Prostate Massage

Prostate Massage was once a very popular therapy for prostatitis in the Western culture. This was prior to the predominence of antibiotic therapy. Today it is still practiced as a non-pharmacologic approach for chronic prostatitis throughout China. More information can be found at: http://www.bestprostate.com/prostate_massage.php
Before initiating any treatment modality such as prostate massage it is best to consult with your health care provider. There are health risks associated with prostate massage.
This blog and/or affiliated link(s) does not endorse the practice of prostate massage. The purpose is to provide relevant information on the topic that you can discuss with your medical doctor.

SOY Prostate and testosterone?

Here’s my story. Five years ago my physician performed a simple blood test. Upon return of the results he informed me that I had the testosterone level of a field mouse. He was concerned so he prescribed testosterone which initially involved an injection of testosterone in his office. I left the office and I noticed a surge in my energy level in addition to a return in my sex drive. This lasted for about one week. In addition I experienced an increased level of aggression. I was told to return in a month and I explained the results to my doctor. He then said that he would use less testosterone and give me injections more frequently. I was given another injection and told to return in two weeks. Once again I experienced a surge in my sex drive and energy level though the duration of this did not last as long. Unfortunately I also experienced an increased amount of aggression. I returned to my physician and he said that he would reduce the dosage and increase the frequency to weekly injections. This change did offer some benefit however it was short-lived due to the fact that my PPO insurance plan said that they would not cover weekly visits and injections at my physicians office. I was then prescribed a prescription gel to rub on my body every day. This went on for several months and the gel was everywhere including on my hands, on my clothes, and god forbid if I was allowed to come into contact with other people as they could possibly absorb some of this testosterone.
The icing on the cake was when I learned that using all of this exogeneous testosterone actually leads to a decrease or a shut down of natural testosterone production within the body. Concerned as I was I decided that the benefits of all this testosterone supplementation had drawbacks and was not the answer for me.
This is where the SOY comes in. Research shows that prior to the 21st Century soy was rarely if ever used in the production of food for human consumption. Even in the Asian culture soy usage was limited to times of extreme food shortages. When it was used Asians carefully prepared the soy by using a long fermentation process (6 to 9months) to remove soy toxins. In 1998 soy consumption by Asians was validated and it was found that Asian men consumed 8.00 ± 4.95 g of soy/day and that Asian women consumed 6.88 ± 4.06 g of soy/day (Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Kurisu Y, Shimizu H; J Nutr 1998, 128:209-13). The soy products consumed were tofu (plain, fried, deep-fried, or dried), miso, fermented soybeans, soy milk, and boiled soybeans. Soy consumption today in English speaking countries is approaching 220 G of soy/day which far exceeds what Asians typically consume. How did this happen and why be concerned? Well soy use in food production is now in almost everything so it seems. In addition clinical research has shown that soy decreases testosterone levels. In one study a 76% reduction in testosterone production in men was documented (Zhong, et al. “Effects of dietary supplement of soy protein isolate and low fat diet on prostate cancer.” FASEB J 2000;14(4):a531.11). Another study by Nagata C, et al. “Inverse association of soy product intake with serum androgen and estrogen concentrations in Japanese men.” Nutr Cancer 2000;36(1):14-8. This study in Japanese men showed that increased soy intake was related to decreased testosterone levels. An additional study in healthy adult males compared a diet containing soy to one using meat as a source of protein. Testosterone levels were significantly lower in the group with a soy diet. In addition the amount of “free” testosterone was reduced by 7% in the soy diet group (Habito RC, et al. “Effects of replacing meat with soyabean in the diet on sex hormone concentrations in healthy adult males.” Br J Nutr 2000 Oct;84(4):557-63). No wonder unfermented soy is reserved for cheating spouses in the Asian culture. A visit to a food market in Tokyo you will not find shoppers loading up on soy milk, soy cheese, soy yogurt, soy burgers, soy chicken, soy chips, and or soy lasagna. I wonder why?
Testosterone levels and prostate enlargement. Well it is known that men produce both testosterone, an important male hormone, and small amounts of estrogen, a female hormone. When men age, the amount of active testosterone in the blood decreases, leaving a higher proportion of estrogen. Studies done on animals have suggested that prostate enlargement may occur because of the higher amount of estrogen within the gland actually increase the activity of substances that promote cell growth. Another theory from scientists suggest that dihydrotestosterone (DHT), derived from testosterone in the prostate, may help control prostate enlargement. Some research has indicated that even with a decrease in the blood’s testosterone level, older men continue to produce and accumulate high levels of DHT in the prostate. This increased DHT may encourage the growth of prostate cells. This is important as scientists have also noted that men who do not produce DHT do not develop an enlarged prostate. DHT is a biologically active metabolite of the hormone testosterone. DHT is produced primarily in the prostate gland, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands.
In light of the above I started to look at my consumption of soy. Wow it’s in everything these days. Cereal, salad dressing, non-dairy creamer, pancake mix, and even some breads. Shopping at local health food markets will not save you either. Somewhere these markets have no issue with soy. Despite the fact that 91 percent of soy grown in the US is genetically modified (GM) many health food markets actually ignore this ingredient when they offer it for sale on the shelves. I actually believed that so called “health food markets” did not allow GMO or genetically modified ingredients. This is obviously not the case. One store (un-named) carried eight prostate supplements all with soy as an ingredient. Obviously these prostate supplements were for men. And the chance that the soy used in manufacturing was or is actually fermented for 6 to 9 months is extremely remote.
Ironically and subsequently I have continued to have blood work performed by my physician and for some reason my testosterone levels are no longer on the radar screen or even mentioned in the results. He knows that I am not on testosterone prescriptions or he would be authorizing refills with my pharmacy. What are the changes – hmmmm well I have been making a real effort to reduce soy consumption. It’s important for me to tell you that this article in no way suggests that it is authoritative and/or that it is giving or providing any type of medical advise. As always it is best to consult your medical or health care provider. However I do encourage you to research the facts about prostate health, soy, and testosterone. The following reference provides some information about soy in the USA from 1766-1900. It seems that 1979 was the first introduction of soy milk into the United States reference. At present it is now estimated that 583,000 tons of soy is used each year for human consumption. Soy food sales have increased from $300 million to over $4 billion from 1992 to 2006. The goal is obvious and that is for food processors to use soy to produce more while spending less. Soy use offers benefits including extending shelf-life, reducing crumbling, whitening breads and browning pancakes, and has the added benefit of bringing down production costs. I often wonder if we will see a law firm advertisement in the future that is similar to all these prescription medication cases that are now known to have caused this or that years and years later. It really is up to you the consumer to determine your comfort with this wonder ingredient. It is also up to you the consumer to discern the related concerns to genetically modified ingredients in your diet. Food for thought?
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/01/06/monsanto-returns-to-profitability/ato5m42/

Prostate Pill Reports by Institutes that do not exist.

Today the prostate supplement market is constantly being targeted by false non-accredited Institutes “Fischer Urological Institute” and / or Pill reports brought to you by organizations like MDhealthreports.com that literally portray themselves as credible sources. The fact is that these organizations are not accredited and these so called pill reporting agencies are a fraud. Simple searches on the name of the organization at Better Business Bureau, and Dunn & Bradstreet websites clearly shows that these so called expert agencies are nothing more that a false front to get the consumer to purchased their alleged highly rated product. We encourage consumers to report these to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, collects complaints about companies, business practices, and identity theft. Complaints can be filed at: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Not a Scam Best Prostate Label Change



We are aware that some companies find it necessary to market their prostate supplement by confusing the consumer with false claims of fraud and scam alerts. Not very professional nor ethical. This addresses the labelling of our product Best Prostate and the rational of why the label was changed.
You may notice that along time ago we changed our % daily value of Selenium from DRI (Dietary Reference Intakes), established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, 1997-2001, which replace previous RDAs, to RDI (Reference Daily Intake), which is the value established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The RDI was based initially on the highest 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for each nutrient, to assure that needs were met for all age groups. The % daily value was changed from 50% to 21.4% The 15 mcg Selenium content in Best Prostate has not changed in any way.
Initially we produced Best Prostate™ with the soybean based Vegapure®. When we discovered that US-sourced beta-sitosterol was pre-dominantly genetically modified (GMO) we ceased production and transitioned to Vegapure® FTE (non-GMO) however still soybean based. Our competitors claim that we have never procured or used the Vegapure® FTE product line from Cognis. This allegation is a lie and untrue. Cognis actually contacted our competitor with a Cease and Desist letter dated November 5, 2009 due to flagrant violation of their trademark(s) and claims. We learned that the Vegapure® FTE had to be imported from Germany due to the fact that most soybean products produced in the US were genetically modified. Despite this fact we felt that the benefit of a non-GMO product was in our customers best interest and we imported this product. Recognizing that men preferred a non-soy based product we again improved Best Prostate™ by transitioning to Vegapure® 867 G (non-GMO) derived from Pine trees. Despite increased raw material and production costs with each transition we have not passed these costs onto our customers. The decision rests with you the consumer a soy-based beta-sitosterol that is genetically modified or Best Prostate™.

Does your Prostate Supplement contain GMO Beta-sitosterol?

Most of us know that GMO (or “genetically modified organisms”) is the science that allows DNA from one species to be injected into another species in a laboratory, creating combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. In over 30 countries around the world there are restrictions and/or bans on the production of GMOs. These restrictions and/or bans exist because GMOs are not considered to be proven as safe. Some of the countries that have these restrictions include: Japan, Russia, Australia, and all of the countries in the European Union.

In 2008, a CBS News poll found that 87% of consumers wanted products containing GMOs labeled as such. A more recent poll by CBS/New York Times found that 53% of consumers would not buy food that was genetically modified.

Most beta-sitosterol found in prostate formulas is derived from soy. This is interesting in that it is well known that soy contains phyto-estrogens and consumption of soy has been shown to reduce testosterone levels. FYI, most soy consumed in Asian countries is fermented soy. Un-fermented soy was and is reserved for un-faithful husbands. Unlike Asian countries most soy consumed in the US is not fermented. Now back to soy and GMO. In 2009 the US Department of Agriculture reported that 93% of the soy grown in the United States was GMO. Unlike most prostate formulas, the beta-sitosterol in Best Prostate™ is non-GMO. In addition the beta-sitosterol in Best Prostate™ is derived from pine and not soy.

www.prostatepillreport.com

prostatepillreport.com is now brought to you by a company entitled MDHealthReports.com (web site registered 2/2010) www.mdhealthreports.com DBA Stigwood Research Institute. Sounds official doesn’t it. You may wish to click on the link to see all the credentials of the medical personnel and all the health reports they have published. MDHealthReports.com makes you think that they provide authentic doctor approved or endorsed health reports on numerous products. The truth is they provide one report that promotes the expensive product “Prostavar”. The website posts pictures and/or logos of Duke Medicine, and the “James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute” – John Hopkins Medicine as endorsements.
Best Prostate is manufactured in Torrance, California. The state-of-the-art facility in Torrance is one of the few facilities in the United States that carries GMP (good manmufacturing practices) certifications from both NSF International, NPA (Natural Products Association, formerly NNFA), as well as QAI (Quality Assurance International) organic certification.
Maybe MDhealthreports.com (Stigwood) can provide you with a photo of the facility in Torrance, CA.
The Offices of Best Prostate are in North Hollywood, CA. Personally the owners of Best Prostate did not see fit to spend resources on expensive offices in Beverly Hills, CA that would increase the price of our product for consumers.
The following photograph is from the facility in Torrance where Best Prostate is manufactured.
This is a machine used in putting product into capsules.

Be advised that the lab tests provided by MDHealthReports.com can not and do not infer either efficacy or safety. A laboratory measurement can only confirm the identity of a specific compound and the amount of it present in the sample being tested. MDHealthReports.com discusses the benefit of the mineral zinc but fails to discuss why zinc is in a supplement.
Best Prostate contains zinc due to the findings published by Leake A, et al. “The effect of zinc on the 5 alpha-reduction of testosterone by the hyperplastic human prostate gland.” J Steroid Biochem. Feb1984;2092:651-655.and Pavon Maganto E. “Zinc in prostatic physiopathology. I. Role of zinc in the physiology and biochemistry of the prostatic gland”. Arch Esp Urol. Mar1979;32(2):143-52. and the fact that scientists have known for decades that Zinc may play an important part in prostate health. Additional data on Zinc and Prostate Health has been completed by Irving Bush, M.D., senior consultant at the Center for Study of Genitourinary Diseases in West Dundee, Illinois, and former chairman of the Food and Drug Administration panels on gastroenterology, urology and dialysis. Dr. Irving Bush of the Chicago Medical School and researchers from Cook County Hospital studied over 5,000 patients and the effects of zinc on enlarged prostates. An additional study was conducted at the University of Edinburgh Medical School in Scotland where they discovered high doses of zinc inhibited the activity of the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone in test tube prostate tissues.

FREE (UNESTERIFIED) FATTY ACIDS

Clinical data does not support the benefit claimed regarding the inclusion of free (unesterified) fatty acids in a prostate dietary supplement. Prostavar a product manufactured by Superbalife International and reviewed by Stigwood Reseach Institute contains 106 mg of free fatty acids per capsule. Stigwood Research Institute claims that in the free fatty acid catagory Best Prostate scored 0.661 mg of free fatty acids. Stigwood suggests that more fatty acid content is desired however the literature does not support these claims.
A comprehensive understanding of free (unesterified) fatty acids can be found at: http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/Lipids/ffa/index.htm
Additional information regarding “free” fatty acid is available here: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/High-fatty-acid-levels-increase-heart-attack-risk??

Prostalex Plus

We have received numerous calls regarding this company and people have had difficuly contacting them. We have located the following number so that you may contact them directly. People are upset that they require you take 3 capsules at a monthly cost of 59.85 vs. Best Prostate’s 2 capsules per day at $24.95. You can contact them at 888-254-3727. To call Best Prostate call 888-768-3836 or visit http://www.bestprostate.com/
I have tried to ascertain a Supplements Facts Table for this product and the best I could find is the following listing:
Every capsule of Prostalex Plus contains hefty milligrams of the following:
Saw Palmetto
Beta Sitosterol
Green Tea Extract
Zinc
Pumpkin Seed
Vitamin A
Selenium
Nettles Leaf
Vitamin E
Pygeum Bark
Lycopene