Use Of Altenative Medicine In Prostate Cancer

Use Of Altenative Medicine In Prostate Cancer
By Valerian D

According to a conclusion of a group of the University of
California-San Francisco, about one third of prostate cancer
sufferers in the United States receive some type of alternative
or complementary medicine therapies. People using alternative
medicine have more education, higher incomes, and more advanced
cancers, targeting the prostate health when were younger. They
also were more likely to face other illnesses.

Because alternative or complementary therapies could interact
with other medicines, it is very important for patients to tell
their physician everything they are taking.

After investigation of a group of 2,582 prostate cancer
patients, the study found that 852 (about one third) reported
the use of some alternative medicine, such as mineral or vitamin
supplements, herbs, antioxidants and some sorts of alternative
treatment for "prostate health," such as saw palmetto or
lycopene.

The study has no conclusion about how prostate patients take
the decision to start using complementary or alternative
medicines and about the way they are getting their information.
There is also no mention regarding how the use of these
therapies affects health and quality of life in men with
prostate cancer.

Men

can find a lot of alternative therapies on the market, but
the question is, do these therapies work?

If taken in small to moderate portions, these products show to
be safe. But they haven't been tested yet in large, long-term
trials. Some may be beneficial by providing protective effects
before develops, such as treatments based on
Vitamin E, selenium or lycopene. But they are slowly gaining
acceptance in conventional medicine.

Apart of the fact that they may or may not help, the benefits
and risks of such products and practices remain unproven by
scientific techniques. However, the biggest problem is the
production of these products is not well regulated by an
authority and the amount of active ingredient may vary from
bottle to bottle or even from pill to pill.

About the Author: Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized
in health issues affecting men such as prostate cancer. Visit
http://www.mens-health-events.info/prostate_cancer.php to learn
more

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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