What Every Man Needs To Know About Prostatitis - Inflammation of The Prostate
Reprint of an article
by James Witman from the website
articlecodex.com
Introduction by Dr. Don Rose, Writer,
Life Alert
--
Men, especially those over 50, often get
alarmed at just the mention of the prostate, and rightfully so; prostate cancer
is the most common form of cancer in men. Inflammation of the prostate (known as
prostatitis) should also be of great concern; its effects can not only be uncomfortable
but dangerous as well. The good news: prostatitis can be treated successfully with
proper action. The article below serves as a good introduction to prostatitis. --Don
Rose
--
Prostatitis simply
means an inflammation of the prostate gland. The symptoms are uncomfortable at best;
more often they are extremely painful and can also be dangerous. Symptoms may include
pain and swelling in the area of the prostate, fever, chills, pain in the lower
back, burning or painful urination, a need to urinate frequently and get up in the
night, dribbling, fatigue and body aches, and pain with ejaculation. Prostatitis
can severely affect the quality of life. Rigorous activity, sports, exercise - even
sitting for any length of time in an office, theater or at a sporting event - may
become too painful to tolerate. And as for sex - it's simply not an option.
The statistics are alarming. It's estimated that over 50% of all men will suffer
from prostatitis some time in their lives. And what's worse is prostatitis is no
respecter of age. It can strike any adult male - and with painful consequences.
According to the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, 25% of all office visits
by young and middle-aged men for genital and urinary problems are the result of
prostatitis. It hits men in the prime of life and also is considered to be the most
common of all diseases among middle-aged men.
Adding to the problem is the fact that contemporary medicine really doesn't know
much about prostatitis. The Prostate Foundation has termed it "the bastard child"
of urology. Though it is the most widespread disease of the prostate, it's also
the least understood and the least researched. As a consequence, it is frequently
misdiagnosed.
Physicians sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between the symptoms of prostatitis
and benign prostate enlargement (BPH). A
Harvard University
study showed that urologists seeing patients with the same symptoms diagnosed them
with prostatitis if they were under 50 and with BPH if they were over 50. In addition,
there are four types of prostatitis, the most common of which is unfortunately the
one that is the most baffling.
Prostatitis can be either acute or chronic. That is to say that it can have a sudden
onset and be relatively short-lived, or be an ongoing and aggravating problem.
Acute prostatitis is likely to occur intermittently. It can cause fever, bladder
discomfort, frequent and burning urination, and blood or pus in the urine. It can
also result in infertility.
Chronic prostatitis is ongoing and usually increases with time. Its symptoms may
include frequent urination, blood in the urine, a burning sensation, discomfort
in the prostate area and lower back, painful ejaculation and even impotence.
Nonbacterial prostatitis is the most common form of the disease, but because it
is also the least understood, it's the most difficult to treat. Nonbacterial prostatitis
is frequently a chronic, painful condition found in men of any age. Symptoms may
disappear and then return suddenly. Though no evidence of bacteria is found, semen
and other prostate fluids contain cells that the body produces to fight infection.
Doctors often treat nonbacterial prostatitis with antibiotics and drugs that relax
the muscles of the prostate gland, but these treatments have not been proven to
be effective. In fact, they often do not work at all and can have unpleasant side
effects as well.
The good news is there are several herbal remedies that have been shown in clinical
studies to help fight and in many cases conquer prostate problems, including prostatitis.
These herbs include pygeum africanum, saw palmetto and nettle root extract.
To learn more about treating prostatitis and other prostate health conditions, please
visit the web site www.prostatehealthtips.com.
About James L. Witman
James Witman is an expert in nutrition and
prostate health. Mr. Witman has written many articles about
prostate gland disease as well
as other health conditions that men face. To learn more, please visit his website
www.prostatehealthtips.com.
The article above is covered by a
Creative Commons
Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5
License. The information provided is, to the best of our
knowledge, reliable and accurate. However, while
Life Alert
always strives to provide true, precise and consistent information, we cannot guarantee
100 percent accuracy. Readers are encouraged to review the original article, and
use any resource links provided to gather more information before drawing conclusions
and making decisions.
Dr. Don Rose writes books, papers and articles
on computers, the Internet, AI, science and technology, and issues related to seniors.
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