I Am Your Prostate Gland

Look here gentlemen! I am your 'Prostate Gland'. Have you ever heard about me? Probably most gentlemen do not even hear my name. No problem. At least from now on you will try to understand my presence in your body. I will put it in simpler words. I am your prostate gland. Any guesses about what I am? Yes, I am recognized as one of your glands.

My Organization

Gentleman! I will be present within you only and I am closely associated with your urino-genital system. I am known for my glandular reproductive functions. My muscular body will not measure in large volume. I just measure about the size of a 'walnut'. You can make out the three different zones: the outer most peripheral zone; the transitional zone and the central zone.

Do you know where I am located? Just below the neck of your urinary bladder and just above your penis. I get myself encircling your urethra i.e. the tube through which your urine is passed from your bladder.

My Function

My main responsibility is to produce a thin, whitish, alkaline fluid into your urethra at the time when you emit your semen. This fluid forms the liquid portion of your semen and this fluid allows your sperm to live and move freely. This fluid also increases the chances of fertility.

My Problems

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy or BPH

If you are around fifty years of age you will have typical symptoms. You may feel scanty urination and you will always have an urge to urinate. It is because of the problem within me. Your physician will call it as prostate enlargement. He will also call this disease in his language i.e. benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH. How this happens? Sometimes there is overgrowth of cells in the central zone of my body. Why there is overgrowth of cells? As a result the pressure increases in your urethra and urinary bladder. This enlargement and increased pressure constricts your urethra and reduces urination flow. You cannot empty your urinary bladder as you did in your early ages. Now you understood about BPH i.e. a disease promoting urinary retention and kidney disease.

Prostatitis

I may get affected by another condition known as 'Prostatitis' i.e. inflammation. It may be due to bacterial infection or any other reason. You will feel severe pain around your scrotum and also feel an urge to urinate and irritation while passing urine. You will suffer from fever and your urine test will show blood in your urine.

Prostate Cancer

I may also get affected due to cancer. Your physician will call this as Prostate cancer. You suffer a lot due to this disease. You have lead a painful life with frequent urination with difficulties like pain, irritation, un-emptied bladder as well as painful seminal ejaculation. You will not die due to this disease; but it will make your life miserable.

How to Take Care and Protect Me

1) One way of taking care and protecting me is maintaining your body weight. For this you should eat less and drink optimum amount of water. Less eating will prevent in secreting few body fluids i.e. hormones. Less consumption of water will have less stress on me.

2) Another way of taking care and protecting me is consuming antioxidant-rich plant food i.e. pomegranates and tomatoes. I will get nourished by these substances.

3) Yet another way of taking care and protecting me is regular intake of foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids can reduce your risk of developing a wide variety of cancers, including prostate cancer.

4) The most important way of taking care and protecting me is avoiding protein-dense animal food which may reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer.

5) Yet another important way of taking care and protecting me is ensuring adequate vitamin D status which may lower prostate cancer risk.

6) The normal way of taking care and protecting me by following optimum sexual activities i.e. avoid masturbation, anal sex and so on.

Source:

1) Ayur Help - Anatomy and Physiology of Prostate gland http://www.ayurhelp.com/prostate/bph.htm

2) Boloji.com - Preventing Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy through Ayurveda http://www.boloji.com/ayurveda/av041.htm

3) Chet Day - Prostate Gland Care by Ben Kim - http://chetday.com/prostategland.htm

4) High Beam Encyclopedia - Prostate Gland - http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-prostate.html