The Ayurvedic Perspective

There are many reasons why prostate problems develop. One is the 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 Maharishi Ayurveda, 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 four cups (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 Sleep Vata herbal tablets. To help you have uninterrupted sleep take Blissful Sleep Basic and Blissful Sleep Pitta. To support freshness in the morning take Blissful Sleep Basic and 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.

More on Prostate Health

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.

Maharishi Ayurveda takes a holistic approach that helps nourishes all the factors that affect prostate health. At the heart of this approach is the herbal formula Prostate Balance (MA1595), 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.

Your Guide to a Healthy Prostate

To maintain a healthy prostate after age 40, take Prostate Balance herbal tablets six to twelve consecutive weeks per year. Or take Prostate Balance until the desired comfort is achieved. For maintenance, you can continue to take half the normal dose.

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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