2 Natural Treatments For An Enlarged Prostate

There are a number of natural and alternative treatments for the problem of an enlarged prostate and two of these are the use of pumpkin seeds and saw palmetto.Odd as it might seem, pumpkin seeds have a number of healing properties and they have been found to be especially effective for many man suffering from an enlarged prostate. Pumpkin seed have three properties which are particularly useful in this case.The first is that pumpkin seeds contain fatty oil that acts as a natural diuretic and helps to improve urine flow and counter the restrictive effect of an enlarged prostate gland on the urethra.The second property of pumpkin seeds is that they contain high levels of zinc so that a half a cup of seeds contains about eight milligrams of zinc. Studies have clearly shown that taking zinc can literally reduce the size of an enlarged prostate and many doctors recommend taking sixty milligrams a day in order to combat benign prostatic hypertrophy (an enlarged prostate). Care should be taken though and it is a good idea to talk to your doctor before raising your zinc intake to this level as it is above the normally recommended daily level.The third benefit of pumpkin seeds is that they are high in animo acids such as alanine, glycerine and glutamic acid, all of which have again been shown to provide significant symptomatic relief.Saw palmetto is also widely used for prostrate problems. Found in the southeastern states, saw palmetto is a small palm tree the seeds of which formed an important part of the diet of Seminole Indians. Saw palmetto works by turning testosterone into dihyrotestosterone which is precisely the process used in Proscar, which is one of the very few over-the-counter treatments approved for prostate problems by the Food and Drug Administration. Its essential benefit is that it increases urinary flow, reduces the problem of residual urine and, as a consequence of both, also lessens the frequency of urination.As with most natural treatments opinions vary widely as to the effectiveness of saw palmetto, but there have been a number of studies carried out over the years which have clearly shown that it does produce a significant benefit. In one study, a clinical study involving more than two thousand men in Germany suffering from benign prostatic hypertrophy, a daily dose of just one or two grams of saw palmetto seeds produced a substantial easing of symptoms.These are of course just two of the many alternative cures available but there is no doubt that these and similar natural treatments can and do work. Just as an example, it is thought that about thirty percent of American men suffer from an undiagnosed prostate cancer by the time they reach the age of sixty compared to just one percent of Artic Inuit men at the same age. There may of course be several reasons for this enormous difference, but one difference which most doctors consider to be very significant is simply the fact the diet of Artic Inuit men is high in fish oil.So, if you are suffering from an enlarged prostate then, before you turn to your doctor for treatment, you may find that simply adjusting your diet and looking at your intake of various vitamins and minerals may be all that is needed.