# Saw Palmetto



## ren531 (19 Nov 2021)

Has anyone had any experience with Saw Palmetto the hebal remedy often mentioned in the treatment of benign prostate enlargement, is it any good.


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## a.twiddler (19 Nov 2021)

Like many herbal remedies, there is insufficient scientific evidence to show that it is effective. Despite this, there are many sellers of products who would like to relieve you of your money while telling you that it is effective.

I'm sure that someone will be along shortly with anecdotal evidence to say that it works for them. Are you receiving treatment through your GP? Are you having issues with medication prescribed by your GP? Your first port of call should be your doctor. If you are self diagnosing from information on the internet, you really need to get it checked out.

It's a sad fact that for most men, if they live long enough, they will develop benign prostate enlargement. Some won't have any symptoms, some will have mild symptoms, but an awful lot have symptoms that affect what they can do and where they can go without being too far from a toilet.

If you are old enough to have symptoms you might well be over 60, in which case prescriptions will be free on the NHS, so why pay for herbal remedies?

To answer your original question, when I was first diagnosed with this affliction I did a lot of reading but didn't go through the unproven alternative remedies route. I had a battery of tests, some of them quite uncomfortable, to eliminate other causes and was prescribed medication which has been effective with no side effects. All free on the NHS and despite the restrictions of Covid, done in a good time scale. Nobody likes to be reminded of their mortality or their progress towards it through the inevitability of ageing, or to know that they will likely be on medication for the rest of their lives, but sometimes you have to just suck it up for the benefits it brings.


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## Milzy (19 Nov 2021)

I once tried this & felt no benefit. Just snake oil. Healthy diet is the way to go, eat real foods.


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## yello (19 Nov 2021)

a.twiddler said:


> Nobody likes to be reminded of their mortality or their progress towards it through the inevitability of ageing, or to know that they will likely be on medication for the rest of their lives, but sometimes you have to just suck it up for the benefits it brings.



Amen to that.

I don't have a prostate problem (yet) but I know too well the difficulty accepting that I'm clapping out and the drugs are fixing nothing, just keeping me relatively comfortable until the inevitable. I'm almost, kinda OK with that - given the drugs are working.

I'm sorry I can't offer an opinion or advice on Saw Palmeto, or herbal remedies generally. My only experience with herbal remedies was for hay fever - and it was, frankly, a waste of time. I read reports of people saying it works for them so I don't know. Me, I'm sticking (rightly or wrongly) to the researched and tested evils of BigPharma.


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## ren531 (19 Nov 2021)

post: 6590402, member: 102708"]
Like many herbal remedies, there is insufficient scientific evidence to show that it is effective. Despite this, there are many sellers of products who would like to relieve you of your money while telling you that it is effective.

I'm sure that someone will be along shortly with anecdotal evidence to say that it works for them. Are you receiving treatment through your GP? Are you having issues with medication prescribed by your GP? Your first port of call should be your doctor. If you are self diagnosing from information on the internet, you really need to get it checked out.

It's a sad fact that for most men, if they live long enough, they will develop benign prostate enlargement. Some won't have any symptoms, some will have mild symptoms, but an awful lot have symptoms that affect what they can do and where they can go without being too far from a toilet.

If you are old enough to have symptoms you might well be over 60, in which case prescriptions will be free on the NHS, so why pay for herbal remedies?

To answer your original question, when I was first diagnosed with this affliction I did a lot of reading but didn't go through the unproven alternative remedies route. I had a battery of tests, some of them quite uncomfortable, to eliminate other causes and was prescribed medication which has been effective with no side effects. All free on the NHS and despite the restrictions of Covid, done in a good time scale. Nobody likes to be reminded of their mortality or their progress towards it through the inevitability of ageing, or to know that they will likely be on medication for the rest of their lives, but sometimes you have to just suck it up for the benefits it brings.
[/QUOTE]
Yes I am on medication from the NHS and just been given more but don't care for the reviews or side effects of it so before I start them thought I would see if anyone has had good results from herbal treatment, I can't say I am trusting of hebal medicine anyway, I have been lucky so far in not having to take regular meds.


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## Cycleops (19 Nov 2021)

Never tried Palmetto but it helps if you cut out alcohol, dairy products and sugar, but never taken any drugs. I've found this does help.


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## ren531 (19 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Never tried Palmetto but it helps if you cut out alcohol, dairy products and sugar, but never taken any drugs. I've found this does help.


I don't really drink alcohol anyway, never had a sweet tooth or used sugar in tea or coffee, I do use dairy products though, there's so many videos on u tube that seem to promise a cure if you cut out this that or the other that you don't know what to think in the end.


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## Cycleops (19 Nov 2021)

You can only try and find out if it works for you or not.


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## ColinJ (19 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Never tried Palmetto but it helps if you cut out alcohol, *dairy products* and sugar, but never taken any drugs. I've found this does help.





Cycleops said:


> You can only try and find out if it works for you or not.


I would _really _struggle to give up dairy products... Get thee hence alcohol, cigarettes, bread, sugar, wild women (!), (most of the) chocolate, (most of the) cake, (most of the) biscuits... but milk, cheese, cream, yoghurt etc.!!!!!!!!!


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## a.twiddler (19 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Never tried Palmetto but it helps if you cut out alcohol, dairy products and sugar, but never taken any drugs. I've found this does help.


Interesting. I've never been advised to give up any of the above. Everything in moderation, perhaps, but certainly no advice to give them up altogether. It's probably wise to try and maintain a healthy weight, particularly as you get older, and if you have cholesterol issues the dairy could be a factor to keep an eye on. I'm probably a bit too fond of cheese. The sugar and carbs perhaps if you have any indications that you might have pre diabetic tendencies. Re alcohol: I can imagine being advised to refrain from drinking large amounts of fluid close to bed time as this could aggravate any prostate related sleep disturbance due to getting up in the night for the loo. I have to say that this particular aspect has disappeared for me, I sleep right through now even if I have a late night tipple.


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