H. Ballentine Carter - The Whole Life Prostate Book: Everything That Every Man-at Every Age-Needs to Know About Maintaining Optimal Prostate Health

FREE PRESS

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Copyright 2012 by Dr. H. Ballentine Carter and Gerald Secor Couzens

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Free Press hardcover edition June 2012

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Carter, H. Ballentine.

The whole life prostate book : everything that every manat every ageneeds to know about maintaining optimal prostate health / H. Ballentine Carter and Gerald Secor Couzens.1st Free Press hardcover ed.

p. cm.

1. ProstateDiseasesPopular works. I. Couzens, Gerald Secor. II. Title.
RC899.C34 2012
616.6'5dc23 2012001415

ISBN 978-1-4516-2121-1
ISBN 978-1-4516-2123-5 (ebook)

To my wife

For her everlasting support.

HBC

For Elisa and Gerald

Thanks for all the hard work.

This wouldnt have happened without you.

GSC

This book contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Names and some identifying details of patients portrayed in this book have been changed, and some are composites.

GOING TOO OFTEN DAY OR NIGHT, DRIBBLING AND DRIPPING, STRAINING,
HESITATING, AND LEAKING

Google the word prostate , and in 0.25 seconds youll get more than eighty-two million Web hits bombarding you with informationmuch of it completely misleading. Sadly, there is a blinding storm of prostate-related content on the Internet, offering you everything from the latest intel on nondrug treatments for an enlarged prostate, to erectile dysfunction solutions too numerous to mentionand many others too dangerous to try.

For example, you might learn about robotic surgery for prostate cancer, cancer eradication with radiation, cryotherapy that will freeze the tumor, and ultrasound that will heat it. Or you could be impressed that the machine used to deliver proton beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer is housed in a facility the size of a football field, and although complete treatment costs $50,000, there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that its superior to any other form of prostate cancer treatment. Yet another online search might lead you to the Web site for a well-known maker of pomegranate juice, which claims that its product lowers the risk of both prostate cancer and erection problems. Naturally it neglects to mention that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the federal agency responsible for preventing fraud, deception, and unfair business practices in the marketplace, has charged the company with making false statements.

Unsubstantiated claims abound and, unfortunately, there is no real way for men to know what Web-derived information is solid and what is potentially harmful. The deck is stacked against you. As a layperson, getting the right information online is not easy, and whats worse is that all of your sifting and digging can make it even more difficult to know which questions to ask your doctor.

With so many treatment options available with just a click of a mousesurgical and nonsurgical, real and fabricatedits nearly impossible for an average man to make the right choice and get the right advice. Your questions tend to take on lives of their own, multiplying exponentially.

If I have lower urinary tract symptoms, do I actually need treatment right now?

If I have prostate enlargement causing urinary symptoms, should I believe all the hype about the herbal supplements used to manage this condition?

If I have prostate cancer, is treatment necessary immediately? How can I determine if I am a candidate for active surveillance? And how do I get a doctor to work with me?

Do drugs work well for prostatitis? Are muscle spasms the reason for my chronic pelvic pain?

How do I decide if getting a PSA testshort for prostate-specific antigen blood testis right for me? At what age should I start? When do I stop?

Should I have my prostate removed surgically if cancer is present? What is the best way to do it, and who should do it?

You will find no shortage of answers on the Internet, but be careful not to take them as fact. The most accurate information you are likely to find are the Google directions to get to the doctors office.

Its not just the Internet thats to blame. Men today are ambushed by articles recommending over-the-counter supplements to maintain prostate health, infomercials touting prescription drugs that supposedly prevent or treat prostate enlargement, and billboards advertising newer, more precise surgical and radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Yet much of what is being marketed is not backed by any evidence of effectiveness. Oftentimes these treatments are misdirected at the prostate when, in fact, the prostate is not the culprit behind the symptoms. Furthermore, many of these therapies are unnecessarily aggressive and invasive.