No Shave November is upon us and exists to raise awareness and funding for cancer. The event originated in 2009 when a family paid tribute to the death of their son. The fundraiser asks that men grow out their hair and donate the money they would spend on grooming for the month to the cause. One of my brothers-in-law threw out the challenge to some of us to join him as he is a prostate cancer survivor. 

Facial hair is rare in my family. I can remember back in 1976, at the time of the bicentennial celebration, and men in the community grew beards for the event. Growing a beard in 1976 was way before beards were popular. My dad grew one, and though it didn’t win any awards, the effort was there, but not much of a beard was grown, like what I have going on right now.

That’s a lot of chatter leading up to the topic of this article. Still, the original intent of the No Shave November event was focused on cancer in men, mainly prostate, colon, and testicular cancer, with prostate cancer being the most common.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death among males in the US, behind cardiovascular disease. About 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, with the majority being over 65 years old and African-American men being most susceptible. The incidence of distant-stage prostate cancer in men in the US increased from 4% to 8% in that time. Distant-stage prostate cancer has spread to other areas of the body away from the primary source of the tumor.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation state that “age is the biggest – but not the only – risk factor for developing prostate cancer. Other risk factors are family history of cancer, smoking, race, obesity and lifestyle habits, diet, and exercise. Genetics can also be a factor on having prostate cancer.

If you are over 50 years old, screening is recommended with a prostate exam. Early detection, like all cancer forms, leads to better results in treating cancer.

Treatment options include:

•       Active surveillance for men with slow-growing prostate cancer.

•       Hormone Therapy –

•       Radiation to target the cancer cells.

•       Chemotherapy – for cancer that doesn’t respond to hormone therapy or if it has spread to other areas of the body

•       Cryosurgery or cryoablation to freeze the cancer cells.

•       Immunotherapy

•       Surgery to remove the prostate

•       Integrative therapy, which combines conventional and alternative treatments

What can we do to help prevent prostate cancer? Maintain an ideal body weight for your age and size. Maintaining an ideal body weight can be achieved by modifying or improving our diet, and we can start by limiting the consumption of processed meats and conventional dairy products. Avoiding trans fats is essential but has become exponentially easier now that they have been taken out of most foods we consume. Eat at least 2 ½ cups of vegetables daily, especially cruciferous and green leafy vegetables. Consume wild-caught fish high in omega-3 fatty acids; salmon and sardines are good choices. Increase consumption of antioxidant-containing foods, including fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs, olive oil, and green tea. Eat foods high in zinc and selenium, as those two nutrients are prostate friendly.

Exercise is a must for overall health in general, but studies have shown that more physically active people have better protection against all cancers. I am not suggesting you go out and train for a marathon but going for a walk for 30 minutes 3 times a week is a start. Winter is upon us, so you may need to resort to a treadmill, and if you don’t have one, march in place.

High doses of calcium may increase your risk of prostate cancer. Limit your supplemental intake of calcium to less than 1500mg per day. Calcium from food sources doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Stopping smoking is just a given, as it has been shown to increase cancer risk. Think about inhaling toxins absorbed via your lungs directly into your bloodstream and how these toxins affect your body. There are so many programs that can help this process, and just recently, pharmacists in our state have been approved to prescribe medications to help patients stop smoking. Ask your pharmacist for help in trying to kick the habit.

Manage stress and get an adequate amount of sleep. We know that these two go hand in hand and that, for some, stress is unavoidable. Managing and coping with stress with relaxation and breathing techniques, along with adaptogenic herbs, are necessary. Good sleep hygiene strategies and supplements with melatonin or ingredients that tame cortisol, if that is high, are beneficial in providing optimum sleep.

I have written many times about the benefits of the Magnificent 7, which are pretty much everything talked about in this article; eat right, drink right, talk right, think right, move right, sleep right, and poop right. We should all strive for these things, whether we are looking to prevent prostate cancer or any other disease or illness.

If you currently have signs of an enlarged prostate, like slow urine flow or having to get up multiple times in the night to use the bathroom, supplemental formulas with the science behind them can provide benefits. Some of the more common ingredients in these formulas contain saw palmetto, lycopene, zinc, and stinging nettle. For some, they can relieve symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. They do not replace routine exams to ensure you do not have prostate cancer. Prostate Support is a product that combines these ingredients. 

Keep these strategies in mind as you age and look for ways to take care of your prostate best. Please stop or call the pharmacy for further information on this topic. Please visit my website at www.irsfeldpharmacy.com to find this and other archived articles in the blog section. Until next time, be vigilant about your health!!