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Letter from Dr. Janson
St. John's Wort and PMS
In the Health News
Recipe of the Month: Desserts
You Can Live With
Dear Friends,
Although alternative medicine is increasingly
in the atmosphere of medical institutions, the
use of natural remedies still seems to disturb
physicians when it is seen as a replacement
for drug therapies. This tendency is seen in
a recent medical article critical of using herbs
for depression and other illnesses, followed
by yet another article showing the safety and
benefits of St. John’s wort for depression.
It also seems true regarding treatments for
the prostate gland, for inflammation, benign
prostatic hyperplasia, or cancer. Here is a
review for men (and the women who love them)
of a comprehensive approach to maintaining prostate
health.
You can do a lot with natural remedies
to prevent and treat prostate problems. The
prostate gland is a male organ about the size
of a walnut that sits below and behind the bladder,
made up of glandular tissue, ducts, muscle tissue,
and fibrous tissue. It surrounds the urethra,
the urine outflow tract from the bladder, and
it produces prostatic fluids that combine with
sperm from the testicles and other secretions
to form semen. These fluids help sperm survive
and improve their motility.
Some prostate muscle fibers surround the urethra
and help with urination. With orgasm, the muscles
push some of the prostate fluid with some of
the sperm from the testicles into the urethra
and out through the penis. Although it is small,
its strategic location leads to far more health
problems and medical care costs than would be
predicted from its size alone.
More than 50 percent of men over the
age of forty have prostate enlargement (benign
prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH), and after eighty
it is 80 to 90 percent, leading to urinary symptoms.
Surgery to remove prostate tissue is a common
procedure, but not always necessary. About 10
percent of men end up having prostate surgery
at some time, but natural treatments may help
men avoid it.
The prostate can become inflamed as a result
of infection with bacteria, or even more frequently
other organisms, leading to local aching, pain,
and burning on urination. This prostatitis,
can be acute or chronic. The prostate is also
subject to cellular changes that lead to cancer,
the most common cancer in men. Prostate cancers
are often undiagnosed, and only found at autopsy
when a man dies from other causes. As with many
other cancers, diet and lifestyle may play a
significant role in the development of prostate
cancer.
Natural remedies are usually the best way to
prevent and treat all prostate problems, including
BPH, prostatitis, and cancer, although conventional
treatments are sometimes necessary to relieve
symptoms, pain, and obstruction of the urine
flow.
Diets low in saturated fat and high in
carotenoids, flavonoids, antioxidants, vitamins,
and minerals are beneficial for prostate health.
These are primarily vegetables and fruits. Studies
have linked increased consumption of animal
fats to the development of advanced prostate
cancer.
Protective foods also include whole grains,
nuts, seeds, fish, and soy foods. For men with
prostate cancer, the risk of dying from it was
tripled among those with the highest animal
fat consumption compared to those with the lowest.
Diets that are rich in plant-based nutrients
also help BPH. Avoid hydrogenated oils that
interfere with normal fatty acid function.
Contamination of foods with pesticides and
hormones is a further problem related to food
choices. Both of these affect hormone balance,
and as a result can interfere with prostate
tissue. Choosing organic foods is best, especially
if you choose to consume meat, chicken, and
dairy products.
Regular exercise is also helpful for
prevention of BPH. Men who walked two to three
hours a week had a much lower risk of developing
prostate enlargement and a lower risk of ever
needing prostate surgery. Physical activity
also reduced symptoms in men with BPH. In general,
moderate exercise also lowers cancer risks.
Smoking increases symptoms of BPH for reasons
that are not clear. Perhaps it interferes with
nutritional factors or hormones. It is clearly
associated with increased risk of prostate cancer.
Small amounts of alcohol, on the other hand,
were associated with decreased symptoms. However,
with larger intakes of alcohol, the apparent
benefits were lost. Coffee drinking appears
to increase the risk of prostate cancer but
tea does not.
Many supplements help relieve the urinary
tract symptoms of BPH, as well as prevent and
treat prostate cancer. They also help reduce
the symptoms of inflammation,or prostatitis.
Specific supplements for treatment include zinc
and vitamin E, essential fatty acids such as
GLA (240 mg from borage oil), and omega-3 oils
such as flaxseed oil (1 to 2 tablespoons a day)
or fish oil (600 to 1200 mg of omega-3 oils
per day).
If you have symptoms, you should also consider
taking botanical products such as saw palmetto
(300 to 500 mg daily of standardized extract),
pygeum (50 to 75 mg), and nettle (500 to 750
mg).
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is the extract
of a berry from a small palm tree that grows
on the southeastern coast of the United States.
In many studies it has been shown to help prostate
symptoms. In fact, in comparing it with the
approved drug Proscar, it does a better job
of reducing frequency, urgency, nighttime urinations,
difficulty starting and stopping urine flow,
and the amount of residual urine left in the
bladder.
It has been common to recommend large doses
of zinc for BPH, in the range of 100 to 150
mg daily. However, I now recommend only 30 to
80 mg. Very large doses can interfere with normal
copper absorption and they may lower the good
HDL cholesterol levels. When you take a variety
of nutrients for prostate treatment, larger
doses of zinc are unnecessary.
For prostate cancer, and other cancers, I suggest
high doses of vitamin C (in the range of 10
grams a day), plus extra selenium, an anti-free
radical mineral, and large doses of coenzyme
Q10 (400 mg a day or more in a chewable form
for better absorption). I would also add some
Chinese herbs (one of the brands, called PC-SPES,
has been shown to reverse prostate cancer, but
it may also have some estrogenic side effects).
Other supplements for cancer may also help,
including calcium D-glucarate, beta 1-3 glucan,
and transfer factor, all to support immune function
or detoxification. This comprehensive program
prevents and treats prostate problems.
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A new article shows that St. John’s wort helps
with premenstrual syndrome to relieve the anxiety
and depression that often accompanies it. Although
it was only a pilot study, it is an important
indicator. This is only part of a complete treatment
program for PMS. Women with PMS also benefit
from better diets (no sugar or hydro genated
oils), regular exercise, and meditation. In
addition, I usually recommend supplements of
GLA(240 mg), magnesium (500 to 1000 mg), vitamin
E (400 IU), and vitamin B6 (250 mg) as part
of a comprehensive program for PMS.
Although I covered St. John’s wort and depression
in August, a new report in the September issue
Psychiatric Services requires comment. An article
cautioned against using herbs, such as St. John’s
wort, for psychiatric symptoms, kava kava and
valerian for anxiety, and ginkgo for memory,
suggesting that the supportive information is
not yet certain.
These authors are operating under the misconception
that psychiatric drugs in common use are certain
in their benefits and in their risk-benefit
ratio. This is not true. Controversy abounds
in this field, and the drugs have many side
effects, and sometimes serious consequences.
Even though there may be faults with some of
the herb studies, they consistently show benefits
with minimal risk of a few mild side effects.
Even these authors pointed out that in all of
the controlled studies, St. John’s wort was
better than placebo and as effective as the
drugs, but far safer.
It seems to me that their caution is misplaced
because in the same month yet another study
appeared showing that St. John’s wort was better
than antidepressant drugs for mild to moderate
psychiatric depression. Just how much proof
do they need?
Regarding ginkgo, 39 of 40 controlled studies
showed benefits for memory loss, concentration,
fatigue, anxiety, and depression, but still
the authors were not convinced! If it were me
or my family members, I would certainly want
to try ginkgo, considering the side benefits
of improved circulation that ginkgo provides.
(I combine ginkgo with phosphatidyl serine for
greater benefits to brain function.)
The review showed similar support for kava
kava and valerian for anxiety and sleep disturbances.
Ginkgo and Ginseng Together
It appears from some recent reports that ginkgo
and ginseng work together to improve memory
and cognitive function in adults. At a meeting
of the World Psychiatry Congress in Brussels,
a Dr. Wesnes updated his study from 1997, reporting
improved attention, concentration, and hand-eye
coordination. These results confirm that natural
products help the brain.
It is thought that ginkgo works on the small
blood vessels in the brain to improve circulation.
It is also beneficial in other circulatory disorders,
such as claudication, visual disturbances, migraines,
and Raynaud’s phenomenon (spasms of the blood
vessels in the hands in response to cold).
A number of studies have shown that American
ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) and Korean ginseng
(Panax ginseng) can help memory and performance
in animals when challenged with certain brain-impairing
drugs.
It has also been shown that ginkgo and vitamin
E can significantly delay the progression of
Alzheimer’s disease. In learning-disabled children,
supplements of magnesium, B-vitamins, zinc,
and vitamin C can boost performance.
•A diet that is mainly vegetarian lowers
both blood pressure and homocysteine levels,
but it is better to include some fish, nuts,
and seeds in the diet. In the hypertension study,
the diet was reduced in fats, red meats, sweets,
and sugar-containing beverages (Conlin PR, et
al., Am J Hypertens 2000 Sep;13(9):949-55),
but adding whole grains, nuts, and the animal
products (not red meat) improved results, probably
because the omega-3 oils in fish and nuts have
an antihypertensive effect. In the homocysteine
study (Appel LJ, Circulation 2000 Aug 22;102:852-857)
the combination diet also was better at lowering
homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease.
These authors conclude that it is clear that
heart disease is the result of adverse lifestyle
habits, and that it is preventable.
• I used to say that if someone needed high
dose B12 they would have to take injections,
but in recent studies (Delpre G, et al., Lancet
1999 Aug 28;354(9180):740-1) it turns out that
sublingual B12 in high doses is adequate for
most purposes. Daily doses of 1000 to 2000 mcg
provide significant increases in blood levels
in only a few days (although it is possible
that some people might benefit even more from
injections).
• Another study refutes the position
of antagonists to whole grains in the diet (Liu
S, et al., Am J Public Health 2000 Sep;90(9):1409-15).
This report shows that whole grains (whole wheat,
brown rice,oatmeal, etc.) reduce the risk of
type 2 diabetes, while refined grains increased
the risk. The results were not explained by
dietary fiber, magnesium, or vitamin E intake.
The authors speculate that the benefit might
be due to phytochemicals or antioxidants other
than the usual vitamins.
We all like some treats, and here is a healthy
one. Buy some silken tofu (custardy consistency)
and put it in a food processor (I use a VitaMix)
with frozen bananas, carob powder, natural vanilla,
and a small amount of honey or maple syrup–it
makes a great pudding, served with some shredded
almonds and coconut on top.
Another simple dessert idea: bake a banana
in its peel (with a small slit in it) until
its soft and the peel is black, squeeze it open
from the ends, add a few drops of vanilla, a
sprinkle of cinnamon, and serve it in the skin
with a spoon. It is a real treat, takes little
effort, and it will wow your guests. |
