Letha’s Asian Health Secrets

So a loudmouth shot off 6 missles to match his 6 nuclear bombs and came within close range of strategic targets in Japan and the US while we were otherwise involved in Iraq. We got the message. The government is still burping after bingeing hot dogs and beer on the 4th. If you really want to get scared, read the article by Los Angeles Times lifestyle staff writer Susan Brink from July 3rd about the risks of medically treating prostate cancer. The cure is lots worse than the disease. If we read the article correctly, many men do not need treatment anyway. Of course, I have suggestions for natural prevention of prostate problems.

What are the causes of prostate inflammation, pain, and  swelling? Some experts say infections, others say its age, stress, and little exercise, still others blame the lack of vitamin D or zinc. Diet certainly plays a part.

The Bad News

The LA Times article quotes medical authorities:  “Most of the time, I tell men that they may need treatment, but they’re not going to die,” says Mark Scholz, a Marina del Rey oncologist, specializing in prostate cancer. “A lot of men with low-grade cancer may not need treatment for five to 10 years.” A large number of men may never need it.

Because the prostate is near the nerves that govern erection as well as the ability to control urine flow, it is tricky to destroy the 1 1/2 inch-long gland while leaving those nerves intact.

The national averages for side-effects are grim. More than half of treated men will have permanent sexual dysfunction, and up to 30% will have some degree of chronic urinary incontinence, and an unknown number won’t know that they didn’t need the cure. What if the cancer had already spread prior to surgery? They could suffer side-effects of treatment and still have a growing cancer.

The Good News

AN EXCERPT FROM: FEED YOUR TIGER

Diet and Herbs for Prevention and Treatment

If you sit or stand many hours daily and work under tension, post this sign at work and in your kitchen. These foods reduce your risk of developing prostatitis:

Increase fresh fruits and vegetables, especially asparagus, broccoli,
parsley, cilantro, cooked tomatoes, adzuki beans, fresh fish, and tea.

You should avoid shellfish, alcohol, fried and hot spicy foods, coffee, and smoking. An irritating diet, constipation, and lack of exercise increase acids and toxins in the body that cause inflammation. Anyone with urinary or prostate discomforts should do very well using either our Baseline Diet i.e., Daily : 2 fruits, 6 – 9 vegetables, one source of protein and one starch, supplemented with healthy beverages throughout the day.

There are also a number of specific foods and herbs that can prove helpful. Dragons need additional tonics such as astragalus or reishi mushroom tea or extract taken daily. Bears will love eating lots of berries.

Berries, bran, and beans. According to Albuquerque physician and medical researcher Dr. Tieroana Low Dog, all berries, especially strawberries and blueberries, when eaten regularly, reduce urinary tract infections. Blueberries are considered cooling by Chinese herbalists. They contain a chemical similar to aspirin. Many people can enjoy one half up to one pound of fresh, frozen or lightly steamed blueberries daily without side-effects. Enjoy them for breakfast along with warm green tea and whole grain bread. Reduce the amount if you develop diarrhea.

Foods for controlling cholesterol. According to diet author Nathan Pritikin, elevated cholesterol causes crystals that settle in the prostate and cause additional swelling. The sensible thing to do is avoid red meat and soft cheese and other high cholesterol foods. Cholesterol-lowering foods, such as dried beans, oatmeal, oat bran, and any fruit with a peel may help.

Foods containing B vitamins. Whole grains provide B vitamins. Thiamin and riboflavin help your body’s cells release energy and are important for general vigor. Niacin from peas and beans dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow and are important for making testosterone. Most people consume enough vitamins, but alcohol depletes thiamin. Thiamin is found in whole grains, asparagus, and raw nuts. Riboflavin is found in bananas and broccoli.

Nuts, seeds, and rye products are useful because they contain plant hormones and oils that decrease swelling, congestion, and inflammation of the prostate. Pumpkin seeds contain oils that ease discomfort and pelvic pressure.

Garlic.  Asian herbalists suggest increasing garlic to help prevent hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and triglycerides. Garlic treats chronic bacterial and fungal infections. Plain garlic can be irritating, not to mention odorous. An herbal combination works better. For example, Astra Garlic pills contain odorless garlic; astragalus; he shou wu, a moistening blood tonic; ganoderma (reishi mushroom); and hawthorn berry, known to reduce cholesterol. Included to increase circulation are tang kuei and salvia root. Atractylodes strengthens digestion, reduces local edema, and has anti-coagulative properties.

The Broccoli Cure
Prof. Ibrahim Adnan Saracoglu who can be found at www.geocities.com/iastr/index.htm is Director of Phytotherapy Research Center in Kemer – Antalya, Turkey. His website (now in Turkish but soon in English and German) is www.saracoglu.at. He holds a PhD. in natural science and chemistry from the University of Graz, Austria and has been a distinguished lecturer/professor in the departments of chemistry, microbiology, and natural science at several universities in Turkey and Austria.

He recommends eating fresh and steamed broccoli for 21 days as a powerful treatment and preventive against BPH, prostatitis, interstitial cystitis (IC), and urinary tract infections. Eating lots of broccoli has anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing actions. Broccoli also reduces prostate stones. A minimum of 250 grams (approx. 9 oz) of broccoli should be steamed in 4 1/2 cups of water for five minutes. The broccoli cooking juice should be consumed on an empty stomach half in the morning and the other half evenings. Freshly steamed broccoli and cooking juice should be used each day. After eating it, nothing else should be consumed except water for twenty minutes.

Spice is absolutely forbidden during the Saracoglu broccoli cure. Definitely avoid coffee and animal fat. Janet, one of my women clients modified this regime for her broccoli-hater husband Ron. She simmered a cup of raw broccoli in two cups of water for ten minutes and poured it over his morning tea. Afternoons, she juiced broccoli with other raw vegetables. He never noticed the taste. After about two weeks, he had lost five pounds, had less prostate discomfort, and, she told me blushing, they enjoyed sex more frequently. Health claims made for the broccoli cure include:

* Regulation of erectile dysfunctions
* Regulation of urinary functions
* Reversing infertility
* Improving libido
* Reducing the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen)
* Reducing cholesterol
* Improving bowel movements
* Regulation of blood pressure

Dr. Saracoglu, from Turkey, kindly provided me with the following research  information: The main chemical components in broccoli that protect against cancer are Quercetin, Quercitrin, Alpha-Amyrin, Beta-Amyrin, Isothiocyanate, Sulphoraphen, Kaempherol and more. Additional components in broccoli and white cabbage, include Indol-3 Carbinol (I3C), DiIndol-methane (DIM), and Isothiocyanate, which are specifically effective to regulate hormone balance. He thinks disturbed hormone balance can cause an increase in precancer cells and cause breast  and prostate cancers.

He feels it is very important that broccoli the food be consumed not as supplements because, during the manufacturing process many different kinds of chemical mediators and functional compounds are lost. Chemical pills also cause side-effects. Using the entire plant gives a better, stronger effect than taking a supplement.

Both women and men benefit from the broccoli treatment. Both respond very well in cases of chronic urinary tract infections. Since April, 1999, he has received more than 6,000 emails from prostatitis and bph sufferers who attest to the success of the broccoli treatment.

We can add another important benefit of eating lots of broccoli–weight loss! Try to have some daily. For broccoli-haters, I recommend buying organic seeds from a local hardware store or an online source such as www.highmowingseeds.com or www.organicaseedco.com and making sprouts. Broccoli sprouts make steamed broccoli seem limp. They offer a stronger source of vitamins and minerals than broccoli spears. Sprouts are easy to make and taste crisp, crunchy, and spicy in salads.

Fu Ling for Difficult Urination
In Chinese medicine, difficult urination refers to dribbling, straining, or incomplete feeling after urination. It can eventually lead to pressure or discomfort in the lower abdomen. It may become worse from muscle weakness and fatigue or some sort of congestion that slows the flow. Acid buildup from infrequent urination may lead to an itchy skin rash or irritability. A fat and sweet diet is often the cause. Creamy, sweet, and fried foods slow digestion. Smoking wrecks circulation.

If your tongue is coated with a thick or greasy, tofu-like coating, you will benefit from fu ling (Poria cocos), a diuretic herb recommended for difficult urination. A healthy tongue looks pink and moist and has a thin white coating, not like tofu! Fu ling works wonders: It increases urination and reduces lower abdomen bloating and tenderness, and clears itchy skin rash.

Simmer a handful of sliced fu ling in two cups of water for 20 minutes (a decoction) and drink 1 – 3 cups daily until the tongue has lost the tofu coating. Fu ling is tasteless. You might pour the decoction over tea or use it in soups or cooked barley. Using fu ling can eventually help to prevent stones and reduce prostate discomfort. Chinese doctors believe that increasing urination can eventually help to reduce lower abdomen and prostate discomfort. It helps you lose water weight too.

Gokshura: A Prince Among Diuretics
Ayurvedic doctors recommend gokshura (Tribulus terrestris) as a diuretic, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory treatment for painful urination, impotence, infertility, kidney disease, gout, and urinary stones. They also recommend it boiled with milk as an aphrodisiac. Chinese herbalists have used Tribulus terrestris (bai ji li in Chinese) for over four hundred years to treat a variety of liver, kidney, and cardiovascular diseases. They say it frees stuck circulation by smoothing the flow of liver qi.

I asked my brother Dr. Eric Hadady–a handsome body-builder, former Mr. New Mexico, and chiropractor in Albuquerque–if he had heard of the East Indian herb gokshura (Tribulus terrestris.) Imagine my surprise when he answered, “Tribulus is the number one hot-selling herb for athletes in the health food stores.” He said it was rather expensive and he would appreciate knowing a cheaper source of this herbal testosterone. Imagine his surprise when I told him that gokshura grew wild in the desert and was, in fact, the painful sticker he sometimes pulled out of his socks and cowboy boots. It is commonly called puncture vine or caltrop fruit.

Tribulus is a testosterone enhancer that leads to the production of the luteinizing hormone (LH). When LH levels are increased, the natural production of testosterone increases, and so does male sex drive. A significant benefit of tribulus is that it stimulates hormone production to a balanced level, without over-stimulating hormones. Most gym experts recommend experimenting with 750 to 1,250 milligrams per day, divided among meals for increasing testosterone. However, our use of the herb as a tea is not the same as taking a pep pill. The tea is gently diuretic and reduces congestion pain in the pelvis and groin. Tribulus’ role as a liver tonic is very important. It breaks down cholesterol and fats that inhibit healthy liver function by converting them to hormones and energy. Athletes use it for increased performance and stamina. Use tribulus if you eat too many rich fat foods, have liver discomfort, jaundice, or urinary discomfort.

Dr. Vasant Lad in The Yoga of Herbs recommends gokshura for difficult or painful urination, edema, kidney or bladder stones, chronic cystitis, nephritis, hematuria (blood in urine), gout, rheumatism, lumbago, sciatica, impotence, infertility, seminal debility, venereal diseases, cough, dyspnea (labored breathing), hemorrhoids, and diabetes. Gokshura is free of the side effects of most diuretics. It strengthens kidney function and stops bleeding. It increases semen and has a gentle sedative effect on the nervous system. Taken with equal parts of ashwagandha, it has many revitalizing effects. . . .

The Bottom Line

If you have lower abdomen edema or belly fat, high blood pressure, prostate discomfort, or a congested feeling in the sexual area, consider using supportive Asian herbs such as Kai Kit Wan, Essence Chamber pills made by Health Concerns, or gokshura capsules or tea. Include them as part of your healthy slimming and reconditioning routine. Even if you do not currently have prostate discomfort (or breast fibroids,) follow our directions for the broccoli cure as a preventative measure at least twice a year. If you have symptoms use the cure until they clear up.

This is important: If you are weak or if you use herbs to prevent or treat prostate problems for several months, always add an herbal tonic such as ling zhi (ganoderma mushroom) or astragalus to your regimen. They are fairly neutral, which means they neither overstimulate nor drain the body. Tonic herbs do not kill germs. They help the body to be stronger and work better.