“There has been a groundswell of interest,” says Dr. Anderson, who, for the first time, can offer his patients an improved therapy. “It’s a whole new ball game.”
THE PROSTATITIS ACTION PLAN
How do you know if you have
prostatitis? The most common sign is severe pain in your privates,
whether it’s the penis, the rectum, or elsewhere in the neighborhood.
Some men have climaxes that feel like a leg cramp; others feel as if
they have a constant need to urinate. The condition can strike at any
age, but most victims are in their thirties or forties, probably
because stress appears to contribute to the disorder. While the disease
remains poorly understood, here’s what you should do, based on the
latest and best research:
See a doctor immediately.
Some experts believe prostatitis can be triggered by urinary tract
infections, in which case treating the infection promptly may be key to
recovery. Make sure the doctor cultures your urine; that’s the only way
to know for sure what you’re dealing with.
In some instances, antibiotics will even cure the prostatitis itself,
but a large number of prostatitis cases are nonbacterial and must be
treated with a variety of options, including alpha-blocker
prescriptions and dietary supplements such as quercetin or Prosta-Q.
If you do have an infection
and your doctor prescribes an antibiotic, question him thoroughly as to
how long you should remain on the drug. If you don’t eradicate the
infection completely, it could spread and worsen the symptoms. Also
ask about muscle relaxants.
Ask for a referral to a urologist,
and be sure he’s up-to-date on the latest research and treatments for
prostatitis. One way to tell: If he doesn’t give you the National
Institutes of Health patient questionnaire or the Stanford Protocol, he
probably isn’t on the cutting edge.
