Prostate Problems?

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis, positioned directly in front of the rectum. The prostate is an integral part of the male reproductive system in that it helps to produce some of the fluid that nourishes and protects the sperm.

There are several prostate conditions that often becomes more common as men grow older: Prostatitis, an enlarged prostate, and prostate cancer.

Prostatitis:

Prostatitis is characterized by swelling and inflammation of the prostate gland and is often bacterial or viral-based. Common symptoms of this condition include painful or difficult urination, pain in the groin, pelvic area or genitals, and flu-like symptoms. Prostatitis may be treated as any other viral or bacterial infection. For more information on the subject, see the articles on Streptococcus and the Epstein-Barr virus.

Enlarged Prostate:

This condition is often called ‘benign prostatic hyperplasia/hypertrophy (BPH) and is characterized by a benign, enlarged prostate gland. While an enlarged prostate is a common occurrence in men over age 50, contrary to popular belief, this is not part of the normal aging process.

As the prostate becomes enlarged, the gland presses against the urethra, which over time, may weaken the bladder and cause urinary retention – an inability to fully empty the bladder. Additional symptoms of an enlarged prostate include a weak or slow urinary stream, difficulty initiating, and/or frequent urination, awakening at night to urinate, and continuous dribbling of urine. When the bladder fails to empty completely, the risk of developing urinary tract infections increases.

Prostate Cancer:

Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in men and may exhibit symptoms similar to those of BPH or prostatitis, such as difficulty urinating and a decreased urine stream or discomfort in the pelvic area. Additional symptoms may include blood in the semen and erectile dysfunction.

Prostate cancer symptoms don't often appear until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra. This is usually a slow-growing cancer that often needs minimal or no treatment. However, there are more aggressive types of prostate cancer that can spread quickly.

Causes of an Enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer

Up until recently, little has been known about the reasons behind an enlarged prostate and/or prostate cancer, however, thanks to Anthony William, the Medical Medium, we now know more than ever before about these two conditions.

Prostate problems originate in the liver, long before we see an indication of an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer. The culprit behind both begins with a particular type of Epstein-Barr virus that often enters our bodies during childhood and begins to incubate in the liver. Later on, typically during early adulthood, the virus decides to migrate to the prostate and remains dormant there until it detects a drop in lymphocytes or problems in the lymphatic system in the groin area, indicating a weakening of the immune system. Once this occurs, the virus becomes more active, multiplies and causes inflammation.

Prostate Cancer Screening

Because BPH and prostate cancer share very similar symptoms, many believe that it is prudent to receive a definite diagnosis to determine whether there is a malignancy, so that the condition may be treated accordingly. Although this is very understandable, it is not always advisable or easy.

So let’s take a look and the 3 most common ways to diagnose and monitor prostate growth.

1. The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test

Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is commonly believed to be a protein produced by normal and malignant cells within the prostate, the levels of which elevate as the prostate grows, however, this is not exact. In actuality, this test is a measure of inflammation not necessarily related to the prostate. This is important to understand, because high levels of PSA in the blood does not necessarily indicate a problem with the prostate, nor is it necessarily an indication of cancer.

The PSA test was originally approved to monitor the progression of prostate cancer in men who had already been diagnosed with the disease, and in such cases, this is a relatively reliable test. However, when this test is used to test asymptomatic men for prostate cancer, it often leads to over-diagnosis and over-treatment causing unnecessary harm, which is why the National Cancer Institute warns against screening for prostate cancer with PSA blood testing.

If a PSA blood test shows elevated levels of PSA and the prostate is not enlarged, and if there is no indication of inflammation within the prostate, this usually indicates a compromised liver or inflammation elsewhere in the body.

According to a European study, PSA testing prevented only about one prostate cancer death for every 1000 men screened after 13 years. Furthermore, 75% of those with an abnormal PAS who had undergone a prostate biopsy did not have prostate cancer. In addition, most cases of prostate cancers are unlikely to cause death or disability. In other words, even if screening detects cancer early on, it is not clear that the cancer must be treated.

2. Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)

A digital rectal exam (DRE), is often also used in conjunction with a PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer. This is a physical examination where a doctor inserts a lubricated gloved finger into the rectum to feel for abnormalities. While this test can determine abnormalities, it is even less effective than the PSA blood test in determining the existence of cancerous cells.

3. Prostate Biopsy

As mentioned, PSA and DRE testing are largely ineffective in diagnosing the existence of prostate cancer. The only way prostate cancer can be properly diagnosed is with the help of a prostate biopsy which is extremely controversial for many reasons.

A prostate biopsy procedure is an invasive medical procedure with risks. This is not a one-time insertion for tissue samples, but rather 12-60 needle insertions through the perineum, urethra, and/or rectum.

The prostate cancer biopsy may or may not detect cancer, depending on the quality of the samples in the different areas of the prostate, which means that a negative biopsy doesn’t necessarily mean that the prostate is cancer-free.

Not only can a prostate biopsy procedure be very harmful to the prostate, it can also lead to painful, long-lasting infections that are difficult to treat. If cancer is present, the biopsy may increase the aggressiveness of the cancer, and the biopsy needles can potentially spread cancer to other parts of the prostate, as well as release cancerous cells into the bloodstream, thus turning a relatively benign form of cancer into a highly fatal form.

Additional complications of a prostate needle biopsy include an increase in urination difficulties and/or erectile dysfunction, potentially requiring previously unnecessary surgeries.

If any signs of cancer are present in the biopsy results, this may lead a patient to choose surgery or radiation, which can lead to depression, urinary incontinence, and erectile dysfunction, without actually increasing the patient’s life-span.

Cancer testing is intended to increase the life-span of the patient, however, prostate cancer is often a slow-growing cancer that shows up later in life and seldom leads to death. Today more and more physicians are choosing to monitor prostate growth rather than try to obtain a definitive diagnosis or treat prostate cancer.

For more on the pros, cons, and complications of prostate biopsy, see Consumer Reports.

What to do once diagnosed with an enlarged prostate and possible prostate cancer

If you have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate or suspect you have prostate cancer, know that stage 1 prostate cancer can be halted and even reversed, providing the correct actions have been taken.

One of the first things to do as soon as you suspect any type of prostate problem is to lower the viral load and heal any damage done to the prostate by the virus. This means eliminating foods that feed the virus, such as corn products, pork, soy, eggs, dairy, gluten, and high-fat foods. All fats lower levels of oxygen in the blood, especially animal fat. In order to stay healthy and lower the viral load, we need lots of oxygen in our blood to prevent the virus from growing.

Anyone with a prostate problem should adopt a 100% plant-based diet. For those who find it too difficult to go 100% plant-based, you can consume a certain amount of wild fish, as long as they are not large fish, such as tuna. Another option is to lower your intake of chicken and meat to once or twice a week.

In addition to avoiding foods that feed the virus, you want to lower the amount of adrenaline in the bloodstream and help the body chelate toxic heavy metals that also feed the virus. To better understand how to lower adrenaline levels, see our article Understanding Adrenal Fatigue. For more on how to rid the body of toxic heavy metals, see the following article - Medical Medium’s Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie.

Foods that Support the Prostate

A diet based on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, is just what your body needs to ward off viral infections. Specific fruits to focus on include berries (particularly wild blueberries and cranberries), cherries, apples, mango, papaya, plums, citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, pomegranates, persimmons, dates, and grapes.

The #1 fruit that has more antioxidants than any other food is wild blueberries, which are sometimes hard to find. If you do not have access to fresh or frozen wild blueberries, you can substitute with wild blueberry powder. Go to our recommended products page to see the brands we like to use.

To help ward off viral activity and heal any possible damage to the prostate, it is important to also focus on leafy green vegetables - kale, spinach, various types of lettuce, as well as plenty of parsley and cilantro. Other vegetables include the humble fresh tomato, which is a miracle food for prostate cancer and can even reverse an enlarged prostate. You’ll want to eat lots of cucumbers, celery sticks, onions, cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, bell peppers, broccoli, and brussels sprouts.

Seeds and nuts are also very important to eat when seeking to heal a prostate gland. Walnuts are a miracle for prostate cancer, as well as hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts (2-3 a day), and pecans. Just be careful not to eat too many nuts due to their high-fat content.

As mentioned earlier, be sure to hydrate yourself as much as possible to raise the amount of oxygen in the blood to help prevent the virus from growing, and to help flush out harmful toxins. It is best to hydrate properly by drinking lots of lemon/ginger water, watermelon smoothie, aloe vera water, and cucumber and/or celery juice daily. Celery juice alone can lower levels of PSA in the blood. For more on celery juice go to Medical Medium’s website.

If you feel you need something more “substantial” to keep you going throughout the day, oatmeal, quinoa, black beans, and other legumes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash are all good choices.

Recommended Supplements for the Prostate

Once diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, consider the following supplements:

• Possible high doses of melatonin (one or two 20 mg capsule taken before bed. If you are dealing with serious prostate problems up to 60 mg can be helpful),
• Nettle leaf (6-10 capsules a day)
• L-Lysine (up to 4 500 ml capsules twice a day
• Vitamin C (6 capsules of 500 ml taken twice a day)
• Zinc and B 12 should be taken twice daily,
• Oregano oil capsules
• Plant-based omega 3 capsules
• Resveratrol
• Turmeric/curcumin
• Co Q10 as recommended on the packaging.

Helpful herbs to include in your diet are, bilberries, elderberry syrup, dong quai, echinacea, burdock root, chaga, and a little bit of licorice root every now and again.

Be sure to consult your practitioner before beginning any supplements or herbs, especially if you decide to take high doses.

Additional Ways to Treat Prostate Cancer

For those who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and feel they need treatment, or if you have an aggressive form of prostate cancer which should be addressed through a clinic, there are a number of options to consider. There are conventional therapies, such as radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy, and there are also a number of alternative treatments that have been proven to work well but are often hard to find. To help you find the type of therapy that meets your needs, Adi Hertz and her team has set up Heal Navigator - the largest resource for alternative cancer treatment centers, all under one roof.

May you be well,

Beth