Complementary and alternative medicine For Prostate Cancer

A range of dietary supplements and herbal medicines claim to offer new ways to prevent or treat prostate disease, and cancer in general. Some supplements show promise and are slowly gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine. But the benefits and risks of many products and practices remain unproved. Unfortunately, the production of these products isn't well regulated, and the amount of active ingredient may vary from bottle to bottle or even pill to pill.

Herbal products marketed to relieve common prostate problems, such as frequent urination or a weak urine flow, include:

• African plum tree (Prunus africana)
• African wild potato (Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Hypoxis rooperi)
• Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo)
• Rye grass (Secale cereale)
• Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica, Urtica urens)

Taken in small to moderate amounts, these products appear to be safe. But they haven't been studied in large, long-term trials to confirm their safety or to prove they work.

Saw palmetto
Unlike other herbal supplements, saw palmetto has been widely tested, and the results show promise in the treatment of urinary symptoms caused by prostate problems. However, it is important to know that saw palmetto is recommended to treat symptoms associated with benign prostate gland enlargement, not prostate cancer.

Saw palmetto works slowly. Most men begin to see an improvement in their urinary symptoms within one to three months. If after three months you haven't noticed any benefit from the product, it may not work for you. It appears safe to take saw palmetto indefinitely, but possible effects from long-term use are unknown. One drawback of this herb, and many other such herbal products, is that it may suppress PSA levels in your blood. This action can interfere with the effectiveness of the PSA test. That's why if you take saw palmetto or other herbal medicines, it's important to tell your doctor before having a PSA test.

Lacking scientific evidence
A few herbal and dietary products claim to help cure or prevent cancer. There's no scientific evidence that these products work, and some may be dangerous. Three popular "cancer-fighting" supplements include:

• Chaparral. Also known as creosote bush or greasewood, chaparral (Larrea tridentata) comes from a desert shrub found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Research hasn't shown that the herb effectively treats cancer, and it can lead to irreversible liver failure.
• PC-SPES. This mixture contains eight herbs that have been used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine to treat prostate issues and other health problems. Some studies show it may reduce cancer growth, but it can also cause side effects. It was sold as a dietary supplement, but is no longer being manufactured because some batches were found to contain prescription drug ingredients. While the individual herbs are still available, the PC-SPES mixture has not been reintroduced because further studies are needed to determine whether it's safe.
• Shark cartilage. Shark cartilage contains a protein that has some ability to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels within tumors in sharks. Shark cartilage therapy is based on the theory that capsules containing shark cartilage will do the same in humans — stop and shrink cancerous tumors. However, these benefits haven't been shown in humans.

Talk with your doctor first
Because it's not always easy to tell which products may be unsafe, interact negatively with other medications or affect your overall cancer treatment, it's best to talk with your doctor before you take any dietary or herbal product.

Live Without A BoyFriend

Okay, girls! Boys are not the most important things in our lives -here's how to enjoy life without a boyfriend.


Concentrate on your friends, family and school work for a bit. You're at school for a few years of your life and then you're working for about 40-50 years! Work hard now and you will find making money a lot easier when you are older. (Work smart, not hard, ladies - dig your ditches while you're young enough to do it with vigor, and life will present you with a lot more choices later.
Ponder exactly why you want a boyfriend. Most of the time it is not because you feel any real emotion towards someone for who he really is, but because you are needing something to satisfy an emotional need, or even just to feed your ego. If you are the type to 'fall in love' with a guy you've known for only a few minutes, even though he's said nothing of value, try examining your own motives.
Keep yourself busy! To keep your mind free of men, get some new hobbies and try new things! You never know, you could find something you really enjoy doing.
Consider volunteer work at your church or local hospital. Seeing others with harder circumstances than having no boyfriend may help you appreciate the good things in your life.

* Times when you are between men can be some of the most rewarding and growth-oriented times of your life. Enjoy this time to find out about yourself, do as you please, go where you want when you feel like it without checking with someone first, and sleep whenever you want to!
* Try a hobby - photography with a digital camera is fun and doesn't cost a lot to get started. A nice Nikon Coolpix or Canon or Sony Cybershot are great choices. Learn how to take great shots now, and you'll be ready for the next boyfriend/ Try scuba diving if you're athletic and live near the beach! Or karate, or kick boxing, or yoga! Consider oil or water color painting - especially if you've never tried it or think you're not artistic. Sweetie, it's just about YOU - nobody else is going to be watching you, and you might surprise yourself.
* Read classic literature - you'd be surprised at how much more interesting you will be to others if you have a wider breadth of experience and culture.
* Visit museums and see beautiful works of art and statues. It's good for your soul, and art is every bit as beautiful when you look at it by yourself as if some edgy boyfriend who just wants to get home to see the game is standing next to you.
* Definitely spend lots of time with girlfriends and family - now is your time to do this! Go to movies, theme parks, dinner, or just coffee.
* If you didn't realize it, all of the above are great ways to meet people, doofus - get off your tail and go out there into the world. If you still don't get it, go buy a copy of Liza With a 'Z' and listen to 'Ring Them Bells' until you do. Sitting around your house moping will not make your life better, or get you any closer to having someone to share your life with.
* Consider having a girlfriend instead. Maybe the boyfriends aren't working out for a reason. ;)


* Don't be cold with men. Your male friends don't deserve to be treated coldly because you are bitter about not having a boyfriend. Its not fair to make every man you interact with the punching bag for frustrations you have with your own inadequacies. Misandry never helped anyone lead a happy life.
* If you are too desperate, needy or bitter, you'd better memorize this, because you will be living without a boyfriend for the biggest part of your life.

Coping Around From Prostate Cancer

Once you receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer or treatment for this disease, you may experience a range of feelings — including disbelief, fear, anger, anxiety, emptiness and depression. You may not be able to get rid of these distressing feelings. But you can find positive ways to deal with them so they don't dominate your life. The following strategies can help you cope with some of the difficulties of prostate cancer:

• Be prepared. Ask your doctor questions and read about prostate cancer and its potential side effects. The fewer the surprises, the more quickly you'll adapt.
• Maintain as normal a routine as you can. Don't let the cancer or side effects from treatment dominate your day. Try to follow the routine and lifestyle you had before learning of your cancer. Go back to work, take a trip, join your children or grandchildren on an outing. You need activities that give you a sense of purpose, fulfillment and meaning. But realize that initially you may have some limitations. Start slowly and gradually build your level of endurance.
• Get plenty of exercise. Exercise helps fight depression and is a good way to relieve tension and aggression.
• Open up to a friend, a family member or a counselor. Cancer is too heavy a load to carry alone. Sometimes it helps to talk with someone about your feelings and fears. The better you feel emotionally, the better you'll be able to physically cope with your illness. You may find joining a support group helpful, because it can provide you with a sense of belonging, give you an opportunity to talk with people who understand your situation and provide you with advice. Your doctor or someone you know who has experienced prostate cancer may be able to help you locate a support group.
• Don't avoid sexual contact. Your natural reaction to impotence may be to avoid all sexual contact. Don't fall for this feeling. Touching, holding, hugging and caressing can become far more important to you and your partner. In fact, the closeness you develop in these actions can produce greater sexual intimacy than you've ever had before. There are many ways to express your sexuality.
• Look for the positive. Cancer doesn't have to be an all-negative experience for you. Good can come out of it. Confrontation with cancer may lead you to grow emotionally and spiritually, to identify what really matters to you, to settle long-standing disputes and to spend more time with people important to you.

Go Places Alone

You don't have to have friends or a date to go out and have fun. It's perfectly possible to have fun alone, and you might even enjoy it more!

Figure out whether you're going out to be sociable or to do something just for yourself. Behave really well.
Pick where you're going. If you want to look for social action, go someplace where there will be lots of people. If you want to do something just for yourself, you can go to a mall or festival full of people. Or you can go someplace quiet and just have fun alone. Choose a place that suits your interests: If you're into art, you could visit art galleries, get tickets for the ballet, opera, or a symphony. If you like to read, you could go to the library & bookstores, new & used. More options are museums, local parks, coffee houses, gyms. Or enjoy a movie you've been wanting see, see it alone! This is something specifically for YOU!
Make sure you know how to get to the place you're headed for. If you can't drive, then ask for a ride, take public transportation, walk, or ride a bike.
Carry a cell phone and make sure somebody knows where you're going and approximately when you're planning on getting back. This way, if you run into trouble you can call for help, and if you run into really serious trouble and cannot call, your family will know where to start looking for you.
Don't go someplace lonely at night by yourself. For one thing, it can be depressing. For another, you could be targeted by bad people with bad intentions.
Carry some money, just in case you need it.
Take a map with you. Plan your route and consider leaving a copy of your travel plan for the day on your kitchen table - this way if you don't arrive home when expected, your loved ones may be able to retrace your steps and get help to you quicker if you are, for example, stranded by a car breakdown, flat tire, or have an accident along the way.

* Don't go someplace just because you feel you "should." If you aren't interested in it or you don't think you'll have fun, there's no point.
* Money: Take enough to get you around so that you don't need to pull out your ATM card for a hamburger. A good tip: Carry about $60 in your pocket or wallet, and anything over that in your sock. If you're mugged, you'll have enough cash on you to hopefully satisfy your attacker, but you won't lose a huge sum to the thug. And the bonus is, should your pocket develop a hole or you mislay your wallet, you have a reserve "bank" in your sock or shoe.
* Keep your eyes, ears and mind open. Be aware of what's going on around you.
* Don't be afraid to try new things. You can learn a lot.
* Your personality changes a little when you're by yourself. Pay attention to this - when you're by yourself, you are probably closest to your truest self. If you find yourself "going along" with stuff you wouldn't do when alone, then you're behaving like a sheep, and should continue your solo outings until you feel strong in your likes and dislikes, and can express them effectively to friends.
* Consider carrying a pocket-sized notebook and pen. You never know, you might want to exchange emails or take a note at some point.
* A study shows that texting makes you look less approachable and less likely to meet new people. Relax! Put away your friends for a night and try to meet new people.
* If you like to skateboard, find against good, flat road to skateboard on! Or you can go to a public park and sit on the bench. If you are adventures, go for a bike ride to a new place, be sure to take a compass.

* Never drink alcohol alone. It's not safe, and it's not a healthy habit to get into either.
* If you meet somebody while you're out who wants to go elsewhere with you, such as back to their own house, be very cautious. It's best to stick to public spaces with people you don't know.
* If you get stuck while you're out and cannot get home, do not accept a ride from a stranger. Borrow a phone and call your own family.