Positive Health Online

Abstract

SHOSKES, Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic Florida, 2950 Cleveland Clinic Boulevard, Weston, FL 33331, USA, dshoskes@urol.com, discusses phytotherapy and other alternative forms of care for patients with prostatitis .

Background

Chronic prostate inflammation is a very common and poorly understood condition. Conventional therapies such as antibiotics yield equivocal results . Patients often turn to herbal medicines and other alternative treatments. However few of those have been subjected to controlled clinical trials .

Methodology

The therapies with published data are discussed. They include zinc, cernitin pollen extract (bee pollen), quercetin, saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), and acupuncture.

Results

Complementary therapies may indeed have something to offer to patients with a chronic degenerative condition like prostatitis . However these treatments require the same scientific criteria for validation as conventional medical ones.

Conclusion

References

Shoskes DA. Phytotherapy and other alternative forms of care for the patient with prostatitis. Current Urology Reports 3 (4): 330-334, Aug 2002.