Western medicine relies on aggressive and costly prescription drugs and prohibitively-expensive surgery to deal with problems related to prostate and reproductive disorders. These methods generally address only the symptoms of prostate disorder and not the underlying causes. As soon as you stop using the drugs, the problem returns! And these prescription drugs often result in unwanted and even dangerous side effects.
While prostatitis caused by infection can be treated with antibiotics, there are no drugs for treating chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Its symptoms are treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.
FDA-approved drugs only relieve the symptoms of BPH - they do not cure it. The 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors, Proscar (Finasteride) and Avodart (Dutasteride), work by blocking an enzyme that acts on the male hormone, testosterone, to boost organ growth. When the enzyme is blocked, growth slows down and the gland may shrink. This treatment may not produce a positive effect until after six to 12 months of treatment. It also works best for advanced cases of prostate enlargement.
Alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers, which work by blocking adrenergic nerve receptors in the lower urinary tract, basically help relax the smooth muscle of the prostate and bladder neck to relieve pressure and to improve urine flow. These drugs, which do not shrink the size of the prostate, include: Cardura (Doxazosin), Flomax (Tamsulosin), Hytrin (Terazosin), and Uroxatral (Alfuzosin). For many men, these alpha-blockers can improve urine flow and can reduce symptoms within days. But since the underlying cause is not addressed, symptoms will return once you stop using the drugs.
The combined side effects of Alpha-Blockers and 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors include breast tenderness and enlargement, decreased sex drive, difficulty getting an erection, dizziness, fainting, headache, heart failure, increased ejaculatory dysfunction, lightheadedness, nasal congestion, retrograde ejaculation (ejaculation back into the bladder), sudden drop in blood pressure, tiredness, and upper respiratory tract infection.
Surgical options include Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA), Transurethral Vaporization (TUVP), Laser Surgery, Transurethral Resection (TURP), Transurethral Incision (TUIP), and Open Prostatectomy. All of these procedures often require patients to wear a catheter for 3 to 4 days after surgery and carry some risk of incontinence, impotence, infection, and complications.
An alternative treatment that has become popular is saw palmetto which is used by millions of men in the United States to treat BPH. Saw palmetto, however, was recently found to have no effect in reducing the frequent urge to urinate or other annoying symptoms of an enlarged prostate. Published in the Feb. 9, 2006, New England Journal of Medicine, a yearlong study found that the plant extract was no more effective than inactive pills (placebos) in easing symptoms of BPH.
