Great Information Shared by Dr. Vikram Chauhan (MD-Ayurveda)
Interviewer: Good Morning Dr. Vikram.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Good Morning.
Interviewer: Today it’s a very great day and you are here with us. And as usual, you share very great information about health. So today our topic is a prostate problem in men. So please explain.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yeah! The prostate gland is a very small but very important gland in males. It is actually located at the neck of the urinary bladder. It is surrounding the pipe which goes out from the urinary bladder to the outside. It’s a urine pipe, it is surrounding that pipe some part of the prostate. The small sized, like a big walnut about 11 to 12 gm. in weight and this prostate usually in elderly men about the age of 50 or 60 it starts to get enlarged. Because of some hormonal imbalances and you know hectic lifestyle, stress, there are so many reasons. So this starts to get enlarged. And this is called prostatic enlargement.
Interviewer: Right.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yeah! And which is very troublesome to the men. And it causes symptoms like dribbling of the urine, and there is a problem in urination. The Stream is not clear, it comes out in the drop by drop pattern. There is an obstruction in the urine because it is surrounding. The cells they grow up and they surround the urethra, the pipe which takes away the urine. The Significant of why there is prostate gland in males. Basically the prostate the literal meaning of prostate is a protector. It is a guard. It protects the genetic material. The most part of semen is made up of prostatic secretions. So prostate makes the alkaline fluid and the sperms they are, they travel in this fluid into the highly acidic media of vagina just to ensure this semen alkalinity of the semen or the prostatic secretions. This just to make sure the survival time of the sperms is longer. So it is kind of protector of the genetic material. Protects the sperms.
Interviewer: So these are very can say visible symptoms one can easily check that he is having some sort of problem.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yeah! When the men start to age about 55 or 60 so if they are having, facing some problem in urination frequently. The urine is not coming out with ease, sometimes burning sensation, sometimes recurrent urinary tract infection, sometimes they are drop by drop coming, and all these problems and feeling of fullness all the time wants to go to the urine. So these kinds of symptoms that means the prostate is getting enlarged.
Interviewer: So is there any clinical method also to establish?
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: This is the clinical method. You just have to, just see the symptoms if the patient comes. Just see, we in Ayurveda diagnose through pulse also. And if laboratory, we want to go to the laboratory to check.
Interviewer: Yeah! the modern way most of the people rely on.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yeah! you can go check through ultrasound also. Size of the prostate. You can check the PSA levels also. Just to know if there is any cancer or cancerous growth in the prostate. Because you know hypertrophy can be benign, prostate enlargement can be benign as well as cancerous. So there is a zone, the transitional zone in that zone its mostly benign. But if it is peripheral zone, it’s mostly cancerous. So the growth one can see through an ultrasound in which part of the prostate the growth is, and also through the measuring the PSA levels one can make sure if it is cancerous or it is not. Even if the PSA levels are increased, there are certain ayurvedic medicines. And even if the size is increased there are certain ayurvedic medicines which shrink the prostate.
Interviewer: Ok! to its normal size.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yeah! to its normal size. And also they clear the path in the. Once the prostate gets shrunk than the symptoms they are all gone. And it is not like temporary, it is permanent.
Interviewer: That’s very great. So which herb in Ayuveda help, if you can explain.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yeah! there are about, there are so many, the most important of them are like varuna. Varuna is, Crateva Nurvala (religiosa) in Latin. This is a tree, like this big tree. Not this, this is a huge tree but something little smaller from this one. So the bark of the tree we use to make tablets Varunadi vati. So varuna is, in Hindu mythology, it is called the angel of water, so anything any disease related to water in the body it goes away after using that vauna bark tablets. So Varunadi vati is there. There is another plant, there is another tree, it is coincidence we are standing near kanchnaar.
Interviewer: Yeah! it’s here.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: You saw this tree growing here. This is Kanchnaar tree. You see this is the leaves they are if want to see recognize the leaf. This cleaved leaf.
Interviewer: Oh! It’s different kind of leaf.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: It’s called yugam patra in ayurveda. Yugam patra is united leaves. Leaf, this pinna is divided into two but still united. So this is called yugam patrak also called kanchnaar popularly. The flowers are beautiful, pinkish flower very beautiful.
Interviewer: I think these days it’s not.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Now it’s not the season. But the bark of this tree is very useful in tumor and cancers and any growths. In all sort of cysts, fibroids, and prostate, any growth, any cancers, even lymph node swelling we use kanchnaar bark.
Interviewer: Very useful tree.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Very useful. Whenever it is cancerous, any sort of cancerous growth in the body, or non-cancerous or benign growth in the body ovarian cysts, fibroids, prostate enlargement, swollen lymph nodes, even in case of sarcoidosis, swollen lymph nodes. Kanchnaar guggul we use for that. So without any side effects, the patient feels the benefit. And it shrinks the growth. Even in the piles also. So kanchnaar guggul is there, varunadi vati is there, there is another herb called tribulus. Tribulus is very popular or use in men, for its overall sexual performance increasing, and the male enhancement, very popular as male enhancement. Tribulus gokshura.
Interviewer: Oh! Yeah, i heard of this.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: So it’s a small shrub, lying at the ground, and the fruits are useful. And a standaridized extract of that containing at least 40% saponin should be used to make it effective. Otherwise most of the tribulus people use, it depends upon the source where it is collected so the maximum saponin content should be there.
Interviewer: So varuna, kanchnaar, this tribulus, these all are very useful. Are there any other?
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yes there are. Varuna is there, kanchnaar is there and tribulus is there.
Interviewer: So are there any herbs apart from this kanchnaar, varunadi, and tribulus?
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Kanchnaar, there are so many as I told you for this prostate growth, and shilajit is also one of them.
Interviewer: Yeah! I also heard of that, Shilajit.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Shilajit is a wonder, miracle especially for men. It is rich in about 85 micro minerals. It is a resin exudate from the rocks. It is a rock mineral. It is the richest source of natural micro minerals. So it helps to streamline the urine and prevents urine tract infections. And also helps to shrink the prostate. So I am using shilajit in my practice from last 15 yrs and also all these other medicines for the prostate.
Interviewer: So how long one has to use these herbs?
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Within one month you can see the difference. Within 15-20 days the symptomatic improvement is there. But if you want to see the overall changes in the ultrasound, in the PSA levels it should be used for about 3-6 months. PSA levels they come down in 2 months or 3 months, the prostate size decreases in 3-6 months. In ultrasound, you can see. So at least 3-6 months I recommend.
Interviewer: So are there any lifestyle or diet-related advice to be followed?
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: This you know nowadays people are eating too much processed food and frozen food and junk food. So it should be avoided. The natural diet should be taken.
Interviewer: So Dr. Vikram are there any dietary recommendations for this condition of the prostate?
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: You know nowadays everybody is consuming processed food and packaged food. So it is not only for prostate but also for general wellbeing. Processed food should be avoided, alcohol should be avoided, meat or non-veg products should be avoided. Can be consumed in moderate quantity, as people are consuming from so many years but technically speaking if you ask me I would recommend avoid alcohol, avoid non-veg, avoid proteins. In prostate, proteins are not good and try to take vegetables and fruits. More vegetables and fruits and this is what is general advice for all of my patient I give.
Interviewer: Thank you very much, Dr. Vikram for sharing such great information. I think viewers will be delighted. Thank you.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Thank you.