The Effect Of Saw Palmetto In Natural Prostate Cancer Treatment

There must be few Americans that have not even heard of the saw palmetto and how it is full of health benefits for those who use it in various forms. The botanical name of the species is serenoa repens, known well for its application in alternative medicine. The herb is basically just a small palm with a sprawling trunk that grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal lands.

Studies have found that the fruits of the saw palmetto are highly enriched with fatty acids and phytosterols, leading to these extracts being the subjects of intensive research for the treatment of various urinary tract infections and other medical conditions.

Early studies found that the saw palmetto in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) yielded encouraging results, suggesting that there was good tolerability and “mild to moderate improvement in urinary symptoms and flow measures“.

Today it has been determined by further research that this extract from the berry of the parsley may also have anti-cancer properties. This latest was announced by researchers at a meeting of The American Society (ACS) for Cell Biology.

Another group of researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts stated that they “wanted to know if the saw palmetto had any effect on prostate cancer cells”  because already it was that the berry extract had some effect on the prostate. To that end they analyzed the effects of saw palmetto berry extract on cancer cells and found encouraging results.

The saw palmetto berry extract decreases cell growth of the prostate cancer tumors in a good number of the test subjects, and in other instances slowed the growth of generic cancer cells. Understandably researchers have seen this kind of thing before, so that they are a lot more careful about getting excited. Instead they choose to look closer at what they are dealing with so that more definitive results can be derived.

According to findings, the primary therapeutic action of the herb is to interfere with the forming of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) by compromising 5-alpha and 3-alpha reductase actions in the body, and also to block the action of DHT to receptors on prostate cells using 3-ketosteroid reductase. Based on the same research, it has now been determined that there are anti-inflammatory and antiestrogenic effects that can be gotten from the use of saw palmetto in therapy.

The purified extract of saw palmetto contains about 95% fatty acids and sterols, but what is available in the market may be different than that. However, since the saw palmetto is now known to have these beneficial effects on prostate cancer, it might help if one could maintain only small bits of it all through life as a preventive measure.

Alternative Treatment of Prostate Cancer- Oregano Spice Can Help

A recent submission to six scientific societies in the United States reveals that a herb that is commonly used as spice for Italian cuisines can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. This revelation followed the research conducted on the numbers of Italian men and American men that have developed the disease.

It was discovered that Italian men have lower rate of cancer of the prostate than men in the United States. One major factor responsible for this difference is that Italian men do consume Oregano, which is usually used as spices in Pizzas. The following are more details on this presentation:

Italian men have a lower incidence of prostate cancer when compared to men in the United States. And a recent study by Long Island University researchers may have discovered part of their secret in a common spice they frequently consume—oregano.

The results of the study were presented at the Experimental Biology 2012 poster session on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Experimental Biology is an annual gathering of six scientific societies—American Association of Anatomists (AAA), American Physiological Society (APS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men and the second leading cause of cancer death. According to the latest statistics available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control more than 29,000 men died of prostate cancer in 2007. The current treatment options for patients—surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy and vaccine therapy—all involve significant risks and side effects.

Oregano is typically associated with Italian cuisine and a common spice added to pizza seasoning. For thousands of years oregano has been prized as a medicinal herb by holistic healers. Hippocrates, a Greek physician and the father of Western medicine, used it for stomach and respiratory ailments. Benedictine healer and herbalist Hildegard of Bingen purportedly used oregano for female and respiratory problems. The Greeks and Romans used oregano medicinally for aching muscles and spider bites.

Modern science has discovered that oregano possesses an abundance of therapeutic qualities, including antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Oregano essential oil is used for wart removal, arthritis, respiratory infections and as a digestive aid. The primary active compound of oregano is carvacrol. Click here to read the full extract.

The link of Oregano with prostate cancer is nothing short of a breakthrough. This is an alternative medication and it can work well to prevent cancer of the prostate. It is my opinion that this herb, when included among other forms of prostate cancer treatments, could be more effective with fewer side effects. For now, as more research is being carried out on this herb, there is hope that the medicinal properties of this herb would be extracted to treat cancer in the prostate cells.

Finally, the Oregano – prostate cancer theory provides support for other theories like those linking the eating of Pizza with the prevention of cancer of the prostate.

 

Natural Prostate Cancer Treatments That Are Increasingly Popular

The thing about treating a disease by natural procedures and processes is that there are usually fewer side effects to deal with than in the instance of conventional medical remedies. This is especially true concerning iniquitous prostate cancer; just about all the known conventional treatments for the condition have unpalatable side effects that make men seriously consider living out their lives and letting the disease take its course… except that common sense eventually takes over.

And that is what natural treatments really are, common sense. Treating a disease like prostate cancer by natural means that can be found in the immediate environs is certainly an option when most of the other options are really not very attractive. And the fact that these natural treatments are mostly easily available and affordable only makes them that much more toothsome.

One of the most popular (and growing) natural treatments for prostate cancer at this time is lycopene. Sourced from tomatoes and several other red pigmented fruits and vegetables, lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that has been researched for a long time to determine exactly how it helps in the prevention of prostate cancer. Already it has been determined to have serious protective effects when dealing with certain forms of cancer, and at the moment its precise uses in prostate cancer prevention and treatment are being explored in vitro and in vivo.

The mineral selenium is an element that is often found alongside vitamin E, which itself has been proven to have health giving effects against several ailments. According to certain reports, factors that may increase prostate cancer risk include low intake of vitamin E and the mineral selenium because it has been found to have anticarcinogenic effects in all kinds of studies.

In studies selenium in moderate does over long-term use appears to block the progress of prostate tumors lowers risk of the cancer, though large amounts of the element are toxic. Ongoing clinical tests should confirm this in just a few years.

And speaking of vitamins, abundant in fruits and vegetables, they have been associated with lowered risk of various forms of cancer as well. Specifically with respect to prostate cancer, dietary amounts of certain vitamins have been found to contribute to prostate cancer risk.

The last paragraph mentions vitamin E, but there is also vitamin D, lower blood levels of which may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer while on the contrary, high plasma levels of it may have a protective effect that is yet being studied in clinical trials. Vitamin A, and not the synthetic vitamin A palmitate, may also lower the risk of certain cancers, so a man looking to treat prostate cancer or prevent it may as well indulge.

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