An enlarged prostate is common in men over forty years of age, although they do not notice symptoms until age fifty or later.
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia: symptoms
- Diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia: conventional treatment
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia: natural treatment
The American Foundation for Urological Pathology considers that more than half of men fifty years or older have an enlarged prostate, a figure that reaches 80% in the case of octogenarians.
Half of these men have symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and about a quarter will undergo surgery, although this has begun to be replaced by drug therapy.
Irritative symptoms may result from BPH, inflammation and prostatitis infection, or prostate cancer. These include painful urination (dysuria), urge to urinate, and the sense of urgency that may precede bladder emptying.
DIAGNOSIS OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA
Digital rectal examination is unreliable in this case. It is more effective to measure the speed of urine flow with a special device.
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA: CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT
Years ago, the main conventional treatment of BPH was surgical. If a man had mild symptoms, he was told that the disorder was caused by age and that nothing could be done until the symptoms were more severe. Then part of the prostate could be removed.
Today it is said that, comparing medical and surgical results, the most effective in most cases is to do nothing.
TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION (TURP)
It consists of introducing into the penis through the urethra a resectoscope that cuts the prostate tissue that affects the urethra.
Although it is effective, approximately 20-25% of patients will not have satisfactory long-term results.
Its complications include retrograde ejaculation (semen is discharged backwards into the bladder) in 70-75% of cases and, much more occasionally, impotence, postoperative infections and some degree of incontinence.
Reoperation is necessary between 15-20% of men whose follow-up lasts 10 years or more.
TRANSURETHRAL INCISION (PUTI)
It is relatively simple compared to the previous one and consists of two incisions.
BALLOON DILATION
Using a transurethral balloon to dilate the prostate is a recent technique.
At seven years, only 15% of patients with small prostates needed a new intervention; If they had large prostate glands the figure rose to 60%.
HYPERTHERMIA
Several sessions are needed to produce symptomatic relief.
A later technique is thermotherapy, in which the prostate is heated to more than 45 ºC in order to produce permanent changes in its tissues. This type of treatment requires a single therapeutic session and is expected to produce more effective symptomatic relief.
PHARMACEUTICAL TREATMENT
For many men, clinical improvement is minimal. Perhaps the most attractive feature is that, despite its toxicity, it is quite good compared to some of the more drastic procedures described above.
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA: NATURAL TREATMENT
FOOD TO PROTECT THE PROSTATE
Adequate zinc intake and absorption is essential for an effective BPH prevention and treatment plan.
It has been shown that zinc reduces the size of the prostate, as well as the symptomatology of most patients. The foods richest in zinc are oysters, wheat germ, seeds (sesame, pumpkin), lentils, soybean meal and oats.
Cholesterol metabolites damage cells and are carcinogens, and have been shown to accumulate in the hyperplastic or cancerous prostate. Such metabolites initiate the degeneration of prostate cells, which can lead to prostate enlargement.
Drugs that reduce cholesterol levels favorably influence BPH, preventing cholesterol accumulation in prostate cells and limiting the subsequent formation of harmful cholesterol metabolites.
The diet should contain a minimum of pesticides and other contaminants, as many of these compounds (dioxin, polyhalogenated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene, dibenzofuranso) can increase the formation of dihydrotestositerone in the prostate.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES), an illegal hormone with which cattle are fattened, should also be eliminated since it produces changes similar to BPH in the rat’s prostate.
A vegetarian diet rich in legumes and seeds can provide some defense for its lower cholesterol intake and its richness in protective substances.
Minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, germanium …), vitamins, plant pigments (flavonoids, carotenes, chlorophyll), fiber (especially soluble and mucilaginous types) and sulfur compounds help the body defend itself against toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
MEDICINAL PLANTS AGAINST BPH
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), the date of a Florida palm tree, has been used for centuries to treat pathological states of the prostate.
In clinical studies it has been shown that its liposterolic extract greatly improves the signs and symptoms of BPH.
In a study by Merck Laboratories, it was found that proscar was a more potent inhibitor of 5-a reductase than saw palmetto and more capable of reducing blood levels of DHT.
However, at three months, the proscar group showed a 16% improvement in the change in urinary flow velocity, while the saw palmetto group improved by 38%.
Proscar tends to reduce libido in some patients, but saw palmetto is considered a mild aphrodisiac.
African tribes often use the bark of the Pygeum cifricanum tree to treat genitourinary symptoms. The bark contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial substances, as well as substances that contribute to reducing cholesterol levels.
Pygeum has been used in Europe since the 80s for prostate disorders.
Plants can be more effective combined. This was the case of a study combining Pygeum a ricanum with greater nettle (Urtica dioica). Both extracts inhibit aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estradiol, and tend to improve BPH.
