Articoli correlati a The Prostate Cure: The Revolutionary, Natural Approach...
Two medical experts examine Cernilton, a safe, inexpensive product available in health food stores, that reduces or eliminates enlarged prostates in most men
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L'autore:
Harry G. Preuss, M.D. has been a full-tenured professor of Medicine and Pathology at Georgetown University Medical Center since 1976. He served on the Advisory Council for the National Institute on Aging and is now on the Advisory Council for the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. He has written or coauthored more than 400 academic papers, book chapters, and abstracts.
Brenda Adderly, MHA is the coauthor of the New York Times best-seller The Arthritis Cure, and of Maximizing the Arthritis Cure, The Fat Blocker Diet, The Pain Relief Breakthrough, The Memory Cure, and four other healthcare books. She writes a syndicated newspaper column, publishes an alternative medicine newsletter, Health Watch, and consults with the p
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Brenda Adderly, MHA is the coauthor of the New York Times best-seller The Arthritis Cure, and of Maximizing the Arthritis Cure, The Fat Blocker Diet, The Pain Relief Breakthrough, The Memory Cure, and four other healthcare books. She writes a syndicated newspaper column, publishes an alternative medicine newsletter, Health Watch, and consults with the p
From CHAPTER 1
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): Men's Secret Disease
What, exactly, is the prostate and what does it do?
What is benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH?
What are the symptoms of BPH?
What causes BPH?
What role do hormones play in BPH?
When does a man begin to be affected by BPH?
What is the difference between BPH and cancer of the prostate?
Can BPH turn into prostate cancer?
It begins so gradually and imperceptibly that you may not even notice it. You visit the rest room several more times than usual during the workday--maybe you're just drinking more water. You interrupt business meetings for a bathroom break more often than your colleagues--it could just be the stress of your job that makes you anxious. But you also haven't sat through an entire concert or movie for years, and when you fly you always ask for an aisle seat so as not to disturb fellow passengers with your frequent trips to the bathroom. It's slightly annoying and more than a bit embarrassing, but not cause for major concern. Or so you think.
At night, though, you begin to realize that something has changed. Your sleep is interrupted by bathroom calls as often as every two or three hours. Being awakened four times per night--and feeling lousy every day because of sleep deprivation--does make you a bit worried and confused. Is it stress, your diet, or too many beers after work? Looking for a medical answer, you may attribute your difficulties to a shrinking bladder--but in fact this condition has nothing to do with the bladder. Instead, this increased frequency of the need to urinate is probably the first noticeable and major sign of a growing prostate, called by doctors benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and more commonly referred to by the public as an "enlarged prostate" (hyperplasia means "an enlargement due to an increased number of cells").
BPH is a secret, silent disease. Silent because men commonly don't feel its progression, and secret because men who have it--and most will during their lifetime--don't talk about it. Nevertheless, its so prevalent that comedians frequently joke about the symptoms ("a good night is one in which you only have to get up once"). The symptoms run the gamut from merely annoying, to downright uncomfortable, to, in the worst-case scenario, totally excruciating.
The Number One Benign Tumor In Men
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most common noncancerous (benign means "nonmalignant") tumor in men and ranks with prostate cancer as the two most common prostate disorders affecting middle-aged and older men. (More about prostate cancer in Chapter 7.) Currently some 10 million American men exhibit signs of BPH, and of these, 5.6 million men may need treatment for it--a statistic that could double by the year 2020, as the male population ages and significantly impacts the health care system. Although doctors and research scientists have several theories about how BPH develops, the truth is that they have yet to fully understand why it occurs.
What we do know (from autopsy studies of men who died from causes other than prostate enlargement) is that a man's prostate typically starts to enlarge at about age 45, although about 10 percent of men between the ages of 25 to 30 years also have BPH. By age 50, about half of all men will have some noticeable signs of the disease. The number rises to 60 percent at age 60 and continues to escalate over the next two and a half decades, until by the time they reach 85 years of age, 90 percent of all men suffer significant symptoms. In other words, if they live long enough, nearly all men will develop at least microscopic evidence of BPH.
Interestingly, BPH does not distinguish between race or nationality, although African-American men are at a slightly greater risk than white American males. The condition also does not seem to be related to sexual activity or the lack thereof, since it occurs in celibate priests with the same frequency as sexually active men--and is also not related to either sexual excesses or deprivation.
Although BPH may be inevitable for most men, the annoying symptoms don't have to be. At no other time in history have so many good treatment options been available, and never before have so many men actively sought out these options. Rest assured that reading The Prostate Cure is an excellent first step towards seeking--and finding--relief for the symptoms of BPH.
The Role Of The Prostate Gland
One medical expert, Dr. Stephen N. Rous, notes that the prostate generates "more questions, more misunderstandings, more concern, and more anxieties than any other part of the male genitourinary tract." This small gland at the base of the bladder causes more grief for men than just about any other structure of their bodies, and difficulties with it can cover almost the entire adult life of a man. Yet many men rarely think about their prostates, and in fact, until trouble begins, many may not even know where it is or what it does.
When a baby boy is born, his prostate is about the size of a pea, and it thereafter grows slowly until reaching almond-size at the onset of puberty. Under the influence of sex hormones, the prostate then begins a stage of more rapid, continual growth until a man reaches his late 20s or early 30s, by which time it is about the size of a walnut or large chestnut and weighs a little less than an ounce.
Partly glandular and partly composed of smooth muscle tissue, the prostate surrounds the neck of the bladder and wraps around the urethra (the thin channel leading from the bladder through the penis, and through which both urine and sperm pass from the body). Because the prostate is only indirectly involved in procreation, it is considered an accessory rather than a key part of the male reproductive system, but it nevertheless is a particularly vulnerable part of the male anatomy.
To help visualize this, think of the prostate as a fist holding a straw (the urethra). Beginning somewhere around age 40, cells in most men's prostate commence to multiply again, and they continue to do so slowly until death. The enlarged tissue of the prostate is like the fist squeezing the straw, thereby making it difficult for urine to pass through the urethra. In severe cases the prostate can grow to up to 10 times its normal size. (In a relatively few men, however, the prostate actually shrinks or atrophies during their later years.)
As late as the 1970s, researchers were still unsure of the prostate's role in the body. Although many small glands within the prostate secrete several different substances, we know now that its key function is to produce and discharge the viscid, alkaline fluid that comprises a major portion of the seminal fluid. The prostatic fluid helps to maintain an appropriate environment in which sperm can live; provides them with some nourishment; and, in general, increases their survival time after ejaculation.
The prostatic fluid also contains prostaglandins--hormone-like fatty acids that affect smooth muscle fibers and blood vessel walls. One of the many theories about the prostaglandins produced by the prostate is that they encourage the cervix (the entrance to the female uterus) to dilate, thus enabling sperm to pass through it and fertilize the egg.
Tiny chambers within the glandular tissue of the prostate make and store prostatic fluid more or less continuously. During ejaculation, the muscles in the prostate contract, pushing the fluid through special ducts into the urethra; however the prostate is never totally emptied. Sperm, produced in the testes, also enter the urethra, via a tube called the vas deferens. With ejaculation, the sperm, prostatic fluid, and other fluids combine to carry the sperm out of the body.
Although there are no actual, observable demarcations within the prostate itself, doctors often speak of it as being made up of five lobes or zones: an anterior lobe, posterior lobe, two lateral lobes, and a middle lobe. The anterior consists mainly of smooth muscle and occupies about 30 percent of the tiny gland.
The part of the prostate that surrounds the urethra is considered the middle lobe and is sometimes called the central zone. It is enveloped by larger, peripheral zones on either side of the urethra. These zones are composed primarily (about 75 percent) of glands, which are usually the primary sites where cancer develops, although cancer of the periurethral ducts can arise in the central zone.
A small transitional zone lies within the middle lobe, adjacent to the urethral sphincter, and is the sole site of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Before enlargement, this small transition zone comprises only 2 percent of the entire mass of a normal prostate gland.
As the tissue in the transitional zone grows, true prostate tissue is displaced and the prostate gland gradually becomes grossly enlarged.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): Men's Secret Disease
What, exactly, is the prostate and what does it do?
What is benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH?
What are the symptoms of BPH?
What causes BPH?
What role do hormones play in BPH?
When does a man begin to be affected by BPH?
What is the difference between BPH and cancer of the prostate?
Can BPH turn into prostate cancer?
It begins so gradually and imperceptibly that you may not even notice it. You visit the rest room several more times than usual during the workday--maybe you're just drinking more water. You interrupt business meetings for a bathroom break more often than your colleagues--it could just be the stress of your job that makes you anxious. But you also haven't sat through an entire concert or movie for years, and when you fly you always ask for an aisle seat so as not to disturb fellow passengers with your frequent trips to the bathroom. It's slightly annoying and more than a bit embarrassing, but not cause for major concern. Or so you think.
At night, though, you begin to realize that something has changed. Your sleep is interrupted by bathroom calls as often as every two or three hours. Being awakened four times per night--and feeling lousy every day because of sleep deprivation--does make you a bit worried and confused. Is it stress, your diet, or too many beers after work? Looking for a medical answer, you may attribute your difficulties to a shrinking bladder--but in fact this condition has nothing to do with the bladder. Instead, this increased frequency of the need to urinate is probably the first noticeable and major sign of a growing prostate, called by doctors benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and more commonly referred to by the public as an "enlarged prostate" (hyperplasia means "an enlargement due to an increased number of cells").
BPH is a secret, silent disease. Silent because men commonly don't feel its progression, and secret because men who have it--and most will during their lifetime--don't talk about it. Nevertheless, its so prevalent that comedians frequently joke about the symptoms ("a good night is one in which you only have to get up once"). The symptoms run the gamut from merely annoying, to downright uncomfortable, to, in the worst-case scenario, totally excruciating.
The Number One Benign Tumor In Men
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most common noncancerous (benign means "nonmalignant") tumor in men and ranks with prostate cancer as the two most common prostate disorders affecting middle-aged and older men. (More about prostate cancer in Chapter 7.) Currently some 10 million American men exhibit signs of BPH, and of these, 5.6 million men may need treatment for it--a statistic that could double by the year 2020, as the male population ages and significantly impacts the health care system. Although doctors and research scientists have several theories about how BPH develops, the truth is that they have yet to fully understand why it occurs.
What we do know (from autopsy studies of men who died from causes other than prostate enlargement) is that a man's prostate typically starts to enlarge at about age 45, although about 10 percent of men between the ages of 25 to 30 years also have BPH. By age 50, about half of all men will have some noticeable signs of the disease. The number rises to 60 percent at age 60 and continues to escalate over the next two and a half decades, until by the time they reach 85 years of age, 90 percent of all men suffer significant symptoms. In other words, if they live long enough, nearly all men will develop at least microscopic evidence of BPH.
Interestingly, BPH does not distinguish between race or nationality, although African-American men are at a slightly greater risk than white American males. The condition also does not seem to be related to sexual activity or the lack thereof, since it occurs in celibate priests with the same frequency as sexually active men--and is also not related to either sexual excesses or deprivation.
Although BPH may be inevitable for most men, the annoying symptoms don't have to be. At no other time in history have so many good treatment options been available, and never before have so many men actively sought out these options. Rest assured that reading The Prostate Cure is an excellent first step towards seeking--and finding--relief for the symptoms of BPH.
The Role Of The Prostate Gland
One medical expert, Dr. Stephen N. Rous, notes that the prostate generates "more questions, more misunderstandings, more concern, and more anxieties than any other part of the male genitourinary tract." This small gland at the base of the bladder causes more grief for men than just about any other structure of their bodies, and difficulties with it can cover almost the entire adult life of a man. Yet many men rarely think about their prostates, and in fact, until trouble begins, many may not even know where it is or what it does.
When a baby boy is born, his prostate is about the size of a pea, and it thereafter grows slowly until reaching almond-size at the onset of puberty. Under the influence of sex hormones, the prostate then begins a stage of more rapid, continual growth until a man reaches his late 20s or early 30s, by which time it is about the size of a walnut or large chestnut and weighs a little less than an ounce.
Partly glandular and partly composed of smooth muscle tissue, the prostate surrounds the neck of the bladder and wraps around the urethra (the thin channel leading from the bladder through the penis, and through which both urine and sperm pass from the body). Because the prostate is only indirectly involved in procreation, it is considered an accessory rather than a key part of the male reproductive system, but it nevertheless is a particularly vulnerable part of the male anatomy.
To help visualize this, think of the prostate as a fist holding a straw (the urethra). Beginning somewhere around age 40, cells in most men's prostate commence to multiply again, and they continue to do so slowly until death. The enlarged tissue of the prostate is like the fist squeezing the straw, thereby making it difficult for urine to pass through the urethra. In severe cases the prostate can grow to up to 10 times its normal size. (In a relatively few men, however, the prostate actually shrinks or atrophies during their later years.)
As late as the 1970s, researchers were still unsure of the prostate's role in the body. Although many small glands within the prostate secrete several different substances, we know now that its key function is to produce and discharge the viscid, alkaline fluid that comprises a major portion of the seminal fluid. The prostatic fluid helps to maintain an appropriate environment in which sperm can live; provides them with some nourishment; and, in general, increases their survival time after ejaculation.
The prostatic fluid also contains prostaglandins--hormone-like fatty acids that affect smooth muscle fibers and blood vessel walls. One of the many theories about the prostaglandins produced by the prostate is that they encourage the cervix (the entrance to the female uterus) to dilate, thus enabling sperm to pass through it and fertilize the egg.
Tiny chambers within the glandular tissue of the prostate make and store prostatic fluid more or less continuously. During ejaculation, the muscles in the prostate contract, pushing the fluid through special ducts into the urethra; however the prostate is never totally emptied. Sperm, produced in the testes, also enter the urethra, via a tube called the vas deferens. With ejaculation, the sperm, prostatic fluid, and other fluids combine to carry the sperm out of the body.
Although there are no actual, observable demarcations within the prostate itself, doctors often speak of it as being made up of five lobes or zones: an anterior lobe, posterior lobe, two lateral lobes, and a middle lobe. The anterior consists mainly of smooth muscle and occupies about 30 percent of the tiny gland.
The part of the prostate that surrounds the urethra is considered the middle lobe and is sometimes called the central zone. It is enveloped by larger, peripheral zones on either side of the urethra. These zones are composed primarily (about 75 percent) of glands, which are usually the primary sites where cancer develops, although cancer of the periurethral ducts can arise in the central zone.
A small transitional zone lies within the middle lobe, adjacent to the urethral sphincter, and is the sole site of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Before enlargement, this small transition zone comprises only 2 percent of the entire mass of a normal prostate gland.
As the tissue in the transitional zone grows, true prostate tissue is displaced and the prostate gland gradually becomes grossly enlarged.
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- EditoreCrown Pub
- Data di pubblicazione1998
- ISBN 10 060960323X
- ISBN 13 9780609603239
- RilegaturaCopertina rigida
- Numero edizione1
- Numero di pagine251
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The Prostate Cure: The Revolutionary, Natural Approach to Treating Enlarged Prostates (BPH)
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