After researching , reading topics galore..... this video sums up just about all of the ins and outs , and i agree with most of it .

My trip to the urologist(s) initially was met with "oh, its big, gotta take drugs, or i can do surgery " .

Well, a year and a half later my symptoms are much better. I went with saw palmetto and lycopene , and also some diet changes and sleep changes . It takes time ! I now wake up once or maybe twice a night, sleep much better, and mostly have very good stream. It can be done without biopsies , drugs, or surgery ( but takes an effort ) .

watch the whole video ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLlGIPfInec

I see SM is having a look see ...... he will be happy to know that i now go out first thing in the morning and gaze towards the sun .

slowly chanting ....stidddddley (in) ....mummmmm (out)

while taking deep breaths .😉

What Have We Learned?

A 2023 review of 27 studies on saw palmetto in men with BPH found that this herb, when administered alone, provides little or no benefit for BPH symptoms. Definite conclusions could not be reached about the effects of combinations of herbs that include saw palmetto.

Two clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health, both of which evaluated saw palmetto alone, were included in this review.

One tested a standard dose of saw palmetto; the other tested increasing doses of saw palmetto, up to three times the usual dose. In both studies, saw palmetto did not improve BPH symptoms.

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto

1 minute ago, rumak said:

I see SM is having a look see ...... he will be happy to know that i now go out first thing in the morning and gaze towards the sun .

slowly chanting ....stidddddley mummmmm

and taking deep breaths .😉

This is a great topic to bring up Sir. Not all guys like talking about it openly. But many are affected by/with it, after attaining 70 years, or so.

I watched the film and generally agree with the doc. However, although he gives a plus or minus for medical interventions, and drugs, I would suggest giving them a complete miss.

I agree with you Rumak, on helping the body naturally. Plenty of supplements out there. Mostly a mix of plant extracts. HOWEVER! I do suggest that one looks to see if the extracts are from nature rather than a lab, or factory. Don't want to publicise the name here, but I like G-------e products.

And, the doc is absolutely right when he says; 'it takes time'.

Another route. Which I do every day, and think is a good thing. Exercise!!! The problems down below, are mostly due to to internal muscle, and tissue, wastage. The muscles have not disappeared, they have lost their structure. So! Specific exercises to get that whole area back to 'normality' is in order. What is normality? For us guys, of superior years, it's being in a condition where normal life can continue. And going to the loo 6 times a night ain't normal.

There are a couple if exercises that I know of. Here is a good one to start with.

The exercise itself. Lay on a flat surface on yer back. Knees up. Try to keep the lower legs perpendicular. Reach down and hold legs just above yer ankles. Push yer pelvis up as high as possible. Then drop the pelvis down just a couple of inches and thrust back up again to maximum height. Nothing explosive, just a gentle, but purposeful rhythm. I do 120 thrusts, in a short period of about 30/40 seconds.

I advocated doing this when doing my rounds as a physiologist to old peoples homes 40+ years ago. The feedback I got was very encouraging. One thing. If properly done, the thighs might get a bit of muscle fatigue, and ache slightly, until they gradually adapt and strengthen up.

The exercise is best done upon awakening, or, as I do, just before dropping off to sleep at night. Of course some folks might be doing other things just before sleep, so in the morning might be the ticket for them.

There is another exercise that I have found to have worked, and other things to try. One I use on me dodgy hip. Let's see how the thread develops before exploring those.

Nature is us. We are nature. Make use of it.

22 minutes ago, JerryM said:

What Have We Learned?

A 2023 review of 27 studies on saw palmetto in men with BPH found that this herb, when administered alone, provides little or no benefit for BPH symptoms. Definite conclusions could not be reached about the effects of combinations of herbs that include saw palmetto.

Two clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health, both of which evaluated saw palmetto alone, were included in this review.

One tested a standard dose of saw palmetto; the other tested increasing doses of saw palmetto, up to three times the usual dose. In both studies, saw palmetto did not improve BPH symptoms.

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto

Video lost me when the dr started talking about airplane ultraviolet exposure and free radicals.

Does he seriously believe prostrate enlargement could be triggered by airplane travel and exposure.

Probably just the sitting on the prostrate for a long time, like riding a bike for a long time.

4 hours ago, rumak said:

I see SM is having a look see ...... he will be happy to know that i now go out first thing in the morning and gaze towards the sun .

slowly chanting ....stidddddley (in) ....mummmmm (out)

while taking deep breaths .😉

Just found this short vid on the WWW. Well worth a butchers.

https://odysee.com/@yogawithamit:6/prostate-yoga-workout-natural-exercises:f

I also promote a certain way of breathing when doing these simple exercises.

4 hours ago, Stiddle Mump said:

This is a great topic to bring up Sir. Not all guys like talking about it openly. But many are affected by/with it, after attaining 70 years, or so.

I watched the film and generally agree with the doc. However, although he gives a plus or minus for medical interventions, and drugs, I would suggest giving them a complete miss.

Yes, there have been many threads dealing with the various issues pertaining to the prostate ; BHP, bladder issues, surgery options, drugs ....

So i posted todays video (in the general medicine arena) as i think it is very helpful as a starter . The viewers on AN are a very mixed breed, some completely on board with Mainstreet medicine/doctors, others maybe more flexible. The video gives a pretty good "overview" , and each person can explore whatever paths they wish. Personally, i am with you on avoiding the interventions you mention , but many if not most are still scared into acting hastily . Being older does tend to make determination and patience less desirable , then giving in to laziness and the fear factor.

My strongest opinions are based on my own anecdotal experiences (health and otherwise) .

I went from running from the car when arriving home ,as two blocks away my bladder was screaming ...gotta go !! (urgency) to almost no symptoms of that, and also nightime regulation ,which before was making a good nights sleep impossible, ..... to a manageable level.

Supplements, diet (coffee had to go ☹️ ) , chinese medicine all helped. I also researched types of surgeries, had my prostate measured (ultrasound) , saw 2 urologists who wanted me to take the usual drugs , and experienced the depression that comes with another life changing surprise.

No way can a real diagnosis and path of recovery come from a 10 minute doctor's visit, and usually what happens are tests and biopsies and drugs or worse . All you or I can do is post our beliefs , understand that we all have different health make-ups, and help with suggestions when asked. I rely a lot on what others post as well (mostly on naturapathic sites at this point) .

www.earthclinic.com . Still, one must choose what seems right for themselves.

4 hours ago, carlyai said:

Video lost me when the dr started talking about airplane ultraviolet exposure and free radicals.

Does he seriously believe prostrate enlargement could be triggered by airplane travel and exposure.

Probably just the sitting on the prostrate for a long time, like riding a bike for a long time.

yep, not ALL content will "resonate" with you , or i, but when most of it does i ignore the bits that may not . ( i had even forgotten about the airplane bit .... 😆) .

5 hours ago, Stiddle Mump said:

I do 120 thrusts, in a short period of about 30/40 seconds.

I would think mrs mump would have asked you to slow down a bit ...............

6 hours ago, JerryM said:

What Have We Learned?

A 2023 review of 27 studies on saw palmetto in men with BPH found that this herb, when administered alone, provides little or no benefit for BPH symptoms. Definite conclusions could not be reached about the effects of combinations of herbs that include saw palmetto.

Two clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health, both of which evaluated saw palmetto alone, were included in this review.

One tested a standard dose of saw palmetto; the other tested increasing doses of saw palmetto, up to three times the usual dose. In both studies, saw palmetto did not improve BPH symptoms.

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto

There are a lot of studies available online, some positive, some inconclusive. Many clinical trials are financed by pharma companies to "prove" that their chemical products are superior. In certain countries, for example Germany, herbal medications are prescribed by doctors as first line treatment. For example Prostagutt (Saw Palmetto and Stinging Nettle Root) which is also available in Thailand. My urologist mentioned Saw Palmetto as well.

Certain exercises for the pelvic area and lots of walking or swimming is also recommended.

All medications either chemical or herbal have individually different effects. In my opinion it does not hurt to try alternatives.

1 hour ago, rumak said:

I would think mrs mump would have asked you to slow down a bit ...............

Indeed!

There are 101 reasons why the prostrate can malfunction, or, impede other organs. Not being unable to pee, or too many loo visits, could point to the bladder itself. The problem has to be addressed at source. Modern medicine don't get to the causes; only the symptoms.

You are right to think diet, lifestyle and exercise.

27 minutes ago, Stiddle Mump said:

Not being unable to pee,

I didn't have no education ............ but i'm pretty sure that is a double negative . ain't it ?

5 minutes ago, rumak said:

I didn't have no education ............ but i'm pretty sure that is a double negative . ain't it ?

Yes indeed Sir. Let's hope it don't confuse everyone else.

Too late now to change it. Past time.

2 minutes ago, Stiddle Mump said:

Yes indeed Sir. Let's hope it don't confuse everyone else.

Too late now to change it. Past time.

btw : if you can do some of those yoga stretches in that video you linked...... well, my man , yuse a lot more limber than rumak .

I walk and bike, no problems.... but my hamstrings are tighter than a drum . Been like that forever.

It is top of my list now, to loosen them up...... but please don't necessitate me explaining that everyone's anatomy is different . 🙂 I am really at the most beginners level there is : just sitting on the floor i can barely put my leg straight out !

Surely the main reason for my lower back tightness as well . I guess i shoulda started stretching when i was 5 years old .........

(but i can still ride a bike with no hands ) lol

1 hour ago, rumak said:

btw : if you can do some of those yoga stretches in that video you linked...... well, my man , yuse a lot more limber than rumak .

I walk and bike, no problems.... but my hamstrings are tighter than a drum . Been like that forever.

It is top of my list now, to loosen them up...... but please don't necessitate me explaining that everyone's anatomy is different . 🙂 I am really at the most beginners level there is : just sitting on the floor i can barely put my leg straight out !

Surely the main reason for my lower back tightness as well . I guess i shoulda started stretching when i was 5 years old .........

(but i can still ride a bike with no hands ) lol

With the exercises for strengthening downstairs; I do just two. They do the trick for me. One that I remarked on earlier and one other. There are others I do for shoulders and and upper body. I call them bathroom yoga exercises.

However, I do take a couple of supplements. And a Vit C, drink, that is equivalent to 119 green grapes, virtually every day.

I walk it as I talk it. Walking around the farm bare-footed. Sun-gazing and special breathing.

I've not had any medication - not even a paracetamol - since 2019. Most people can do without the Big Pharma stuff. Just have to read the body and give it what it wants.

A post and its replies have been removed.

The discussion referred to a comment from another sub-forum without providing a link.

Please avoid any medico-political speculation in this thread and stick to the basic facts.

Thank you for your cooperation.

15 minutes ago, JerryM said:

I don't see how your prior comments on the medical establishment are off topic.

If you're going to change user names maybe you should note your old one in your posts so your prior comments can be critiqued against your current ones as well? Seems fair since it may not be obvious to everyone you've changed names.

Comment on moderation removed

@JerryM

This is from the Osteopath Doctor with the best ever video:

(3 month supply)

https://www.intellectualmedicine.com/prostate-vitality

RI Media Doctor Suspended for 5 Years By RI Department of Health - 4th Disciplinary Action

Saturday, February 22, 2020

The most recent disciplinary action, according to the Department of Health, is tied to false claims he made on WPRO and on the internet, unprofessional conduct, and failure to meet minimum standards.

https://www.golocalprov.com/news/ri-media-doctor-suspended-for-5-years-by-ri-department-of-health-4th-discip

Oliver: NB account change was necessitated by not being able to recover my prior account after system overhaul.

15 minutes ago, JerryM said:

This is from the Osteopath Doctor with the best ever video:

(3 month supply)

https://www.intellectualmedicine.com/prostate-vitality

Oliver: NB account change was necessitated by not being able to recover my prior account after system overhaul.

• Dr Petteruti has faced multiple disciplinary actions from the Rhode Island Department of Health, including a five-year suspension of his license in 2020, involving probation and monitoring. 

• So why would you push his supplements

15 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

So why would you push his supplements

See youtube in OP.

On 1/16/2026 at 10:10 AM, JerryM said:

One tested a standard dose of saw palmetto; the other tested increasing doses of saw palmetto, up to three times the usual dose. In both studies, saw palmetto did not improve BPH symptoms.

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto

It’s common knowledge that pharmaceutical lobbyists influence the NIH are industry trade groups and major drug companies that target Congress, which controls NIH’s annual appropriations (totaling around $47 billion in FY2025), as well as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees NIH. These entities lobby to shape research funding priorities, often favoring areas aligned with their commercial interests, such as specific disease research or innovation incentives. Though direct lobbying of NIH itself is limited due to its focus on merit-based grants, indirect influence occurs through congressional earmarks, budget advocacy, and funding for patient/disease advocacy groups that push for targeted NIH allocations. Studies estimate that such lobbying can affect 3-15% of NIH’s new spending on rare diseases or advocated areas.

https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/news-events/new-research-finds-special-interest-lobbying-does-influence-nih-research-funding

19 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

• Dr Petteruti has faced multiple disciplinary actions from the Rhode Island Department of Health, including a five-year suspension of his license in 2020, involving probation and monitoring. 

• So why would you push his supplements

There’s a much larger picture here that should be considered. Folks who practice traditional medicine in the US are constantly under attack due to government influence by pharma, though traditional medicine has been practiced successfully for thousands of years, it’s only been getting a bad rap in recent history due to the influence of mega stock holders such as Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street Corp. These firms manage trillions in assets through index funds, ETFs, and mutual funds on behalf of millions of individual and institutional investors, they don't "own" the shares in a controlling sense but hold and vote them as fiduciaries. They frequently rank as the top 1–3 shareholders across most S&P 500 companies, including those in food and pharma sectors. So to somehow believe that they don’t have influence on the cycle of sickness in the US would be to either be in ignorance of or to condone the health problems that they have helped create and are by far partially responsible for.

U.S. Sales of Herbal Supplements Exceed $13 Billion at Retail

Consumer spending on herbal dietary supplements at retail grew 5.4% in 2024.

September 11, 2025

https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/breaking-news/u-s-sales-of-herbal-supplements-exceed-13-billion-at-retail/

-- So maybe they should fund their own studies.

7 minutes ago, JerryM said:

U.S. Sales of Herbal Supplements Exceed $13 Billion at Retail

Consumer spending on herbal dietary supplements at retail grew 5.4% in 2024.

September 11, 2025

https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/breaking-news/u-s-sales-of-herbal-supplements-exceed-13-billion-at-retail/

-- So maybe they should fund their own studies.

Thanks for pointing that out and contrasting the power and influence of mega corporations have and the disparity it’s imposed on traditional medicine of which sales are minuscule in comparison of pharmaceutical sales which were ~$630b+ in the US and ~$1.6t+ globally.

16 minutes ago, novacova said:

Thanks for pointing that out

You're welcome. Still with that much they should be able to fund a study or 2 more to their liking.

AI Gemini as to current status on Saw palmetto/BPH:

Key Findings from Early Studies (1980s-90s):

Encouraging Results: Early studies, including some published in the 1980s and 1990s, often showed that saw palmetto had efficacy similar to, or was a valid alternative to, conventional medications like finasteride for mild-to-moderate BPH.

Growing Popularity: Due to these promising early findings, saw palmetto became widely popular as a natural remedy for BPH, with its popularity in the U.S. market increasing significantly by the late 1990s.

Limitations: Despite the promise, many of these early studies were limited by small sample sizes, short evaluation periods, and a lack of standardized, validated symptom scores

i hope there are a few intelligent people on here who understand that finding contradictory "studies " on ANYTHING is as easy as clicking on google...Ai .

Everyone is free to do their own research and hopefully put their "beliefs" into actual practice , then post their personal experiences .

Battling google searches are really a waste of time .

some people have nothing better to do ....

Some people like to come on this forum and related forums with their 'anecdotal experience' that flies in the face of most established research and expect people to accept that those experiences are genuine and meaningful just because they say so.

This is from U of Florida Agriculture: https://swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/resources/saw-palmetto-berries/

Saw palmetto is a wild crop and cannot be cultivated. All supply is harvested in the wild. Florida is the prime source.

If Saw Palmetto were ever PROVEN to deal with BPH, those berries would probably be priced like caviar.

32 minutes ago, JerryM said:

This is from U of Florida Agriculture: https://swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/resources/saw-palmetto-berries/

Saw palmetto is a wild crop and cannot be cultivated. All supply is harvested in the wild. Florida is the prime source.

If Saw Palmetto were ever PROVEN to deal with BPH, those berries would probably be priced like caviar.

Serenoa repens had been used for hundreds, possibly thousands of years by the indigenous people of southeast US, Florida. Over such a long period of time, one would think that they would figure out that there’s no benefit to using serenoa repens and move on if it didn’t therapeutic results, the same with many other ancient remedies that have the propensity to carve into the pharmaceutical industries profits of which who are pretty much the gatekeepers that throttle information with funding studies and influence over the science journals and universities who win in the end because they have the funds and the media to influence.

2 hours ago, JerryM said:

Some people like to come on this forum and related forums with their 'anecdotal experience' that flies in the face of most established research and expect people to accept that those experiences are genuine and meaningful just because they say so.

Again, a much larger picture to this story. Modern medicine draws heavily from traditional medicine, particularly through the discovery and adaptation of natural compounds that have been used in traditional remedies for thousands of years. Thousands of years of research, scientific research of trial and error, that’s right, the tribes medicine man way back when a thousand years ago was a scientist taught from previous generations and who taught the next generation. Imagine what modern medicine would be like today without the eons of research already established.