Naturopathic Medicine for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate, is a non-cancerous (“benign”) condition that develops when the prostate gland increases in size, causing pressure on the bladder and the urethra, altering the flow of urine from the bladder. BPH can occur at any time in a man’s life, but becomes more probable with age. By some estimates, more than half of all males in their sixties experience the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia; up to 90 percent of all men in their seventies and eighties have the condition.

The symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) include:

The need to urinate frequently
An inability to completely empty the bladder
An interrupted or “dribbly” stream of urine

All these conditions occur more commonly at night than during the day. Allopathic doctors usually treat BPH with drugs and/or mild or more serious surgery. This condition can also be treated by a variety of alternative and complementary methods, including naturopathic medicine.

How is Naturopathic Medicine Used to Treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?

The challenge for a naturopath in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is to adjust conditions in a man’s body that have led to the development of BPH, and to find ways of enhancing the body’s ability to protect itself from and to recover from abnormalities in the prostate. The single most common treatment for BPH is the use of saw palmetto extract.

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is a plant native to North American believed to reduce the growth of the prostate gland, thus eliminating the basic cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It has been used for a variety of therapeutic purposes for centuries and has long been recognized as a kind of “magic cure” for prostate problems. The herb is thought to produce its effect on the prostate by interrupting the conversion of the male hormone testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a form of testosterone that is about five times as efficient in promoting the growth of prostate cells as is testosterone itself. Saw palmetto is also thought to reduce blood levels of two other hormones, estrogen and progesterone, thought to be involved in the growth of prostate tissue.

Saw palmetto can be used by itself (about 600 mg per day) or in combination with other herbs and natural products. One such commercially available product is Prostate Tonic®, which contains, in addition to saw palmetto, nettles root (Urtica dioica); vitamin A and vitamin B6; three amino acids, glycine, L-alanine, and L-glutamine; and the mineral zinc. All of these constituents are thought to reduce the size of the prostate gland.

Naturopathic doctor may recommend a number of other foods and food supplements to enhance the health of the prostate, including:

Flaxseed oil
Cod liver oil
Wheat germ oil
Oatmeal
Pygeum
Raw pumpkin seeds
Blueberries
Selenium (a mineral)
Parsley
Zucchini

In many cases, a naturopath may recommend excluding certain foods from the diet that are unhealthy for the prostate or can harm the body’s overall health. These foods include saturated fats, trans fat, white flour, and processed sugars. For patients who are overweight or obese, weight-loss programs may also be recommended.

Bodywork techniques can also be helpful in treating BPH. Whole body massage is often recommended, as is inguinal massage, which involves massage of the groin area. Certain types of weight lifting exercises can also be helpful. A naturopathic practitioner is able to recommend the type and frequency of such exercises for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Reflexology may also be helpful, especially if performed with an essential oil, such as white flower balm (a combination of camphor, eucalyptus, lavender, menthol, peppermint, and wintergreen).

What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic and allopathic (conventional) medicine has many beliefs and practices in common, and practitioners in both fields receive somewhat similar training. Naturopaths are guided by a number of principles, however, that may be somewhat different from those of allopathic doctors. One such principle is that health and disease are problems that involve the whole human body, not just a particular part that may exhibit symptoms of a disease. The first step in visiting a naturopath, therefore, may be to have a complete interview in which the practitioner develops an understanding of the patient’s lifestyle, eating habits, stresses, and other factors that may influence his or her general health. The naturopath then attempts to develop a treatment involved with the use of herbs, dietary changes, manipulative techniques, and other procedures that help the patient’s body return to a state of well being. In this treatment, the two guiding principles are, first, do no harm to the patient and, second, use only natural products and procedures.

What Causes Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?

The prostate is the male organ in which semen is produced. Semen is the milky fluid that carries sperm during ejaculation. The prostate is located beneath the bladder, where urine is stored, and just in front of the rectum. It consists of two lobes that surround the urethra, the canal through which urine leaves the body. As a man ages, the prostate slowly grows in size. As it does so, it tends to exert pressure on the urethra, causing the classic symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) that include interrupted and abnormal urination. The treatment of BPH involves finding a method for reducing the size of the prostate gland, allowing urine to flow in a more regular manner. BPH is an annoying and unpleasant disorder but is not, in and of itself, a life-threatening condition. One of the advantages of using a naturopathic treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is that it avoids allopathic treatments, such as surgery, that can be more dangerous than the original condition itself.