Prostate Ponders

Page Edition: 2026-03-12BPH,cancer,CVD,ED,HTN,hyperthyroid,PC,prostatitis,stones,UTI

Program Resources

Program content on prostate is relatively recent, and mainly focused on prevention:
🖵🗏The Microbiome and Prostate Health (IC members)
🅑 Prostate Gland: Grand Central Station of the Microbiome (IC members, Blog members)

⟲ About This Page

This article was prompted by an off-forum question, but it’s raised periodically here as well. This gathers up observations found around the forum over the years, possibly of interest to only half the membership, for some reason. Expect this article to morph regularly until feedback stabilizes it.

⟲ Context

Don’t assume that you know what the problem is, or that if correctly diagnosed, Standard of Care knows exactly what to do about it. This class of problems falls under Diseases of Civilization, which usually means that modern settlers are being afflicted by root causes … that SoC is not looking for. A common meme in urology is that all males would die of prostate cancer (PC), if they didn’t die of something else first. Don’t assume that’s true.

Get as much clarity as possible on any ailment & symptoms involved. The source could be kidney, ureter, bladder, prostate, urethra, or some other anatomy in the region. The exact diagnosis could be BPH, CVD, ED, HTN, hyperthyroid (maybe), PC, prostatitis, stones, UTI, abdominal visceral fat, ectopic fat, myosteatosis, some combination, or something else entirely. Cast a skeptical eye on any proposed biopsy.

This article largely presumes that the problem is prostate-related, with some side comments on wider urological issues.

⟲ Approaches

Most of the prostate ailments named above likely have a root cause in modern metabolic and microbiological mayhem: a grain-laden full-time-glycemic (inflammation and tumor chow) diet, with more inflammation from industrial seed oils high in ω6LA, intestinal dysbiosis from multiple pervasive relentless causes and enablers, leading to often-constipated septic colons just a few mm from the prostate, an intestinal mucosal layer weakened by food emulsifiers, and tight junctions compromised by zonulin … these pathways are just begging to be elucidated … but may not get that attention, because:
• designing a sensible RCT is a major IRB battle,
• there’s probably no patentable pot of gold to be had, and
• as a patient, you are worth more sick than healthy.

⟲ Your metabolic history:
How to approach the ailment depends to a large extent on where you’re at, and where you’re coming from. A slender person who has been on an enlightened ancestral diet for a decade or more, and is in-range for nearly all the program⦿markers, has a much shorter list of usual suspects, compared to someone well up on the metsyn↗T2D spectrum, who weighs much more than they would like, and might be on a daily lunchpail of meds.

⟲ Program Contribution:
There may only be anecdotal evidence in how effective this program is for BPH and prostatitis. The main contribution may be in discouraging prostate cancer. new cancers of any kind seem to be rare (but not unheard of) in people who have been following an enlightened ancestral lifestyle for any length of time.

Don’t wait too long. If a urologist turns out to be necessary, a referral may be needed. Assume any interaction with the sick care system will need to start with a PCP. When that’s penciled-in on the calendar, review your medical records to see what you might already have for any of the program markers (resource linked just above). If the metabolics are out of range, they are a straightforward place to start.

⟲ PSA and other testing:
If it’s going to be more than 10 days get an appointment, and you don’t live in a nanny state, you could save some later clinical time and order these tests on your own:
🌢 U/A: Urinalysis, Complete, CPT Code 81001. Lab Reference Ranges would apply.
🧪 PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen, CPT Code 84153).
Whether to add PSA, Free, % Free PSA or a full “4K” was not explored for the initial draft of this article.

Note, interestingly, that these tests are not presently program markers. If PSA becomes one, chances are that all that might be said is that readings below 4 ng/mL may not require further investigation. Anything higher is ambiguous.

PSA is routinely run by urologists, so you might as well have it in hand. As you might have seen in the back forum traffic, I consider PSA to  be up there in the pantheon of vague-to-useless biomarkers when considered in isolation, along with calculated LDL-C, TC, BMI, and TSH. As the Life Extension page for the LabCorp PSA test (🧪LC010322) relates:
“Measuring prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels can help detect benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and/or prostate cancer.”
It is not a dispositive PC test. It’s perhaps more like a general prostate inflammation test (and that situation is likely an early prerequisite to PC). Don’t get needlessly terrified by an elevated PSA per se.

As with CCS, one thing that is superior to a PSA test is two PSA tests, separated in time. This provides a trend, which may be reported as a calculated “PSA velocity”.

⟲ Cause Conjectures:
Perhaps the key question is: what are the root causes of prostate inflammation in the first place? Some random conjectures, that the sick care system is probably not studying, might include:

⟲ Constipation:
On the translocation conjecture, it’s likely worthwhile to avoid excess rectal content. Bowel movement twice a week is a problem. But what is ideal; twice a day? In any case, this needs to be a natural process, and not one induced by artificial agents.

So anything that optimizes gut health, and general microbiomes, helps. Anything that optimizes urine flow, helps. Anything that unwinds general inflammation, helps. Prostate exercise probably helps (actual reproduction optional).

The core program is a comprehensive way to reduce general inflammation, as well as reduce tumor chow (glucose, and grain starches which become BG promptly). This is the diet presented in the books Super Body (2025), Super Gut (2022), Wheat Belly Revised & Expanded (2019), Undoctored (2017), Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox (2015), or Wheat Belly Total Health (2014), as well as on this site from Core Program (Start Here)🞃.

Attention to gut flora is also critical. Super Gut and this site are the latest on that. Here’s a public article with a summary and links (many public): Gut Flora⨁Resource Overview. Consumption of program yogurts would be routine, and would frequently rotate in one or more of the species that express bacteriocins, and help keep SIBO away.

⟲ Urinary tract health might benefit from a number of tweaks:

• Probiotic Lactobacillus crispatus or a yogurt made from it. Members have been using either Oxiceutics™ MyCrispatus™ or Jarrow Formulas Fem-Dophilus Advanced for this. The Jarrow a multi-species probiotic, but strain LBV88 is the lead microbe. Use one capsule to start the initial quart or liter, and otherwise use the program L. reuteri recipe. Consider using the saved🧊starter method.
   
• Getting some of your  Magnesium in the magnesium citrate form can help reduce the chances of kidney and bladder stones.
   
• If you make smoothies, consider adding a few frozen organic cranberries to them. Cranberry juices tend to have too much sugar (and the “cocktails” are straight out). Cranberry extracts are too unpredictable.
   
• If for any reason you need endure a course of antibiotics (and this can easily arise during explorations), have some Saccharomyces boulardii🍷Cider already made.
   
• Zinc; is not a core supplement, but it is important to both not be deficient, and not mega-dose. If supplementing above 15mg/day, choose a preparation that has a small amount of copper.

Routine prostate work-ups, in addition to the tests above, often include digital exams, ultrasound, and perhaps urinary catheterization for cystoscopy. If a ’scope is planned, be sure to discontinue certain supplements (esp. multi-vitamins) some days prior, as they can fluoresce to some extent, interfering with the exam.

⟲ Risks of Biopsy:
PSA tests are often false-positive, but routinely lead to biopsy. The biopsy is conducted by inserting a sampling needle via the colon (transrectal) or perineum (transperineal). Concerns about these procedures include enabling the very problem that you didn’t actually have until performing it, or spreading it if you did:

If a biopsy is elected, Request that a gene sequencing be performed to expose any pathogens that might be addressed specifically. Don’t be surprised if the urologist has never had anyone request this to date, or confuses it for sequencing your genome for somatic clues. The member video linked at top identifies specific microbes of concern.

⟲ Prevention is the ideal ‘cure’

When that option has past, this section of the article gathers tips for next steps.

⟲ Go with the flow
Flow problems are common. Alternative medicine interventions (e.g. saw palmetto) may not be effective. Prescription medications can be, subject to considerations about unintended consequences.

Tamsulosin hydrochloride (e.g. Flomax®), is often the first thing tried. It’s an inexpensive generic, and has a side effect profile perhaps more attractive than other ℞ agents. Note that 0.4mg is the lowest US dose. Outside the US, it’s available down to 0.1mg. Once found to be effective, capsule splitting or alternate day dosing may suffice.

⟲ If cancer is diagnosed:

1. Be proactive and assertive. Do not expect SoC act with any effective urgency.
    
2. The SOC approach is often “watchful waiting”, due to non-metastatic PC often progressing very slowly. This provides an opportunity to see what can be done to remediate root causes.
    
3. In a more aggressive case, keep in mind that SoC is pretty clueless about cancer root causes and enablers generally. They tend to think that cancer is a nuclear somatic disease, just waiting for the personalized genetic cure. If it’s instead a mitochondrial metabolic disease (or something else), you’ll need to check current explorations on that via dissident health advocates. The program doesn’t presently have any specific coverage on that. My article on cancer is overdue for an update.

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Bob Niland [⎆disclosures] [⎆topics] [⎆abbreviations]