Prostate health knowledge

90% of prostate-related problems are preventable and curable. There is no need to scare yourself of an incurable disease if you have frequent urination and painful urination, and don’t take advantage of your youth to make a fool of yourself, let alone believe in “radical cures” and “glandular detoxification”.

Two weeks ago, a 28-year-old programmer was admitted to the outpatient clinic. He stayed at home for 14 hours on weekends to play the game, and he had to hold his urine for almost 3 hours. After the end, he had frequent urination and painful urination, and his lower abdomen dropped. I searched online for symptoms for half an hour. I got the answer. I felt on the spot that I had advanced prostate cancer. When I came to register with a sad face, my legs were weak. Upon examination, he was diagnosed with acute aseptic prostatitis. He was prescribed some medicine to relieve the symptoms and told him to stand up and walk two steps every 40 minutes, not to hold in his urine, and to stay up less late. After a week's follow-up visit, nothing happened.

Many people's understanding of the prostate comes mostly from roadside advertisements and online pop-ups, or they equate it with "kidney deficiency", "unspeakable secrets" and "incurable chronic diseases". In fact, it is completely unnecessary. The most common prostatitis among young people is basically bacterial and sterile. Bacterial prostatitis can be cured by taking antibiotics as directed by your doctor. More than 90% of sterile prostatitis is caused by lifestyle habits. It is caused by long-term congestion of the glands caused by sitting for long periods of time and holding urine. Adjusting your work and rest schedule is much more effective than eating a bunch of messy kidney-tonifying health products.

When it comes to the issue of dietary taboos, there is actually no unified conclusion in the academic community. There is an old director in our department who is from Hunan. He eats spicy fish heads with chopped peppers and millet every day. He is almost 60 years old and his prostate physical examination is healthier than that of many 30-year-old boys. There are also patients who develop inflammation after eating spicy food and have frequent urination and restlessness. To put it bluntly, this completely depends on personal tolerance. If you don’t feel uncomfortable after eating, you don’t need to be careful. If you feel uncomfortable, touch less. There is no need to apply it across the board. Oh, by the way, the same goes for drinking. Don't listen to others who say you can't even take a sip of alcohol. If you don't have symptoms after drinking, it's okay to take a few sips occasionally.

There is also the prostate "maintenance" that everyone asks the most, such as whether regular prostate massage is useful? This difference is too big. Western medicine generally does not recommend massage for healthy people. Improper techniques can easily damage the glands. On the contrary, some experts in traditional Chinese medicine and andrology will recommend that patients with chronic prostatitis who have indications should do moderate massage to help improve symptoms. However, the premise is to find a doctor in a regular hospital to do it. Don't go to any health center to massage randomly. Last year, we received a patient who went to a health center to do "prostate detoxification" massage and suffered from gland bleeding and infection. Originally, it didn't cause inflammation for half a month.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as prostatic hypertrophy, is often asked by middle-aged and elderly friends. Don’t be frightened when it comes out during a physical examination. If there are no symptoms such as difficulty in urination, nocturia more than three times, or urinary retention, there is no need to treat it at all. Regular follow-up visits every year will be enough. Last year there was a 72-year-old retired teacher who walked 5 kilometers a day and rode a bicycle to commute for 20 years. His prostate size was standard compared to many 40-year-olds. Hyperplasia is not something that you will inevitably get as you get older. It has a lot to do with your living habits.

As for the often-asked question of whether eating lycopene can prevent prostate cancer? The current research results are indeed inconsistent. A large-sample study published by the New England Journal of Medicine last year said there was no significant difference compared with the placebo group. However, there are also small-sample studies saying that people with a family history of prostate cancer will benefit from taking it. If you have a family history of prostate cancer, there is no harm in eating it in moderation. If not, there is no need to spend a lot of money on health products. It is better to eat two more scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The lycopene fried in oil is better absorbed and cheaper.

After all, the prostate is really not that delicate, just like the oil filter in your car. Take good care of it at ordinary times, and don't go to death for nothing. If something really goes wrong, go directly to the urology and men's department of a regular hospital. Don't be embarrassed, and don't mess around with it yourself. It's better than anything else. Oh, by the way, one last thing, don’t believe in such nonsense as “one drop of semen and ten drops of blood” and “holding back semen is good for the prostate”. Regular ejaculation is good for prostate health. The specific frequency depends on the individual’s physical condition. As long as you don’t feel uncomfortable, you don’t need to listen to other people’s nonsense about unified standards.