PROSTATE GLAND
The prostate gland is red-brown in color and about the size of an English walnut. It is located immediately under the bladder and in front of the rectum. It has three lobes, or sections, enclosed side by side in a capsule. The urinary tube from the bladder passes over the middle lobe; anything that happens there to swell the prostate-infection, inflammation, cancer, etc., can enlarge these lobes and thus obstruct the flow of urine.
The prostate gland is the principal storage depot for seminal fluid. At each sexual encounter the testicles provide over 200 mil ion sperm cells. The function of the prostate is to produce lubricating fluids and a special activating fluid in sexual activity that will dilute the sperm cells. This seminal fluid is very high in zinc and also contains proteins, enzymes, fats and sugars to nourish the sperm. It is alkaline to overcome the acidity of the female tract and it is a very watery medium in which the sperm can swim toward the female egg.
More zinc is found in the prostate gland than any other organ in the body. Zinc is a trace mineral needed in only very small amounts, but a deficiency can lead to major medical problems. Zinc is found in high concentration in sperm and seminal fluid. The brain also must have adequate zinc in order to keep the thoughts organized and balanced. Excessive sexual practice may lead to depletion of zinc stores which may be followed by both prostate disease and neurologic and mental disorders. Al nerve tissue is also dependent for proper functioning on this trace mineral.
Each day the prostate produces from 1/10 to 2/5 of a teaspoon of seminal fluid. During sexual arousal four to ten times that amount is produced. The prostate also becomes congested with blood during arousal. An overactive sexual life can cause chronic congestion in the prostate. Over a long period of lime, the prostate yields to the constant pressure, enlarging to make room for the extra blood and seminal fluid.
There is a higher rate of cancer of the prostate among blacks — two times that of Caucasians and four times that of Asians. Medical researchers and social scientists have postulated that their often higher incidence of sexual activity may have led to this increase in prostate problems. Male hormones increase with sexual excitation. The male hormone testosterone breaks down to dihydrotestosterone. It is known that this substance, at least in some laboratory animals, can cause the prostate to enlarge. The male hormones seem to be a major cause of prostate enlargement as prostate enlargement rarely occurs among eunuchs.
Enlargement of the prostate can be detected during a rectal examination (in which the physician inserts a gloved finger into the rectum). If the doctor's examining finger discovers a hard, button-size nodule in the otherwise soft, rubbery tissue, he considers it cancer until he has proved otherwise. (Three times out of five, it is cancer).
Symptoms of an enlarged prostate usually develop gradually, as the enlarging prostate compresses and distorts the urethra, (urinary tube). The flow of urine is constricted, and there is difficulty starting urination and a weak stream. If the prostate becomes too enlarged it will actually close off the urinary tube completely. In extreme cases the prostate can become as large as a grapefruit. This enlargement can be either cancerous or benign, but is usually cancerous.
Cancer of the prostate is the second most common cancer in men. It sometimes develops in middle age, but most often occurs in the elderly. Most cancers of the prostate are very slow growing and usually the person will die of some other disease such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc., before they would die of prostate cancer. Recent studies suggest that if every case of prostate cancer were treated in its earliest stages, more men would die of surgical complications than the disease itself.
DIET ATTECTS THE PROSTATE
It is of interest that diet is not usually mentioned as a cause of cancer of the prostate. Yet it is cited as very important in a 20 year study done by Dr. Roland Philips at Loma Linda, California. The study showed that fatal prostate cancer was more common depending on the frequency with which meat, milk, eggs and cheese were used in the diet. As each one of these food substances was added to the diet, the risk increased. (Journal of Epidemiology 120(2):244) Cancer of the prostate is substantial y less among Seventh-Day Adventists who use no coffee, alcohol and little or no animal products. (Cancer Research, 43:2403, May 1983) Persons with any kind of prostate problems must make sure they are drinking plenty of water so that the urine is almost clear. They should also be on a diet of mostly raw foods.
FOOD THAT IRRITATE THE PROSTATE
Alcohol, animal products, caffeine, and spices should be eliminated from the diet of those who have prostate problems. Animal products should be removed from the diet because of the purine content which tends to increase the irritability of the bladder which can indirectly affect the prostate gland. Caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, colas and chocolate is an irritant to the urinary tract. It has been shown that just one cup of coffee per day can cause 2 1/2 times greater incidence of cancer of the bladder. Spices also have a tendency to irritate the prostate and bladder and should be removed from the diet.
NUTRITIONAL TREATMENT VS. CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT
The primary conventional treatments administered for enlarged prostate are catheter drainage, estrogenic hormones, prostatic massage, and of course, closed transurethral prostatic resection or, alternatively, removal of the prostate. Unfortunately, doctors (and patients) have found surgery to be a radical remedy to this*" common affliction, often resulting in complications. More and more patients are opting for a safer cure.
Because of its nontraumatic, natural way the nutritional approach is preferable to the more orthodox procedures.
For Prostate Enlargement Use Saw Palmetto Berries and Zinc
Enlarged prostate responds well to the herb saw palmetto berries. Saw Palmetto is a small palm tree native to the West Indies and the Atlantic Coast of North America extending from North Carolina to Florida. The trees are crowned with large, two to four-foot high spiny-toothed leaves which form a circular, fan-shaped outline.
The plant's deep red-brown to black berries are wrinkled, oblong, and 0.5 to 1 - inch in length with a diameter of 0.5 inch. They contain about 1.5 percent of a fruity smelling oil loaded with the sterol betasitosterol and its glu-coside, plus the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids of captric, caprylic, caproic, lauric, palmitic, and ol eic. These fatty acids comprise 63% of the oil, with the remaining portion consisting of their ethyl esters and the mentioned sterols. Also present are carotenes, lipase, tannins and sugars.
Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmetto berries) has been found to be extremely effective in treating prostate enlargement, according to a study by Dr. G. Champault published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Serenoa works by countering the effect of decreased testosterone in your system, (which allows other hormones, including DHT, to increase the size of the prostate.) Dr. C. Sultan, in a study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, found that Serenoa contains sterol like compounds that inhibit the formation of DHT. This nutrient comes from a berry produced by a palm species common to the Southeast United States. American Indians felt it was a cure for prostate problems. European scientists have confirmed these effects in 12 major scientific studies done over the past twenty years.
Prostate disorders are much more common in developed countries, such as the United States, than in Third World countries. There are a few reasons why. The primary one is that the majority of American meals are overcooked or over processed. The processing of food destroys a good portion, if not all , of one of the most important nutrients used by the prostate gland - zinc.
The Prostate Needs 10 Times More Zinc Than Any Other Organ
Most of the zinc in food is lost in processing, or never exists in a substantial amount due to nutrient poor soil. Zinc is not normally replaced in the soil when chemical fertilizers are used. The world famous founder of the free radical theory of aging, Dr. Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D. professor emeritus of the University of Nebraska School of Medicine, stated, "Some 90% of the population consumes diets deficient in zinc."
The prostate uses 10 times more of this nutrient than any other organ in the body. As the production of testosterone declines, an enzyme stimulates the production of DHT and other hormones which cause enlargement. Many scientists have confirmed that when sufficient zinc is present, it helps prevent that enzyme from doing its damage.
Dr. M. S. Fahin and Dr. H. A. Essa published a clinical study in a government medical journal showing that treatment with zinc reduces prostate enlargement. Dr. Geoffrey Crisholin and Dr. Alan Leake reported in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry that zinc prevents the hormonal actions that causes prostate enlargement. In total, fifteen prominent research scientists published confirming reports that sufficient zinc is of vital necessity for having a healthy prostate gland. Significant quantities of zinc are found in brewer’s yeast, lima beans, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and soybeans. Smaller amounts of zinc are found in legumes and whole grains.
Hydrotherapy and Massage will Help Reduce the Enlarged Prostate Gland
Hot and cold sitz baths alternating, using 3 minutes hot and one minute cold, are beneficial for an enlarged prostate gland. You always start with the hot and end with the cold. This combination can be done from 3 to 5 times, and should be done once or twice a day. Massage of the prostate (through the rectum) can help reduce the swelling and help in the recovery of an enlarged prostate.
Prostate problems very rarely occur before the age of 30. At the age of 50 there will be a 25 percent chance of an enlarged prostate. At the age of 60 about half of all men will have developed some enlargement of the prostate. At the age of 80 almost all men will have some enlargement.
PROSTATE CANCER FACTS
Despite a major hoopla over the new Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, concurrent biopsies and early aggressive treatment for prostate cancer, the best treatment for most men is no treatment at all. Here are the facts:
While 2.5% of men die of prostate cancer, the greatest proportion of men screened for prostate cancer may be subjected to unnecessary stress and anxiety, expensive diagnostic testing and unnecessary treatment. (Internal Medicine News 24(21)52, November 1-14, 1991)
Bibliography
Abyholm, T., et all. (1981). "Seminal Plasma fructose, Zinc, magnesium and acid phosphatase in cases of male fertility." International Journal of Andrology, v. 4, pp, 75-81 .
Champault, G., Patel, J.C. & Bonard, A.M. (1984). "A double-blind trial of an extract of the plant Sereno Repens in benign prostatic hyperplasia." British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, v. 18, pp, 461-462.
Leake, A., Chrisholm G., et all. (1984). "The effect of zinc on the alpha-reduction of testosterone by the hyperplastic human prostate gland." Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, v. 20, no. 2, pp. 651-665.
Tarayre, J.P., et all.(1983) “Anti-edematous action of a hexane extract of the stone fruit of Serenoa Repens”. Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises, v. 46, no