Prostatitis causes great discomfort even in the early stages of the disease. Painful burning, itching at night, problems with urination and 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?
Men under 30 rarely suffer from chronic prostatitis. Men over 40 are at risk: according to statistics, four out of ten men in this age group suffer from prostatitis. The picture is even worse for men over 80: chronic inflammation of the prostate is diagnosed in 9 out of 10 patients.
How is it that even men who do not have a hereditary tendency to prostatitis suffer from inflammation of the prostate as they age? A common misunderstanding is related to the hormone testosterone. Prostatitis is believed to occur due to an age-related decline in testosterone levels. This is fundamentally wrong: testosterone does affect the health of the prostate, but a lack of it does not cause prostatitis, but rather an adenoma. This is a separate disease and to prevent prostate adenoma, the doctor may prescribe regular intake of the hormone testosterone.
Prostatitis requires suitable conditions for the development of infection. Age-related testosterone deficiency is not enough to start the inflammatory process. Several factors must come together:
- Reduced blood flow to the pelvic organs.Occurs with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular physical activity. The main risk factor is sedentary work: if a man gets up and stretches at home when he gets tired of sitting, it is not always possible to take the necessary break at work.
- Failure to comply with basic rules of sexual or intimate hygiene.Women can have an infection that causes prostatitis without realizing it. The best means of prevention in this case are contraceptives. In addition, infection can occur in the toilet in a public place, during a medical examination using non-sterile instruments, etc.
- Decreased immunity.Prostatitis, like any inflammation, often develops against the background of a weakened immune system. A lack of vitamins and microelements prevents prostate cells from being able to cope with the inflammatory process at an early stage.
- Reducing the body's overall resistance to external threats.Chronic fatigue, stress and 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 exercise becomes 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 strong side effects. If you can normalize your sleep, ensure daily exercise, healthy diet and low stress levels, prostatitis will not bother you. Of course, you also need to monitor the sources of infection: if possible, avoid using public toilets with unsanitary conditions; Control of sex life.
These preventative measures may seem too simple, but preventing prostatitis in men without medication is easier than treating it with medication.
What you should take for prevention
In such a question as the prevention of prostatitis in men, drugs play a role if the patient has a predisposition to prostatitis. However, different forms of prostatitis are not considered interchangeable. If your loved ones suffered from bacterial prostatitis, you need to select preventive measures specifically for this disease.
Acute bacterial prostatitis
This form of prostatitis always occurs unexpectedly and even at the most inopportune moment. To avoid treating inflammation on your long-awaited vacation, take medications and biological supplements that strengthen your immune system. Treat colds and flu at the first sign of illness: In young people, prostatitis often appears first 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, contact your doctor for antibiotics. The specialist examines 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 complaints. To treat chlamydia, an antibiotic from the tetracycline group and other drugs from the same series are prescribed for 1-2 weeks. During treatment, you must follow a diet with restrictions on foods containing calcium.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis
Although no medication is required to prevent chronic prostatitis, stimulants and nutritional supplements are useful for men with a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the prostate. To avoid treating a sluggish inflammatory process, regularly use the following products:
- Means that normalize the function of the prostate.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, with their help it is also possible to prevent prostatitis, especially against the background of a male predisposition. Before taking any medication for the first time, consult your doctor.
- Medicines with a pronounced antibacterial effecttaken against the background of susceptibility to bacterial infections. These funds are also intended primarily for treatment. Get examined to find out whether you need to take care of preventing bacterial inflammation or whether general strengthening medications are sufficient.
- Complexes of vitamins and nutritional supplements.Such preparations should contain vitamins C and E: they prevent inflammation by destroying bacteria and forming new cells. Products containing lycopene are also effective for prevention: it is a natural antioxidant that regulates basic processes in the prostate.
Herbal remedies
Prevention of prostatitis with herbs is often used to prevent inflammation at home. Pay attention to natural ingredients that increase the body's resistance to infections:
- radiola pink;
- echinacea;
- Ginseng.
Please note: treatment with herbal remedies with similar properties is unacceptable if a man suffers from hypertension. Taking active ingredients against the background of high blood pressure is dangerous because, among other things, such drugs lead to an immediate increase in blood pressure.
To prevent prostatitis in men, products based on extracts are also used - natural venous tone stimulants:
- Japanese Sophora;
- Buckeye;
- Ginkgo;
- Eucalyptus;
- grape seeds;
- red grape leaves.
Their effect is similar to medicines – phlebotonics. A side effect of treating venous tone disorders is the elimination of stagnation in 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, cranberry, etc. If you are prone to prostatitis, they have the opposite effect: a sharp increase in the amount of urine increases pressure on the prostate and can provoke inflammation. Treatment of difficulty urinating with a tendency to prostatitis is carried out only under medical supervision.
Prevention of chronic prostatitis in men
In order not to face the difficulties of treating prostatitis in adulthood and old age, men should pay attention to their health from youth.
Unlike prostate adenoma, choosing a drug for treatment is not difficult: you just need to undergo 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 defenses - and everything repeats itself. To prevent prostatitis from recurring, men need to strengthen the body in advance: in the breaks between infections, it becomes more difficult to strengthen the immune system.
Effective prevention measures:
- Dress appropriately for the weather.Avoid hypothermia, do not get wet and if you do, take a warm bath. A shower is not suitable: the body must be warmed evenly for at least 15-20 minutes. If you have already had prostatitis, the infection may persist in the tissues and lurk in the wings even after treatment with antibiotics. Be vigilant and the disease will not come back.
- Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks per week.Do not combine alcoholic drinks with the treatment of colds: this is one of the most common factors provoking inflammation of the prostate.
- Eat more fibrous foods.Coarse fiber is the basis for prostate health. To treat constipation, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is prescribed. Since constipation is another possible cause of prostate tissue inflammation, you should try to avoid it. If a radical change in diet is not possible, add bran to your diet. 2-3 tablespoons before each meal have a positive effect on the functioning of the digestive tract.
Moderate sexual activity is another factor in prostate health. Regular sex life normalizes the secretion of the organ and relieves excess pressure, which can lead to inflammation. Don't forget about contraception: if you are prone to prostate inflammation, you need to protect yourself not from sexual intercourse, but from common bacterial infections.
Do the male version of Kegel exercises daily: contract 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 being used unconsciously. You can feel the work of this muscle yourself when you try to stop urinating. You need to train the exact muscle that has become tense. Regular exercises normalize the functioning of internal organs.