From birth to young age, the prostate grows from the size of a pea to the size of a walnut. Most men experience a second period of prostate growth in the mid to late 40s. At this time, the cells of the central part of the gland - where the prostate surrounds the urethra - begin to reproduce faster. As the tissues expand in the area, they often compress the urethra and partially block the flow of urine. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the medical term for this condition. It should be noted that the prostate may also increase due to a bacterial infection, the term used for this condition is acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis. There is another non-bacterial form of chronic prostatitis, which is actually more common than its counterpart, the reason for this is unknown.
An enlarged prostate affects about half of men aged 60 years and up to 90 percent of men aged 70 to 80 years. The presence or absence of an enlarged prostate gland is not associated with the development of prostate cancer.
Routine treatment depends on your signs and symptoms and may include medications, surgical or non-surgical treatments such as acupuncture, herbs, and nutritional supplements.
Signs and symptoms
An enlarged prostate varies depending on the severity of the man from the man and does not always create a problem. Only about half of men with an enlarged prostate gland experience signs and symptoms that become noticeable or intrusive so that they can seek medical help. These signs and symptoms may include:
* Weak urine flow
* Difficulty starting urination
* Stopping and resuming while urinating
* Dribbling at the end of urination
* Frequent need to urinate
* Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia)
* Urgent need to urinate
* It is impossible to completely empty the bladder
* Blood in the urine (hematuria)
* Urinary tract infection
* Lower abdominal pain
* Discomfort during ejaculation
* Fever and chills (infection)
traditional chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine usually treats an enlarged prostate as an accumulation of moisture and heat in the lower part of the body (low Jiao) or as a cold that entered the liver canal, often accompanied by kidney deficiency as the main root. This condition leads to all the alarming symptoms of urination listed above. Acupuncture, moxibustion and laser acupuncture show good results in helping to restore normal urine function (Luo YN et al., World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion), and Chinese herbal therapy eliminates the main causes of prostate enlargement. Together, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are an important choice for overcoming the prostate enlargement battle. One study also showed that electroacupuncture helps chronic prostatitis, which do not respond to conventional treatments (Ikeuchi T, Iguchi H).
Acupuncture treatment (traditional, electro, laser) and cauterization (heat therapy) are usually once a week if there is no significant pain. 2-3 treatments per week for 1-3 weeks may be justified. Chinese herbal therapy will be applied in the form of daily tea, pills, powders or drops. You can also recommend some nutritional supplements and Western herbal therapy. The diet will also be reviewed from a traditional energy point of view to help eliminate anything that may aggravate the prostate gland.
Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis
The most recent scientific studies claim that chronic non-bacterial prostatitis has an unknown etiology (reason unknown). This is an unfortunate situation, given that most often it is infectious contrasts, acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis.
Symptoms include pain and discomfort in the pelvic region or CPPS (chronic pelvic pain syndrome), some lower back pain, frequent urination, and an incomplete feeling after urination. As a rule, there is no history of urinary tract infections (as with bacterial prostatitis), no redness, and patients do not get symptomatic relief with antibiotics.
It also seems that it is rather a feeling of “cold” (rather than “heat”, which would be associated with infectious bacterial prostatitis). It should also be noted that emotional problems, such as depression and erectile dysfunction, are most often accompanied by this chronic disease, and they should be correctly diagnosed and treated.
Research and treatment research
Some men say they are relieved by the use of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), although this is a way that cannot be taken forever because they suppress the immune system.
The Merck manual states that hot sitz baths and prostate massages are two of the best ways to provide symptomatic relief.
A recent study showed the benefits of alternative therapies, including herbal medicine (quercetin, bee pollen) and physical therapy such as acupuncture (Shoskes and Manickam, dept. Or Urology Cleveland Clinic Florida). Relief from acupuncture showed that there is a neuromuscular component of chronic prostatitis. This is confirmed by another study by Chen and Nickel at King Street Medical Center in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, where acupuncture successfully improved symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
Another study by Cheng, Gao, Liu and Shen at Zhejiang College in Hangzhou showed promise using laser acupuncture.
Other medicinal herbs have gained scientific recognition lately; pygeum for urination symptoms, palmetto and quercetin for pain and beta-sitosterol for urinary flow.
Moxibustion, a form of thermal therapy used in acupuncture, also showed improvement in patients who participated in the study at the Fushun Municipal Hospital, and another showed significant improvement in Nanjing Medical University when a combination of antibiotics and acupuncture was used to treat CPPS and chronic prostatitis.
Years of empirical evidence also provide hope for those seeking the help of a qualified Chinese herbal medicine practitioner.
