Prostate Health through Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
By Spence Pentland
From birth to young adulthood, the prostate grows from about the size of a
pea to about the size of a walnut. Most men experience a second period of
prostate growth in their mid- to late 40s. At this time, cells in the central
portion of the gland - where the prostate surrounds the urethra - begin to
reproduce more rapidly. As tissues in the area enlarge, they often compress the
urethra and partially block urine flow. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is
the medical term for this condition. It should be noted that the prostate may
also become enlarged due to bacterial infection, the term used for this
condition is acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis. There is also another
non-bacterial form of chronic prostatitis which is actually more common than
its counterpart, the cause for it is unknown.
Prostate enlargement affects about half of men in their 60s and up to 90 percent
of men in their 70s and 80s. The presence or absence of prostate gland
enlargement is not related to the development of prostate cancer.
Conventional treatment depends on your signs and symptoms and may include
medications, surgery or non-surgical therapies such as acupuncture, herbs, and
nutritional supplements.
Signs & Symptoms Prostate enlargement varies in severity from man
to man, and doesn't always pose a problem. Only about half the men with
prostate enlargement experience signs and symptoms that become noticeable or
bothersome enough for them to seek medical treatment. These signs and symptoms
may include:
*Weak urine stream *Difficulty starting urination *Stopping and starting
again while urinating *Dribbling at the end of urination *Frequent need to
urinate *Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia) *Urgent need to
urinate *Not being able to completely empty the bladder *Blood in the urine
(hematuria) *Urinary tract infection *Pain in the lower abdomen *Discomfort
during ejaculation *Fever and chills (infection)
Traditional Chinese Medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine generally
sees the condition of prostate enlargement as an accumulation of Dampness and
Heat in the lower portion of the torso (low Jiao), or as cold that has entered the
Liver channel, quite often accompanied by a Kidney deficiency as an underlying
root. This condition gives rise to all the troubling urinary symptoms listed
above. Acupuncture, moxibustion, and laser acupuncture displays good results in
helping restore normal urinary function (Luo YN et al. World Journal of
Acupuncture-Moxibustion), and Chinese herbal therapy has been shown to
eliminate the root causes of prostate enlargement. Together, Chinese herbal
medicine and Acupuncture are an important choice in overcoming the battle with
prostate enlargement. In one study, electro-acupuncture was also shown to help
chronic prostatitis cases that were unresponsive to conventional therapies
(Ikeuchi T, Iguchi H).
Treatments with acupuncture (traditional, electro, laser) and moxibustion
(heat therapy) are usually once per week unless there is considerable pain 2-3
treatments per week for 1-3 weeks may be warranted. Chinese herbal therapy will
be administered in the form of daily tea, pills, powders, or drops. Some nutritional
supplements and western herbal therapy may also be recommended. Diet will also
be reviewed from a traditional energetic point of view to help eliminate
anything that may be aggravating the prostate condition.
Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis The most recent scientific research
claims that chronic non-bacterial prostatitis has unknown etiology (the cause
is not known). This is an unfortunate situation considering it is more common
that it’s infectious counterparts, acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis.
Symptoms include pain and discomfort in the pelvic region or CPPS (chronic
pelvic pain syndrome), some low back pain, frequent urination, and an
unfinished feeling after urination. There is usually no history of urinary
tract infections (as in bacterial prostatitis), no redness, and patients do not
obtain symptomatic relief with antibiotics.
There also seems to be more of a feeling of ‘cold’ (rather than ‘heat’ which
would be associated with the infectious bacterial prostatitis). It should also
be noted that emotional problems such as depression and erectile dysfunction
more often than not accompany this chronic condition and should be properly
diagnosed and treated.
Treatment Studies and Research Some men say they find relief with
NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), although this is an avenue
that cannot be undertaken forever as they suppress the immune system.
The Merck manual is quoted saying that hot sitz baths and prostate massage
are two of the best ways to provide symptomatic relief.
A recent study showed the benefits of alternative therapies including
phytotherapy (quercetin, bee pollen) and physical therapies such as acupuncture
(Shoskes and Manickam, dept. or Urology Cleveland Clinic
displayed that there is a neuromuscular component to chronic prostatitis. This
is further proven in another study done by Chen and Nickel at the King Street
Medical Arts Centre in Mississauga Ontario Canada where acupuncture
successfully ameliorated symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic
pelvic pain syndrome.
Another study performed by Chen, Gao, Liu, and Shen at Zhejiang College
Hangzhou showed promise with the use of laser acupuncture.
Other herbal supplementation has received scientific recognition as of late;
pygeum for urinary symptoms, saw palmetto and quercetin for pain, and
beta-sitosterol to aid with urinary flow.
Moxibustion, a form of heat therapy used with acupuncture has also shown
improvement in patients that participated in a study at
and another showed significant improvement at
combination of antibiotics and acupuncture were used in the treatment of CPPS
and chronic prostatitis.
Years of empirical evidence also gives hope to those that seek out the aid
of a qualified Chinese herbal medicine practitioner.
Spence Pentland of
received his five year Doctor of TCM education from the International College
of Traditional Chinese Medicine Vancouver. To complete his studies he spent 500
hours at Anhui Hospital of TCM Hefei City, in the
registered member of the Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, is
the President of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association of British
Columbia (TCMABC http://www.tcmabc.org/),
and practices at Acubalance Wellness Centre (http://www.acubalance.ca/)where he treats only Men's reproductive
health (http://mens.health-info.org/)and
Women's fertility issues.
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