3 Common Myths That Are Hurting Prostate Cancer Patients Dearly

Not too long ago, the tumor was the absolute focus of the treatment and it was common to be shoehorned into invasive and radical treatments without exploring other options first. Personal care or understanding was minimal, and emotional support, healthy lifestyle options and immunity-enhancement procedures were usually ignored in favor of more risky methods of prostate cancer care.

However, the conventional wisdom regarding the treatment of prostate cancer has been evolving and now takes into consideration the crucial role you, as the patient, must play in charting your path to recovery. This emerging school of thought understands that treating the cancer by itself isn’t enough. It is absolutely essential that you explore all of your medical options. Greg Anderson, founder of the Cancer Recovery Foundation, has played a crucial part in changing this old model of thinking. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, but managed to recover due to a more strategic approach to recovery.

So, if you have to take control of your recovery, here are a few common myths about prostate cancer that you shouldn’t buy into.

1. You think that the urologist who performed your biopsy is somehow an expert on prostate cancer.

The truth is that your urologist is likely a tremendously busy practitioner and handles a wide spectrum of different conditions such as infections, kidney stones, incontinence and impotence. Oh, and he also does some biopsies.

But here’s the thing – the average urologist performs no more than five prostatectomies a year, a number that is far too low to imply expertise of any kind. While he might be an otherwise talented doctor, there is no reason to believe he is also a prostate cancer expert. Once you have your biopsy results, make sure you concert an actual prostate cancer expert at a trusted medical center or a clinic that specializes in prostate cancer treatment.

2. You think that prostate cancer is just as dangerous as other forms of cancer.

Quite the contrary, in fact – prostate cancer has an extremely low mortality rate when compared to other cancers. Every year, there are about 200,000 men who are diagnosed with the condition in the United States alone. However, the mortality rate is less than 15%, and even within this small percentage, men usually live for more than a decade. The vast majority of men who suffer from this condition are subject to a less aggressive and therefore low-risk version, and can therefore anticipate living the rest of their lives normally. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer actually die of something else.

3. You assume that the best way to stop the spread of the cancer is to decide upon a method of treatment quickly.

It is incredibly important that you don’t let yourself be pressured into making a hasty decision that can backfire. Do your own research, explore your options, and decide what kind of treatment seems like the best choice. The internet is a great place for researching treatment options. Once the severity of your condition has been identified, get online and go through every possible alternative that you have (including undergoing no treatment at all) for your treatment. For low-risk prostate cancer patients above 70, finding an experienced doctor to monitor your condition regularly is recommended.

That’s not where your responsibility ends though. You have to take charge of changing your lifestyle to give yourself the best possible chance of recovery. Researchers at UCSF proved that reducing stress, getting better nutrition and regular exercise can lower levels of PSA. According to research on “illness representation”, an emerging field of health psychology, your expectations and beliefs have an impact on your recovery.

If you’re currently going through some prostate problems or would like to take preventative action to ensure that these problems never come to pass, you have to care for your prostate with proper nutritional support.

Many men experience an enlarged prostate, which is different to prostate cancer, with the main symptom being a frequent urge to go to the bathroom at night. Although an enlarged prostate can be simply annoying as opposed to being life threatening, it is a sign that all is not well with your prostate.

You should make an effort to control any enlargement as soon as or before you start getting symptoms. In that regard you may like to read an article I did on this subject called ‘Prostate Health… Sex, Lies and Misconceptions’.

Stop doing yourself a disservice by believing things that aren’t true. Take control of your prostate today.