Resources:
www.HealthJourney.com
www.BrainSync.com
www.PathofLight.com
Belleruth, Naparstek, “Meditation for Relaxation & Wellness”
Burne, Rhonda, “The Secret”
Hay, Louise L, “You Can Heal Your Life”
Karlsson, Fridrik, “Peace of Mind”
Pert, Candace, “Molecules of Emotion”
Lipton, Bruce PhD, “The Biology of Belief”
Tolle, Eckhart, “A New Earth”

Breast awareness is critical to the all-important early detection of possible breast disease.  Men get breast cancer also, and it’s not rare in men, although it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, after lung cancer. Although men should regularly check their breast tissue, this article is aimed more at increasing awareness of female breast tissue.

Check breasts regularly.  This means several times a week.  Once a month is not enough.  You don`t need to lie down or have any props.  You just need your hands and your mental focus.  Please don`t think to yourself  ”I’m checking my breast(s) to make sure I don’t have cancer.”  The optimal mind set is “Hi! How are you doing today gals! Nice to feel you!”

Incorporate breast self-exam into your bathing routine.  As you soap up your armpits, spend 5 extra seconds feeling in the armpits.  Feel for lumps or bumps, which could signify enlarged lymph nodes.  The lymph nodes that drain the breast tissue are located in the armpits, so enlarged armpit (axillary) nodes could signify breast infection or breast disease.

Next, using both hands simultaneously, carefully feel the entire breast tissue, down to the chest wall.  You might use a circular pattern, spiraling in towards the nipple to make sure you cover the whole terrain.  A stripe pattern is fine too.  Just as long as all of the breast tissue is felt.  What you are feeling for is ASYMMETRY.  Breasts are most definitely lumpy and bumpy – this is normal!  This is the nature of fibrocystic tissue, which most women have and which does not predispose to breast disease or cancer.  A lump or bump that is hard (not squishy) and is not felt in the mirror opposite area of the other breast, requires immediate medical attention.

If your breast tissue is already asymmetrical (due to surgery or disease) you cannot rely on feeling the symmetry of the breast tissue.  Feel instead for lumps or bumps that seem to be growing.

If you find a suspicious lump or bump consider follow-up with a mammogram, ultrasound or biopsy.  Regular mammograms are not necessarily the best approach to breast cancer prevention.  Consider the following:

Mammograms deliver ionizing radiation to sensitive breasts tissue.
Mammograms may create complacency in women, and reduce the likeliness of performing regular breast self-exam.
An aggressive breast cancer, especially in a younger, hormonally active, woman could kill her before the next annual mammogram.
Mammograms have not reduced breast cancer deaths according to some sources.
Mammograms produce many false positive results, leading to unnecessary medical intervention including biopsies, which leave scar tissue in the breast.

References
http://www.gotomydoc.com/education/breast_health/learn/false_pos_mammo/
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/wha_selfexam_crs.htm
http://www.ahrq.gov/CLINIC/uspstf/uspsbrca.htm

Diabetes management.
Untreated, this disease will likely cause you to die sooner, and miserably.  Untreated diabetes causes blindness, deafness, cardiovascular failure and is the leading cause of lower limb amputations.  Luckily, it can be effectively managed quite well, with dedication to lifestyle changes.

Key concepts:

Eat regular, smallish meals, 3 or 4 times daily.  Keep a steady schedule for feeding to help stabilize blood sugar levels.  Each meal should have more or less equal calories from fat, complex carbohydrates and protein.  Strictly avoid refined carbohydrates.  Eat less fat if weight is an issue.  However, diabetics NEED “good” fats, from vegetables and organically raised animals.  Avoid non-organic animal products because of the toxins in their fat.  Consider the following advice, which is especially true for diabetics and those with other, nutritionally-based chronic diseases: eat like your great-grandparents did.

Beans for breakfast (lentils, black, adzuke, etc) is an excellent choice.

Diabetics need minerals (take a multi-mineral) especially magnesium, potassium and, most importantly, chromium.  Chromium (ideally picolinate) is no longer in our soil in significant quantities, nor in processed grains.  Take up to 2000 mcg daily.  5000 mcg daily has been shown to cause reversible kidney damage, so use less.  The therapeutic dose is up to 10 times higher than the commonly prescribed 200 mcg daily.

Diabetics need B vitamins — take a B multi in the 50 mg dose range (with 1000-2000 mcg for B 12)

Good snacks:
apple slices coated with cinnamon
dried cherries (another low glycemic food) with almonds
dahl

help for peripheral neuropathy:
this is a CIRCULATORY, not nerve, problem.  600 mg ALA (alpha lipoic acid) daily may help. 

Brilliantly effective is a several week course of nearly nightly (5 out of 7 nights per week) of wet sock therapy.  You need a bowl of ice water, thin cotton socks and thick wool socks.  At bedtime, soak the thin socks in ice water then wring out thoroughly.  Slip onto feet while still very cold.  Cover immediately with thick socks and go to bed.  In the morning the socks will be completely dry and the feet warm.  Repeat faithfully until full sensation in the toes is restored.

help for sugar cravings:
eat protein at every meal
again, regular meals at regular times
a little bit of dark chocolate (low sugar, often made with good fats, full of antioxidants, and, most of all, really yummy)

help for diabetic ulcers:
over-the-counter Dessitin (zinc oxide paste), or
cholorophyll poultice — apply 1 tsp chlorophyll in a clean cloth or cotton wad to ulcer twice daily until healed.

 You need daily exercise.  Think of it as moving, for fun!  Why is this so important?  Will it help regulate/lower blood sugar levels?  Yes!  Will it improve your physical appearance?  Yes!  Will it promote strength and longevity?  Yes!  But the main reason I advocate 20 minutes of fairly vigorous daily exercise is because it has the capacity to create ecstasy — your own personal Nirvana farm!  Endorphins promote a state of bliss!

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Preventing Kidney Stones:

the main therapy is hydration — do NOT let yourself get dehydrated.  Be pro-active.

also, staying on B6 (250 mg in the morning) and Magnesium (500 mg at bedtime) is almost foolproof for prevention.

plus, avoid intensive eating of high oxalate foods such as spinach and rhubarb.
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the SOY question.  Good, or bad?
Well, according to Russell Marz (owner, Onmi Nutrition, and author of superlative nutrition textbook “Medical Nutrition from Marz”), it depends…

In general, soy does not (despite claims from Joseph Mercola, DC — who often gives excellent advice — and the Price-Pottenger Foundation) cause brain shrinkage, testicular atrophy or cancer.  Soy rarely causes thyroid problems.  Soy does have a high phytate content, which can bind minerals.  These effects, which lessen over time (with ongoing soy food consumption) are largely offset by the following: soy is HIGH in non-animal protein, fiber, isoflavones, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin K (which feed good gut flora, ameliorating digestion of soy, and all other foods) and also contains some Omega 3 (”good”) oils.  Soy beans have exceptional nutritional value with relatively low calories. 

When consumed with high iodine foods (sea vegetables, fish) soy does not contribute to goiters (growths on the thyroid gland generally associated with decreased thyroid functioning).  Fermented soy is the best form of soy (natto, miso) but other commercially available soy foods (soy milk, tofutti, soy pups) can not only provide good nutrition but also medicinal components to reduce cancer risk (especially breast, prostate and colon).

Asians typically eat 15-30 grams of soy product daily.  This would be 1/2 block of tofu, or 2 glasses of soy milk, or 3 servings of miso soup, or a handfull of soy nuts.  They have relatively low rates of hormonally-induced cancers and thyroid problems.

Caution:  about 1/2 to 1 % of the US population is allergic to soy. 

 Also, one kind of soy to completely avoid (and this can be tricky) is GMO soy.  Much of the soybean crop grown in the US today (the world’s major soybean producer) is GMO, and grown with Roundup Ready seed. 

While direct evidence of GMO plants harming humans is not available, the harm is clear to both the environment and economic interests of farmers.  GMO crops create dependence on a few multinational food corporations for staple foods, as well as causing extinction of wild plants.  GMO foods are speculated to potentially harm humans by virtue of genetically modified material being taken up by our gut flora, permanently altering the DNA of the friendly bacteria that reside within our intestines.
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Vitamin D dosing
a recently published study (Gordon, CM, et al., “Treatment of Hypovitaminosis D in infants and Toddlers” J Clin Endocrin Metab. April 15, 2008: 10.1210/jc.2007-2790) summarized that giving three different therapeutic doses of Vitamin D resulted in equivalent improvements in serum Vit D (OH-25 cholecalciferol) levels.  These 3 treatment regimens were:

1) daily dose of 2,000 IU oral ergocalciferol (Vit D2, which needs to be converted to D3)
2) daily dose of 2,000 IU oral cholecalciferol (Vit D3, the “active” form)
3) weekly dose of 50,000 of oral ergocalciferol (the expensive drug, Calcitriol)

In my experience, it is best to give D3 because some folks don’t convert D2 to D3 efficiently.  Further, D3 is less expensive.  However, the 2,000 IU daily of D3 may not be enough to get serum levels up to above 50 ng/dL.  If your levels are below 32 ng/dL you may need to supplement more aggressively (10,000 IUs daily for at least a month).

Further, some clinicans and researchers are noticing that longer term (beyound 6 weeks) of high dose weekly D2 (the drug) therapy will start to reverse beneficial trends and create not only high calcium levels in the blood but ultimately a reversal in raising Vit D levels.

Another consideration for vegans maybe that D3 tends to come from fish oil whereas the D2 drug is synthetic, and not animal based.

Long known as a whole-body tonic (the root plant, precious for centuries in Asian countries, is shaped like a person)

 new evidence validates and explains some of ginseng’s healing actions. 

In Chinese medicine, ginseng (Panax ginseng) has long been used as a general tonic or an adaptogen to promote longevity and enhance bodily functions. It has also been claimed to be effective in combating stress, fatigue, oxidants, cancer and diabetes mellitus.

Most previous studies have claimed that the pharmacological effects of ginseng are attributed to its bioactive constituents such as ginsenosides, saponins, phytosterols, peptides, polysaccharides, fatty acids, polyacetylenes, vitamins and minerals.  In this new research, the focus was the recent advances in the studies of ginsenosides on the formation of blood vessels, which is a common denominator of many diseases, such as cancer and some cardiovascular disorders.

Specifically, the root has been shown to inhibit new blood vessel growth in rapidly growing tissue: that is, tumors.  The medical term angiogenesis means the creation of new blood vessels, which is a critical aspect of how a tumor will successfully establish in, and invade, healthy tissue. 

Paradoxically, other components of ginseng have been found to enhance nitric oxide (a vasodilator) levels by promoting new vessel growth, enhancing wound healing, slowing dementia, slowing hair loss and reducing morbidity from various other diseases caused by poor circulation. 

The current research suggests that ginseng works as an adaptogen, that is, if new vessel growth is necessary, ginseng will promote that, but if new vessel growth would be harmful (such as in supplying a tumor) then such vascular growth would be inhibited.

Many of the Chinese tonics are adaptogens.  So is Vitamin K: mostly know as an antidote to the blood thinner Coumadin, Vitamin K can also normalize thick blood by reducing platelet stickiness.  Another action of ginseng explained in this recent article is how it acts as a proto-hormone, like the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. 

More than 30 ginsenosides (biological active components of the plant) have been isolated, and all have a steroid-like molecular structure.  This means one end of the molecule bonds to water-soluble substances (hydrophilic) and the other end of the molecule bonds to fat-soluble substances (hydrophobic) just like our cell membranes.  One reason steroids are so biologically active is that they can penetrate through the outer layer of our cell membranes (fatty cholesterol layer), through the watery center of the cell membrane, and into the center of the cell, where the nucleus and DNA can be affected.

The interaction between ginsenosides and various steroid hormone receptors in all of our many trillion cells, may explain the diverse activities of ginseng, which may eventually lead to further development of ginseng-derived therapeutics for diseases like cancer and dementia.

Q: I’m 40 and happily married. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 2 years but no pregnancy yet. We’re pretty sure we don’t want to get into anything drastically high-tech or expensive but are certainly open to natural fertility enhancement. Any ideas?

A: My first (and only) child, a beautiful girl, was born in 1998 when I was 42. So I’m happy to help on this topic! First, you say there has been no pregnancy yet. Does that mean you’ve never missed a period? So-called “luteal phase insufficiency” (a fancy way to say not enough progesterone during the 2 weeks after ovulation) is a common cause of early miscarriage, which may seem like a normal, or slightly heavy, period. If your menses are irregular, or you’re not sure when you are ovulating, that’s the first order of business. You can get ovulation detection kits in any drugstore. You want to attempt conception as close to ovulation as possible, because the egg only lives 12-24 hours (less hearty in older women). The sperm, however, can live 3-5 days, so if you aim for just BEFORE ovulation, that’s best. This requires becoming very familiar with your ovulation pattern. One of the best authors on natural fertility is Toni Weschler. Jeannine Parvati-Baker (from the hippy days) also has some wonderful books on the subject. About 40% of the time infertility is the woman’s “problem”, about 40% is the man’s “problem” and 20% is both. The preferred form of birth control in Japan is hot-tubbing. That’s why you see Japanese business men in magazines or movies having their meetings in hot-tubs. Immersing the testicles in hot (104 F) water for 45 minutes three days in a row effectively knocks back the sperm motility for 3 weeks. So, if you WANT to get pregnant, make sure your man is not heating up his testicles! If you know you are ovulating and your guy has had his sperm checked out by donating a fresh sample to the local laboratory, taking Vitamin A may be all you need. Healthy ovaries are bright yellow in color from the high quantity of Vitamin A in the tissue. I would recommend 25,000 IUs of Vit A daily for 2-3 months. Extremely high (500,000 IU) levels of Vitamin A are dangerous to a potential fetus, but no danger with 25,000 IUs. Also, ladies, please make sure you have at least 20% body fat. Another nice, inexpensive, supplement to soften the ovary walls and enhance ovulation is phosphatidyl choline (available at any health food store). Take 1500 mg daily for 2-3 months. In addition, B vitamins are helpful for strengthening the DNA (genetic information) of both sperm and egg, particularly Vitamin B1. Find a multi B that has at least 50 mg of B1 and take 4-5 daily for 1-2 months. Yes, your urine will turn bright yellow! That’s OK. Occasionally there’s a configuration problem where the opening of the womb (the “os”) doesn’t line up perfectly with the vaginal opening. If you have ever been told on a pelvic exam that your uterus is “retroflexed” or “anteverted” those are variations of normal, so not to worry. However, having sex “doggy style” will improve the line of trajectory. Sometimes, rarely, there are auto-immune incompatabilities that cause the vaginal secretions to “neutralize” the sperm or the ejaculate to cause vaginal irritation. You’ll need a specialist to help sort out these problems.< Possibly artificial insemination (where the sperm is placed in the uterus with a catheter, bypassing the vaginal secretions) is what you need. This is not high tech. Many lesbian couples “do it” with a turkey baster very successfully. One final word for today: I personally believe completing a liver cleansing diet for 2 weeks and drinking plenty of pomegranate juice helped me conceive in my 40s. Pomegranates contain the highest amount of estrogen-like compounds in any known fruit; this beautiful fruit is an ancient Greek symbol of fertility. I love the POM juices and though they’re spendy, it’s a lot less expensive than some fertility techniques, and very tasty to boot! Aim to drink one quart per week – both of you! Good luck!

For many years it has been standard practice for doctors to recommend bone density evaluation (with “DEXA” scans, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, a special type of X-ray) around menopause because estrogen is a potent bone-builder, and estrogen begins to wane at menopause, or even before menopause. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 30 million American women (and 14 million American men) have osteoporosis today. This is a preventable disease, and if not prevented can seriously compromise quality of life, and, ultimately, longevity also. The DEXA scans measure bone density at several sites and give a standardized “score” to the bone density (called the T-score). A T-score of zero (0) is perfect. Anything below zero represents bone loss. A T-score of minus 1.5 (-1.5) means osteopenia (bone loss) and a T-score of minus 2.5 (-2.5) means osteoporosis, literally “holes in the bone.” Typically doctors will offer various bone building drugs to patients with T-score approaching or below -2.5. Drugs are more controversial in the T-score range from zero to -1.5. My approach is based on good nutrition and regular weight-bearing exercise. The best time to begin to prevent bone loss is in the pre-teen years when girls are approaching their final growth spurt. At least 1000 mg of calcium daily is required to lay down enough bone to last a lifetime. This must be complexed with Magnesium (at least 500 mg) and Vitamin D (at least 400 IUs). Vitamin D has received a lot of press lately and many researchers feel that Americans living further north than 40 degrees latitude (

If you are a man who enjoys making love with women, you are likely to encounter a female bladder infection at some point. Here are a few hot tips to help ensure your continued popularity with your suffering lover.

1. Please don’t pressure her for sex until she’s ready. This rule applies in any situation, by the way.
2. Cleanliness is key. Please wash your genital area well daily, and, if you are uncircumcised, clean under the foreskin. Scrub your fingernails. Yes, that generally involves a nail-brush. Keep well-shaved (or keep the hair on your face clean) so as not to further irritate the labia and urethral tissues. Unfortunately for women, the urethra is precariously near the clitoris, which is generally best not avoided. Keep “high” when entertaining your lover with oral foreplay.
3. Which leads to the request, similar to #1 above, to always make sure your partner is well lubricated before penetrating with fingers or other appendages.
4. Your female companion is likely to pee more frequently than you do whether or not she has a bladder infection, so just go ahead and put the toilet seat down, even if it’s your house. This is a really hot tip.
5. Think of ways to be super-helpful for a few days: Run to the pharmacy for her, even in the middle of the night. Give a little extra help with the kids, household, or shopping. Accompany her to the doctor if that becomes necessary.
6. Help her stay hydrated; bring her juices and teas and make sure she has a tall glass of drinking water nearby at all times. Of course, this will mean she needs to pee more often, so please don’t pressure her to just wait until the next gas station or the end of the movie or whatever.

• Urinary frequency.
• Urinary urgency.
• Nocturia (needing to get up at night to urinate).
• Hesitancy with decreased force of stream.
• Terminal dribbling (the final phase of urination as slow drips).
• Sensation of incomplete emptying.
• Overflow incontinence or total retention.
• Burning on urination, chills and fever indicate infection has set in.
• Possibly palpable distended bladder.
• Enlarged, rubbery prostate on rectal exam often with loss of median sulcus. The median sulcus is a vertical groove in the heart-shaped gland which tells the examining doctor that the gland is NOT enlarged or swollen.

Conventional treatment includes surgical removal of all or part of the prostate. Most patients improve significantly after treatment but may be rendered impotent. Surgery is not to be taken lightly

Important questions to ask your doctor include the “rule-outs” which means you want to be sure that the diagnosis is definite and correct. Possible problems that could mimic BPH are:

• Neurogenic bladder.
• Acute prostatitis.
• Chronic prostatitis.
• Carcinoma.
• Other obstructive pathology.

Now, onto the information about what you can do about this diagnosis. First, remember, men do not die from this condition unless it co-exists with prostate cancer. The first area of non-surgical, non-drug treatment suggestion is “Physical Medicine” which means what you can do with exercise, water, and manipulation such as massage. Any alternative practitioner worth their salt will tell you that the first order of business is prevention. But, since you already have the problem there are a few exercises that can improve circulation to the general area as well as tone the bladder. The first is a set of movements commonly called “Kegel” exercises which involves pulling up rhythmically on the pelvic floor (all the muscles around the scrotum and the anus) with the lower abdominal muscles as you exhale, and keep pulling up on the squeeze until you need to take a breath. Repeat 10 times, 5 or 6 times daily. This can be done very discretely — nobody needs to know you’re doing this exercise. It’s perfect for commuting, or while you’re sitting around waiting for someone or something, or in the shower. The other set of exercises are too complex to explain here. They involve an ancient Chinese energy moving technique called “Qi Gong,” widely practised in China and around the world for all sorts of complaints, as well as for prevention. So, back to prevention. Aerobic exercise, a minimum of 3 times weekly for 20 minutes at your target heart rate, will do wonders for not only the prostate gland, but for your heart, lungs, bones and mental well-being.

Another aspect of physical medicine is the use of hot and/or cold water to treat a complaint. Some hydrotherapy methods that have worked well for BPH are hot foot baths, which can stimulate the returning circulation from the legs as the blood comes back up to the heart, and alternating sitz baths. This is a marvelous naturopathic technique for all sorts of pelvic complaints. The idea is basically to sit in a warm tub for 3 minutes or so, then get out and transfer your backside immediately to a basin (large enough to accomodate said backside, up to the hips) filled with COLD water. No kidding; this means chilled water with a tray of ice cubes dumped in. Stay in there about 1 minute, then back to the warm for 3 minutes, then back to the cold, and so on back and forth at least 3 times. The warm water relaxes the blood flow and the cold contracts it, thereby enhancing vigorous circulatory flow to the pelvis. Envigorating and highly effective. Also, inexpensive and you probably have all the tools you need at home right now. A big basin, a bathtub, hot and cold running water and a freezer with ice cubes in it. That’s it.

It may be useful to treat the spine at the levels where the nerves serving the pelvic area emerge. This is called Spondylotherapy and might consist of using percussion (gentle tapping) or a sine wave current over the spinal levels T12 or L1, L2, L3. Scoliosis or other spinal misalignments can sometimes exaggerate protate problems. Make sure your vertebrae are all lined up.

Some people have greatly benefitted from gentle prostatic massage weekly. Some men are actually able to perform this themselves, but the less limber may request the therapist to instruct your spouse in the technique. It feels good!

If you know a doctor or licensed therapist with physical medicine equipment, ultrasound over the perineum or diathermy over the lower abdomen may help.

A critical area of health care which is finally getting deserved recognition is the whole field of nutrition. It’s true that you are, indeed, made out of what you eat. Think about it. The following list of supplements are provided because it may be difficult to get these nutrients through “regular” eating:

• Zinc 60 mg daily for one month, then the dose might be reduced. This is the MOST important nutrition to heal the prostate gland.
• Copper
• flax oil 2 Tbsp q.d.
• glycine 200 mg q.d.
• glutamic acid 200 mg q.d.
• alanine 200 mg q.d. (Dumrau, 1962)
• Selenium 100 mcg q.d. (Webber, 1985)
• Vitamin E 800-1200 I.U. q.d.
• prostate protomorphogens (glandular material from other mammals, usually cow or pig)

To begin you self-help program from “regular” food, the following eating principles should be considered:

• vegan diet
• low sugar, low fat diet of unsaturated fats
• calorie percentages: 70% complex carbohydrates, protein 12-15%, fat 15-18%
• low cholesterol (another brochure is available on this topic)
• low Sodium/Sodium-restricted diet
• vegetarian cleansing diet or short fasts

Specific therapeutic foods to consider are:

• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: vegetable, nut, seed oils, salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, walnuts, flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, black currant oil; at least 1 tablespoon (RAW, cold-pressed, not used to cook!) daily
• estrogenic foods: animal products, apples, cherries, olives, plums, carrots, yams, nightshade family, peanuts, soy products, coconut, brown rice, barley, oats, wheat
• foods rich in Zinc and Vitamin E: squash seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, tahini, kelp
• raw pumpkin seeds: 25 seeds four times daily
• anise, tangerine, cherries, figs, litchi, sunflower seeds, mangos, seaweeds
• high fiber foods

For folks willing to make fresh juices:

• carrot
• carrot and spinach
• carrot, beet, and cucumber
• carrot, asparagus, and lettuce
• lemon juice in warm water

Of course there’s the what you SHOULDN’T eat category…
Please strongly consider avoiding:

• coffee, alcohol, saturated fats, strong spices, spicy food, dairy products, fatty foods, fried foods, coffee, caffeine

And to finish the food section, it’s very important to avoid constipation in prostate problems. Remember, the idea here is to keep things flowing and moving.

Homeopathy is a 250-yr. old system of medicine which developed initially in Europe in which tiny amounts of plant, mineral and animal substances are given to “stimulate” the natural healing power within us all. Substances that would, in very large doses, create the symptoms exhibited by the patient, for example urinary retention, are considered as potential “remedies” in the tiny dose. This is a guiding principle of homeopathic medicine, and can be summarized “Like Cures Like.” Make sure to consult with a board-certified (DHANP) homeopath. The following remedies will certainly be among those considered. The remedy chosen for you will ideally fit your entire symptom picture, including how you are when totally healthy. Each medical problem in homeopathy is treated individually, because what’s being cured is not the “problem,” but YOU. Here’s a sample list:

• Apis mellifica: prostatic inflammation; discharge of prostatic fluid; sexual desire increased or diminished; frequent and long-lasting erections
• Argenticum metallicum: chronic enlargement in old men
• Argenticum nitricum: chronic enlargement in old men; burning in spot in anterior of rectum
• Baryta carbonicum: enlargement in old age
• Cannabis indica: sensation in anal region as if sitting on a ball
• Chimaphilia: tenesmus, frequent urination and general discomfort
• Conium maculatum: chronic hypertrophy with difficulty in voiding urine, stops and starts; leading remedy
• Ferrum picricum: one of the best remedies in the aged
• Lycopodium: pressure in the perineum near the anus while urinating
• Pulsatilla: inflammation; excessive increase of sexual passion, almost like priapism, with frequent and prolonged erections, ardent desire for coition
• Sabal serrulata: chronic/acute enlargement with difficult urination or burning while urinating
• Solidago: chronic enlargement; obstructed flow of urine
• Staphisagria: frequent urging to urinate with scanty discharge in a thin stream or by drops; burning during and after urination with urging
• Sulphur: escape of prostatic fluid, chiefly when urinating and while at stool
• Thuja occidentalis: frequent pressing to urinate with small discharge, patient strains much; stitches from rectum into the bladder; discharge of prostatic fluid in am on waking

Another extensively researched area of healthcare which provides benefits without drugs, radiation or surgery is the vast field of botanical medicine. This ancient healing art most likely began by observing animals in the wild treating themselves for wounds, bites, rancid food and the like. Botanical medicine is the therapeutic use of medicinal plants in a variety of forms (tea, decoction, tincture, poultice, cream, salve, ear drops, etc.) to restore the body and mind to full health. The following list of medicinal plants (sometimes called “herbs” — the word drug comes from an old Flemish word, “droog,” which means dried plant) are useful for BPH. Please don’t use them without consulting a well-educated herbalist or naturopathic physician. It is extremely rare for even the most open-minded of medical doctors to have adequate training to dispense medicinal herbs.

• Agropyron repens (Triticum repens)
• Chamaelirium luteum (Helonias): prostate aches as if sitting on a ball
• Cucurbita pepo (squash and pumpkin): specially grown varieties; decongests prostate, tones bladder and sphincter
• Delphinium staphysagria (toxic): to assist other indicated remedies
• Echinacea purpurea
• Equisetum arvense: specific for; combines well with Hydrangea arborescens
• Galium aparine: prostatic irritation in aged
• Serenoa serrulata: specific for throbbing, aching dull pain, discharge, irritation with dysuria and dribbling in aged; may combine well with Equisetum arvense and Hydrangea arborescens
• Urtica dioica (leaf and root): activates metabolism

Chinese herbs are most often not only from plant species unknown in the West, but used quite differently than Western herbs. For one thing, a Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) diagnosis describes the effect of the “problem” on the patient, rather than describing the “problem” (such as BPH) itself. A number of TCM diagnoses might be given for BPH, such as Damp Heat in the Lower Burner. This concept will be briefly discussed below, under the Acupoint section. It is impossible to give an intelligible treatise on Traditional Chinese Medicine here. Please refer to the list of General References to begin your studies of this vast and comprehensive topic. However, in case you know a qualified Chinese herbalist, or Certified/Licensed (through the NCCA) acupuncturist with a good grasp of herbs, the following list may provide you with a guideline to discuss with the practitioner.

• 15 g of Polygonum cuspidatum (hu zhang cao): Lower Warmer Damp-Heat
• Prostate Gland Pills (patent): Xue (Blood) Stagnation with Lower Warmer Damp-Heat
• Akebia 14 (patent): Lower Warmer Damp-Heat
• Xiao Ji Yin Zi: Xue (Blood) Heat
• Persica and Rhubarb C. (Tao He Cheng Qi Tang): Xue (Blood) Stagnation with Xue (Blood) Heat: pain on pressure on left lower quadrant, constipation, and urinary stoppage in strong constitution
• Rhubarb and Moutan C. (Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang): Large Intestine Damp-Heat: Pain on palpation of right abdomen, constipation, urinary stoppage in strong constitution
• Cinnamon and Hoelen F. (Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan): Xue (Blood) Stagnation
• Kai Kit Pill (patent): Qi Xu (Deficiency) with Yin Xu (Deficiency)
• Rehmannia Eight F. (Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan): Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency) with Kidney Yang Xu (Deficiency)

Another aspect of TCM is the use of ultra-fine “needles” which are inserted just below the skin to remove blockages in the “vital force,” known as “Qi” (pronounced chee). Again, the following treatment suggestions can ONLY be applied by a qualified acupuncturist. After assessing the whole person and palpating, consider these patterns:
Kidney Xu (Deficiency); Liver Qi Stagnation; Damp-Heat; Shi (Excess) of the Yang Qiao Mai (Yang Motility Vessel) and/or Xu (Deficiency) of the Yin Qiao Mai (Yin Motility Vessel); Shi (Excess) of the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel). Once the “pattern” of dysfunction is determined, the following acupoints may be considered. Each of the more than 400 primary acupoints is located on a very specific place on the body’s surface, along one of the 12 major or 2 “extra” meridians, and relates not only to the local area, but to an organ system, a sensory system, a color, a mood and may also have other special applications.

• Bladder 18
• Bladder 19
• Bladder 23
• Bladder 47
• Bladder 28
• Conception Vessel 4
• Conception Vessel 3
• Spleen 9
• Spleen 6
• Kidney 7

So, you think all of this has been quite esoteric. Now for something even “further out” from mainstream medicine, with growing numbers of followers, which likely indicates there’s something to it.
Color therapy is used ost often with thin pieces of colored plastic (”gels”) over home or office light sources, such as a lamp. The following colors are listed for BPH:

• lemon (helps to dissolve blood clots; acts as a chronic alterative) on front of body
• orange (acts as a decongestant) and indigo (an astringent, antipyic, antiemetic, and hemostatic) between genital and anal areas
• indigo and violet on prostate
• alternate blue and yellow on kidneys for 10 minutes each
• drink blue treated water
• violet on chest

A growing number of progressive thinkers like to use semi-precious stones for their healing. The stones may be held, or placed on the affected body part, or placed into the bottom of your drinking water. Consult someone who knows about “healing rocks” for more ideas. Here are a few used in BPH:

• Coral
• Pearl
• Diamond
• Topaz
• Topaz, Coral
• Carnelian
• Citrine
• Ruby
• Garnet

The mind is by far the most important aspect in your total well-being. Psychospiritual approaches to healthcare are being used increasingly even in the most conventional of settings. The following ideas about the origins and treatment of BPH should provide some food for thought:

• Sexual disturbances associated with chronic masturbation, prior STD’s, extramarital affairs with unexpressed guilt feelings and long standing unhappy relationships.
• Unhappiness
• Prostate represents masculine principle.
• Mental fears weaken the masculinity. Giving up. Sexual pressure and guilt. Belief in aging.

Visualization:

• discovering the walnut
• sun’s entry

and affirmation:

• I accept and rejoice in my masculinity.
• I love and approve of myself.
• I accept my own power.
• I am forever young in spirit.
• It is safe to be a man.

Closing thoughts:

• What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do?

Prostatitis

This condition is defined as an acute or chronic infection of the prostate gland. It is generally caused by infection by chlamydia, gram-negative enteric bacteria or neisseria gonorrhea. Signs and symptoms are different for acut versus chronic presentations and may include, for acute bacterial prostatitis (often seen in young males and those receiving catheterization):

• High fever with chills.
• UTI with frequency, urgency, dysuria or burning, nocturia.
• Occasional hematuria.
• Low back/testicular/perineal pain.
• Obstructive symptoms when voiding may occur.
• Boggy, markedly tender prostate.

Take note: Vigorous massage of the prostate with suspected infection is contraindicated to avoid spreading the infection into the bloodstream.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis, the most common cause of recurrent bacteriuria in males, may often be asymptomatic except when there are frequent UTI (urinary tract infections). Other findings may be:

• Bacteriuria (bacteria in the urine sample)
• Bacteria found in prostate secretions.
• Prostate may feel normal on palpation, but could also feel tender and boggy and produce significant secretions.

Acute nonbacterial prostatitis is typically seen in young, sexually active men. The symptoms are the same as bacterial prostatitis but no bacteria are present. Nonbacterial prostatitis treatment is harder for conventional physicians to treat because drugs often do not help. Make sure your doctor is sure your condition is neither BPH nor cancer.
Here are some treatment suggestions. With the physical medicine, the approach is similar to treating BPH:

• sitz bath: alternating (discussed under BPH)
• short cold bath
• hot foot bath: with cold compress to pelvic region
• hot enema: up to 103º F may be used three to four times a day (great for acute cases)

Eating principles include, for acute prostatitis:

• increased fluids
• short fruit or vegetable juice fast
• vegetarian cleansing diet

And for chronic prostatitis:

• hypoallergenic/rotation diet (this means figure out your allergic foods and avoid them, or use them sparingly).

Extra supplements to consider:

• Zinc 50 mg daily
• essential fatty acids, such as found in flax, olive and safflower oils
• bee pollen 3 tabs daily
• evening primrose oil
• Magnesium 400 mg daily
• Vitamin E 800 I.U. daily
• Vitamin B-complex
• Vitamin B6 50 mg daily

The Western botanical approach is much the same as for BPH, because the gland is targeted for increased specific nutrients and for enhanced blood flow. However, because of the differing approaches to diagnosis, the Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formulas are somewhat different than those given for BPH:

• Dianthus F. (Ba Zheng San): Bladder Damp-Heat: dark turbid scanty difficult painful urination, dry mouth, yellow greasy tongue coat; may be urinary retention and lower abdominal distention and pain
• Gentiana C. (Long Dan Xie Gan Wan) (available as patent); Gentiana 12 (patent): Liverand Gall Bladder Invaded by Damp-Heat: difficult and painful urination with a sesnation of heal in the urethra, red tongue with yellow coat, bitter taste in mouth, irritability
• Lotus Seed C.: Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency) with Empty Fire Blazing
• (Hsu, 1980, p. 164; Dharmananda, 1986, p. 306)
• Tokora C. (Bei Xie Fen Qing Yin) (if chronic add ligustrum (nu zhen zi), lysimachia (jian qian cao), cuscuta (tu si zi) and plantago (che qian zi)); Kai Kit Pill (patent): Kidney Failing to Grasp the Qi, including chronic prostatitis ; frequent urination with cloudy, dense, milky or greasy urine
• Hoelen and Polyporus F.: chronic prostatitis
• Moutan and Persica C.; Prostate Gland Pills (patent): Xue (Blood) Stagnation: inflammation and pain in the lower abdomen
• Blue Citrus (patent): Groin swellings
• Akebia 14 (patent): Prostate inflammation

The differentiation of acute vs. chronic prostatitis is essential to proper treatment and should be fairly obvious from the presentation. After assessing the person and palpating, consider these patterns:

• Kidney Xu (Deficiency); Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency) with Empty Fire Blazing; Kidney Failing to Grasp the Qi; Bladder Damp-Heat; Liver Qi Stagnation; Xue (Blood) Stagnation; Liver and Gall Bladder Invaded by Damp-Heat; Spleen Xu (Deficiency); Shi (Excess) of the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel); Shi (Excess) of the Yang Qiao Mai (Yang Motility Vessel); Shi (Excess) of the Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel).

After a thorough physical exam, the doctor should consider acupoints from the following selection (quite different from those for BPH):

• Governing Vessel-4
• Urinary Bladder18
• Urinary Bladder-23
• Urinary Bladder-47
• Urinary Bladder-28
• Urinary Bladder-57
• Large Intestine-11
• Large Intestine-4
• Lung-7
• Conception Vessel-4
• Spleen-9
• Kidney-7
• Kidney-6
• Liver-3
• Liver-2
• Gall Bladder-34

Typically each acupuntrue session involves placement of 4 to 20 “needles” based on the diagnosis. These needles very rarey cause pain; the unusual sensation is that of the Qi (vital force) “grabbing” the needle, which often causes a dull ache or momentary twinge.

And now let us consider a very different modality, from a different culture, but that, like acupuncture, works with your vital force. This is the science of homeopathy. The most often chosen homeopathic remedies for prostatitis are somewhat similar to those chosen for BPH, but with a stronger slant towards healing inflammation due to infection, which is the key element differentiating prostatitis from BPH.

• Aconitum napellus: initial stage
• Belladonna: throbbing
• Chimaphilia: with hypertrophy of prostate, frequent urination and discomfort
• Conium maculatum: with enlarged gland
• Ferrum picricum: best remedy for prostatic enlargement and inflammation in the aged
• Lycopodium: enlarged prostate and inflammation, when there is pressure in the perineum near the anus while urinating
• Sabal serrulata: inflammation and enlargement when the gland is hot, swollen and painful; in senile cases
• Spongia tosta: hypertrophy, spermatic cord and testicles are red and swollen
• Thuja occidentalis: hypertrophy and inflammation, frequent pressing to urinate with small discharge, discharge of prostatic fluid in morning on waking

Flower essences most frequently chosen for prostatis are dill or garlic

Healing colors are, for acute prostatitis, turquoise directed towards the front of the body and blue, which promotes relaxation, lowers high temperatures and reduces inflamed tissue when directed towards the gland as much as possible. For chronic postatitis use lemon (helps to dissolve blood clots). With enlargement of the gland (BPH), plus infection (prostatitis), orange acts as a decongestant and indigo acts as an astringent (to tonify boggy tissues), antipyic (reducing pus formation), and hemostatic (reducing bleeding and inflammation.

Psychospiritual metaphors and correlations for inflammation to consider revolve around the “inflammatory” feeling of fear, especially as it expresses through anger. Examples of this kind of thinking are often described in a telling manner: inflamed thinking; seeing red; seething with anger and frustration about conditions in one’s life. Remember too that the prostate represents masculine principle.

If you have an astrological bent you may want to look at what’s going on with conjunctions with your birth chart indicators: Perhaps Mars, Pluto, or a planet in Scorpio are afflicted.

And the all-important mental connection, true for almost all disease, includes the power of the spoken word, spoken lovingly to yourself. Consider the following affirmations:

• (for inflammation) My thinking is peaceful, calm, and centered. I am willing to change all patterns of criticism. I love and approve of myself.
• It is safe to be a man.

Those who are prone to inflammations are attempting to avoid conflicts. Questions that arise may be useful to explore in a more conventional psychotherapeutic context:

• What conflict in my life am I failing to see? hear? feel?
• What conflict am I dodging? What is my relationship to it?
• What conflict am I failing to admit to?

Prostate Cancer

Finally, the most serious diagnosis for the prostate gland will be briefly discussed. As a very general rule of thumb, carcinoma (cancer) is usually best treated with a COMBINATION of conventional therapies (in fact one of the most effective chemotherapy regimes is the one for prostate cancer, in terms of relatively few side effects and a good cure rate, especially with early detection) and supportive complementary treatments, which will be discussed below.

Prostate cancer is very rarely seen in males under 50 years old, and is rated third in cancer deaths in male patients over the age of 65 (behind lung and colon). Most are adenocarcinomas. They are associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), but there is no specific causative link. Cancer can be tricky. Signs and symptoms may not present at all. Or you might experience urinary frequency, urgency or needing to pee during the night. A physician will often find a firm, hard prostate on rectal digital exam.

The role of healthy eating can not be overemphasized in both prevention and reversal of cancer. In general, the eating principles with prostate cancer are based on alkalinizing the system. Alkaline fasts must be undertaken under physician supervision — a physician well versed in therapeutic fasting, and with a good grip on nutritional biochemistry.

Therapeutic foods to consider are:

• pumpkin seeds (raw) dosage: 25 four times daily
• anise, tangerine, cherries, figs, litchi, sunflower seeds, mangos, seaweeds
• Zinc-rich foods, squash seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, tahini, Vitamin E rich foods, kelp

Additional supplements, geared towards resolving malignancy, as opposed to specifically towards the prostate, are:

• Vitamin A (high doses, under physician guidance)
• Selenium
• Zinc

The botanicals listed are, again, geared to halting the progression of cancerous growth, and to ameliorating the side-effects of chemotherapy. The are listed alphabetically, and with their particular restorative function. For doses and duration please consult a qualified herbalist or naturopath.

• Avena sativa: nervous debility of convalescence
• Baptisia tinctoria: for tumorous or malignant conditions
• Berberis aquifolium: dyscrasiae due to cancerous cachexia
• Conium maculatum (toxic): pain of cancer
• Echinacea spp.: increases interferon production, purifies blood
• Gentiana lutea: bitter: promotes appetite, improves digestion in chronic debility
• Phytolacca decandra (toxic): carcinoma, adenoma; hard, swollen lymph nodes, especially in the pelvic region
• Rumex crispus: early stages of cancer; to prevent
• Taraxacum officinale: loss of appetite, weak digestion
• Trifolium pratense: alterative; purifies blood, cancerous diathesis; with daily use: patients are slower in developing carcinoma after excision
• Viola odorata: malignant disease, neoplasm in alimentary canal; after tumor extirpation to protect from metastases. Combines well with Galium aparine
• Viscum album (toxic): tumor-inhibiting effects reported, main use as follow-up therapy after surgery or radiation. Extracts available: Iscador (Weleda), Phenesol (Madaus), Helixior

The famous “Hoxsey” herbal formula for malignancy also deserves mention here. It is comprised of:

Glycyrrhiza glabra, 12 g.
Trifolium pratense, 12 g.
Arctium lappa, 6 g.
Stillingia sylvatica (toxic), 6 g.
Berberis aquifolium, 6 g.
Phytolacca decandra (toxic), 6 g.
Rhamnus purshiana, 3 g.
Rhamnus frangula (toxic), 3 g.
Xanthoxylum americanum, 3 g.

To mix up the formula, combine the dry herbs, place in 3 cups of water and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Cool, strain and store in a dark glass jar. Dose: use 2-4 tbsp. tea in a third cup water adding 1-2 drops of saturated potassium iodide and 5-11 drops strong iodine (Lugol’s) solution. Take four times daily, with food, and again before bed.

Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies will not be discussed in great detail here because it is critical to not hope that they would suffice, alone, to treat cancer. However, the following guidelines towards understanding a TCM diagnosis are offered:

• Zeng Ye Tang plus chrysanthemum flower (ju hua), trichosanthes root (tian hua fen), glehnia (sha shen), dioscorea (shan yao) and moutan bark (mu dan pi): Large Intestine Dryness: oral side-effects of radiation therapy: dryness that is worse at night, irritability, dry tongue, rapid thin pulse
• Dang Gui Ji Xue Teng Tang: Qi Xu (Deficiency) with Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency): leukopenia or thrombocytopenia during radiation therapy or chemotherapy
• Hoelen Five Herbs F. (Wu Ling San): side-effects from radiation.
• Ji Xue Teng Qin Gao Pian (patent): increases white blood count.
• Ci Wu Jia Pian (patent): Qi Xu (Deficiency) with Kidney Jing Xu (Essence Deficiency): enhances immune system, helps protect body from radiation; inhibits metastasis.
• He Che Da Zao Wan (patent): Kidney Yin Xu (Deficiency)
• Ling Zhi Feng Wang Jiang (patent): Qi Xu (Deficiency) with Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency)
• Chih-ko and Curcuma C. (patent): All tumors
• Blue Citrus (patent): Groin swellings

Homeopathic remedies that might be chosen are:

• Conium maculatum: stony, hard prostate, inability to have erections but high sex drive; intermittent urination in old people; urine flows and stops; weight like a stone in perineum
• Crotalus horridus: cancer with hematuria
• Iodatum: incontinence of urine; complete prostration of strength and general emaciation; worse from external warmth
• Psorinum: discharge of prostatic fluid before urinating; several organs flabby, torpid; aversion to coitus
• Selenium: lot of sexual activity that led to debility, masturbation; worse in hot weather, after sleep and anything that causes relaxation; involuntary dribbling
• Sulphur: offensive sweat around genitals
• Thuja occidentalis: pain, burning on urination or ejaculation; lot of sexual problems; frequent and urgent desire to urinate

Flower essences to consider:

• aloe vera
• dandelion
• mallow

Colors to work with:

• lemon (helps to dissolve blood clots; acts as a chronic alterative)
• indigo (an astringent, antipyic, antiemetic, and hemostatic) on area
• orange (acts as a decongestant) on area may further reduce mass.

Metaphors and correlations to ponder:

• The prostate represents the masculine principle.
• Loss of sexual function after surgery is more likely to be related to the patient feeling unattractive, to lack of information, or to lack of support in dealing with postoperative psychological reactions than to surgical loss of sexually-responsive tissue. Many sexual problems will be solved by just the chance to discuss them; patients need to hear that their sexual concerns are completely normal.
• Comprehensive cancer management should include members of the medical discipline who provide holistic and humanistic treatment. One team member should be both a qualified sex therapist and psychotherapist. This individual should be introduced to patients at the onset of treatment, be involved in a preoperative assessment, during hospital stay, and during the post-operative period.

Visualizations and affirmations for approaching cancer must be individualized so that they are deeply meaningful for you. It is quite likely that someone in your community will be able to guide you in creating specific healing metaphors and imagery to work with the issues that have produced prostate cancer. Have faith in the healing power of your own mind and your own body.