Prostate health education content

Regardless of whether you are a 20-year-old boy or a 70-year-old man, it is enough to remember three things to protect your prostate: don’t sit for more than an hour in a row, don’t hold in your urine when you have it, and don’t use messy “kidney-tonifying” products； If frequent urination, urgency, strained urination, or nocturia occur, check them promptly. If you are over 50 years old, check for PSA (prostate specific antigen) every year. 90% of prostate problems can be prevented in advance.

I just met a 32-year-old Internet programmer at the outpatient clinic last week. He worked on a project for 14 consecutive days and his buttocks were glued to the chair for at least 12 hours every day. At first, he had frequent urination and didn't take it seriously, thinking it was because he drank too much coffee. Later, his perineum hurt so much that he couldn't sit still, and it even hurt to urinate. That's when he came to register. He was diagnosed with chronic aseptic prostatitis. I prescribed him some medicine to relieve the symptoms, and only made three additional requirements: get up to get a glass of water and walk two steps every 40 minutes, even if he stood for 5 minutes, he would be fine. ； Urinate as soon as you have urine. Don't wait until your bladder becomes full. ； Regularly ejaculate 1-2 times a week, so there is no need to force abstinence. The young man went back and followed the doctor's instructions. Within half a month, he came back for a follow-up visit and said he had almost no symptoms.

Many people always think that "prostate problems are a disease only for old men." This is not true. Nowadays, one-third of outpatient patients under the age of 30 suffer from chronic prostatitis. They are basically caused by sitting for a long time, holding back urine, and staying up late for a long time. When it comes to abstinence, there are actually different opinions in the industry. In the early years, many old doctors would advise patients with prostatitis to completely suspend sexual life, fearing that congestion would aggravate inflammation. ； But now more evidence-based medical evidence shows that for chronic prostatitis in the non-acute stage, regular ejaculation can bring out the inflammatory secretions accumulated in the prostate, and the recovery speed is faster. Of course, if it is found to be acute bacterial prostatitis, it is indeed necessary to stop and wait until the inflammation is under control. Don't generalize.

Oh, by the way, some people asked whether cycling will damage the prostate? There is no need to be overly nervous about this. The incidence of prostatitis among professional cyclists is indeed about 30% higher than that of ordinary people. However, if you usually ride a shared bicycle two or three times a week, within half an hour each time, it will basically not have any impact. Don’t scare yourself. If you already have symptoms of perineal swelling, try to avoid riding mountain bikes for long periods of time. If the saddle is too hard and presses on the perineum, it will indeed aggravate the discomfort.

Let’s talk about prostatic hyperplasia, which is common among middle-aged and elderly people. Last month, a 68-year-old man was diagnosed with prostatic hyperplasia. He had to urinate up to six times a night. He had to stand in front of the toilet for half a day to urinate. After three years of hard work, he always thought that "it is normal for people to urinate slowly as they get older." However, a color ultrasound revealed that the hyperplastic glands have blocked two-thirds of the urethra. If it continues for another two months, he may develop hydronephrosis. There are also many men who are so frightened that they cannot sleep when their PSA rises during a physical examination, thinking that they must have prostate cancer. In fact, this is not necessarily true. They rode for two hours the day before the examination, held in their urine for a long time before taking blood, or even ate something too spicy the day before that stimulated the prostate. These may cause PSA to rise temporarily. Check again every two weeks.

By the way, I would like to mention this pitfall that everyone often falls into. On average, two or three people come to my clinic every week with the "prostate detox patch" and "massage device that can cure hyperplasia" bought online. They say that they spent thousands to buy it, and the more they use it, the worse their symptoms become. Don't believe it. The prostate is like a "valve" wrapped around the urethra at the outlet of the bladder. Hyperplasia is the enlargement of the gland itself. It is impossible to push the proliferated gland back by applying a heating plaster or pressing it twice. Those products that claim to "radically cure hyperplasia" basically add some anesthetic ingredients to temporarily paralyze the nerves. They are not a symptomatic treatment, but tend to delay treatment.

You don’t need to be overly nervous in your daily life. It doesn’t mean that you can’t eat spicy food or drink alcohol if you have prostate problems. If you don’t have any symptoms, it’s okay to eat hot pot and drink a cold beer occasionally. You don’t need to set so many taboos for yourself.； But if you already have frequent urination and urgent urination, and you still drink spicy food with iced drinks, wouldn’t that be a problem for yourself? Men who do not need to have children, usually take a 10-minute sitz bath at night. The water temperature should not be too hot, which can greatly relieve the feeling of bloating. If you are still preparing for pregnancy, don’t try it. High temperature has a great impact on sperm motility.

In fact, the prostate is a very "squeamish" but easy-to-coax organ. Don't suppress it all the time. Give it more room to move. If something really goes wrong, don't be embarrassed to go to the hospital. Urological surgeons have seen all kinds of situations. There is really nothing to be embarrassed about. It is better than having to undergo surgery in the end, right?