Understand Prostate Cancer and get helpful Remedies

Cancer of the prostate gland is the second leading cause of cancer death among men. It is primarily a disease of aging. Men in their thirties and forties rarely develop prostate cancer, but the incidence increases steadily after the age of fifty. Prostate cancer is most likely to be diagnosed between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-four. “According to the American Cancer society, it is estimated that nearly 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed annually, and over 28,000 men die from the disease, making it the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States”. Many experts feel that every man will eventually develop prostate cancer if he lives long enough. It is good news that prostate cancer fatality is declining for the past ten years, which many experts believe to be the result of better screening and earlier diagnosis. Survival is improved if diagnosed early, which means regular screening is important. Five-year survival rates are 100 percent if the tumor is localized and regional, 31 percent for distant tumors, and 75 percent for unstaged tumors. Although it is relatively common, in most cases prostate cancer is, fortunately, a slow-growing cancer. Most prostate cancers arise in the rear portion of the prostate gland; the rest originates near the urethra. Lymphatic vessels leading from the prostate gland to the pelvic lymph nodes provide a route for prostate cancer to spread to other areas of the body. Prostate Cancers double in mass every six years, on average (by comparison, breast cancers commonly double every three and half years). The exact cause or causes of prostate cancer are not known. However, there are certain risk factors that have been linked to its development. Men aged sixty-five and older, African American men, and men who have a first degree relative (parent or siblings) with prostate cancer are at increased risk. The incidence is higher among married men than it is among unmarried men. Also at increased risk men who have had reoccurring prostate infections, those with a history of sexually transmitted disease, and those who have taken testosterone. Exposure to cancer causing chemicals increases your risk for cancer. Having a genetic variation of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene also may increase your risk for prostate cancer. This gene is involved with regulating inflammation, and too much inflammation is found to increase the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers have also found a link between a high-fat diet that is low in fruits and vegetables and prostate cancer. This may be due to the fact that heavy fat consumption raises testosterone levels, which could then stimulate growth of the prostate, including any cancer cells it may be harboring. Some studies have suggested that vasectomy may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer, although other studies contradict this hypothesis. A high in-take of milk and coffee may also increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

An eight-year study published in the British journal of cancer found a 22 percent increase in risk of prostate cancer with a high intake of dairy products in men living in Europe. American Studies confirmed both a higher rate of the disease and a higher mortality from dairy products. It is thought that a high intake of diary protein may increase the production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which in turn promotes the development of prostate cancer. In addition, others think that too much calcium from dairy products suppresses the body’s ability to synthesize vitamin D. Vitamin D is thought to be protective against prostate cancer. The European collaborators found that for every increase of 35 grams of dairy protein (a cup of milk has 8 grams), there was a 32 percent increase in the risk of developing prostate cancer. Calcium from food, other than dairy products like milk and yogurt, had no effect on disease risk.

Also, men who have higher levels of enzyme 5-alpha reductase may be at greater risk for prostate cancer. This is an enzyme that transforms testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a form of the hormone that promotes the growth of prostate cells.

Possible symptoms of prostate Cancer:

Pain or a burning sensation during urination, frequent urination, a decrease in the amount and force of urine flow, an inability to urinate, blood in the urine, and continuing lower back, pelvic, or suprapubic discomfort. However, the disease often causes no symptoms at all until it reaches an advanced stage and/or spreads outside the gland. In addition, these symptoms most often are caused not by cancer, but by an enlarged prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

How to detect cancer:

There is no known particular way to prevent prostate cancer but an early detection can catch the cancer before it spreads to other sites in the body.  A careful rectal exam of the prostate is the simplest and most cost-effective approach for detecting prostate cancer—every man should have an annual exam beginning at age forty or fifty, the earlier the better.

Testicular Cancer Self-Test: use your fingers of both hands to roll each testicle between the thumb and the fingers gently, checking for hard lumps or nodules. It is best to do this test after a warm bath or shower, when the scrotal skin is relaxed. Normally, testicles feel smooth and a little spongy. A mass will feel firm but not painful when pressed, unless there is a bleeding inside the tumor. If you find a suspicious lump, see your Naturopathic physician. This test should be performed routinely by your physician at your yearly physical exam, Be sure to include the epididymis (the ropelike portion) in your examination.

The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood. The doctor takes a blood sample, and the amount of PSA is measured in a laboratory. Because PSA is produced by the body and can be used to detect prostate cancer, it is sometimes called a biological marker or a tumor marker. (PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen---a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland). A PSA test result between 0 and 4 is considered within normal range. Numbers between 4 and 10 indicates a 25 percent chance of getting prostate cancer and numbers higher than 10 indicate a 50 percent chance of developing prostate cancer.  PSA rise with age even if you don’t have cancer. It is important to get regular screening and to discuss with your doctor what your numbers mean. A man’s PSA level alone does not give doctors enough information to distinguish between benign prostate conditions and cancer. However, the doctor will take the result of the PSA test into account when deciding whether to check further for signs of prostate cancer.

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. Having the test repeated every year may help physicians 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. The U.S food and drug administration (FDA) has approved the use of the PSA test along with digital rectal exam (DRE) to help detect prostate cancer in men fifty years of age or older. Doctors often use the PSA test and DRE as prostate cancer screening tests; together, these tests can help doctors detect prostate cancer in men who have no symptoms of the disease.

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. Another important measure, the Gleason score, gauges the prostate cancer aggressiveness of a tumor based on the cellular characteristics of the cancer. If you develop prostate cancer, your doctor will discuss your score and its implications for survival. Tumor cells that look more similar to normal cells tend to be less aggressive, while those that are distributed randomly with uneven edges are likely to spread rapidly. 

                                      Some Treatment options for Prostate Cancer:

With the numerous treatment methods available today, if diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is imperative to be educated about your treatment options and whatever you may chose to do, it is wise to include your partner in your decision or choice.

Watchful waiting: Close monitoring of nutritional support and lifestyle changes, is becoming the preferred approach if the cancer is in the early stages. If symptoms develop or if tests indicate that symptoms are likely to develop, treatment is usually started. The primary benefit of watchful waiting is that the adverse effects of the existing treatment options are avoided. This may be advantageous for older men who have other serious health problems and for men who have nonaggressive, early-stage cancers. The doctor will continue to observe you, and you will probably need a PSA blood test and a digital rectal examination every six months and, possibly, a yearly biopsy of the prostate.

Biologic and pharmacological Therapies is the use of prescription drugs from naturopathic doctors, hormones, complex herbal extract products, vaccines, and other biological inventions that the mainstream medicine has not yet accepted. Here, the use of biologic substances and nontoxic pharmacological agents--nontoxic medication derived from biological sources such as plants or human cells are used for treatment. An example of this type of treatment is the 714-X treatment developed by a french physician by the name Dr. Gatson Naessens consisting of injections of nitrogen-rich camphor or organic salts directly into the lymphatic system which allows the immune system to reestablish itself and attack the cancerous cells because of the belief or theory that cancer cells excrete a poisonous compound that shuts down the immune system. Another example is the Revici method, developed by the late dr Emanuel Revici whereby compounds are delivered into the tumor to repair lipid imbalance in the cells--establish good balance of essential fats.

Didn’t realize how painful cancer can be until I read this next line you are about to read: If the cancer has not spread outside the gland, surgical options include a radical prostatectomy (removal of the entire gland and some tissue around it) or a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). In the latter procedure, a device is inserted through the end of the penis, and a wire loop is used to cut away the cancerous tissue. 

Hormonal treatment is used to block the production of testosterone, which fuels cancer growth. This can be done by means of orchiectomy (surgical removal of the testosterone) or through the use of hormone therapy to suppress the production and action of hormones.  However, the hormone therapy drug used causes impotence and other side effects like no sex drive, hot flashes, sexual dysfunction, and weight gain.

Cryosurgery also called cryotherapy and cryoablation is a treatment method used to localize prostate cancer---whereby, the cancerous cells are frozen by metal probe. This treatment is less invasive than radical surgery and there is less blood loss.

Estrogens have been used for the treatment of prostate cancer for sixty years. However, they can cause breast growth and other feminizing effects, as well as cardiac complications. Because of these side effects, they are rarely used today.

Gerson Therapy--- The purpose of Gerson Therapy is to regenerate an ailing body and bring it back to health by flooding the sick patient with nutrients and adopting other modalities of healing. The nutrients comes from raw juices plus raw and cooked solid organic vegetarian foods consumed in large amounts--generously.
Oxygen deficiency in the blood contributes to degenerative diseases. Dr Gerson therapy brings about a doubling of circulatory oxygenation. The Gerson therapy stimulates metabolism, eliminates toxins, and restores sluggish waste removal function of a patient's liver and kidneys. Dr Gerson therapy uses high quality nutrition, increases the patient's oxygen availability, re-invigorates the entire organism with a well-functioning metabolism, and improves cellular detoxification; one's suppressed immune system, imperfect physiology, muddle mind, dysfunctional brain and other essential organs is improved and encourages regeneration towards homeostasis once again.
Statistically, chemotherapy boost an overall remission rate on average of 12 percent (7% of colon cancer, 1% of pancreatic cancer) for patient's seen at the early and intermediate stages of their illnesses but the Gerson Therapy offers remission success on average for up to 42 % of its participating terminal cancer patient's. It proves to be more therapeutic a treatment than Toxicology (chemotherapy), immunology, pharmacology, roentgenology (radiation therapy), allopathic medicine.

 Herbal Therapies: The use of herbal remedies is the oldest form of treatment for many diseases. Herbal remedies are used to strengthen the body's ability to eliminate cancer cells.  Hoxsey Therapy is the first tested cancer therapy in the 1920s, whereby internal and external herbal preparations, along with anti-cancer diet, vitamins, minerals and psychological  is used to strengthen the body to fight the cancer. This therapy has proven controversial in America however it is very often used in Mexico for cancer treatment. 


Nutritional Therapies: There is a link between diet and cancer health, so nutrition should be the a major focus for those battling cancer. For example the Gerson therapy, and the wheat grass therapy whereby the diet is based on wheat-grass and other raw foods; the macrobiotic diet, a traditional Japanese diet high in whole grains--high fiber diet, fresh vegetables and organic fruits, vegan nutritional habits.

Immunologic therapies: this is based on the idea that cancer develops because of a breakdown of the immune system so therefore the goal of this therapy is to boost the main parts of the body that functions to combat and destroy cancer cells.---similar to functional food therapy. Late Dr. Josef Issels, offered a comprehensive, nontoxic strategy for all types and stages of cancer to stimulate the body's immune system to attack cancer cells.

Metabolic therapies is based on the idea that cancer is a multifaceted disease that requires multiple treatment or healing options to fight it effectively. In this therapy detoxification to aid efficient toxins flush from the body such as colon cleanse, liver cleanse and total body cleanse is used plus anticancer diet based on whole organic food and vitamins, minerals, and enzymes to cleanse the body more and repair damaged tissues, and stimulate immune function.

Mind-Body therapies focuses on the role that emotions, behavior and faith play in recovery from illness. Some counseling, biofeedback, imagery, visualization, yoga--meditation, massage therapy, soothing music and visual arts, and other relaxation therapies are used to promote greater emotional, spiritual well-being and to bring the hurts to remission to help those battling with disease to cope better.

Get Natural remedies and tips for prostate cancer