An enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasic (BPH) is a likely health scenario in many men’s lives as they progress past middle age. Although rarely present in men younger than the mid 40s, by age 55 about 25% of men will begin experiencing some of the signs and symptoms of BPH. Eventually, by age 75, half of men will be affected by the condition.
The prostate gland secretes the whitish fluid in the semen and surrounds the urinary tube for emptying the bladder. It is normally the size of a walnut. However, the increase in size in BPH causes it to tighten around the urinary tube. restrict urinary flow and produce the common symptoms of BPH.
Symptomatic problems in urination include:
- Frequent and urgent need to urinate
- Difficulty in starting
- Weak urine stream
- Straining during urination
- Excessive dribbling
- Increased frequency of nocturnal urination
- Urine retention
Untreated BPH can lead to complications requiring their own treatment, including surgery.
- Acute and chronic urine retention
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Bladder stones
- Bladder damage
- Kidney damage
For some men symptoms stabilize and may eventually improve over time with minor treatment and lifestyle changes. Moreover, only half the men with BPH experience symptoms bothersome enough to seek or warrant medical treatment. However, a physician should evaluate symptoms to rule out other causes such as prostate cancer, bladder stones, diabetes or prostate inflammation.
Treatments for an enlarged prostate include supplements, dietary changes, medications and minimally invasive or open surgery. The exact cause of BPH is not fully understood. Some scientific evidence suggests that BPH is caused by abnormally high levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). For relief of mild symptoms doctors recommend:
- Limiting the intake of caffeine and alcohol
- Limiting the use of antihistamines or decongestants
- Keeping active and warm
- Double voiding: urinating once and again after a few moments
Herbal treatments include extracts of saw palmetto, ryegrass pollen, and stinging nettle roots. Pygeum oil from an African prune tree bark and beta-sitosterol from various sources are also claimed to relieve symptoms.
Thermobalancing therapy for treatment of an enlarged prostate is based on new research indicating that chronic diseases, such as BPH, start at the capillary level. Capillaries respond to certain stimuli by constricting their size and reducing blood flow. This restricted flow lowers the temperature of the affected area. When this constriction occurs in the area of the prostate, the lowered temperature stimulates the glands growth.
Thermobalancing therapy is employed to increase the blood flow around the prostate to return the prostate’s temperature to normal and stop prostate growth. Thermobalancing therapy has shown some clinical success with men in relieving symptoms and stopping the growth of an enlarged prostate. In some cases, treatment has shrunk the prostate back to its normal size.
Thermobalancing therapy involves a device that consists of a neoprene belt containing natural thermo-element(s) that is worn near the prostate to increase blood flow. No battery is needed and the thermo-element(s) will last for up to 2 years of treatment. To treat minor symptoms or as a preventative measure it can be worn only at night. However, for aggressive treatment, the device should be worn day and night for 3 months or longer – even after symptoms and any pain have disappeared.
Medications for BCH
- Alpha-blockers: Relax bladder and prostate muscles to facilitate urination.
- 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors: Believed to control DHT levels – side effects can include impotence and retrograde ejaculation.
- Tadalafil (Cialis): A Phosphodiesterase inhibitor also used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Surgical Treatments
- Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP): A lighted scope (resectoscope) is placed into the urethra, and the surgeon uses small cutting tools to remove prostate tissue.
- Transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP or TIP): Similar to TURP but the surgeon uses small cuts to open a channel in the prostate.
- Prostatectomy: Open surgery only used for a very large prostate.
Ablative surgical procedures that “burn away” prostate tissue with focused heating sources.
- Laser surgery
- Transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT)
- Transurethral needle ablation (TUNA)
Hopefully, use of thermobalancing therapy at an early stage of prostate growth will prevent the need for medications or surgical intervention.