Pumpkin seeds, relief for prostate
Dec 16, 2002
When I was a small boy, I had some pretty antisocial habits. One of these was to engage in wee-up-the-wall competitions with my mates.
When I was a small boy, I had some pretty antisocial habits. One of these was to engage in wee-up-the-wall competitions with my mates.
A recent discussion over the dinner table reveals that this practice was commonplace among little lads of my generation.
Alas, it appears that now we have grown up, peeing games are rarer. While maturity might have something to do with this, another factor may be at play: enlargement of the prostate gland can cause urine stream to slow to a dribble, making juvenile watersport contests a thing of the past for many men.
In addition to a piss-poor stream, a blockage in the waterworks can give rise to other troublesome symptoms including the need to get up at night to discharge the bladder and perhaps a spot of dribbling after the event, too. Happily, diet and other natural strategies can bring welcome relief to men suffering from an oversized prostate.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that surrounds the first part of the tube that takes urine from the bladder to the outside (the urethra).
After about the age of 50, the prostate gland can enlarge, usually as a result of benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH. While BPH is the most common cause of prostatic enlargement, prostate cancer is a possibility too. For this reason, men with an enlarged prostate should always seek medical advice.
BPH often responds to an entirely natural treatment. Certain healthy fats — essential fatty acids found in foods such as nuts and seeds — seem to contribute to prostate health. Zinc is also believed to help.
Pumpkin seeds contain useful quantities of both essential fatty acids and zinc.
Studies on the effect of pumpkin seed-extract therapy on BPH symptoms have produced promising results. Eating a handful or two of pumpkin seeds a day might keep symptoms at bay.
Another popular natural remedy is
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). Some of this herb’s action on the body seems to be mediated through testosterone, a hormone some scientists believe is a vital factor in BPH development. It helps to slow the conversion of testosterone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone, and has been found to block the action of dihydrotestosterone on the prostate.
More than one study has found that it can control symptoms of BPH in the long term. In fact, the evidence suggests that it is as effective a treatment as the most commonly prescribed drug for BPH (finasteride, or Proscar).
For men with BPH, I tend to recommend the supplements Prostate Support, which contains Saw palmetto, zinc, pumpkin seed oil, stinging nettle and African pygeum.
Natural remedies have much to offer men suffering from BPH, especially those attempting to rediscover their inner child and his pee-up-the-wall potential.
Guardian Newspapers
A recent discussion over the dinner table reveals that this practice was commonplace among little lads of my generation.
Alas, it appears that now we have grown up, peeing games are rarer. While maturity might have something to do with this, another factor may be at play: enlargement of the prostate gland can cause urine stream to slow to a dribble, making juvenile watersport contests a thing of the past for many men.
In addition to a piss-poor stream, a blockage in the waterworks can give rise to other troublesome symptoms including the need to get up at night to discharge the bladder and perhaps a spot of dribbling after the event, too. Happily, diet and other natural strategies can bring welcome relief to men suffering from an oversized prostate.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that surrounds the first part of the tube that takes urine from the bladder to the outside (the urethra).
After about the age of 50, the prostate gland can enlarge, usually as a result of benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH. While BPH is the most common cause of prostatic enlargement, prostate cancer is a possibility too. For this reason, men with an enlarged prostate should always seek medical advice.
BPH often responds to an entirely natural treatment. Certain healthy fats — essential fatty acids found in foods such as nuts and seeds — seem to contribute to prostate health. Zinc is also believed to help.
Pumpkin seeds contain useful quantities of both essential fatty acids and zinc.
Studies on the effect of pumpkin seed-extract therapy on BPH symptoms have produced promising results. Eating a handful or two of pumpkin seeds a day might keep symptoms at bay.
Another popular natural remedy is
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). Some of this herb’s action on the body seems to be mediated through testosterone, a hormone some scientists believe is a vital factor in BPH development. It helps to slow the conversion of testosterone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone, and has been found to block the action of dihydrotestosterone on the prostate.
More than one study has found that it can control symptoms of BPH in the long term. In fact, the evidence suggests that it is as effective a treatment as the most commonly prescribed drug for BPH (finasteride, or Proscar).
For men with BPH, I tend to recommend the supplements Prostate Support, which contains Saw palmetto, zinc, pumpkin seed oil, stinging nettle and African pygeum.
Natural remedies have much to offer men suffering from BPH, especially those attempting to rediscover their inner child and his pee-up-the-wall potential.
Guardian Newspapers