When a patient is first diagnosed with prostate cancer and has had all the relevant tests to check the extent of the disease he will normally have an appointment with his doctor to discuss what is best. Prostate cancer treatment will depend on the extent of the cancer and on the intent of the treatment. For example early prostate cancers will be treated with surgery, radiotherapy or watchful waiting. Prostate cancer surgery is a definite possibility for many men in the early stages of the disease and so the subject should be discussed with the doctor. Late prostate cancers will be treated with hormone therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a mixture of all 3. Often patients will be given a choice of treatments by the doctor and the pros and cons of each option explained. There is no best cancer of prostate treatment because the treatment you receive will depend on the extent of your cancer.

PROSTATE CANCER RADIOTHERAPY (COMMONLY CALLED PROSTATE CANCER RADIATION TREATMENT)

Many men undergo radiotherapy as it is often regarded as the best prostate cancer treatment. This may be with the aim to cure the cancer or to shrink and control it depending on the stage. Often hormone treatment is given prior to radiation treatment to help reduce the size of the cancer and improve the rate of cure. Small cancers don’t need this hormone pre-treatment.

TYPES OF PROSTATE CANCER RADIOTHERAPY

Radiotherapy is the treatment for cancer of the prostate with radiation. This is most often as X-rays which pass through the body and kill the cancer cells in its path known as “external beam radiotherapy”. The alternative way to treat the prostate is from within the body using small radioactive sources known as “brachytherapy”. Brachytherapy is only suitable for a small proportion of men with early prostate cancer and with a suitable sized prostate gland. It has the advantage of slightly fewer side effects during the treatment but would not be so effective at curing more bulky prostate cancers.

EXTERNAL BEAM RADIOTHERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER

The majority of men with cancer of the prostate will have this type of radiation treatment. It is given by a machine called a Linear Accelerator. This makes high energy X-rays which are good at killing cancer cells. Linear accelerators are worked by radiographers who will also help you get into the right position for your treatment and give you advice during your treatment.

For the treatment the patient has to lie on a thin couch, rather like those used in the CT or MRI scanners. The machine then moves around the patient to deliver X-rays from several different angles, all pointing towards the prostate gland. Each treatment takes approximately 10 minutes to give, and the full dose of treatment is spread out to be given every day over a few weeks. This helps to give a big enough dose to the prostate to kill the cancer whilst reducing the side effects of treatment.

To make sure you are in the correct position and the prostate is being treated properly either an X-ray picture or more usually an extra CT scan will be taken before treatment starts to locate the prostate gland accurately. At this time you will also be given several tattoos (tiny dots on the skin) so that when you lie on the couch for each treatment the radiographers can make sure you are lined up properly. This helps to make sure the prostate gland is treated fully and to reduce side effects.

Patients are not able to feel X-rays or even be aware that the treatment machine is on. However as patients go through the weeks of treatment there are a number of common side effects that can be expected. Most of these are short term side effects which slowly build up through the treatment, are worst at or just after the end of treatment and then improve quite quickly (within a few weeks). There are also some long-term or late side effects which can occur.

Adrian Jones writes on several forms of cancer. Further information is available on his website dealing with

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Prostatitis is one of the most common conditions that affect the prostate gland.
The other common problems are prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hypertrophy)
and prostate cancer.

Prostatitis is the infection of the prostate. The prostate is the small
gland that is doughnut shaped located at the bottom of the bladder.
The prostate sits halfway between the rectum and the base
of the penis.

The prostate circles the urethra. The urethra is the tube that carries
urine from the bladder out through the penis. This gland produces most
of thefluid in semen.

An infection of the prostate can be diagnosed as either acute prostatitis
or chronic prostatitis. Acute prostatitis develops suddenly and presents
the following symptoms:

* Chills and fever
*Strong urge to urinate
*Frequent urination with only small amounts of urine produced.
*Low back or abdominal pain
*Occasionally there is blood in the urine
*Pain and burning when urination occurs and when ejaculating

Chronic prostatitis symptoms are milder than those in acute prostatitis.
The chills and fever that alert the acute prostatitis sufferers that there
is a problem are not symptoms that are seen in individuals with chronic prostatitis.
Both infections can be the result of a urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs happen less often in men than women. However,
as men age, the prostate becomes more vulnerable to this type of infection.

Men with abnormalities of the urinary tract, such as kidney stones or an enlarged
prostate, are more prone to urinary infection.
An enlarged prostate gland also can slow the flow of urine, thus raising the risk
of infection.

The cause of the UTI is an overgrowth of the E-coli bacteria which is usually present
in the digestive system. If the UTI is left untreated, it can cause permanent damage
to other organs of the body.

Prostate infections can usually be treated on an outpatient basis.
Both chronic and acute prostatitis present with pain in the pelvis or perineum.
Prostate infections respond well to an antibiotic regimen. Antibiotic treatment
is the traditional first line of defense against both types of infection.

If the infection re-occurs,long term antibiotic therapy may be warranted.

The doctor will prescribe an antibiotic after taking a test of the urine and
will then determine the best anti-biotic to prescribe.

Alternative medicine recommendations for treating prostatitis include:

1)Drinking large amounts of water.
2)Using herbs that contain antibiotic and anti-inflammatory
properties.

The recommended herbs are:

*Echinacea,
*Goldenseal
*Garlic

These herbs are thought to help reduce inflammation and knock out
the infection. In addition, Echinacea and Siberian Ginseng are
immune-system enhancers. These herbs have properties that are
thought to help the bodies natural defense system build resistance.

3) Daily regimen of vitamin and mineral supplements that include
*Antioxidants,
*Vitamins A,C, E,
*Beta-carotene and Selenium.
*60 mg. of Zinc Picolinate if symptoms are present
*30 mg. without symptoms.

4)Cranberry juice may help to prevent infection from spreading to
the bladder from the prostate. Can be taken as a juice, or as chewable tablets.

5) Hot baths help soothe the pain and reduce stress.

6)Eat whole grains, steamed vegetables, fresh fruits, herb teas
and tinctures, such as Saw Palmetto and Siberian Ginseng,
are good for the male reproductive system

7) Use natural diuretics that help flush urine, prevent urine build-up,
and provide support for other preventive methods

When men have painful urinary symptoms, infection is not always present.
there is another problem that is related to stress or anxiety that is called
prostatodynia.
Prostatodynia (or Prostadynia) is the non-inflammatory chronic pelvic pain
syndrome, it is the occurrence of prostatitis symptoms, without inflammation
or bacterial infection.

The best defense for prostatitis is prevention. Men can reduce their chances

for prostatitis by following a few simple guidelines:

*Increase water intake to 8-12 glasses per day. The increased fluids will
help flush the urinary tract.

*Avoid over consumption of alcohol and coffee.
Caffeine causes a strong and frequent urge to urinate.
Remember colas and other beverages contain caffeine.
*Control stress. A high stress level has been shown to contribute to the
onset of prostatodynia.

It is always a smart move to get a diagnosis from your health care provider
before starting any type of alternative or traditional treatment at home.
See your doctor to confirm the onlineprostatehealthguide.com/article-64-what-Is-prostatitis.html diagnosis of Prostatitis
and then make the decision to use alternative or traditional treatment for relief.

Find more answers to the question of onlineprostatehealthguide.com/article-64-what-Is-prostatitis.html what is prostatitis by visiting onlineprostatehealthguide.com, a popular website that provides prostate cancer tips, advice and resources to include information on the prostate gland, Gleason scores and natural prostate cancer treatments.

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Colon cancer starts with colon polyps. Polyps are growths in the inner lining of your colon walls. They are formed when the inner lining is irritated or attacked by fecal matter toxins. When you have colon polyps, you dramatically increase your risk of getting colon cancer.

To prevent getting colon cancer you need to prevent getting polyps. If you have polyps then you need to prevent them from becoming cancerous.

Here are some ideas that you can use in preventing colon cancer whether you have or do not have polyps.

Polyps occur when your fecal matter is toxic and becomes stagnant. When your fecal matter stops moving in your colon, then toxic matter in the fecal matter comes in contact with your colon wall. It is this colon area that becomes irritated and over time weakens. As inflammation sets in and irritation continues, toxins are absorbed into the colon wall and a growth occurs. This growth will continue as long as you continue to have toxic fecal matter and constipation.

Here are two things that can help you from creating and irritating polyps.

First eliminate any form of constipation. You have constipation if you don’t have at least two bowel movements daily when you have three meals a day. Determine how long it takes for your food to pass through your body. A good rule of thumb is, it should take about 24 hours for food to travel from your mouth and out your anus.

After you eat breakfast in the morning, drink 6 – 8 oz of any juice with 2 oz of liquid chlorophyll. You can use 2 oz of red beet juice if you prefer. Then check when you start to see either green or red stools. This is your colon transit time. If it takes more than 24 hours then you need to reduce this time.

Preventing colon cancer requires that fecal matter move through your colon without remaining at one spot for too long.

The second thing you can do to prevent colon cancer is to change your fecal matter toxic level. Two things that make your fecal matter more toxic are undigested food and carcinogenic chemicals.

Since, most processed foods such as breads, packaged foods, cooked foods, processed meats, and pasteurized liquids lack digestive enzymes, your body is unable to digest all of the food that you eat. When undigested food reaches the colon, it is decomposed by bad bacteria and becomes highly toxic.

To correct this toxicity, start eating more raw foods such as fruits and vegetables, which are filled with enzymes. Try ten servings a day. It’s a lot isn’t it? But, that what we need to stop colon cancer or other colon irritations.

Next, read food labels and avoid those foods, as much as possible, which contain excessive preservative, coloring, dyes, fillers, and food stabilizers. There are hundreds of chemicals that are added to your food which help to keep the food from falling apart and decaying. Many of these chemicals are not digested in the small intestine and move into the colon where then make the fecal matter more toxic.

These are two steps that you can start applying for preventing colon cancer. If you have polyps, then these steps will help to keep them in check and reduce your risk of getting colon cancer.

Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. To get more tips and discover more ideas on how to prevent getting colon cancer, go to: coloncancerawareness.info coloncancerawareness.info

To discover how to eliminate constipation go to: remedies-for-constipation.com remedies-for-constipation.com

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Dass is a 46-year old male. He had problems of irregular bowel movements. Sometimes he had to empty his bowels twice a day, sometimes once every two to three days. The stools were often hard and caused pains. Eventually, he lost his appetite and was nauseous whenever he ate. The food seemed unable to go down the stomach. Even eating a bit of food made him feel full. Dass had this problem for over four years. The last year was more serious — he suffered pains and the stools were black and bloodstained. Then, one night he had severe stomach pain. He saw a doctor who took many X-rays of his abdomen. The doctor advised him to see a specialist immediately. After seeing the specialist, an operation was done the following day.

The surgeon removed a lump from the colon, which was the size of a tennis ball. Everything was well for Dass and he was given chemotherapy for about an entire year. The chemotherapy was administered once every two weeks. When the chemo-treatments were completed, the blood test showed everything was alright. He continued with his routine monthly check-up.

In December 1997, Dass suffered pains again in the abdomen and he coughed non-stop. The doctor told Dass that he had a recurrent cancer and needed a second operation. The medical report dated 12 December 1997 stated the following: “Resected colon shows an infiltrating, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma Duke’s Stage B. The surgical margin nearer to the tumour shows dysplastic changes in some mucosal glands.”

After the second operation, the doctor told Dass to go for another session of chemotherapy but he refused. He came to CA Care for herbs on 16 January 1998. After only one week on the herbs, his appetite improved and he felt better. And up to this day (November 2006, i.e., almost nine years on the herbs), Dass is still in good health.

Dass is doing well and is indeed happy about this. What do you think would have happened if Dass were to go for chemotherapy as suggested after his second surgery?

Although Dass is not an educated man he is wise and has a great deal of common sense. In the first instance, the chemo-treatment did cure Dass at all. But in spite of this, there are many many people who would still go for more and more chemotherapy. They consider chemotherapy as a safer path to take — just to be sure. And it gives a good feeling — I feel safe. But is it really safe?

Story extracted from the author’s book: Cancer Success Stories 1: In Search of a Cure.

For more information on complementary cancer therapy visit: cacare.com cacare.com, BookOnCancer.com BookOnCancer.com, NaturalHealingForYou.com NaturalHealingForYou.com

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