We are going to discuss about the Prostate. The topic is misleading. Is prostate strictly for
men? Yes, ONLY men have prostate and ONLY men over 40 years but the healthcare
enlightenment is for everyone.
There is no woman who does not know a man 40
years and above – father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbor, colleague …
Essentially
what I will be doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion
must provide three things:
1.
Information
2.
Reassurance
3. A plan of
action.
Let me start
with the background on prostate health.
Everyone has
a pair of kidneys. The job of the kidney is to remove waste. It is the LAWMA
(waste management company) of your body. Everyday your blood passes through the
kidney several times to be filtered. As the blood is filtered, urine is formed
and stored in a temporary storage tank called the urinary bladder.
If there
were to be no urinary bladder, as a man walks on the road, urine will be
dropping.
Now think of
the plumbing work in your house. Think of the urinary bladder as the overhead
storage tank. From the storage tank, a good plumber will run pipes to other
parts of the house, including the kitchen.
God in His wisdom ran pipes from our
urinary bladder to the tip of the penis. The pipe is called the urethra. Just
below the bladder and surrounding the urethra is a little organ called the
prostate gland.
The prostate
gland is the size of a walnut and weighs about 20grams. Its job is to make the
seminal fluid which is stored in the seminal vesicle. During sexual
intercourse, seminal fluid comes down the urethra and mixes with the sperms
produced in the testicles to form the semen. So semen technically is not sperm.
Semen is made up of sperm and seminal fluid. The seminal fluid lubricates the
sperm.
After age
40, for reasons that may be hormonal, the prostate gland begins to enlarge.
From 20 grams it may grow to almost 100 grams. As it enlarges, it squeezes the
urethra and the man begins to notice changes in the way he urinate.
If you have
a son under 10, if he has a little mischief like we all did at that age, when
he comes out to urinate, he can target the ceiling and the jet will hit target.
Call his father to do same, wahala dey. His urine stream is weak, cannot travel
a long distance and sometimes may come straight down on his legs. So he may
need to stand in awkward position to urinate.
Not many men
will be worried their urine stream cannot hit the ceiling. Toilets are on the
floor and not on the ceiling.
But other
symptoms begin to show, and they include:
1. TERMINAL
DRIPPLING
The man
begins to notice that after urinating and repacking, urine still drops on his
pants. This is the reason why after an older man urinates, he has to ring bell.
A younger man simply delivers to the last drop and walks away. Just see an
older man coming from the bathroom. Sometimes he may clutch the newspaper
closely to hide the urine stains, particularly on plain colored trousers.
2. HESISTANCY
At this
point you wait longer for the urine flow to start. There are 2 valves that must
open for you to urinate – the internal and external sphincters. Both open but
because of obstructions in the urethra, you wait long for the flow to start.
3. INCOMPLETE
EMPTYING
You have
this feeling immediately after urinating that there is still something left.
As all these
things happen, the bladder begins to work harder to compensate for the
obstruction in the urethra.
![]() |
Normal vs Enlarged Prostate. |
The frequency of urination goes up. Urgency sets
in. sometimes you have to practically run into the toilet.
Nocturia [excessive urination during the night] also
becomes common. You wake up more than 2 times at night to urinate. Your wife
begins to complain.
Men being
men may not talk to anyone even at this point. Then the more serious
complications start. Stored urine
gets infected and there may be burning sensation when urinating. Stored urine
forms crystals. Crystals come together to form stone either in the bladder or
in the kidney. Stones may block the urethra.
Chronic
urinary retention sets in. The bladder stores more and more urine. The size of
the bladder is 40 - 60 cl. A bottle of coke is 50cl. As the bladder stores more
urine it can enlarge up to 300cl. An overfilled bladder may leak and this leads
to wetting / urinary incontinence.
Also the volume may put pressure on the
kidney and may lead to kidney damage.
What may
likely bring the man to hospital is acute urinary retention. He wakes up one
day and he is not able to pass urine.
Everything I
have described above is associated with prostate enlargement, technically
called benign prostate hyperplasia.
There are
other diseases of the prostate like:
1. Prostatitis – inflammation of the prostate
2. Prostate cancer – cancer of the prostate.
This
discussion is on Prostate Enlargement.
I have bad
news and good news.
The bad news
is that everyman will have prostate enlargement if he lives long enough.
The good
news is that there are life style changes that can help the man after 40 to
maintain optimum prostate health.
Life Style changes that can help minimize the chances of Prostate Enlargement.
1. Nutrition
Look at what
you eat. 33% of all cancers, according to the US National Cancer Institute is
related to what we eat.
Red meat everyday
triples your chances of prostate disease. Milk everyday doubles your risk. Not
taking fruits / vegetables daily quadruples your risk.
Tomatoes are
very good for men. If that is the only thing your wife can present in the
evening, eat it with joy. It has loads of lycopene.
Lycopene is the most potent
natural antioxidant.
Foods that
are rich in zinc are also good for men. We recommend pumpkin seeds (ugbogulu).
Zinc is
about the most essential element for male sexuality and fertility.
Men need
more zinc than women. Every time a man ejaculates he loses 15mg of zinc. Zinc
is also important for alcohol metabolism. Your liver needs zinc to metabolize
alcohol.
2. ALCOHOL
CONSUMPTION
As men begin
to have urinary symptoms associated with prostate enlargement, it is important
they look at alcohol consumption. More fluid in means more fluid out.
Drink less.
Drink slowly.
3. EXERCISE
Exercise
helps build the muscle tone. Every man should exercise. Men over 40 should
avoid high impact exercise like jogging. It puts pressure on the knees. Cycling
is bad news for the prostate. We recommend brisk walking.
4. SITTING
When we sit,
two-third of our weight rests on the pelvic bones. Men who sit longer are more
prone to prostate symptoms. Do not sit for long hours. Walk around as often as
you can. Sit on comfortable chairs. We recommend a divided saddle chair if you
must sit long hours.
5. DRESSING
Men should
avoid tight underwear. It impacts circulation around the groin and heats it up
a bit. While the physiological temperature is 37 degrees, the groin has an
optimal temperature of about 33 degrees. Pant is a no - no for men. Wear
boxers. Wear breathable clothing.
6. SMOKING
Avoid
smoking. It affects blood vessels and impact circulation around the groin.
7. SEX
Regular sex
is good for the prostate.
Celibates
are more prone to prostate illness. While celibacy is a moral decision, it is
not a biological adaptation. Your prostate gland is designed to empty its
contents regularly.
Thought:
when someone shared something of value with you and benefit from it. You have a
moral obligation to share it with others because someone in your friends list
might be saved.
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Disclaimer:"The views expressed in this article are exclusively the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect our Editorial Policy."
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