Treatment

Home BPH Herbal Treatment

Theory of Home BPH Treatment

TCM Treatment of Enlarged Prostate

Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnose on the concept that there is both heat (inflammation) and dampness (swelling) in the prostate, restricting the flow of urine.  There may also be a deficiency condition weakening the kidneys.  A BPH formula can be constructed from the following lists of herbs. 

The following herbs are very common and could be included in a basic BPH formula:

• Coix seed (yi yi ren or Coix lachryma) aid removal of dampness
• Rhubarb root to soften the swollen gland and purge heat and dampness
• Phellodendron bark to remove heat and dampness.
• Talcum (hua shi or calcium carbonate) to reduce heat, soothe the urinary tract and open obstruction.
• Persica seed (tao ren or Prunus persica) to break up blood congestion
• Black Atractylodes rhizome to dry out the dampness
• Lu lu tong fruit (Liquidambar taiwaniana) to promote urination, soften the swollen organ, reduce pain, and unblock the tubes and channels.
•  Anteater scales (chuan shan jia or Manis pentadactyla) to reduce swelling and promote the discharge of pus
• Dandelion root to detoxify and removes heat and dampness
• Licorice root to reduce heat and nourish.
• Shi wei leaf (Pyrrosia lingua) to promote urination and reduce heat


Based on the following symptoms TCM doctor can adjust the formula for each patient by adding the appropriate herbs.


With a predominance of swelling:

• Water plantain (ze xie or Alisma plantago) to promotes the flow of urine, and leach out dampness when there is stagnation and urinary difficulty.


With predominant inflammation:

• Scute root to drain heat.
• Coptis rhizome (Huang lian or C.  chinensis) to drain fire (strongly anti-inflammatory)


With signs of coldness (cold limbs, aversion to cold):

• Purified aconite (fu zi or Aconitum palmatum) to alleviates pain and warm (professional use only)
• Cinnamon twigs (gui zhi or C.  cassia) to promote blood circulation and warm.


With severe blood and venous congestion, common in the later stages of BPH:

• Red peony root to promote blood circulation and remove swelling and pain.
• Zedoary root (E zhu or Curcuma zedoaria) to remove blood stasis, promotes the movement of Qi, alleviate pain, and dissolve accumulations.


In patients suffering from deficiency or elderly patients, consider adding:

• Sang ji sheng twigs (Viscum album) to tonify the kidney and removes dampness.
• Eucommia bark (du zhong or E.  ulmoides) to strengthen weakness in the organ.
• Scrophularia root (xuan shen or S.  ningpoensis) relieves toxicity and inflammation, softens nodular swelling and nourishes in the later stages of inflammatory diseases.


With general fatigue and weakness:

• Ginseng root to strengthen vital force and decrease fatigue.

Adding to the traditional understanding, ginseng root possesses a variety of well-studied pharmacological properties.  Animal studies show that ginseng root increases testosterone levels while decreasing prostate weight, as well as stimulating corticosterone secretions.  This would seem favorable to BPH patients, since increased testosterone could mean decreased DHT and improved intestinal zinc absorption, and decreased prostate size would help alleviate the symptoms.   

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) or Hypertrophy is always a slow process over the span of ten or more years. The causes are cold, holding urine frequently, fatigue, alcohol addiction, frequent sex, over absorption of animal fat and protein, etc.

Western Medicine Treatment Protocols
Currently the western medicine has placed emphasis on surgery to remove some of the prostate glands or muscle relaxants to release the tension of prostate glands. Surgery on BPH is too invasive and with the risks of some serious side effects such as lose of erection. Muscle relaxants are only for temporary relief and have no permanent solution to the gradual enlargement of the prostate.

Short Term Herbal BPH Treatment
Chinese medicine tackle Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) from several directions, first, Chinese medicine formula for BPH consists of herbs that could unblock the prostate glands which has physiological change due to low level inflammation or stagnation, second, certain herbs are applied to enhance physiological function of prostate glands, increase blood flood in the prostate, improve the internal environment of the prostate. If there are abscess present, the herbs shrink it gradually and dissolve it eventually.

There are some figures that prove the effectiveness of Chinese medicine therapy on prostate enlargement. Asian men have a much lower rate of prostate enlargement and cancer than American men. There are a lot of reasons attributed to this peculiar situation. It is a fact that traditional and ancient therapies have used various herbs and concoctions to alleviate the symptoms caused by this male condition since ages.

Long Term Herbal BPH Treatment
After the symptoms of BPH are relieved, the long term herbal BPH treatment must follow suit to stabilize the situation,

Diet Change
In our theory, BPH is the result of long term over ingestion of animal fat and protein while lack of intake of vegetables. Western meals are typically vulnerable with lots of red meat, grease and lack of vegetables. Over the years, the prostate has accumulated these harmful substances and cause the prostate to swell. A diet change to vegetable protein and fat are necessary. This won't show improvement instantly but it will payback after some time.

Habit Change
Frequent sex, sitting for too long, etc, are also the sources of BPH. A change of habit is also needed to avert the situation. Certain sports are good for the prostate that could improve the stagnant situation.


Overview Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, or swelling of the prostate, is characterized by symptoms of urinary frequency and urgency, bladder outlet obstruction, night urination.   Patients with BPH typically present with an enlarged, inflamed and swollen prostate smooth muscle, glandular epithelium and stromal tissue in the peri-urethral region of the prostate.  Prostate inflammation and swelling can lead to a rise in prostatic specific antigen (PSA). There is scientific evidence that prove connection between elevated PSA scores and prostate cancer.

Prostate Enlargement

This condition is the most common prostate problem, making it the number one reason why men over 50 visit their doctor. Medically the condition is called either benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or benign prostate hypertrophy. The use of the term benign in the name means that it is a condition which is not cancerous. But that's the only good news about it.

BPH can be very distressing and painful. In some rare instances it can lead to a life-threatening situation.

The symptoms of prostate enlargement or BPH, are inconvenient, painful and often debilitating urination.

Warning Signs of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

1.) A weak stream of urine - even though the urgency is there.
2.) Dribbling after the initial stream subsides.
3.) Frequent nocturnal urination (getting up two, three, or more time per night)
4.) Feeling of fullness in the bladder
5.) Total inability to urinate due to blockage of the urethra
6.) Inability to empty the bladder.
7.) Stopping and starting during urination
8.) Painful orgasm
9.) Impotence or diminished libido
10.) Fatigue

Left unchecked, these symptoms can worsen to the point of misery and result in frequent infections due to the inability to completely empty the bladder of waste matter.

As we mentioned earlier, BPH is one of the most common complaints of men from middle age forward. In the United States alone, 2 million men visit their doctors every year for this condition. These visits result in hundreds of thousands of prescriptions to be written for medications that not only have a fair amount of side effects, but have been shown to be only about 30 percent effective in the long-term management of the problem. Further, these doctor visits result in over 400,000 prostate surgeries annually. It is estimated that conventional medical treatments of BPH exceeds $2 billion annually.

A Simple Test for Early BPH

Respond to each statement with either a yes or no answer. We will only be concerned with the yes responses.

1.) Urination has become more difficult than it used to be.
2.) Many times I have to 'push' to start the flow of urine.
3.) I awake two or more times each night to urinate.
4.) When urinating, the stream stops and starts again several times.
5.) I have a feeling that after urination, my bladder is not fully empty.
6.) It is harder to wait, when I have to relieve myself, than it used to be.
7.) My urinary stream is weaker and less forceful than before.

If you answered yes to just one question on this test, you should pay close attention to signs of additional complications. If you answered yes to two or more statements you likely have early BPH. This is not a cause for concern. Most all these are early warning signs and you are still in an excellent position of managing and even reversing this problem through the use of completely natural methods.

Analysis of BPH biochemistry shows that it is an androgen-dependent disorder of metabolism primarily reflecting changes in steroid levels in aging men.  Testosterone and other hormone levels decrease with age after the age of about 40.  This causes an increased concentration in the prostate of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a potent derivative of testosterone.  The accumulation of DHT is a one chemical factor in congestion and swelling of the prostate, but it is insufficient by itself to account for the whole problem - which is why using strong pharmaceuticals to drop DHT can cause impotence and side effects. 

It therefore makes sense to look at the problem in broader terms TCM theory, for example, states that patients with this disease have heat and dampness in the lower abdomen caused primarily by Kidney (hormone) deficiency related to aging.  It is important to remember that when there is significant physical growth of the prostate tissue, various herbal options should be the first to be considered, while surgery may be necessary at the last resort, considering the risks and side effects of BPH surgery.

Some BPH patients have shown benefit from the following lifestyle changes:

• Be sure to drink 6-8 glasses of pure spring water each day for a harmless diuretic effect.  This can aid the kidney in removing metabolic wastes.  Insufficient water intake is a general causative factor in many inflammatory diseases. Of course, drinking water late at night can cause more frequent trips to the bathroom, so I advise patients to limit water intake in the evening.

• Engage in regular exercise, which is necessary for maintaining muscle and cardiac tone and good blood circulation.  Due to its anatomical location the prostate is especially subject to venous congestion.  A sedentary lifestyle may exacerbate this congestion.

• Follow a diet tailored to reducing inflammation and swelling in the prostate.  This is generally accomplished by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and limiting poor quality fats and oils.  The diet should also be as free as possible from pesticides and other contaminants, since many of these compounds have strong effects on male hormones.  Also avoid Diethylstilbesterol (DES) because it produces changes in rat prostates that are histologically similar to those caused by BPH.

• Increase your dietary intake of soy.  Soybeans and soy foods can decrease circulating levels of endogenous estrogens, replacing them with less inflammatory phyto-estrogens.  Estrogen levels in men increase with age, which facilitates the activity of DHT by enhancing the amount of androgen receptor protein present in the tissue.  This may partially explain the lower incidence of BPH in Chinese males, who consume soy products at least two times per week. 

• Follow a higher protein and lower fat diet to reduce the very inflammatory chemical 5-HETE.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

BPH is the stimulated growth of the cells in the prostate resulting in an increase in the size of the prostate. This is something that normally happens throughout the life of a healthy adult male. But sometimes the increase in size can result in issues with urination such as difficult, painful, incomplete, frequent, urgent, weak, or nighttime urination. This condition can affect quality of life by increasing the frequency of trips to the bathroom or feeling as if one always has to urinate.

Some self-care tips for reducing the symptoms of BPH according to the NIH are as follows:3

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine, especially after dinner. Caffeine is a diuretic which promotes the formation of urine by the kidney and can cause frequent urination.
• Urinate when you first get the urge. Also, go to the bathroom when you have the chance, even if you don't feel a need to urinate.
• Don't drink a lot of fluid all at once. Spread out your consumption of fluids throughout the day. Avoid drinking fluids within 2 hours of bedtime.
• Don't take over-the-counter cold and sinus medications that contain decongestants or antihistamines. These medications can increase BPH symptoms.
• Keep warm and exercise regularly. Cold weather and lack of physical activity may worsen symptoms.
• Learn and perform Kegel exercises (pelvic strengthening exercises).
• Reduce stress. Nervousness and tension can lead to more frequent urination. Acupuncture can help reduce your stress levels.

These self-care techniques are just a start to improving prostate health. Incorporating acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and dietary modifications can exponentially help to decrease the symptoms of BPH.


Chinese Medicine & Prostate Health

In TCM the prostate is related to a vacuity in the jing or essence which is loosely translated as "vital essence" that decreases as men age. This decrease in the jing, which is stored in the kidneys, also lends to a susceptibility to an internal accumulation of damp-heat. Damp-heat is closely related to a diet high in fat, alcohol, and low in fiber. The accumulation of damp-heat can be counteracted by a change in the diet and the inclusion of Chinese herbal therapy as well as acupuncture.

The actions of acupuncture and herbs are to rid the body of the damp-heat through cooling, draining, and drying the pathogens of dampness and heat. Once the body is properly eliminated of damp-heat, the kidney qi and jing will be tonified in order to strengthen the prostate and patient to prevent further or recurring invasion of the damp-heat pathogens.

Following the self-care regiment listed under the BPH section is very important, but you can also integrate the following into your diet and day in order to help maintain a healthy prostate and reduce your chances of developing prostate disease:

• Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Reduce intake of saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Limit sweets and salt.
• Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all.
• Eat moderate-sized portions and control calories.
• Eat more pumpkin seeds.
• Eat more fish (especially salmon, herring, and mackerel)
• Eat more sources of lycopene - processed tomatoes (like ketchup, tomato sauce), tomatoes in the presence of an oil/fat, pink grapefruit and watermelon.
• Eat more broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, celery, apple, cucumber, radish, and other cruciferous vegetables.7
• Put lemon or lime juice in your water.