With all the media talk about prostate surgery vs. taking drugs for prostate
problems, you would think those are your only two options.
If
information like this can save one more person from making a mistake with
their prostate health, it will be worth taking the time to educate yourself
on this important subject.
Are you aware
that you can avoid surgery and drugs with proper testing in the first place?
Let’s take a
look at the facts when it comes to testing for prostate problems and look
beyond the media headlines.
Better
testing leads to more accurate information and a better diagnosis about the
health of your prostate. And one of the keys is early detection with the
RIGHT tests.
The most
commonly MIS-used test is the PSA or Prostate Specific Antigen test.
Prostate-specific antigen - is a protein which is naturally
produced by the prostate gland. Prostate tumors typically cause
over-production of PSA, so when a blood test reveals an elevated level of
the protein, it's a red flag that warns of possible problems.
Both cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH which is
a swelling of the prostate, can increase PSA levels.
What doctors usually do next is to recommend a biopsy. This
is the next step toward trouble. Prostate biopsies are painful procedures
that can result in bleeding and infection which only worsens your problem –
if you even have one.
And recent evidence shows that most of these biopsies are
completely unnecessary.
In a 2003 study from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center in New York City, researchers set out to determine if fluctuations in
PSA levels would reveal a single PSA test result to be unreliable on its
own.
The conclusions of this 4 year study revealed that an
isolated PSA screening with an elevated level should be followed with an
additional screening several weeks later before proceeding with further
testing or a biopsy.
Because the problem with a single PSA test is that PSA
levels normally fluctuate and having just one test leads to over diagnosis
of prostate problems.
Here is where the AMAS test is significantly better.
A more sensible and dependable way to screen for prostate
cancer is a blood test called the anti-malignin antibody screen (AMAS).
Anti-malignan antibody levels become elevated when any cancer cells are
present in the body.
Most importantly, these levels rise early in the development
of cancer cells, which means that cancer can sometimes be detected several
months before other clinical tests might find it.
With an accuracy rate of more than 95 percent, the AMAS test
is much more reliable than the PSA test. And the best way to detect prostate
problems is a SERIES of PSA tests (as the Sloan- Kettering Trial concluded),
WITH the AMAS test.
This powerful combination of tests will allow you to avoid
false alarms which lead to painful biopsies, drugs and unnecessary painful
surgery.
The more you learn about these tests, the more you will feel
compelled to implement them.
You can find out more about the AMAS test at
http://www.amascancertest.com.
As you can see, these are important tests to take over a
period of time which can save you from unnecessary surgery and drugs.
Take control of your own health by educating yourself about
tests, treatments and nutrition so that you can become more healthy and stay
healthier in the long run.
2004 © by Lee Cummings
Leeman@LC-Nutrition.com
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About The Author
Lee Cummings has been helping people solve problems and feel
better with proven nutrition for over 4 years. Lee publishes the montly LC
Nutrition newsletter. For a No cost Report -
mailto:report@lc-nutrition.com
Discover proven nutrition information visit:
http://www.LC-Nutrition.com;
leeman@wi.rr.com
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