Some Frequently Asked Questions, first published in SAGA Magazine (16)
Professor George Lewith
I’m taking Saw Palmetto for an enlarged prostate and have regular PSA tests, but I’ve heard that the herb may make test results less reliable – is this true?
Saw Palmetto is a herb that is used for benign prostatic hypertrophy (non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland). This condition usually presents with increasing urinary problems in older men with symptoms of poor urinary flow, some dribbling at the end of the stream, and when the prostate gets very enlarged, acute urinary retention. This means it becomes impossible to pass urine for a short time and the problem needs to be managed as an emergency. The usual approach to a benignly enlarged prostate is to watch and wait and initially use some medical interventions to improve bladder contraction. Surgical intervention may be required to rebore the bladder outflow into the urethra (the tube connecting the bladder to the outside world!). Saw Palmetto can definitely help diminish prostate size; in fact the Mayo Clinic rates Saw Palmetto as very effective, giving it an A; its highest grade as evidence for effectiveness. Saw Palmetto is very safe and currently very few severe side effects have been noted in the public literature or any of the adverse reaction databases. The most common adverse reactions involve some soreness in the stomach and intestine, nausea, vomiting, bad breath, constipation and diarrhoea. Two worldwide cases of severe bleeding have occurred after Saw Palmetto use, so it is probably best to stop it a week or two before you have any prostatic surgery (or indeed any surgery). In order for it to be clearly effective you need to take the Saw Palmetto for at least three months before you will see sustained benefit. In theory, prostate specific antigen (PSA, a blood test for prostate cancer) may be artificially lowered by Saw Palmetto, but there is no actual evidence that this happens. It is possible that you may miss slowly developing prostatic cancer if you are taking Saw Palmetto, and so it would be wise to stop the herb for 2 or 3 weeks before having a PSA test done, and then restart it later. It is a really safe remedy and one that should be far more widely used conventionally for the treatment of this common condition which affects almost every elderly man..
Will massage with Arnica oil do anything for arthritic joints? It’s not cheap so I’d like to know before I buy some.
Arnica oil comes from Arnica Montana, Leopards Bane, an alpine plant. Arnica has been traditionally used for bruises, strains, sprains and injuries to muscle. It has always been thought of as a herbal remedy and applied topically in oil or an ointment. The evidence for its use homeopathically, particularly in the treatment of bruising, pain and discomfort immediately after operations, or to treat the muscle soreness that people get after running, is largely unproven. It appears that homeopathic arnica may be no better than Placebo. Arnica oil isn’t routinely used for arthritic joints, muscles are where it is traditionally supposed to be effective, although there is not much evidence for its use in terms of randomised controlled trials. I have not been able to identify any well known adverse reactions from Arnica, although all preparations applied to the skin, particularly oils, may cause a local dermatitis or irritation. Arnica oil is surprisingly expensive for an essential oil. If you want to do something for your arthritic joint then you might be much better off looking at some oral nutritional and herbal products, such as Glucosamine, Turmeric and Devil’s Claw.
I’m confused as to whether there is any point taking calcium supplements to protect my bones. I am a 55 year old woman and eat a healthy diet.
I am assuming that you are wondering whether large amounts of extra calcium supplementation will protect you against osteoporosis. The main reason why people develop osteoporosis is related to a change in their hormones, not their diet. After the menopause (and most women are postmenopausal by the time they are 55) your body’s hormonal balance changes and the cells that build up bone are much less active than the ones that destroy bones. There are many factors that may affect osteoporosis, one of which is exercise and the other smoking. The first piece of advice is don’t smoke, and the second is to take regular weight bearing exercise, brisk walking is ideal. Your diet needs to have enough calcium in it (usually at least a gram a day) and this should be accompanied by a reasonable supply of both magnesium and zinc; usually about 200 mg of magnesium a day and about 10 to 15 mg of zinc. All these trace elements will help maintain bone health, but they should also all be in a normal healthy diet. While taking an inadequate amount of calcium may predispose you very marginally to osteoporosis, diet is only a secondary factor. You lay down most of your body calcium as a teenager; your hormones are pretty good at protecting your calcium levels during your reproductive years, and again it is a hormonal change post-menopausally, which is the primary trigger for osteoporosis..
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