5 Ways To Prevent Prostate Cancer

The five-term senator is scheduled to have surgery during the Senate's August recess, the Hartford Courant reported Friday. Sources told FOX News that Dodd "will be fine."

The 65-year-old senator joins thousands of other men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 192,280 men will be diagnosed in 2009, and 27,360 will die from the disease. Those statistics make prostate cancer one of the leading killers of men in the U.S.

Although it’s one of the most common cancers suffered by men, there are ways to minimize the risk of getting it, said Dr. Ihor Sawczuk, chairman of urology and chief of urologic oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

Here are five of them:

1. Get Tested. All men age 40 and older should be tested annually for prostate cancer, Sawczuk said.

There are two types of prostate cancer screening: the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and the digital rectal exam.

The first test measures the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance made mostly by the prostate. Too much PSA in the blood may indicate prostate cancer. However, high levels of PSA may also be indicative of infection, inflammation or an enlarged prostate.

The second test involves a doctor or nurse placing a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to check the prostate for lumps and anything else unusual.

If either test raises a red flag, doctors may follow up with a prostate biopsy. This is the most accurate way of checking for cancer. However the test is invasive and can result in a urinary tract infection, as well as urinary and incontinence problems.

2. Get Plenty of Vitamin D. Spending time in the sun and taking a daily supplement will help men increase their levels of vitamin D and possibly reduce their risks of prostate cancer.

“Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit prostate cancer cells in the laboratory,” Sawczuk said.

Calcium may reduce the amounts of biologically active vitamin D in the body, so milk drinkers should also look for additional sources of vitamin D, which can be found in cod liver oil, tuna and salmon.

3. Quit Smoking. In addition to harming the lungs and the heart, smoking may also be responsible for the spread of prostate cancer.

A 2003 study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that men under the age of 55 who had prostate cancer and were current or former smokers were 66 percent more likely to see the cancer spread into other areas of the body.

4. Reduce body fat. Being overweight and maintaining a diet that is high in saturated fat, as well as processed and red meats, are risk factors for prostate cancer, said Sawczuk.

Fatty diets have been found to increase testosterone production, which in turn increases the risk of prostate cancer. Research has also shown that men who consume red meat at least five times a week had a 2.5 percent increase in developing prostate cancer than men who ate red meat less then once a week.

5. Eat a Variety of Healthy Foods. There has also been promising research that shows pomegranate, soy and foods high in lycopene, such as tomato sauce, reduce the risk of prostate cancer, Sawczuk said, adding that maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best ways men can reduce their risk of cancer.

Types Of Prostate Disease

I want to now take some time to give some background information on the various types of prostate disorders. I will provide some links later but will just explain them here in detail at this current time. There are many types of prostate issues so I will cover them in detail here for a pretty lengthy writing.

The first disorder I want to cover is BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). Link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benign_prostatic_hyperplasia.
This is basically what is referred to as an "enlarged prostate". This disorder is classified in 3 different categories as slightly enlarged,moderately enlarged,& severely enlarged. This disorder can affect men of all ages & race. A man's prostate grows with age.

When a man reaches 30 it starts to grow more rapidly. It's suggested that all men by the age of 40 to have a prostate exam. This exam is called a Digital Rectal Exam(DRE). This exam will allow a doctor to manually examine the prostate by inserting his finger into the rectum.

The doctor is feeling for any abnormalities of the prostate which is the central location for a male's reproductive area. The exam will only last a few seconds & the doctor will feel for any tumors or other problems. This isn't a comfortable exam especially if the prostate is enlarged.

However, it is a good exam to check for prostate issues. If a diagnosis of an enlargement is determined then the usual treatment route is to prescribe alpha-blockers such as doxazosin, terazosin, alfuzosin and tamsulosin. Another popular drug for treatment is Proscar. Link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finasteride

Symptoms of BPH are urinary frequency, urgency (compelling need to void that cannot be deferred), urgency incontinence, and voiding at night (nocturia). Voiding symptoms include weak urinary stream, hesitancy (needing to wait for the stream to begin), intermittency (when the stream starts and stops intermittently), straining to void, dysuria (burning sensation in the urethra), and dribbling.

While prescription meds are used to treat BPH I will be chatting in the future about alternative treatments for this disorder. I'm in no way suggesting to not try prescription drugs. I've just come up with a plan without prescription meds to treat BPH & other prostate problems. I will outline these in the future.

The next prostate disorder I want to cover is Prostatitis(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostatitis). This very troubling disease is divided into 4 separate categories. It affects men of various ages but is more common for men in the age range 0f 30-40. Prostatitis diagnosis is now considered to 1 out of 4 men(25%). The four categories of prostatitis are:

1. Acute bacterial prostatitis
2. Chronic bacterial prostatitis
3. Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain(my diagnosis)
4. Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis

Common symptoms of these are generally the same but more severe in certain types. Some of the symptoms include:

- pain or burning during urination(symptom of mine)
- difficulty urinating such as dribbling(mild symptom of mine)
- frequent urination especially at night(major symptom of mine)
- the urgent need to urinate(moderate symptom of mine)
- pain in the back & lower abdomen(mild symptom of mine)
- pain in the penis(urethra) & testicles(major symptom of mine)
- painful ejaculation(off & on symptom of mine)
- pain in the perineum(area between penis & rectum)(mild symptom)
- golf ball feeling under the testicles(major symptom of mine, maybe the worst)

Now, I will cover these 4 types in detail. My diagnosis was "chronic prostatitis" & this is the more common diagnosis for most men. The other types fall into a smaller area of men. The word "chronic" is defined as long term & recurring. I was determined to not let the word "chronic" derail me from finding ways to deal with this illness. I was told by doctors that I'd have to "live with it the rest of my life". Anyhow, now onto the different types of prostatitis in detail.

Type 1: Acute bacterial prostatitis,

Additional symptoms to the above are:

- fever
- chills
- vomiting
- feeling unwell

Type 2: Chronic bacterial prostatitis,

The key component in this is frequent urinary tract infections. There will be a between episode of this type of prostatitis in which there will be no symptoms at all to severe symptoms. Chronic bacterial prostatitis is hard to diagnosis due to bacteria from the prostate not showing up from a urine test. 95% of all urine test come up negative for bacteriathat may cause a prostate infection.


Type 3: Chronic prostatitis,

As stated before this was my diagnosis. This diagnosis is considered if the symptoms have been going on for more than 3 months. Some men may go through cycles or even stay the same over time. Some men may have more severe cycles as I seemed to have suffered. In a small amount of cases symptoms just disappear over time without treatment.

Type 4: Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis,

This condition is usually only found by accident like undergoing test for other problems. It presents with no symptoms & is less common as the other ones as well.

I will now go over some of the treatment options for prostatitis. This will be a quick summary at this time but I will be providing a more detailed approach in the future.

Treatment Options For Prostatitis:

Acute & chronic bacterial prostatitis options:

Acute bacterial prostatitis is usually treated with a shorter course of antibiotics. The normal course of treatment is from 2-4 weeks.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is also treated with antibiotics as well but normally a longer period of time. Also, there may be a need for repeated courses of treatment with antibiotics.

Chronic prostatitis/Pelvic Pain options:

This is the hardest type of prostatitis(I can back this) to treat. Therapies that may help manage this type include:

- alpha blockers
- pain relievers
- prostatic massage(will cover more later)
- other treatments like microwave therapy

There is also the alternative route of treatment for prostate related problems. This I'll be covering in great detail coming soon. This has been my main area of treatment for the past 1 1/2 years.

The final prostate disorder I want to cover is prostate cancer. Link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate_cancer. This is probably one of the leading health concerns for a man. Breast cancer is at the top of the list of concerns for women. I have to say that I was dead-set that I had prostate cancer. I was in panic mode but still as a man I thought the worst.

A tumor forms somewhere on the prostate. Symptoms of prostate cancer doesn't differ much from other prostate disorders. The biggest factor is to catch the cancer early & not wait. I did delay going to the doctor but decided to face whatever my diagnosis. Being a man I was kind of shameful & didn't wanna be considered soft in admitting I have a problem with a manly body part. I'm glad I followed through with getting some initial test results & treatment.

The PSA(Prostate Specific Antigen,http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/PSA) test is a test used to help diagnosis prostate cancer. It's not perfect however in the means of diagnosing a prostate tumor.

Prostate Cancer Symptoms:

- weak urine flow
- frequent urination at night
- trouble urinating
- pain or burning during urination
- blood in the urine or semen
- pain in pelvic area that doesn't go away
- painful ejaculation

As you can see from the above prostate cancer symptoms there's not much difference in them compared to other prostate problems. This was why I was so concerned about having prostate cancer after researching on the Internet. I was literally scared to death.

Treatment Options For Prostate Cancer:

1. Watchful waiting(watching to see if condition worsens, mostly older men)
2. Surgery(Pelvic lymphadenectomy,Radical prostatectomy,Transurethral resection of the prostate)
3. Radiation therapy(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_therapy)
4. Chemotherapy(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemotherapy)
5. Hormone therapy(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_therapy)
6. Biologic therapy(http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/biologicaltherapy)
7. Alternative treatments(will cover later)

As you can see prostate disorders are hard to treat & also diagnose. I will be covering some of the treatment options in great detail in the coming days. I hope I have given at least some insight on all the prostate disorders,symptoms,& treatment options. I appreciate every one viewing my blog & will be back soon with more information. Please feel free to comment & thanks for reading!

My Prostate Problems Time-Line

Let me start out by giving my viewers the background of my initial signs of a prostate issue:

September, 2007:

I started having some very minor urination problems during this month. They were barely noticeable but more night-time bathroom trips & slight burning during urination where the main signs. I started drinking more water & thought this would clear things up.

October, 2007:

My symptoms started getting worse. I had more night-time bathroom trips & burning during urination. I also started feeling like I was setting on a golf ball at times. I again started drinking extra water daily. I felt better for a short period of time but still symptoms where never gone.

November, 2007:

By this time, things were gradually getting worse. I was only drinking water & green tea at this time. I had no other type fluids going into my body. My symptoms were just getting worse by the day.

December, 2007:

This was getting near holiday time & I wasn't feeling well at all. My burning & bathroom trips were more frequent. I then had additional symptoms of feeling tired & depressed. I wasn't eating regularly & my appetite was going south. I hadn't lost much weight at this time but was showing signs of trouble eating.

January, 2008:

I started feeling very down & depressed. I couldn't do any setting for longer than 10-15 minutes at a time.I would break out into a sweat if I set too long & would feel like I was going to faint. I still was in denial I guess but tried to keep going. I was not very active at all even though I had been active all my life. I was very depressed but still wasn't getting any help because of my denial about having a prostate issue. Men are sometimes too manly to admit there's something going on down there, right? I was starting to think the worse & I was dead-set I had prostate cancer.

February, 2008:

I was getting much worse by this time & was now suffering from fever & chills to go along with all the other symptoms. I then decided it was time to finally try to figure pout what was going on with me. My wife had really fussed at me all the time to go to the doctor. However, I'm a man & we don't admit there's a problem there like I said before.

March, 2008:

After researching on the net for days I decided to make a phone call to a local urologist office. I went to my first appointment on March 28th. I provided a urine sample to go along with blood work. The doctor then asked to do a Digital Rectal Exam(DRE) to check my prostate manually. The word "digital" here doesn't mean by a machine but by the doctor's finger. I knew this wasn't going to be any fun. Upon examination, the doctor stated that my prostate was "very enlarged" & felt soft to the touch. This normally shows a prostate infection & therefore he suggested treatment with antibiotics.

I was given a 3-week course of Doxycycline to treat the supposed infection. BTW, the PSA(Prostate Specific Antigen) test came back with a reading of 0.9 which is below normal for any prostate cancer. Normal is considered between 1.0-4.0 on a scale. Anything above 4.0 is considered abnormal but higher numbers are more serious like 10.0 or higher. That relieved me somewhat for a short time. I will cover this test in detailed later as well.

April, 2008:

After going through the 3-week treatment with antibiotics I did feel quite a bit better. However, about a week after the treatment stopped I started feeling bad again. I was getting back the frequent urination at night & burning during urination along with the golf ball feeling from the testicle area. About 2 weeks later I was right back where I was before with pain from sitting & depressed. I then said I'm gonna study on the net even more about this situation. Doctors like to throw antibiotics into our bodies for all sorts of health problems. Once studying more I was thinking that this wasn't going to make me better or at least allow me to manage my prostate problems.

May, 2008:

I decided I would give the urologist office another call for another appointment. However, I got so sick that I couldn't wait for that appointment & had to make a trip to the ER. I was the sickest I had been now with nausea,pain,sweats,& very depressed. The ER doctor stated that I had been on the wrong antibiotics & changed it to an0ther in the same class. This was also a 3-week course treatment. I didn't keep my followup appointment with the urologist since I was back on antibiotics.

June, 2008:

Once the most recent course of antibiotics was finished I again started feeling bad. This was only about 4-5 days after the treatment stopped. I then started researching deeply on the net about my prostate problems. What I found out was that this was the typical protocol by doctor's for prostate infections. They rarely worked & some people even suffered worse problems from antibiotics. I still decided to call the urologist office for an appointment. I went to this appointment on June 26. I again was diagnosed with an infection & that more antibiotics was needed. I SAID NO THANKS THIS TIME! I told the doctor I was considering alternative treatments now instead of prescription meds.

July, 2008:

After extensive research I decided that I would give herbals a try to see if that route helped. I visited many sites researching the best herbs & herbal brand name products to possibly try. I mean I spent hours daily trying to make sure that I didn't throw money away to these so called scammers. There are tons of products & formulas to treat not only prostate disorders but many health-related problems. I didn't want to go with the wrong products. I found quite a few single supplements/herbs that I started using & I will be going in detail on these in future writings. To be short at this time I started taking about 16 combination herbs & supplements in the month of July.

August-October, 2008:

During these 3 months I kept at taking the herbs & supplements on a regular basis. Boy, I was feeling like a new person compared to the feeling while on antibiotics. I still am only drinking filtered water & green tea all during this time & NOTHING else period. Another thing I need to mention is my DIET. This is also a big factor in managing prostate related illnesses.

I too will be going over my detailed diet in the future. One other thing is LIFE-STYLE change. I will cover all these things at a later time but right now I wanna just give the rundown of my prostate problems & timing. By the end of October I was actually nearly 100% symptom free. I felt like I had my life back again & wasn't worried now about prostate cancer.

November, 2008-present:

Now, I appear to have my life completely back with barely noticeable symptoms. Most of the time I don't even have any symptoms at all. Prostate infections are divided into several categories & I will cover this in future articles. All prostate infections are called "prostatitis" but here is where they get divided into types. These will be covered later. I will provide links to many of the same sites I used & will provide as much help for people that are experiencing the same awful medical problems I went through.

It's not something that any man wants to experience but maintaining prostate performance & health will go a long way towards avoiding issues in the future & also lead the ones suffering back to good health. Looking forward to posting more articles in the near future & I will be back soon with more information. Thanks for reading & have a great day!