Plumbing Problems (by Phillip Dunn)

Whether you are a plumber or not, you would know that routing your copper water supply line directly through the hot coals of your fire would not prove to be a sensible long term idea. In short order you would finish up with a distorted pipe and no water from your tap. The male plumbing system seems to have a major fault, in that the outflow from the bladder is routed via the prostate gland. From the age of 45 or so the gland grows in size and in many men begins to close off the urethra, the passageway through which the urine flows to escape through the penis. It is understood that some 350,000 men visit their GP each year with prostate problems, what is disturbing is that they are told to come back when their symptoms are worse. Many have not explained to their GP the drastic effect that their enlarged prostate is having on their lives, instead making light of their problems. They are usually told they can expect this sort of thing as they grow older, and recommended a return visit at a later date. At this stage the man is missing the golden opportunity to take charge of his life and take steps to attempt to correct the growth in the prostate gland, either with the help of his GP or directly himself. He is also missing out on a check-up that could save his life. So if you are one of the 350,000 who are going along this year, tell your GP your full symptoms, insist you want a rectal check, and a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test. The former is self evident and not 1% as bad as it sounds or as you may imagine. The rectal check can pick up a cancer of the prostate, and a high PSA level is an indicator of cancer activity. These two checks, can I understand, discover a prostate cancer up to 5 years before it is normally discovered, and with prompt action can produce a cure. With the check-up out of the way you can concentrate on attempting to reverse your symptoms. Your GP/Specialist will probably recommend an operation or one of the prescription drugs available. Proscar is the only prescription drug which has had any success in actually shrinking the gland, and the medical professions “gold standards” treatment for an enlarged prostate is still a TUR (Transurethral Resection) operation. The Prostate Help Association has had thousands of letters from men, very many who have had a TUR operation, some have had multiple ops. So remember even that is not necessarily the answer. The one problem I find with the TUR operation is that you have burnt your bridges. That is why an early diagnosis is so vital, for it gives you an opportunity to try the treatments that are currently available. No one “treatment”, prescription medicine or supplement, appears to be successful for everyone. Early diagnosis, knowledge (read, read, read), become a prostate bore, for with knowledge will come confidence that there could be ways to treat your prostate without resorting to an operation. Give every treatment you try a minimum 6 month trial. Remember it is not the plumbing that is wrong but probably our modern way of living and eating. 1994 Philip Dunn, Secretary PHA. Prostate Help Association (PHA) Langworth, Lincoln LN3 5DF Help line 0891 615686 (Costs are 36p per min, cheap rate, 48p per min, at all other times) The PHA is a non-profit making voluntary association, providing essential information to all who suffer with prostate problems. Send a stamped addressed envelope for our free information sheet, which includes details of our quarterly Newsletters, and subscriber discounts available.