BPH

What is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlarged prostate gland. BPH is a common condition as men get older. The prostate is a small gland that starts out about the size of a walnut. As men age, the gland often becomes enlarged.

About half of men with the condition have no symptoms other than the change in size. For others, urinary and sexual issues can result, including impeded urine flow leading to bladder, urinary tract or kidney problems.

You can do a lot to take care of yourself and give your body what it needs. Still, as you get older, your body changes in ways you can’t always control. For most men, one of those changes is that the prostate gets bigger.

Your prostate surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out of your penis. When you have BPH, your prostate is larger than usual, which squeezes the urethra. This can cause your urine stream to be weak, waking you up a lot at night to go to the bathroom. It also could lead to other uncomfortable urinary symptoms.

An enlarged prostate is a common condition, and there are a lot of treatments for it, from lifestyle changes to acupuncture to surgery. Your doctor can help you choose the best care based on your age, health, and how the condition affects you.

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Symptoms of BPH

The symptoms of BPH are often very mild at first, but they become more serious if they aren’t treated. Symptoms can include trouble with urination, a weak urine stream, and not feeling empty after urination.

Treatment options include acupuncture, medicine, and surgery – as well as changes to your diet and getting regular exercise.

Common symptoms are:

Inability to completely empty the bladder
A need to urinate two or more times per night
Incontinence
Straining to urinate
Sudden urge to urinate
Weak urine stream
Dribbling of urine
Painful urination
Blood in the urine

The symptoms are mainly due to the enlarged prostate partially blocking the flow of urine from the bladder, causing urine to back up in the bladder. This can increase the frequency of urination and potentially cause urinary tract or kidney problems.

Acupuncture for BPH produces symptom relief by improving blood flow and nerve response in the pelvic floor, and has been shown to offer a viable alternative to conventional treatment methods (or a complementary therapy), to help alleviate bothersome symptoms.

BPH Diagnosis

Your conventional doctor will review your symptoms and medical history. A rectal examination will be needed for the doctor to assess the size of the prostate.

Diagnostic and assessment tests may include:

Urinalysis (urine test)
Ultrasound of the prostate
Measuring urine left in the bladder after urinating
Cystoscopy to look at the urethra or bladder with a scope
Urodynamic pressure to test pressure in the bladder during urinating

You can schedule an initial assessment at our Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture clinic anytime.

Acupuncture Treatment for BPH

When treating BPH with acupuncture, our acupuncturist will start with a thorough assessment and history in order to understand all the current and past symptoms. Lifestyle factors will also be considered as your general health and habits will also play a role in how BPH manifests.

Standard traditional chinese medicine assessment tools will help the practitioner determine the nature of the disharmony contributing to BPH symptoms.

Following assessment, acupuncture can be performed to treat the disharmonies, which will usually lead to symptom relief and enhanced genitourinary system health.

Acupuncture can address the uncomfortable and disruptive symptoms of BPH and potentially eliminate the need for surgical or other more invasive interventions.

A key tenet of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the treatment of the individual and their unique symptoms. The acupuncture treatment is designed specifically for each patient. Two patients with BPH may require different acupuncture point prescriptions if the root cause of the problem is not the same.

This ability to differentiate the acupuncture treatment offers the advantage of successfully treating a patient based on their unique case.

What is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia?

Symptoms of BPH

Common symptoms are:

BPH Diagnosis

Acupuncture Treatment for BPH

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