds the urethra. The urethra is the channel that
carries urine to the penis from the bladder and it runs right through
the prostate.
A healthy prostate is about the size of a walnut, weighs approximately
1 ounce and is shaped similar to a donut. There are “seminal vesicles”
that are attached to the prostate. They produce a protein that mixes
with prostatic fluid which forms semen.
How this
works is that tubes from the testicles carry sperm up to the prostate
where sperm is mixed with the seminal vesicle and prostatic fluids.
This fluid is ejaculated during orgasm through ejaculatory ducts that
connect to the urethra. In addition, the prostate helps to control the
flow of urine.
Nearly every man will experience some type of prostate problem during
his lifetime. Men who are over forty-five may experience an enlargement
of the prostate. While this is not a problem in itself, it is
uncomfortable and can be a forerunner to other more serious maladies
which we will discuss further.
The
prostate actually continues to grow throughout life, but grows very
slowly after the age of twenty-five. Enlargement of the prostate is
part of the normal aging process due to hormonal changes and usually
does not become a serious problem until a man reaches sixty years of
age.
SYMPTOMS OF PROSTATE
PROBLEMS
Enlargement of the prostate is called benign prostate hypertrophy, or
BPH. While this growth is usually considered a nuisance, if a man
experiences problems with burning, or difficult urination at any time,
the prudent course of action is consulting a urologist.
Other symptoms may be:
* A feeling of having to push out urine
* A sensation that the bladder is not emptying
* Increased urinating, especially at night
* Intermittent starting and stopping of the urinary stream
After a diagnosis of BPH, many men will just continue to live with the
symptoms and subsequent discomfort. It is not a life threatening
condition, and there are treatments. In some cases surgery might be
considered if the enlargement is significant.
Ignoring BPH can be extremely dangerous and lead to other disease such
as kidney infections or damage as the urine can back up into the
kidneys because of the blockage of an enlarged prostate. There can also
be an occurrence of bladder infections.
There is a huge difference between BPH and prostate cancer. BPH is a
normal part of aging. Prostate cancer is a condition where prostate
cells grow exponentially and out of control. These cells create tumors
that may spread to any part of the body.
Numerous health organizations report that 1 in 6 men will experience
prostate cancer. However, if the condition is diagnosed early,
approximately 99.3% of them will survive. The key is early
detection.
FOOD THERAPY
The key to affecting positive change in the prostate by eating specific
foods is including any foods high in zinc. The properties in zinc have
been proven beneficial in shrinking an enlarged prostate. Take a daily
supplement of zinc. In addition to a low-fat diet, particularly
avoiding saturated fats, consider adding one or two tablespoons per day
of flaxseed oil to your diet as well as pumpkin and sunflower seeds,
both know for their high content of zinc.
VITAMIN AND MINERAL THERAPY
The ideal vitamin and mineral treatment for prostate problems
incorporates herbal medicine. The following regimen is recommended to
help control symptoms:
• 400 international units of Vitamin E per day
• 30 milligrams of zinc twice a day
• 1 milligram of copper twice a day
• One tablespoon of flaxseed oil a day
• 160 milligrams of saw palmetto twice a day
Flaxseed oil and saw palmetto are easily obtainable in any health food
store.
Solutions for Enlarged Prostate
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