Prostate Health
What NOT To Let Your Doctor Do
by Larry Clapp, PhD, JD
When your doctor gives you a diagnosis of
prostate cancer, he or she is also likely to tell you that you must have
treatment immediately or you will die.
Surgery
If you're being treated by a urologist, a
surgery called radical prostatectomy will probably be recommended. Also known as
open prostatectomy, or simply the radical, radical prostatectomy is a major
surgery which calls for your belly to be cut open and your entire prostate cut
out. The theory behind the radical prostatectomy is deceptively simple: pluck
out the entire prostate, cancer and all, before the cancer has a chance to
spread.
If you're not careful, your doctor will have
you believing that the radical prostatectomy is as simple and effective as using
your spoon to scoop a little piece of hair out of your soup. If only it were
true!
The surgery works only if the cancer is
totally confined to the prostate, and not a single cancer cell has spread beyond
it. Despite advances in testing, doctors cannot
guarantee that a few cells haven't escaped the prostate. Many thousands of
prostates have been surgically removed without curing the patient, for tiny
bits of the cancer had already escaped. The surgeries were for naught ? and for
many came at great sacrifices in quality of life.
Most men who undergo a radical prostatectomy
end up suffering from varying degrees of impotence and incontinence. That's not
surprising, given that the nerves controlling erection run right along the
outside of the prostate. Even with the newer, "nerve-sparing" approach
to the surgery, these precious nerves are often damaged or destroyed. Although
some men recover to some degree, half or more of all men whose prostates have
been surgically removed will never regain the ability to get and maintain an
erection. And of course, there's a chance that you will die from the surgery
itself.
But even if the radical prostatectomy worked
more often and more effectively, it would still be ill-advised and dangerous.
Why shock the body by cutting it when you can regain health without going under
the knife? And the prostate is the center of a man's sexual energy ? when it's
gone, his total energy is bound to lag. Look at and listen to men who have had
the surgery. Ask your doctor for names of men who have had the surgery ? or,
better yet, find a support group such as PAACT (Patient Advocates for Advanced
Cancer Treatments).
Radiation
Therapy
If, on the other hand, you happen to wind up
in the hands of a radiologist, you'll get an entirely different recommendation.
Since they've been trained to use radiation, these specialists urge their
patients to undergo radiation therapy,
also called radiotherapy or irradiation. The idea is to radiate cancerous cells
to death, hoping to shrink and possibly eliminate the cancer. The radiation
doesn't kill the cancer cells right away; instead, it "gets" them when
they attempt to divide in two. If, however, the cancer has spread beyond the
prostate, radiation therapy can only slow its growth. It will not cure you.
The standard approach has been to apply the
radiation externally by "beaming" radiation right into your abdomen as
you lie on a table. Radiologists will usually apply the radiation beam to an
area larger than the actual cancer, just in case they've underestimated the
size. If the cancer is localized in the prostate or the areas immediately
adjacent, radiation treatment generally takes between six and eight weeks, five
days a week. Common side effects of external beam radiation include
incontinence, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, radiation skin burns, and skin
irritation. If the radiation damages the nerves that control erections (which
run right by the prostate, touching the gland) you may wind up impotent. Of
course, you can never be sure that the radiation "got" every single
cancer cell in the body. If even one cell remains, the tumor can regrow, the
cancer can spread, and all will have been for naught. And if the cancer does
come back, you can't turn to radiation again, for too much radiation can actually
cause cancer.
A newer approach to radiating prostate
cancer, called internal seed radiation, uses tiny radioactive "seeds"
surgically implanted in the prostate. Internal radiation refines the approach by
getting the radiation right up against the cancer cells instead of passing it
through the body and possibly harming other tissue along the way. The radiation
seeds, which look like rice or bird seeds, are pushed through
small needles right into your prostate. Fifty or more radiation seeds may be
used on a typical patient.
Internal seeding has some advantages over
external beam radiation. It's an outpatient procedure that takes only an hour to
two. The seeds are placed right at or close to the cancer site, delivering their
radiation "on target". Because the radiation is more focused than the
external beam, there appears to be less risk of impotence and incontinence, and
recovery takes only a day (or less). Andy Grove, CEO of Intel, elected to have
seed radiation after researching the issues quite carefully. He wrote an
outstanding article on the subject, called "Taking On Prostate Cancer" in the 5/13/96 issue of Fortune magazine
? must reading for anyone
considering treatment of prostate cancer!
Hormone
Therapy
Most men with cancer that is still confined
to the prostate wind up undergoing either surgery or radiation. But if the
cancer has spread, doctors will typically suggest hormone therapy. Hormone
therapy is based on the idea that prostate cancer cells are especially hungry
for testosterone, the male hormone. Take away this "food" and the
cancer cells die. Most of the testosterone in a man's body is produced in the
testicles, which is why doctors used to simply cut them off to "cure"
prostate cancer. (The surgery to remove the testicles is called orchiectomy.)
But it's not enough to surgically remove a
man's testicles, because the adrenal glands go into action to produce even more
testosterone. So even after the testicles have been removed, a man suffering
from prostate cancer must still take medicines to block the flow of testosterone
from the adrenal glands. Another approach, which allows men to
keep their testicles, is to use powerful drugs to block the flow of
testosterone.
Whether a man keeps his testicles or not,
hormone therapy deprives him of his usual testosterone. This slows the cancer
somewhat, but has unpleasant side effects and undesirable psychological
consequences. Men find themselves unable to get or keep erections, they lose
muscle mass and gain breast tissue, and they suffer from fatigue hot flashes,
reduced brain function, and other problems. Hormone therapy can be a helpful
temporary measure to arrest or shrink the cancer.
Other
Methods of Treatment
Although surgery, radiation, and hormone
therapy are the medical system's favored approaches to treating prostate cancer,
there are others. For example:
Cryosurgery is a relatively new procedure in
which cancer cells, and the prostate they are in, are frozen to death. It is
still considered to be an experimental procedure by many authorities. Although
it's a "lesser" surgery than the radical prostatectomy, cryosurgery is
still a major surgery that is a shock to the body. Impotence and incontinence
are common. Other side effects include bleeding, infection, hypothermia,
urethral-rectal fistula (which may lead to a colostomy), injury to the bladder
or urethra, urgency and frequency of urination, and urinary retention.
Cryosurgery is an effective alternative medical treatment that is far less
invasive and just as effective as a radical prostatectomy.
Hyperthermia, the opposite of cryosurgery, is
utilized separately and in conjunction with radiation. With hyperthermia, heat
is applied to the prostate via microwaves coming from a cigar-box-like device
placed between the man's legs or over his abdomen. No one knows quite how heat
kills cancer. Some authorities argue that the heat damages the blood vessels
leading to cancerous cells, without affecting normal cells, or that it kills the
cancer cells weakened by radiation. Still others believe that heat interferes
with the cancer cells' ability to make proteins or keep themselves
"clean" but it is effective.
Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill
cancer cells. But the drugs don't specifically target cancer cells. Instead,
they look for any rapidly growing cell. Cancer cells grow rapidly, but so do
hair cells, cells lining the stomach, cells of the immune system, and cells in
the bones. They, too, are killed by chemotherapy, causing a host of terrible
side effects. Chemotherapy is not effective against prostate cancer per se; it's
typically used only when the cancer has spread. And it's not a cure; it only
helps relieve some advanced cancer symptoms.
Watchful waiting is recommended by some
doctors (usually for older men) in the early stages of prostate cancer, before
the tumor is big enough to "warrant" attack by surgery or radiation.
Watchful waiting has the benefit of not assaulting the body, but it does nothing
to stimulate the body's defenses. Many studies have found that watchful waiters
match or slightly exceed the life spans of those who opt for surgery, and that
the quality of their lives is far superior. (For more on this subject, read
"Still Waiting, Watchfully" in the 5/13/96 issue of Fortune magazine.)
These interesting approaches may be useful
adjuncts or substitutes for the traditional surgery, radiation, and hormone
therapy, but they all miss the boat. None of them cleans the body of toxins and
blockages, or strengthens the body's ability to heal itself ? and this process
is the only way to successfully deal with prostate cancer.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Urologists argue passionately for surgery,
while radiologists sing the praises of radiation therapy. Other physicians may
insist that hormone therapy is the only salvation. Each specialist urges you to
opt for their approach, insisting that it's absolutely the best thing to do, and
that you should do it right now.
If your doctor tells you they have you
scheduled for surgery or radiation tomorrow, or if they want to remove your
testicles, start grilling them. Ask them to describe the side effects of these
treatments, and the likelihood of suffering associated with each. Verbally pin
them to the wall; make them defend their approach and show you the statistics
that prove theirs is the best approach. Ask the doctors if their approaches help
the body heal itself. If they are honest, they'll admit the answer is no. Ask
for comparative analyses with other possible treatments. Get second and third
opinions. Learn all you can.
After you've discovered the limitations of
standard Western medicine, look into ways of cleansing your body and removing
the blockages that encourage disease. Think about and visualize strengthening
your body's ability to heal itself. Doesn't that make the most sense? If you
agree that the best approach is to make your body strong enough to naturally and
completely dispense with the cancer, keep reading. Then spring into action!
Implement your own healing plan. It can work,
and it can work quickly: in 90 days! Remember, healthy bodies successful
ward off cancer every day! Regularly monitor your progress. You can always fall
back on your medical treatment of choice if necessary. (My unused fall-back
choice was seed radiation.)
See also Dr. Clapp's article
on Sex
for a Healthy Prostate
and Dr. Haas' article on Herbs
for a Healthy Prostate
This
article was
excerpted from
"Prostate
Health in 90 Days" by Larry Clapp, PhD,
JD.
Info/Order
this book
This book on tape.
LARRY CLAPP, Ph.D.,
J.D., was diagnosed with prostate cancer in
1990. Given the limited options of surgery
and radiation, he began intensive research
into self-healing alternatives and developed
a treatment for prostate cancer which he
successfully used to cure himself. Today,
cancer-free, he continues his research while
helping others to heal through his audiotape
series and nationwide presentations. He is
co-author of Awaken
the Healer Within. This article was
excerpted by permission from his book "Prostate
Health in 90 Days without drugs or surgery",
published by Hay House, www.hayhouse.com
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