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Prostate health can become a serious issue for men in their middle age. In the West
prostate enlargement is found in about 50 percent of men in their sixties, and up to 90
percent of men in their seventies and eighties. Worse, prostate cancer is the second
leading cause of death by cancer in men.
Even though the
prostate seems to be an older man's health problem, these imbalances begin much earlier in
life. The good news is that following an appropriate diet and routine and taking
appropriate herbal supplements can all help keep the prostate healthy and functioning
well.
The Ayurvedic
Perspective
There are many reasons why prostate problems develop. One is overuse of Shukra Dhatu, or
overuse of the sexual organs. Another is lack of adequate fluids in the body, due to not
drinking enough water during the day. Habitually suppressing the natural urge to urinate
also can, over time, cause the urine to become more concentrated and, in turn, irritates
the prostate.
Drinking too much
alcohol or caffeinated beverages can also cause an imbalance. Alcohol, for instance,
creates an abnormal increase in urine production, which aggravates Pitta and Vata doshas.
Even your job can be a source of imbalance. If you have to sit for long periods of time
without taking a break or stretching, this can create an imbalance in the reproductive
area of the body. Not getting daily exercise, or eating a diet that creates impurities
(ama) in the body, are other causes of prostate problems. If your diet does not contain
spices that purify the urine daily (such as turmeric, cumin and fennel), that can also
cause toxins to build up that lead to imbalances or infection.
Finally, if you don't
have a healthy daily routine, for instance, if you watch TV late at night or for other
reasons don't sleep enough, or if you don't eat meals on time or your routine is very
irregular, that can also cause ama to build up and disturb the immune system.
One main factor tying
all the above together is ama. Ama refers to the sticky impurities that are
created when digestion is weak and food is not digested completely. Aging itself can
create some weakening of the digestion, but most ama is created by poor dietary and
lifestyle habits already mentioned-eating foods that are old and heavy or eating meals
at
irregular times of the day.
 Vata dosha increases
as we age. The later part of life is actually known
as the Vata Kala (or Vata time of
life) in Maharishi Ayurveda. Because Vata dosha is irregular, dry, and moving by nature,
it can cause the digestion to become more irregular. This contributes to more ama being
produced and spreading to the tissues.
If the person also
has an imbalance in Shleshaka Kapha (the subdosha of Kapha that governs lubrication of the
joints, body fluids, and moisture balance in the skin), and ama is accumulating in the
body fluids due to dietary mistakes, then Shleshaka Kapha and ama get mixed with urine,
creating a more irritated situation and further weakening the immune system.
The Ayurvedic Solution
Maharishi Ayurveda tries to support health on all fronts: by balancing Apana Vata, the
subdosha of Vata related to the downward flow of energy such as occurs with urination,
stopping ama from being produced, supporting the immune system, and cleansing the urine,
nutrient fluid, blood, muscle and fat tissues of ama, and cleansing Shleshaka Kapha of
shleshma.
Here are ten tips
from the Maharishi Ayurveda Council of Vaidyas, to support prostate health:
 1.
Drink lots of water throughout the day,
in between meals. This will keep the urine from becoming too concentrated. If you add some
herbs to the water, it will flush out toxins, dissolve ama in the blood tissue and help
purify the urine. Here's a recipe: Boil two quarts of water and put the water in a thermos
flask. Add three leaves of holy basil, 1/3 t. fennel seed, 1/4 t. coriander seed, and six
white pumpkin seeds or six fresh cucumber seeds. Keep drinking this water throughout the
day, but stop drinking it after 7:00 p.m. Stay away from fluids at night if you have a
prostate problem, as a full bladder at night can cause pressure on the prostate and
disturb your sleep with the need to get up frequently to urinate.
2.
Each time you urinate, take the
necessary time to empty your bladder completely. Because the urethra (the passageway
through which the urine drains from the body) is already narrow, when there is some
enlargement of the prostate, the urinary channel becomes even narrower. If you are in too
much of a hurry, all of the urine might not be drained from the bladder. This is not a
good thing, because the urine becomes more concentrated if it is not drained from the
bladder each time you urinate. So take the time to empty the bladder completely.
3.
Avoid drinking alcohol, because it
creates imbalances in the blood tissue, as does caffeine. Both of these create abnormal
urine production and irritate the bladder as well.
4.
If you have to sit all day at your job,
take short breaks frequently and try to stretch or take a short walk. This will restore
the normal flow of energy, blood, and nutrient fluid to the prostate area.
5.
When the weather is cold, take care to
keep your head, neck, and body warm. If your body temperature drops, it leads to urine
retention, which aggravates the prostate. So keep your body temperature in a moderate
range.
6. Make sure that your bowel movements are
regular. Constipation creates an obstruction in Apana Vata, in turn creating pressure on
the prostate, increasing ama in the blood tissues, and creating excessive dryness in the
whole area. To help with regular elimination, try having a stewed apple in the morning for
breakfast with stewed figs, raisins, or prunes. You can also add more fibre and cooked
vegetables to your diet, and have 2-4 teaspoons of psyllium seed husk with warm milk or
water at night before going to bed. If these measures don't work, take 2-4
Herbal
Cleanse tablets before bed with water.
7.
Daily abhyanga or oil massage pacifies
Apana Vata, and that is always good. Massage the hands and feet, in particular, as an
effective preventative. Use
Rejuvenation Massage Oil for Men, which contains herbs
and oils to support the male physiology.
8.
Good sleep is important. To help you
fall asleep quickly take
Blissful Sleep Basic
and
Blissful SleepVata
herbal
tablets. To help you have uninterrupted sleep take
Blissful Sleep Basic
&
Blissful Sleep Pitta. To support freshness in the
morning take
Blissful Sleep Basic &
Blissful Sleep Kapha.
 9.
Eat foods that are tri-doshic, which
means that they pacify all
three
doshas. These include soaked walnuts and soaked almonds.
Avoid foods that aggravate any one of the doshas:
food that is too dry, too oily, too
greasy, too cold or too hot, too spicy or not spicy enough. Avoid extremes.
10.
Include lots of sweet, juicy fruits in
your diet, as these help nourish the Rasa Dhatu (the nutrient fluid), purify the urine and
help maintain a healthy flow of urine. They also create ojas, improving immunity and
enhancing cellular intelligence. If stewed or cooked until they are soft, they are not
only pacifying to Apana Vata, but also to Pitta dosha. They make an ideal breakfast when
combined with prunes, figs, and raisins. If you have a Kapha imbalance, you can eat sweet,
juicy fruits raw, but even then you should avoid eating raw fruit after sunset, as the
digestion is not as strong after the sun goes down.
The Prostate Health
System
As a man gets
older, testosterone levels start to decrease, causing the prostate gland to enlarge. This
obstructs the flow of urine and can lead to infections, further enlargement and more
infections in the bladder and
kidneys. A sedentary lifestyle, or sitting for long periods
of time, puts additional pressure on the genitourinary tract. Mental stress can also
aggravate the problem. Drugs address the problem by stimulating testosterone production,
but they ignore other key factors.
The Prostate Health
System takes a holistic approach that helps nourishes all the factors that affect prostate
health. At the heart of the system is the
Prostate Balance herbal formula, which
delivers nutritional support over a broader range of targeted areas than ordinary
supplements. It helps to improve the quality and quantity of reproductive fluid, supports
more balanced testosterone levels, helps maintain immunity and purifies urine. In addition
to the herbs, each tablet contains 20 percent of the recommended daily amount of zinc.
Prostate Health System
Guidelines
 To maintain a healthy prostate after age
40, take Prostate Balance herbal tablets six to twelve consecutive weeks per year.
Or take
Prostrate Balance until the desired comfort is achieved. For maintenance, you can
continue to take half the normal dose.
If you need added support in maintaining
Shukra Dhatu and enhancing semen production, take
Rasayana for Men, one tablet
twice a day after eating.
For extra support of the urinary tract,
you can take
Genitrac
herbal tablets.
If you need additional antioxidant
support, take one tablet of
Amlaberry with each tablet of
Genitrac.
To help withstand ongoing mental stress,
take
Peace of Mind tablets and
Peace of Mind Tea.
Follow the related recommendations for
diet and lifestyle.
Dietary and Lifestyle
Recommendations
 Eat whole cereal brans because they
contain zinc.
Drink lots of warm water to purify the
whole system.
Eat radishes and asparagus to help
purify the blood and urine.
Season your meals with black pepper,
cumin and coriander or use
Prostate Balance Seasoning Mix.
If you sit for long hours, take breaks
and regular walks.
Regular elimination is important.
Psyllium seed husk and a fibre-rich diet will help.
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For further information about and to
order the products mentioned above see