8 Prostate Cancer Treatment with Home Remedies that Work

This combination is considered to be a complementary therapy. And when home remedies are used instead of standard medical care it is considered to be an alternative therapy. 

It is vital to discuss with your doctor before starting the home remedy as some of the medications' effects may decrease with the current treatment. It is also important to consult with your doctor if you’re choosing to stop standard medical care over home remedies. Many home remedies may alleviate treatment’s side effects but none home remedy has been clinically proven to cure cancer. If you’re still choosing home remedy over standard medical care, you could be putting your life at risk of advancing prostate cancer which may be  incurable. 

Prostate Cancer Symptoms:

In early stages, prostate cancer may not show any signs or symptoms. But the advanced screening of prostate cancer may show the following signs and symptoms:

Screening involves the test that measures levels of PSA in the blood. High levels suggest that cancer cells may be present. 

• Bone Pain especially in the hips, thighs or shoulders
• Blood in semen
• Trouble urinating
• Erectile dysfunction
• Discomfort in the pelvic area
• Decreased force in the flow of urine
• A frequent urge to urinate especially at night
• Painful urination
• Weight loss
• Swelling in the legs
• Tiredness
• Changes in bowel habits 
• Back pain 

The estimated Prostate Cancer Treatment cost in India starts from 4 lakhs. The best prostate cancer hospital in India is Dharamshila Narayana super specialty hospital, kokilaben hospital in Mumbai, Fortis Hospital in Mumbai, and Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai. But still if you prefer to go for home remedies alongside the treatment or as an alternative to the medications, consider the following. 

• Changes in diet:

A change in diet involves adding lots of nutritional foods to your daily routine. These diets include vegetarian diets like adopting a plant based diet, juicing, following a low-fat diet, including antioxidants like cooked tomatoes, fish, berries, pomegranates, broccoli or green tea. 

Overall research says that there is no direct link between a healthy diet and prostate cancer but consuming a healthier diet decreases your risk of developing primary or recurrent cancer. This may be due to healthier foods which is positively impacting cell progression, maintaining a healthy weight and hormone regulation. By loading up on the antioxidants, healthy fats and anti-inflammatory foods, you can keep your prostate healthy. 

• Dietary supplements:

Dietary supplements are similar in changing the diet and adapting to healthy eating. There may be some benefit of adding vitamins and minerals to your diet while your body is struggling to fight against cancer but there is no evidence that it will stop the growth of cancer. The studies by SELECT trial, has stopped the use of Vitamin E and selenium after which no benefit was found in these dietary supplements for prostate cancer. 

• Herbal supplements or plant extracts:

Herbal supplements may decrease the effectiveness of some cancer drugs. They may also have some side effects so it’s important to tell your provider before you start. The provider will be able to tell if it’s safe to use. Other plant extracts like saw palmetto may help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which is the non-cancerous growth of prostate glands during the aging process. However, no evidence has shown that this plant can cure prostate cancer or help prevent this cancer. Turmeric and milk have shown some anticancer properties but neither does have a definitive correlation to decreasing prostate cancer risk or slowing down cancer cell growth. More research is required to show the relationship between dietary supplements and prostate cancer progression. 

• Essential oils:

Essential oils are extracted from aromatic plants. These oils can be either applied topically or inhaled via a diffuser or directly by an inhaler. There is as of now, no published evidence that these oils can cure cancer but it can be effective in reducing stress, anxiety, cancer-related symptoms such as vomiting and nausea, and some side effects of cancer treatment. These oils impact the brain sensory or emotional system and may have some pain-relieving or anti-inflammatory properties. Essential oils are also used for massages. 

• Cannabis:

Cannabis also known as marijuana contains cannabinoids. Some of these cannabinoids could have anti-cancer properties. However, these are used for cancer symptoms and treatments to side effect relief. The two FDA approved cannabinoid containing drugs- dronabinol and nabilone are indicated for the treatment of chemotherapy-related vomiting and nausea. They also help alleviate pain. 

Prostate Cancer Treatment In India:

The treatment of Prostate Cancer in India will depend on the stage of the cancer. We have listed treatment options for each stage of prostate cancer that is generally recommended by the doctor or the team of experts, instead of home remedies. 

• Early Stage Prostate Cancer:

• Monitoring:

If the cancer is small and localized, the doctor may check PSA blood levels regularly but take no immediate action. As said above, the cancer grows slowly and the risk of side effects outweighs the immediate treatment. 

• Surgery:

A prostatectomy is one possible treatment for prostate cancer at an early stage. The doctor may remove the prostate gland using either open surgery or laparoscopic. 

• Radiation Therapy:

Brachytherapy: A doctor wll implant radioactive seeds in the prostate to deliver targeted radiation treatment.

Conformal radiation therapy: This therapy targets the specific area, minimizing the risk to the healthy tissue. Another type called intensity-modulated radiation therapy uses beams with variable intensity. 

• Advanced Prostate Cancer:

As cancer grows, it may spread throughout the body. If it spreads and comes back even after remission, the treatment option will change. 

• Chemotherapy:

This may kill cancerous cells in the body but it also causes adverse side effects. 

• Hormonal Therapy: 

Lupron is a kind of hormonal therapy used by the doctor to treat prostate cancer. 

The treatment depends on various factors. Doctors will discuss and provide the best solution. Surgery is not recommended by doctors in the later stages as it doesn't treat cancer that has spread throughout the body.

Although there are some new approaches that aims to treat prostate cancer without any side effects :

1. Cryotherapy is the use of very cold temperature that kills cancerous cells in the prostate. It avoids side effects. 
2. High intensity focused ultrasound 

After surgery, doctors will keep monitoring the PSA levels. 

As such there is no exhaustive list of home remedies to cure prostate cancer. As mentioned above, it’s vital to talk with your doctor before trying any of these home remedies alongside your cancer treatment. Although a good nutritious diet and an active lifestyle can reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer and also slow its progression, treatment is a must.