Prostate Health
There are some conditions affecting prostate health, which are extremely troublesome and their symptoms mimic those of prostate cancer.
The three main hurdles to the achievement of prostate health in men are:
(a) Inflammation or infection of the prostate (called prostatitis): Prostatitis is an umbrella term used to refer to a number of disorders affecting the prostate. These include Acute bacterial prostatitis (caused by bacteria and shows a sudden onset), Chronic bacterial prostatitis (probably caused by a defective prostate that allows accumulation of bacteria), Chronic (non-bacterial) prostatitis (probably the least understood variety) and Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis (no symptoms but semen contains infection fighting white blood cells).
(b) Enlargement of the Prostate (also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)) Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia is caused by the prostate growing too much and exerting pressure on the urethra and, hence, causing urinary problems like a weak urine flow, dribbling or breaks in the urine flow.
(c) Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer announces its presence with a pain in the lower back, weak flow of urine, dribbling, inability to make a stream of urine, presence of blood in the urine and pain while ejaculating.
Cancer screening based on PSA levels is one main step towards prostate health in men.
Prostate Health
Prostate health is a matter of eating the right food, taking the right supplements and getting in a certain amount of exercise. A number of recent studies indicate that a healthy lifestyle, which includes vitamins and supplements like Vitamin E, lycopene (found in tomatoes) and certain sulphur compounds found in broccoli along with selenium, reduction or stopping of smoking, regular exercise and a high-fiber diet improves prostate health. Controlling or drastically curtailing the intake of high-fat foods, dairy products and stress management also improve prostate health.