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SAW PALMETTO NATURES PROSTATE HEALER: THE LONGEST STUDY
Although doctors have used SP with patients for over a decade, an actual study evaluating the long-term use of this herb was not published until 1996 .
This was a trial conducted in Germany, where doctors have been using SP and other herbs for the therapy of BPH on a regular basis for many years. A total of 89 urologists and 435 patients entered the 3-year prospective study and 315 patients completed it. The patients' age ranged between 41 and 89 years. They were treated with SP at 160 mg twice a day for 3 years.
The results showed nocturia to be improved in 73 percent of the patients. At the start of the study, only 13 patients did not have nocturia, whereas, at the conclusion of the 3-year trial, 114 patients were symptom-free. Daytime frequency improved in 54 percent of the patients. Residual volume diminished by 50 percent. With respect to digital rectal examination, after three years of therapy with SP, no changes in the size of the prostate could be determined.
Overall, 80 percent of the patients and doctors felt the improvements on SP were either good or very good. The researchers conclude, "If one compares the results of the present three-year study of IDS 89 (SP extract) with published data on the long-term treatment of BPH using synthetic active ingredientsi.e., a three-year finasteride study, and an 18-months study on the selective alpha-1-blocker, terazosinone can, despite methodological reservations, conclude somewhat unexpectedly that better clinical efficacy [effectiveness] has been documented in respect to the herbal preparation. Withdrawal from therapy because of adverse events was 1.8 percent with SP, as opposed to 11 percent with finasteride and 10 percent with terazosin."
This study is very important because it has been known that patients with BPH have a significant response to placebo that can go on for many months, even up to two years. This finding was reported by Dr. J. Curtis Nickel, professor or urology at Queen's University Faculty of Medicine in Kingston, Ontario, at the 1997 annual meeting of the American Urological Association. Therefore, the 3-year study reported above lends additional credence to the effectiveness of SP. Unfortunately, this 3-year study was not placebo-controlled. Hence, more long-term, placebo-controlled studies are required to satisfy the skepticism of critics.
The Very Latest
A Hungarian study published in 1997 is the latest to show the effectiveness of SP. Thirty-eight patients with symptoms of BPH were given SP for a 12-month period. Nearly three fourths of the patients reported improvements, and no side effects were observed. According to studies measuring the urine flow, the peak flow rate (how fast the urine comes out of the bladder) increased significantly and the amount of urine left in the bladder decreased or was nil in nine out of the ten patients. The size of the prostate gland decreased by 10 percent. The researchers say, "On the basis of this favorable experience, the authors recommend the administration of SP extract in the treatment of patients with mild or moderate symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia."
Summary
The results of numerous studies published over the past 15 or so years indicate that SP improves symptoms in a reasonable number of patients suffering from BPH. The benefits occur often without a dramatic decrease in the size of the prostate gland. The response to SP is similar in many ways to that of Proscar, even though they probably work in different ways.
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Men's Health Erectile Dysfunction
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Pharmacy Information
BIRTH CONTROL: LEGAL ASPECTS OF STERILIZATION
Sterilization for eugenic reasons is sanctioned in some states, particularly in tax-supported institutions. A doctor is free to perform sterilizing operations in these instances without concern for any legal consequences. If, however, the operation is done purely for reasons of health, the doctor's position is less safe, because he is not so well protected by state laws in these instances.
There are no uniform laws among the various states regarding sterilization. In California, malpractice suits against doctors resulting from surgery for sterilization are not usually covered by insurance companies. One study revealed269 that 87% of the physicians sampled who had performed vasectomies had never had suit brought against them because of this surgery, 8% had faced legal action, and 5% did not reply. Written consent by the patient affords the physician some measure of safety, but is no guarantee against a subsequent suit or even prosecution in a court of criminal law. Even eugenic sterilization is prohibited in four statesConnecticut, Kansas, Utah, and Montana.
Sterilization in Japan, though legal, is usually performed only upon women. In India, sterilization is limited to men, who are monetarily compensated for the time lost from work following the surgery.
As may be inferred from the foregoing, sterilization procedures are frequently preceded or followed by psychological repercussions that have their roots in anxiety: will there be a reduction of sexual desire; will masculinity or femininity be diminished? These fears can usually be assuaged by the reassurance of the surgeon through his careful explanation of all the ramifications of the operation. If emotional stress should persist, however, psychotherapy will often restore stability.
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Men's Health Erectile Dysfunction
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