Prostate Question

[ARATADOG]

does taking gear directly effect your prostate's health? someone recommended saw plemetto pills to help keep a healthy prostate when on juice any help out therE?

[Rickson]

Some people experiece Prostate swelling while on AAS. Saw palmetto is suppose to help.

[956Vette]

bump, ive been taking saw palmetto recently and am interested in how it effects everyone else who takes it?

[956Vette]

what compounds, if not all, directly have an impact on the prostate? Is it DHT?

[Tock]

I read a website the other day that said saw palmetto might promote prostate health--the medical studies done on it were less than rigorous, though. But it might also only affect the test results without affecting health, meaning the PSA test might read ok but you could have problems.
I think that when it's time to get another blood test, I'll lay off the Saw palmetto a month or so beforehand . . .
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Yah, here's the website:
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html...awPalmetto.php
and here's the article:
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Saw Palmetto


Claims, Benefits: Shrinks the prostate, reduces symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Bottom Line: There is some positive evidence for its effectiveness against prostate problems, but there's a lack of real scientific information based on well-designed clinical trials. Like the drug Proscar, it can alter results of a PSA test and make prostate cancer hard to diagnose. If you take it, tell your physician.

Full Article, Wellness Letter, May 1999:

The prostate herb

As we reported in 1997, phytotherapy (plant-derived substances used as drugs) for prostate problems is widely used in Europe and has attracted interest in the U.S. Saw palmetto, derived from berries of the saw palm tree (Serenoa repens, Serenoa serrulata, and other species) is one such therapy. The evidence about saw palmetto is pretty sparse. But a new if inconclusive study, which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in November, prompts this update.

Dealing with BPH

First, some background on BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia. This enlargement of the prostate is common in men over 40; half of all men over 60 have it to some degree. Though many men fear that it is a prelude to cancer, "hyperplasia" simply means an overgrowth of normal cells. It can cause unpleasant symptoms: the need to urinate may become more urgent and more frequent, perhaps waking you up several times at night, producing a stop-and-start flow of urine or urinary leaking, and/or giving you the sensation that you have not completely emptied your bladder.

BPH, however, is not harmful in itself-hence the term "benign." No one knows what causes it, and there is no way to prevent it. Diet has no known connection with BPH. It may be caused by normal changes in hormone levels, especially a drop in testosterone . (Testosterone therapy , however, is not a safe or recognized treatment for BPH.) Still another theory is that a substance called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), produced by aging men, promotes cell growth. BPH does not affect sexual function or the ability to have intercourse. It sometimes has no symptoms at all.

You should not rely on a self-diagnosis of BPH, but should see a physician. Urinary symptoms may be caused by something more serious than BPH that needs immediate treatment. BPH is relatively easy to diagnose by means of symptoms and a digital rectal exam. The doctor may order urine tests to rule out infection, and a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test to rule out prostate cancer.

For men with mild symptoms, "watchful waiting"-meaning regular checkups-is the best course. Mild symptoms often clear up or remain stable without treatment. According to Dr. Joseph Oesterling, writing in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995, studies show that about 40% of men with mild symptoms improve without treatment, 45% continue with no change, and only 15% deteriorate.

If your symptoms worsen, however, the first line of treatment is usually prescription drugs. Finasteride (brand name: Proscar) can shrink the prostate. Certain alpha blockers (Cardura, Minpress, Hytrin), which are also used to treat hypertension, help relax muscle in the prostate and bladder, reducing urinary symptoms and improving urine flow. But sometimes drugs don't work and/or produce unacceptable side effects. Studies have shown that finasteride works best if the prostate is greatly enlarged, but not in cases of mild enlargement. The drug may take six months to produce any improvement, and may cause reduced sexual function and desire. It reduces PSA levels and thus may decrease the usefulness of the PSA test for diagnosing prostate cancer. The alpha blockers may also reduce symptoms, but can produce side effects such as reduced sexual function, low blood pressure, and dizziness. Another drawback is cost.

The latest on saw palmetto

Saw palmetto contains certain phytosterols, substances that seem to curb prostate cell growth. Its action in the body is probably similar to that of finasteride and other drugs. The study in JAMA reviewed 18 clinical trials of saw palmetto, none of them first rate. For example, some were brief or small or limited in other ways. Only two used standardized doses. But they were deemed worthy of notice by these researchers. Compared with a placebo (a sham treatment), saw palmetto improved urinary tract symptoms, including nighttime urination, by about 25%. Men taking saw palmetto were twice as likely to report improvements as those taking a placebo. In Germany, other studies have tended to support the effectiveness of saw palmetto.

Another recent study of saw palmetto (supported by a supplement manufacturer and conducted at the University of Chicago Medical School) was not in any sense a scientific investigation, but a kind of loose "trial run" with 46 men and no control group. The researchers admitted that they hadn't proved anything, and that if their patients had improvements in urinary tract symptoms, which was questionable, it might simply have been a placebo effect. One noted urologist commented about this, "Maybe a 'placebo' for BPH is not so terrible?" But wouldn't a safe, inexpensive treatment that actually worked be even better than a sugar pill or wishful thinking? Shouldn't doctors and patients seek something better than a placebo effect?

What's terrible is the lack of real scientific information based on well-designed clinical trials of saw palmetto. But clinical trials are enormously expensive and not likely to be conducted for a product that cannot be patented. Meanwhile, supplement manufacturers can market saw palmetto without any further proof of efficacy.



Remember this: A 90-day supply of finasteride costs about $200, compared with $10 to $50 for a 90-day supply of saw palmetto. Fewer side effects (such as erectile dysfunction) are reported with saw palmetto than with drugs, at least in studies so far. Not much is known about the long-term effects of saw palmetto. If you want to try it, do so only after seeing a doctor. If you have prostate symptoms and dose yourself without a diagnosis, and it turns out to be cancer, you may not find out until it is at an incurable stage. Be aware that herbal remedies are not regulated or standardized: you may be getting what the label says, or you may not.

If you are taking saw palmetto or any other over-the-counter treatments, tell your doctor in advance of taking a PSA test. Any drug-herbal or prescription-for BPH may alter the results of a PSA test and thus make prostate cancer hard to diagnose.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, May 1999
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[956Vette]

thank you tock! that was a good read

[ECFATCAT]

saw palmetto @ 2000mg evry day of the extract. Or finasturide (sp ) I have prostate problems to begin with the saw palmetto does the trick even when I'm on. I run long 24 week cycles 2 grams of test a week and tren @ 150mg ed .....just to let you know where I 'm . If I don't take the saw palmetto I can't piss and shitting hurts to.. On the sawpalmetto I can put a fire out across the street.....