As the second most common cancer in men, you can’t afford to ignore the threat of prostate cancer. Make sure to scroll below to learn about about prostate cancer and the treatments available.
What is Prostate Cancer?
Learning what prostate cancer is and how it can impact you is a good place to start if you don’t want to be the next statistic. Your prostate is a small gland located near your bladder. The cells in your prostate and the rest of your body will divide for reproduction and die, but cancer cells are different. They will divide uncontrollably and don’t expire, and they will quickly form tumors and can infect nearby tissue.
As a relentless disease, prostate cancer kills about 26,730 men each year, and it catches most of them off guard. Without regular checkups, a lot of patients won’t discover prostate cancer until the late stages of an outbreak, which makes treatment a challenge.
Who’s at Risk?
When you want to safeguard yourself from prostate cancer, learning whether or not you are at risk is a vital step in the right direction. This disease can impact men of all ages and backgrounds, but several factors can increase your odds of getting it. If you have a family member with prostate cancer, you are two times more likely to face the disease.
While prostate cancer is rare in men under 40, your odds of getting it skyrocket as you begin to age. Some people panic when they learn that they have some of the risk factors, feeling as though they are doomed to catch the disease, but that is not the case.
Signs, Symptoms and Potential Causes
Those who would like to remain free of prostate cancer need to learn about the common symptoms and causes of the disease. Uncovering the red flags will empower you to catch it in the early stages before it has time to progress. If you have trouble urinating or need to go to the bathroom more often than before, you will want to speak with your doctor. Swelling of the legs, painful ejaculations, and erectile dysfunction are additional symptoms that you will need to monitor if you want to keep cancer at bay.
While all men are at risk of getting prostate cancer, some lifestyle choices will increase your odds of getting the disease. If you eat poorly and don’t exercise, you will be much more likely to get prostate cancer than men who make healthy decisions. Consuming high levels of calcium can put you at risk for developing it, and you can’t afford to overlook the issue. Looking the other way and pretending that the threat does not exist is not a smart move, but many people choose that path.
Common Treatment Options
If a doctor has diagnosed you or someone you know with prostate cancer, you are likely wondering what treatment options are available. The good news is that you and your doctor can try several things to get the disease under control. The type of treatment that you will seek depends on the progression of the cancer and how aggressive it is.
In some situations, your doctor will recommend a prostatectomy, which is the removal of the prostate gland. You can also opt for brachytherapy if you want to avoid surgery or to ensure that the disease does not spread. This therapy involves placing a radioactive implant near the tumor to kill it. Another option is docefrez and abiraterone acetate, drugs that doctors can use to kill cancer cells and to stop them from infecting other areas of your body.
As you move forward with the process, remember that choosing a treatment option is no small task. You will want to learn about the pros and cons of each approach so that you can discover what path can provide you with the best possible results.
Alternative Remedies
A lot of men want to use alternative remedies to supplement their cancer treatment, which can improve their chances of making a recovery. Although alternative treatments can slow and reduce the spread of prostate cancer, they can’t cure it. Free radicals in your body can damage your cells and increase your risk of prostate cancer if you don’t address the problem.
Regularly consuming antioxidants will reduce the number of free radicals in your body and can slow the spread of prostate cancer. Adding plenty of raw fruits and vegetables to your diet will provide you with antioxidants, and this small step can complement any treatment program. You can also opt for acupuncture or meditation to reduce nausea, pain and stress, but these options won’t kill the cancer cells.
Prevention
Even though you can find a range of treatments, prevention is always the best way to protect yourself from prostate cancer. You will want to reduce the amount of calcium that you consume each day if your mission is to minimize your risk. If you don’t eat a lot of fish, adding it to your diet will provide you with plenty of fatty acids, which will improve your health and decrease your odds of getting cancer.
Maintaining a healthy diet and working out on a regular basis will also take you far in preventing prostate cancer. If you wish to boost your prevention strategy to the next level, ensure that you get checkups each year and speak with your doctor about your risk factors.
Prostate cancer impacts a lot of men across the nation, and everyone should learn about the risk factors and treatment options. Making healthy lifestyle choices and visiting your doctor regularly can reduce the threat and enhance your odds of survival. If your doctor reveals that you have prostate cancer, don’t be afraid to ask questions or to get advice. No matter who you are, the best way to overcome the disease is to educate yourself and to be proactive.
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