Prostate cancer treatments

Vitamin K2 (Not K1)

Vitamin K2

K2 - A study published by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) has revealed that increased intake of vitamin K2 may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 35%. The authors point out that the benefits of K2 were most pronounced for advanced prostate cancer, and, importantly, that vitamin K1 did not offer any prostate benefits. The findings were based on data from more than 11,000 men taking part in the EPIC Heidelberg cohort.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/87/4/985.abstract

Dietary intake of vitamin K and risk of prostate cancer in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Heidelberg)1,2,3

Katharina Nimptsch, Sabine Rohrmann and Jakob Linseisen

1 From the Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany

Background:Anticarcinogenic activities of vitamin K have been observed in various cancer cell lines, including prostate cancer cells. Epidemiologic studies linking dietary intake of vitamin K with the development of prostate cancer have not yet been conducted.

Objective:We evaluated the association between dietary intake of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2) and total and advanced prostate cancer in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Design:At baseline, habitual dietary intake was assessed by means of a food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary intake of phylloquinone and menaquinones (MK-4-14) was estimated by using previously published HPLC-based food-content data. Multivariate-adjusted relative risks of total and advanced prostate cancer in relation to intakes of phylloquinone and menaquinones were calculated in 11 319 men by means of Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results: During a mean follow-up time of 8.6 y, 268 incident cases of prostate cancer, including 113 advanced cases, were identified. We observed a nonsignificant inverse association between total prostate cancer and total menaquinone intake [multivariate relative risk (highest compared with lowest quartile): 0.65; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.06]. The association was stronger for advanced prostate cancer (0.37; 0.16, 0.88; P for trend = 0.03). Menaquinones from dairy products had a stronger inverse association with advanced prostate cancer than did menaquinones from meat. Phylloquinone intake was unrelated to prostate cancer incidence (1.02; 0.70, 1.48).

Conclusions: Our results suggest an inverse association between the intake of menaquinones, but not that of phylloquinone, and prostate cancer. Further studies of dietary vitamin K and prostate cancer are warranted.

Vitamin K2 is found in:

 •         Fermented cod liver oil

Zinc -The man's mineral!

♦      The prostate needs 10 times more zinc than any other organ in the body.

•          It is vital for preventing prostate problems, and for BPH sufferers.(11)

Unfortunately, 90% of us consume diets deficient in zinc (12), because most of the zinc in our food is lost in processing, or never exists in a substantial amount due to our nutrient-poor soils.(13)

Irving Bush and associates at Chicago's Cook County Hospital, tested the effect of zinc on patients with BPH symptoms. All patients reported symptomatic improvements, and 75% had palpable shrinkage of the prostate.(14)

Zinc not only inhibits the production of 5-alpha-reductase (thereby reducing the levels of DHT), but it also helps the body excrete excess DHT.(15,16) Zinc has been shown, in several controlled studies, to actually reverse prostate enlargement.

Any therapy using zinc supplementation must also include adequate intake of Vitamin B6 -
However, zinc is poorly absorbed by the body on its own. Unless it is combined with Vitamin B6, zinc cannot be converted into a form that is readily used by the prostate. Therefore,
When men reach their 40's, PROLACTIN levels tend to increase, which in turn encourages the production of more 5-alpha-reductase. As we have already established, this enzyme increases the amount of testosterone that is converted to dihydrotestosterone ... and so we get prostate enlargement. Scientists believe that zinc is the natural modulator of prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland. In fact, the combination of Zinc and Vitamin B6 is so effective in reducing prolactin levels that many researchers believe that a deficiency in either one might be a main cause of prostate enlargement.

Magnesium

Selenium

Vitamin D

Vitamin D

VITAMIN D AND PROSTATE CANCER MORTALITY
It is not all clear whether vitamin D influences the incidence of prostate cancer and there is weak evidence that high levels of 25-hydroxyvitam D (25(OH)D) may even correlate with the incidence of more aggressive forms of the disease, although a clear monotonic dose-response is lacking. However, vitamin D levels as measured by 25(OH)D appear to be strongly inversely correlated with progression and mortality associated with established disease. A study just published from Norway addresses this issue. This study involved 160 patients of which 97 were on hormone therapy. During the follow-up which had a mean time of 44 months (range 1.2 to 155), 61 patients died, the majority from prostate cancer. The vitamin D status was stratified according to low (< 50 nmol/L), medium (50-80 nmol/L and high (> 80 nmol/L) of 25(OH)D. The results were analyzed using several models, with the model which included age, tumor grade (differentiation) and patient functional status at the time of blood collection giving the strongest correlation between mortality from prostate cancer and vitamin D status, When those in the medium and high levels were compared to those with a low level of 25(OH)D, statistically significant risk reductions in prostate cancer-specific mortality of 67% and 84% respectively were found. When the analysis was restricted to patients receiving hormone therapy, the association was even stronger. It was concluded that the serum level of 25(OH)D may be involved in disease progression and is a potential marker of prognosis in patients with prostate cancer.

It is possible that the mechanism providing this benefit may involve a transcription factor called Stat3 which in active in malignant prostate cancer. Dr. William Grant of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco has pointed out that vitamin D has been found to inhibit the action of Stat3 and increase cancer cell death and invasion and metastasis. It is also possible that the metabolite of 25(OH)D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is involved since it is known that prostate cancer cells contain the required enzyme to convert 25(OH)D to this metabolite. Grant points out that making sure that those diagnosed with prostate cancer have high 25(OH)D levels may be important for this reason.
Ahn J, Peters U, Albanes D et al. Serum vitamin D concentration and prostate cancer risk: a nested case-control study. J Natl Cancer Inst 2008 June 4;100(11):796-804
Tretli S, Hernes E, Berg JP, Hestvik UE, Robsahm TE. Association between serum 25(OH)D and death from prostate cancer. Br J Cancer 2009 Feb 10;100(3):450-4
Abdulghani J, Gu L, Dagvadorj A et al. Stat3 promotes metastatic progression of prostate cancer. Am J Pathol 2008 June 1;172(6):1717-28
Grant WB. Vitamin D may reduce prostate cancer metastasis by several mechanisms including blocking Stat3. Am J Pathol 2008 November 1;173(5):1589-90

Vitamin E and prostate Cancer

Vitamin E - 400 units (Please note: Only natural vitamin E should be used, not synthetic. Additionally, mixed tocopherol is more preferable than alpha-tocopherol, as the gamma tocopherols are particularly useful antioxidants.)

Investigation of the antiproliferative effect of tocotrienols in PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells suggests that the transformation of vitamin E to carboxyethyl-hydroxychroman (CEHC) is mostly a detoxification mechanism, useful to maintain the malignant properties of prostate cancer cells.[62] However, various research studies suggest that both δ- and γ-tocotrienol potently suppressed prostate cancer cell proliferation.[63] In one study,the antiproliferative effect of γ-tocotrienol act through multiple-signalling pathways (NF-B, EGF-R and Id family proteins). In addition, the same study demonstrated the anti-invasion and chemosensitisation effect of γ-tocotrienol against PCa cells.[64] 

In another study, δ-tocotrienol was at least equally or more potent than γ-tocotrienol in prostate cancer cells, and showed that alpha-tocopherol enhanced cancer cell growth.[65]  ???

65.  Campbell SE, Rudder B, Phillips RB, et al. (May 2011). "γ-Tocotrienol induces growth arrest through a novel pathway with TGFβ2 in prostate cancer". Free Radic. Biol. Med. 50 (10): 1344-54. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2011.02.007.PMID 21335085.

" We find that the γ and δ isoforms of tocotrienol are more effective at inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3 and LNCaP) compared with the γ and δ forms of tocopherol."

Four years ago there was a study that showed there was a 500 % decrease in prostate cancer in men who had the highest level of gamma-tocopherol.

Vitamin E appears to protect against prostate cancer, and new research shows it may do so by interfering with two proteins that are associated with the disease.

Researchers based at the University of Rochester in New York found that adding vitamin E to prostate cancer cells inhibits the production of androgen receptor (AR), which is needed in order for the cancer to grow and develop.

The fewer ARs there are in a prostate cancer cell, the less capable the remaining ARs, no matter how they are activated, are to turn on the genes that stimulate prostate cancer growth and progression.

Thus, this can be combined with other AR inhibiting strategies to eliminate AR activity in prostate cancer cells.

In the US, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men. Previous research has shown that vitamin E can protect against the development of prostate cancer, reducing risk from 18% to 12% among male smokers.

However, researchers remained puzzled about how vitamin E, and not other antioxidants, lowered the risk of prostate cancer.

Now, the authors of the current study, led by, report that vitamin E inhibits the expression in prostate cancer cells of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein that is often elevated in the disease and used as a marker for early detection.

The investigators also note in the May 28th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that vitamin E can prevent cells from making androgen receptors.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Messing said he suspects the benefits of vitamin E stem from its interference with AR production. "The only thing we know of in 2002 that turns on PSA is an activated AR."

Moreover, the researcher added, stopping the production of AR will halt the expression of all other genes that are activated by AR, which can also influence the development of prostate cancer.

While PSA serves as a good marker molecule of AR activity, more importantly the genes responsible for prostate cancer"s growth, invasion and metastases, many of which depend upon an activated AR to turn them on, will be down-regulated or totally silenced as well.

All of the currently available treatments that aim to inhibit AR in prostate cancer cells primarily focus on preventing testosterone from binding to the receptor, Messing explained, but do not have long-term benefits, and can produce serious side effects in other parts of the body.

This is the first study to show how an agent can, in fact, specifically inhibit a prostate cancer cell"s ability to manufacture AR, Messing added, and the vitamin appears to affect mostly prostate cancer cells.

Vitamin E might work best when administered with other natural treatments that also appear to protect against prostate cancer, such as vitamin D and selenium. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 28, 2002;99:7408-7413

Further evidence of vitamin E"s usefulness in treating prostate cancer. Now, we actually have a mechanism for how it works.

Sunlight

Beta Sitosterol

Beta sitosterol has been shown to inhibit 5 alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone to 5 hydroxytestosterone (5HT) RUBBISH!!!!.[ Cabeza M et al. Effect of beta-sitosterol as inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase in hamster prostate. Proc West PharmacolSoc 2003, 46:153-55.] - 5HT may be an undesirable metabolite of testosterone. Beta sitosterol has also been used to treat BPH, where 5HT is believed to play a negative role.[11,12]

Black Cohosh

•         Shown to kill both androgen-responsive and non-responsive human prostate cancer cells

•         4.12. Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)

•         Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) is a plant of the buttercup family. Extracts from these plants are thought to possess analgesic, sedative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Black cohosh preparations (tinctures or tablets of dried materials) are used to treat symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, although the efficacy has been questioned (11). The inhibitory effects of black cohosh extracts (Cimicifuga syn. Actaea racemosa L.) on the proliferation of human breast cancer cells has been reported recently (12), and Hostsanka. et al (13) have examined the plant'seffects on prostate cancer, another androgen hormone-dependent, epidemiologically important tumor. In that study, the inhibitory effect of an isopropanolic extract of black cohosh (iCR) on cell growth in androgen-sensitive LNCaP and androgen-insensitive PC-3 and DU 145 prostate cancer cells was investigated.

•         The authors found that regardless of hormone sensitivity, the growth of prostate cancer cells was significantly and dose-dependently down regulated by iCR. At a concentration between 37.1 and 62.7 μg/ml, iCR caused 50% cell growth inhibition in all cell lines after 72h. Increases in the levels of the apoptosis-related M30 antigen of approximately 1.8-, 5.9-, and 5.3-fold over untreated controls were observed in black cohosh-treated PC-3, DU 145, and LNCaP cells, respectively, with the induction of apoptosis being dose- and time-dependent.

•         Black cohosh extract was therefore shown to kill both androgen-responsive and non-responsive human prostate cancer cells by induction of apoptosis and activation of caspases. This finding suggested that the cells’ hormone responsive status was not a major determinant of the response to the iCR, and indicated that the extract may represent a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Saw Palmetto

DIM

DIM may reduce prostate cancer incidence as it has been shown to stop human cancer cells from growing (by 54-61%) and provokes the cells to self-destruct (apoptosis). DIM also improves prostate function.

In two papers published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (Mar 27, 2003) researchers reported that DIM significantly halted proliferation of androgen-dependent human prostate cancer cells. In one of the studies, androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells treated with DIM grew 70% less than androgen-dependent untreated cells. DIM also inhibited dihydrotestosterone (DHT) stimulation of DNA synthesis in the androgen-dependent cancer cells. These effects were not seen in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.

To determine whether men are at risk for prostate cancer, they are usually tested for levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a growth factor for prostate cancer. In prostate cancer cells, DIM reduced intracellular and secreted PSA protein levels caused by DHT. The researchers determined that DIM'smolecular structure is similar to Casodex, a synthetic anti-androgen drug.

"As far as we know, this is the first plant-derived chemical discovered that acts as an anti-androgen," said Leonard Bjeldanes, professor and chair of nutritional sciences and toxicology at UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources and principal investigator of the study. "This is of considerable interest in the development of therapeutics and preventive agents for prostate cancer."

Flaxseed

•         Freshly Ground Flaxseeds - two ounces every other day????. I TABLEspoon flax seed is 0.25 oz (7g)

•         Consume ? TABLEspoons ground flaxseed daily with a drink - its phytoestrogen content has an anti-estrogenic effect at this dose.

•         Freshly Ground Flaxseeds - two ounces every other day

•         -       TESTOSTERONE blocker in prostate cancer patients - researchers at Duke University found that supplementation with milled flax resulted in significant decreases in both total and free TESTOSTERONE in prostate cancer patients. They also found a decrease in PSA levels in men with early stage prostate cancer.

Mammalian Lignans - copy in AAAHYAH FILES

Role of Mammalian Lignans in the Prevention and Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Mark J. McCann, Chris I. R. Gill, Hugh McGlynn, and Ian R. Rowland

Green Tea

green tea may also have an important anti-androgen effect because it contains epigallocatechins, which inhibit the 5-alpha-reductase conversion of normal testosterone into DHT. As previously noted, this anti-androgen mechanism may help to reduce the risk of BPH, acne, and baldness. As yet, no randomized controlled trials of green tea for these androgen dependent conditions have been conducted.

Hormone Tests

Serum hormone levels are irrelevant

 All steroid hormones are fat-soluble.

Sometimes steroid hormones are protein-bound to make them water-soluble (but less bioavailable) for circulation through liver and kidneys (where they are excreted in urine)

Non-protein-bound hormone ( "free"hormone)  is the bioavailable form - being fat-soluble, it is carried in the blood by red blood cells rather than in serum ( watery, non-cellular portion of the blood).

When the blood circulates through the tissue of the salivary glands, the "free"hormone, whether in red blood cells or in the serum, filters through into the saliva, whereas the protein-bound form does not. If one wished to know the concentration of "free"bioavailable hormone in the blood, it is obvious that saliva hormone levels are more accurate and more relevant than serum hormone levels.

♦      Only salivary measurements of "free"/bioavailable hormones are relevant

-       Steroid hormones are fat-soluble and in this form are "free"and bioavailable - fat-soluble/"free") hormones are carried in the blood by red blood cells  (RBCs) rather than in serum (watery, non-cellular portion of the blood).

-       Serum levels reflect the not-so-available steroid hormones bound to protein - to make them water-soluble for circulation through liver and kidneys (where they are excreted in urine).

-       Blood circulates through salivary gland tissue  and the "free"hormone in RBCs (or the small amount in serum)  filters through into the saliva - whereas the protein-bound form does not.

Serum vs. Saliva Holds True for Men Too

For reasons that escape rational thinking, conventional medicine persists in using serum tests rather than saliva tests. The results have been disastrous. When using hormone creams or gels, the hormone is absorbed through the skin and into the blood without first passing through the liver. Thus, they are essentially all absorbed in the "free"form. When given orally, they pass first through the liver and 90% of them become protein-bound. For this reason, transdermal dosing is at least 10 times more efficient than oral dosing. If one uses serum testing to measure the blood levels achieved by transdermal dosing, the test will fail to measure all the hormone carried by red blood cells. As a consequence, physicians are apt to greatly over-dose their patients.

When using saliva testing, it is found that the transdermal dose of testosterone when treating someone with testosterone deficiency is only 0.25-0.5 mg in women, and 1-2 mg in men. As the New Yorker article indicated, the transdermal doses of testosterone ranged from 5 mg to 100 mg a day. The same is observed in estrogen replacement therapy the doses are generally all greatly excessive. The same hormone that brought good health without side effects when in normal endogenous levels will bring on very bad side effects when given in grossly excessive doses.

The problem is not the hormone, per se, the problem is the dosing.

Some physicians have attempted to measure "free"hormones in serum. Regardless of how well this is done, such tests fail to measure the "free"hormone being carried by red blood cells.

Magnesium

 - Without sufficient magnesium, the body accumulates toxins and acid residues, degenerates rapidly, and ages prematurely. It goes against a slew of medical science to ignore magnesium chloride used transdermally in the treatment of any chronic or acute disorder, especially cancer.


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/023279_magnesium_cancer_calcium.html#ixzz17kStwGax

Article talks about prostate cancer and calcium ND BALANCING CALCIUM WITH MAGNESIUM
http://www.naturalnews.com/023279_magnesium_cancer_calcium.html

For the cancer patient the transdermal approach combined with oral use offers the opportunity to take magnesium levels up strongly and quickly.

-       For emergency situations - three applications a day;

-       For urgent situations - two treatments would be indicated though one strong treatment with an ounce of a natural magnesium chloride solution spread all over the body like a sun screen is a powerful systemic treatment.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/023279_magnesium_cancer_calcium.html#ixzz17kUa5AiB

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 4, 985-992, April 2008
© 2008 American Society for Nutrition

Nettle Root (Urtica doica)

    Stinging nettle (extract) is anti-aromatase:

-       Aphrodisiac effect on men by increasing the level of free TESTOSTERONE in the blood -contain compounds that bind to SHBG, reducing the binding of TESTOSTERONE to SHBG;

-       Blocks binding of growth-stimulating estrogen to prostate cells - Useful in treating benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH);

-       Natural aid for women who suffer from estrogen-related stubborn fat.

•         Nettle root - contains compounds that bind to SHBG; nettle root is also anti-aromatase and therefore acts against estrogen production. 

•         A 30% methanol extract of Urtica dioica roots (10:1) markedly reduced activity of 5AR from rats at concentrations (12mg/mL).

•         However, in studies conducted by Rhodes et al, extract of Urtica roots (Bazoton) failed to demonstrate 5aR inhibition in the rat anti-androgen assay, the rat androgen receptor binding assay, and the assay for in vitro inhibition of human prostatic 5 alpha-reductase or a seven-day human clinical trial. 

Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate - ellagitannins (Ellagic acid) found in pomegranates inhibit ▼ aromatase; Urolithin B, a metabolite produced from ellagic acid, significantly inhibited cell growth in estrogen-responsive cancers.

Drinking pomegranate juice significantly increases  PSA doubling time (PSADT) - found a 2006 University of California (Los Angeles) study in 2006, for men with rising PSA after surgical or radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

This study has been continued and patients remaining in the study continue to show a durable increase in the PSADT as of August 2007. Patients remaining in the study (active) were compared with those who no longer participate in the study (non-active). At baseline, the active and non-active patients had similar PSA doubling times. The mean post treatment PSADT increased in the non-active patients to 51 months, but for the active patients, it increased to 69 months. The conference abstract from which this information was derived does not indicate how many of the non-active patients still drank pomegranate juice. The authors conclude that this research reaffirms the positive results of the earlier trial by showing that the beneficial effects of pomegranate juice on PSADTs in this clinical setting can be long-term. 
Pantuck AJ, Leppert JT, Zomorodian N et al. Phase II study of pomegranate juice for men with rising prostate-specific antigen following surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2006 July 1;12(13):4018-26
Pantuck AJ, Zomorodian N, Belldegrun AS. Phase-II Study of pomegranate juice for men with prostate cancer and increasing PSA. Curr Urol Rep 2006 January;7(1):7
Pantuck AJ, Zomorodian N, Seeram M et al. Long term follow up of pomegranate juice for men with prostate cancer and rising PSA shows durable improvements in PSA doubling time. American Society of Clinical Oncology 2008 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium Abstract 40. 2009

PROGESTERONE - 5a-reductase and aromatase inhibitor

PROGESTERONE - supplementation / replacement provides a simple, safe, inexpensive solution to prevent and treat prostate cancer (and BPH) by preventing both DHT and estrogen production

PROGESTERONE levels decrease around the age of 45, especially after 60 - When PROGESTERONE levels decrease, the 5-alpha reductase enzyme converts the TESTOSTERONE to DHT, which unlike TESTOSTERONE is unable to remove the prostate cancer cells stimulated by ESTRADIOL.

With a family history of prostate cancer men should consider natural progesterone replacement sometime in their 40s, or even earlier. Males produce about half as much progesterone as females.

•         PROGESTERONE inhibits 5 alpha-reductase much more effectively than Proscar (Finasteride) or Saw Palmetto, the typical methods employed.

•         PROGESTERONE is a natural inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme - preventing conversion of androgens to estrogen - of concern when using 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors, since they are reported to push testosterone to ESTRADIOL pathway.

•         PROGESTERONE replacement completely reverses metastatic prostatic cancers - Renowned author and proponent of hormone replacement therapy, Dr. John Lee, has a large number of anecdotal stories.

Research Studies in Support of PROGESTERONE  against PCa and BPH

•         In 1988 a very important study was done at Nanjing Medical College in China where progesterone reduced the prostate weights of test animals.

•         Six different studies at the University of Milan in Italy, the University of Turku in Finland, Montreal General Hospital in Quebec, St. George's Hospital in London, the University of Mainz in Germany and the Roswell Park Memorial Institute in New York all independently had results that suggest that progesterone is a powerful 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that stops the conversion of testosterone into DHT in test animals.

•         At Staten Island College in New York and Mt. Sinai Medical School (also in New York ) PROGESTERONE was shown to raise the level of ANDROSTENEDIONE in the prostate gland itself. Remember that a healthy prostate needs an abundance of androgens such as testosterone and androstenedione and DHEA to function well as it does in your youth.

•         At the University of Maryland in Baltimore human prostate cells were shown to have progesterone receptor sites. This was also demonstrated at the Institute of Clinical Medicine in Rome.

•         The Center for Drug Research in India did four different studies suggesting that progesterone shrank enlarged rat prostates, progesterone antagonized the stimulating effects of estrogen, that progesterone stimulates alkaline phosphatase and depressed acid phosphatase in the prostate and generally is supportive of proper prostate function.

•         At the University of Laval in Quebec progesterone inhibited estrogen from binding to the prostate and progesterone receptors were clearly demonstrated.

•         At the Institute for Biological Medical Experiments in Buenos Aires it was shown progesterone shrank prostate weight in test animals as well as reduced 5-alpha reductase activity.

•         At Central Hospital University in Paris PROGESTERONE was shown to inhibit the formation of DHT as well as binding of it to the prostate. DHT content in the prostate is the single most causative factor in prostate disease.

•         At the Biochemical Medical Laboratory in France the doctors demonstrated in human BPH tissue there are more progesterone receptors which show how responsive the prostate is to this hormone.

•         At the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Bochum, Germany progesterone in human BPH tissue reduced the activity of 5-alpha reductase strongly.

Progesterone Supplementation

If a saliva test shows low PROGESTERONE, then supplemental PROGESTERONE is also indicated  - since it inhibits 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme catalyst for the conversion of TESTOSTERONE to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and high DHT levels are correlated with prostate cancer

Topical PROGESTERONE cream enters from the skin into the fat. Progesterone is released in direct proportion to the concentration of the cream. A low dose progesterone (E.g. 1.7% concentration)  is released smoothly and gradually from the fat into the blood stream over the course of 12 hours as opposed to a higher concentration (Eg. 10%) which will quickly enter the blood stream. Since Progesterone has a half life of only 5 minutes in the blood stream, a high dose cream is not satisfactory. The dose for a man is 6g (1/16 TEAspoon twice daily 12 hours apart

●     Estrogens, or female hormones not only suppress the production of testosterone but also have a negative effect on prostate cancer cells and are sometimes used in cases of hormone resistant cancer or sometimes as early therapy.  Unfortunately, high dose estrogens have been shown to cause increased blood clotting, leading to clots, heart attacks, strokes and vascular accidents.  DES, diethylstilbestrol, is still used in some patients.  Occasionally it is used in low dose in patients with hormone resistant prostate cancer with some response."The research showed that drugs that activate one of the two estrogen receptors, causes cell death. The team used a drug developed to selectively and specifically activate the beta estrogen receptor in the prostate. "It not only inhibits the growth of prostate cancer but also kills off cancer cells that are resistant to conventional treatment such as androgen deprivation therapy;

Prostate Cancer / BPH Treatment

-        Increase TESTOSTERONE to ESTRADIOL RATIO

Hormonal balance refers to levels of hormones relative to each other

 rather than absolute levels of any given hormone

Overview

♦      In prostate cancer, the key hormonal balance to address is TESTOSTERONE compared to estrogen -  TESTOSTERONE is a potent antagonist of ESTRADIOL (i.e. blocks effects of ESTRADIOL)

-       The ESTRADIOL level in a 55 year old man is usually a little higher than a woman of the same age

-       As men age, their TESTOSTERONE concentrations decline but their ESTRADIOL concentrations increase -  resulting in a decrease in the ratio of TESTOSTERONE to ESTRADIOL;  it is also noted that the level of PROGESTERONE (another antagonist to estrogen)  also generally falls;  the result is an estrogen dominance over TESTOSTERONE, which allows the cell-multiplying effects of estrogen to prevail, possibly causing enlarged breasts, BPH or prostate cancer

-       With BPH or prostate cancer, the T : E  ratio needs to be increased - either by increasing TESTOSTERONE levels and/or by decreasing estrogen levels.

♦      Saliva test your hormone levels - Serum tests can NOT measure the fat-soluble / "free"/ bioavailable hormone that is carried inside RBCs

♦      Oral vs. Transdermal Hormones

-       Oral hormones must first pass through the liver - where ~90% are bound to protein for transportation in "watery"serum

-       Transdermal hormones pass into the blood in their "free"/ bioavailable form - i.e. without being bound to protein

TESTOSTERONE + PROGESTERONE Hormonal Therapy

♦      Treatment strategy

♦      Use Only Bio-identical, Natural Hormones -Altered, synthetic versions of our natural hormones do not convey the same benefits as the real hormone, and are fraught with undesirable side effects not experienced by the real hormone.

Mercola will be offering one of the best low dose creams on the market, Natragest, which we obtain from Biotics Labs.

(1)    Supplement TESTOSTERONE - Dr. Lee recommended 4-6 mg delivered as a transdermal cream or a patch, emphasizing that higher doses could "tip the hormonal scales"in the other direction, causing any number of emotional and physical effects. Also, be aware that the "right"TESTOSTERONE levels vary from person to person.

Test kits enable you to send in a spit sample to accurately check for TESTOSTERONE deficiency or excess:

Testosterone Test

(2)    If a saliva test shows low PROGESTERONE, then supplemental PROGESTERONE is also indicated  - since it inhibits 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme catalyst for the conversion of TESTOSTERONE to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and high DHT levels are correlated with prostate cancer

There is also a reasonable likelihood that this will decrease male balding.

Saw Palmetto - 5a-reductase inhibitor

Saw palmetto is an herbal remedy that comes from a type of palm tree. It'sbeen used in traditional medicine for centuries to relieve urinary symptoms, including those caused by an enlarged prostate. Saw palmetto is also the leading herbal treatment for BPH. This herb brings relief to 1 out of 3 men. It blocks the production of the hormone that causes the prostate to grow. There is no documented evidence of any side effects to taking saw palmetto.

Saw palmetto is used to treat prostate cancer and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, including reduction of urinary frequency, increase of urinary flow, and decrease of nocturia. Saw palmetto may delay the need for prostate surgery. However, the mechanism of action is unknown.

Saw Palmetto Dosing

The crude saw palmetto berries are usually administered at 1 to 2 g/day; however, lipophilic extracts standardized to 85% to 95% fatty acids in soft native extract or 25% fatty acids in a dry extract are more common. Brand-name products include Permixon , Prostaserene , Prostagutt , Remigeron , Quanterra Prostate , and LG 166/S . Typical dosages of standardized extracts range from 100 to 400 mg given twice daily for benign prostatic hypertrophy.

♦      Extracts of saw palmetto berries (Serenoa repens) is a 5a-reductase inhibitor preventing T from creating excessive amounts of the hormones DHT and ANDROSTENEDIONE ? - which can otherwise cause cells to multiply in the prostate. Your extract should be 85% to 95% fatty acids and sterols.

There are many clinical studies on saw palmetto. Saw palmetto was actually one of the first prostate drugs in the US, marketed by Eli Lilly Company in the early 1870's.

"The mechanism of action of saw palmetto is not fully clear," Dr. Moerck says. "We are certainly not making any drug claims, but the anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a reduction in the conversion of testosterone into the dihydrotestosterone, and therefore, men that take saw palmetto will have slightly higher levels of testosterone in their body…That's a good thing...

It turns out that if you don't have enough testosterone in your body it can cause all kinds of problems like gaining weight, breast enlargement in men, and problem with urinating. So saw palmetto alone, or with pumpkin seed or lycopene is an interesting proposition … It's something that you should definitely try."

Saw palmetto:

•         Increases DHT breakdown

•         Inhibits DHT production

•         Reduces 5 alpha-reductase activity

•         Inhibits DHT binding to androgen receptor sites

Suggested Dosage Capsule: 400mg capsule a day
Suggested Dosage Liquid Extract: 1 tsp. liquid extract a day

Selenium

•         400 mcg /day

•         Some excellent food sources of selenium include (they are grown in ideal soil conditions):

§  Brazil nuts (which average about 70-90 micrograms per nut)

§  Button mushrooms and shitake mushrooms

§  Eggs

§  Sunflower seeds

§  Mustard seeds

TESTOSTERONE Hormonal Therapy

♦      Use Only Bio-identical, Natural Hormones -Altered, synthetic versions of our natural hormones do not convey the same benefits as the real hormone, and are fraught with undesirable side effects not experienced by the real hormone.

TESTOSTERONE, MALE MENOPAUSE AND HORMONE BALANCE IN MEN

by John R. Lee, M.D.

Medicine'sLack of Understanding about Male Hormone Balance

TESTOSTERONE supplementation is the obvious treatment ????(Not if it turns on BCl-2 and turns off P-53!!!!) for men with TESTOSTERONE  deficiency relative to their estradiol levels. If the estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone balance that prevails in younger men (when they do not get prostate cancer) is a healthy one, why not restore the hormone levels in older men to that same healthy balance?

To achieve this desired goal of a healthy balance between these major sex hormones, one must learn how to accurately measure their levels.

Sometimes steroid hormones are protein-bound to make them water-soluble (but less bioavailable) for circulation through liver and kidneys (where they are excreted in urine)

Non-protein-bound hormone ( "free"hormone)  is the bioavailable form - being fat-soluble, it is carried in the blood by red blood cells rather than in serum ( watery, non-cellular portion of the blood).

When the blood circulates through the tissue of the salivary glands, the "free"hormone, whether in red blood cells or in the serum, filters through into the saliva, whereas the protein-bound form does not. If one wished to know the concentration of "free"bioavailable hormone in the blood, it is obvious that saliva hormone levels are more accurate and more relevant than serum hormone levels.

Supplement TESTOSTERONE - Dr. Lee recommended 4-6 mg delivered as a transdermal cream or a patch, emphasizing that higher doses could "tip the hormonal scales"in the other direction, causing any number of emotional and physical effects. Also, be aware that the "right"TESTOSTERONE levels vary from person to person.

Test kits enable you to send in a spit sample to accurately check for TESTOSTERONE deficiency or excess:

Foods

Tomatoes

Some studies suggest that high levels of lycopene in the blood are linked with a lower risk of prostate cancer and may even help slow the spread of cancerous cells.

•         Lycopene is most effective if taken in natural form — that is, in food rather than in a supplement — and is particularly potent in cooked tomatoes. You can add tomatoes or tomato products to many dishes.

Tomato Study  -. Harvard researchers discovered that men who ate 5 or more tomatoes per week had a 40% less risk of developing prostate cancer than those who did not eat tomatoes. [Alternatives, March 1995; 5: 21]

Prostate cancer and lycopene study
DETROIT, MICHIGAN. Epidemiological studies have shown that a high intake of tomatoes markedly reduces the risk of prostate cancer. It is believed that this beneficial effect is due to lycopene, the most common carotenoid in tomatoes. A team of researchers from Wayne State University, McGill University, University of Maryland, and the University of Hawaii has just concluded a clinical trial aimed at evaluating the benefits of lycopene supplementation in prostate cancer patients. The study included 26 men with clinically localized prostate cancer who were scheduled to undergo radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland). The men were randomized into a control group and an intervention group. The intervention group received one 15-mg lycopene capsule with breakfast and dinner for three weeks prior to surgery. Blood samples were taken before the start of supplementation and three weeks later just before surgery. The removed tumors and surrounding tissue were examined by pathologists.
The researchers conclude that lycopene supplementation lowers PSA levels; they observed an average 18 per cent decrease in the lycopene group as compared to a 14 per cent increase in the control group. The level of the tumor suppressing protein Cx43 in the malignant part of the tumor was found to be substantially higher in the lycopene group. It was also apparent that tumors tended to be smaller and more sharply defined (less encroachment into surrounding healthy tissue) in the lycopene group. No adverse effects of the lycopene supplementation were reported by the patients or their physicians. The researchers conclude that lycopene is likely to be beneficial for both prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, but urge larger trials to confirm this.
Kucuk, Omer, et al. Phase II randomized clinical trial of lycopene supplementation before radical prostatectomy. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Vol. 10, August 2001, pp. 861-68 [72 references]

Garlic and Onions

Sulfur-rich Foods: Foods that are high in sulfur, such as garlic and onions, assist the liver in eliminating toxins and estrogen from the body and thus can reduce levels of the hormone. - See more at: http://www.prostate.net/prostate-health/testosterone-hormones-and-prostate-health/what-is-estrogen-estradiol/#sthash.JXAEKMyo.dpuf

BPH Treatments

•         Alpha-blockers for BPH- work by relaxing the smooth muscle around the bladder neck and within the urethra to reduce obstruction and improve urine flow. E.g. Cardura®(doxazosin), Flomax®(tamsulosin), Uroxatral (alfuzosin hydrochloride), and RapafloTM (silodosin). Common side effects include:  fatigue; dizziness; drowsiness; drop in blood pressure (when going from a lying or sitting position to standing); and nasal congestion.

•         5-alpha reductase inhibitor drugs - used in BPH / enlarged prostate E.g.  Proscar®(finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride). May also shrink prostate, not just stop growth; Finasteride may prevent /delay the appearance of prostate cancer and precipitate positive sexual side effects. [Thompson, Ian et al. The Influence of Finasteride on the Development of Prostate Cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine 2003 349:215-224.]