If you are a man and you wake up at night to urinate your prostate has probably already started to swell. If you read Health Alerts you know hormones are the principle culprits. But it may surprise you to know the female hormone, estrogen, is the worst problem.

Today, I'll show you how female hormones wreak havoc with a man's body. They cause your prostate to swell. They disrupt your urinary and reproductive systems. And, they can turn you into a weakened “dough-boy”. I'll also let you in on my tricks for ridding your body of unwanted estrogens.

* A Feminizing Influence Within *

All men have a little estrogen. A healthy male has about 10 times more testosterone than estrogen. It is when this balance goes awry that you have problems.

As you get older, your testosterone drops. But in the modern environment your estrogen remains stable or increases as you age. This creates an unhealthy imbalance in the testosterone-estrogen ratio.

In your prostate, things are worse. Estrogen rises in the tissues as you age. Worst of all, the highest levels are in the area of the prostate which develops BPH. Estrogen levels are highest in men with BPH.1 The worse the ratio, the larger the prostate swells.2

Excess estrogen also blocks the effect of testosterone. This blocks strength and sexual capacity. It makes you less masculine and more feminine. Estrogen also causes an extra layer of fat under your skin. This hides your muscular definition and creates the “dough boy” look the athletes associate with excess estrogen.

* The Estrogen Terminators *

Fortunately, you don't have to succumb to estrogen. There are very effective ways of lowering estrogen and reducing BPH symptoms.

Testosterone: Boosting testosterone is one way to balance your testosterone-estrogen ratio. Your doctor can test your testosterone to see if it is low. All it takes is a simple blood test. If you have your testosterone measured, ask your doctor to measure your total estrogens as well. It is optimal for a man to keep his total estrogen below 100.

I3C (Indole-3-Carbinol) is a plant compound that has the ability to rid estrogen from your body.3 Vegetables like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli contain it. In your digestive tract, I3C converts into DIM.

DIM (Diindolylmethane) is a plant compound that enhances estrogen elimination. It breaks down estrogen into safer compounds. DIM balances the testosterone-estrogen ratio.

DIM is available in supplement form. To combat the excess estrogen that can cause BPH, take 400 mg of DIM daily.

BPH Trio: My three favorite natural supplements to treat BPH are saw palmetto, pygeum, and pumpkinseed. They also work well to balance the testosterone-estrogen ratio. Saw palmetto's berries are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols. I recommend 300mg of saw palmetto daily. Both pygeum and pumpkin seeds are rich in plant sterols. I recommend taking 100-200mg of each.

Al Sears MD

1 Krieg M., et al. Effect of aging on endogenous level of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, estradiol, and estrone in epithelium and stroma of normal and hyperplastic human prostate J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993 Aug; 77(2): 375-81

2 Suzuki K., et al. Endocrine environment of benign prostatic hyperplasia--relationships of sex steroid hormone levels with age and the size of the prostate Nippon Hinyokika Gakkai Zasshi. 1992 May; 83(5): 664-71

3 Auborn K., et al. Indole-3-carbinol is a negative regulator of estrogen. J Nutr. 2003 Jul; 133(7 Suppl): 2470S-2475S.