Think for a moment if I were to do a bone density test on you. Then I read you your results and say, “There’s a problem with your bones. We’re going to have to take them out.”
Sounds crazy, right? Yet this is similar to what you might experience if you go to your doctor about a swollen prostate.
The American Urological Association’s most recent treatment guidelines for enlarged prostate (benign prostatic enlargement, or BPH) recommend that your doctor either does nothing, or sends you for surgery.1
To us non-surgeons, the surgical option appears extreme. In my view of medicine you treat the problem, not the part of your anatomy that the problem is affecting. And you don’t have to wait and do nothing, either.
There are natural, safe alternatives that keep your prostate healthy starting right now.
In fact, recent discoveries prove that some of the best ways to heal your prostate have been available for centuries. And technology shows us that many natural traditional treatments shunned by modern medicine really did work.
Now we can isolate the active ingredients in herbs and use them as more powerful medical treatments. And there is no better example than beta-sitosterol, a natural treatment that’s not on modern medicine’s radar screen.
The AUA’s guidelines lead many doctors to turn to the 2 major prostate treatment categories which are:
- Watchful Waiting: Many doctors will suggest that a man take no action if his BPH symptoms are moderate. What’s worse is that some doctors tell elders to watchfully wait just because of their age. This means that the prostate will continue to swell with no intervention. Watchful waiting usually leads to another extreme option…
- Surgery: The AUA boasts that surgery is an appropriate initial option for BPH. Whether a doctor suggests removing the prostate, or shaving pieces off of it, surgery should be your last option. Surgery has a range of side effects including infection and incontinence. In fact, over 50% of men who get surgery report that they can no longer have intimate relations at all.2
I would advise nearly the exact opposite of these two extremes.
Because the truth is that it is much easier to prevent prostate problems than it is to reverse them. It’s also easier to halt or reverse existing enlargement if you catch it early.
The earliest symptom of an enlarged prostate is usually waking at night to urinate. You may also have weak urine flow. And most prostate swelling is in reaction to a substance called DHT.
Block the production and action of DHT and you prevent your prostate from growing.
The most effective, natural way to do this is with beta-sitsterol . It is a plant sterol that blocks DHT.
What makes this plant nutrient, or “phytosterol,” so potent? For one, it helps protect your prostate gland’s cell membranes,3 helping your prostate continue to function normally.
Phytosterols are also potent antioxidants. They can reduce inflammation and improve blood flow. So beta-sitsterol helps maintain healthy tissue in your prostate and urinary tract.
In one review of many clinical trials, beta-sitosterol helped men with BPH improve urinary flow and volume in every study.4
The native tribes living in Florida before European settlement recognized the benefit of plants containing beta-sitosterol. One of them is saw palmetto.
It grows naturally here and my home state provides 80% of the world’s supply. We use only a small percentage in the US. We export the vast majority to Europe and Asia – with good reason. Years of clinical evidence point to the potency of the beta-sitosterol within.
Today the world also gets beta-sitosterol from Hypoxis rooperi, or the African potato. In fact, I filmed a clip of myself and my colleague Dr. Josiah Kizito in South Africa talking about this incredible plant. We are collaborating on some new formulas with African herbs and you can watch the short video at the bottom to learn more about hypoxis.
You can get beta-sitsterol through other foods. The foods highest in beta-sitosterol are:
I always recommend food as your first best source of nutrients. But you probably don’t want to eat only avocadoes and pistachios all day long. To ensure you get enough beta-sitosterol for your prostate, supplements are a good way to go.
Around 300mg a day is best. Some manufacturers use synthetic, lab-created beta-sitosterol so make sure the one you choose is natural and pure.
For full relief of BPH, look for a prostate formula that has plenty of beta-sitsterol , along with saw palmetto and other beneficial ingredients like pygeum bark and maca root so that you don’t have to take a lot of pills every day.
1. “Guideline on the Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).” American Urological Association. www.auanet.org. Retreived Feb 4, 2013.
2. Parker-Pope T, “On Sex After Prostate Surgery, Confusing Data,” The New York Times. www.nytimes.com. Jan 18, 2008. Retrieved Sept 15, 2013.
3. Halling K, Slotte J. “Membrane properties of plant sterols in phospholipid bilayers ….” Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004;1664(2):161-171
4. Wilt T, Ishani A, MacDonald R, Stark G, Mulrow C, Lau J. “Beta-sitosterols for benign prostatic hyperplasia.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(2):CD001043.