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Men, celebrate Father’s Day by becoming aware of your natural health options
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Father’s Day approaches and nothing beats the gift of health. By being aware of your body and your state of health, you are likely to live a longer, more enjoyable life. Many men feel that there are few natural options for addressing health issues that arise with age, but that is a wrong assumption. There are plenty of herbs that are safe alternatives to more toxic prescription medicines for anything from E.D. to prostate problems to hair loss.
While you should have regular screenings after age 50 for prostate cancer, there are natural options for any problems found. For benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate where urination is urgent, frequent, and sometimes painful, try such simple fixes as a tea blended with saw palmetto, fennel seed, anise seed, black cohosh and red clover blossoms. Drink it a couple of times a day or more until desired relief is found. This blend will not conflict with standard prostate cancer treatments, either! A standardized extract of saw palmetto is even more effective than a tea made from it.
Seminole Indians of Florida have used saw palmetto for this problem for centuries, as well as for pelvic pain, bladder disorders, decreased libido, hair loss and hormone imbalances. It has a long and well-studied past.
What dietary measures are available? Cranberry juice is wonderful for kidney and bladder function and therefore, assists the prostate. Cornsilk tea isn’t too bad, either. Simply save the silks from ears of corn, let them dry on a paper towel, and use to make a tea or blend them with a tea that doesn’t contain caffeine or tannins (i.e., black teas). Sweeten with honey. Honey also soothes the urinary tract.
There are more herbal suggestions that are too numerous to mention here, but links below will assist you in finding them.
Now, for the loss of testosterone as we age. This is natural and reduces the desire or ability for sexual activity. You hear about so many E.D. products on the market, and some have terrible side effects. There are safe, natural ways to increase libido. Most well-known is Yohimbe, a West African herb that works for men only. It is from the inner bark of a large evergreen tree in the madder (red dye) family. It seems to increase desire, performance and size. Scientific studies have been conducted on it since the 1930’s, so it has been tried and true. The plant chemical from it, Yohimbine, is approved by the FDA for impotence. There are side effects: both positive and negative.
Positive side effects are that it helps build muscle mass, so many body builders prefer to use yohimbe. It also appears to enhance mood and fight mild depression and exhaustion. On the other hand, if too much is taken, it can cause anxiety, jitters, nervousness, headache and insomnia. It never should be taken with alcohol. This enhances the jitters and nerves. People prone to panic attacks, manic depression, heart/liver/kidney problems, schizophrenia, or diabetes shouldn’t take yohimbe.
Alternative herbal libido assistance can be found in damiana, ginseng, or horny goat weed. Damiana (Turnera diffusa) is a native of Mexico and areas of Central and South America. It has a pleasant taste and has been used as an herbal aphrodisiac for centuries. Do not take damiana if there are urinary tract infections. It can irritate the urethra even more.
Horny goat weed hails from China and has also been used as an aphrodisiac for both men and women. It has been used safely for more than 2000 years! Now, that’s adequate testing! It comes from several species of the epimedium plant, which grows at fairly high altitudes. Not only does it increase libido, it helps with fatigue and with menopause symptoms.
Another source of irritation for men is hair loss. Follicles get clogged with dirt and oil and hair eventually dies without growing new hair. Of course, genetic disposition also has a part in hair loss. Millions of dollars are spent on hair restoration products and procedures. While there is not an all-purpose hair growing natural product, there are herbs that do clean hair follicles and encourage growth. Many old folk remedies include an egg yolk massaged into the scalp and left for an hour, then washed off or castor oil on the scalp and root wrapped in newspaper! While that seems far-fetched, it appears to work! However, there are less messy, better smelling ways to get hair growth stimulated. The best appears to be a combination of horsetail grass and rosemary boiled like a tea and cooled, then bottled and used daily as a hair rinse. It also seems to stimulate hair growth for those who have lost hair during chemotherapy! It smells wonderful, too.
It’s Men’s Health Month – take charge of your health now!
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