An essential element of men’s health historically has been the battle against the most common cancer affecting genetically male individuals: prostate cancer. For perspective, prostate cancer affects men in the same proportion as breast cancer does in women and constitutes a significant portion of mortality in men. The US Preventative Services Task force (USPSTF), as recently as this week has put out a new perspective on screening that has left many men scratching their heads, and have posed a unique catch 22 for medical professionals.
This USPSTF statement on prostate screening in essence postulates that prostate cancer screening in men under 70 often does more harm than good and as such should be used very selectively. This is for the most part due to the extreme variability in prostate cancer presentations that isn’t always fully grasped by a rectal exam and PSA test. Research has shown that 1 in 5 men over 50 who pass away from other causes are found to have some form of prostate cancer and 1 in 3 men over 70. This suggests that in essence, prostate cancer while extremely prevalent is usually present at death but not cause of mortality. This is affirmed by the prevalence of clinically relevant prostate cancer as about 1 in 1000 according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, and the research by StatsCan that shows that Prostate cancer is the attributable cause of death in 3% of cases where a medical cause is attributable.
Along with the matter of prevalence and the variability of prostate cancer, a huge concern the USPSTF raised was the matter of the cost of care. Upon diagnosis with prostate cancer, the majority of services are considered medically aggressive, this includes: hormone therapy, chemotherapy radiation therapy or prostate resection. These aformentioned services often come at a great price to the man’s general health, sexual health, mental health and hormonal health and financially even in cases where the cancer goes straight to remission upon the first cycle of services.
Given this information, the questions you’re probably asking yourself is “what do I do with this?” Unfortunately there is no simple answer, as there are many factors to consider in the decisions you make around you prostate health and overall health. The first and most important step is to have a strong working relationship with your primary health practitioner. Having good communication with your medical doctor is of utmost importance and should be pursued at all costs. Yet, this can at times be difficult due for many reasons: from time restrictions, an aversion to conventional medical thinking and therapies to a doctor’s poor bedside manner depending on the individual. For this reason it can often be helpful to seek the assistance of a Naturopathic Doctor to help walk you and your loved ones through the various genetic, dietary, lifestyle and other medical risk factors which play into their inherent risk of prostate cancer or benign prostatic hyperplasia for that matter. With longer visit times and a mission to educate and promote healthy lifestyle, we embrace with joy the title of complementary medicine.
From a Naturopathic perspective our goal is to understand your specific determinants of health and to provide care based on the traits you possess that lend you your individuality. With regards to prostate concerns, we often examine the whole gammut of symptoms and physical examinations and make an effort to promote a balanced diet, appropriate exercise regimens and supplementation when necessary to keep you at your vital, informed and in essence at your healthiest place. The services we offer include nutritional supplements, acupuncture, botanicals, massage, chiropractic manipulations and much more.
If you’d like to know more about Naturopathic Medicine and would like to book a free 15 minute consult, I’d love to sit down and chat.
Give us a call at 905-604-2491 or book directly at natliving.ca
All the Wishing you in health,
Dr. Daniel Soubhi Sima’an, ND