Prostatitis causes many problems even in the early stages of the disease. Painful burning, itching at night, problems with urination, 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 affects men under the age of 30. Men over 40 are at risk: according to statistics, out of 10 men of this age group, four suffer from prostatitis. In men over 80, the picture is even worse: chronic inflammation of the prostate is detected in 9 out of 10 patients.
How is it that even men who do not have a hereditary tendency to prostatitis suffer from prostate inflammation in old age? One common misconception is related to the hormone testosterone. Prostatitis is believed to develop due to a decrease in testosterone levels due to aging. This is fundamentally incorrect: testosterone affects the health of the prostate, but only with its deficiency does not develop prostatitis, but adenoma. This is an independent disease, and in order to prevent prostate adenoma, the doctor can prescribe regular use of the testosterone hormone.
Prostatitis requires appropriate conditions for the development of infection. Age-related testosterone deficiency is not enough to start the inflammatory process. Several factors must coincide:
- Decreased blood circulation in the pelvic organs.It appears with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular physical activity. The main risk factor is sedentary work: if at home a person gets up and stretches when he gets tired of sitting, then at work it is not always possible to take the necessary break.
- Failure to observe the basic rules of sexual or intimate hygiene.Women can have an infection that causes prostatitis without even knowing it. The best way of prevention in this case will be contraceptives. In addition, you can get the infection in the toilet in a public place, during a medical examination with non-sterile instruments, etc.
- Reduced immunity.Prostatitis, like any inflammation, often develops against the background of a weakened immune system. Lack of vitamins and microelements prevents prostate cells from fighting the inflammatory process in the early stages.
- Reduction of the body's overall resistance to external threats.Chronic fatigue, stress, lack of sleep are the main factors that can cause prostatitis at any age. The body needs rest to fight infection, so remember to relax. Even training will become an indirect cause of prostatitis if you do not give the muscles time to recover.
Prevention is always easier than treatment: there is no need to take antibiotics or other drugs with serious side effects. If you can normalize your sleep, ensure daily exercise, healthy diet and low stress level, prostatitis will not bother you. Of course, you must also monitor the sources of infection: if possible, avoid using public toilets with unsanitary conditions; they control the sex life.
These preventive measures may seem too simple, but preventing prostatitis in men without drugs is easier than treating it with drugs.
What to do for prevention
In such a matter as the prevention of prostatitis in men, drugs play a 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, then you need to choose preventive measures specifically for this disease.
Acute bacterial prostatitis
This form of prostatitis always appears 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 first appears 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 check 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. For the treatment of chlamydia, an antibiotic from the tetracycline group and other drugs from the same series are prescribed for 1-2 weeks. During treatment, you will need to follow a diet with restrictions on calcium-containing foods.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis
Although the prevention of chronic prostatitis does not require the prescription of drugs, men with a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the prostate will benefit from stimulants and dietary supplements. In order to avoid treating the delayed inflammatory process, regularly use the following products:
- Means that normalize the work of the prostate. The purpose of these drugs is to restore active blood flow in the pelvic organs, start the tissue healing process and regulate secretions. Although they are usually used for treatment, with their help it is also possible to prevent prostatitis, especially on the background of male predisposition. Before the first use of medicines, consult your doctor.
- Medicines with pronounced antibacterial actiontaken against the background of susceptibility to bacterial infections. These funds are also intended primarily for treatment. Check whether you need to take care of the prevention of bacterial inflammation or whether general remedies are sufficient for recovery.
- Complexes of vitamins and dietary supplements.Such preparations should contain vitamins C and E: they prevent inflammation by destroying bacteria and forming new cells. Products with lycopene are also effective for prevention: it is a natural antioxidant that regulates basic processes in the prostate.
Herbal medicines
Prevention of prostatitis with medicinal herbs is widely used to prevent inflammation at home. Pay attention to the natural components 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 substances against the background of high blood pressure is dangerous, because one of the effects of such drugs is an immediate increase in blood pressure.
For the prevention of 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.
Their action is similar to pharmaceutical drugs - phlebotonics. A side effect of the treatment of 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 plants: bearberry, cranberry, etc. If you are predisposed to prostatitis, they have the opposite effect: a sudden increase in urine volume increases pressure on the prostate and can cause inflammation. Treatment of difficult urination 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 drug for treatment is not difficult: all you need to do is undergo laboratory tests. The disease becomes chronic when the body is so weakened that after treating the bacterial infection, a new infection manages to break through the defenses - and everything repeats itself. In order to prevent the return of prostatitis, men must 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 wet, and if you do, take a warm bath. Showering is not suitable: the body must have an even heating for at least 15-20 minutes. If you have already had prostatitis, the infection can persist in the tissues and wait in the wings even after treatment with antibiotics. Be careful and the disease will not return.
- Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks per week.Do not combine alcoholic beverages with cold treatment: this is one of the common factors that cause inflammation of the prostate.
- Eat more fibrous foods.Coarse dietary fiber is the basis of prostate health. For the treatment of constipation, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is prescribed. Since constipation is another possible cause of inflammation in the prostate tissue, 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 work of the digestive tract.
Moderate sexual activity is another factor in prostate health. Regular sexual life normalizes the secretion of organs and relieves excess pressure that can lead to inflammation. Do not forget about contraception: if you are predisposed to prostate inflammation, you must protect yourself not from sexual intercourse, but from a common bacterial infection.
Perform the male version of Kegel exercises every day: contract the pubococcygeus muscle for 3-5 seconds, then release. Repeat several approaches 10-15 times. It can be difficult to find a 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 have to train the exact muscle that is strained. Regular exercises normalize the work of internal organs.