Greetings!

Prostate Cancer Prevention

Here's excerpts from an article from the New England Journal this week:

"It is likely that prostate-cancer screening has resultedin a substantial degree of over diagnosis of cancers that neverwould have presented clinicallyand that would not have affectedmorbidity or mortality. For this reason, there is a need formarkers that can distinguish between aggressive and indolentcancers."

Translation into plain English:  Checking PSA has for some men resulted in  treatment for cancer that would have never caused problems without treatment.  In short, some men received radiation or surgery who did not need it.

This dilemma-what to do with an abnormal test (PSA) when you know you are going to over treat some; but, if you do not treat then this person may die-is a difficult one.

In the New England Journal this week, there was discussion of genetic markers that may give a clue to help separate prostate cancer that may take your life from prostate cancer that can be left alone (as in go to the beach with your wife instead of to the hospital to have your prostate sliced out).  These markers are not yet ready for practical use.  But, this problem (of when to treat) brings to mind that best is to never get the cancer cells or the elevated PSA.

To learn details about prevention, I highly recommend this review article from a respected cancer journal about how to prevent prostate cancer. 

In my book, Anytime-for as Long as You Want:  Strength, Genius, Libido, & Erection by Integrative Sex Transmutation, I mention regulation of ejaculation as a way to improve health.  However, many men have been told that they should ejaculate as much as possible to help avoid infection and keep the prostate healthy.  So, what's the best way to keep a healthy prostate?

Best is not to keep emptying unhealthy fluid from an unhealthy gland.  Best is to make the gland healthy. 

Occasionally, this may mean emptying the gland of unhealthy fluid.  But eventually, the goal is an abundance of healthy fluid in a healthy gland.  That is the prostate of a 16-year-old.  How to achieve that is what I teach in the book.

Quick ways to put into practice some of the latest findings about prostate cancer prevention (see review article) include the following:  take vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and possibly lower estrogen levels with anastrozole.
 
Saw Palmetto also has a good chemical reason for working (blocking testosterone's conversion to dihydrotestosterone).  Proscar and Prepecia do the same thing.   Proscar, in the only good prospective study to date, cut the rate of prostate cancer--but those who got cancer on Proscar had a greater chance of having a more aggressive form of the cancer.
 
My take on that statistic is that there was a greater percentage of agressive cancer because the cancer that could be prevented by proscar was the less aggressive type (seems logical) and not that the proscar caused some of the cancers to become more aggressive.  I cannot prove this theory, but until have a better reason, I'm taking 1/2 of a proscar every other day or so (thinking i'd rather go for less chance of cancer in general and take my chances that i will not get the more aggressive type). 
 
Just a few thoughts on how to take care of your temple.  Thank you for putting some worth on my opinions and observations.

Peace & Health,

Charles Runels, MD