On the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and on Maiming: A Rationale for Dangerous Misconceptions

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Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of BPH. Consequences

In private practices, the list of symptoms suggesting benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has recently grown to a length comparable to a medium-sized newspaper article. However, most of these symptoms are noticeable only when investigating another condition. The most accurate diagnosis does not rely on visible signs alone. It is established precisely through ultrasound diagnostics (transrectal ultrasound of the prostate, TRUS) and laboratory blood tests. Visiting these clinics is essential in two situations: after turning forty, or if persistent unhealthy changes appear in the urinary system.

Preparation for Ultrasound (TRUS) and a Common Diagnostic Error

Some specialists recommend preparing for a prostate ultrasound or TRUS by drinking a large amount of water to fully fill the bladder, supposedly for a more accurate result. However, this can compress the blood vessels around the bladder, disrupt circulation, trigger spasm of the straight muscles, and prevent complete emptying—even in healthy individuals. As a result, the diagnosis may suggest that the patient is in a near-critical condition and needs urgent surgery. In the early stages of BPH, when symptoms first appear, this approach is absurd and unprofessional. What is needed is not surgery, but an evaluation of the specialist’s competence—and for you, the search for a more qualified professional.

If the test is performed, it should be done in two stages: first, to measure the size or weight of the prostate; second, to determine the amount of residual urine in the bladder.

The Connection Between BPH and Cardiovascular Diseases

I do not intend to frighten you. At one point, I analyzed all the material I had studied and read about the causes of prostate diseases and found it incomplete. I never encountered information acknowledging a connection between BPH and cardiovascular problems. However, repeated observations and professional interactions confirm this link unequivocally.

Most people do not want to know about their illnesses, especially how different conditions are interconnected. Often, fear is the reason—they believe understanding the problem will only make things psychologically worse. Awareness and careful management should begin only when chronic laziness or hopelessness has taken hold, or when there is no knowledge—or desire—to gain it. Potential consequences include arterial hypertension, hypotension, or various impairments of heart function. If irreversible damage has not occurred, all of these conditions can be treated, provided competent diagnostics are applied. Complications are often triggered by influenza, tonsillitis, or other acute infections due to prolonged stress on the heart. Recovery is achievable.

Another example: many people with hypertension are sensitive to weather changes, which can cause blood pressure fluctuations and, in turn, prostate spasms. The greater the change in pressure, the stronger the compression. By understanding your own susceptibility, you can reduce painful effects, avoid complete urinary retention through diet, and, by following the method described on this website, eliminate the risk of complications entirely.

Acute Urinary Retention — Prevention and First Aid

It is crucial to remember that, without active management of the disease or with ineffective treatment, the same spasm will eventually affect the prostate and block the urethra, making urination impossible. If you are not actively managing your health, you must know in advance who can help and where, should catheterization be needed. This can become an urgent problem with serious consequences, especially if you live far from medical facilities. Not every doctor is skilled in this procedure.

Spasms cannot be predicted (there are many causes), but they often occur at inconvenient times: early in the morning (likely due to partial dehydration) or near midnight (for example, after a heavy dinner and inactivity). Before catheterization, remain calm, avoid food and drinks, and breathe slowly, deeply, and in fresh air.

Surgical Intervention: Indications, Risks, and Reality

Many doctors claim that removal of BPH (TURP) is inevitable and should ideally be performed as early as possible in adulthood. Perhaps they are tempted to predict outcomes, especially when no one challenges them. Such advice acknowledges the complexity and unpredictability of the procedure.

Surgery involves high temperatures, which destroy tissue. The remaining prostate and surrounding tissues undergo structural changes, disrupting local metabolism and blood circulation. Potential complications include loss of function, incontinence, and a likely reduction in sexual potency.

The decision to undergo surgery must be yours. It should be considered carefully—not superficially, intuitively, or under the influence of advertising. Understand that any new complications will affect only you. Assess your capabilities: physical fitness, readiness for therapeutic exercise, adherence to a proper diet, ability to monitor your health, and elimination of harmful habits (if any).

Surgery Is Not a Cure

Undergoing surgery to remove BPH does not mean you are healthy, because the procedure only removes the consequence, not the cause. Your endocrine and cardiovascular systems continue to function as before, without positive changes. The disease persists and continues to progress. Therefore, it is crucial to follow basic self-care rules, maintain a healthy diet, and engage in moderate physical activity.

Extreme Measures

Surgical interventions, such as transvesical adenomectomy or transurethral resection, are radical measures. Prostate removal is an extreme, last-resort procedure, with unpredictable consequences. Yet it is often promoted as a “gold standard,” a slogan repeated across numerous medical websites. Hearing such claims, one cannot help but conclude: some individuals in white coats, contrary to the Hippocratic Oath, are more interested in taking money than preserving health. Surgery itself is one of the most effective ways to achieve this. After the procedure, patients are usually discharged without guidance on lifestyle or follow-up care. Private practitioners often operate under an unspoken motto: “There are no former patients!”

Prostate Stenting and Embolization

Official medicine now offers prostate stenting, which involves placing a coil in the prostate canal. This can give patients a false sense of security. However, the body sends a very different message: “Many of your habits are uncomfortable for me, primarily your ignorance and inactivity! This is why you have BPH. Correct your mistakes before it’s too late!” Instead, patients are told: “Pay money, and we will temporarily relieve your problems with a trick called prostate stenting.”

The canal is forcibly widened, and over time, this may unexpectedly lead to prostate cancer. Patients are not informed that such procedures require costly medications afterward or warned about inevitable side effects. To me, this resembles experiments on silent lab animals. Embolization of BPH is similarly unpredictable.

Folk Medicine and Unsafe “Treatments”

Folk healers often attempt to reduce painful BPH symptoms using traditional remedies. One popular method involves administering medications via the anus, supposedly delivering them more directly to the prostate. What is actually treated in this way is unclear, but painful disruption of rectal microflora, often with lasting consequences, is almost guaranteed—especially if the remedies are not oil-based.

Sunbathing, Heat Therapy, and Physiotherapy

Sunbathing is recommended to replenish vitamin D. However, I have not seen positive results from this approach for BPH. Sun exposure can cause dehydration, a dangerous and unpredictable factor. Radiation exposure also carries risks. For those who maintain a healthy lifestyle, daily outdoor activity provides sufficient sunlight. I personally tried this method while resting by the sea. Despite moderation, I experienced problems, which is why I do not recommend sunbathing.

Heat therapy should be approached with caution. It can relieve symptoms of chronic prostatitis and BPH but is strictly contraindicated for malignant tumors. The principle is that heat thins the blood, improves microcirculation in the prostate and surrounding tissues, and provides a mild resolving effect. In some cases, it can temporarily reduce pain. Temperature increases should be minimal—1–2 degrees above body temperature—and not prolonged. Excessive heat or duration may cause swelling, spasms, or no relief. This physiotherapy is suitable only for minor prostate enlargement, where improving circulation is possible. Historically, simple, widely available materials with good heat retention—such as sand, ozokerite, clay, paraffin, and today an electric heating pad with a regulator—have been used.

Human greed changes everything. Fraudsters, both from outside and private practices, exploit the simplicity of these methods. They deceive patients, take their money, and promote expensive procedures on devices no more effective than a warm compress (soon likely marketed as “nanotechnology”). Some even persuade people to set up home “mini clinics” and sell worthless equipment at exorbitant prices, as I have discussed in other articles.

A Word About the “Golden Mean”

Doctors emphasize the benefits of sexual activity. Medical Qigong, yoga, and other Eastern practices sometimes describe BPH as arising from excessive sexual activity. Both perspectives are valid. Active sexual activity increases heart rate (the higher, the better), enhancing blood circulation and emptying the prostate. This helps relieve periprostatic muscle spasm. Excessive activity, however, prevents full recovery, causing congestion and harm. Moderation, or the “golden mean,” is essential.

If the prostate is inflamed, rest is required above all else.

Consequences of Extreme Health Practices

This section is aimed at those engaging in extreme health practices: plunging into ice-cold water, which can cause vascular spasm and shock without heart monitoring; prolonged or dry fasting; and other naturopathic methods. Effects of such methods are twofold: temporary relief (usually externally visible) and hidden, irreversible harm. People absorbed in these practices often refuse to see negative consequences objectively, making rational discussion extremely difficult.

First, if you have not yet tried such “epic” practices, calmly and thoroughly examine their meaning. Ask yourself: What is BPH? How can it be treated safely? Answer these questions with reason and evidence. There is enough information available today. Without active mental engagement and verified knowledge, no serious diagnosis can be properly managed. Once you investigate, the desire for extreme methods will fade naturally.

Second, if you have already tried such practices and achieved only minor, short-term improvement—or none at all—assess your body before moving to another treatment. Serious side effects may appear gradually, and medical examination will help detect them early. This way, you will know—frankly—whether to hold accountable those who promoted these methods or yourself (the latter is usually wiser).

With respect,
Author, Gennadiy Plotyan.

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