Prostate
Prostate is a gland with size of a walnut found only in men. It surrounds the urinary tract i.e. urethra and is just below the bladder. Its purpose is to add fluid to the semen. Prostate gland increases after the age of fifty.
Various types of problems seen in Prostate and their symptoms
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or Prostate Gland Enlargement– though size of prostate gland increases with age but abnormal increase in this size leads to this condition. After the age of 60 many men have faced this problem at least one time. Some of the symptoms are:
- Urinating frequently, especially at night
- Difficulty getting a urine flow going
- Feeling as if you are unable to get all the urine out
- Prostatitis –Can be acute or chronic, it is basically urine infection in men often caused by bacteria. It leads to inflammation of the Prostate Gland. Mostly seen symptoms include:
- Pain urinating or ejaculating
- Fever and chills
- Pelvic pain
- Needing to urinate more often
- Cloudy urine
- Prostate Cancer is one of the common cancers seen in men. Usually patients with prostate cancer have no symptoms. It can be screened by a lab test called prostate specific antigen (PSA).
How diet can be helpful in prostate problems in men?
Healthy lifestyle and personal hygiene helps in prostate problems. Men should be very particular about their health if prostate problems already exist in family. It is believed that prostate problems can be avoided most of the times with proper care of the gland. There is no need to make any drastic changes in life but few things should always be taken care of and not ignored. By following these care instructions one can avoid problem of prostate enlargement from becoming severe.
Type of food and drinks make lot of difference in overall health and prostate health.
- Diet of prostate patient should consist of lot of fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables provide lot of nutrients and vitamins to the body. At least there should be total five servings of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables have lots of fibre hence protect one from constipation. Constipation is very bad for patient with prostate.
- Plenty of water will help in constipation and keep system clean. Drink water before sunset as water after that will lead to frequent urination at night.
- Do not overeat and eat slowly.
- Choose healthy fat such as olive oil and avocados. Avoid saturated and hydrogenated oils. Trans-fat should not be consumed.
- Avoid food that is fried and oily. Processed foods have less nutrients hence should also be avoided. Frozen foods are also not good. Non-vegetarian food should also be avoided or reduced as it imbalances the hormones in one’s body. Food with high sugar and salt should also be avoided. Consumption of sodium should also be reduced. Spicy food hinders in absorption of nutrients hence should not be taken.
- Include more of soy, ground flax seeds, Tomatoes, Garlic, Broccoli, Cabbage cauliflower, Fig, Raisins, Pomegranate and Tomatoes in your diet.
- Take enough of sunlight for Vitamin D.
- Smoking and Alcohol is also not good for prostate. Avoid sugar sweetened soft drinks. Intake of Green Tea is beneficial for Prostate.
- Some medications also harm the prostate such medications should be avoided and natural treatments should be taken.
Diet alone will not show improvement in the patient there are other aspects which should also be considered to maintain prostate health.
Exercise- Regular walk is very important for healthy prostate. Sitting for longer times is also one of the main causes of prostate problems. Yogic exercises help a lot in the prostate problems. Some of the asanas that help to combat are Navasana (Boat Pose), Virasana (Hero Pose), Dhanurasana (Bow Pose), Sarvangasana (Shoulder Pose) and Biparitkarani Mudra.
Regularly watching the symptoms- All men should regularly watch health of their reproductive organs even small reoccurring symptom could be sign of some serious problem. Hence if a problem is taken care of in the beginning can save one from serious problems of prostate.
Personal hygiene- Men should be very particular about hygiene as ignoring it can lead to infection.
Ayurvedic Herbs– Many herbs are proven to help in prostate problem. They fasten the healing process and will stop from reoccurring prostate problems. Some of the famous herbs are ginger, Kanchnaar, Shilajit, Guggul, Varun, Turmeric and many more.
Mental Health- Mental health should not be ignored. Control your anger and anxiety. Perform breathing exercises and meditation to stay away from stress and tension. Sound sleep is also important. One should sleep early.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan is an Ayurvedic practitioner based in Mohali, India. He is spreading the knowledge of ancient healing treatment Ayurveda, not only in India but also abroad. Dr. Vikram has conducted many seminar and workshop on herbal treatment in various nations. Read more www.planetayurveda.com/blog
