If you’re a man over 40, chances are pretty good that you’ll have an enlarged prostate at some point in your life. And while this is not a reason to panic, it is a reason to take prostate health seriously.

Here’s what you need to know.

The signs and symptoms of enlarged prostate include:
> Difficulty with urination (including incomplete emptying of the bladder.)
> Discomfort or pain (burning sensation) behind the testicles.
> Urgency with urination.
> Dribbling after urination.
> Frequent night-time trips to the bathroom (2 or more) to urinate.
> Possible discomfort with ejaculation or difficulty maintaining an erection.

By far, the most common complaints with BPH relate to frequency, urgency and incomplete urination.

Before you get too concerned, let’s be clear about something.

An enlarged prostate, called “Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy” (BPH) is not cancer. 

And while prostate cancer may result in an enlarged prostate, BPH is not cancerous.

The underlying causes of BPH have to do with how your body processes and testosterone and its by-products. One of the components of testosterone metabolism, and the chief cause of prostate enlargement (as well as hair loss) is Dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

DHT is known to stimulate prostate cell activity, which ultimately results in an enlarged (although benign) prostate.

To counter an enlarged prostate, it is necessary to find herbal supplements that have a “DHT-blocking” effect on the body, and prevent DHT from attaching to, and stimulating, cell receptors in the prostate. Doing this has the effect on the prostate of “letting the air out of the tires”, reducing pressure and improving urination, as well as comfort.

Some of the recommended herbs for prostate health include saw palmetto, pygeum bark extract, pumpkin seed oil, nettle leaf extract and lycopene (from tomatoes).

In terms of mineral supplements, taking 10-30 mg of zinc each day seems to be a recommended guideline for daily intake.

Specific health formulas exist, that mix herbal extracts with zinc, to address BPH–we have a product for this (”Prostate Support–Saw Palmeto Pygeum Plus“) through Miley Labs. It works well for BPH, and seems to have a positive effect on urination within two weeks from the start of taking it.

There are other products like this on the market, and some may be just fine to take.

If you do look into a prostate support formula, make sure you are getting 320 mg of standardized Saw Palmetto Berry extract per day ( with 85-95% fatty acid sterols as the standardized level per capsule.)

Also look for Pygeum bark extract standardized to 12% Beta-sitosterol (3.25 mg) per capsule, and take 11-14 mg of this per day.

Again, the product I put together for Prostate Support in Miley Labs has these levels of ingredients, plus Zinc, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Nettle Leaf extract (standardized to 5% total amino acids) and Lycopene– so take a look if you are interested.