Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine is a Toronto naturopathic clinic dedicated to providing safe and effective treatment of a wide variety of health conditions using natural therapies and the principles of naturopathic medicine.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is well treated using naturopathic medicine. The medical term for enlargement of the prostate gland (the gland in males found beneath the bladder that produces semen) is benign prostatic hyperplasia. The cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia is unknown, but possible explanations include changes in the ratio of the male and female hormones (i.e., testosterone and estrogen) stimulating prostate tissue growth, and increased sensitivity of prostate tissue to normal levels of testosterone. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is not related to development of cancer, but if it affects emptying of your bladder it can result in a decrease in quality of life (e.g., poor sleep), urinary tract infections, bladder stones and bladder or kidney damage. Professional healthcare should be sought out if you have urinary problems.
Seek emergency medical care if you are completely unable to pass urine.
Symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Possible symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia include:
- Difficulty starting urination
- Interrupted urination
- Dribbling at the end of urination
- Incomplete urination
- Weak urine stream
- Straining while urinating
- Urgent need to urinate
- Frequent need to urinate
- Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia)
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Urinary tract infection
Benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment at Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment are to manage hormonal imbalances to shrink the enlarged prostate gland.
Conventional treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia may include surgery, and a variety of medications, including alpha blockers and enzyme inhibitors which may have short- or long-term side effects. For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional medications, or together with conventional medications in order to decrease dosages of conventional medications required to manage your benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms.
Naturopathic treatment of any chronic health concern must be recognized as a process that involves identifying specific treatment goals, a thorough understanding by your naturopathic doctor of all factors affecting your health, including physical, psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors, development of a comprehensive treatment plan and execution of that plan through periodic monitoring and adjustment.
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine a typical approach to treating benign prostatic hyperplasia is to first identify and address underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., caffeine and alcohol use, use of certain medications, sedentary lifestyle). Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:
- Botanical (herbal) medicines
- Nutritional supplements
- Homeopathic medicines
- Acupuncture
- Bowen Therapy
- Lifestyle counseling
- Relaxation techniques
- Exercise prescription
- Hydrotherapy
Reference
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Prostate gland enlargement [Online]. [cited 2009 Feb 18]; Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prostate-gland-enlargement/DS00027