Information on
Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as the number one cancer death in men.  Prostate Cancer occurs mostly in men age 65 and older.  According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, more than 218,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer this year alone. However, the rate of prostate cancer is rapidly rising in all men, even those under fifty. This is significant because, in general, the younger a man is when he is diagnosed with prostate cancer, the worse his prognosis. The increase in prostate cancer among younger men points to the role of diet and exposure to environmental toxins in the development of the disease.

Do you have Prostate Cancer?

Unfortunately, Prostate Cancer often has no symptoms or warning until it reaches an advanced stage and/or spreads outside the prostate gland.  All of the following can lead to Prostate Cancer; pain or burning sensation during urination, frequent urination, a decrease in the size and force of urine flow, inability to urinate, blood in the urine, and continuing lower back, and pelvic or suprapublic discomfort. While these symptoms can lead to Prostate Cancer, they are most likely caused by benign enlargement or inflammation of the prostate. This is why an annual diagnosis or professional evaluation is so important.

Who is at a Greater Risk?

African American men are more than 50% likely to develop Prostate Cancer than Caucasian men, while the Asian population has the lowest incident rates. Men with a single relative with a history of Prostate Cancer are twice as likely to develop Prostate Cancer while men with two or more relatives are 4 times as likely of developing the disease. The incidence is higher among married men that it is among unmarried men. Also at increased risk are men who have had recurring prostate infections, those with a history of venereal disease, and those who have taken testosterone. A good policy is to defend against prostate cancer.  Several accredited studies show that two natural ingredients are highly protective in the fight against prostate cancer.

Learn More About These Two Natural Substances

Researchers have also found a link between a high-fat diet and prostate cancer. This may be due to the fact that heavy fat consumption raises testosterone levels, which could then stimulate the growth of the prostate, including any cancer cells that it may be harboring. Exposure to cancer-causing chemicals also increases your risk. Some experts believe that a vasectomy may increase the chances of developing prostate cancer. And, while it isn´t conclusive, some medical professionals are recommending that they have their vasectomy reversed.               

Testing is Critical

It is believed by most professionals that there is really no way to prevent Prostate Cancer. However, early detection can make it possible to catch the cancer before it fully develops and spreads to other parts in the body and make it possible to control the disease. A careful rectal exam of the prostate is the simplest and most cost-effective and (most painful) approach for detecting prostate cancer. The American Urologic Association recommends that every man age 40 and older have an annual prostate exam.

PSA Test

 A blood test to detect elevated levels of a substance called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an accepted screening test for prostate cancer. PSA is currently the most valuable "tumor marker" available to diagnose and evaluate the effectiveness of therapy for prostate cancer. A PSA test result between 0 and 4 is considered to be within the normal range; a PSA result of over 10 is assumed to indicate cancer until proven otherwise. High PSA levels can be caused by factors other than cancer, including benign enlargement or inflammation of the prostate, an activity as innocuous as bicycle riding, or even the rectal exam itself.

If your PSA level is found to be high, the test should always be repeated, because it does yield false-positive or false-negative results an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the time. Having the test repeated every year may help a physician to better interpret the results; in healthy men, PSA levels tend to remain relatively stable, rising only gradually from year to year, while cancer causes the levels to rise more dramatically.

Other Prostate Testing Methods

Ultrasound scanning of the prostate is often done to follow up on an abnormal rectal exam or PSA test. Other diagnostic tests, including computerized tomography (CT) scans, bone scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be necessary, but are costly. Ultimately, if test results point consistently to the presence of cancer, a tissue diagnosis must be done to confirm it. This can be done only by microscopic examination of a needle biopsy, preferably directed under ultrasound control. Repeated biopsies may be needed in some cases. This invasive procedure may itself cause complications; bleeding, urinary retention, impotence and sepsis (blood poisoning) have been reported.

What Are Your Treatment Options?

If you are able to catch Prostate Cancer in its early stages, treatments are often very successful. However, if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, it can be very difficult to treat and cure. Unfortunately, sometimes prostate cancer can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Many cases are diagnosed only after the cancer has spread outside the gland. Once this happens, the survival rate over the next five years is a mere 40 percent. If the disease spreads to the lymph nodes, bones or other organs, the chances of survival drop to 20 percent.  If the cancer is in its early stages, nutritional support, lifestyle changes and watchful waiting are becoming the preferred approach.

• Experimental therapies such as cryoablation (freezing of cancer cells) and laser surgery are sometimes used in prostate cancer treatments.
  
• If the cancer has spread into the capsule of your gland, the standard approach to treatment is some form of radiation therapy. Ten-year survival rates are 50 to 60 percent. Also, you should try to avoid radiation therapy as it leaves men impotent nearly 50 percent of the time and can affect your bladder and rectum.
  
• If the disease is confined to the prostate and you are healthy and under seventy years old, removal of the gland (radical prostatectomy) is often recommended. However, consider that about 50 percent of men who have this done, even with the new "nerve sparing" techniques, become impotent. Significant incontinence occurs in up to 25 percent of cases.
  
  
• A radical prostatectomy may be an option.  This is an operation that removes the prostate gland and some of the tissue around it. The methods used for this operation are open surgery and laparoscopic surgery.  In open surgery, a large incision is made to reach the prostate gland.  In laparoscopic, the surgeon makes several small incisions in the belly.  Consider this, 80% of men experience an erection problem after a prostatectomy.  Also, the leakage of urine often happens after radical prostatectomy requiring you to wear under garment pads like Depends. 
  
• If the cancer has spread outside the gland, treatment is aimed at trying to block the production of testosterone, which fuels the cancer. This can be done by means of orchiectomy (surgical removal of the testes) or by suppressing the production and action of hormones. For the latter, either goserelin (Zoladex) or leuprolide (Lupron) is given by monthly injections (they are fundamentally the same drug); in addition, flutamide
  (Eulexin) is taken orally. Together, these agents effectively shut down testosterone production by the body. Both orchiectomy and hormone suppression cause impotence in nearly 100 percent of the cases.

Ways to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Your daily Diet plays a very important role in preventing prostate disease and life in general. Some recommend that you maintain a nutritional diet full of vegetables, fruits and nuts. Since the prostate produces seminal fluid, there is a long-standing belief that regular ejaculations (two or three times per week) will help prevent an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer. There is little scientific proof of this, but it is risk-free.

Natural, Nutritional Solutions for Your Prostate

• Berries such as Saw Palmetto or Beta-sitosterol, contain a concentrated form of Saw Palmetto that helps protect your DNA from damage and mutation that could result in cancer.
• A high-fat, low-fiber diet is linked not just to heart disease, but also to prostate cancer. Chemical reactions occur when fat is cooked, leading to the production of free radicals, which play a major role in certain cancers. It is logical to assume that the accelerating increase in prostate cancer since the 1950s must be attributable at least in part to a parallel increase in fat consumption in the U.S. According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men who eat red meat five times a week may have three times higher a risk of prostate cancer than men who eat red meat less than once a week. Butter consumption also appears to contribute to this disease. Researchers theorize that a diet high in fat raises the levels of testosterone and other hormones in the body, which stimulate the prostate - and any cancerous cells in it - to grow. A high intake of milk and coffee may also increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
• Brown rice, fresh raw fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, and whole grains, and excludes alcohol, coffee, refined carbohydrates, and strong tea. Regular intake of zinc (15 milligrams daily) Beta-sitosterol (300 milograms daily and essential fatty acids omega 3 oils, (in supplement form or from cold-pressed sesame, safflower or olive oil) and fresh salmon in later life also may help prevent the development of problems.
• Eat plenty of whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, and unpolished brown rice. Millet cereal is a good source of protein. You should eat wheat, oats and bran. Also eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower and yellow and deep orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, squash and yams. This type of diet is important for the prevention of cancer as well as for healing.
• Apples, fresh cantaloupe, various types of berries, Brazil nuts, cherries, grapes, legumes (including chickpeas, lentils and red beans) and plums. All of these foods help to fight cancer.
• Dr. Hans Nieper, a German cancer specialist, uses Carnivora, a substance derived from a South American plant, to treat prostate cancer. Fresh cabbage and carrot juice are used in clinics worldwide in cancer therapy.          
• Eat foods that are high in zinc. Zinc nourishes the prostate gland and is vital for proper immune function.
• Use cold-pressed organic oils such as sesame, safflower or olive oil to obtain essential fatty acids.

Unless otherwise recommended, take vitamins and other supplements daily with meals, with the exception of vitamin E, which should be taken before meals. You should really consider taking supplements containing Beta-Sitosterol. Beta-Sitosterol supports good prostate health by maintaining healthy male hormone balance.

To learn more about Beta-sitosterol and the major role that it plays in maintaining good prostate health, click here.

Tips for a Healthy Prostate

• Research has shown that soybeans and soy products, such as tofu, soy flour and soymilk, have cancer-fighting powers due to the presence of a protein called genistein. Genistein apparently retards tumor growth by preventing the growth of new blood vessels to feed the tumor. It appears to be particularly effective against prostate cancer, but also works against breast cancer in women and colon cancer in both sexes.
• Estrogen´s have been used effectively for the treatment of prostate cancer for sixty years. However, they can cause breast growth and other feminizing effects, as well as cardiac complications.
• Many consider prostate cancer to be one of the most over treated diseases in America. Physicians in Europe have long used a conservative nutritional approach with comparable results. In addition, a 1994 report in The New England Journal of Medicine reported on a large group of men who refused traditional treatment. Surprisingly, they fared just as well as - and possibly better than - men who did accept medical treatment. A conservative approach making critical lifestyle and dietary changes and using nutritional supplementation may work just as well.
• In 1993, the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed a connection between vasectomy’s and an increased risk of prostate cancer. Reported studies of 48,000 and 29,000 men who had vasectomies showed a 66 percent and 56 percent higher rate of prostate cancer, respectively. The risk increased with age and the number of years since the vasectomy was performed. Since then, a panel called the National Institutes of Health found no biological cause-and-effect relationship between vasectomy and prostate cancer. Not all experts accept that finding, however.
• A man with prostate cancer needs support and understanding from family members, friends and physicians. Besides coming to grips with cancer and its treatments, he also has to deal with the possible loss of sexual potency, which can be very difficult. A number of the books listed in the reference section below provide a great deal of detailed information and practical advice to help the man with prostate cancer and his family to deal with the many difficult aspects of this disease.
• If you experience difficulty urinating or notice an increasing trend toward waking up to urinate during the night, consult your health care provider. This may indicate prostatic obstruction.

Avoid the Following

• Try to avoid all known carcinogens. Eat only organic foods, if possible. Avoid tobacco smoke, polluted air, polluted water, noxious chemicals and food additives. Use only distilled water or reverse-osmosis-filtered water. Municipal and well water can contain chlorine, fluoride and agricultural chemical residue.
• Do not take any drugs except those that are prescribed by your physician. Always seek counsel and alternative opinions before deciding which treatments, if any, you will pursue.
• Do not eat red meat. There is a define correlation between high red meat consumption (five servings a week or more) and the development of prostate cancer.
• Eliminate from the diet alcoholic beverages, coffee and all teas except for caffeine-free herbal teas.
• Restrict your intake of dairy products. Moderate consumption of soured products such as low-fat yogurt and kefir is acceptable.
• Strictly avoid the following foods: junk foods, processed refined foods, salt, saturated fats, sugar and white flour. Instead of salt, use a kelp or potassium substitute. If necessary, a small amount of blackstrap molasses or pure maple syrup can be used as a natural sweetener in place of sugar. Use whole wheat or rye instead of white flour.

Pain Management

In most cases, pain is manageable. No one should have to suffer, especially terminally ill cancer patients. Many of the major pain killers like morphine are controlled by the federal government, and the DEA has been very active in prosecuting doctor´s for alleged "over prescription".   This creates a problem because patients report that the pain is too great in lower dosages. (See the film " and see what you think.)

AIDS and cancer patients have long reported the positive affect of marijuana to reduce pain and improve the appetite, often an after effect of chemotherapy. California and Arizona have passed laws allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for certain ailments. Even the New England Journal of Medicine has favored doctors who prescribe marijuana. However, the federal government, not really caring about people´s pain, has threatened to charge any doctor prescribing it with a felony. Similar drugs have not received the governments okay since they fear a person may become addicted, which is seldom the case. Regardless of the research to the contrary, "Even if the person is dying, it seems that they (the government) would rather see him die in pain rather than become an addict for the short time he has to live," says Dr. Aubrey; Pilgrim in his book A Revolutionary Approach to Prostate Cancer.  X-rays can be used to reduce or eliminate pain for some time and Metastron (Stronitium 89) radiation works well on bone metastases. Quadremet, which is a radioactive drug similar to Metasmon, has fewer side effects and Novantrone is the first chemotherapy drug approved for treatment of pain from advanced hormone refractory prostate cancer. For further information, call 800.220.6302. Finally, there are a number of ways to deal with pain. If you aren´t successful with you current doctor, find one who will help. No one deserves to have to live in pain.

Watch Out

We are usually more skeptical of Western medicine and chemical solutions than natural or Eastern methods. With anything, you should get as much information as possible and know what you´re doing. One place to turn is the Cedars of Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, which publishes a monthly newsletter dealing with cancer advances, therapies, prevention and support concerns. The February, 1997 issue included an article titled "Unproven Methods of Cancer Management" which discussed the potential dangers of various claimed cures such as macrobiotic diets, psychic surgery, quack drugs such as Prostada, shark cartilage and biological products, electronic gadgets, and devices, herbal and fold remedies, dietary approaches, bogus diagnostic tests, metabolic therapies, mental imagery, faith healing, homeopathic and many other unproven treatments and modalities.

There is also a newsletter, published by the National Council Against Health Fraud with short articles about many of the current health frauds. If you encounter a scam, contact the National Fraud Information Center; write the Federal Trade Commission, Room 1105, Washington, D.C. 20580. Do as much checking as possible before you spend your money, and possibly risk your life, using un-proven methods to cure prostate cancer or anything other type of medical condition for that matter.