3 Herbal Secrets for Enlarged Prostate
Did you know that 60% of all men who are 40-60 years old have an enlarged prostate?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a male, noncancerous condition manifesting as an enlarged prostate. Sometimes it’s called benign prostatic hypertrophy or benign prostatic obstruction … either way … it is the single most common and prolific prostate pathology for men 50 years of age and older.
75% of men over 60, and 90% of men over 80 have BPH!
Occurrence and symptoms increase with age. Risk factors include:
- age 40 years or older
- a family history of BPH
- erectile dysfunction
- medical diagnosis (e.g. obesity, diabetes, CHD)
Here is what happens in the body,
- the prostate enlarges which obstructs the urethra,
- the urinary bladder wall thickens and eventually weakens,
- leading to inability to empty the bladder.
Forgot to mention, Western biomedicine does not really understand why the prostate enlarges in the first place! They don’t really know the cause of BPH.
We do know that you also increase your risk of developing it if you have diabetes, hypertension, or are obese.
One prevailing theory is that production of the hormone, 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone or DHT, correlates to BPH symptoms. So, possible treatment may include hormone balancing for optimization.
The main symptoms of BPH include urinary frequency, urinary urgency, urinary incontinence, urinary dribbling, urinary flow degradation, urinary straining, painful urination, and nocturia. Basically, ANY urination problem!
How do we treat this, or better yet … help prevent it?
3 Magic BPH Herbs
- Cassia Cinnamon
- Astragalus
- Rehmannia
You gotta know cinnamon is already great for everything! Blood pressure, sleep, immune functioning, now … BPH too!
You may have heard of Astragalus before. We know it as Huang Qi in Chinese herbal medicine, or “Yellow Leader.” It looks like a yellow popsicle stick in the raw form.
Huang Qi – Astragalus
You may not have heard of Rehmannia. The raw and prepared versions are each both safe to use, but they do behave differently in the body. Use the prepared form of Rehmannia for BPH herbal therapy.
A recent meta-analysis report that,
“Chinese herbal medicine was superior to Western medication in improving quality of life and reducing prostate volume. The frequency of adverse events in CHM was similar to that of placebo and less than that of Western medication.”
That is profound!
Going one step further, another study compared Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) to other herbal therapies. Specifically, they looked at Saw Palmetto, and Pygeum africanum, both commonly prescribed and recommended for BPH treatment.
CHM was shown to be as effective as these botanical medicines! For me, that helps validate Chinese herbs, Saw Palmetto, and Pygeum africanum as potentially appropriate treatments.
Always consult with a licensed, professional herbalist that has been properly trained and educated to provide you the best care!
They didn’t stop there! Comparing CHM directly to a mainstream pharmaceutical, specifically tamsulosin (“Flomax”) an alpha-adrenergic blockers, CHM demonstrated “a superior effective rate.”
Point is … Chinese Herbal Medicine is great at treating BPH or an enlarged prostate!
Those suffering from an enlarged prostate in Sarasota or Bradenton, Florida give us a call at Lakewood Ranch Acupuncture and Wellness. Our gifted practitioners are highly qualified to help you feel relief today! We offer acupuncture, herbal treatment, nutritional consultations, and more.
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Sources
- Gao, Chen et al. Cytotoxic and chemosensitization effects of Scutellarin from traditional Chinese herb Scutellaria altissima L. in human prostate cancer cells. Oncology Reports, Volume 38 (3), July 2017.
- Ma, Chun Ho et al. Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for benign prostatic hyperplasia: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Asian Journal of Andrology, July 2013, Volume 15 (4), p. 471-482.