Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH – What Is It
Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, is a prostate related problem which has an effect on males of middle age or higher. This condition can be a swelling with the prostate that’s not resulting from cancer of the prostate.
Regrettably, because the prostate becomes wrapped round the upper area of the urethra, if this swells, harmful side-effects can happen. Benign prostatic hyperplasia can be additionally referred to as benign prostatic hypertrophy.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – Signs and Symptoms
The actual signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia are:
- Involuntary urination
- Trouble urinating
- Poor flow
- Uncomfortable urination plus
- A few severe situations perhaps the total failure
- Failure of going to the bathroom
The problem can be extremely unpleasant as well as harmful to sustaining a correctly functioning, healthy urinary system.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – Causes
Just what leads to benign prostatic hyperplasia is not really totally fully understood by modern day medicine. Research has not really been in a position to determine any particular risk factors, which makes it hard or even impossible to avoid BPH through lifestyle, diet plan or even exercising alterations.
It’s long been recognized that older males have problems with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and there’s a powerful link between male hormones along with getting older and growth of the prostate.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – Side Effects
Through the whole of their own lives, males produce both male hormonal testosterone plus a tiny amount of the female hormone, oestrogen. As a natural side-effect associated with getting older, the quantity of testosterone active within the blood stream diminishes.
This upsets the actual percentage involving testosterone and estrogens, and the actual relative boost involving estrogens within the bloodstream might play a role in revitalizing growth of the prostate later. An additional possible reason for benign prostatic hyperplasia is definitely a rise in levels of dihydrotestosterone.
An ingredient that’s produced from testosterone could play a role in regulating prostate gland growth. In nature, as many animals grow older, they will cease generating dihydrotestosterone.
However in humans, even while testosterone amounts fall throughout the process of aging, men’s bodies continue to create higher amounts of dihydrotestosterone within the prostate. Scientists have come to believe that high amounts of this hormone might promote the development of cellular material within the prostate gland.
There’s a medical procedure which fixes BPH, and it’s called transurethral resection of the prostate gland, a part of the prostate is in fact taken out as a way to reduce the actual strain around the urethra and bring back good flow of urine. Right after surgical treatment, patients are sometimes needed to stay in the hospital for a few days with regard to observation.
Prostate Enlargement Treatment – How You Can Deal With Your BPH Prostate
As men age, one of the things to be concerned about is having enlarged prostates. This is often called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. Men often don’t go to the doctors and many don’t even realize that their prostate may be enlarged. It’s important to talk about it and to get as much information about prostate enlargement treatment to help in this discomfort situation. Even if men feel uncomfortable about talking about it, it’s important to know if you have enlarged prostates and to know how to treat them.
What is your prostate? Your prostate is a walnut-sized gland located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is a part of the male reproductive system and is vital to reproducing. It is made up to two lobes that surrounds the urethra which is where urine passes out of the body. The main function of the prostate is to squeeze fluid through the urethra and help sperm during male sexual climax. The fluid is important as it makes up semen and makes the vaginal canal less acidic during intercourse.
Enlarged prostate isn’t uncommon in men. Actually, the prostate goes through two growing phases. The first, being through puberty, where, it double in size and the second around age 25. It continues to grow throughout a man’s life and it usually causes problems later in life, usually after 40 years of age. Nearly 90% of men in their seventies and eighties exhibit enlarged prostates.
When you have prostate enlargement it can become uncomfortable. When the prostate enlarges it presses against the urethra causing the bladder to contract even if there is a small amount of urine in the bladder. This results in frequent urination. Eventually there will be a gradual loss of bladder function, if left untreated. Other common symptoms associated with BPH is a weak stream of urination, leaking or dribbling urine, and more frequent urination especially during night time.
It’s very important to tell your doctor if you notice any discomfort during urination or frequent urination. The sooner you tell your doctor, the faster you will be to prostate enlargement treatment. Your doctor will most likely prescribe you either an alpha blocker or a finasteride.
Alpha blocker medication works by relaxing the muscles in the bladder in order for urination to occur. This usually helps for people who have an acute urinary retention, whereby no urine passes through the urethra. It helps around 75% of men who have prostate enlargement. Poplar brands are doxazosin Cardura, tamsulosin, Flomax and terazosin Hytrin. These work quickly and men should notice an improvement within 1-2 days.
The other type of medicine, finasteride, works for men who have a particularly large prostate. Finasteride (Proscar) works by actually shrinking the prostate gland. This drug is slow acting and can take up to a year to who improvement in symptoms.
If you feel that medication isn’t the route you are willing to take, there are herbal supplements that are proving to be highly effective, if not equal to, traditional medicine. A popular herbal supplement for an enlarged prostate is saw palmetto Serenoa repens. It works by preventing testosterone from breaking down into the hormone associated with prostate growth. Saw palmetto is just as effective in reducing prostate glands as finasteride.
Green Tea for Prostatitis and BPH Ingredients
Green Tea is one of the most popular beverages across the globe and the different tea types differ from each other owing to the difference in processing that each one undergoes. Green tea processing is devoid of fermentation and this helps preserve the nutritional qualities in green tea. Green tea is grown in China, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam.
Our tea product does not contain green tea, as green tea is widely available and consumed anyway, but in addition to drinking our tea product we recommend consuming green tea on a regular basis Medicinal properties of green tea are widely recognized and green tea is used in the treatment of a host of diseases starting from acne to hypertension, including prostate disorders. Green tea contains polyphenols which help cure prostate disorders.
How does Green Tea work?
An ongoing study at Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, suggests that green tea extracts can slow down prostate cancer progression. The study involves 26 aged men having prostate cancer and scheduled for prostate removal.
The men took four capsules containing Polyphenon E (an active ingredient found in green tea) until the day before prostate surgery, equal to about 12 cups of concentrated green tea. The average study time was just over one month (34.5 days).
At the end of one month it was seen that the treatment group had a significantly lower rate of disease progression.
Recent studies show that men with abnormal prostate cells, high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), also benefited from polyphenols extracted from green tea.
This could easily mean that green tea is not only a friend for CA prostate patients but also those above 40 because it could prevent the prostate from going haywire and leading to hyperplasia or cancer.
Drinking Green Tea for Prostate Health
Green tea can not only reduce the rate of disease progression in the prostate, but also prevent prostate ailments owing to the cathechins and polyphenols present in it that boost up the immune system.
If delayed disease progression doesn’t look like much to you, let’s understand the fact that the patient needn’t go for a painful prostate removal surgery (not to mention the immense side effects it has), but still live long without the constant fear of impending death haunting him.
Medicinal properties of green tea have not been widely studied and hence the array of benefits that it offers is not all documented. Scientists have realized the importance of the herb and studies are in progress. However, from experience we know that green soothing effects on almost all organs of the body, including the process.
The anti-inflammatory properties of green tea make it an excellent medicine for prostatitis and BPH. It kills the cause and not the symptom unlike conventional drugs and surgeries.
Stinging Nettle for Prostatitis and BPH Ingredients
Stinging nettle or common nettle, (Urtica dioica), is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but is now also grown in N. America and Canada. The leaves and stem have hollow stinging hair like projections that inject a neurotransmitter called histamine when touched. This produces a stinging sensation.
Stinging nettle is widely used in Europe as herbal medicine for prostate disorders, kidney and bladder disorders, gout, arthritis and also for hair growth. The tender shoots are also cooked and consumed as vegetable.
The flowering season for stinging nettle is from June to September and the plant is very rich in Potassium and Calcium salts, silicic acid, some volatile oils, flavonoids, vitamins C, K, B and carotene, UDA, polysaccharides, ligans, fatty acids and scopoletin.
Several neurotransmitters including histamine, serotonin and acetylcholine are also found in abundance in stinging nettle. The root is rich in beta-sitosterol. Traditional Uses of Stinging Nettle Owing to its powerful medicinal properties the stinging nettle is widely used in Europe as a diuretic (to facilitate flush out of liquids from an inflamed bladder or urinary tract) and as a treatment for inflamed prostate (BPH). It also helps prevent renal calculi or kidney stones.
How Is Stinging Nettle Beneficial for BPH
BPH or benign prostate hyperplasia is a very common prostate condition found in over 90% of males aged 45 or more. The prostate tissues get enlarged and constrict the urethra, thereby restricting normal urine flow. This condition results in painful urination, dribbling, frequent urination, night time bed wetting and also blood laced urination. Medications like finasteride, dutasteride etc. are available, but they can only help you so far by restricting further prostrate growth. Pain and other symptoms are often not reduced completely.
Stinging nettle extracts, especially the root extracts have been seen to give phenomenal results in lab studies conducted on BPH patients. Scientists are ye to ascertain the exact mode of action of the herb, but it is thought that the neurotransmitters present in the herb interfere positively with the pain signal transmission and the patient does the feel the pain associated with BPH. It also has a significant role in influencing hormones like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone which are the culprits behind BPH symptoms.
Studies have shown that Stinging nettle extracts can not only reduce risks of BPH and other prostate disorders, but also alleviate pain and improve overall prostate symptom score
Prostate Health Diet Tips for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Prostate health diets tips are helpful because an enlarged prostate and BPH or benign prostatic hyperplasia (“benign prostatic hypertrophy”) is very common, especially in men over the age of 50 years. This is a condition where the prostate enlarges and presses against the urethra, the tube which carries your urine. The result is a strangling affect which leads to difficulty in urinating. This annoying condition also increases the risk of bladder infections and kidney damage. The situation is made worse when inflammation of the prostate is leading to prostatitis.
Fortunately there are various fruits and vegetables which can help. These are not miracle cures but various studies are suggestive of their positive abilities. Lycopene is one example of a health-promoting plant pigment known for its ability to fight cancer.
Excellent sources of lycopene are found in tomatoes, watermelons, red grapefruit, papaya and red berries. This pigment and phytochemical is believed to promote a strong immune system and help support prostate health. Interestingly, the lycopene in cooked tomatoes is actually absorbed more readily by the body than fresh tomatoes. In general though, fresh vegetables are important for lots of reasons, including heart health.
Quercetin is another plant pigment and flavonoid that appears to have a number of benefits for the prostate as well as for allergies, heart disease and cancer. It also acts as an antihistamine and has anti-inflammatory properties which may be helpful in relieving the discomfort of an inflamed prostate.
Examples of quercetin rich foods include apples, onions, green tea, onions, raspberries, red wine, red grapes, cherries, citrus fruits, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables. Quercetin can also be found in honey and in the sap and flowers of the eucalyptus and tea trees.
Other suggestions include eating nuts and seeds which provide vitamin E antioxidants. Water and fluids are also important to assist in flushing the bladder. If you have BPH this can be a challenge as you will want to urinate more often, but there should be benefits overall. And of course, limiting caffeine and alcohol is always a wise course.
Prostate Enlargement Surgery – Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – BPH – TURP Button – Green Light Laser – TUMT
The prostate enlargement surgery has helped millions of men to sleep instead of getting up to go urinate 2, 3, 4, or 5 times every night. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms occur in the majority of men in their 60’s and 70’s. The most common side effect of an enlarged prostate is urinary obstruction. A host of symptoms start to manifest as the enlarging prostate blocks the urethra from opening when trying to urinate.
Starting to urinating takes a longer time (urinary hesitancy), the stream of urine starts and stops, dribbling occurs after urination, and having to urinate again shortly after going. The most frustrating symptom of prostate enlargement is urinary frequency, both in the day and at night (nocturia). Urologists have many ways to help this often inevitable bathroom curse.
The prostate enlargement surgery is usually the last course of action. Most men start out with mild urological supplements for BPH; Natural alternative medicine is widely accepted because BPH is rarely a deadly disease such as cancer or diabetes. The natural medicines use herbs, barks, and roots that have been known to either shrink the prostate or relax the prostatic urethra allowing you to empty the bladder more when urinating. The urologist will also write a prescription for stronger medications to help shrink the prostate and relax the prostatic urethra.
In the long run these supplements and prescription medications may no longer work. When this happens surgery for prostate enlargement becomes the preferred option. The two more serious consequences from not taking care of the BPH symptoms are that hydronephrosis can deform the uretero-pelvic junction and ruin a kidney or the bladder might become stretched out and turn into an atonic bladder.
The prostate enlargement surgery that has been around the longest and been successful is the TURP or transurethral resection of the prostate. With a loop of wire that fits through a thin scope that is placed into the urethra the urologist looks at the prostatic urethra under magnification. The urologist turns in the electricity heating the wire and starts cutting out the prostate tissue that is blocking the urine from emptying the bladder completely. This is an outpatient procedure and has had great success for decades.
The prostate enlargement surgery that has just recently come out is called the TURP button because it is the size and shape of a button instead of a loop and urologists like it because it both vaporizes the prostatic tissue very smoothly and it also cauterizes the blood vessels.
Another prostate enlargement surgery is the green light laser which also vaporizes the prostate tissue. There are a couple procedures that the urologist can do in their office to remove prostatic tissue from BPH and they are the transurethral needle ablation (TUNA), and transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT).