Archive for the ‘Problems’ Category
Latest Word About the PSA Prostate Test?
- Image by programwitch via Flickr
For a number of years men over 50 years of age have been urged by their doctors to get a PSA blood test to help diagnose the condition of their prostate. Very recently the American Cancer Society recommended changing the emphasis from it would be a good idea for men over 50 to get a PSA test to consider the potential risks of treatment before making the decision to get a PSA test to screen for prostate cancer. The reasoning supporting this change of emphasis was based on the trade off between the negative side effects of PSA screening versus the positive benefits of avoiding the test. For example a slightly high PSA blood test may detect prostate cancer, but it can be a false positive. Conversely men with apparently normal PSA scores actually have had cancer, but the test indicated that they did not have cancer. The high PSA score typically was followed by a biopsy and treatments that had negative side effects that included urinary incontinence and impotence.
For these reasons the American Cancer Society made the recommendation that men who do not have special risks of prostate cancer should take counsel with their doctors, in order to reach an informed decision about getting screened for prostate cancer. The American Society of Clinical Oncology, which represents cancer specialists, including those treating prostate cancer patients, is supporting the Cancer Society guidelines. This is good news for senior men who are about to reach the age when they need to be concerned about the health of their prostates.
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Diet and Supplements Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk
- Image by val’sphotos via Flickr
Recent reports about the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer show that men in China and Japan have a lower rate of prostate cancer by a factor of ten compared with men in Europe and the United States. A major factor that is suspected to be behind this large difference in the rate of prostate cancer is the differences in the diet of the men from the United States and Europe compared with the men from Japan and China. In Asia the men consume more plant lignans that are known to have a protective effect.
It turns out that consuming more plant lignans from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains results in higher blood levels of dietary lignan metabolites. The higher blood levels of dietary lignan metabolites are associated with lower rates of prostate cancer in men. Other studies show that lignans reduce the volume of tumors and increase the death of prostate cancer cells. This is good news for senior men who are trying to protect themselves by taking preemptive aging steps against prostate cancer. They can increase their consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and take newly developed supplements with concentrated lignans from Norway spruce or flax.
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Get Back in Charge of Your Enlarged Prostate
As men age, the prostate grows and applies increased pressure to the urethra. This can be as uncomfortable as it sounds for some men, but for others the rate of growth is comparably slow and the result negligible. An enlarged prostate becomes problematic for more than 50 percent of men in their 50s, and that percentage increases significantly further down the line. The problem is easy to detect: It’s characterized by marked changes in the frequency and flow of urination.
An enlarged prostate is no different from any other medical condition in that your doctor is the best source for advice and treatment solutions. A few general tips have been shown to alleviate such prostate problems, however. Exercise regularly and cut down on your alcohol and caffeine intake, for starters.