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Prostatitis is defined as the inflammation of the prostate gland. A sudden or severe case can result from infection such as gonorrhea. These are usually treated and resolved with antibiotics. But there are millions of untreated cases of prostatitis. This is a travesty because prostatitis is the precursor of a life of prostate problems, including cancer.
Prostatitis is the greatest cause of enlarged prostate (prostatic hypertrophy). It may also be the greatest cause of, and is always associated with, prostate cancer. Prostatitis is difficult to diagnose and is tough to treat. This is especially true for chronic prostatitis, a condition suffered by millions of men. |
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Diagnosis
When it comes to diagnosis, you must start with the PSA test. Since this condition can start in young men, all men starting at age 40 should begin PSA testing. If your PSA is equal to or greater than 1, you must consider that you have an unhealthy prostate. Studies have shown that a PSA equal to or greater than 1 means that prostatitis is present 100% of the time. This can be verified by using a procedure called expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) .
EPS can be studied by finger manipulation of the prostate gland (milking the gland) for secretions. Identification of infection-fighting white cells within the prostate fluid confirms the diagnosis of prostatitis. As mentioned, in virtually 100% of cases with a PSA of 1 or greater, prostatitis is present. With this in mind, a whole new avenue of prostate treatment can be started and maintained to treat men with this condition.
When it comes to diagnosis, you must start with the PSA test. Since this condition can start in young men, all men starting at age 40 should begin PSA testing. If your PSA is equal to or greater than 1, you must consider that you have an unhealthy prostate. Studies have shown that a PSA equal to or greater than 1 means that prostatitis is present 100% of the time. This can be verified by using a procedure called expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) .
EPS can be studied by finger manipulation of the prostate gland (milking the gland) for secretions. Identification of infection-fighting white cells within the prostate fluid confirms the diagnosis of prostatitis. As mentioned, in virtually 100% of cases with a PSA of 1 or greater, prostatitis is present. With this in mind, a whole new avenue of prostate treatment can be started and maintained to treat men with this condition.
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Treatment Is Necessary
And here lies the rub. Prostatitis is remarkably difficult to treat. Except in acute cases which may respond to antibiotics, for the most part chronic prostatitis does not respond well to these drugs. Like most chronic disease in the human body, the only real cure comes from within. That means lifestyle, diet, and the right supplements are your only real chance for a cure. A cure or at least stabilization is a must in cases of prostatitis. The most cutting-edge prostate experts now feel that this condition is a definite cause of enlarged prostate. The same experts are further convinced that this condition is a strong precursor of prostate cancer later on. In fact, some experts feel that a PSA of 2 or greater indicates a high probability o f prostate cancer in the future. |
So you are left with defining a treatment program that will probably last a lifetime. It must slowly but surely bring the PSA down to less than one. And it should relieve symptoms of prostatitis which are the same as prostate enlargement. You will probably get little lasting results from antibiotics, so an alternative treatment must be found and used by most males. In fact, any male over age 40 with a PSA of 1 or greater, with or without symptoms or an enlarged prostate, should begin treatment. This would be the greatest preventive therapy.
Without symptoms, enlarged prostate, or white cells in the EPS,-your only barometer of treatment success will be the PSA blood test. But for most men, symptoms will clearly indicate success or failure of treatment, which can be confirmed by PSA testing. Remember that treatment is a chronic endeavor. For whatever reason, the prostate is resistant to treatment, and there are a whole host of treatments available. I am now convinced that any treatment for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) with a PSA of 1 or greater without also treating for prostatitis is incomplete. This includes all the saw palmetto, et al., products on the market. This is a reversal of some of my previous thoughts. Considering that prostatitis is involved in 100% of cases with a PSA of 1 or greater, any other thinking would be frivolous and dangerous. Since there are no side effects from treatment of prostatitis, it makes sense to err on the side of caution, always treating for prostatitis under these conditions. And just what is available for this kind of therapy?
Without symptoms, enlarged prostate, or white cells in the EPS,-your only barometer of treatment success will be the PSA blood test. But for most men, symptoms will clearly indicate success or failure of treatment, which can be confirmed by PSA testing. Remember that treatment is a chronic endeavor. For whatever reason, the prostate is resistant to treatment, and there are a whole host of treatments available. I am now convinced that any treatment for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) with a PSA of 1 or greater without also treating for prostatitis is incomplete. This includes all the saw palmetto, et al., products on the market. This is a reversal of some of my previous thoughts. Considering that prostatitis is involved in 100% of cases with a PSA of 1 or greater, any other thinking would be frivolous and dangerous. Since there are no side effects from treatment of prostatitis, it makes sense to err on the side of caution, always treating for prostatitis under these conditions. And just what is available for this kind of therapy?
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Treatment Options
One relatively large and cutting edge group of urologists has put together a non-drug product called PEENUTS for treating men with prostatitis. It is made of antioxidants, immune boosters, anti-inflammatories, and beta sitosterols (the main ingredient of plants and herbs ,used for treating BPH). Most of this product is synthetic, but the authors report that it is the only product clinically studied and reported to lower PSA.(1) You can get more information on PEENUTS at the Web site www. peenuts.com. I have tested this product on a small number of patients and had poor results. Perhaps a dozen men was an insufficient number. Perhaps we made judgment too soon (one year). |
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But based on this I began using my own protocol and have gotten better results with both eliminating symptoms and lowering PSA. For anyone with symptoms and a PSA of 1 or greater, I use the following protocol of products produced by Standard Process Labs: Cataplex F , Immuplex. and Palmettoplex at a dose of three each daily. With more serious cases, I also include Thymex and Cataplex ACP at a dose of three each daily. This protocol is followed for one year with PSA testing at six month intervals. In the most severe cases including cancer, I increase the dose of Thymex and Cataplex ACP to six daily. If after six to nine months your symptoms are improving or gone and PSA is dropping or normal, the dosage can be cut to three each daily for Cataplex F and Palmettoplex and two daily for Immuplex. For more serious or severe cases, Thymex and Cataplex ACP should be maintained at two each daily. Cataplex F is unsaturated fatty acids (vitamin F) and has been shown to effectively help men with BPH.(2) Immuplex, Thymex, and Cataplex ACP have withstood the test of time as products shown to help people with chronic infections and immune problems.
Palmettoplex is a remarkable new product combining prostate protomorphogen, raw herbal extracts and phytonutrients, amino acids, and minerals. Its herbal extracts include saw palmetto berry and powder which contain nine different fatty acids, steroids, diterpenes, triterpenes, sesquiterpene, and more to support prostate and male hormonal function. Also included is Stinging Nettle Root which contains plant sterols, lectans, phenolics, and other phytochemicals to support urinary health. It also contains Pygeum which contributes phytosterols,
triterpenes, and fatty acids needed for a healthy urinary tract. And it contains Lycopene from tomato. Some research shows that this phytochemical strengthens immune function, particularly related to the prostate.
In addition, Palmettoplex contains Zinc Liver Chelate. Zinc is an essential factor in prostate health, and this supplement contains zinc naturally chelated with liver extract. The copper and other minerals in the remaining protocol balance the zinc properly, unlike most other products or protocols. It also contains three amino acids which have been shown to be helpful to men with prostate problems ~Alanine, Glutamine, and Glycine. All three of these amino acids are found in prostate fluids.
And finally Palmettoplex contains Prostate Protomorphogen. Standard Process Labs is considered the world's expert in the extraction of glandular protomorphogens. These provide prostate cells with the specific raw materials to support natural restoration, repair, and regeneration. In a fashion, protomorphogens act to direct nutrition to the particular gland from which they are extracted. (3) And it is the Prostate Protomorphogen, along with the raw processing of all ingredients that only Standard Process Labs has perfected, that sets Palmettoplex apart from all other products.
Naturally this kind of therapy goes hand-in~I]and with a good diet of whole foods, a reduction in red meat and alcohol consumption, no smoking, a good supply of pure water, and plenty of exercise. So even if you are only 40 years old, get a PSA test. If your PSA is 1 or greater, start a prostate protocol. If you are older and your symptoms and numbers are worse, be sure to start a protocol. Just resign yourself to a chronic program that will slowly but surely normalize prostate function and reduce your odds of a prostate catastrophe.
NOTES;
I ) "Prostrate cancer treatment: too many radicals--too many failures," Cancer Communication Newsletter,Vol 6. No. 4.
2) “The prostate and vitamin F," Health Alert Vol. 17. No. 5.
3) "Cancer and Protomorphogens," Health Alert, Vol 17, No. I I.
Palmettoplex is a remarkable new product combining prostate protomorphogen, raw herbal extracts and phytonutrients, amino acids, and minerals. Its herbal extracts include saw palmetto berry and powder which contain nine different fatty acids, steroids, diterpenes, triterpenes, sesquiterpene, and more to support prostate and male hormonal function. Also included is Stinging Nettle Root which contains plant sterols, lectans, phenolics, and other phytochemicals to support urinary health. It also contains Pygeum which contributes phytosterols,
triterpenes, and fatty acids needed for a healthy urinary tract. And it contains Lycopene from tomato. Some research shows that this phytochemical strengthens immune function, particularly related to the prostate.
In addition, Palmettoplex contains Zinc Liver Chelate. Zinc is an essential factor in prostate health, and this supplement contains zinc naturally chelated with liver extract. The copper and other minerals in the remaining protocol balance the zinc properly, unlike most other products or protocols. It also contains three amino acids which have been shown to be helpful to men with prostate problems ~Alanine, Glutamine, and Glycine. All three of these amino acids are found in prostate fluids.
And finally Palmettoplex contains Prostate Protomorphogen. Standard Process Labs is considered the world's expert in the extraction of glandular protomorphogens. These provide prostate cells with the specific raw materials to support natural restoration, repair, and regeneration. In a fashion, protomorphogens act to direct nutrition to the particular gland from which they are extracted. (3) And it is the Prostate Protomorphogen, along with the raw processing of all ingredients that only Standard Process Labs has perfected, that sets Palmettoplex apart from all other products.
Naturally this kind of therapy goes hand-in~I]and with a good diet of whole foods, a reduction in red meat and alcohol consumption, no smoking, a good supply of pure water, and plenty of exercise. So even if you are only 40 years old, get a PSA test. If your PSA is 1 or greater, start a prostate protocol. If you are older and your symptoms and numbers are worse, be sure to start a protocol. Just resign yourself to a chronic program that will slowly but surely normalize prostate function and reduce your odds of a prostate catastrophe.
NOTES;
I ) "Prostrate cancer treatment: too many radicals--too many failures," Cancer Communication Newsletter,Vol 6. No. 4.
2) “The prostate and vitamin F," Health Alert Vol. 17. No. 5.
3) "Cancer and Protomorphogens," Health Alert, Vol 17, No. I I.