Healthy Prostate = Healthy Male – Part 1

You may be familiar with the old saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Here’s another truism – the key to a man’s health and his enjoyment of life, particularly as he ages, is his prostate. In this two part series we’ll explore the prostate gland. In Part 1, we’ll learn what the prostate is, what it does, and the three common disorders that men experience. In Part 2, we’ll take a look at what steps we can take to reduce our likelihood of prostate problems.

The prostate is a small gland and is part of the male reproductive system. The growth and functioning of the prostate are controlled by testosterone. The prostate is located under the bladder and surrounds the urethra. The urethra transports urine from the bladder and ejaculates semen. In this way the prostate acts as a valve that permits both sperm and urine to flow in the proper direction – out of the body. It receives sperm from the testicles and produces nutrients to nourish the sperm. When the prostate is normal sized this occurs without incident.

The prostate also functions as a filter. It ensures that the seminal fluid is a healthy environment for sperm cells by filtering out impurities from the blood stream. Healthy sperm increase the likelihood of a healthy baby! In young men the prostate is about the size of a walnut. However, it commonly enlarges with age.

There are three main prostate disorders – prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer. By the age of fifty, 75% of men have enlarged prostates and 33% have cancer cells in their prostate. By the age of seventy five, 75% have cancer cells in their prostates.

Prostatitis is pain from the swelling of the prostate gland. The Merck Manual says that, “Prostatitis usually develops for unknown reasons.” It can result from a bacterial infection, yet most times it is non-bacterial.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that makes urination difficult. Again, the Merck Manual does not offer much help, “Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) becomes increasingly common as men age, especially after age 50. The precise cause is not known but probably involves changes induced by hormones, especially testosterone.” By age fifty 30% of men begin to experience BPH. By age sixty it is 50%, beyond age 70 it is 80%, and by age 80 it is practically 100%. In addition, 20% of men with BPH will develop prostate cancer.

Testosterone controls the growth and functioning of the prostate. As men age, they produce or have available less testosterone. This lower amount of testosterone may negatively impact the prostate. Another problem that can occur is an increase in the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is made from testosterone and makes the prostate grow. Its production is stimulated by estradiol (a form of estrogen). Men with BPH have been found to have excessive estradiol in their prostate. Where does this excess come from? Several places. The first is from fat cells. Estrogen is naturally produced in these cells. If the man is overweight, he may have excess estrogen. In addition, estrogen can come from food, water, and other environmental sources.

Also, as testosterone levels decrease and other hormones become out of balance males suffer from their version of menopause – andropause. Symptoms may include depression, irritability, loss of energy, withdrawal from activities and relationships, memory and concentration problems, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, muscle soreness, decreased lean muscle mass, sleep problems, blood sugar instability, weight gain, and prostate or urinary problems. In addition risk for cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis increases.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. Often, it grows very slowly and may take decades to produce symptoms. However, sometimes it grows rapidly and spreads outside the prostate. According to the Merck Manual, “The cause of prostate cancer is not known.”

So, what do we know? Modern medicine does not know what causes any of these three disorders that affect the majority of males in their lifetime. Yet, they have some common symptoms, indicating they are likely on the same disease pathway. These include pain in the penis, pain in the testicles, pain in the perineum, frequent urination, burning urination, night-time urination, incomplete emptying of the bladder, painful ejaculation, painful urination, sensation of having to urinate immediately often accompanied by bladder pain or spasm, and recurring urinary tract infections. There are also some seemingly unrelated symptoms – lower back pain (very common), chronic pelvic pain syndrome, fever, chills, joint pain, muscle pain, and infection in the blood stream.

In Part 2 we’ll look at natural ways to reduce the likelihood of prostate problems.

Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.

Photoging

Never heard that word before until a couple days ago. I don't have any good pics of E recently because she's been under the weather :( Here's why I hate missing t-ball.

Working mom=suckage

Being a working mom is tough. Not only do you have to balance your time between work and home, you have to balance your time between work, home, soccer matches, t-ball games, banquets, end of the year programs, among a multitude of other extracurricular activities that your kids are in. Now multiply that by 3 (Okay, well 2 for now. Elizabeth isn’t really old enough for extracurricular activities yet, but give her a couple of years).

Working days, you have the evenings “free” (as if as a parent you never have anything to do in the evenings, certainly not mundane things like cooking dinner, mowing the lawn, doing dishes, washing laundry….Nope, those things don’t need doing.) to do those extracurricular activities as most of the time the games or matches are scheduled in the early evenings. Yes, there are field trips and class parties but those are once every few months, or at least in our schools they are.

Not like t-ball and soccer which was 2-3 nights a week for the last 2 weeks and now twice a week through June. Yikes!

When I worked days, I thought “Man! Everything is scheduled for those people that don’t work days.” That was back in the day when a playdate from stay-at-home moms was the highlight of the activity schedule…or maybe a mommy and me class.

Now that I work nights (again) and my kids are older, I feel that I’m missing out on a lot. All their sports and classes and such are at night, well, because most people work days. Nights makes sense.

And now..*sigh*…now, the kids KNOW things. When they were younger, it wasn’t a huge issue if we didn’t hit that weekly playdate. They didn’t know the days of the week, or how to count, or able to really keep track of when things were. Now, they do. And they remind me of these things.

Like tonight.

Zachary told me that tonight was his first “non-practice” for t-ball.

“Non-practice”=1st game.

He then informs me “Momma, I’d really like it if you were there to watch me at my first non-practice.”

Ugh. Rip my heart out, kid, and stomp on it. That might make me feel a bit better. I’ve tried to explain that Momma can’t make it to every game but that’s something they don’t exactly understand yet. And really, neither do I. I should be there for everything. My mom was for me, afterall, right?!?!

STOP. Your mother, Lisa, was a stay at home mom. She didn’t have to try to balance home with personal time at work.

My boss is really understanding of me leaving for an hour or two every night, but I have to use up my personal time. Which is also the time that I have to use for vacation. And long camping weekends. And Christmas off with the family. And I’m not even talking about a day for actual “personal” use! Yea, right, does that even exist for moms?

Well, I did go tonight. And loved it! The boys did a great job, Lucas has quite a throwing arm and Zachary can really catch a piece of that ball! And the looks on their faces when they saw me there was….priceless.

I just feel saddened by the fact that I might miss out on one of my son’s first home runs, or first goal with a goalie, or any multitude of huge things that I could miss out on by not being there.

And the hurt feelings they’ll have knowing that their mom never saw it.

ETA: Don't get me wrong. I feel very lucky to be able to stay home with my kids during the day and be able to not have them in daycare at all. It means that they are always home with a parent, and I like that a lot, but there are days when I wish I didn't have to work at all. Today is one of those days.

I have a problem.

Please tell me I'm not the only loser out there who like obsessively checks the same 8 blogs over and over again, HOPING they posted something new or a new comment or something.

Gah. I have no life.

Elizabeth's 1 year check-up

So, today was the fateful day that I took Elizabeth in for her 1 year well-baby check-up.

She passed with flying colors. Like anyone thought she wouldn't. Pshhhaww.

Elizabeth is now 19 lbs and 14 oz and exactly 30 inches tall. She has gone from 10th percentile for weight to 50th and is still hovering at the 75th percentile for height. Her head circumferance shot up from 5th percentile to 50th!!! The dr. figures she just had a major growth spurt (No? Really? Could it possibly be from all the food she keeps eating? Ack. At this rate my kids are going to make me broke by the time they all get into elementary school!)

The doctor did say that it's a little abnormal to grow so much in the head and weight and not in the height, but it's not something she's concerned about in the least as she's still on the same curve for her height, so her other stats are probably just catching up with her.

We went through all the traditional pediatric questions:

Is your house babyproofed? Yes.
Do you have functioning smoke and CO2 detectors? Yes.
Is she sleeping in her own room in a crib? Yes. (most of the time ;))
Is she drinking whole milk in addition to breastfeeding? Yes. (Yes, I am still breastfeeding. Suck an egg if you have something to say about it.)
Is she still in a car seat? Yes. Rear-facing.

Then she asked if she was saying "mama" and "dada" yet. I giggled. It just slipped out. I, being the humble parent that I am *cough, cough* replied "Um, yea! and much more. She has about 20 words right now."

I think the Dr. thought she heard wrong. She repeated it back to me; "20?" Yep. We're just as suprised as anyone considering our boys didn't really speak until they were 2. But she talks All. The. Time. Mama, dada, brother, doggie, milk, ball, down, na-nas (probably the most important one to her...Nursing)....the list goes on. Of course, she only does it in her own time, no one can make her say those things when we want to!

Yesterday, she wanted one of my chocolate mini donuts (this girl lurves chocolate...found that out at her 1st birthday party!) and started spazzing by shaking her head around, shifting from one foot to the other, reaching for them and when I asked "do you want one?" she sat down (hard! Ouch!) on her butt and started shaking her head yes. Over and over until she got one. No screaming. No grunting. It's just so easy to talk with her.

So, all in all, a good appointment. Minus the screaming due to the shots, but even that was short lived. All is well in Elizabeth's world.

Summer Nights

Sometimes, we get too wrapped up in the day to day trappings of living that we forget to just sit back and enjoy. Or remember. I know I do. Today was a bit of a rough day mentally as I tried to figure out finances (which is never fun for me), so I was listening to some music at work. I threw in some Mellencamp I had since I'm going to be seeing him in July (hooray!) and wanted to start getting pumped. (Yes....I know July is a long way off but I get excited waayyy ahead of time for things...much like my children.)

As I was listening I was hit with a memory. A very good, relaxing memory. One that I should start using as my zen memory.

It was a sweltering hot day in late July. Made even more sweltering by the fact that we were in a vehicle with no air conditioning, on black top surfaces in a traffic jam due to construction surrounded by big rigs in Chicago. Did I mention we had 2 toddlers with us and we were pulling a camper. We were headed into downtown Chicago to see the Sears Tower and eat at Eduardo's for traditional Chicago-style pizza.

We made it in and out with little problem. The pizza was great, the boys were mostly well-behaved, we had ice cream. How can you top ice cream?

We were headed to our campground about an hour from Chicago. The air had finally started to cool down since darkness had fallen around us and you could hear the crickets through the open window along with the rustle of the corn in the fields. We got to the campgrounds and everything looked dead. I read through the phamplet at the front gate, to see how they handle their late arrivals and I'm so glad I did. After closing time (11:00 pm) they put out tire shredders. No one, not even current campers, allowed through the gate with a vehicle after close time.

Okay, so here we are with a camper in the middle of nowhere, late at night, with 2 sleeping children. What do we do?

We keep driving. That year I was working a modified schedule so I was used to being up until 3:30 am or so, therefore, I was wide awake and willing to drive a bit further to find something else. Plus, the boys were sleeping and the air had finally cooled down enough to be comfortable. I took over the wheel, Chuck riding shotgun.

It was one of my favorite nights together ever. The windows were rolled down and you could smell the sweet, balmy, summer air. The boys rhythmic breathing coming from behind us. The radio on really softly, probably listening to Mellencamp. The moon was huge and full on up in the sky lighting our way through the back roads of Illinois. We really didn't know where we were going exactly, just knew we were headed west. Towards Iowa.

Chuck and I talked that night. Like we hadn't talked in a long time. Those summer nights take me back to our summer at camp when we first met and everything was new and exciting. I heard stories that night on those back roads of Illinois that I had, surprisingly, never heard before. I felt relaxed. In love. Happy.

We came up to a four way stop in the middle of cornfield alley, when we saw some lights. It was strange as we hadn't seen any lights for quite a while, save the occassional farm porch lights. Off to the southwest corner of this 4 way was a bar. But not just any bar. A strip bar. Advertising some big name stripper and a sign that said BYOB. Chuck and I just looked at each other. Surely, that didn't mean the same thing as in Michigan.

Yep. It did. Waiting in line...yes there was a line in front of the strip club of the corn....there was a line of dudes sitting on their cases of Bud Light cans. It was the wildest thing I think I've ever seen. We joked about how it's too bad the kids were with us as it would have been a case study on human nature like never before to go into that place.

We drove on. And talked. And just lived and enjoyed each other and the night for all that it was. And before we knew it, it was 3:00 am and we were in Iowa.

Somehow, the lights of the Iowa/Illinois border town, broke the magic of the evening and I was instantly tired. We ended up parking our camper in a hotel parking lot and getting a room to get 4 hours of shut eye before we moved on for the day.

On my Mellencamp nights or those balmy summer nights, I'm reminded of that night in rural Illinois. And reminded how great my life really is to be able to have and remember those moments.

Ladies: Know Your Hormones - Regain Your Vitality

Hormones are biological chemicals produced primarily by the endocrine glands. These are the pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals, and ovaries. The endocrine glands and the hormones they produce interact with each other in very complex manners to regulate, control, and coordinate a variety of bodily functions and systems.

The best known female hormones are estrogen and progesterone. These are part of the steroid hormone family. Steroid hormones are made from cholesterol and synthesized in the ovaries, adrenals, and various tissues such as fat, skin, brain, liver, and uterus. The steroid hormones are responsible for sexual development, fertility, reproduction, and stress management. Thus, they play a central role in energy levels, stress levels, blood sugar levels, and overall emotional functioning.

As mentioned, all the hormones work together in the body. In an ideal situation they are at specific levels and relationships with each other. When hormones get out of balance, the body gets out of balance, and various symptoms are presented. The endocrine system is usually the first bodily system affected by nutritional deficiencies. A variety of vitamins and minerals are required to make hormones. When these are lacking, the body suffers.

Estrogen is made primarily in the ovaries and in fat cells. The fat cells become the primary site in menopausal women. There are actually three types of estrogen – estrone, estrodial, and estriol. So, it is important to understand these levels and relationships as well. Progesterone is made in the ovaries, adrenal glands, brain, and peripheral nerves. One of its main missions is to balance estrogen.

Sometimes a woman will be deficient in estrogen. She may experience hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, poor memory, vaginal dryness, bladder and urinary irritations or infections, headaches, migraines, decreased sexual response, depression, or lack of stamina. Her risk for osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease is increased. Women may also have too much estrogen in relationship to progesterone. This condition is called estrogen dominance. In this case she may experience heavy bleeding, clotting, cramping, water retention, breast issues (tenderness, lumpiness, cystic breasts, enlarged breasts, or fibrocystic breasts), weight gain, headaches, migraines, emotional instability, depression, anxiety, anger, decreased sexual response, thyroid dysfunction, cold hands and feet, blood sugar instability, sweet cravings, insomnia, gall bladder dysfunction, or acne.

Sometimes a woman will be deficient in progesterone. Note many of these symptoms are similar to estrogen dominance. She may experience PMS, heavy bleeding, clotting, cramping, memory problems, muscle tension, fibromyalgia, water retention, insomnia, breast issues (tenderness, lumpiness, cystic breasts), weight gain, thyroid dysfunction, acne, headaches, migraines, anxiety, moodiness, hot flashes, depression, decreased sexual response, irregular periods, or spotting. A situation of excess progesterone is less common, so will not be discussed here.

Progesterone functions best when it is in the correct proportion with estrogen. They work together. While a woman is cycling, the proportions change throughout the cycle. When menopausal, the proportion should stay fairly constant.

This discussion is only scratching the surface of female hormones, but is intended to provide a basic understanding and serve as a starting point for your personal exploration of what may be happening in your body. If you currently suffer from any of the symptoms described above please be aware that this does not have to be the case. As mentioned, the endocrine system is one of the first to be impacted by nutrient deficiencies. Once specific hormone levels and relationships are determined a nutritional program can be developed to provide what the body needs to once again produce and manage hormones and have you feeling youthful and energetic.

Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.