Is it true that a high PSA level can be indicative of enlarged prostate (BPH), infection – commonly both experienced as men age? Yes.  Can it be elevated as much as two days after physical activity – from riding a motorcycle to having intimate relations? Yes.  Not everyone is going to agree on whether this is a test for everyone to have but statistically it has saved more lives than not.  More than enough reason not to dismiss it too lightly.

So What to Do??? Your Homework.  If you have familial history of prostate cancer, are of Afro-American descent, over the age of 40-45 – the PSA in my estimation should be a definite test to have done yearly. 

Don’t Like the PSA Reading? Well you have OPTIONS.  You can tell your doctor you want to REPEAT the test in another 4-6 weeks before undergoing a biopsy for a better chance there was not a false-positive reading.  You can ensure a Free Floating PSA is done (Free PSA) that measures the PSA free floating in the bloodstream and compares it to the PSA in the prostate area.  Devised by Johns Hopkins some time back, the wonderful tool helps eliminate unwanted biopsies in many, many men. 

Some FREE PSA Facts Every Man should Know: For several years, physicians and scientists have attempted to make the PSA test even more accurate/useful.  Most attempts – PSA density, velocity, age dependent PSA ranges were impossible to verify and not always useful.  The Free PSA, however is reproducible and useful. Again the Free PSA is that percentage of the total PSA that circulates in the bloodstream without a carrier protein.

In the graph below, the horizontal access is the percentage of Free PSA. The lighter line (CaP) corresponds to cancer patients and has a sharp peak at 10%. The darker line corresponds to the distribution of Free PSA in patients whose biopsies did not show prostate cancer. AUC means area under the curve. The relative size of the area under the curves for prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement correspond to the chances of finding prostate cancer.

In other words, Free PSA may eventually allow us to forgo biopsies altogether in men with PSA’s between 4.0 and 10.0 and a Free PSA of more then 24%.   That, in itself, makes the Free PSA test an outstanding tool!

Quick Way to Determine Yours: Take your  Free PSA, divide by the total PSA and multiply it by 100.
Example:
0.8(Free PSA) Divided By 2.8 (Total PSA) x 100 =% of Free PSA (28.6%)
(Note: This is obviously good as a Free PSA of 25% or higher is desirable)

NEXT UP!

IMPORTANT INROAD FOR A MORE ACCURATE PSA TEST FROM JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV.(Baltimore):   An experimental blood test that may more accurate detect prostate cancer that it could replace the current method and produce a completely accurate mechanism for detecting prostate disease.   Researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered an early prostate cancer antigen known as EPCA-2 which functions as a biomarker. In sampling 330 men, EPCA-2 levels were able to identify 94% of those with prostate cancer and 97% who were cancer-free.  It was noted that it was also capable of differentiating which cancers were prostate-gland confined to those that had metastasized.  Subjects used were from all areas: those with normal PSA levels with no evident disease; normal PSA levels with cancer, elevated PSA levels with negative biopsies as well as BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia/enlarged prostate) without prostate cancer.

The EPCA-2 test was able to identify 78% of men as having prostate cancer with PSA levels below 2.5 - which is quite amazing to myself, as someone that has watched detection tools over the years, as well as 3/4 of BPH patients with a EPCA-2 level below the cutoff point of 30 ng/ml. 

Robert Getzenberg, Ph.D. and Dir of Research at James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins, was quoted as saying this result was significant because BPH is often associated with elevated PSA levels, leading to misdiagnosis.

I find this particularly wonderful information to pass along to men!    I see this EPCA-2 blood test as a tool to vastly improve the accurate detection of prostate cancer EARLY and MINIMIZING the false-positive numbers…thereby the need for men to undergo unnecessary biopsies.  That in itself is beyond encouraging.

Researchers also found EPCA-2 levels were highest in men whose cancers had spread beyond the prostate area, making it far easier to detect advanced disease than PSA tests alone allow for. “This fact alone is important, since cancer that has spread outside the prostate is more deadly, which makes it even more crucial to have a tool that detects it early.” Dr. Getzenberg said.   He is planning  a larger clinical trial and estimates that the test could be approved for general use in about 18 months. Funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and Onconome, Inc., a biotechynology company in  Seattle.

Pulse Nutritional’s hat is off to Dr. Getzenberg and all those working on perfecting this test and bringing it into utilization as quickly as possible. There may be no perfect PSA test thus far…and we still stand behind the current testing methods….and eagerly await to hear more about the day a test such as EPCA-2 becomes the standard.

Fermented Soy: While for quite a long time it was thought soymilk was beneficial, we now know that “fermented” soy leads the pack and protects the prostate a great deal better.  Many studies done at Columbia, UCDavis, Cornell, and MDAnderson – to name a few – have shown this type of soy many indeed slow the growth of prostate cancer cells.  Pulse Nutritional is dedicated to providing and assisting you with using GCP (GeniKinoko), the most revered fermented soy product with the most favorable proven studies.

 So what is “fermented soy?” Miso, tofu, tempeh and natto are fairly good examples. No, this is not another language these are foods that were mostly consumed by Japanese men – who have very little incidence of prostate cancer – and now are available to all. Does this mean you need to run to the nearest Japanese restaurant or stock your shelves with these staples? Not at all.  Many health food stores and even supermarkets today offer a variety of soy yogurts, packaged tofu in the product section (a good substitute in dishes calling for chicken, meat, and fish due to its high protein). Just sauté’ or stir fry with beneficial veggies  such as mushrooms, cabbage, kale, broccoli (all high in anti-tumor capacity) and add some spices such as ginger, garlic, turmeric – delicious and prostate positive!

So while studies have shown the benefits of fermented soy, if you are not inclined to the taste of these foods, Pulse Nutritional offers a health care professional capsule form (GCP -GENIKINOKO) that provides a clinical dose of the studied original product. “(It’s a promising approach,” said Ralph de Vere White, Professor of Urology, director of the UC Davis Cancer Center, and principal investigator of the GCP studies. “If we can find a chemopreventive agent capable of slowing or stopping the progression of early, localized prostate cancer, it would be an important development in our treatment of the disease.”) Read on the PULSE web of its influential role in lowering the PSA.

Pulse Nutritional 1-800-783-9109 www.pulsenutritional.com

Visit the Pulse Nutritional web or call Toll Free 1-800-783-9109 for your free consultation with founder/owner Patricia Anne Mastroddi – for advise on diet, sleep, stress management, and protocol for these advertised products such as GCP, AHCC, ProstaCell, Lycocell, PalmettoSol.

Pulse Nutritional  stands ready to assist all listeners and has over a decade of experience with prostate cancer. Additional, Pulse offers other HCP products of notable mention: the Probiotic Bifilon, Nutracon Award Winner Metasol (Oligonol) for energy and anti-aging, Nutracon Winner VitaPQQ for mental focus, recovery from fatigue and protection of cell mitochondria, Femmenol  for balancing of female hormones and cardiovascular, mood and bone health and much more.

www.pulsenutritional.com

www.pulsenutritional.com

1.800.783.9109

Best Price at Pulse Nutritional

2010 NutrAward For “Best New Finished Product” This Ground-Breaking Nutritional Supplement Delivers Unprecedented Anti-Aging Benefits!

As a man ages (anytime over 25-30) the prostate may begin to enlarge. This is referred to as BPH or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or simply known as enlargement of the prostate.  While it is a generally benign condition a man can have both BPH and prostate cancer concurrently but his is not always the case.

Over 50% of men with BPH never develop or suffer adverse symptoms, but there have been countless I have counseled where this condition can make life very uncomfortable as the symptoms can include a hesitant, interrupted, or weak calibre of urine stream, urine urgency and even uncomfortable leaking.  Along with these symptoms there is usually a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder.  Many men also seem to have interrupted sleep due to having to awaken to urinate once or more per night.

Many men seek help for this through their doctor or urologist and while there are more and more medications to choose from for this condition we at Pulse Nutritional recommend highly are PALMETTOSOL in our Health Care Professional Line –  an organic, very strong berry concentrate of saw palmetto (serenoa repens) that is has been AMA approved for years now for the treatment of BPH or enlarged prostate.

Please visit our web at www.pulsenutritional.com for this very effective product for BPH.  It is extremely useful when combined with our DUAL-ACTION PROSTACELL, formulated by well-known Urologist Dr. Aaron Katz.  Both work synergistically to keep the prostate healthy and address BPH and the hormonal changes that occur as men age.      

Additionally, Pulse offers these other “common sense” suggestions:

• Stress Reduction via exercising, meditating, relaxation techniques are always helpful.
• Be sure when voiding to void completely.  Taking your time to do this and not rushing is important.
• Limit what your drink after 7-8 pm at night, especially tea, coffee, alcohol.  All of these have direct correlation to the bladder’s muscle tone and can over stimulate your kidneys to product more urine, particularly during the night.
• Always see your doctor if symptoms are severe and rule out any possible infection that can be leading to this condition, particularly is there is burning upon urinating.

Visit our web for more information on how Pulse can help!

Visit Pulse Nutritional web site www.pulsenutritional.com and read our BLOG and review our exceptional products!

1.800.783.9109

email: patricia@pulsenutritional.com