What is the PSA Test

The PSA test is a simple blood test which measures the level of a specific protein produced by the prostate and indicates to your doctor whether or not there may be a problem with the prostate gland. Unusually high levels of the prostate specific antigen hormone will not in itself indicate the presence of prostate cancer, but it will show that there may be a problem with the prostate and suggest that it may be advisable to carry out further testing. – http://ow.ly/4h3J1

Flomax Site Effects: An Introduction

As with any medicine, there are possible side effects associated with Flomax^®(tamsulosin hydrochloride). However, not everyone who takes this drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate Flomax well. When side effects do occur, in most cases they are minor, meaning they require no treatment or are easily treated by you or your healthcare provider.

(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Flomax. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Flomax side effects with you.)

Common Side Effects of Flomax

Flomax has been thoroughly studied in clinical trials, with thousands of people being evaluated. In these studies, side effects occurring in the group of people taking the drug are always documented and compared to the side effects that occur in a similar group of people not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.

Based on these studies, the most common Flomax side effects include:

• Abnormal ejaculation — occurring in up to 18.1 percent of people(see Flomax Sexual Side Effects)
• Runny or stuffy nose — in up to 17.9 percent
• Dizziness — in up to 17.1 percent
• Infections, including the common cold or flu — in up to 10.8 percent
• General body pain — in up to 8.5 percent
• Back pain – in up to 8.3 percent
• Diarrhea – in up to 6.2 percent
• Sore throat – in up to 5.8 percent.

There are several less common side effects of Flomax that occurred in 1 to 5 percent of people:

• Increased coughing
• Sleepiness
• Chest pain
• Upset stomach (nausea)
• Sinus infection (sinusitis)
• Decreased sex drive (libido)
• Blurred vision
• Tooth problems
• Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
• Spinning sensation (vertigo).

::: India Herbs ::: Men’s Health Newsletter – MAY 2011 | EDITION : | ENGLISH

::: India Herbs ::: Men’s Health Newsletter – MAY 2011 | EDITION : | ENGLISH.

::: India Herbs ::: Men’s Health Newsletter – MAY 2011 | EDITION : | ENGLISH

::: India Herbs ::: Men’s Health Newsletter – MAY 2011 | EDITION : | ENGLISH.

::: India Herbs ::: Men’s Health Newsletter – MAY 2011 | EDITION : | ENGLISH

::: India Herbs ::: Men’s Health Newsletter – MAY 2011 | EDITION : | ENGLISH.

50 Rules Of Fat-Burning: Simplyshredded.com Collects The Strongest Clinical… – StumbleUpon

50 Rules Of Fat-Burning: Simplyshredded.com Collects The Strongest Clinical… – StumbleUpon.

Sensitizing Prostate Cancer to Radiotherapy

ScienceDaily (May 9, 2011) — Men with prostate cancer whose disease has spread locally from inside the prostate to immediately outside it are primarily treated with radiation therapy.

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However, disease recurs in approximately half of these individuals. Strategies to enhance the efficacy of this treatment and thereby decrease the incidence of disease recurrence are clearly needed. Shawn Lupold and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, have now developed an approach that enhances the therapeutic effects of radiation therapy in mice bearing human prostate cancer xenografts.

Specifically, they selectively sensitized the prostate cancer cells to radiation therapy by knocking down expression of the gene responsible for making the protein DNAPK, which is important for repairing damaged DNA. Lupold and colleagues hope that this approach can be developed for the treatment of locally

Prostatitis Treatment: An Overview

There are four types of prostatitis. The treatment a healthcare provider recommends will vary somewhat, based on the type the patient has.

The different forms of prostatitis include:

• Acute bacterial prostatitis
• Chronic bacterial prostatitis
• Chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome
• Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis.

Treating Acute Bacterial Prostatitis

This infection comes on suddenly (acute) and is caused by bacteria. Symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis include severe chills and fever. There is often blood in the urine. Men with this form of prostatitis must go to the doctor’s office or emergency room for treatment. This is the least common of the four types of prostatitis, yet it’s the easiest to diagnose and treat.

Treating prostatitis of this kind includes a high dose of antibiotics, taken for 7 to 14 days, and then lower doses for several weeks. This treatment will usually cure acute bacterial prostatitis. Drugs to help with pain or discomfort may also be needed.

Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis Treatment

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is also uncommon. It is caused by bacteria, but it doesn’t come on suddenly. However, it can still be bothersome. The only symptom of chronic bacterial prostatitis that some men have is a bladder infection that keeps coming back (chronic). The cause may be a defect in the prostate that lets bacteria collect in the urinary tract.

Treatment includes antibiotics over a long period of time. This type of treatment lasts from 4 to 12 weeks and clears up about 60 percent of these cases. Long-term, low-dose antibiotics may help relieve symptoms in cases that won’t clear up with initial treatment.

Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Treatment

This disorder is the most common but least understood form of prostatitis. Found in men of any age from late teens to the elderly, symptoms go away and then return without warning. With chronic prostatitis, there can be pain or discomfort in the groin or bladder area.

There are several types of chronic prostatitis treatment options, each based on the patient’s symptoms. These include antibiotics and other medicines, such as alpha-blockers. Alpha-blockers relax muscle tissue in the prostate to make passing urine easier.

Treatment for Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis

Men with asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis usually don’t have any symptoms. The condition is often discovered when the doctor is looking for other conditions, like infertility or prostate cancer. The PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests for men with this condition often show a higher number than normal. This, however, does not necessarily mean that prostate cancer is present.

Treating prostatitis of this kind involves antibiotics for 4 to 6 weeks, and then having another PSA test.

Does Saw Palmetto Cause Side Effects?

People often assume that natural products are automatically free of side effects, especially dangerous side effects. However, this is simply not the case. As with any medication or supplement, problems are possible with saw palmetto (Serenoa repens).

(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with saw palmetto. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of saw palmetto side effects with you.)

Possible Side Effects of Saw Palmetto

Potentially bothersome (although not usually serious) side effects of saw palmetto may include:

• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Decreased sex drive
• Impotence (also known as erectile dysfunction, or ED)
• Breast tenderness
• Gas
• Loss of appetite.

Side Effects to Report

Some side effects with saw palmetto, while occurring infrequently, are potentially serious and should be reported to your healthcare provider right away. These include but are not limited to:

• Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) or pancreas (pancreatitis)
• Any unusual or unexplained bruising or bleeding
• Signs of an allergic reaction, such as:

• A rash
• Hives
• Itching
• Swelling of the mouth or throat
• Wheezing
• Difficulty breathing.

Unpredictable side effects are also possible due to contaminants in saw palmetto products. Because herbs and supplements are not as tightly regulated as prescription or non-prescription drugs, they are sometimes contaminated with other herbs, medications, or even heavy metals. In order to avoid such problems, it is important to choose saw palmetto products that are made by trustworthy manufacturers. Your pharmacist can help you choose a good saw palmetto product.

Final Thoughts on Saw Palmetto Side Effects

You may experience some or none of the saw palmetto side effects listed in this article. Unfortunately, there is no way for your healthcare provider to know beforehand if you will have side effects from a medicine or supplement that you have never tried. Therefore, make sure to let your healthcare provider know if you develop any side effects while taking the supplement or if something “just does not seem right.” While you may not be experiencing a side effect, your healthcare provider will be able to diagnose and treat the problem.

Prostate Cancer Clinical Stage Does Not Predict Recurrence, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2010) — A new study challenges the current staging system that determines the extent or severity of prostate cancer that has not metastasized. Published early online inCANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study found that there is no link between localized prostate cancer’s clinical stage and a patient’s risk of cancer recurrence after having his prostate removed. 

One of the primary purposes of staging prostate cancers is to help physicians determine a patient’s prognosis. For example, a more advanced clinical stage should indicate a higher risk of cancer recurrence after treatment. Surprisingly, however, researchers have found that clinical stage is of questionable utility for predicting disease recurrence after surgical removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy) in patients with localized prostate cancer.

Adam Reese, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and his colleagues questioned whether staging errors are responsible for this discrepancy. In other words, do physicians often inaccurately stage prostate cancer cases, and if so, does this account for the inconsistent reliability of clinical staging for predicting prostate cancer outcomes?

The investigators found that clinical stage was assigned incorrectly in 35.4 percent of 3,875 men in a multi-institutional national disease registry. The majority of these staging errors occurred because physicians frequently disregarded the results of transrectal ultrasound tests and incorrectly incorporated biopsy results when assigning stage.

Even after correcting these staging errors, however, there was no association between clinical stage and prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy. “Our findings question the utility of our current staging system for localized prostate