About benign prostate hypertrofy  (BPH)

Benign prostate hypertrophy ( or hyperplacia ) is an enlargement of the prostate gland. There are mainly the glandular cells in the prostate that proliferate  to  make the gland grow. The cells are not different from cells in a normal prostate, and do not spread as cancer cells do.

The symptoms of the condition is feeling of pressure from the enlarged gland, and gradually the urine flow will be impaired, and sometimes the flow of irine can stop. If the hypertrophy is very large, the bladder function can be impaired because of pressure. There is little correspondance between the grade of total hyperplacy and the urination problems. A bug hyperplacy can make little problems and a small one can markedly influence the urinary function.

One of the reasons for the glandular cells to proliferate is influenze from the substance dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a metabolic product from the male sexual hormone, testosterone.

There are several methods in use for treatment of prostate hyperplacia. The drug Finasteride (Proscar) decreases the production of DHT and thus alleviates the prostate hypertrophy.

Terazosin (Hytrin), doxazosin (Cardura) and Tamsulosin (Flomax)  act by relaxing the smooth muscle of the prostate and bladder neck to cause an improved urine flow and a reduced bladder outlet obstruction.

Destroying some extra prostate tissue by microwaves from a device inserted into the urethra, is still another tretment. In more difficult cases surgery to remove extra tissue obstructing urine flow is used.

There are many herbal or natural drugs relaxing the muscles in the prostate area or working against the influenze of the DHT, or known for promoting prostate helath otherwise, for example pollen, pumpkin seed and saw palmetto berries. In the market you kan find preparations of these natural ingredients solely, or blends of several working together.



About craneberry

Botannical classification

Kingdom: Plantae (Plants), Division: Magnoliophyta (unranked), Class: Magnoliopsida (unranked), Order: Ericales (Ericales), Family: Ericaceae (heath family), Genus: Vaccinium (Bølle genus).

Species: Vaccinium oxycoccos and the american species Vaccinum Macrocarpon, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium microcarpum.

Cranberries are related to bilberries, blueberries, and huckleberries, all belonging to the Vaccinium subgenus Vaccinium. These differ in having stouter, woodier stems forming taller shrubs, and in the bell-shaped flowers where the petals are grown together.

Cranberry is widespread across the whole cold sone of the northern hemisphere. It can also grow more southwards at higher altitudes. It grows in mores, and especially in spagnum moss near the water or floating over the water.


The plant's morphology

Cranberry is a creeping, evergreen dwarf shrub with small thin stems. The leaves are small and white and it has pink flowers. Leaves are there the whole year, but change color according to season. The leaves are reddish brown in the autumn, then the same leaves turn green next spring.

The berries are small, red and round and sit like pearls on a string. The berries have a bitter-tart flavor. They contain benzoic acid, a natural preservative. Cultivated versions may have greater berries.

The plant have the shape of a long creeping wine up to 2 meters long and up to 20 cm high, dependent upon the species.

Roots are very fine and thin, but reach wide.


Vaccinum oxycoccos

Vaccinium oxycoccos or Oxycoccos palustris (Common Cranberry or Northern Cranberry) grows widespread across the whole cool region of the northern hemisphere

It has small 5-10 mm leaves. The flowers are dark pink, with a purple central spike, sitting on finely hairy stalks. The berries are small, pale pink and tasting acidicly.


Vaccinum erythrocarpum

Vaccinium erythrocarpum or Oxycoccos erythrocarpus (Southern Mountain Cranberry) grows natively in southeastern North America in the highe areas of the Appalachian Mountains, and also in eastern Asia.

Some plants of the completely unrelated genus Viburnum are sometimes inaccurately called "highbush cranberries" (Viburnum trilobum).

Cranberries are susceptible to false blossom, a harmful but controllable phytoplasma disease common in the eastern production areas of Massachusetts and New Jersey.


Vaccinum microcarpum

Vaccinium microcarpum or Oxycoccos microcarpus (Small Cranberry) occurs in northern Europe and northern Asia, and differs from V. oxycoccus by having more triangular leavs and by having hairless flower stalks.


Vaccinum microcarpon

Vaccinium macrocarpon or Oxycoccos macrocarpus (Large cranberry, American Cranberry, Bearberry) grows natively in northeastern North America (eastern Canada, and eastern United States, south to North Carolina at high altitudes). It has larger leaves 10-20 mm long, and the taste resambles somewhat apple.


Commercial use as food and medicines

Cranberry is grown and harvested commercially in big scale in the USA. Berries are used to make juice, pickling and jam. They are also used to make nutritional supplements and herbal medicines.

Beds to grow cranberries used to be constructed in wetlands. The beds used by now consist of soil with sand over it. Around the bed there is a dike consisting of soil scrapped off from the top of the bed. The bed is levelled to be equally hight in all parts. The beds are constantly irrigated and drained to hold it wet and to provide a stable temperature and frost protection.


Medically effective substances in cranberry

Cranberry has a high content of effective antioxidants and is therefore used as a general remedy to prevent disease and aging changes.

The antioxidants are mostly of the polyphenol type that seem to be effective cancer preventive substances.

Raw cranberries and cranberry juice are abundant food sources of the anthocyanidin flavonoids cyanidin, peonidin and quercetin. These are powerful against human cancer cells in vitro. They may not be so effective in real use because of little absorbtion from the digestive system and rapid elimination.

Cranberry contain tannins. These have anti-clotting properties. they may reduce urinary tract infections. They are also effective against the dental plaque-causing oral bacteria and thereby against ginvivitis.


Use of cranberry as medicine

Cranberry juice is used as prevention and remedy against cystitis.

Cranberry juice may help against kidney stones.

Cranberry may be useful to prevent heart and circulatory ailments, for example for prevention of blood clots.

Cranberry may help to prevent cancer.

Cranberry is useful against oral infection, dental plaque and gingivitis.


Cautions

Food allergics should be wary of consuming berries, juice or jam.


Cranbarry bush with berries ( A free picture from Wikipedia.org




Urination Problems in Prepubertal and Pubertal Boys

Boys in the prepubertal age and puberty have fairly often ptoblems with urination related to their state of bodily development that are seldome talked about but are often easy to solve.

Boys in this age will often get hard erections upon slight stimulation that last a long time. A filled bladder will often cause such erections. The erections make the passage of urine extremely narrow, so that it takes a long time for the boy to get the urine to flow, and it takes a long time before the bladder is empty.

Most boys nowadays have a stressful time schedule both at home and at school so that the boy simply do not get enough time to empty his bladder, resulting in many hours with an overfilled bladder, which again can damage the urinary system.

One ingredient in solving the problem is dayly masturbation. It will also help to let the boy have ample time for toilet visist, both at home and in school and that the boy sits down at the toilet seat and relaxes until the urine flows, and until his bladder is totally empty.

The boy should sit down streigt and relax as much as possible.

Because toilet seats are not generally constructed for boys that have an erection, when he feels that the urine begins to flow, the boy must in most cases lean somewhat foreward, support himself with one underarm across his thighs, and with the hand of the other arm gently press his penis a little down into the toilet basin.


These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is nutritional in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and cosmetic act.