A Hopefully Tasteful Rendition of An Important System. Test for the Ladies: Do you know where the prostate is? Note to AOL browser users: the AOL browser is not good for this image.
	Do You Know about Potential Herbal Remedies for Prostate Health?
	(Please note: This page will eventually be moved into the Health & Beauty section)
	1 November 1997; revised 11.2.97 My Friends: In conversations with gentlemen who are in their 50's and older, I've noted concern for the health and well-being of their prostate glands. A whispered mention of someone who was made impotent by a surgical procedure led to me to ask if my friend knew of the herbal treatments for prostate gland problems. When he said he had never heard of any such remedies, I was a bit perplexed. It seems that prostate health remedies have been discussed in so many health related publications that most people must have heard of them. Of course, that presupposes subscriptions to health magazines. In case you don't subscribe to various health magazines, it may be worth your while to investigate the claims for prostate remedies. Even some of the reports on Medline admit some benefits of herbal remedies for prostate problems. Other reports, of course, dismiss phytotherapeutic benefits. My concern is that valuable men are needlessly submitting themselves to possible damage. If you are a friend and ally, then I certainly want the Best of Health for you and your loved ones (in case any women are reading this). If, by chance, you are not aware of herbal treatments for prostate care, I'd like to share some information on prostate care that I have read about. For the last few years, I have subscribed to various health newletters written by medical professionals who have been disillusioned with the AMA/pharmaceutical companies marketing of health care. Each one has addressed prostate problems and suggested alternatives to Proscar (finasteride), which appears to be have such serious side effects that women are not supposed to handle the broken tablets or have unprotected intimacy with men taking it because of possible birth defects. That got my attention! Since we are the rarest race in the world, I believe it is very important that we all care for our reproductive systems, live to at least 100, and have healthy, happy marriages.
	Disclaimer and Statements of Bias 1) Disclaimer: The information presented here is not intended to replace the attention or advice of a physician or other health care professional. Anyone who wishes to use herbal remedies should first consult with a certified health care professional. I am not a doctor. I can not and do not prescribe. I will be using lots of tentative language (such as apparently and it appears) to make sure it is understood that I am just sharing information. 2) For emergency trauma care and many complex procedures, I think our Western medicine not-affirmative-action doctors are the best in the world. Western medicine has made some astounding progress. 3) With the phenomenal power of the medical profession has come some phenomenal problems and blind spots. I have had some medical care that was very good, some that was nerve-wracking and some that was just plain misguided and wrong. 4) Herbal cures have been used for thousands of years, and some have great efficacy. I personally have found some herbal cures to be more beneficial than a visit to the HMO. Doctors have generally had the bare minimum of exposure to herbal remedies in medical schools. Caveat: Sometimes it is difficult to filter the truth out from the hype in alternative medicine. Even after a number of reliable sources have agreed on beneficial effects, individual susceptibilities and allergies must be considered. 5) I do not have a prostate gland. Therefore, I can relay information, but can only infer the physical effects of the prostate conditions men are concerned about. If women's bladder infections are analogous, then prostate problems must be painful, indeed.
	The Problems Apparently, the problem conditions include enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hypertrophy), which constricts the flow of urine from the bladder, and prostate cancer. Any question of cancer is fraught with complexities. I would like to mention that Dr. Julian Whitaker's "Health & Healing" from May 1996 cited a study done of Swedish men where "watchful waiting" of non-metastasized prostate cancers produced no difference in survival rates while the men had a superior quality of life. Some statistics referred to: Apparently 50% of men approximately 59 (59+?) years old have prostate cancer, symptoms are experienced by 8%, with 3% dying from prostate cancer. Although Dr. Whitaker provides medical study cites, it was unclear which study this information was from. The 50% figure seems huge to me. The statistics need further clarification. It does appear that watch and wait prostate cancer treatments are worthy of detailed research.
	The Remedies for Prostate Enlargement Found in the Literature  Please verify the following information for yourself. There are many formulas available for prostate remedies which have various combinations of ingredients. The following herbs, foods and minerals are mentioned in newsletters and studies: Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) Saw palmetto is a scrub palm native to coastal regions from South Carolina to Florida and Texas. The berries of the saw palmetto are used in capsule, oil, tea or infusion, or tincture form taken orally to shrink the prostate. Treatment is suggested for 3-6 months, with maintenance doses after that. Doses mentioned are 160 to 320 mg of the lipid extract containing 85-95% of fatty acids and plant sterols. Pygeum africanum hooker The extract of the bark of an African evergreen tree is used. A dose mentioned is 100 to 200 mg of a 12 to 13% phytosterols standardized extract. Selenium Selenium has been mentioned as possibly reducing cancer deaths by 50%. The 12.25.96 issue of the "Journal of American Medical Association" apparently had an article by Larry Clark, Ph.D. with culminating evidence of 40 years of research into selenium. One aspect of the research was an 8 year study of 1,312 patients. Apparently, the group taking selenium had a 63% reduction in prostate cancer. Soybeans Soybeans appear to have anticarcinogens such as the isoflavones including genistein and daidzein, biochaninA, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, inositol hexaphosphate, polysterols, and saponins. If you have tried soy products and are not delighted with taste or gastrointestinal effects, you may want to try soy milk. I've tried all manner of soy products, and like soy milk the best. The brand I buy is Made in America from American soybeans, which is very satisfying. Zinc Apparently zinc concentrations are higher in the prostate than anywhere else in the body. In men who have prostate cancer, apparently blood levels of both zinc and selenium are low. Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo) These can be taken by the handful or in capsules of pumpkin seed oil. Modified Citrus Pectin Citrus pectin is a water-soluble fiber found in the pulpy parts of citrus fruits. Apparently animal studies have shown tumor cell binding which prevents adherence of the cells to receptor cells in secondary sites in the body. This substance is in early research stages. Vitamin D Sufficient vitamin D is apparently linked with a decrease in prostate cancer. Having a low blood level of vitamin D is apparently correlated with a higher incidence of protate cancer. Sunlight is essential for the skin to convert provitamin D into vitamin D, so perhaps early morning sun on the skin would be beneficial. Suggestions for increasing vitamin D levels included eating vitamin D rich foods or taking a supplement of at least 1,600 units. Points of Contention Some information suggested avoiding red meat and high-fat diets. Contrary information also exists. The whole question of whether or not it is beneficial to eat meat and animal fats is still not conclusive for me. I've met enough listless, grumpy vegetarians with dull hair to question the supposed drawbacks of meat and animal fats in the diet.
	Conclusions Since enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hypertrophy) seems to affect so many men, it seems prudent to investigate non-toxic herbal remedies that appear to be beneficial and non-invasive. The splits between alternative medicine and AMA medicine versions of reality are sometimes hard to reconcile. The Web has plenty of sites representing both points of view.
	Sources The previous information is derived from the following sources: _Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada_ Dr. William Campbell Douglass' "Second Opinion", a monthly newsletter on health, nutrition and medicine. (800.728.2288) His web site has a simple contact information page: http://arxc.com/doctors/douglass.htm Dr. Julian Whitaker's "Health & Healing", another monthly newsletter on health, nutrition and medicine. (800.539.8219) Pharmacist Earl Mindell's "Joy of Health", yet another monthly newsletter on health, nutrition and medicine. (301.424.3700) The authors of last two publications prohibit even the quotation of their information, so I have paraphrased some of what they've said.
	Links Search engine terms: "prostate +saw +palmetto" produced hundreds of vendors for prostate related formulas. A free Medline link is available through the National Library of Medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov A study I noticed that concluded "the use of phytopharmaceutical agents for the treatment of mild to moderate symptomatic BPH seems to be well justified" is "Phytotherapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia" by F. Bracher in Urologe A Jan. 1997 An article, "Prostate Phytotherapy Saw Palmetto and Pygeum Extracts", is located at http://www.vrp.com/prostate.htm
	Vendors There appear to be hundreds of herbal products for prostate health. I have no personal knowledge of which ones are good. Dr. William Douglass endorses a formula called "Palmetto Plus" from Healthy Resolve: 1.800.728.2288
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