Protecting the Male Prostate
by admin on Jun.21, 2011, under General male health, Prostate health
The prostate gland is an important part of the male reproductive system. The prostate creates a fluid that mixes with sperm and other fluids during ejaculation. These fluids nourish and transport sperm during the process of semen ejaculation during sexual excitement. A normal prostate gland is around the size of a walnut.
Prostate Enlargement is common as a man ages and matures. Medical doctors call this condition of enlarged prostate BPH or “benign prostatic hyperplasia”. As the prostate enlarges, the layer of tissue surrounding it stops it from expanding, causing the prostate gland to press inward against the urethra and restricting the flow, narrowing the space for urine to pass. The bladder wall also becomes thicker and irritable. The bladder starts to contract even when it contains even small amounts of urine, causing more frequent urination by the male. Eventually, the bladder weakens and loses the ability to completely empty itself and urine remains in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and partial emptying of the bladder cause a large number of the problems associated with an enlarged prostate. A doctor can determine an enlarged prostate during the dreaded finger prostate exam.
The symptoms of an enlarged prostate can vary, but the most common ones involve changes or problems with urination, such as a hesitant, interrupted, weak stream, urgency and leaking or dribbling, more frequent urination, especially at night. This is often called nocturia. Men who have symptoms of prostate obstruction are much more likely to develop chronic kidney disease. These are troubling and dangerous problems if not found and corrected in time.
Enlarged prostate treatments vary. Numerous effective pharmaceutical drugs are available to improve symptoms of prostate enlargement. There are also effective natural therapies including the use of time-tested herbal products. Some commonly used herbs for enlarged prostate gland include rye pollen, stinging nettle, saw palmetto, and pygeum, Plant extracts that have also been investigated include beta sitosterol, quercetin, rosaminic acid, genistein, daidzein and lycopene. In addition to herbs and mainstream medications, there is also some basic, common sense, behavioral changes that can help combat prostate symptoms. Among these changes are reducing fluid intake, limiting or ending alcohol and caffeine consumption, especially in the evening, and not passing up a chance to use the bathroom, even when your bladder doesn’t feel full. These simple steps can help reduce the impact of an enlarged prostate on a man’s life.
For more information read this Prostacet review!
Antioxidant Levels key to Prostate Cancer Risk in some Men
by admin on Jun.21, 2011, under General male health, Prostate health
Greater levels of selenium, vitamin E and the tomato carotenoid lycopene have been shown to reduce prostate cancer in one out of every four Caucasian males, or those who inherit a specific genetic variation that is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress, say US researchers.
Conversely, if carriers of this genetic variant have low levels of these vitamins and minerals, their risk of aggressive prostate increases substantially, as great as 10-fold, over those who maintain higher levels of these nutrients, they write in today’s issue of Cancer Research.
“This large prospective study provides further evidence that oxidative stress may be one of the important mechanisms for prostate cancer development and progression, and adequate intake of antioxidants, such as selenium, lycopene and vitamin E, may help prevent prostate cancer,” said Dr Haojie Li, a researcher at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
The new findings are based on an analysis of 567 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1982 and 1995, and 764 cancer-free men from the Physicians Health Study.
The initial goal of this study was to assess the effect of aspirin and beta-carotene on men’s health. Li’s team decided to check for variants of the gene that codes for manganese superoxide dismutatase (MnSOD), an important enzyme that works as an antioxidant in human cells to defend against disease.
The MnSOD gene is passed from parents to offspring in one of three forms: VV, VA or AA.
“Compared with men with the MnSOD VV or VA genotype, people with the AA genotype seem to be more sensitive to the antioxidant status,” said Li. “Men with the AA genotype are more susceptible to prostate cancer if their antioxidant levels are low.”
The study’s results found that a quarter of the men in the study carried the MnSOD AA genotype, half carried the VA genotype, and the remaining quarter carried the VV genotype.
The results indicated that the VA and VV men were at equivalent risk for developing prostate cancer across all levels of antioxidants in their blood.
But compared to MnSOD VV or VA carriers in the lowest quartile of selenium levels, MnSOD AA males had an 89 per cent greater risk for developing aggressive prostate cancer if they had low blood levels of the mineral.
On the other hand, MnSOD AA carriers with high selenium – those men in the highest quartile – had a 65 per cent lower risk than the MnSOD VV or VA males who maintained low levels of selenium.
“The levels of selenium in the highest quartile of these men are not abnormally high,” Li said. “Our range is neither extremely high nor extremely low.”
While similar trends were observed for lycopene and vitamin E when tested independently, the contrast in relative risk was most pronounced for the men who had high blood levels for all three antioxidants combined, said the researchers.
“Among men with the MnSOD AA genotype, we observed a 10-fold difference in risk for aggressive prostate cancer, when comparing men with high versus low levels of antioxidants combined,”said Li. “In contrast, among men with the VV or VA genotype, the prostate cancer risk was only weakly altered by these antioxidant levels.”
“Our study, as well as many other epidemiological studies, encourages dietary intake of nutrients such as lycopene from tomato products, or supplements for vitamin E and selenium to reduce risk of prostate cancer,” said Li.
Prostate cancer is one of the biggest cancer killers in industrial countries and affects more than 500,000 men worldwide every year. This number is expected to increase with the ageing population.
Similar interactions between dietary antioxidants and the variations in the MnSOD gene have previously been linked to risk for breast cancer.
For more information read this Prostacet review!
Why Can’t I Sleep? Possible Reasons Why You Suffer from Insomnia
by admin on Apr.12, 2011, under Sleep and insomnia, Supplements and vitamins
We have all experienced moments where no matter what we do we can’t sleep; however for some of us sleepless nights are a part of every day life, inhibiting our ability to think, concentrate and deal with stress.
Yet, what are the causes?
If you too are one of the 25% of adults who suffer from insomnia, there could be a number of reasons why you can’t sleep:
Your mind: whether it is your job stressing you out or there is a problem subconsciously playing on your mind; anxiety, depression and stress can all prevent you from experiencing a restful night’s sleep.
The problem many of us have is that we are unable to switch off after a long and stressful day… Instead, stressful situations are allowed to build up, forcing our unconscious mind to relieve the situation over and over again!
If this sounds like you, there are a number of solutions you can look into to ensure your ‘can’t sleep’ blues are a thing of the past… the simplest being voicing your concerns to a loved one.
Often stress builds up because you feel you are alone and have got no one to talk to. Yet, by simply speaking to a friend or a loved one about your concerns, and hearing their response, you can help to alleviate this stress, and ultimately set your mind at ease.
Other techniques you can utilise are having a hot relaxing bath; doing yoga (where you can channel your energy away from these negative thoughts) or finding an activity to calm your senses.
Pain: physical ailments such as backache and arthritis can often leave you unable to sleep. We recommend speaking to your physician to see if they can prescribe something to treat your pain.
However, if you’d prefer to use a more natural treatment to ease your discomfort taking a hot bath 30 minutes before you go to bed can help. The heat from the water will help to relax and soothe your aching muscles, leaving you feeling supple and calm.
Menopause: for many women entering the menopause, finding that you can’t sleep is a common side effect. This is often due to your hormones being out of balance and sending your body into hot flushes.
To help combat this, we recommend finding ways to help keep your body cool such as opening a window or using a fan. However, we strongly suggest speaking to a physician who can offer you tips for dealing with your menopause more effectively.
Living conditions: the simplest of things can trigger a sleepless night, such as being too hot or too cold. Fortunately triggers like these can easily be remedied. If your bedroom is too hot, make it cooler by using a fan. Too cold, add an extra blanket to your bed. Too noisy, invest in some ear plugs. Too light, buy thicker curtains or introduce a blackout curtain to your bedroom.
Caffeine: caffeine (coffee) is notorious for its ability to help you stay awake; however drink it too close to your bedtime and this very same drink could be stopping you from sleeping. If you love coffee, try to avoid drinking it for at least 5 hours before you go to bed. This will allow the effects of caffeine to leave your system and enable you to sleep for longer.
As you can see from above, there are a number of reasons why you can’t sleep – many of which can be remedied – however, if you are looking for a safe and effective way to regain control of your sleeping patterns, the support of a natural sleeping aid such as NightCalm can help.
Derived from the Griffonia plant, the 5HTP within this nutritious plant can help to stimulate the natural production of serotonin within your brain, which in turn can help to regulate your body’s mood, appetite, concentration and most importantly your sleep.
And made only from 100% naturally derived ingredients; NightCalm safely works in harmony with your body to improve your sleep patterns and ensure that you get to sleep faster and for longer.
For more information about NightCalm read this NightCalm review!
The Link Between BMI & Obesity
by admin on Mar.29, 2011, under Weight loss
How much and how?
BMI is a tool that is often used to determine whether a person’s health is at risk due to his or her weight. It is a ratio of your weight to your height.
Health experts agree that you may gain health benefits from even a small weight loss if:
- You are obese: You are considered obese based on your body mass index (BMI). A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.
- You are overweight: You are considered overweight based on your BMI and have weight- related health problems or a family history of such problems. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.
- You have a big waist: You have a waist that measures more than 40 inches if you are a man or more than 35 inches if you are a woman.
How much do I need to lose?
A weight loss of 5 to 7 percent of body weight may improve your health and quality of life, and it may prevent weight-related health problems, like type 2 diabetes. For a person who weighs 200 pounds, this means losing 10 to 14 pounds. However, even if you do not need to lose weight, you should still follow healthy eating and physical activity habits to help prevent weight gain and keep you healthy over the years.
You must also remember that a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy.
The golden formula to lose weight
To lose weight you need to remember the time-tested, recommended and yet the simplest formula i.e. you need to take in fewer calories than you use. You can do this in a number of ways such as:
- By creating and following a plan for healthy eating and a plan for regular physical activity.
- By choosing to follow a formal weight-loss program that can help you make lifelong changes in your eating and physical activity habits.
- By consuming a safe and all-natural weight loss supplement such as Proactol PLUS on daily basis that will reduce your appetite and enhance your metabolism, eventually leading to increased calorie expenditure (and hence rapid weight loss).
For more information about Proactol PLUS read this Proactol PLUS review!
Last but not least, weight loss and fitness is not just limited to achieving and maintaining an ideal BMI. It also involves a lot of other factors as well such as expecting a clear cut reduction in the risk of diabetes, heart disease and various other disorders. It also means living a physically active and healthy lifestyle with an overall improved sense of general well being. And above all, it means living life to its fullest.

