Hi, Folks -

The idea that "most men will have prostatic enlargement at some age during their lives" seems absurd to me. That can't possibly be a part of "the original factory design specification" for male human beings. :)

Apparently PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) is present in small amounts in all males and has an important role in sexual function. Higher levels of PSA are viewed as an indicator of prostatic enlargement and therefore also as an indicator of increased _possibility_ of developing prostate cancer.

But that would be correlation, not causation, and begs the question, "What exactly is the body working to accomplish with elevated PSA levels?" We need the answer to that question before any of this makes real sense and before the cause of prostatic enlargement can actually be addressed..

The article linked below is written chiefly from the perspective of prostate cancer, though (per Wikipedia) "The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF, 2012) does not recommend PSA screening for prostate cancer, noting that the test may result in “overdiagnosis” and “overtreatment” because "most prostate cancer is asymptomatic for life" and treatments involve risks of complications including impotence (erectile dysfunction) and incontinence. The USPSTF concludes "the potential benefit does not outweigh the expected harms."[5] PSA is not a unique indicator of prostate cancer, but may also detect prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia.[6] 30 percent of patients with high PSA have prostate cancer diagnosed after biopsy."

The GreenMedInfo article mentions that a study involving extracts of a particular mushroom had the result in a certain percentage of cases of lowered PSA level and also of reduction of certain immunosuppressive factors - which leads one to wonder, "Are those two benefits separate or are they actually talking about the same thing?" That is, "Could it be that normalized immune response _allows_ PSA to go down and perhaps even prostatic enlargement to be reversed? Could the whole thing be about an unrealized low-grade infection of some kind?"

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Mushroom Lowers PSA in Prostate Cancer Men



by Case Adams, Naturopath

Mushrooms add a nice flavor along with nutrients to any dish. Now a phase I clinical study has found that a certain mushroom will reduce PSA levels in men who've had prostate cancer. Click to Read

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/mushroom-lowers-psa-prostate-cancer-men

Excerpt:

[snip]

The researchers found that over a third of the patients – or 36 percent – experienced reductions in their PSA levels during the three-month period. That is, their PSA levels were below the levels they had in the beginning of the study.

Some of the patients experienced what the researchers called a “complete response.” This means their PSA levels went down so far that their PSA levels were “undetectable.” Furthermore, these undetectable PSA levels continued for 30 months in one patient and 49 months in another patient.

Furthermore, those who experienced either a complete response or a partial response also saw increased immune strength. This is specific in interleukin-15 and myeloid-derived suppressor cells – both important in fighting prostate cancer or preventing its recurrence.

[snip]

© 2016 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter.

Full article:

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/mushroom-lowers-psa-prostate-cancer-men

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