The Prostate Gland is a sexual gland that is an integral part of the male reproductive system. In it's natural state, it is the size and shape of a walnut and is located slightly forward of the rectal area. It's primary function is to generate seminal fluid which assists in the transportation of sperm from the male to the female. The fluid travels through the urethra when the male has an erection. When there is no erection, the urethra carries urine from the bladder as it exits the body. During normal healthy bodily functions, a healthy prostate gland, which is wrapped around the urethra, causes no problems. But an inflamed enlarged prostate will exert pressure on the urethra causing a restriction of the flow of urine from the bladder. This results in difficulty starting urination, a weak stream of urine, and waking several times at night to urinate.

The Most Common Prostate Conditions

BPH (Begin Prostatic Hyperplasia Inflammation and Enlargement) is basically a non cancerous enlargement and inflammation of the Prostate Gland. Of the three basic conditions of the prostate gland, this is the most common. Older men are often afflicted with this condition but lately younger men have begun to show signs of a changing trend. All men have a tendency to produce an increased number of female hormones as they get older. An increased ratio of male to female hormones in older men results in DHT (Di-Hydro-Testosterone). This metabolic bi-product is undesirable because it inflames and irritates the prostate causing it to increase in size. And in rare cases causing Prostate Cancer.

Prostatitis is an infection of the Prostate Gland which can be quite painful. Many patients with this condition have described urination as "trying to pee razorblades". Most urologists describe Prostatitis as extremely hard to treat. It is often caused by bacteria similar to those responsible for causing Urinary Tract Infections. Some patients, however, show no evidence of having any micro-organisms. Prostatitis usually develops as a result of untreated BPH resulting from stale urine in the bladder and urethra. This produces an excellent environment for the development for an infection. A natural food supplement like Beta 1-3 Glucan is often quite successful in the treatment of Prostatitis.

Prostate Cancer is a malignant tumor of the Prostate. As the tumor grows, it has the potential to spread to other areas of the Prostate and adjacent areas. In a worst case scenario, it can spread to other areas or bones. Successful natural treatment consists of change of diet, change of lifestyle, and taking dietary supplements. Prostate Cancer is the slowest growing of all the Cancers. Cancer that does not progress outside the Prostate is generally not lethal. But that does not mean Prostate Cancer should be considered a Non Event. More men die from Prostate Cancer than any other Cancer.

What Causes Prostate Enlargement ?

Diet and lifestyle play a significant role in Prostate problems. I'm sure you have heard the old adage You Are What You Eat, well that definitely holds true when it comes to Prostate health. I'm going to add an addendum to that adage, You Also Are What You Don't Eat. Basically what I am trying to say is it's of equal importance to eat the right foods and to avoid the wrong foods.

What You Should Know

In the United States and Europe, the basic diet consists of a large percentage of animal fats, especially dairy foods like butter, yogurt, cheese, and milk. In addition to animal fats, the diet also contains an even higher percentage of processed foods like biscuits, cakes, and prepared meals. Many of these items contain dairy products.

The basic perception, as promoted by the dairy industry, is that dairy products are healthy. They portray images of healthy cows happily munching grass in the wide open spaces of the pasture. It would be nice if that were the case but the majority of cows are fed grain in unhealthy crowded pens. It's not that the owners are cruel people but the fact that there just isn't enough grass or space to accommodate the large number of cows involved.

So as an alternative they are fed grain in a confined environment. The problem with grain is cows are not comfortable eating it so some of them get sick. To prevent them from getting sick, a dose of antibiotics is mixed with the grain. So the cows eat the antibiotic laden grain and traces of the antibiotics are absorbed into their systems. We eat their meat, drink their milk and now traces of those antibiotics are now absorbed into our systems.

So you say "whats the problem, antibiotics fight disease, that's a good thing". Well not exactly. Remember when you were a kid, your mother warned not to eat too much candy ? It will make you sick, she said. And one day you found out mom was right. The antibiotic situation is similar. Even though you are receiving trace amounts each time, years of accumulative trace amounts result in mass amounts.

So in addition to antibiotic residue from all dairy products, all industrially produced milk contains dairy fat, numerous biochemicals, and hormones which, extensive research has proven, stimulates the development of Prostate Cancer.

Sugar

Avoid the white stuff and all those sugar substitutes, use organic honey instead. Sugar is fattening and has the potential to lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Sugar also has the ability to neutralize the effectiveness of your immune system for approximately 8 hours after ingestion. This basically turns off your body's most important defensive mechanism for 8 hours after the occurrence making you vulnerable to any number of serious diseases just waiting for an opportunity to attack your weakened defenses.

Frying

Frying your food is not a good idea especially if you add batter, bread crumbs, or white flour to the mix. This creates acrylamides (known carcinogens). Also heating most fats to frying temperatures causes them to lose the majority of their enzymes and nutrients causing them to breakdown into trans fats. For safer occasional frying use organic coconut oil. Make sure your exhaust fan is working properly because coconut oil has a propensity to smoke. You may want to consider stir frying, it's a more desirable and healthier choice.

Fish

Seafood is an excellent source of animal protein. There are, however, some fish that are healthier than others. Try to avoid large carnivorous fish like tuna, cod, and salmon because they have a tendency to accumulate mercury which pollutes our oceans. Smaller fish like sardines, mackerel, and herring are healthier choices.

Poultry

Try to limit your consumption of chicken to two or three times a week. Organic or free range is preferred. Feel free to eat organic or free range more often. Battery chickens are force bred with growth hormones. That increases the fat content of the meat and produces hormone residue which, over time, can become a health hazard. Eggs are a good source of protein if consumed in moderation. Again, organic or free range are healthier.

Vegetables And Greens

Vegetables in their raw state are basically the healthiest foods to eat. Stir fried or slightly steamed are the next best. When shopping for your vegetables, always make organic your first choice. Non-organic vegetables are frequently sprayed with pesticides. As soon as those chemicals come in contact with the surface of the vegetable they are drawn into its interior by the process of osmosis. So by the time that vegetable or fruit gets to the store it has already been irreversibility tainted. So if you take it home and wash it, your efforts to clean that item will be too little too late. The problem intensifies when you eat that tainted item and those chemicals enter the interior of your body. They frequently find their final resting place in the prostate gland. Over time those accumulations build up and that's when Prostate problems begin to surface. Enlarged Prostate, Prostatitis, and Prostate Cancer are often the end result.

Supplements

Healthy nutritious foods are a necessity because of all the vitamins and nutrients they bring to the table. But in some cases the amounts of vitamins and nutrients required to be effective would require a person to eat massive amounts of food to achieve that goal. Supplements have the ability to deliver substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals, and herbs while taking up very little space. The following are some of the recommended supplements for a healthy Prostate: Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium, Melatonin, Beta 1-3 Glucan, Fish Oil, Garlic, and Beta Sitosterol (very important).

Exercise

At this very moment, you may be losing an essential quality of your masculinity, your muscle mass. Unless you put a stop to this subtle loss, you will experience a loss of muscle strength and mass as you get older. And as you get older, muscle actually becomes more important. Loss of muscle can be indirectly responsible for falls, chronic illness, and multiple hormonal decline leading to Prostate problems.

Simple aerobic exercises like swimming, or walking, can be extremely beneficial to your overall health, including the health of your Prostate. This is one of the changes in lifestyle you may have to implement in order to maintain a healthy Prostate.