Tuesday, July 7, 2009

MEN AND THEIR PROSTRATE

Men’s Health - Prostate
Don’t be Hesitant - Help for Prostate Enlargement is Available
One of the most common health problems experienced by men is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. BPH is a medical term that means a man’s prostate gland has become bigger than it should be. Because the prostate gland wraps around a part of the urinary tract, when it becomes enlarged, it actually presses on the tube that carries urine, altering the ability to pass urine.

Prostate facts:
• Only males have a prostate, females do not.
• A normal prostate is about the same size and shape as a walnut.
• 2/3 of the prostate is glandular tissue which produces fluid for semen, which carries sperm during a man’s orgasm.
• 1/3 of the prostate is muscle, which contracts during an orgasm to expel the semen into the urethra.
• The prostate surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder through the penis.
• 50% of men will develop an enlarged prostate by the time they are 50 years old.
• Up to 90% of men aged 70 to 90 years old develop an enlarged prostate.

Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate Include:
• Difficulty starting to urinate;
• Difficulty maintaining urinary flow, or starting and stopping when trying to pass urine;
• Needing to urinate urgently;
• Needing to urinate more frequently, and
• Increase in the occurrence of urinary tract infections, which may cause irritation or burning when passing urine.

These problems occur because the urethra is squashed as the prostate increases in size (BPH is a serious and troubling medical problem that requires proper management). It is important to mention that BPH is not prostate cancer, nor does it make you more likely to develop prostate cancer, however it is possible to have both.

Good News for Men with BPH
If you’re sick and tired of needing to pass urine all the time, getting up in the night to pass urine and dribbling then nature has a gift for you. Particular herbs are very effective at managing BPH and reducing the troublesome symptoms. A combination of these beneficial herbs can be taken to manage BPH and may also be worth considering where there is a strong family history of BPH.

Giving Nature a Helping Hand
Zinc is like the prostate’s best friend! Zinc is an essential nutrient for men’s health, and having low zinc levels can create health problems. For men, it is particularly important to include zinc rich foods (preferably organic) in your diet. These include oysters, milk, baked beans, egg yolks, herring, beef, lamb, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (you can snack on these or throw them in a salad).

There is an easy taste test that we can do to check your zinc levels at my practice. It takes only 10 seconds to do and is completely painless. If your zinc level is really low, it is worth taking a liquid zinc supplement. This is the most effective way of boosting your zinc levels when they are really low and improving your health fast! Then you may rely on zinc rich foods to keep your levels up.
Don’t let a manageable condition such as BPH interfere with your life. Call the practice today to organise an appointment for your zinc check-up and to discuss achieving optimal health.