You Want to Find Relief From BPH Naturally?

Although the advancement of medicine has supported us in many ways, there has always been a concern for side effects associated with certain treatments and medications. The same goes for men who have a condition called BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), which is where the prostate is enlarged and may cause interference with urinary function (frequent urination, slow urinary flow, dribbling, sensation of remaining urine, etc.). Some medications prescribed for BPH may be associated with side effects such as dizziness, sexual dysfunction, decreased libido, and nausea. Some surgical procedures may also carry risks in urinary and sexual function. This isn't to say that medication and surgery should not be considered, especially because some forms of severe BPH may call for these treatments, and if the doctor and patient can weigh the benefits and risks, they can think of the most appropriate course of action depending on the patient's situation. 

For men with mild BPH or BPH that is just starting to occur, men may think of natural treatments to help minimize the symptoms. Natural ingredients also need to be reviewed carefully to ensure the patient is not allergic, or that the natural ingredients do not clash with current medications the patient may be taking. A safe, plant based treatment that is clinically proven to be effective may encourage more studies and more men to give it a try. For an example of natural BPH treatments out there, UMOOZE, which uses astragalus and soy, has had a study which can be reviewed on clinicaltrials.gov. 

If we can raise awareness of BPH, we can look into more solutions, especially for men who may not be able to take medications or undergo surgery for specific health related reasons. Providing more solutions for a condition that most men may deal with later in life is important. More men are living longer and having to experience urinary discomfort and reduced quality of life. Let's support men with BPH and young men who may have BPH in the future! It is possible to marry the idea of effective natural treatment with a better quality of life!   

Honoring the Memory of Fallen Veterans and Caring for Veterans Living with BPH

Monday the 25th was Memorial Day in the United States, a day to remember the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. The solemn day of remembrance was not halted by the global pandemic, and many families and comrades of the fallen were able to pay their respects. Even for the veterans who are still with us to share their experiences, this day to remember their fallen brothers is just as important. To the veterans with us today, we thank you for your service to the land of the free. 

One of the things that came to mind with the veteran community is that many of the veterans are male. A graph in 2018 about the gender demographics of veterans shows there were approximately 1.6 female veterans compared to a whopping 16.3 million male veterans. In terms of age demographics, there are also more large groups of veterans in their 30-40s, 50-60s and 70s and up. With a large population of older male veterans, urologists have offered support to veterans struggling with severe BPH in the form of new procedures. For those who don't know, BPH is benign prostatic hyperplasia, a condition that men may experience in older age when the prostate gland grows in size. This may interfere with urinary and sexual function in men. 

Examples of symptoms include frequent urination (especially at night), slow urinary flow, trouble with starting or stopping urinary flow, sensation of remaining urine, straining, dribbling, etc. 

One of the reasons why BPH awareness is important is, we need to make sure we can take care of men in and out of our lives who are likely to face this condition as they get older. This goes for our heroic veterans as well. This last week of May as the month comes to a close, June (Men's Health Month) is just around the corner. We need to increase and continue the support for men's health so that men with BPH can find safer solutions and support from their peers. 

30 Million Men and 30 Million Large Prostates

According to Medscape, in 2019 approximately 30 million men globally had BPH. That's about the population of Texas, USA. Although the world population is over 7.5 billion, 30 million men is not a small number. Big or small, the fact of the matter is that men are likely to develop BPH as they age. In case you're wondering, BPH is benign prostatic hyperplasia. It's the medical term for an enlarged prostate. When the prostate grows larger, it may inhibit urinary flow and increase urinary urges. BPH can interfere with sleeping habits, daily activities and even sexual activity with a partner.

Why should the world care about BPH? There are at least 30 million reasons. Better sleep, better sexual life, and overall better quality of life are what men with BPH are striving for. 

Frequent urination (dysuria), frequent urination at night (nocturia), slow urinary flow, incontinence, urges and hesitancy, sensation of remaining urine, kidney and bladder issues, and more may occur when a man develops BPH. 

Ignoring BPH is not the answer. You'll be looking for the nearest bathroom, losing out on a good night's rest, having issues in the bedroom, and feel uncomfortable when you try to relieve yourself. This is not a good way to live. It also shouldn't take the worsening of symptoms to push yourself to manage your BPH. If you can manage your prostate health, you can feel relief and a sense of freedom!     

Do you know about BPH? If you have it, what are you doing to manage your BPH? 

Your Large Prostate is Disrupting Your Sleep

Did you know that May is Better Sleep Month? Did you know that some men with BPH (prostate enlargement) have to get up many times a night to go to the bathroom, and therefore are losing out on a good night's sleep? That's why if you have BPH, it's important for you to think about how to get a better night's sleep, and what better month to think about that than now? The goal of BPH treatment is to help manage and reduce symptoms that disrupt your day to day life. You may also know frequent urination as nocturia. So how can you combat nocturia associated with BPH?

If you're getting up many times a night and experiencing nocturia, make sure you've talked to your doctor to know if it's BPH. There are a few urinary and prostatic conditions that display similar symptoms, so it's important to know if what you have is BPH. 

You should drink more fluids during the day and less at night. Drinking fluids regularly will help you make the urine less thick in the bladder and help reduce irritation. However, you should avoid or reduce irritants to the bladder like caffeine, spices, and alcohol.

Here are some additional tips from Dr. Tan:
You should try to...
- Elevate your legs before going to sleep so that fluids don't accumulate in the lower body and increase urinary urges. 

- Go to the bathroom just before you go to sleep so you can sleep with an empty bladder and reduce the trips early on in your sleep cycle. 

If you'd like tips for getting back to sleep when getting up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip, you can try these tips:
- If you have trouble getting back to sleep after getting up, try a white noise machine or ambient music to help lull you to sleep.
- Install a dim light in your toilet bowl or use a dim light setting to reduce the sensation of being awake from bright lights. 
- Keep a bed pan or pee bottle near your bed so you can relieve yourself and get back to sleep sooner.

- Ensure your mattress is still in good quality in terms of your preferred firmness or softness to help you fall asleep.   

You know that sleep is important to maintain your immune system and get through the day with less stress and more energy. Don't let BPH get in the way of your sleep or your quality of life!

Lower Incidence Rate of Prostate Enlargement (BPH) in Asian Men

The month of may is Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a time to celebrate the achievements of the Asian community as well as promote more inclusivity and diversity that openly welcomes the participation of people with Asian descent in the workplace, in our media, in our healthcare, and more. The experiences, insight, and work contributed by the Asian community has strengthened and expanded the multicultural fabric of many countries around the world. One area we want to explore in particular is the reception of traditional Chinese medicine. Many people have sought natural alternatives or complementary solutions to the management of health ailments. In Asia, herbal remedies and plant based therapies have been well received for generations to help with a variety of conditions. This includes a condition we passionately write about in our blogs, BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). This is a condition that commonly occurs in older men where the prostate gland increases in size, which may create issues within the urinary tract, including frequent urination, slow or poor urinary flow, sensation of residual urine, urges, trouble starting and stopping urination, pushing or forcing urine, etc. 

It also just so happens that Asian men have been found to have a lower incidence rate of BPH. Some have suggested diet has a role because of soy, which is somewhat of a staple in Asian cuisine, as well as a balanced diet more inclusive of plant based nutrition. It could be that the prostate is growing at a slower rate in Asian men, or that they feel the symptoms less intensely due to an effective lifestyle management. Herbs such as astragalus, which support immune function, may also help. This was found in a clinical trial for the plant based supplement UMOOZE with astragalus and soy extracts in a study for men with BPH.  

All in all, if you have been interested in exploring natural solutions to mild BPH that can be safely implemented alongside a healthy lifestyle you may look to the Asian men's health community for potential support! 

So Your Large Prostate Embarrasses You

It's no wonder that you almost never hear men talk about it. Well, another reason could be that not many men know their condition is called BPH. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a condition in which the prostate gland grows in size and may interfere with urinary function (frequent urination, urges, poor flow, slow flow, sensation of remaining urine, etc). 

And let's be for real, when was the last time you talked about your prostate to your friends and family? Maybe the power of online communities makes it easier to ask questions about your prostate, be it in your search browser or a forum. This is why everyone should learn about BPH, no matter if you're a young high school boy or a woman in their mid 30s, and everything under the sun. 

Maybe you're reluctant to talk about the prostate because many public conversations about the prostate involve jokes about awkward encounters with your doctor's gloved finger or comparing a senator's prostate to the size of watermelon (yes, Jimmy Kimmel joked that Mitch McConnell's prostate must have been the size of a watermelon due to his frequent request for dinner breaks during a senate hearing). These sorts of comments may discourage men from being more open to talk about their prostate at the risk of being made fun of. However, we want you to know that even if such comments were to come your way, real friends and family will realize that your health is important and they will support you in your BPH management journey. 

The more we know about BPH and how it can interfere with a man's life, the more we can make strides in our community to support BPH patients. There are many physiological conditions that may be embarrassing to bring up, so talking to your doctor, trusted circles and support groups on and offline may help. Remember to search and share information responsibly if you are looking things up online. 

This Better Sleep Month, let's get a good night's rest by managing our BPH!
This Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, let's take the examples and contributions by the Asian community to learn more about how we may be able to manage BPH naturally! 

How Do You Get a Good Night's Rest When You Have BPH?

May is Better Sleep Month, as well as Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We appreciate the contributions of the Asian community around the world, and we also want to encourage better sleep. This goes especially for the men around the world struggling with BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), also known as prostate enlargement. 

As a man gets older, his prostate gland grows in size. Due to the fact that it's situated under the bladder and surrounding the urethra, an enlarged prostate may cause men to experience frequent urination, especially at night. Getting up to go to the bathroom many times a night can disrupt a good night's rest. We want men to know it's important to address their BPH and consider their options when it comes to symptom management. We also want the public, regardless if you're not a man or a man with BPH, to know that this condition exists. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging that the problem exists in the first place. 

Although frequent urination at night could be dealt with by keeping a bed pan under the bed so you could potentially fall asleep faster, if men don't take action with their overall health, BPH could interfere with quality of life. 

For men with BPH to get a good night's rest, drinking healthy fluids like water during the day and less fluids at night is a start. It may sound counter-intuitive to drink fluids regularly if you're experiencing frequent urination, but not drinking fluids at all could cause dehydration, and it can also make the urine in your bladder thicker, causing irritation and difficulty in passing. 

Mild BPH can be managed with watchful waiting if recommended by your doctor, and in that watchful waiting period you may make lifestyle adjustments such as reducing diuretics (tea and coffee) which make your bladder more active, reducing bladder irritants such as spicy foods, reducing excess body fat through physical activity and a nutritious and portion balanced meal plan, and warm baths to increase blood circulation to the prostate.  

We hope that this month, you can achieve better sleep from managing your BPH! Asian men have a low incidence rate of prostate problems like BPH, and it has been suggested that this may be to the inclusion of more plant based nutrition in their diet, including soy. We could learn from the example of the Asian community in how to consider plant based treatments (TCM, traditional Chinese medicine) and adding soy to our meals, which is high in protein but low in fat. 

Let's give it up for better sleep and the Asian community!