Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Thuja (Eastern White Cedar, Thuja Occidentalis) [1, 16, 17, 18]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Little is known about the full effects of Thuja, so it is not recommended for medicinal use. Thuja can be poisonous if ingested in large amounts.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Thuja helps to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Saw Palmetto Extract [1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Palmetto extract may cause side effects, though these are uncommon. They may include headache, vomiting, dizziness, constipation, diarrhoea, insomnia or fatigue. Long term effects have not yet been researched.

Recommendation: Weakly in favor (Clinical trials have shown that Saw Palmetto may help to treat the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy. Although a review concluded that most studies suggest improvement in symptoms, there have been studies with decidedly mixed or negative results. Further research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: moderate level of evidence

Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Red Clover helps to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy. Early tests done had unreliable results. More tests are needed.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Naturopathic Medicine:

Recommendation: no recommendation (there is insufficient evidence to support claims that Naturopathic Medicine helps to treat benign Prostatic Hypertrophy)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/redclover/

3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19609225

4. http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/natural-fertility-boosters.html

5. http://indigo-herbs.co.uk/acatalog/Red_Clover_Flowers_Info.html

6. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/trifolium_pratense.html

7. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/red-clover

8. http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69350.cfm

9. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/saw-palmetto

10. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/palmetto/

11. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-sawpalmetto.html

12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12137626

13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16467543

14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18423748

15. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/saw-palmetto/NS_patient-sawpalmetto

16. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002769.htm

17. http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_thoc2.pdf

18. http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v%3Aproject=medlineplus&query=thuja&x=0&y=0
 

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