Category: Prostate Problems

How to improve prostate health

The prostate is a small gland found in men, near their bladders. Many men experience prostate problems, and as they get older it is important to watch for signs of prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, one in every seven men is diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime and it is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. In 2015, 27,540 deaths were projected to occur due to prostate cancer.

However, there are a number of preventive measures that a man can take to reduce his risk of developing prostate cancer, including important dietary and lifestyle changes and becoming aware of his family history.

Take supplements. Cancer research has emphasized the importance of getting your nutrients from food instead of vitamin supplements whenever possible. However, there may be cases where a supplement is a better option for you. Be sure to discuss any supplements you are taking or thinking about taking with your physician.

• Take zinc supplements. Most men do not get enough zinc in their diets, and supplements can help keep your prostate healthy. Research has demonstrated that zinc deficiencies can lead to enlarged prostates and that zinc plays a role in the progression of prostate cells to malignancy. You can take 50 to 100 (or even up to 200) milligrams of zinc per day in tablet form to reduce an enlarged prostate.
• Try taking saw palmetto berry, made from the berries of the Saw Palmetto plant. This supplement has received mixed reviews from users and the medical field, so talk to your doctor before you try it. Some research has suggested that it may assist in the cytotoxicity (cell death) of human prostate cancer cells

Vitroman Prostate Care 1

However, there are a number of preventive measures that a man can take to reduce his risk of developing prostate cancer, including important dietary and lifestyle changes and becoming aware of his family history.

Saw Palmetto, a herbal remedy, is known to be beneficial in reducing the risk of contracting Prostate Cancer among men.

Why Vitroman Prostate Care 1?

Vitroman Prostate Care 1 is men’s first step towards a healthy prostate. It is made of pure plant ingredients which help support prostate and urinary health in men.

Each capsule contains Saw Palmetto, Morinda Citrifolia, Pygeum Africanum, Cushaw Seed, Tomato & Stinging Nettle. Using hi-tech extraction technology to obtain a higher active composition and accelerate absorption more quickly into the body.

Don’t smoke. Although the relationship of prostate cancer and smoking has been long debated, tobacco use is believed to cause oxidative damage via free radicals to the body’s cells, thus making the link between cancer and smoking plausible. In a meta-analysis of 24 studies, researchers found that cigarette smoking was in fact a risk for prostate cancer.

Perform Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises are performed by contracting the muscles of your pelvic floor (as if you were attempting to stop the flow of urine), holding them for a brief period, and then releasing them. Doing these exercises regularly will help strengthen and tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor. You can do Kegel exercises anywhere because they don’t require any special equipment!

• Tighten the muscles around your scrotum and anus for a few seconds, then release. Do this exercise in 10 repetitions three to four times a day to improve your prostate health. Try to build up to 10-second holds.
• You can also do Kegel exercises by lying on your back with your pelvis in the air and clenching your buttocks. Hold for 30 seconds, then release. Do this for five minute intervals three times a day.

Rediscover your health and wellness today with VITROMAN!

Products are available at Singapore retail stores: Guardian pharmacy, NTUC Unity pharmacy, Mustafa, OG, Yue Hwa Chinese Products, Overseas Emporium and All Singapore  Chinese Medical stores.

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MORE THAN 190,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to keep your prostate healthy as you age—and stay ahead of the game. Here’s what Christopher Saigal, MD, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center, says to do:

1. Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Examples of powerful antioxidant fruits that contain lycopene: Tomatoes, watermelons, pink grapefruits, guava and papaya. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale also are good choices.

3. Also eat more selenium-rich foods such as wheat germ, tuna, herring and other seafood and shellfish, beef liver, kidney, eggs, sunflower and sesame seeds, cashews, mushrooms, garlic and onions. Selenium reduces risk of prostate cancer.

4. Let your doctor know if you have a family history of cancer. Especially, a father or brother with prostate cancer can double a man’s risk of developing the same disease.

5. Include more soy in your diet from sources such as tofu, soy nuts or soy flour or powders.

6. Don’t smoke.

7. Get a PSA blood test and digital rectal exam annually, beginning at age 50. Men at high risk, such as men with a strong family history of prostate cancer should begin testing earlier at age 45.

Supplement for your Prostate!

Vitroman Prostate Care 1

As men get older with age, they are more susceptible to the risk of developing prostate cancer. Prostate enlargement is a condition that happens to most men as they get older and an enlarged prostate would cause urination and bladder problem. Saw Palmetto, a herbal remedy, is known to be beneficial in reducing the risk of contracting Prostate Cancer among men.

Why Vitroman Prostate Care 1?

As men get older with age, they are more susceptible to the risk of developing prostate cancer. Prostate enlargement is a condition that happens to most men as they get older and an enlarged prostate would cause urination and bladder problem. Saw Palmetto, a herbal remedy, is known to be beneficial in reducing the risk of contracting Prostate Cancer among men.

Male hormones or testosterone stimulates metabolism, promote fat burning, increase red blood cells and muscle growth.

Rediscover your health and wellness today with VITROMAN!

Products are available at Singapore retail stores: Guardian pharmacy, NTUC Unity pharmacy, Mustafa, OG, Yue Hwa Chinese Products, Overseas Emporium and All Singapore  Chinese Medical stores.

Buy Now

Prostate Health: Protect Your Prostate

Educating yourself is a giant leap in understanding what you’re facing, and how to eliminate unnecessary suffering and expense. Don’t just sit there!

KEEP WATCH

Many experts now recommend the “watchful waiting” approach. As the name would suggest, means keeping a close eye on any signs of the disease progressing, but holding off on extreme treatments, such as drugs, surgery, and chemotherapy, unless absolutely necessary. That is why statistics show that a healthy 60-year-old man has an average life expectancy of another 18 years.

If contracted prostate cancer, who does NOT have prostate surgery, has a life expectancy of another 16 years, while one who DOES have surgery has a life expectancy of another 17 years. Not much of a difference? So your best course of action may very well be no action at all. There probably is no rush for you to the surgeon, at least not until you carefully weigh your alternatives.

Trace Your Hereditary

Some men are more at risk for developing prostate cancer than others due to hereditary while others are environmental. For example, you may be more at risk for prostate cancer if a male relative had prostate cancer or a female relative has had a brush with breast cancer.

Some studies were made in Sweden had a diagnosis of prostate cancer between 1959 and 1963 traced the records of 5,496 of their sons and confirmed that there is a higher risk of developing prostate cancer among men whose fathers had the disease. As for environmental factors, social stress, worksite environment may affect the prostate as well.

Nutrients

Lately, more doctors are coming to believe that an enlarged prostate can be treated or deterred by feeding the body the nutrients it lacks. They understand that some foods, herbs, and nutrients influence prostate enlargement, and some of them may also influence cancer spread or development. While pharmaceutical and surgical treatments are more or less effective in relieving symptoms, they in no way address the underlying causes of prostate disease. Dietary, lifestyle, environmental and emotional factors are known for stressing the prostate.

Doesn’t it make sense to take advantage of safe nutritional guidelines which may deter prostate enlargement or prostate cancer? For example, high-fat diets and high cholesterol have been directly linked to prostate cancer and other illness. By reducing the fats in your diet will help ward it off.

Herbal Therapies

As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in September 1998, researchers found that more than 60% of United States medical schools now offer courses that include alternative medical topics such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and herbal therapies. And no wonder why. Three adults in the United States use chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, or other alternative therapies. So don’t feel like a weirdo by exploring alternatives to herbal remedies, toxic medicines, or surgeries.

If your doctor doesn’t understand or approve, it should be easy enough for you to find a competent one who does. By saying that, many doctors still consider only drugs and surgery as the “medically-approved” treatments for prostate disorders and erectile problems. Most will not recommend a treatment program based on nutrition or supplements that many physicians know how some simple-to-follow guidelines can prevent, slow down or if not eliminate prostate problems.

CAN’T CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT? CHANGE YOURSELF

The above reasons are good enough for you to change your living habits. Example; give up tobacco, cut down the intake of caffeine and alcohol, eating habits (cut back on high-fat food, sugar-rich food, spicy food), do regular exercise and etc. There are also some medicines to watch out for as it can harm some men, for instance taking large doses of cold medicines that contain antihistamines and decongestants. Decongestants can cause the muscle at the bladder neck to constrict, restricting the flow of urine. Antihistamines can actually paralyze the bladder. When consuming the cold remedies follow the directions on the label and don’t take more than is recommended.

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress plays a major role in prostate-related discomfort, because the bladder neck, and prostate are both very rich with nerves, when you’re under stress there are more of those hormones floating around which cause more difficulty in urinating. Stress also triggers the release of adrenaline in your body, prompting a fight-or-flight response. Just as it is difficult to get an erection! It can make urination difficult, too.

MORE SEX

One way to help ease urination problems is to massage (see kegel exercise) the prostate. For men with mild to moderate voiding difficulties, an alternative way is to have more sex. Most of them notice that the more they ejaculate, the easier it is to urinate. That’s because ejaculation helps empty the prostate of secretions that may hinder urination.

TESTOSTERONE

When a man gets older, the active testosterone in the blood decreases, leaving a higher proportion of estrogen in the body. Studies done with animals have suggested that Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH (see below) may occur because the higher amount of estrogen within the gland increases the activity of substances that promote cell growth.

URINATION

Failing to empty the bladder allows bacteria to collect, and can cause an infection in the urinary canal or bladder. Besides urine retention, the strain on the bladder can lead to urinary tract infections, bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones, and incontinence (involuntary leaking). Left untreated, an infection can progress to the urethra and kidneys. In a worst-case scenario urine can show up in your blood, and that can be very bad.

If your urination is:

– hesitant, interrupted, weak stream.
– urgency and leaking or dribbling.
– more frequent urination, especially at night.

These are the most common symptoms of BPH involve.

WARNING SIGNS OF PROSTATE TROUBLE

There are several symptoms, for example;

– urinate more frequently, especially in the middle of the night.
– urination somehow is more difficult, uneven or unintentional.
– blood in your urine.
– burning sensation when you “take a leak” or ejaculate.
– pain in your upper thighs, lower back or pelvis.

If you have some similar symptoms as above, it often indicates normal enlargement as you age or maybe simply you’ve been drinking more liquids, or under extra stress lately. But be warned. While prostate cancer can cause these symptoms, it can be symptomless. If you have any concerns at all about your prostate, see a doctor quickly.

THE THREE MAJOR PROSTATE DISEASES

Basically, there are 3 diseases that can strike the prostate:

1. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or Hypertrophy (BPH)- are benign diseases that do not cause cancer (but don’t mean you won’t get it) and are usually in the male age group of the 40s.
2. Prostatitis– can strike men at any age that can lead to other prostate problems. For high-risk males, symptoms may start much younger.
3. Cancer of the prostate

A) Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

If urination symptoms suggested Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, it can prevent the bladder from emptying completely, thus leaving urine behind. The narrowing of the urethra and partial emptying of the bladder may cause “urge incontinence.” This means your bladder is irritated by retained urine which leads to spasm. The result? You don’t make it to the bathroom in time. All these can cause bladder infections, stones, and even kidney damage! The size of the prostate does not always determine how severe the obstruction or the symptoms will be. Some men with seriously enlarged glands have little obstruction and few symptoms, while some with less enlarged glands have more blockage and greater problems.

Since urine retention and BPH may cause urinary tract infections, do take notice of the symptoms of BPH yourself, or consult your doctor during a routine checkup that if your prostate is enlarged or not. If BPH is suspected, you may be referred to a urologist (a doctor who specializes in problems of the urinary tract and the male reproductive system). A doctor will usually clear up any infection with antibiotics before treating the BPH itself. Although the need for treatment is not usually urgent, doctors generally advise going ahead with treatment once the problems become bothersome or present a health risk. Instead of immediate therapy, regular checkups are recommended to watch for early problems.

At present, conventional treatments include watch and wait, to see how bad symptoms can become, followed by drug therapy and then surgery if necessary. The last two treatments can cause side effects including impotence.

B) PROSTATITIS-infection & inflammation of the gland

Basically, there are two kinds of prostatitis namely: Infectious (Bacterial) prostatitis and non-bacterial prostatitis.

Infectious Prostatitis
Any man at any age can develop an infection or inflammation of the prostate gland, known as prostatitis

Prostatitis can affect young men in their prime of life. Though not deadly but it’s not fun to have it either. A disabling disease that may have a drastic reduction in the quality of life, cause intense pain, urinary complications, sexual dysfunction, and infertility. This infection can be just a one-time occurrence, or it can be chronic, persistent, or recurrent. Bacteria or some other microorganism can cause the disease, or it can result from other factors other than bacteria.

Non-bacterial or non-infectious prostatitis. There are 2 categories:
a) Congestive prostatitis or Prostatostasis occurs when too much prostatic fluid, the milky fluid in semen, accumulates within the prostate gland rather than being ejaculated out through the penis. The gland is said to be congested.

b) Another condition, Prostatodynia, in which pain “seems” to originate in the prostate but is much more likely to be coming from the muscles of the pelvic floor, from inflammation in one or more of the pelvic bones, or from a disease in the rectum. Despite its name, prostatodynia really has nothing to do with the prostate.

Being a tough disease to diagnose, effective prostatitis treatment is sometimes difficult. This often leads to frustration for both patients and doctors. A patient may show a variety of symptoms which often include:

1. Low back pain.
2. Joint aches.
3. Muscle aches.
4. Burning upon urination.
5. Frequent urination.
6. Urgent urination.
7. Generalized malaise.
8. Pain deep in the rectum and scrotal areas.

At times the symptoms may also include fever or pain almost anywhere within the pelvis and scrotum. The above symptoms may be mild or overwhelming.

As previously mentioned, it can be caused by bacteria similar to those which cause other types of urinary infections. However, some men have no evidence of bacteria in their prostates, yet are thought to carry microorganisms (such as Chlamydia or Ureaplasma), which are harder to identify. Still, some others have no evidence of any microorganisms at all. The reasons for their prostatitis symptoms are poorly understood and are possibly related to stress or congestion, certain medications such as cold remedies with antihistamines and decongestants may be a cause of symptoms too!

IF SEX IS GOOD, HOW CAN IT CAUSE PROSTATITIS?

–Too much sex? Not enough sex?

A healthy prostate secretes about one-tenth and two-fifths of a teaspoon of fluid. When you’re sexually stimulated you to produce four to ten times that amount. Normally or ideally, you release it by ejaculating otherwise your prostate becomes congested or balloons. An abrupt fall-off in sexual climaxes (maybe your partner is mad at you) can engorge the prostate as well. Alternately, for example, let’s say you have a “wild weekend” after a long period of celibacy. Your prostate which went into seclusion for a period, isn’t used to your being so suddenly, works strainnessly overtime to produce secretions for several ejaculations. As a result, it can become inflamed

Similar to BPH, Prostatitis is also commonly treated with antibiotics that may be effective when there is actually an infecting bacteria. Many times, however, they are not effective in these cases, either because they don’t eradicate the infection or because there never was an actual infection. Therefore, it is common for some patients to receive different courses of antibiotics. Sometimes certain drugs will be prescribed as their agent has a tenancy to relax the muscles of the bladder neck and prostate gland.

In the event, if prostatitis becomes difficult to treat or kept recurring, surgery will be the last resort.

C) PROSTATE CANCER

Man’s greatest fear! Prostate cancer originates from the gland can be deadly if left undiagnosed, untreated, or neglected. Cancer cells multiply uncontrollably and can invade healthy cells nearby. While it can happen to any age, a high percentage of men with the disease occur after the age of 65. The actual cause is a mystery. The biggest contributing factors are an increase of testosterone level and bad habits; alcohol, tobacco, poor diet, genital or sexual diseases and etc. These can increase your risk of contracting cancer!

One big problem with prostate cancer is there are no defined set of symptoms. However, most cancer institute has identified a few as possible indicators of prostate cancer.

1. inability to urinate.
2. frequent urination especially at night.
3. urine incontinence.
4. pain during ejaculation.
5. weak urine flow.
6. burning sensation or pain felt when streaming urine.
7. blood in urine or semen.
8. frequent pain in the hips, lower back, or upper thighs.

You may see it’s all quite similar to BPH or prostatitis, isn’t it? As these symptoms may be caused not only by prostate cancer (probably from a number of other disorders not of the prostate), it is advisable to seek consultation from your doctor or talk to someone, a family member who had these problems before.