Prostatitis causes a lot of discomfort even in the early stages of the disease. Painful burning sensation, itching at night, problems with urination, sexual dysfunction are inevitable companions of chronic prostatitis. It is 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. At risk are men over 40 years old: according to statistics, out of 10 men in this age group, four have prostatitis. In men over 80 years old, the picture is even worse: chronic inflammation of the prostate is detected in 9 out of 10 patients.
How is it possible that even men who do not have a hereditary predisposition to prostatitis develop inflammation of the prostate gland in old age? A common misconception is related to the hormone testosterone. It is believed that prostatitis develops due to age-related decline in testosterone levels. This is fundamentally incorrect: testosterone affects the health of the prostate, but only with its deficiency does not prostatitis develop, but adenoma. This is an independent disease, and to prevent prostate adenoma, the doctor may prescribe regular use of the testosterone hormone.
Prostatitis requires the right conditions for the infection to develop. Age-related testosterone deficiency is not enough for the inflammatory process to begin. Several factors must coincide:
- Reduces blood circulation in the pelvic organs.Occurs with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular physical activity. The main risk factor is sedentary work: if at home a man gets up and stretches himself when he is tired of sitting, then at work it is not always possible to take the necessary rest.
- Failure to observe basic rules of sexual or intimate hygiene.Women can get an infection that causes prostatitis and not know it. The best prevention in this case is contraception. In addition, you can get an infection in toilets in public places, during medical examinations with non-sterile instruments, etc.
- Decreased immunity.Prostatitis, like any inflammation, often develops against the background of a weak immune system. Lack of vitamins and microelements prevents prostate cells from facing the inflammatory process at an early stage.
- Reduces the body's overall resistance to external threats.Chronic fatigue, stress, lack of sleep are the main factors that can trigger prostatitis at any age. The body needs rest to fight infection, so remember to rest. Even exercise will be an indirect cause of prostatitis if you don't give your muscles time to recover.
Prevention is always easier than treatment: there is no need to take antibiotics or other drugs with severe side effects. If you can normalize your sleep, ensure daily exercise, healthy nutrition and low stress levels, prostatitis will not bother you. Of course, you also need to monitor the source of infection: if possible, avoid using public toilets with unclean conditions; control 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 take for prevention
In issues such as the prevention of prostatitis in men, drugs play a role if the patient has a tendency to prostatitis. However, different types of prostatitis are not considered interchangeable. If your relatives have bacterial prostatitis, then you need to choose specific preventive measures for this disease.
Acute bacterial prostatitis
This form of prostatitis always appears unexpectedly, even at the most inopportune moment. To avoid treating inflammation on your long-awaited vacation, take medicines and biological supplements that strengthen your immune system. Treat colds and flu at the first sign of the disease: in young people, prostatitis often first appears due to seasonal diseases.
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. Specialists will examine the organ 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. To treat chlamydia, antibiotics from the tetracycline group and other drugs from the same series are prescribed for 1-2 weeks. During treatment you need to follow a diet with restrictions on foods containing calcium.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis
Although the prevention of chronic prostatitis does not require prescription drugs, for men who have a tendency to chronic inflammation of the prostate, stimulants and dietary supplements will be useful. To avoid treating the slow inflammatory process, use the following products regularly:
- Means that normalizes the function of the prostate gland.The purpose of these drugs is to restore active blood flow in the pelvic organs, start the tissue healing process, and control secretions. Although they are usually used for treatment, it is also possible to prevent prostatitis with their help, especially against the background of male tendencies. Before using the medicine for the first time, consult your doctor.
- A drug with a significant antibacterial effecttaken against a background of exposure to bacterial infections. These funds are also intended primarily for treatment. Get checked to find out if you need to take care of the prevention of bacterial inflammation, or if general remedial medicine is enough.
- Vitamin complex and food 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 herbs is widely used to prevent inflammation at home. Pay attention to natural components that increase the body's resistance to infection:
- radiola pink;
- echinacea;
- ginseng.
Please note: treatment with herbal remedies with similar properties is not acceptable if a man has hypertension. Taking active substances against the background of high blood pressure is dangerous, because one of the effects of the drug is an immediate increase in blood pressure.
To prevent prostatitis in men, products based on extracts are also used - natural vein tone stimulators:
- Japanese Sophora;
- horse chestnut;
- ginkgo;
- eucalyptus;
- grape seeds;
- red grape leaves.
Their action is similar to pharmaceutical drugs - phlebotonics. A side effect of treating venous tone disorders is the elimination of circulatory stagnation in the pelvic organs. Restoring blood flow contributes to the overall health of the prostate.
Preventive measures in men should not be accompanied by the use of diuretic herbs: bearberry, lingonberry, etc. If you are prone to prostatitis, they have the opposite effect: a sudden increase in the amount of urine increases the pressure on the prostate gland and can trigger inflammation. Treatment of difficulty urinating 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 difficulties in 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 have to do is undergo laboratory tests. The disease becomes chronic when the body becomes so weak that after treating the bacterial infection, a new infection manages to break through the defenses - and it all happens again. To prevent prostatitis from returning, men need to strengthen the body first: in the interval between infections it will be more difficult to strengthen the immune system.
Effective preventive measures:
- Dress appropriately for the weather.Avoid hypothermia, do not get wet through and through, and if this happens, take a warm shower. Bathing is not suitable: the body must receive uniform heating for at least 15-20 minutes. If you have had prostatitis, the infection can persist in the tissue and wait in the wings even after treatment with antibiotics. Be vigilant and the disease will not return.
- Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks per week.Do not combine alcoholic beverages with the treatment of the flu: this is one of the common factors that trigger inflammation of the prostate gland.
- Eat more fibrous foods.Crude dietary fiber is the foundation for prostate health. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is prescribed to treat constipation. Since constipation is another cause of inflammation in the prostate tissue, you should try to avoid it. If it is not possible to radically change your diet, add bran to your diet. 2-3 spoons before each meal has a good effect on the function of the digestive tract.
Moderate sexual activity is another factor in prostate health. Regular sex life normalizes organ secretions and relieves excessive pressure, which can cause inflammation. Do not forget about contraception: if you are prone to inflammation of the prostate, you need to protect yourself not from sexual intercourse, but from common bacterial infections.
Do 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 may be difficult to find the muscles the first time because they are used unconsciously. You can feel the work of these muscles yourself if you try to stop while urinating. You need to train tight muscles. Regular exercise normalizes the function of internal organs.