Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in men.
Prostate cancer: Causes, symptoms & treatment : Read more
Prostate cancer: Causes, symptoms & treatment : Read more
The reason that most urologists would dismiss these febrile musings as nothing more than taking advantage of a known malady to commercially exploit a vulnerable population, is because your so called "facts" are presented non contextually with conclusions based on speculation rather than any substantive findings that are repeatable.You go from hypothesis to conclusions with a breathtaking speed only equaled by your propensity to jump to conclusions not supported by anything other than the narrative you're promoting.The suggested biohack using tumeric with black pepper (Piper nigrum) is an interesting one-of case study, and “one-of” reports on the internet of the reversal of PSA levels using nutrition and/or plant compounds/herbals are numerous to say the least. This is just another one but at least one in which the protocol used is well described. My conclusion that there would not be such numerous reports unless there was some veracity to them and that conclusion that nutritional aspects are important and some plant compounds are protective is supported in the research literature - see Dr. William Nelson - John Hopkins Cancer Center 2014 summary paper, “Nutrition and Prostate Cancer”- do the search for his paper on PubMed). However, if you talk to any standard-of-care practicing urologist, they will tell you that nutrition is unimportant. They clearly are oblivious to the research on plant compounds and prostate cancer - just google prostate cancer and piper longumin or silimarin for example. I have found research articles describing anti-prostate canncer activity in over 70 plant compounds and herbals - many from TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), Ayurvedic medicine (TIM - traditional Indian medicine, etc., and including turmeric.
The current paradigm in treatments for BPH and prostate cancer is either inhibition of 5-alpha reductase (finesteride for example - taken proof that the increase of dihydrotestostorone (DHT) with age is the cause) or surgery (prosectomy) with follow-up of androgen-deprivation drug therapy (which is successful perhaps 70%) of the time (though generally destructive of function) which is taken as proof that testosterone is the driving agent behind prostate cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy is also the initial treatment of choice for metastatic prostate cancer (30% of standard-of-care treated cases). However, androgen deprivation therapy ultimately fails in 2-5 years as the cancer's growth becomes androgen independent and it then become extremely aggressive and rapidly metastatic. Consequently, I have to conclude that the paradigm that testosterone causes prostate cancer is a failed hypothesis. There are numerous, usually ignored scientific papers that point out that the real correlation between BPH and prostate cancer is with low testosterone levels. The testosterone paradigm also ignores the fact that high testosterone levels in young males does not lead to BPH or prostate cancer. In addition, prostate cancer is a uniquely human disease (though I have read on some blogs that dogs also get prostate cancer - something that I haven't confirmed from original research sources). I have read numerous research papers and review papers on prostate cancer and none even reference what I consider the seminal works of the Israeli research group of Dr. Yidal Gat an Dr. M Goren which relate the development of BPH and prostate cancer to the collapse of the valves in the seminal veins with resulting backflow of free testosterone from the testes directly into the prostate resulting in levels of free testosterone in the prostate of up to 130x normal serum testosterone (98% of which in normal blood serum is tied up in in SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin)). Now, 130x normal levels of free testosterone in the prostate cannot be good. However, it is likely that the mechanism by which excessive free testosterone results in excessive growth of the prostate gland is not as simple and direct as the Gat and Goren group assume as on this score they follow the current paradigm.
My hypothesis is that high levels of free testosterone also trigger a homeostatic response in the body which has the purpose of normalizing the testosterone to estrogen ratio. How does it do this? It increases the aromatase levels in the prostate gland. Aromatase converts part of the testosterone to estrogen (especially to estrodiol – the most potent form) which is known to cause inflammation of the prostate gland (see Dr. Nelson's paper which reviews this research in animals). Research on aromatase show that it is often elevated in many cancers (especially endocrine related cancers and these include prostate cancer) supporting this hypothesis. Another parallel hypothesis that has merit is that exogenous xenoestrogens (plastics, fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, etc) that are ubiquitous in the modern environment are a cause of BPH and prostate cancer. In this case the body attempts to normalize the androgen-estrogen activity ratio by increasing the conversion of testosterone to (estrogen(+ xenoestrogen)) ratio by increasing the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme which converts testosterone to DHT which has 10x the androgen activity level testosterone itself. Most likely both processes are active.
In Dr. Goren and Gat's research they found increased hydrostatically driven backflow from the testes to the prostate in 902 of 902 case study subjects with diagnosed BPH. They also found that varicocele surgery prevented this backflow in 902 of 902 cases and resulted an average decline in PSA levels of 50% and an average 50% decline in prostate volume at a six month follow-up and resulted in alleviation of most BPH symptoms. The most recent paper detailing this research was published in the journal Andrologia in late 2018, but the surgical solution was the subject of an FDA registered clinical trial which was also reported on in the journal Andrologia in 2008 (the group's paper’s date from 2006 at the earliest with other intervening supporting papers (searches on PubMed will bring up these papers)).
So what are my conclusions: 1) treatment and prevention of BPH and prostate cancer should focus on simultaneous blocking of the aromatase conversion of testosterone to estrogen, blocking of the the 5-alpha reductase conversion of testosterone to DHT, and enhancement of enzymatic pathways that reduce the body's production of the powerful estrogen metabolite - estradiol and enhance the liver's removal of estrogen, and production of other, weaker and less active estrogen metabolites. Combining the natural compounds diindolmethane, indol-3-carbinol, and calcium-d-glucarate - all available as supplements, accomplishes these objectives. 2) addition of piperlongumine extract to the above “turmeric-piper nigrum” protocol and the 5-alpha reductase and aromatase inhibitors discussed in 1) would also likely be beneficial. The use of black cumin seed oil to replace part of the olive oil might also be advantageous as the thymoquinone and nigellone compounds in black cumin seed oil are known to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth.
The ignorance and/or dismissal of most prostate cancer researchers of Dr. Gat and Goren's research I attribute to three factors: 1) the research glory, prestige, and money including research grant money is in detailing the molecular and genetic mechanisms of prostate cancer initiation, proliferation, and progression which, it is hoped, will lead to patentable drugs and mucho dinero; 2) the proposal that collapse of the valves in the testicular veins leads to backflow of blood carrying free testosterone into the prostate is assumed by most urologists to be an anatomical impossibility (at least according the anatomy they learned in med school), and 3) the fact the current paradigm has produced an entrenched, highly profitable treatment regimen that is regarded as proven (extends life) and unassailable (settled science - bullcrap - science is never settled) since testosterone was first identified as the growth principle for prostate cancer in 1941 when it was observed that temporary regression of prostate cancers occurred as a consequence of the castration of patients with advanced prostate cancer – which is from where the term “castration resistant prostate cancer” comes. This work was first done on incarcerated criminal patients. Of course, now androgen deprivation drugs are used instead of the knife, but the approach is conducive to one-size fits all treatment protocols (standard-of-care reductionist medicine) that is demanded and rewarded by insurance companies and government healthcare systems and coding protocols. Nutrition and natural medicine be damned. The protocol is “maim and mangle”.
Now, where should the research really be focused? I would say it should focus on what causes collapse of the valves in the testicular veins. I propose the following causes 1) age-related cellular scenescence of the muscle cells in the values related to aging (60-90% of men get prostate cancer by age 90); 2) nutritional deficiencies, 3) toxin exposures including xenoestrogens, toxic metals including mercury from amalgam fillings and aluminum (municipal treated clarified water, colored coating on drugs, cookware, vaccines; cadmium from food grown with chemical fertilizers; etc.; 4) xenoestrogenic synthetic chemical toxins, and 5) blood sugar and related insulin spikes which are known to damage the endothelial cells lining arteries and blood vessels and by inference also likely damage the valves in the testicular veins.
More information on nutrition, natural medicine and prostate cancer and BPH can be obtained by googling Ben's Natural Health (to which I have no connection-financial or otherwise) but whose booklet on prostate health started me on my research journey - it contains no mention of Drs. Gat and Goren's research - so don't be disappointed. Another resource for anyone currently dealing with prostate cancer, especially metastatic prostate cancer, is Jane McClelland's recent book, "How to Starve Cancer without Starving Yourself" which goes into the molecular chemistry of this approach to treating and healing cancer, including prostate cancer (again, no connection, financial or otherwise).
The reason that most urologists would dismiss these febrile musings as nothing more than taking advantage of a known malady to commercially exploit a vulnerable population, is because your so called "facts" are presented non contextually with conclusions based on speculation rather than any substantive findings that are repeatable.You go from hypothesis to conclusions with a breathtaking speed only equaled by your propensity to jump to conclusions not supported by anything other than the narrative you're promoting.