Health And Fitness News 

Prostate Cancer And Alternative Health

Alternative medicine is fast catching on as a treatment for all cancers, including prostate cancer.  This is mainly because of the dissatisfaction of individuals with conventional medicine.  The problem is that many individuals cannot accept that life is not eternal and conventional medicine is not a cure for all diseases. Before seeking alternative medicine, one should know that the majority of the products have never been proven scientifically and the field is full of charlatans who prey on desperate ill people.

There are numerous nutrition supplements and herbs for prostate health, which are found in every store all over the country - many of them claiming great success in treating prostate cancer and curing all other cancers.  Most of the success of these products is claimed by the industry and the sellers.

The question remains, are these therapies effective?  Anecdotal data always suggests that these products are effective but no large controlled trials are available on the majority of these products.  Even though these products are widely used, there is absolutely no regulation or control of these products.  The ingredients, their content or their purity is not assessed and their long term safety remains unknown.  In addition, fake supplements are on the increase and buyers should be cautious and consult an herbalist or other medical professional for advice on the best alternative or complementary treatment options.

As with most other medical conditions, exercise may not prevent or cure prostate cancer, but exercise has so many benefits that it would be an injustice to not recommend exercise.  Exercise has miraculous healing powers, and just 30 minutes a day can help improve your overall physical and mental health.

Once a diagnosis of prostate cancer is made, the news is always devastating and depressing.  Many individuals may not be able to cope with such news.  To cope with prostate cancer, the best way is to educate oneself.  One should maintain your normal routine for work and the rest of your life.  No one should suffer the burden of a cancer diagnosis on their own.  Instead, seek comfort from family members and friends.  And help is even available by calling the National Cancer Organization(s).  The best way to deal with the cancer is by being well-informed about the cancer.

Because it is not always easy to tell which alternative products may be unsafe, the best advice is to seek advice from your physician or herbalist.  Some alternative health products are by no means cheap, so by having blind faith in products, you can lose your money and also further damage your health if you are taking a therapy that is not right for you.  Therefore, seek professional advice before starting any therapy.
 

Nutrition For Prostate Cancer

Unfortunately, it is not yet known for sure how prostate cancer can be prevented, but one can take measures to decrease the risks or slow its progression.  The most important steps one can take to maintain good health is to be well, be physically active and get regular checks up from the doctor.

Studies from different geographic regions have helped to identify dietary differences between different regions of the world.  This information has led to recommendations regarding dietary changes to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. 

Selenium is a strong antioxidant.  Studies reveal that the prevalence of prostate cancer is higher in those areas where the soil is lower in selenium content than where the content of selenium is higher.  This is because selenium from the soil gets into our fruits, vegetables, other crops and even water.  Another study reported significantly lower cases of prostate cancer and a 50% reduction in mortality for men who took daily selenium supplements. 

Others have found that blood selenium levels in men are low when they are diagnosed with and subsequently development advanced prostate cancer.  A third study revealed that there are high toenail selenium levels in men with a low risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.
 
Data indicate that Asian men are much less likely to get prostate cancer than North American men.  But if these Asian men immigrate to the US, they lose adopt the same higher prostate cancer risk within one generation.  Studies reveal that the Asian diet is rich in soy, which is a major source of genistein and other isoflavonoids.  The beneficial effects of the isoflavonoids are thought to be related to its estrogen-like effects.

Data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study indicates that increased consumption of tomatoes (which are rich in lycopene) causes a significant reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer.  Other data indicate that even eating tomato sauces may also decrease the risk of prostate cancer.  However, the latest National Institutes of Health (NIH) study refutes this claim.

Vitamin E is known to act as an antioxidant and has the ability to stop the division of rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.  In one study, it was observed that men who took vitamin E had a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer compared to those who did not.  Other studies are currently underway to determine how vitamin E works to prevent cancer and which cancers may respond to vitamin E therapy.

Other nutrients that may diminish the risk of prostate cancer include folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin A derivatives and unsaturated fatty acids.  Numerous reports exist about the benefits of these nutrients and the NIH will be undertaking controlled trials in the near future.

Current trials are evaluating use of stem cells, gene therapy and immune therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer which has already spread.  These newer treatments are currently only available at major cancer centers.

Prostate Cancer Treatments

Prostate cancer can be treated in more than one way. Depending on the rate of growth, age, life expectancy, stage and spread, many different therapies or a combination therapy is used.

You may either receive direct radiation therapy to the prostate or the surgeon may place small radioactive implants in the prostate.  They both work by killing the cancer cells.  Today, radiation therapy is applied in a very sophisticated way to prevent toxicity.  With precise focusing of radiation beams, greater doses of radiation can be without increasing the frequency of complications.  During the radiation therapy, all individuals are protected by custom-designed shields.

Radiation treatments are generally given over a 6-8 week period.  The treatment is not painful and does not require anesthesia.  The side effects of radiation therapy are not instant, and so one may gradually develop the following:

• Frequent urination
• impotence (more common in elderly men)
• loose stools
• rectal bleeding
• urgency to defecate
• rectal ulcers
• rectal pain upon defecation

Once the radiation treatment course is complete, the majority of these side effects gradually disappear.  However, a few unlucky men may continue to experience rectal pain, bleeding or ulcers.  If these do not resolve with medical therapy, surgery may be required.

Because testosterone is known to stimulate growth of prostate cancer cells, anti-testosterone therapy (called hormonal therapy) is frequently used to treat prostate cancer.  This therapy either uses drugs to stop the production of the male sex hormones or the entire source of the hormone is surgically stopped by removing the testicle (orchidectomy).

Hormonal therapy is most effective in men with advanced prostate cancer.  The treatment does help to slow the growth and frequently shrinks the tumor.  Because this therapy is effective in shrinking tumors, hormonal therapy can be used in the early stage of prostate cancer — often in combination with radiation and surgery.  Once the tumor size is reduced, surgery or radiation therapy can be used to destroy whatever tumor is left behind.

Most men develop side effects from these hormonal-based drug therapies.  These include nausea, diarrhea, breast enlargement, decreased libido, impotence, hot flashes, weight gain and loss of muscle and bone mass.  Liver function has to be regularly monitored because all these drugs have the potential to cause liver damage.

A few men elect to undergo an orchidectomy.  The testes are a major source of testosterone and surgical removal of the testes eliminates the hormone.  This mode of therapy is usually for individuals with advanced prostate cancer and is quite effective.  The procedure is actually not as painful as it sounds.

Surgical removal of the prostate gland is another option for patients with prostate cancer.  This is a major surgical procedure which removes the entire prostate and adjacent lymph nodes.  The surgeon tries to preserve the nerves and muscles which control urination and sexual function.  Two surgical approaches are available to remove the prostate: retropubic and perineal.  Both have been designed to prevent the complications to the adjacent organs, however, a fair number of individuals continue to have complications.

Chemotherapy drugs are frequently used to treat prostate cancer. These toxic drugs kill the rapidly growing cancer cells.  This form of therapy is not curative but can help control the spread.  However, chemotherapy is associated with more side effects and is generally given to men who have prostate cancer that did not respond to hormonal therapy.  Today, various combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs are used and may even be combined with hormones.  Early results are positive but long term resulting are not available.

You can read about prostate health supplements here.