By the time you are sixty—if you’re a man—there’s a fifty-fifty chance that you’ll be suffering from an enlarged prostate. If you live long enough, your chances climb to 90 percent.

An enlarged prostate—a condition called benign prostate hyperplasia—is a non-cancerous swelling of the prostate. As your prostate begins to swell, you’ll find that you need to make more frequent trips to the bathroom, your urine stream will be weak, and you’ll have a hard time finishing what you started… if you know what I mean.

Of course, annoying bathroom urges are only part of the problem. And an enlarged prostate can also interfere with your sex life and your overall quality of life. Often an enlarged prostate is a symptom of a hormone imbalance that could be having a more significant impact on your health than you realize.

Most doctors take a wait-and-see approach to an enlarged prostate. They figure if it doesn’t grow too fast and the symptoms don’t become too severe, then it’s something you can live with. If the symptoms become unmanageable, then the next option is surgery.

This approach ignores several middle-ground options. In fact, you can begin treating your enlarged prostate right away. Many of the same steps you take now can also protect you from prostate cancer in the future—an unrelated condition. You’ll also relieve a lot of the symptoms that come with an enlarged prostate—it’s a win-win strategy.

Caring for an Enlarged Prostate…

How to Slow Its Growth and Keep it From Becoming a BIG Problem

Most doctors chalk up prostate growth to a natural part of the aging process. And that’s why they feel comfortable taking a hands-off approach until things get real bad!

I’d much rather see my patients take action to slow their prostate growth and to attempt to prevent the need for surgery from ever arising. This strategy improves the quality of your life and has the added bonus of cutting your risks of cancer.

So, just how do you keep your prostate from growing out-of-control?

Well there are a number of reasons that the prostate begins to swell. One of them is the hormone imbalance I wrote to you about in a previous issue. So your first step is to adapt the eating guidelines I described there (good quality protein with every meal, cruciferous vegetables four or five times a week, and snacks rich in zinc and magnesium).

But there’s more you can do.

It’s important that you be physically active. I’m not saying you have to kill yourself working out for 90 minutes at a time, but anything you can do to increase your daily physical activity will help. Research shows that men who get the most exercise reduce their risks of an enlarged prostate by 40%.

You can also help reduce your risks of an enlarged prostate or slow the growth of your prostate by taking a supplement that contains saw palmetto. Saw palmetto contains compounds that help slow prostate growth. It can help prevent your prostate from becoming enlarged, or if you already have an enlarged prostate, it can help reduce your symptoms.

I recommend that you choose a supplement that’s been standardized to at least 85% active fatty acids and sterols. Take between 300 and 350 mg each day.

Of course, you’ve probably already heard of saw palmetto and know that it can help your prostate, but it isn’t the only supplement that can ease prostate problems. A lesser known supplement called beta sitosterol can also be a help… especially when it comes to preventing cancer. In laboratory tests, beta sitosterol slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Another good supplement to help prevent prostate cancer is cranberry extract. Cranberries contain several natural compounds that stop cancer cells from multiplying. In lab tests, cranberry extract effectively slowed all types of prostate cancer by 50%.

When it comes to an enlarged prostate, it’s important to take action and to take control of your health. You can slow down or even stop your prostate from continuing to grow, and while you’re at it you’ll be giving yourself some extra protection against prostate cancer. All told, these steps can make a big, big difference in your quality of life later on.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.

Natural Health News