My family has some prostate issue history. But as with anything, at 46 yrs. old, I tend to still think of myself as invincible. So as I began showing signs of change (primarily having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom), at first I simply wrote it off as part of the aging process that just wouldn’t change.
But then, my normal view on health took over, and it reminded me that I should not view this like the world views this… “just getting older, it is bound to happen”. I am two months in, on taking Saw Palmetto daily. The supplement is, as all supplements seem to be, controversial as to whether or not it does anything.
This from WebMD :
Saw palmetto doesn’t shrink the overall size of the prostate, but it seems to shrink the inner lining that puts pressure on the tubes that carry urine. Saw palmetto also might prevent testosterone from being converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is thought that some types of hair loss are caused by increased sensitivity of hair follicles to DHT. Reduced levels of DHT may help prevent these types of hair loss.
I haven’t seemed to have any significant hair loss, so I can’t really report on that. But I had moved to a nightly bathroom call between 4am and 5am… which on the days where I planned on waking at 5:30am… was simply annoying. Right in that window of, “should I go back to sleep, or not”, but in some cases it was a whole hour of sleep I was losing. And if you have heard me speak on sleep, this is one of those, “do what I say not what I do areas.”
Two capsules a day totalling 640mg, and by day 35, I had noticed that I was no longer waking in the night. Now, just over 60 days in, I have not woke to go to the bathroom one time since day 35. I guess I should preface, I don’t sleep 8 hours a night, so it isn’t like I am going for 8 hours, I am typically getting 6 hours a night… I know, I know…. but I am hoping that on nights where I get seven, which are typically at least one or two a week, I will continue to see these results that I have seen so far, and perhaps If I reach 8 once and awhile, I will still be fine lying in bed, no longer dreaming about how bad I have to go to the bathroom only to wake and find myself needing to relieve myself (don’t tell me you haven’t had those dreams too).
If you are interested in trying it out, let our office know, and we will order your magical pills for you.
Be well and be blessed! – Dr. E