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Can Fasting Shrink An Enlarged Prostate?

Fasting. The word conjures up medical practice (“You have to fast from midnight onward”), religious penitence, and weight loss. It means limiting or abstaining from food for a specified period of time.

I am not writing about fasting for weight loss. Instead, I want to present some information about intermittent fasting, a type of fast that is getting attention for its overall health benefits.

Intermittent fasting, aka time-restricted feeding or intermittent energy restriction, is a practice in which you alternate times when you eat normally with extended time periods (often 14 to 36 hours or longer) when you consume little or no food. Our prehistoric hunter-gatherer ancestors ate when food was available, and fasted intermittently when resources were scarce. Their bodies efficiently used nutrients and stored fat to tide them over. That pattern changed when crop cultivation and food storage methods were developed, but our species had hundreds of thousands of years to become hardwired to survive healthily in lean times. Similar to hibernating species, we still have efficient ways to convert internal resources to energy, using stored fat without sacrificing lean protein.

While there is evidence suggesting that fasting, under certain conditions, may be good for a person’s overall health, there is inconclusive evidence suggesting that this practice can help shrink prostates or resolve urinary problems. Some studies do suggest that having a lower fasting blood glucose (sugar) level may be related to having a smaller prostate. But to date there are no scientific studies suggesting a cause and effect relationship between fasting and prostate size.

WHAT THE BODY DOES WHEN THERE’S NO FOOD COMING IN

When we consume a Western diet, typically high in processed foods, our bodies get plenty of sugars and starches to convert to glucose. Glucose is what the body then metabolizes (processes) for energy. This constant supply of “easy energy” is not good for us because it throws off our metabolic balance. At worst, we develop chronically elevated blood sugar, insulin resistance, and inflammatory agents. This has led to “…an epidemic of conditions characterized by metabolic disturbances, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome (MS), and diabetes mellitus type 2.”[i] In addition, low levels of chronic inflammation set up precursor conditions for many types of cancer, including prostate cancer.

CAN FASTING CORRECT THE IMBALANCE?

Intermittent fasting is growing in popularity. A leader in the health benefits of fasting is the USC Longevity Institute under the direction of Dr. Valter Longo. This group conducted a clinical study using a monthly 5-day intermittent fast (eating a small amount of specific foods for 5 days each month). One of the study participants, Peter Bowes, is a writer for BBC News (Los Angeles). He detailed his personal experience in an article, “Intermittent Fasting: The Good Things it did to My Body,” (Jan. 2014).

Bowes reports that eating very little for five days left him feeling more alert, but hungry and often tired. During the fasting days, he lost several pounds and his blood pressure dropped 10%. These effects did not last, however, and before the next round of fasting he regained almost all the weight and his blood pressure returned to its previous state. However, some effects endured. In his words, “…the most interesting changes were in the levels of a growth hormone known as IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor). High levels of IGF-1, which is a protein produced by the liver, are believed significantly to increase the risks of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer. Low levels of IGF-1 reduce those risks.”

This change lasted. Dr. Longo told Bowes, “You had a dramatic drop in IGF-1, close to 60% and then once you re-fed it went up, but was still down 20%.” Furthermore, an important inhibitor called IGFBP-1, was measured at significantly higher blood levels during the fast and stayed elevated during normal eating. (This inhibitor helps keep IGF-1 levels low.) His blood work also showed a significant rise in a type of cell that is similar to stem cells, linked with regeneration of tissues and organs.  Says Bowes, “It is, according to Longo, a sign that my body switched into a mode that was much more conducive to healthy ageing.”

Other studies suggest that as the body turns its own resources into energy, a process called “autophagy” is switched on. Autophagy is a cellular clean-up operation in which damaged proteins, junk DNA and potentially carcinogenic elements of cells are destroyed and excreted. Research points to the potential role of autophagy in preventing cancer or inhibiting tumor growth if cancer begins. During normal daily eating, autophagy is switched off. Longo’s group is exploring whether 5-day fasts as intermittently as every 60 days would be enough to sustain positive changes like lower IGF-1 and autophagy.

TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

  1. The 16/8 Method – create a daily 8-10 hour “eating window” in which you can fit 2, 3 or more meals. Eat healthy foods during the window. During the fast, drink water, coffee, tea or other non-caloric beverages.
  2. The 5:2 Diet – fast for 2 days per week, restricted to 500-600 calories. Eat normally the other 5 days.
  3. Eat-Stop-Eat – Choose one or two days per week to conduct a 24 hour fast with nothing but water or other non-caloric beverages.
  4. Alternate-day Fasting – Conduct a fast every other day by eating nothing or just a few hundred calories (water and other non-caloric beverages permitted.
  5. The Warrior Diet – Fast during the day (small amounts of raw fruit/veggies okay) and eat a large meal at night within a regular 4-hour window. Paleo or keto diet suggested for the meal.
  6. Spontaneous Meal Skipping – Skip meals when convenient. Eat healthy meals when you do eat.

You may want to do your own research since research results vary widely, and some evidence is contradictory. If you are interested in any kind of fast, discuss this with your doctor to make sure your health permits fasting.

8 Ways To Improve Your Prostate Health

Quit Smoking – Smoking is one of the main causes of male death. Carbon monoxide found in tobacco attaches to your red blood cells until the cell dies. This can cause many diseases and prostate disease. If you smoke you should immediately quit, if you find it hard to quit talk to your medical provider about the best way to quit smoking.

Drink Water – Hydrate your body daily. Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to start caring for your overall health and more specifically your prostate health. You should be drinking a minimum of eight cups of water daily. Ensure you drink water as soon as you wake up in the morning as well as before and after exercising.

Don’t Stress – Prolonged stress has been proven to cause major health issues including weakening your immune system, alters your hormonal balance, and makes it more likely that you will develop a disease. There are so many ways to manage stress, you will need to find the method that works for you. Some common ways men manage stress is by exercising, meditating, and maintaining healthy relationships.

Exercise Daily – Exercise is one of the best ways you can prevent so many medical conditions including prostate diseases. Exercise helps to support and maintain your prostate health. You may not think it could be as easy as a brisk 30-minute walk but it can be that simple. Maybe even a quick jog can have some long-lasting health benefits.

Eat More Veggies – Eating green, leafy vegetables is key if you want to support your overall health and prostate health. There are important vitamins and antioxidants found in vegetables which can support your prostate health. We recommend you consume green vegetables daily such as; kale, spinach, broccoli, and lettuce.

Maintain A Healthy Weight – Many prostate health issues are directly linked to obesity. Following a healthy diet and consistently exercising will help maintain a healthy weight.

Stop Eating Red Meat – Consuming heavy portions of red meat has been associated with PhIP, this is a chemical compound released when you char red meat which can cause serious prostate disease. Try to limit your consumption of red meat all together.

Follow a Mediterranean Diet – The Mediterranean diet is actually the healthiest diet for everyone but is specifically beneficial in supporting men’s prostate health. The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating philosophy. Foods like fish more specifically salmon high in omega-3 fatty acids are a staple of this eating philosophy. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes a plant-based eating approach loaded with vegetables and healthy fats, including olive oil. The diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seafood, nuts and legumes, and olive oil. You won’t eat red meat, sugary foods, and dairy. With the exception of, small amounts of yogurt and cheese. And of course, adding the award winning prostate supplement ProstaGenix to your diet is always a good idea.

Everything You Need To Know About BPH

BPH: Everything You Need to Know and More!

Glad to see you here! I have a lot of information to tell you about your prostate and some of the symptoms you have been experiencing lately. You may not have thought much about them, but they are now so present you can’t ignore them any further. 

About Your Prostate

Your prostate is walnut sized, a small but muscular gland found in your reproductive system. It surrounds your urethra and produces a large amount of the fluid found in your semen. Its muscular action helps propel your fluids and also your semen through your penis while you are climaxing. Your prostate also helps with your erection, when the nerves trigger your penis to swell up and get hard. Depending on the health of your prostate, it may be a weak or a hard erection.

What Is BPH 

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is the enlargement of the prostate. You may be asking yourself, how does this happen? When the cells in your prostate gland multiply the additional cells make your prostate swell. This pretty much tightens the area of your urethra and diminites your urine flow. BPH is very common in men in their 40’s and 50’s. It causes severe symptoms that affect the quality of your life, especially your sex life!

The Causes of BPH

The exact causes are unknown. Many doctors consider BPH to be a typical condition for men as they age. They have also found links to BPH in your family history to be a contributing factor. Usually the changes men go through as they age such as, variation in your male sex hormones is also another common contributing factor. 

How to Diagnose BPH

Doctors who check for BPH will usually start with a personal medical questionnaire as well as questioning your family medical history. A rectal exam is phase two of diagnosing BPH. There are many other tests as well, such as:

  • Urodynamic test: Your Doctor will fill your bladder with liquid via a catheter and measure your bladder pressure while you urinate.
  • Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test: Is a blood test that checks for cancer of the prostate.
  • Urinalysis: Your urine will be analyzed for blood and bacteria.
  • Prostatic biopsy: You will have a small amount of your prostate tissue removed and examined for any abnormalities.
  • Post-void residual: This test will verify the amount of urine left in your bladder after you urinate.
  • Cystoscopy: Your urethra and bladder is analyzed with a tiny lighted scope that is inserted via your urethra.
  • Intravenous pyelography or urography: An X-ray exam or CT scan done after a dye is injected into your body. The dye will highlight your entire urinary system on the images produced by the CT or  X-ray.

Some Symptoms of BPH

You are probably already experiencing some of these symptoms. They were probably not very evident at first so you didn’t immediately seek treatment. These symptoms worsen and become very serious affecting your everyday life and especially your sex life! If you are experiencing any of these symptoms they need to be addressed in order to prevent further complications.

  • Blood in your urine
  • Dribbling when peeing 
  • Urine leakage 
  • Urinating more than two or more times every night
  • Sudden urges to urinate
  • Pain while peeing 
  • Unable to empty your bladder  

How to Treat BPH

This will definitely take some TLC! You will have to make changes in your lifestyle. Those positive lifestyle changes will help improve your symptoms and may prevent further complications. Keep in mind that you should also start supporting your prostate health with the right supplements. 

  • Avoid over-the-counter decongestants or antihistamine medications, they make it challenging for your bladder to empty
  • Keep yourself warm, being in the cold can make symptoms worse
  • Don’t consume alcohol or caffeine
  • You should pee as soon as you feel the urge
  • Try to reduce your level of stress
  • You will have to exercise regularly, not exercising will worsen your condition 
  • Kegel exercises  are a must, they will help strengthen your pelvic muscles
  • Go pee even when you don’t necessarily have to

BPH Medications

Your doctor may recommend several different medications if the treatments mentioned above do not work. Though they should work, if done right, along with the proper prostate health supplements. You should be cautious of any medication your Doctor recommends if you want to have a healthy sex life. These medications may decrease your sex drive significantly and may also leave you with impotence.  

  • Alpha-1 blockers
  • Hormone reduction medications
  • Antibiotics

What Are Alpha-1 Blockers

These medications relax the muscles found in your prostate, as well as your bladder. Some examples of Alpha-1 blockers are:

  • alfuzosin
  • terazosin
  • doxazosin
  • tamsulosin
  • prazosin

Hormone Reduction Drugs

These medications will reduce the levels of hormones produced by your prostate gland. When you reduce your hormone levels it reduces the size of your prostate and may improve your urine flow. Some of the most common medications doctors prescribe are:

  • Dutasteride 
  • Finasteride 

Antibiotics

When you experience chronicle inflammation caused by bacterial prostatitis, related to BPH, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. This may improve some of your symptoms but it won’t help with the inflammation that is not caused by bacteria or prostatitis. 

BPH Complications 

If you choose to ignore the symptoms you are experiencing from BPH, you may be putting yourself at risk for some very serious complications such as:

  • Kidney Damage
  • Chronic UTI’s
  • Bleeding in the urinary tract 
  • Suddenly unable to pee
  • Urinary stones

Our Recommendations

If you are experiencing BPH this does not mean it will require immediate medical treatment. Your doctor may just want to monitor your symptoms and the size of your prostate while you start to implement the lifestyle changes we mentioned above. This is why it is so important for you to start game planning right away. Think about some of the immediate steps you can start taking to improve your BPH symptoms like: start exercising daily, find the right prostate health supplement like ProstaGenix, start to reduce the amount of alcohol and caffeine you consume. No matter how unimportant you feel your symptoms may be now is the time to address them.  

Don’t Fall For Fakes! Get Authentic ProstaGenix.

We have recently found that there are companies selling fake ProstaGenix out of Malaysia. Our legal team put a stop to that nonsense immediately but it just goes to show, you have to always be careful of these scammers!

How do you make sure you are getting the real thing? Always buy it directly from either ProstaGenix.com or from our store on Amazon. If you see it being sold on eBay or some other site with photos of products that look like they were taken in someone’s garage…run away! There’s no telling what those scammers are trying to sell you!

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Genuine ProstaGenix … directly from us at ProstaGenix.com!

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ProstaGenix Retailers And Better Alternative Ways To Buy

A lot of customers are asking where they can find ProstaGenix retailers and we want to provide you with better alternatives. This will save you a lot of time and more convenient for your needs. You can buy ProstaGenix online directly from the manufacturer or with a simple call to one of our friendly customer representatives. These are the recommended methods to purchase our revolutionary prostate product. Feel free to ask our customer service team any questions you may have regarding the benefits of our prostate supplement.

It is not recommended that you buy from a third-party site because you may be buying counterfeit products. This is both dangerous and probably a waste of money since you most likely won’t see any results. Even well-known sites like Walmart, Amazon, eBay and others are selling ProstaGenix from sellers other than the manufacturer, Verified Nutrition. Always be sure to get it directly from the source so you can be sure you’re getting the real thing.

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Thank You For All The ProstaGenix Reviews on Amazon

We have collected and relocated all the ProstaGenix Reviews Amazon to our official testimonial page. We want to use these reviews to educate our loyal customers about ProstaGenix and what results you can expect. You don’t have to run around looking for information about our prostate pills. They’re all here in our official blog and also throughout our website.

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Speak With Our Friendly ProstaGenix Customer Service Team

You’re more than welcome to contact our ProstaGenix customer service team member. Feel free to leave us a comment or question. We are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Please include your email and your name and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. We’d love to hear from you about your results. So after you start using ProstaGenix™, please share with us how well it worked for you.

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Best ProstaGenix Phone Number For Ordering And Information

Our friendly customer service representatives are available to speak with you when you call our ProstaGenix phone number1-800-796-0234. They are there to answer your questions about the prostate supplement pill and to help place your order. Go ahead and give us a call now.

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Updated ProstaGenix Website, Blog, & Important Links

Our team has been working hard to update the ProstaGenix website blog. This is a good platform to share information about our prostate pill and customer experiences. Be sure to check our blog posts each week to stay updated. We will continue to provide our customers with useful facts and resources to help them make smart purchasing decisions.

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ProstaGenix Website’s Official Blog

Our official blog on ProstaGenix website is now live! We’re excited to share this new platform so that our team could provide more information and resources for our customers. Our goal is to help customers make smarter and easier choices when they just want to get rid of their prostate problems.

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