10 Tips on How to Keep Your Prostate Healthy

Ok gentlemen, if you’re a coffee drinker, you’re actually helping your prostate, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

In fact, there are several things you can do to maintain prostate health. Coffee drinking is just one of them.  The experts at the Cyberknife Center of Miami compiled a list of tips to help you and your prostate.

How to Keep Prostate Healthy

1. Drink Coffee and Tea – According to an article on the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s (PCF) website, green tea is a source of antioxidants, which have been shown to have some cancer-fighting properties. But according to studies, you’ll have to drink seven cups per day to decrease your risk. Coffee is also showing promise. “There are now a number of studies that suggest drinking coffee regularly, one to two cups a day, can help prevent prostate cancer,” PCF-funded epidemiologist Lorelei Mucci, M.P.H., Sc.D., who works at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, says in the article.
2. Avoid Sugar – According to another article from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, cancers love sugar, and glucose can cause cancers to grow faster. That’s especially true for prostate cancer. Keeping your intake of sugar to a minimum is a wise choice.
3. Berry Good – If you are going to eat sugar, eat berries. They are a good source of antioxidants, which fight cancer. Eat strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. 
4. Eat Your Veggies –– Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, bok choy, kale, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts contain antioxidants and other nutrients that are good for the prostate. And if you like broccoli, eat up! It’s been called a prostate superfood because it may prevent cancer cell growth. Eating a diet high in these vegetables also reduces inflammation. That can be related to prostate cancer risks.
5. Say Yes to Fish – Salmon, trout and sardines are cold-water fish that don’t trigger inflammation. They also contain so-called good fats. Inflammation in the body can spur cancer growth. Replacing animal fats with plant-based proteins may also be good, especially if fish isn’t your thing. 
6. Enjoy Cooked Tomatoes – Tomatoes have what’s called lycopene, which is an antioxidant. Cooking tomatoes makes it easier for our bodies to take that antioxidant and send it to the prostate. “When a man eats a diet high in lycopene, for some reason, lycopene levels in the prostate go up,” Mucci says in the PFC article. So go for it – eat that tomato sauce or drink that tomato juice!
7. Watch Your Diet and Exercise – One of the best things you can do for your prostate and your overall health is to keep your weight in check. That means avoiding the amount of fat you get from dairy and red meats as well as watching your sugar intake. And don’t forget to exercise several times a week. You don’t have to go crazy either. Just get moving by walking.
8. Vitamins for Prostate Health – This gets tricky according to the  National Cancer Institute.  While vitamins D and E and selenium have shown some promise in a few studies, the evidence is inconclusive.  It’s best to talk to your doctor about vitamins and supplements, which may benefit you and your prostate.
9. No Smoking and Limit Alcohol – We all know smoking is linked to cancer. So, avoid smoking. And if you’re a smoker, work with your doctor to see if you can quit. Limiting alcohol is also good for your prostate.
10.  Regular Checkups are a Must – Men 45 or older, African American men 40 or older and men 40 or older with a family history of prostate cancer should talk to their doctors about PSA blood test screening and rectal exams. Having these conversations and checkups can help detect prostate cancer early. And the earlier it’s caught, the better the chances that treatments will help.

If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have treatment options depending on the type and stage of cancer, your age and your health. Surgery, chemotherapy, other drug therapies and radiation all treat prostate cancer.  Sometimes doctors use a combination of treatments. 

CyberKnife for Prostate Cancer

More than 60,000 American men choose radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer each year, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation because there is a proven safety record and the cure rates are well-documented too.

There are different types of radiation for prostate cancer, but the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami believe stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) – the type of radiation used by CyberKnife technology, has some advantages. 

• The cure rate with CyberKnife for prostate cancer is 97-percent.
• It’s noninvasive. 
• There is no anesthesia or cutting.  
• There are no surgery risks like infection and long periods of downtime.
• CyberKnife treatments can be done in five therapy sessions over 10 days instead of 42 over three months with other types of radiation treatments.
• The CyberKnife radiation beams, which target and destroy the tumor, are exceedingly precise. 
• There is less risk of side effects including impotence and incontinence.

If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, call CyberKnife Miami for a consultation.  

If you would like to find out more about prostate cancer treatment with CyberKnife, call us now at 305-279-2900 or go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.