Four Days to Father's Day- Managing Lemon Sized Prostates

T-minus four days until Father's Day! While you wait for that fountain pen, necktie, pair of socks, or golf club to get delivered in time for Sunday, did you know there's a free gift you can add on top of that? This free gift isn't cheesy or cheap- it's of high value to your dad! That gift is health awareness. June is Men's Health Month, which makes sense since it takes place on the same month as Father's Day. Men's Health Month covers the awareness of many mental and physical conditions that either affect men due to their anatomy or due to disproportionate rates of occurrence. Compared to women, men are more likely to die earlier, get heart disease, die by suicide, develop cancer, and more. But it doesn't have to all be bleak from here! Men can reduce their risk if they visit the doctor more often, vocalize more often, and get more support and awareness from their peers. 

This is why Men's Health Month is important for putting the spotlight on men's health. Men's health should obviously be important year-round, but we may need reminders along the way, such as Prostate Health Month in September and No Shave November (or Movember). 

We choose to raise awareness of BPH, also known as prostate enlargement, because it is something that as men get older, they are likely to encounter. The prostate in an average adult man is often compared to the size of a walnut, but when BPH occurs, the size of the prostate may grow to the size of a lemon. This makes it push against the bladder above it as well as squeeze the urethra which it surrounds, making the urine go through a more narrow path out of the body. Frequent urination, slow urinary flow, struggle to stop and start urinating, dribbling, and sensation of remaining urine in the bladder after voiding are among the uncomfortable symptoms men may feel when they have BPH. 

Seeing a doctor to get the right diagnosis as well as getting educated on the condition and management methods are all important to having a good quality of life and finding relief from BPH. Relief from BPH, especially in the mild stages, can start with healthy lifestyle modifications, a more nutritious diet, a decrease in excess body fat, clinically proven plant based treatment, heat therapy, double voiding techniques, timing of water intake, physical activity, and more. 

If the dad you are getting a gift for is in his 40s or older, it may be good to spread this knowledge in case he doesn't know BPH by name but is familiar with the symptoms. Give the dads in your life the gifts they can enjoy, but also give them the gift of better health!