Prostatitis causes a lot of discomfort even in the early stages of the disease. Painful burning sensation, night itching, problems urinating, sexual dysfunction are inevitable companions of chronic prostatitis. It is much easier to prevent prostatitis than to treat it. Simple recommendations will help you avoid prostatitis at any age.
What to do to prevent prostatitis at home
Chronic prostatitis rarely bothers men under 30. At risk are men over 40: according to statistics, out of every 10 men in this age group, four suffer from prostatitis. In men over 80 years of age, the situation is even worse: chronic inflammation of the prostate is detected in 9 out of 10 patients.
How come even men who do not have a hereditary tendency to prostatitis suffer from prostate inflammation in old age? A common misconception is related to the hormone testosterone. Prostatitis is believed to develop due to an age-related decrease in testosterone levels. This is fundamentally incorrect: testosterone affects the health of the prostate, but only with its deficiency does not prostatitis develop, but adenoma. This is an independent disease, and to prevent prostate adenoma, the doctor may prescribe regular use of the hormone testosterone.
Prostatitis requires suitable conditions for the infection to develop. Age-related testosterone deficiency is not sufficient to initiate the inflammatory process. Several factors must coincide:
- Reduced blood circulation in the pelvic organs.It occurs with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular physical activity. The main risk factor is sedentary work: if at home a man gets up and stretches when he gets tired of sitting, at work it is not always possible to take the necessary break.
- Failure to comply with basic rules of sexual or intimate hygiene.Women can have an infection that causes prostatitis and not even know it. The best means of prevention in this case will be contraceptives. Also, you can get an infection in the bathroom of a public place, during a medical examination with non-sterilized instruments, etc.
- Decreased immunity.Prostatitis, like any inflammation, often develops against the background of a weakened immune system. The lack of vitamins and microelements prevents prostate cells from coping with the inflammatory process at an early stage.
- Reducing the body's overall resistance to external threats.Chronic fatigue, stress, lack of sleep are the main factors that can trigger prostatitis at any age. The body needs rest to fight infections, so remember to relax. Even training will become an indirect cause of prostatitis if you don't give your muscles time to recover.
Prevention is always easier than treatment: there is no need to take antibiotics or other medications with serious side effects. If you manage to normalize your sleep, ensure daily exercise, healthy eating and low stress levels, prostatitis will not bother you. Of course, you also need to monitor sources of infection: if possible, avoid using public restrooms with unsanitary conditions; control sex life.
These preventive measures may seem too simple, but preventing prostatitis in men without medication is easier than treating it with medication.
What to take for prevention
In such a matter as the prevention of prostatitis in men, medications play an important role if the patient has a predisposition to prostatitis. However, different types of prostatitis are not considered interchangeable. If your relatives suffered from bacterial prostatitis, you need to select preventive measures specific to this disease.
Acute bacterial prostatitis
This form of prostatitis always appears unexpectedly and even at the most inopportune moment. To avoid treating inflammation during the long-awaited vacation, take medications and biological supplements that strengthen the immune system. Treat colds and flu at the first sign of illness: In young people, prostatitis often appears for the first time due to seasonal illnesses.
Acute prostatitis can be caused by chlamydia, which occurs in men after casual sexual intercourse. If you suspect you have chlamydia, see your doctor for antibiotics. The specialist will examine the organs for the first signs of prostate damage: in its embryonic form, acute prostatitis is almost invisible to the patient and can easily be confused with general discomfort. To treat chlamydia, an antibiotic from the tetracycline group and other drugs from the same series are prescribed for 1 to 2 weeks. During treatment you will have to follow a diet with restrictions on foods that contain calcium.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis
Although preventing chronic prostatitis does not require prescription medication, for men predisposed to chronic prostate inflammation, stimulants and dietary supplements will be helpful. To avoid treating a sluggish inflammatory process, regularly use the following products:
- Means that normalize the functioning of the prostate gland. The purpose of these drugs is to restore active blood flow in the pelvic organs, initiate tissue healing processes and regulate secretion. Although they are usually used for treatment, it is also possible to prevent prostatitis with their help, especially against the background of a male predisposition. Before using medication for the first time, consult your doctor.
- Medicines with a pronounced antibacterial effecttaken in the context of vulnerability to bacterial infections. These funds are also mainly intended for treatment. Get an examination to find out whether you need to take care of preventing bacterial inflammation or whether general restorative medications are sufficient.
- Vitamin complexes and dietary supplements.These preparations must contain vitamins C and E: they prevent inflammation, destroying bacteria and forming new cells. Products with lycopene are also effective in prevention: it is a natural antioxidant that regulates the basic processes of the prostate.
Herbal remedies
Herbal prostatitis prevention is widely used to prevent inflammation at home. Pay attention to natural components that increase the body's resistance to infections:
- pink radiola;
- echinacea;
- ginseng.
Please note: treatment with herbal remedies with similar properties is unacceptable if a man suffers from hypertension. Taking active substances in the context of hypertension is dangerous, since one of the effects of these medications is the immediate increase in blood pressure.
To prevent prostatitis in men, products based on extracts are also used - natural stimulants of venous tone:
- Japanese Sophora;
- horse chestnut;
- ginkgo;
- eucalyptus;
- grape seeds;
- red grape leaves.
Its action is similar to that of pharmaceutical medicines - phlebotonics. A side effect of treating venous tone disorders is the elimination of stagnation of blood circulation in the pelvic organs. Restoring blood flow contributes to overall prostate health.
Preventive measures in men should not be accompanied by the use of diuretic herbs: bearberry, blueberry, etc. If you are predisposed to prostatitis, they have the opposite effect: a sharp increase in urine volume increases pressure in the prostate and can provoke inflammation. Treatment of difficulty urinating with a tendency to prostatitis is carried out only under the supervision of a doctor.
Prevention of chronic prostatitis in men
In order not to face the difficulties of treating prostatitis in adulthood and old age, men should take care of their health from a young age.
Unlike prostate adenoma, choosing a medication for treatment is not difficult: just take laboratory tests. The disease becomes chronic when the body is so weakened that, after treating a bacterial infection, a new infection manages to break through the defense – and everything repeats itself again. To prevent prostatitis from returning, men need to strengthen the body in advance: in the intervals between infections it will be more difficult to strengthen the immune system.
Effective preventive measures:
- Dress appropriately for the weather.Avoid hypothermia, don't get completely wet, and if this happens, take a hot shower. Bathing is not suitable: the body must receive uniform heating for at least 15-20 minutes. If you've had prostatitis, the infection can persist in your tissues and remain behind the scenes even after antibiotic treatment. Stay alert and the disease will not return.
- Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks per week.Do not combine alcoholic beverages with the treatment of colds: this is one of the common factors that provoke prostate inflammation.
- Eat more fibrous foods.Coarse dietary fiber is the foundation for prostate health. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is prescribed to treat constipation. Since constipation is another possible cause of inflammation in prostate tissue, you should try to avoid it. If it is not possible to radically change your diet, add bran to your diet. 2-3 tablespoons before each meal have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive tract.
Moderate sexual activity is another factor in prostate health. Regular sex life normalizes organ secretion and relieves excess pressure, which can cause inflammation. Do not forget about contraception: if you are predisposed to prostate inflammation, you need to protect yourself not from sexual intercourse, but from a common bacterial infection.
Perform the male version of Kegel exercises daily: squeeze the pubococcygeus muscle for 3-5 seconds and then release. Repeat several approaches 10-15 times. It may be difficult to find the muscle the first time because it is used unconsciously. You can feel the work of this muscle yourself if you try to stop while urinating. You need to train the muscle that has become tense. Regular exercise normalizes the functioning of internal organs.