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Prostate Cancer-Natural Remedies
This prostrate cancer information courtesy of
Global Healing Center
Author:
Edward F. Group III, D.C., Ph.D,
N.D.,DACBN
Low fat diets and Prostate Cancer - For men with prostrate cancer,
eating a low-fat diet, exercising, and reducing stress may help stop or even
reverse the progression of prostate cancer in men who have decided not to
undergo treatment, according to a new study.
Prostrate cancer can't be
prevented, but you can take measures to reduce your risk or possibly slow the
disease's progression. The most important steps you can take to maintain
prostate health is to eat a proper well balanced low fat diet, keep physically
active and see your doctor regularly.
Eating well as a preventative measure
High-fat diets has been linked to prostate cancer. Therefore, limiting
your intake of high-fat foods and emphasizing fruits, vegetables and whole
fibers may help you reduce your risk. Foods rich in lycopene, an antioxidant,
also may help lower your prostate cancer risk. These foods include raw or cooked
tomatoes, tomato products, grapefruit and watermelon. Garlic and cruciferous
vegetables such as arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and
cauliflower also may help fight cancer.
Soy products contain
isoflavones that seem to keep testosterone in check. Because prostate cancer
feeds off testosterone, isoflavones may reduce the risk and progression of the
disease.
Vitamin E has shown promise in
reducing the risk of prostate cancer among smokers. More research is needed,
however, to fully determine the extent of these benefits of vitamin
E.
Getting regular
exercise
Regular exercise can help
prevent a heart attack and conditions such as high blood pressure and high
cholesterol. When it comes to cancer, the data aren't as clear-cut, but studies
do indicate that regular exercise may reduce your cancer risk, including
prostate cancer.
Exercise has been shown to
strengthen your immune system, improve circulation and speed digestion — all of
which may play a role in cancer prevention. Exercise also helps to prevent
obesity, another potential risk factor for some
cancers.
Regular exercise may also
minimize your symptoms and reduce your risk of prostate gland enlargement, or
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Men who are physically active usually have
less severe symptoms than men who get little exercise
do.
Many studies have been made
about dietary changes. For instance in one, one group ate an entirely
plant-based, low-fat diet that emphasized unprocessed whole foods. Of the total
calories, 70% came from complex carbohydrates and 20% came from protein, mostly
soy protein. Participants also engaged in moderate aerobic exercise, stress
management, and group support. The other group followed normal routines.
Rather than needing to have
surgery or radiation therapy and worrying about the potential complications to
cure one's prostate cancer it would behoove men to concentrate on increasing
their chances of preventing prostate cancer by following simple dietary herbal
and lifestyle techniques:
- Reduce saturated fat. This is probably the most important step
to protect yourself against developing prostate cancer as well as your risk of
heat decease and cancer in general. Males who basically eat animal fats and
dairy products run a significantly higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Cut back on your animal fat and milk product intake including red meat,
poultry with skin, butter and whole milk products. Other polyunsaturated oils
also appear to be implicated in particular a high intake of Omega-6 fatty
acids which is found in corn, safflower, sunflower and sesame oils. It is much
more desirable from a cancer and cardiac point of view to use monosaturated
fats such as olive oil.
- Consume soy and soy
products. The isoflavonoid
found in soy products appear to inhibit prostate cancer and even breast
cancer. A specific one called genistein has actually been shown to inhibit
prostate cancer cells in the test tube. Increase consumption of soy foods to a
minimum of two to three times per week including foods like tofu, tempeh, soy
milk, green soybeans and soy meat substitutes.
- Eat vegetables and especially
tomatoes. Vegetables
appear to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and some vegetables appear to
have a very strong protective function. The red pigment lycopene appears to be
the productive compound. Five to nine servings of these fruits and vegetables
a day should be consumed by men and if you take a mixed carotene supplement
chose one that includes lycopene at least 45 micrograms per capsule.
- Use selenium daily. Selenium on a daily basis appears to be a
potent mineral antioxidant that decreases cancer risks in general, but more
specifically prostate cancer.
- Take Vitamins C and E. Vitamins C and E are both antioxidant
vitamins protective for cancer in general. Vitamin C inhibits prostate cancer
from spreading in the laboratory and Vitamin E in doses as low 50
international units daily decreases the incidences of prostate cancer in
smokers by 32 percent. Take 400 to 800 international units of natural Vitamin
E per day along with 500 milligrams of Vitamin C twice a day. Remember never
to take Vitamin C and selenium together since they bind and become ineffective
whereas selenium works well with the oil soluble Vitamin E.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise decreases obesity which is
associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer and probably a higher level
of hormone production. Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise such as walking,
swimming or cycling five times a week should be performed by everyone. In men
under 60 years of age there is a four-fold decrease in prostate cancer with
this level of exercise.
- Eat plenty of fiber. Eat 30 to 35 grams of fiber daily by
eating whole grains, cereals, breads, legumes, fruits and vegetables and nuts
several times a week. These foods are high in certain food types including
lignin and phyto-estrogens that appear to influence sex hormones an inhibitor
that inhibits cancer progression and protects against prostate cancer.
- Eat salmon, sardines, mackerel or
herring. Regular
consumption of oily, cold-water fish lowers the risk of prostate cancer. These
particular fish are high in Omega-3 fatty acids which appear to be protective
not only against prostate cancer but also breast and cardiovascular decease.
Suggest two or three servings per week.
- Sip green tea. Green tea is the traditional beverage of
Japan and
China and appears to reduce cancer in general
including prostate cancer. Green tea contains an antioxidant called EGCG which
not only kills prostate cancer cells in test tubes but also appears to inhibit
enzymes that promote prostate and breast cancer. Suggest you substitute green
tea for coffee, black tea or colas. Decaffeinated green tea is also available
and still retains its antioxidant affect.
- Drink more water. Hydration makes for more urine and the
removal of toxic materials from the body. Drink at least eight, eight-ounce
glasses of water daily.
- Go outdoors in the sun. Prostate cancer appears to be higher in
those areas of the world where there is the least sunlight for the shortest
period of time. In the United
States the highest rates are in
New
England and the
lowest is in the Sunbelt. This may be related to protection caused
by Vitamin D, which is produced by exposure to sunlight. Ten to 15 minutes of
sun exposure daily without sun screen is suggested so your body can produce
Vitamin D and possibly supplementing your diet with 400 to 800 international
units of Vitamin D daily.
- Reduce exposure to hormone disruptive
chemicals. Pesticides and
other chemicals in our food and water may affect hormone functions promoting
prostate and even breast cancer. These hormone disruptive chemicals may come
from plastic cookware or plastic wrappings. Suggest you use organic produce
which has none of the pesticides, herbicide and chemicals usually found in
food. Filter your water and avoid plastic wrap in direct contact with the
food. Use glass or ceramic containers for heating food.
- Don't smoke. Tobacco smoke contains cadmium, a trace
mineral that appears to be linked to prostate cancer and therefore smoking
should be discontinued. Alcohol appears to increase circulating levels of sex
hormones and it has been found that men who drink alcohol are more likely to
die from prostate cancer than those that
don't.
If you follow these tips you’ll
find the chance of getting or having a repeat of prostate cancer very little if
not at all.
Sobering Statistics
In the US alone over 180,000 men a year will be diagnosed with
prostate cancer
About 32,000 men, also in the US, will die from Prostate
Cancer in the same time period
Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in men in
Western society, after skin cancer
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