March 11, 2020, updated January 20, 2021, and Dec. 3, 2022.

Are us dudes destroying our prostates, or are our prostates trying to mess up our lives? Do you recall an ability to shoot a stream of urine about ten feet in your youth?

I am not a doctor, scientist or PHD. Perhaps this fact has benefited me with an open mind during my self education, healing and experimentation since my 2004 diagnosis and treatment for an aggressive type of thyroid cancer? After a few decades hanging on this globe, I seem to have developed better instincts for whom to have faith.

Roughly five years after that cancer diagnosis, I discovered the power of plant sourced foods to heal and presumably prevent most common chronic diseases. I was a bit angry that I hadn’t learned this decades sooner, for I may have avoided cancer and the lifetime daily tablet for thyroid replacement therapy. I also learned that by age 80, roughly 98% of men have some level of prostate cancer! Prostate cancer is more common than breast cancer in women. Men can get breast cancer as well, but is not common.

Several years ago I created a video titled “Ten Self Healed Cancer Survivors”. In that video, I mentioned Larry Brown. Larry had written a guest column for the Dayton Daily News editorial page relative to organized religion’s lack of respect for animal rights. That column stirred up some controversy! My letter to the editor was published in response to his column, clearly in support of Larry’s carefully crafted words. And I knew someone on the copy desk who shared Larry’s contact information and met him and his wife for a vegan lunch, eager to learn more about something he left out of his column. Larry had healed his painful prostate cancer with an all plant based “diet” back in about 2003. The “best” doctors at a highly respected cancer clinic couldn’t figure out why there Larry’s cancer was gone, and Larry excitedly explained what he had done with his plant based diet. The doctors didn’t want to hear anything about Larry’s diet. Larry stopped going to the cancer doctors. Larry put his cancer into remission with food as medicine. Larry is a sharp dude. Be like Larry.

A friend posted this comment in response to this blog; “I find it interesting that only plant-eating male mammals have seminal vesicles which could be the link as to why, eventually all men develop some prostate issues. The average human male consumes animal products. No other male mammal with seminal vesicles consumes meat except the human male.” *see link at the end of ht

Correlations do not necessarily indicate causation, yet I understand the power of food as medicine well enough to find it curious that only 2% of men at 80 and over have no level of prostate cancer and that the number of vegan men in that age group might be close to 2%. Coincidental?

Empirical and anecdotal evidence are terms I understand and I’ve placed a bet on my well being based upon research on fueling exclusively on plant sourced foods! However, I still seek more hedges to this bet. This story is about my latest hedging of risk. In the few prior years, I did something very similar for trying to prevent horrible annual sinusitis. I have a video on that topic as well if you are curious.

Several years ago, my petite, female primary care doctor of Indian descent was making awkward small talk as she lubed up her rubber gloves before “violating” me the first time. It imagine speed dating to be similar, sans the rectal. After a quick circular motion, “Dr. Small Fingers” casually told me I had an enlarged prostate, as if everyone my age does. I didn’t worry about it much, as I assumed my all plant based diet and running habit would take care of things. We shouldn’t assume too much.

57 now and 42 when I had cancer, “Dr. Small Fingers” has logically suggested I get a colonoscopy since I turned 50. Based on my fitness habits, I figure my risk of colon cancer is low and the colonoscopy an unnecessary expense of time and money. I don’t want to drink the intestinal scrubbing mystery liquid or deal with the days long process which includes recovery from anesthesia. My compromise with the good doctor was to do a stool test and start having some blood draws for PSA level testing. Although, through several years in my fifties I didn’t go in for anything. Staff had to dig my files out of storage when I finally came in for an annual exam. Yes, plant foods have been very good to me!

In January of this year, following my best year of ultra running yet, my PSA result came back higher than the prior. I was still in the safe zone, but this trend was not my friend. Even though Dr. John McDougall suggests not doing the PSA tests as they lead to potentially damaging stress and overly aggressive treatments. Normally an annual test, “Dr. Small Fingers” ordered a six month test, a bit alarming. All men will die and most with some level of prostate cancer, although not directly from prostate cancer which is generally slower growing cancer. The eternal optimist, I figured I had nearly six months to dig around online and find holistic ideas for attempting to turn around my PSA trendline.

BPH, or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, refers to enlarged prostate, a common problem for men. So, prostate cancer is not the only issue here and BPH increases odds of cancer. Based on my need to get up and pee at night over the past many years, I suspect that I have at least a modest amount of BPH still. All that running and good food has not likely fixed the enlarged prostate the good doctor so casually mentioned. What do I do and where do I start?

Perhaps the most important new thing I am doing is Intermittent Fasting. Early January I decided to make this type of daily fasting my New Year’s resolution. Intermittent fasting is widely thought to make weight management easier and decreases risk for all common cancers. Dr. Greger’s timing for his videos related to this topic on Nutritionfacts.org were ideal. I hadn’t come up with a resolution for the first few days of January, and I figured I was doing great after thirteen ultra marathons in 2019, including at least one per month and a doubling of my PR for volume of 100 mile foot races. I ran six for six at 100 milers and three of those were tough courses. After a year like that, I thought about skipping a resolution to carry on with what’s working for the running. Then I got the PSA result. My intermittent fasting means that each night I refrain from food for at least twelve hours, although I do allow herbal teas after that last meal and sometimes an herbal supplement capsule if I forget to take enough before the fasting start. My hypothesis is that a consistently healthier and lower body weight and body fat percentage will reduce my PSA score, likely BPH and prostate cancer risk over time. I lost five pounds and have good progress towards dropping to another weight range five pounds lighter yet!

I’ve learned that the prostate gland is part of the lymphatic system, a key to our immune system function. Over the past two Winters, I’ve used a simple sinus lymph massage technique to help clear congestion in my head. The source of this information had my full attention as she also recommends about twenty minutes per day of rebounding! I’m a big fan of rebounding, another topic I’ve covered on video.

Having already been doing about four minutes of rebounding most mornings for years to optimally fire up my lymphatic system and get my feet, legs, fascia and more warmed up for the day. Often my day includes running, an activity that is surely good for lymph flow in a similar way to rebounding. The lymphatic system has no heart or pump. Our motion gets the lymph flowing. I’ve upped my rebounding to ten minutes per morning.

Letting the lymph flow freely in the area around the prostate is very important. I threw away a pile of underwear that may have been too tight and bought a size up. Fresh new undies are nice. And, I now wear my pants more loosely, which is easier as I drop body fat. Fluid retention in our core area relative to our lymphatic system can allegedly be reduced by “dry skin brushing”. This is logical based on my experience with sinus lymph flow. I now use an exfoliating towel like device while showering to lightly brush the skin around my core. A circular motion around the belly button, both directions, then from the hips to the groin and with a focus around the adrenal gland area, near where you’d feel the pulse coming up from each leg. It’s likely the gentle rubbing of the skin that stimulates lymph slow more than the exfoliation. Since the lymphatic system is our primary detox system, less time seated is good. I’m typing this at a stand up desk, usually barefoot or in socks. I seldom ride a bike as they require less effort from teh core and that seat can’t be good for lymph flow. Running builds balanced muscles doing what we’ve evolved to be, long distance runners, but wear loose running gear!

This December I’ll be at ten years consuming exclusively plant based foods. Slowly, my food choices from the plant kingdom improve, as they should as we mature. My prostate cancer and BPH related research indicated I should consumer more raspberries and blackberries! Yum, happy to oblige! Ground flax is a good idea as well, so the berries and flax often end up in my daily oatmeal, which is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

My understanding is that BPH is inflammation related to the overreaction of our innate immune system. The following are recommendations I found and are listed in the order of priority for combatting this immune overreaction. Lycopene tops the list and tomatoes, preferably cooked are a great source. So pile the hot tomatoes, pizza and spaghetti sauces, and salsa on your plant based or plant strong dishes. Next is beta sitosterol. Good sources of beta sitosterol include avocado, corn, pistachios and almonds. I wrote down the ones I like, so you can research these nutrients to find out which foods are abundant. Then get your zinc oxide in dark chocolate, seeds, whole grains, legumes, and beans! All vegan. And lastly, pumpkin seed extract and Saw Palmetto.

I’m using most of these; plus ginger, turmeric, lycopene, pygeum, and milk thistle supplements. Stinging nettles are also on my list of items to try. The ideas I sought were ideally free, or low cost with little or no downside risk.

Increased cortisol levels seem to be a variable in prostate health risks. Excessive and persistent stress hormones can take a toll on men’s health. To lessen stress hormones, I try to meditate regularly, but often I use LSD, long slow distance natural running, as a form of meditative yoga. Also bear in mind, vegan men have the highest natural testosterone levels. I’ve been using ashwagandha root powder from India before, during and after ultra marathons to help lessen adrenal fatigue and anxiety. These ideas are my own relative to prostate health. For me, they can help deepen awareness and ease. The goal being to avoid dis-ease. Living with ease is anything but easy!

Have you heard of a reverse ejaculation? That’s when semen goes the wrong way! Holy hell honey, I hope to never experience that. Eat whole foods, plant based? No problem and it’s delicious. BPH alone can make a guy want to die. Frequent urination, insomnia, accidental wetting, bladder and kidney issues, sexual dysfunction, and the use of catheters to pee are some of the issues to deal with, even without prostate cancer. The reverse ejaculation “thing” is enough for me to say, pass the saw palmetto and blackberries with a side of flaxseed. Please.

Currently I’m several weeks into using most of these ideas regularly and I’m happy to report better sleep with a quieter tummy and most importantly, more hours of sleep or rest before needing to pee. The stream of urine seems easier to achieve and is heavier. I believe these are signs my prostate may be shrinking or functioning better. I wish I had thought to drink a significant amount of water and see how far I could pee! Then replicate that experiment every month or so while implementing these changes and experiments. The video would have been fun.

Use it or lose it is a common phrase. Prostate health impacts sexual function and evidently sexual activity levels can impact prostate health. Enough said, you are the master of your domain. Clear the pipes. A fellow aged fifty plus runner who’s been thru the prostate biopsy and has tried many holistic approaches over several years to successfully keep his PSA numbers down suggested that for forty eight hours before a PSA blood draw, I avoid sex and heavy training. He believes that can cause a spike in the PSA reading. 48 hours of no long runs, I can do that to prevent a reverse ejaculation!

This summer I’ll be anxious about that next PSA result. I’m optimistic that the synergy of all of these strategies will bring positive changes as they did with my sinusitis experiments.

(adding this on Jan. 21, 2021 … from “How Not To Die” by Dr. Greger … I’m adding daily organic soy milk and ground flax seed to my diet routine) (Also, mid Feb. 2021, adding the ideas that prostate specific issues are more of a metabolic issue and perhaps the primary variables are estrogen and cortisol. “Maybe” stress management and meditation may be more important than I thought. Lowering body fat may be key as well, working on that now, which is tough from this level, being fairly lean already)

Does our Prostate Try to Kill Us? We don’t know exactly what causes prostate cancer and I realize there is much we don’t know. Can prostate cancer cells move about the body via the lymphatic system to spread cancer to areas of the body that will kill us faster? I do wonder if our prostate gland is a weak link in men, but generally we are inadvertently killing our prostate gland via poor lifestyle choices. I hope these ideas are a starting point in your effort to get healthier. Do you own due diligence and place your bets. Get an upward spiral in your health going and keep it up! Pun intended.

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• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/brady-urology-institute/specialties/conditions-and-treatments/prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-questions/exploring-the-link-between-evolution-and-prostate-cancer?fbclid=IwAR2rR1qQPJeLc5XzAqPmxOaxyWCBnocQA8Wgab-QAkjtm7pHrLUgN07O8dI

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Update Dec. 4, 2022. After some PSA tests above 4, I watched a few videos from Dr. Pamela Popper and created the following video. In the video description is video link to Dr. Popper’s video that I referenced.

On Thursday, Dec. 1st, I went in for a first MRI, “MRI PROSTATE WITHOUT AND WITH CONTRAST”. Naturally I was concerned that the urologist wanted me to do this. Actually, she wanted me to go in for biopsy, which for me was a “hard no thanks”. The video above should make the reasoning clear. Jabbing twelve or more needles thru the rectal wall into the prostate seems like a great way to cause an infection, spread cancer if it’s there, etc. Luckily the insurance was evidently willing to let the MRI happen vs a biopsy.

Results are mostly positive in that “there are no lesions concerning for statistically significant prostate cancer”. However, the prostate is larger since Feb. of 2021 when an ultra sound was completed. Result, “moderate BPH, PSA density at .07 suggests a lower likelihood of clinically significant disease”. Evidence of prior prostatitis.

So, mostly good news, but significant concern remains on my part relative to stopping further enlargement and possibly reducing the prostate size naturally. A few weeks ago, I started working on what I believe to be improvements to my all plant based diet, primarily by going for less carbohydrate. Since I’m yeast intolerant, minimizing processed sugar seems to help. I’m trimming back on grains, processed grains, bread and moderating with starchy potatoes. I’m consuming for more mushrooms and mushroom powders, particularly dehydrated and powdered white button cap mushrooms. I’ve been doing twelve hours of intermittent fasting most nights and weighed in this morning at 154.2 with a goal of being close to 155 pounds each morning. One of the reasons is that a lower body fat percentage should mean my body will produce less estrogen, which some consider a variable in prostate enlargement. Seems it’s still not known what the real causes are.

Specific to prostate enlargement, I’m adding cranberry powder to my daily supplements and making raw pumpkin seeds a more routine habit based on recommendations from Dr. Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org, link below. Dr. Gregor operates the nonprofit nutritionfacts.org and his recommendations IMO are very credible. I’ve stuck with the organic soy milk mixed with ground flax and flax lignans. I’ve added daily use of tart cherry extract. Still taking lycopene, saw palmetto powder, stinging nettle, vitamin D, frequent doses of vitamin C, a daily multi vitamin, milk thistle extract, neem powder, B12 every few days, and taking a daily Brazil nut for selenium. My ultra running habit continues with three tough 100 milers, of three attempted, completed. Better sleep hygiene has become a higher priority with frequent use of “sleepy blend herbal teas”, melatonin and some cannabis gummies and cookies near bed time. Sleep has improved with less getting up to pee. So, it’s frustrating to be doing so many things, and seeing good results, yet seeing more enlargement of the prostate. But grateful for no prostate cancer diagnosis.

Oh and here is something I find very interesting. At the Boston Marathon Expo, we tried a “foot bath” and bought the device. I’m interested in “earthing”, negative ions etc. After all, if practiced with any “common” sense at all, there’s little or no downside to being aware of negative ions, trying to take advantage of them, etc… even if it’s the good ol placebo effect. But, seeing is believing with the foot soak’s ability to pull a lot of ugly stuff from the pores of our feet. Take a look at my video review/demo and I’m happy to connect you to Paula, who sold us the device, educated us, etc.

Update March 17, 2023.

Back in early December I had a very long 45 minutes in an MRI machine for a detailed imaging of the prostate. Not one second of that time was spent regretting any of the many things I’ve done to try and be more healthy! Thankfully, the results were very good. In spite of PSA being sticky in the 4 range, there were no lesions, no significant risk for prostate cancer. But I’m carrying on with ideas, such as this oatmeal featured in the video below. While the nurse practitioner still claims “diet” is useless for preventing prostate cancer and that it’s impossible to reduce the existing enlargement. I’ll keep trying for that reduction and hope to reduce the inflammation. Maybe PSA numbers can hold or drop.

And, below another relevant video.

Some damage to the vessel(s) that go to the prostate were noted. That seems to be healing slowly. I suspect I may have caused some damage in one or two ways. Sitting in an innertube type device with a thin rubber bottom while seated and flying across a rough lake “might” have caused some damage down there, along with a runner’s yoga move where the practitioner lying flat on the spine, twists one leg over the other and then twists the spine … OUCH. Not a great move for the gentlemen. Be careful what you do!!