Saw Palmetto and Your Prostate

As an ancient herbal remedy for urinary problems, Saw Palmetto is now known to help with prostate health. A few studies have shown that Saw Palmetto may help to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia also known as BPH.

What is BPH?

BPH is an overgrowth of cells in the prostate that may be due to changes in hormone levels that occur with age. It usually affects men between the ages of 40 to 60. It is important to note that BPH is not cancer and it does not cause cancer.

With an enlarged prostate it presses on the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder, and can interfere with urination. With Saw Palmetto it is believed that it helps to shrink the prostate and reduces the symptoms of BPH such as urgent or frequent urination.

Saw Palmetto Precautions

There are few things to keep in mind if you are considering taking Saw Palmetto:

• If you are taking Warfarin (Coumadin) make sure to tell your doctor first.
• Do not take Saw Palmetto if you have a hormone-sensitive cancer like prostate cancer without talking to your doctor first.
• If you experience breathing problems, tightness in your throat or chest, skin hives, rash, itchy or swollen skin or chest pain discontinue using it because it could mean you are allergic to Saw Palmetto.

Avistate and Saw Palmetto - Click Here

A great supplement from Progressive Health that gives you the benefit of Saw Palmetto and so much more is called Avistate. With its specific blend of nutrients, Avistate ensures that nutritional needs are met for prostate gland support.

This helps men to focus on the primary goals of BPH treatments: rapid symptom improvement, and improvements in patients' quality of life.

Since BPH is rarely serious, many doctors recommend men to implement a "watchful wait." This involves the modification of lifestyle and annual physical examinations. Avistate is a perfect 'fit' during these periods between examinations; helping to control the natural occurrence of prostate growth, while addressing any symptoms that may occur.

The ingredients of Avistate include of course Saw Palmetto but also:

• Selenium - Increased intake of dietary selenium seems to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and slows the progression of tumor growth. Serum levels of selenium appear to be lower in patients with prostate cancer.
• Pygeum Extract - A review of current studies on pygeum for BPH suggests this botanical medicine is also an effective and safe treatment, improving both urological symptoms and measurements of flow. Pygeum inhibits cell growth of prostate cancer and hyperplastic cell lines.
• Urtica Dioica (Nettle Root) - Urtica is another safe and effective herbal treatment for BPH. Placebo controlled studies have demonstrated its effectiveness even in moderate and severe cases. Uritca has similar effectiveness to finasteride, a pharmaceutical medication, but is much better tolerated. It may work through an antiproliferative effect on prostatic cells and may also lessen the effects of androgenic hormones by competitively blocking access to human sex hormone binding globulin. Urtica extracts have also demonstrated anti-cancer activity in prostate cancer cell lines.
• Isoflavones (soy extract) - Epidemiological studies show that diets higher in soy products are associated with reduced risk and progression of prostate cancer and prostatitis. The isoflavone, genistien, appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of BPH and prostate cancer. Data suggests that supplementing early stage prostate cancer patients with soy isoflavones, for as little as 12 weeks, can alter markers of proliferation like serum PSA and free testosterone.
• Lycopene - Lycopene is beneficial for both prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Men who consume 6 mg per day or more of lycopene from foods such as tomatoes and tomato products seem to have a significantly reduced risk of developing prostate cancer. In patients with hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer, lycopene therapy can improve lower urinary tract symptoms, bone pain and rising PSA and ECOG performance. It also improves the survival rate of orchidectomy in advanced metastatic prostate cancer, and decreases the rate of growth of prostate cancer when given before radical prostatectomy.

To learn more about Avistate and its health benefits, click here.