What Prostate Health Complex Does

The core functions of the prostate health complex currently on the market in compliance with regulations are concentrated in three dimensions - assisting in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, and incontinence caused by mild to moderate prostate problems, reducing the sterile inflammatory response of the prostate, and assisting in delaying the progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It belongs to the category of dietary supplements and cannot replace regular drug or surgical treatment. It is only used as a health intervention option for people with mild to moderate symptoms.

This is not what I said. Last week, a 39-year-old Chen who works in Internet operations came to me. He has been working on projects for three consecutive months and has been sitting for a long time until 12 o'clock every day. He has woken up twice recently and has to drive for half an hour to find a toilet. I went to the hospital to check the prostate fluid. The white blood cells were normal and the lecithin bodies were only +. The doctor said it was aseptic inflammation and there was no need to prescribe antibiotics. He asked him to adjust his work and rest first. If it didn't work, he could take some prostate-related supplements. He blindly bought a single-ingredient saw palmetto and tried it for half a month without any effect. He came to me and asked me about it. I recommended a compound formula that added lycopene, zinc and nettle root. After three weeks of taking it, he said that now he almost doesn’t wake up at night anymore, and he doesn’t have to look for a service area during long-distance driving.

Of course, not everyone recognizes its role, and the academic community has been arguing about it for almost 20 years. Guidelines updated by the American Urological Association in the past few years stated that large-sample clinical controlled trials showed that the effect of saw palmetto-based complexes was not statistically different from placebo and was not recommended as a routine intervention. ； However, the European Association of Urology’s guidelines instead include low-dose compound formula as an auxiliary intervention option for mild to moderate benign prostatic hyperplasia, believing that it is more friendly to people who are intolerant to the side effects of alpha-blockers such as dizziness and hypotension. From the perspective of practitioners who are engaged in nutritional intervention, this difference is actually easy to understand: European and American trials are mostly done with single ingredients, while most of the effective complexes sold in the actual market are synergistic formulas, and individual absorption differences are also large, so they cannot be killed with one shot.

Many people think that complexes are made by stacking several active ingredients together to make them more expensive, but this is not the case. I have helped the laboratory compile relevant absorption data before. If lycopene is taken alone, the fasting absorption rate is only about 2%. If it is combined with zinc, selenium, and a small amount of fat, the absorption rate can rise to more than 7%, which is just enough to reach the effective concentration to inhibit oxidative damage to prostate epithelial cells. There are also pollen extracts and nettle roots added to some formulas, which are not just a few. Nettle roots can reduce the binding of dihydrotestosterone and prostate receptors. When paired with saw palmetto, the effect is about 30% higher than eating saw palmetto alone.

Oh, by the way, don’t think it’s expensive. I once had a customer who bought a complex imported from the United States. After taking it for half a month, he felt flatulent every day. After looking at the formula, he discovered that 300mg of pumpkin seed extract was added. Europeans and Americans have a good tolerance for eating pumpkin-related things every day. Many of us Asians are intolerant to large amounts of pumpkin seeds. Instead, some domestic formulas adjust the pumpkin seed content to 100mg and add some rapeseed pollen, which is more suitable for our bodies.

From my experience, there are two types of people who benefit the most from eating this: One type is those under 40 years old who have aseptic prostatitis caused by sitting for a long time, staying up late, and eating spicy food, and have no organic disease. Generally, after taking it for 2-4 weeks, they can feel that it is not so strenuous to urinate, and the waiting for urination will be much better.； The other category is people under 60 years old, with benign prostatic hyperplasia of I to II degree, and IPSS score, which is the International Prostate Symptom Score of 8 to 19 points. If they insist on taking it for more than 6 months, almost 60% of them can reduce the dosage of Western medicines such as tamsulosin. After all, some people will feel dizzy and weak after taking Western medicine for a long time. It is comfortable to reduce the dosage.

But let’s be clear, it’s not a miracle drug. For bacterial prostatitis, it won’t matter how much complex medicine you take. You have to take antibiotics to kill the bacteria first. ； The hyperplasia has reached such a severe level that the patient has urinary retention and difficulty urinating to the point where a urinary catheter needs to be inserted. It is time for surgery, and don’t expect to take supplements to get better. Some people throw it away after taking it for two or three days without any effect. There is no need. These ingredients are fat-soluble and must accumulate to a certain concentration in the body to take effect. It takes at least 2 weeks to feel the change.

In general, the position of Prostate Health Complex has always been awkward. Those who tout it as a miracle drug are charging an IQ tax, while those who deny it is useless are too arbitrary. For most middle-aged men, prostate problems are inherently chronic diseases. You cannot wait until surgery is required before intervening. Adjusting your daily routine to less sitting and drinking less, and using appropriate compounds for daily management, is actually a very cost-effective choice. By the way, before taking it, it’s best to check PSA (prostate specific antigen) and prostate ultrasound to rule out the possibility of prostate cancer first. Don’t just take supplements, which will be a big loss if you delay the real problem.