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BPH is the enlargement of the male prostate gland. It can have
many associated problems including the need to urinate
frequently, difficulty in urinating and inability to completely
empty the bladder.
The main cause of BPH is age. It's a very common complaint in
older men - indeed over 50% of males 55 years old and over are
thought to be suffering with BPH.
It's important for BPH to be properly diagnosed, mainly to
assess treatment options and to rule out other more serious
problems such as prostate cancer.
The difficulty here is many males are embarrassed to seek
treatment and indeed some will put up with annoying symptoms for
years rather than admit to any problems in this sensitive area!
Still others fear being diagnosed with prostate cancer and
will
spend years worrying about the possibility while being too
afraid to know.
All this, while quite understandable, coupled with a natural
male reluctance to admit to any weakness is counter productive.
Why suffer when it's not necessary?
Even if there is a problem, it's much better to know about it.
This gives us back some control and ability to make choices
among the many options now available.
BPH is what it says - "benign". Meaning that there is no
malignancy. Having been diagnosed then, all worry about cancer
should cease! It's sensible, however, to do everything to
prevent prostate cancer - information about which can be found
on the site below.
Treatments for BPH fall into 3 categories. Drugs, surgery or
natural medications.
Prostate Surgery -
If the
symptoms of BPH are severe and causing major problems
such as complete inability to empty the bladder, then surgery is
the best and probably the only option.. This can take several
forms, but the most common is known as TURP.
TURP is performed without cutting and access to the prostate is
through the urethra. An instrument is inserted which removes any
obstructive tissue, easing the pressure thus relieving the BPH
symptoms. TURP is a relatively safe operation.
Drug Treatments -
For those whoses BPH symptoms are not severe - or for those who
hate the thought of surgery! - There are two main types of BPH
medication.
Hormones - For example Finasteride (Proscar). Hormones work by
interfering with the male hormone, testosterone. It is a slow
acting and long term treatment. The side effects can be
impotence and erection failure.
Alpha Blockers - These act by relaxing the muscle in the
prostate itself which prevents urine flow. This is faster acting
than the hormone approach but the side effects are weakness and
lethargy.
Alternative BPH Treatment
These herbal remedies can be extremely effective without the
side effects of drugs. For more information visit the site below.
This article is for informational use only. It is important to
seek medical advice if you are experiencing BPH symptoms.
About the author:
Help for Prostate enlargement, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
(BPH), prostatitis and prostate cancer. Super prostate formula.
Visit: http://www.safe-prostate-health.com Wendy Owen is a
health writer and researcher.