Men for the most part are of the mindset that size matters, and that’s especially true when it comes to their prostate. The smaller the better. An enlarged prostate can be the source of urinary and sexual dysfunction, and it’s a condition that often gets progressively worse the older a man gets.
What Is the Prostate, and What Purpose Does It Serve?
The prostate, a small gland about the size of a walnut in a healthy adult male, is a vitally important part of the male reproductive system. It’s main functions are to protect the sperm in a man’s body and manufacture roughly one-third of the fluid contained in semen.
It’s fairly common for the prostate to expand with age, but such growth can produce irritating urinary symptoms such as increased urgency and frequency of urination as well as a feeling of fullness, even after the bladder has been emptied. Such a condition as evidenced by an enlarged prostate is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which affects about 8 percent of males in their 40s, nearly half in their 60s and roughly 80 percent of men in their 90s.
How Can BPH Be Detected?
Two exams are commonly used to check prostate health. One is the more old-fashioned yet still-revealing, hands-on rectal exam performed by a healthcare professional, typically a physician or urologist to manually check for irregularities concerning the prostate. Another type of test is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test that measures the amount of PSA in the blood. This PSA test can detect the possibility of (but not confirm) the presence of an enlarged, inflamed, or infected prostate. If the PSA test detects a PSA level above the top of the normal healthy range, a physician or nurse practitioner will likely refer the patient to a urologist for further specialized examination and testing. Even if the presence of BPH is confirmed by such a specialist, it in no way should be considered as a death sentence.
A patient diagnosed in the early stages of BPH might be prescribed a lifestyle change and course of action that combines dietary adjustments, specific exercises and/or prescription medications and/or treatments or procedures that might not only improve urinary flow and restore proper sexual function, but also reduce the size of the prostate. During such a meeting with your physician or urologist, it’s also wise to broach the subject of the efficacy of using over-the-counter herbs and supplements that might alleviate BPH and its symptoms. Their expertise will be valuable in helping you to choose whether to use supplements that target prostate health, and which supplements to use.
Much progress has been made in recent years in developing and improving nutritional supplementation aimed at addressing prostate issues and restoring quality of life factors impacted by BPH. A summary of five such natural remedies follow. Again, address your concerns and questions about such supplements to a healthcare professional, especially if you are taking prescription medicine(s) that might conflict with certain supplements, and vice versa.
5 Herbs/Supplements to Help Treat Prostate Issues
Saw Palmetto. An extract from this shrublike palm, abundantly found in the southeast USA, has been shown to help alleviate BPH symptoms related to urination.
Stinging Nettle. Don’t fear stinging nettle; ingesting it won’t hurt you. What it can do is help men with BPH in large part because it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory compounds also found in pygeum and saw palmetto that can help mitigate various urinary disorders.
Zinc. Asa evidenced by the fact that prostate cells collect more zinc than the cells of any other tissue, it has been concluded that zinc is involved in the normal functionality of the prostate. In fact, zinc deficiency might increase the risk of unwanted prostate enlargement.
Lycopene. Naturally found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and red bell peppers, lycopene, especially when used in combination with other substances such as extra virgin olive oil, appears capable of improving prostate health and lowering PSA levels.
Omega-3’s. These fatty acids, sourced from cold-water fish such as salmon and sardines, have shown promise in thwarting the activity of compounds in the body that appear to contribute to prostate inflammation.