Prostate cancer is nearly 100% survivable if detected early, writes Aaron E. Katz, M.D. in his new book, DR. KATZ’S GUIDE TO PROSTATE HEALTH: From Conventional to Holistic Therapies (Freedom Press; $19.95 trade paperback; January 2006). Unfortunately 31,000 of the more than 220,000 men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year will die of the disease. But most of those deaths could be prevented, observes Dr. Katz. The director of Columbia’s Center for Holistic Urology and an associate professor of clinical urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Katz has written a book that combines the best in traditional and alternative medicine to prevent and treat prostate cancer as well as other prostate disease including, enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and prostatitis, a commonly occurring painful inflammation of this male gland. “When faced with a diagnosis of prostate cancer and the threatening quality of life issues its treatment may pose as a result of surgery and radiating the pelvic area, it’s understandable that many men deny the early signs that there’s a problem,” observes Dr. Katz. With his team at the Center for Holistic Urology at Columbia University, Dr. Katz has developed a successful way to treat prostate cancer and other prostate complaints with integrative medicines as well as a new protocol for preventative care. He hopes this new book will offer men an easy-to-understand, non-threatening guide, offering information on surgery, medication, radiation, and other allopathic treatments along with the latest breakthroughs in nutritional, hormonal, and other therapies so that more men can take control of their health and prevent their cancer from spreading or reduce the risk of prostate cancer and other prostate conditions.
“Every year thousands of men receive the unsettling news that their yearly Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test has detected early phase cancer on such a small scale, that no treatment is diagnosed aside from what has come to be known as ‘watchful waiting,’” notes Dr. Katz. Taking watchful waiting to a new level, Dr. Katz and his staff have developed a chemoprevention regimen of natural therapies designed to have an impact on the progression or regression of PIN, the abnormal cells that are likely to turn cancerous at some point in the future. Dr. Katz has identified the following risk factors that relate to inflammation and oxidation, the preconditions of cancer:
· Age: The older you get, the more your body is susceptible to chronic inflammation and excessive oxidation. Antioxidant production falls off.
· Race: Different races have differing susceptibility to pathological or chronic inflammatory conditions. They may also have differing levels of endogenous (made in the body) antioxidant enzymes; variations in how their bodies absorb and utilize antioxidants and fats from foods; and culturally based variations in the foods they choose to eat.
· High-animal fat diet: Diets high in arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fat, raise the activity of inflammatory COX and LO enzymes and increase oxidation.
· Obesity: Fat cells make inflammatory substances; simply being overweight has been found to increase overall inflammation in the body.
· History of venereal disease: May cause excessive inflammation of the genitourinary tract, increasing a man’s vulnerability to DNA changes that lead to cancer. History of prostatitis or BPH may also indicate inflammatory or oxidative activity that can lead to cancerous changes or accelerate the growth of existing cancers.
· Presence of PIN, linked with heightened inflammation.
As part of his holistic “big picture” approach to chemoprevention, Dr. Katz offers a clear, easy-to-follow regimen of herbs and vitamins (saw palmetto, vitamins B6 and E, amino acids, and omega-3 fish oils) as well as anti-inflammatory herbs (holy basil, ginger, turmeric, green tea, oregano, rosemary, hu zhang, Chinese goldthread and barberry, and scutellaria). A diet low in saturated fats (meats, dairy, butter) and rich in olive oil, flaxseeds and flax oil and other sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (salmon, sardines, cod) as well as anti-oxidant-rich organic fruits and vegetables (particularly blueberries and members of the crucifer family) and fermented soy-based foods (tempeh and miso) is detailed. Dr. Katz advises his patients to avoid processed flour and sugar, both of which shift COX- and LO enzyme activity towards inflammation and encourages the practice of tai chi, chi kung and yoga and other stress reduction methods. Finally, Dr. Katz brings readers up to date on a promising new drug, Zyflamend, now in clinical trials at Columbia.
AARON E. KATZ, M.D. is director of the Center for Holistic Urology at Columbia University Medical Center, and an associate professor of clinical urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. His pioneering work in advancing the technology of cryosurgery to treat prostate cancer helped Medicare approve this therapy for treating radiation-recurrent tumors. Dr. Katz has trained nearly 100 urologists in the United States and Europe to perform cryosurgery in their hospitals. During a fellowship at the New York Academy of Medicine, Dr. Katz developed a novel test that could detect small numbers of prostate cells in the blood.
DR. KATZ’S GUIDE TO PROSTATE HEALTH: From Conventional to Holistic Therapies
Aaron E. Katz, M.D.
Freedom Press
$19.95 trade paperback; January 2006
ISBN 0-893910-37-7; 256 pages
© 2006 HealthNewsDigest.com