What Every Woman Needs to Know About Her Man’s Health

Prostate health starts with good nutrition and the right screening tools.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, with number one being lung cancer. In addition to being a killer, it is also the second most common cancer in men, with melanoma being the most prevalent. Over 3 billion dollars is spent annually just by Medicare and the Veterans Administration on a screening test that is unreliable at best. Compare this to the $300 million that is allotted to the National Cancer Institute for urologic research, and it’s clear we need to take prostate health matters into our own hands.

There’s so much more you can do to protect your prostate than just getting an annual PSA blood test that hasn’t even been proven to prevent prostate cancer deaths. Good nutrition, the right testing, targeted supplementation, and simple lifestyle changes will go a long way toward keeping your prostate in its prime. Here are 5 steps you can take for optimal prostate health.

1. Get the Right Test: The PSA Hoax

Despite the 78% false positive rate for the current PSA prostate screening test, the FDA continues to promote its widespread use. Dr. Richard J. Ablin, one of the three scientists who discovered the PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test, has opposed the use of this test as a screening tool since it was discovered in 1970. In fact, he feels so strongly about it that he refuses to have the test done – even though his own father died of prostate cancer.

The PSA test was discovered when these scientists were looking for an immunological marker to measure that was still present after removal of a cancerous prostate. The protein that this test measures is present in both healthy and diseased prostate glands, which means it isn’t a good screening tool in otherwise healthy men. But once a cancerous prostate has been surgically removed, if there’s still a measurable level of PSA, then they have a sign that the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body, or is recurring. It was never meant to be used as a screening tool in asymptomatic men.

The statistics show the PSA as a screening tool is completely unreliable, with wildly erratic results. For example, even though the cut-off level for the normal range is 4.0, a man with a PSA of 0.5 can actually have cancer, while a man with a PSA of 10.0 can be completely cancer-free. If you have an elevated PSA that leads to biopsy and subsequent cancer treatment, you have a 49 in 50 chance that you were treated unnecessarily. The statistics also show that you have the same risk of dying from prostate cancer – whether you do the PSA screening or not.

Despite the American Urological Association (AUA) and the US Preventative Task Force (USPTF) both coming forward in 2013 with recommendations that the PSA no longer be used as a routine screening tool, their advice is largely being ignored. Because most health care providers are behind the times with their prostate health screening tools, it’s vitally important you arm yourself with the most up-to-date knowledge and insist on better testing.

The Prostate Health Index (PHI) is a more sensitive test than the PSA, with the inclusion of proteins that appear in studies to be cancer-specific. Recent studies have shown that nearly 40 percent of the biopsies that have been done and yielded a negative result could have been avoided if the PHI had been done beforehand. If your PHI or PSA is elevated, I recommend asking for transrectal ultrasound imaging before biopsy or other surgical intervention. This ultrasound doesn’t carry the risk for infection that biopsy does, and it creates an image of the gland that shows even the small irregularities or tumors.

2. Check for Heavy Metals

These days we are exposed to heavy metals like mercury, lead, arsenic, and more in even the healthiest foods we eat and in the water we drink. Common sources of exposure include mercury in fish, high fructose corn syrup, and in the air and water near coal-fired power plants; lead in our drinking water; arsenic in our chicken and less commonly, from Agent Blue that our Vietnam veterans were exposed to along with Agent Orange.

Heavy metals are called “heavy” for a reason, and they obey the laws of gravity. These dense metals, and the chemicals that carry them, tend to settle in the lowest parts of the body, namely the groin and the feet. Once these metals are deposited and accumulate in the groin, they can cause inflammation in the prostate, leading to enlargement and even infection or cancer.

If you suffer from hair loss, fatigue, memory loss, “brain fog,” headaches, or frequent urinary tract infections, these can be clues you have high levels of heavy metals. I recommend Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (TMA) through UNI KEY Health. This non-invasive test uses a hair sample and shows not you’re your heavy metal levels, but also your essential mineral levels. In the detailed report that comes along with your test results, I give you recommendations for diet, supplements, and lifestyle changes you can make to restore healthy heavy metal and mineral levels. For the purposes of prostate screening, I recommend sending a sample of groin hair instead of hair from your head, if possible.

You can’t escape exposure to heavy metals, but you can support your ability to detox these metals with exercise, sauna, therapeutic bathing, regular cleansing, and supplementation.

3. Do a Yeast Cleanse

Dark, moist areas like the groin are prone to fungal infections like Candida yeast, and can spread to the prostate. Sexual partners can pass yeast infections back and forth to each other, and these infections can penetrate into deeper tissues like the prostate, causing prostatitis. Heavy metal accumulations also tend to attract fungus to the area they’re in, leading to chronic fungal rashes and prostate inflammation.

A low glycemic diet that’s free of all processed sugars and grains, plus good groin hygiene that keeps the area clean and dry, and safe sex practices, all go a long way toward preventing fungal issues. If you are prone to fungal and yeast infections, are on antibiotics, or have been binging on sugar, it’s a good time for a cleanse. You and your sexual partner should cleanse at the same time, in order to avoid reinfection.

Start by taking a good probiotic twice a day, like UNI KEY Health’s Flora-Key. Establishing colonies of healthy bacteria will help to keep yeast and fungus at bay. Probiotics can even be added to a warm water enema to increase their counts more rapidly. Next, add Y-C Cleanse from UNI KEY Health, which is a gentle yet very effective yeast and fungal cleanse. While you should commit to a good probiotic for the long term, a product like Y-C Cleanse only needs to be used quarterly throughout the year to cleanse and restore balance to your microbiome, or when you’ve been on antibiotics or recently exposed to yeast.

4. Get Moving for Better Prostate Health and a Longer Life

In a Harvard study of more than 7000 men who chose active surveillance of their prostate cancer over treatment, exercise led to a longer, healthier life. The men who exercised vigorously on a regular basis not only had a 60 percent lower risk of prostate cancer death, but also had better circulation and cardiovascular health, and better moods from the endorphins that exercising produces. Better circulation also means less likelihood of fungal infections or heavy metal deposits.

Vigorous exercise includes running, biking, tennis, swimming, and other aerobic activities that raise your heart rate with some intensity. For a better quality of life and optimal prostate health, start becoming more physically active today and work your way up to making exercise part of your daily life.

5. Supplement with Prostate Anti-Inflammatories

Prostate inflammation and cancer isn’t unique to the US. Cultures around the world use natural remedies to fend off inflammation for better prostate health. Natural remedies used include turmeric, fish oil, coconut oil, saw palmetto, pygeum, zinc, IP-6, tree nuts, fiber, holy basil, and avocadoes.

I recommend using UNI KEY Health’s Prostate Formula and Super-EPA, along with a diet rich in these anti-inflammatory foods for the best results. My Radical Metabolism plan is full of healthy oils and anti-inflammatory foods, and pairs well with these supplements. I also recommend taking 5000 IU Vitamin D3 daily if your prostate is inflamed or cancer is suspected. Studies show that prostate cancer is more likely to metastasize when vitamin D levels are low, and tumor shrinkage has been seen when vitamin D is started at least 60 days prior to surgical prostate removal.

And for a daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more… check out my Radical Health Tips.