Prostate Health

The prostate gland is located just below a male's bladder and surrounds the top portion of the urethra, the tube that drains urine from the bladder.

Saw palmetto is also known as Serenoa repens, has long been used in Europe to treat an enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

American use lags far behind Europe because Americans are not aware of the extensive European research on the herb, American physicians generally don't prescribe any drug other than Finasteride (Proscar®), Terazosin HCI (Hytrin®), or Doxazosin mesylate (Cardura®) for BPH.

But unlike these drugs, particularly Proscar®, saw palmetto usually kicks in quickly. With the saw palmetto extract most men achieve some relief of symptoms within the first 30 days.

Any man who has a desk job and drinks copious amounts of caffeine is highly prone to develop a prostate infection. Unfortunately most family doctors don't have a clue as to what it takes to overcome a prostate infection.

Prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate gland, can be caused by a bacterial infection or a virus.

It can also be transmitted sexually, yet can just as easily develop out of a simple irritation or activity such as bicycle riding.

It can also be aggravated by inactivity. Prostatitis is usually very painful. In some instances there is a pressing sensation, feeling a desperate need to urinate, with burning pain during urination. Sometimes pain can radiate into the lower back, scrotom and rectum.

In severe cases, the infection can move through the bladder and into the kidneys, although this is relatively rare. Often there is pus or blood in the urine, and fever is sometimes present. If you know of anyone having these symtoms, demand that your family doctor refer him to a urologist immediately.

The prostate "lives" in its own private little world, and the medications need to be specifically geared for the prostate. The usual ten day round of antibiotics will not be effective.

If the prostatitis becomes chronic, most physicians will prescribe Hytrin or Proscar. Hytrin is usually used to control high blood pressure, but will also boost urine flow. Hytrin works as a smooth muscle relaxant, and from what I understand simply masks the symptoms rather than cure them. Proscar works the same way, yet has many debilitating side effects. These side effects include decreased libido, impotence and ejaculatory disorders. Proscar is also HIGHLY toxic to the male fetus.

The insert that comes with the drug contains a warning that reads:

"Exposure of Women-Risk to Male Fetus

"It is not known whether the amount of finasteride (Proscar) that could potentially be absorbed by a pregnant woman through direct contact with crushed Proscar tablets or from the semen of a patient taking Proscar can adversely affect a developing fetus....Therefore, because of the potential risk to a male fetus, a woman who is pregnant or who may become pregnant should not handle crushed Proscar tablets; In addition, when the patient's sexual partner is or may become pregnant, the patient should either avoid exposure of his partner to his semen or he should discontinue taking Proscar."

According to the 1995 Physicians Desk Reference, Proscar is highly toxic and does cause birth defects in the male fetus. Neither drug had much appeal to us as we didn't see any benefits in taking medications that only mask symptoms, yet can be so toxic and have such terrible side effects.

Almost half the male population over age 50 suffers from enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH) with symptoms ranging from inflammation (prostatitis), to swelling, painful and frequent urination and nocturnal urination.

One in seven men over age 50 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer among men (next to skin cancer) and the second most common cause of cancer death (next to lung cancer).
The most common treatment for prostate disease is surgical removal of the prostate. About 400,000 prostatectomies are performed every year in the United States. Unfortunately, surgical removal of the prostate can lead to impotence and incontinence and is linked to increased risk of death from heart disease.Research has shown that enlargement of the prostate gland is caused mainly by the action of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) a powerful male hormone which is converted from the primary male Hormone (testosterone) under the influence of the enzyme testosterone 5-alpha-reductase. The FDA recently approved a drug (Proscar) that counters the action of DHT as a treatment for BPH,but Proscar is very expensive and sometimes causes severe side effects such as sexual impotence.
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) has recently gained widespread use by doctors and alternative health practitioners alike as a safe alternative for treating BHP. Therapeutic herbal extract treatment used for enuresis, nocturia, atrophy of the testes, impotence, and inflammation of the prostate and low libido in men.
Saw Palmetto is a "multi-site" inhibitor of the hormone DHT, which plays a major role in the development of prostate disorders. Saw palmetto inhibits 50% of the binding of DHT to receptor sites in the prostate. It also blocks the uptake of DHT into the nucleus of prostate cells, and strongly inhibits the action of testosterone 5 alpha-reductase, which reduces the conversion of testosterone to DHT.

In modern research, fat-soluble extracts of Saw Palmetto have been shown to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to dihydro-testosterone (DHT), and to block the binding of DHT to prostate cells, thus reducing prostate enlargement and inflammation.

Please see the information on Prosta-Mek for BPH. Prosta-Mek and all the Phyto-Nucleus cominations treat disorders at an acute and chronic stages bringing the patient back to complete health.

The reason for this is that unlinke drugs and other alternative medicines, Phyto-nucleus remedies work on a molecular level; cleansing and restructuring the cells of the body thereby bringing the person back to complete recovery of disorders. Further, due to the holistic nature of these remedies, when one disorder is treated, it impacts other organs and treats complaints that the patient may not have realized was connected to the disorder that the medicine was originally taken to treat.
*Many studies on the Prosta-mek were less than 90 days; final measurements were calculated as 90 measurements.

Please refer to the article on Saw Palmetto for benefits of this amazing plant on the prostate gland.

**There are no long-term studies on Saw palmetto extract, yet the effect at 3 months (or less) is obviously superior to that of Proscar.

Approved German PIC-GMP and Chinese GMP product, extremely of high standard, supreme quality. Tested in Germany and China LResearch and Developed by:
Dr.Shafi Abbasi, member, Alternative Medicine Examiners Council of Canada (AMECC) and (HMCC) Toronto. Canada.

Selected Scientific Studies:

Some of the more recent studies are listed below:
 Consumer Health Information

1. Boyle P, Robertson C, Lowe F, et al. Meta-analysis of clinical trials of Permixon in the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Urology 2000;55(4):533-539.

2. Braeckman J, Bruhwyler J, Vanderkerckhove K, et al. Efficacy and safety of the extract of Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: therapeutic equivalence between twice and once daily dosage forms. Phytother Res 1997;11:558-563.

3. Braeckman J. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the plant extract Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign hyperplasia of the prostate. Eur J Clin Res 1997;9:247-259.

4. de la TA, Buttyan R, Hayek O, et al. Herbal therapy PC-SPES: in vitro effects and evaluation of its efficacy in 69 patients with prostate cancer. J Urol 2000;164(4):1229-1234.

5. Feifer AH, Fleshner NE, Klotz L. Analytical accuracy and reliability of commonly used nutritional supplements in prostate disease. J Urol 2002;Jul, 168(1):150-154. Discussion, 154.

6. Boyle P, Robertson C, Lowe F, et al. Meta-analysis of clinical trials of Permixon in the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Urology 2000;55(4):533-539.

7. Braeckman J, Bruhwyler J, Vanderkerckhove K, et al. Efficacy and safety of the extract of Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: therapeutic equivalence between twice and once daily dosage forms. Phytother Res 1997;11:558-563.

8. Braeckman J. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the plant extract Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign hyperplasia of the prostate. Eur J Clin Res 1997;9:247-259.

9. de la TA, Buttyan R, Hayek O, et al. Herbal therapy PC-SPES: in vitro effects and evaluation of its efficacy in 69 patients with prostate cancer. J Urol 2000;164(4):1229-1234.

10. Feifer AH, Fleshner NE, Klotz L. Analytical accuracy and reliability of commonly used nutritional supplements in prostate disease. J Urol 2002;Jul, 168(1):150-154. Discussion, 154.

11. Gordon AE, Shaughnessy AF. Saw palmetto for prostate disorders. Am Fam Physician 2003;Mar 15, 67(6):1281-1283. Review.

12. Shoskes DA. Phytotherapy in chronic prostatitis. Urology 2002;Dec, 60(6 Suppl):35-37. Discussion, 37. Review.

13. Shoskes DA.Phytotherapy and other alternative forms of care for the patient with prostatitis. Curr Urol Rep 2002;Aug, 3(4):330-334.

14. Talpur N, Echard B, Bagchi D, et al. Comparison of saw palmetto (extract and whole berry) and cernitin on prostate growth in rats. Mol Cell Biochem 2003;Aug, 250(1-2):21-26.

15. Gordon AE, Shaughnessy AF. Saw palmetto for prostate disorders. Am Fam Physician 2003;Mar 15, 67(6):1281-1283. Review.

16. Shoskes DA. Phytotherapy in chronic prostatitis. Urology 2002;Dec, 60(6 Suppl):35-37. Discussion, 37. Review.

17. Shoskes DA.Phytotherapy and other alternative forms of care for the patient with prostatitis. Curr Urol Rep 2002;Aug, 3(4):330-334.

18. Talpur N, Echard B, Bagchi D, et al. Comparison of saw palmetto (extract and whole berry) and cernitin on prostate growth in rats. Mol Cell Biochem 2003;Aug, 250(1-2):21-26.

19. Braeckman J. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the plant extract Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign hyperplasia of the prostate. Eur J Clin Res 1997;9:247-259.