Steaming Your Prostate: A New Treatment Could Improve Lives

[Julieanne]

Steve Williams
August 27 2018

A new procedure, which has just been approved by the UK’s health watchdog NICE, may help to improve the lives of millions of men suffering prostate problems. Released this month, the guidance aims to tackle what is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or non-cancerous enlarged prostate. The condition is very common, affecting up to half of all men over the age of 50 in the UK alone.
While some people will show only minimal symptoms, like a weak or slow urinary stream, others may experience problems with urinating, feelings of needing to urinate more frequently and other uncomfortable symptoms that can add up to a lower quality of life.


Read more: https://www.care2.com/causes/steamin...ove-lives.html

[Islander]

Glad I read this, even though I'm not a man! I learned something.

[Mr. Wizard]

The procedure, known on the street as Rezum, is fairly new, approved by FDA in 2016. So, medical community has less than 2 yrs. experience with this procedure. In fact, men wanting to try the procedure may have difficulty finding a skilled physician. The clinical trials for Rezum were performed using only enlarged prostates of a certain size. So, the verdict is still out on how well Rezum works on prostates enlarged beyond the size used in clinical trials. Curious why different sizes were not used. It sounds promising...anything's better than invasive surgery and drugs...but sounds like more time and more testing are needed before pronouncing a cure for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

[Islander]

We never heard of prostate cancer when I was growing up. I wonder, is it related to the fact that men are living longer today?

[Mr. Wizard]

To be clear, this article is addressing a procedure to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is not cancer. BPH is simply a swollen prostate. Prostate cancer, on the other hand, has been fairly constant for American men, with African American men being almost twice as likely to get it than Caucasian or Hispanic men. Good news: most men diagnose with prostate cancer don't die from it. According to American Cancer Society, the actual rate of cancer has been declining on average 5.6% each year over the past 10 yrs, due to better detection tools. The 5 yr. survival rate is 98.2%, which is incredibly high compared to most other cancers. I suspect the reason you didn't hear much about it growing up was because men aren't given to discussing their "sick" body parts, not even with their wives.

[Islander]

Haha, I know. When I was growing up, women who referred to breast cancer would actually whisper it. And I am aware that African American men are almost twice as likely to get prostate cancer. My African American son-in-law is keenly aware because his father died of it at an early age. A brother-in-law, closer to my age, had surgery for his prostate cancer and seems to be doing well, although he also had skin cancer and currently has some sort of slow-progression leukemia. They moved to Maine from Virginia not only to be closer to family, but to be between Portland and Boston medical centers.

[Mr. Wizard]

The average age for getting prostate cancer is mid-60s. For the vast majority of men, the cancer is slow growing that they'll probably end up dying from something other than their prostate cancer. Two nutritional ingredients needed for a healthy prostate are zinc (oysters, clams, shellfish) and saw palmetto.

[MarianoMcCoy]

Good to know this useful information. May I expect something more on it?

[Islander]

Welcome, MarianoMcCoy! At Hawkes' Health, we try to stay on top of breaking medical news, with the emphasis on prevention and alternative treatments to pharmaceuticals. As new information surfaces, you are likely to find it here first! The best way to follow up is to check the What's New forum daily.
Pease take a minute to start a thread in the New Members forum and introduce yourself to us. Where are you in the world? What are your particular interests or issues as they pertain to health and wellness?

[Mr. Wizard]

Good to know this useful information. May I expect something more on it?

Hi MarianoMcCoy. Welcome to HH. I have a real interest in prostate cancer, as I have had several family members suffer from this condition. So, I've studied the issue in some detail. I can share a few of the basics with you, and will be happy to address any further questions you may have. Here are the basics:

Prostate cancer is typically an "old man's disease," with the average age of diagnosis being 66. However, the cancer is more common among African American and Latino men than Caucasian men. Asian and Native American men have the lowest chances of getting the cancer. Family history, like a father or brother having prostate cancer, can raise a person's chances of prostate cancer.

The prostate, a small gland about the size of a walnut, sits underneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. Prostate cancer is the abnormal growth of cells "inside" the prostate. If these cells stay inside the prostate and multiply slowly over a long period of time, the cancer is considered "a slow growth cancer." Conversely, if the cells multiply quickly and begin growing outside of the prostate, then it is considered "aggressive and fast growing prostate cancer." The aggressive kind can spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body via the bloodstream. Docs can tell rather quickly whether the cancer is of the slow or fast growing type by performing a biopsy.

To diagnose whether a person has prostate cancer, the doc typically uses two (2) tests...the digital rectal exam (DRE) and the PSA blood test, and finally a biopsy to determine whether the cells are of the slow growing or aggressive type. The doc performs the DRE by inserting a gloved, lubricated finger in the rectum and feels the prostate. The blood test, PSA, measures the amount of a specific protein made only in the prostate, and elevated amounts "could" mean cancer. PSA test results range from a score of 1.0 to 10. Anything below 4.0 is "normal," but above 4.0 is a reason to do more evaluation. Also, the PSA is "not a perfect" test. For example, an enlarged prostate, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is a non-cancerous condition that can raise the PSA score. Also, another condition where the prostate becomes temporarily inflamed and swollen, known as prostatitis, can also raise the PSA score. But, usually the PSA and the DRE test together will fairly accurately predict that further evaluation is needed. This is where the biopsy comes in.

Some experts say that the mineral zinc and selenium found in certain seafood is important for a healthy prostate, as well as diets high in Omega-3-fatty acids found in fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel. Also, a nutrient called lycopene is suppose to be very beneficial for a healty prostate. Lycopene is abundant in tomatoes, and it is also found in carrots, purple cabbage, guava, asparagus, etc.

[Islander]

One p.s. Don't know about other veggies but the lycopene in tomatoes is more bioavailable when cooked.

[Mr. Wizard]

Excellent point. In fact, the lycopene in tomatoes becomes significantly more bioavailable if tomatoes are steamed or lightly boiled. Not so much with other high lycopene foods, like red bell peppers, watermelon, pink guava, etc. Because I have male family members who suffer from prostate issues, I also take a supplement with 4 mg. of lycopene every other day.