Vitamin E, selenium fail to reduce prostate cancer risk

Vitamin E, selenium fail to reduce prostate cancer risk

Xinhua, China
BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A seven-year research trying to find the effects of Vitamin E and selenium supplements on prostate cancer has been halted ...

source: google news

Providing Emotional Support For Prostate Cancer Patients

Providing Emotional Support For Prostate Cancer Patients

After colorectal and lung cancer, prostate cancer is the third killer cancer in the U.S. Current statistics reveal 1 out of 6 American men being diagnosed with prostate cancer in their life. Prostate cancer typically causes a lot of discomfort, with symptoms including blood in the urine, weakness and numbness in legs and feet, pain in the spine, ribs and other bones, and loss of bladder or bowel control. In the majority of cases, patients are irritable and emotional.

When diagnosed with any type of cancer, even the most even-tempered of men experience emotional and psychological change. Symptoms and their treatments bring fear and discomfort. Any support from family and friends is so essential to those with cancer, but even the family can become affected when a member is diagnosed with cancer. People close to the victim will find it tough to admit the fact a loved one has cancer and could possibly die.

Family members and friends should try to keep in mind that the biggest weight of suffering is placed on the patient himself. He is thinking about the possibility of dying, suffering from pain and loss of autonomy. The focus should be not on you own stresses and troubles, but on the patient's.

Family members' anxieties will communicate itself to the patient and probably provoke further emotional decline. If you stay strong and express a positive attitude when with the patient, it can make both of you feel better. Acknowledge to him that you care and understand how difficult things are. Reassure him you will always be there no matter what.

It can be emotionally and physically draining to deal with a prostate cancer patient, particularly if you are close to the person. The ones most affected besides the patient is the wife, and they are the person who is most looked to for reassurance.

Men with prostate cancer frequently make difficult demands of family or caregivers. A chain smoking patient, for example, might ask for a cigarette and then threaten to not take his medication when not given a cigarette.

Some employ emotional manipulation, saying he is going to die anyway, so why not let him have one last pleasure. Use your gut feeling on when or when not to give in, listening with your heart. Most often, they only want a little reassurance from you.

Above all, try to keep seeing them as the person they are, not as a cancer patient. Without denying the reality of what they are going through, connect to the man you knew before they were diagnosed.

For information on prostate cancer symptoms and prostate treatment surgery, visit Medopedia.com

Can Increased Sexual Frequency Boost Prostate Health?

Can Increased Sexual Frequency Boost Prostate Health?

The prostate is a tiny, walnut-shaped gland that is present only in men. Prostate is a very important part of the male anatomy and often beyond the age of fifty gets enlarged and may be the site of cancer in men. Improving prostate health can be a means of avoiding prostate enlargement and cancer. Can more sex lead to better prostate health? Find out for yourself.

The act of performing a sexual act has both physical and psychological aspects blended into it. To get the best out of sex not only does one have to be physically fit but also be in a calm and relaxed state of mind both during the act and after. Men above the age of fifty experience both physical and psychological problems and this is compounded if they have a prostate problem.

Is there a connection between prostate health and sexual acts? Logic proves that the answer is a definite yes.

1. The prostate produces a fluid which forms a major volume of the semen.
2. To make seminal fluid, the gland takes up citric acid, potassium and zinc from the blood and concentrates them to over 600 times.
3. Alongwith these ingredients, carcinogenic substances from the blood are also taken up and concentrated tremendously in the prostate.
4. Any such carcinogen is a potential threat for the development of cancer in the prostate.

So what's the benefit of frequent sex or ejaculation? Instead of accumulating cancer forming substances within the prostate, it is much better to ejaculate them frequently and avoid the risk of prostate cancer. Some studies have revealed that ejaculation of more than five times a week during your 20s, by any means - regular sex or masturbation, reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer during middle age. This theory might be contested by some but the logic proves otherwise.

Men after the age of fifty are prone to develop benign enlargement of the prostate. This is a condition where the prostate gland simply enlarges and causes symptoms by putting pressure on the urinary tract. Medications, surgery or herbs are available to correct this problem. Men with enlarged prostate also develop erectile dysfunction either due to the disease per se or due to the side effects of the prescription medications.

In spite of a vast majority of men being afflicted by benign enlargement or cancer, prostate enlargement still remains a much less talked about condition. Young men need to be impressed upon about the benefits that they can derive in their middle age by keeping their prostate in a healthy condition by way of increasing their ejaculations either by means of sexual intercourse or masturbation. In addition they can combat prostate enlargement better if they adopt a better lifestyle, maintain a healthy diet and keep fit with exercise.

By Rajgopal Iyer

Study: Hormones not for all prostate cancer patients

Study: Hormones not for all prostate cancer patients

USA Today

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY A new study raises additional questions about the benefits of drugs given to more than half of prostate cancer patients. ...

source: google news

Spotting Developing Prostate Problems

Spotting Developing Prostate Problems
For most men passing the age of forty-five is not only a sign of the dreaded 'middle' age but is also the point at which they might well expect to see the arrival of prostate problems at any day. Enlargement of the prostate (also referred to as benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH) is a normal part of the ageing process and, as its name suggests, it is not a life-threatening condition.

In the vast majority of cases the symptoms of an enlarged prostate will be relatively mild and, although most men are aware of them, they simply choose to live with them as something of a nuisance and merely a sign of getting old. In some cases however symptoms can be become more than a simple nuisance and then you will need to consult your physician and seek one of the many different treatments available today.

The prostate gland, which is an important part of the male reproductive system, partly surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that caries urine out of the body from the bladder. This means that, as the prostate grows it will start to press on the urethra gradually narrowing it and interfering with the normal flow of urine. It is here therefore that the first signs of a problem usually become evident.

It is common for example to begin to experience difficulty in starting the flow of urine and this will be seen as a need to strain in order to start passing water. Once the flow of urine does start it may be weak and tend to stop and start. You may well also experience a dribbling or urine after you have finished and will often feel that you have not emptied your bladder.

It is also very common for people with an enlarged prostate to visit the bathroom more frequently and often with a sense of urgency, feeling that you can no longer 'hold on' as you used to do. Many men also find that they increasingly have to get up during the night to visit the bathroom.

Interference with the process of emptying the bladder can also lead in some men to an increased risk of urinary track infection and this is often felt as a burning sensation when urinating. In these cases you should always seek treatment from your physician or an urologist.

But should you consult your doctor when the symptoms of an enlarged prostate start to appear or, since it is simply a part of the normal ageing process, ignore it unless it becomes too much of a nuisance?

The simple answer is that you should always consult your physician for two reasons. The first is that prostate enlargement can lead to other problems such as damage to the bladder and kidneys which can be serious. The second is that, in addition to an enlarged prostate, many men will also develop prostate cancer and the symptoms of an enlarged prostate may well mask this until the cancer is too far advanced to treat it effectively.

About one in six men will contract prostate cancer and well over ninety percent of these cases can be effectively treated if they are caught early enough.

ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on a wide range of prostate problems and their solutions, including the therapeutic use of prostate milking

Hormonal Therapy When Cancer Has Spread Beyond The Prostate Gland

Hormonal Therapy When Cancer Has Spread Beyond The Prostate Gland
Once prostate cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland localized therapies are no longer sufficient to stop the growth of the cancer and treatment generally involves a combination of both radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells and hormonal treatment to slow the growth of the cancer by cutting off its fuel supply.

The aim of hormonal therapy is to cut off the production of the male hormones, such as testosterone, which fuel the growth of prostate cancer, or to render them ineffective, and this essentially means castration, either surgically or by other medical means such as using an antiandrogen drug to block the circulation of male hormones in the blood.

There are various different approaches when it comes to hormonal therapy and it is often a case of testing different combinations of drugs to discover what works best in individual patients. One approach is what is known as a 'maximum androgen blockade' which is a blanket approach using a wide range of drugs combined with either surgical or medical castration. This approach has proved effective in some patients but many doctors question whether it is in fact any more effective than standard hormonal therapy.

When it comes to considering whether or not to opt for the surgical removal of the testes or to choose medical castration this is not always an easy decision as surgical castration is understandably a major and life-changing step for many men. It is however an ultimate solution to the problem of the production of male hormones, unlike hormonal therapy which will simply block those hormones for as long as the therapy continues. If however you stop the therapy then, although it will generally take some time for cancer which has been slowed or halted to begin growing again, it will inevitably do so within a matter of months or at best within two or three years.

In either case there is also often a problem with some cancer cells which do not require testosterone to grow and here it is often necessary to use a second tier of hormonal drugs such as progesterone or hydrocortisone to deal with the problem.

One approach with hormonal therapy is not to use this simply as a treatment for advanced prostate cancer but in fact to start hormonal therapy as soon as prostate cancer is diagnosed, even if it is confined to a small area of the prostate gland and is slow growing. The aim here is to slow the growth of the cancer, and in some cases to actually shrink the tumor, so that it can possibly be confined to the prostate gland where it can do relatively little harm for the remainder of a patient's life.

Despite the fear which surrounds prostate cancer, because it often appears late in life and does little if any harm as long as it is contained within the prostate gland, many men live quite happily with the disease and indeed die from a variety of other total disassociated conditions, including simple old age.

ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on a variety of prostate problems and covers topics such as enlarged prostate treatment and the therapeutic use of prostate massage

Post Prostate Treatment Issues

Post Prostate Treatment Issues
An enlarged prostate is a painful disorder seen in men as they grow older and many wonder if there is a possibility for doctors to shrink the prostate to bring about relief. The problems related to the enlarged prostate include frequent urination, urinary infections and stones in the bladder. These symptoms most often go unnoticed, mainly due to sheer ignorance or high tolerance for pain and discomfort. However, delaying the treatment of prostate diseases may seriously affect the treatment choices available and the possibility to full recover from them. Early detection and diagnosis by a doctor are critical to the recovery from prostate diseases. A doctor may have several treatment options to shrink the prostate gland. Some of them are described below.

Can Medication Shrink The Prostate?

The first option usually suggested by doctors to shrink prostate is the use of drugs. Finasteride or Dutasteride are the drugs prescribed by doctors to help reduce hormone concentration in the body, if the prostate inflammation is detected at an early stage. These drugs help in controlling inflammation in the prostate, thereby reducing the size of the prostate. Alpha-blockers such as doxasozin or tamsulosin have been found to be helpful in the relaxation of prostate muscles thereby reducing the discomfort caused by the symptoms of an enlarged prostate such as frequent urination. To date, these measures have been found to be effective in the quest to shrink the prostate.

Can Surgery Shrink The Prostate?

In many cases when medications fail to shrink prostate the next option has to be surgery. There are surgical options which can be done on an outpatient basis. These surgical treatments include removal of the prostate tissues in the urethra. The apparatus that is used here is the Catheter which generates heat to expunge the infected prostate tissue in isolated areas.

If outpatient procedures do not work for some patients, then doctors opt for yet another measure to remove the excess prostate tissue through the transurethral resection. In this process an electrical loop is inserted into the urethra to dissect the inflamed and infected tissues on one hand and seal the blood vessels on the other to prevent bleeding. This process involves a short recovery time and has minimal side effects. The main side effect of this treatment is the problem of ejaculation into the bladder during sexual intercourse. Although it sounds very strange for this to happen, it is not as serious or harmful as previously thought.

Prostate Surgery Incontinence

Post prostate surgery incontinence is unfortunately a common side-effect after the surgical procedure. The lack of bladder control is known as incontinence. In this situation the person is unable to prevent leakage of urine out of their body. The most surprising fact is that even though it is common, only a few men come forward with this problem for a cure. This may lead to additional complications. Sometimes the leakage may occur at awkward times and places. Many men with this problem may lose sleep at night since they are under the fear of leaking urine while they are asleep.

The type of incontinence is not significant in itself. What matters most to sufferers is the kind of suffering and embarrassment that they face. Patients with prostate surgery incontinence have a greater relief as the situation can be cured over time. But in many of the cases involving prostate diseases although medical treatments are complete, the chances of recovery is just better but may not be complete. The key to a speedy recovery is early diagnosis and treatment. It is important for men to be alert to the various signs and symptoms. They should seek medical attention promptly when these symptoms are observed. If the diagnosis is delayed the chances of a cure are also likewise delayed.

Men suffering from prostate surgery incontinence can take comfort in the fact that full recovery is possible if the problem is detected early and treatment for the condition started promptly. Oftentimes, men are too embarrassed to report to their doctors of their predicament. They should be advised that what they are experiencing is common for most men who under prostate surgery.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit prostate gland health to learn more about advance prostate cancer and other prostate problems symptoms.

What Are The Available Treatments For Prostate Cancer?

What Are The Available Treatments For Prostate Cancer?
There are many prostate cancer treatments available in the market and you should consider several factors before taking any of them. First, you need to consult with your doctor so you can get proper diagnosis and find out the grade and stage of the cancer. Then you should also consider about your age, expected life span, and personal feelings on potential risks and side effects of each treatment. In addition, prostate cancer treatments depend on your health history as well as the severity of the condition.

These factors make the treatments work differently from patient to patient. Therefore, it is good if you can have a reliable second opinion about the most suitable treatment for your particular condition. Since there are many prostate cancer treatments, thus getting more information on the pros and cons of each option will give you better understanding of the expected risks, side effects, and results.

Latest prostate cancer treatments have showed that they are efficient and effective to combat the disease. This news provides a relief for many people who are suffering from the condition. Therefore, if you also suffer from prostate cancer, you should not feel that there is nothing can be done because obviously this is untrue.

Treatment options

In general, the treatment options very much depend on whether the cancer cells have actually spread or not. If the tumor is still inside the prostate gland, then a radiation therapy or a surgery called radical prostatectomy is the common treatment options.

There are two types of radiation therapy, the first is external beam and the second is radioactive pellet. External beam is performed by using an x-ray machine while radioactive pellet uses high concentration of radiation directly to the prostate tumor. The most common side effect of this therapy is impotency that can happen around two years after the patient undergoes the procedure.

Radical prostatectomy is a common surgery to treat prostate cancer. The goal of the procedure is to remove the whole prostate gland and the nearby lymph nodes. Patients who undergo this surgery are put under general anesthesia. Then after the prostate is removed, a catheter is put in through the penis into the bladder to carry the urine out of the body until the surgery area is completely healed. The common risks related with the surgery are impotency and lack of bladder control.

Watchful waiting is another option of treatments and basically it involves a doctor that supervises the development of a slow-growing prostate tumor. The procedure is conducted without any specific drug or treatment, but only uses regular medical supervision. In this case, the doctor waits the tumor to grow by checking the prostate specific antigen (PSA) level regularly. If the doctor does not see any further growth, then further treatment is not needed. However, if it does grow, then hormone therapy usually is the next step.

The androgen male hormone is one of factors responsible for the growth of the prostate tumor. Therefore, the goal of a hormone therapy is to reduce the level of androgen and thus make the tumor to shrink over time. You should always remember that all prostate cancer treatments discussed here have pros and cons. It is important for you to understand each of them so you can receive the most suitable treatment for your particular condition. You should consult with your doctor before you select any of these treatments.

The last important thing that you should keep in mind concerning prostate cancer treatment is regular checkup. It is really important to get your prostate condition regularly checked to make sure that it stays healthy. Even if you have prostate cancer condition, the regular checkup can identify the condition as early as possible before it grows into something dangerous and life threatening.

Prostate cancer recurrence

The term means that you have gotten through prostate cancer in the past and now have to deal with the same condition again. If you need to deal with it, then you should bear in mind that emotional aspects of dealing with the condition are important. In many cases, it is difficult to deal with prostate cancer recurrence because you have to fight for the second time against something that you have defeated before. Sometimes it seems easier to simply give up to the condition. However, giving up is not the option and in fact, this is the worst thing that you can do.

You need to keep fighting and maintain positive attitude. You have beaten the cancer once and thus you know that you have necessary physical ability to beat the condition again. Most experts agree that fighting cancer depends a lot on your attitude. If you can keep fighting, you might even find out that this second time around is easier than the first. Many studies found that visualization technique is a good way to keep prostate cancer recurrence at bay and boost your motivation to fight back again.

Although it is difficult to do, you need to keep prostate cancer recurrence from controlling your thinking. If you keep thinking about it, you will feel worse. You have been through the same thing in the past and now you have more understanding about it, how to react, and what the things that can happen to your body. This is an advantage because you can go to the battle fully armed and thus nothing can surprise you anymore. It may not sound exciting, but a positive attitude is the thing that most cancer survivors mentioned that got them through the condition.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Male Prostate Pain to learn more about the early symptoms of prostate cancer and other prostate cancer warning signs.

Just wrong to cut back on prostate cancer screening

Just wrong to cut back on prostate cancer screening

Houston Chronicle, United States

Rates of death from prostate cancer and rates of diagnosis at advanced stages have decreased markedly since testing became widespread. ...

Source : google news

Awareness About Your Prostate Health

Awareness About Your Prostate Health
Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases known to man. Besides, if a doctor tells you that you have cancer, you would definitely feel depressed and frustrated. It is a fact that many people have died from cancer. Being the second-largest killer in the United States, you should always be aware of your health.

You can never blame people who overreact about their health. Besides, with cancer growing to be the biggest killer disease in the world, who wouldn't be concerned about their health status?

One kind of the most common kinds of cancer that affects the male population in the United States is called the prostate cancer. This type of cancer is a cancer that develops in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer develops when the cells in the prostate gland mutates and multiplies. Usually, prostate cancer can be treated effectively and easily if it is detected on its early stages when the cancer has not spread throughout the rest of the body. However, treatment becomes difficult if the cancer reaches advanced stages where it will likely spread to various parts of the body. For treating advanced stages of cancer, you will go through the treatment called chemotherapy.

This is why the male population in the United States is getting more and more aware of the fact that it is important to know about their current prostate health condition. By detecting the cancer on its early stages, you will have a greater chance of recovery.

To know if you have prostate cancer, you should know about the signs and symptoms that is associated with it. First of all, prostate cancer develops at a very slow rate. Because of this, symptoms may not be felt on its early stages. This is why it is important that you should often be updated about your current prostate health. The signs and symptoms of prostate cancer can be felt on the advanced stages of the disease.

However, there are cases where symptoms can be felt during the early stages of the cancer. The symptoms may be similar to other prostate diseases, such as benign prostatic hypertrophy. The symptoms of prostate cancer may include increased urination especially during the night, difficulty starting and maintaining steady stream of urine, blood is often found when urinating, and painful urination.

Prostate cancer will also cause problems to your sexual functions, such as painful ejaculation and difficulty in achieving or maintaining erection.

In advanced prostate cancer, you will feel additional symptoms. Because the cancer has spread throughout your body, you will feel bone pain especially in the vertebrae, pelvis and ribs. Prostate cancer that has spread to your spine can also compress the spinal cord which can cause leg weakness and urinary and fecal incontinence.

Today, there are various treatments for cancer. With the combined awareness about the prostate health in the United States, death because of prostate cancer has decreased. However, this does not mean that you shouldn't worry about getting prostate cancer anymore. You have to consider that you should get your regular prostate check-up in order to detect any irregularities in your prostate that may be cancerous.

Always remember that with early detection of prostate cancer, you will have a greater chance of fully recovering from the cancer. If you let the cancer develop into its advanced stages, treatment will be more difficult and your chances of recovering from the disease will decline.

You can find out more information on Prostate Cnacer by visiting http://www.prostate-cancer-101.com

Living With Prostate Cancer

Living With Prostate Cancer
The baby boomer population bubble has now reached 60 years old. This means that many of us are going to need to face illness and diseases that come with surviving six decades. Prostate cancer is one such disease that is expected to grow in number over the next few decades.

Statistically 180,000 new prostate cancer cases are being diagnosed in the United States every year with about 32,000 men dying from this disease annually. Although these are the statistics that are used, the fact is that many of these men will will die and not from the actual prostate cancer, but from allowing the cancerous condition to grow until it is unmanageable. This is due to the fact that prostate cancer can metastasize or move from the prostate area and infect organs, bones and lymph nodes.

This should cause every man to pause and realize that prostate cancer is a serious disease that if given the chance will kill you. It is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States after lung cancer. In Canada about 17,000 males are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and about 4,200 die each year from the disease.

The sad fact is that many of these deaths are avoidable. As with many cancerous diseases, early detection is the key to effective treatment and even cure. Prostate cancer is diagnosed based upon how advanced the malignant tumor has grown. In the early stages, we have maximum flexibility in treatment options and can both manage and in many times cure this potentially deadly disease.

Diagnosis usually start with a medical history as studies have shown that heredity may be a factor with prostate cancer. Next, a DRE or digital rectal exam is done. This is a quick and simple exam where the doctor feels your prostate for any abnormal bumps, size difference or texture. In addition to a DRE, the doctor may suggest a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood Test. This blood test looks for abnormal markers that may indicate the presence of a developing cancerous situation.

There's growing evidence to suggest that a diet very rich in vitamins and nutrients can also help maintain our body's ability to ward off many serious diseases. Although the definitely not a cure for prostate cancer, the use of natural remedies to strengthen your body's immune system can only help to keep you healthy. There's no question that a low-fat diet along with appropriate vitamins and minerals can help keep you healthier and make you better able to fight off disease.

Several studies have suggested that men who had a diet rich in selenium and vitamin E. had fewer cases of prostate cancer. The kinds of foods that contain selenium include meat, grains, seafood, and some kinds of nuts. It's critical that you meet with your doctor before making any radical changes to your diet as other problems may arise. There's also some evidence to suggest that the nutrient lycopene found in tomato based products such as ketchup can provide some protection against contracting prostate cancer.

According to a study in the British Journal of Urology International, men that have been diagnosed with prostate cancer who take supplemental lycopene (is found in very high amounts in tomatoes) and still get their testicles surgically removed are likely to experience less bone pain, less disease and stand more chances of living longer than those who have only had surgical removal of their testicles.

In the end, a partnership with your medical doctor is the best way to remain healthier longer. By taking some responsibility for your health, changes in your lifestyle are much easier to make

Abigail Franks writes on a variety of subjects which include family, health, and home. For more info on Living with prostate cancer visit the sites at http://www.prostate-cancer-treatment-expert.com/more_articles/prostate-cancer-support.php and http://www.prostate-cancer-treatment-expert.com

To Prevent An Unhealthy Prostate

To Prevent An Unhealthy Prostate
The discomfort and embarrassment of a enlarge prostate affects 60% of men between the ages of 40 and 60. Up to 80% of those who are 80 years old. A enlargement of this gland puts pressure on your urethra. This results in problems when you urinate.(Increasing in a need to urinate more frequently and leaving you with a strange feeling that you haven't urinated or emptied your bladder at all.)

Zinc is an essential for prostate health. Studies have shown that taking zinc supplements reduces the size of the prostate and relieves the symptoms.(Fed Pro 35:361, 1976). Take 60 mgs of zinc a day for 6 months. You can then reduce this to 15 to 30 mgs a day.

Saw palmetto is another great source you can add to your diet. This is a herbal supplement with no side effects. 80 to 160 mgs a day would be an appropriate preventive dose. Saw palmetto has been used by the Native Americans for years.

Watch out for these symptoms:

* Frequent need to urinate.(Waking up several times a night to urinate.)

* Feeling a urgent need to urinate(this can make you feel like you are going to have a accident if you don't get to the toilet in time. And you start doing this alot.)

*A Difficulty in urinating(initial hesitation before urine starts to flow.)

*Dribbling after urinating.

*Blood in your urine.

To keep your prostate from bugging you in the prevention of a unhealthy prostate, start having alot of interaction in love making and sex. You need to keep ejaculating and you need to ejaculate frequently. If you are having a problem ejaculating properly, there are products available over on my blog to get you started. Yes, lots of love making and sex.

HINT: If one stops having orgasms, the fluid backs up and the glands become swollen. This is what is called prostate congestion(swollen glands and then pain.)

It wouldn't hurt to stay active sexually. Do something about your prostate now before its too late.

Good Day, I am a freelance writer specializing in mens health issues. I am also a personal trainer. And I do some photography as well. Any subject that I write about concerning a mans health is more knowledge for you that you need to know. And to always let you know that help is always available. http://menshealth-shane.blogspot.com

Testing For The Presence Of Prostate Cancer

Testing For The Presence Of Prostate Cancer
About one in every six men will develop prostate cancer which, apart from skin cancer, is the number one cause of cancer deaths in men. For this reason it is vitally important for men to monitor the health of their prostate with regular testing. Some of the prostate health tests available today include:

The Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). The digital rectal exam has been the benchmark of testing for both benign prostate enlargement and prostate cancer for many years and is a simple examination in which your physician can feel the prostate gland with a gloved finger to assess its size and condition.

The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Test. The PSA blood test was approved for use by the FDA in the mid 1980s and is now widely in use. This test looks for the presence of a prostate specific protein in the blood and it is recommended that all men over the age of 50, together with 'at risk' men over the age of 40, have an annual PSA test.

Urine Testing. Urine testing can not only check for diabetes and liver and kidney disease but can also check the condition of the prostate by looking for signs of infection in the blood.

Hyperplasia Intrvenouspyelogram (IVP). This test is a form of x-ray examination in which a dye is injected into the bloodstream and monitored as it passes through the body's vital organs. As far as the prostate is concerned this test follows the flow through the kidneys, bladder and ureter tubes which drain the kidneys and thus looks for any possible restriction caused by an enlargement of the prostrate gland interfering with the flow or urine out of the bladder.

Bladder Ultrasound. This simple non-invasive procedure which can be carried out in the doctor's office can detect whether or not the bladder is emptying fully following urination and thus whether or not an enlarged prostate is narrowing the urethra.

Prostate Ultrasound. A prostate ultrasound is useful for estimating the size of the prostate gland and is also important if further testing using a biopsy is recommended.

Uroflow. A uroflow is another very simple test in which the patient urinates into a container and the strength of the flow of urine is measured.

Cystoscopy. A cystoscopy allows the doctor to make a visual examination of the urethra and the bladder using an instrument which is inserted through the urethra.

In general your doctor will normally recommend PSA screening and will also usually carry out a digital rectal examination as these two tests together are without doubt the best way to detect the presence of possible prostate cancer or of other developing prostate problems. One or more or the other tests mentioned here (or indeed several which we have not listed) may also be ordered but, at the end of the day, the only sure way to confirm the presence of prostate cancer is by carrying out a biopsy.

A prostate cancer biopsy take a number of very small tissue samples from different areas of the prostate for microscopic examination and can not only definitively confirm the presence of prostate cancer, but can also give an indication of the size and type of any cancer.

ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on a wide range of prostate problems and their solutions, including the therapeutic use of prostate massage

Why You Should Worry About Prostate Problems

There are plenty of things to worry about in the world today but of all the things to worry about the most important is your health and your prostate gland is something to be aware of and the more you understand about it the better placed you are to avoid potentially life threatening problems with it.

It never ceases to surprise me that so few male collegues know anything about their prostate. Some would say that the prostate and prostate cancer are the male equivelent of breast cancer for women and women are generally very aware about that. Yet, for some reason men seem blissfully unaware of proste cancer and other prostate problems.

Why men choose to ignore this subject I do not know but it would be better if they did. Discussion of potential problems would encourage more men to get checks and would no doubt save many lives that might otherwise be lost.

They say that ignorance is no defence and that certainly applies to prostate health problems. Ignoring it will not make it all go away and being ignorant of possible symptoms leaves you open to the chances of far greater health problems later. Learning about your prostate and possible symptoms of prostate related health issues can help you together with your doctor in overcoming those difficulties.

The prosate is not normally a problem for men until they reach middle age. Typically problems are most likely to appear once a man gets over fifty. The most common problem is that the prostate grows in size over time and this can lead to pressure on the parts of the body that are located next to it.

There is a one in six chance of a man developing prostate cancer in his lifetime in the US. Treatment is usually effective and the success rate following early diagnosis is very high. This clearly shows that early diagnosis is very important and men should be aware of the risks.

Since early diagnosis can make such an important difference to the effectiveness of treatment you should consult with your doctor and ask about regular examinations and checks. Early treatment is said to be around 99% effective so it is clear that regular checkups can make an important difference.

Read more about the prostate health problem visit www.theprostateproblem.com

Tags: prostate, cancer, men, health