"P" is for Prostate.....

With prostate problems affecting roughly 12% of men, chances are you, or someone you care about, will eventually have to deal with this problem. The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut, which sits just below the bladder in men and is an integral part of the male reproductive system. The prostate goes through 2 main periods of growth: the first period of growth occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size.

At about the age of 25, the prostate begins to grow again. This second phase of growth often results in what constitutes an enlarged prostate. As the prostate becomes larger, the layer of tissue surrounding it stops it from expanding, causing the prostate to press against the urethra.
While the studies do not all concur, it is generally believed that most men over the age of 45 experience some amount of prostate enlargement, but may live free of symptoms. This prostate enlargement is usually harmless, but it often causes problems urinating later on in life.

By age 60, it is believed that over 80% of all men experience some sort of problem with urinating due to prostate enlargement. Prostate enlargement is not a malignant condition, but it does put pressure on the urethra and can create a number of urinary problems such as frequent urination, urinary urgency, the need to get up at night to urinate, difficulty starting, a reduction to the force of the urine stream, terminal dribbling, incomplete emptying of the bladder and even the inability to urinate at all.

If left unchecked, benign prostate enlargement can cause serious health problems over time, including urinary tract infections, kidney or bladder damage, bladder stones, incontinence. It is important to take care of your prostate as you would any other organ and address any prostate problems you may be having.
"Enlarged prostate", the medical term for which is BPH - short for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy - has historically been treated surgically - by removing all or part of the prostate. While this will result in most people experiencing a relief of their symptoms, it may also leave them impotent. For men who want to maintain their vitality, surgery should only be used as a last resort.

Saw Palmetto For An Enlarged Prostate:

Saw palmetto is the ripe berry of a low, scrubby palm tree that grows wild in the. southeastern United States. During the first half of this century, it was widely used for urinary and genital ailments, according to herb expert Varro Tyler.

Three good studies in France and Italy looked at a total of 280 men who were waking up to go to the bathroom an average of about four times a night. The 140 of them who took 320 mg of saw palmetto a day for one to three months averaged one less nightly trip to the bathroom than the 140 men who were given a placebo. The saw-palmetto-takers also said that urinating wasn't as painful or difficult as before, and they were able to empty more of their bladders.

Drugs are now commonly prescribed first, one of the more popular being "Proscar", manufactured by the Merck company. Proscar is actually a somewhat dangerous substitute for a classic herb, as a great number of pharmaceutical drugs are. The herbal remedy pirated in this case is the saw palmetto berry.

For men who suffer from prostate enlargement, saw palmetto is the place to start. Saw palmetto has a long history of diminishing inflammation and enlargement of the prostate as well as inhibiting the hormones which causes prostate enlargement.

Saw palmetto is a shrub which grows in Georgia and Florida along the ocean. Saw palmetto causes no side effects at the recommended dosage. This is in sharp contrast with the drug Proscar. Proscar has many serious side effects, which are listed on the package insert, published in advertisements for the drug, and they are also listed in the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR).