The “NPAT” Treatment Program for Prostatitis is a system that looks at a patient’s whole-body health and employs several natural and alternative therapies for both diagnosing and treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). This holistic approach recognizes that pain and chronic pelvic discomfort are grounded in factors that lie outside the prostate (such as lifestyle, diet, stress, and nutrition), which may contribute to chronic tension.
This treatment program was developed and is used by Dr. Geo Espinosa, N.D, a naturopathic urologist who specializes in prostate disorders such as prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and pelvic disorders. Dr. Geo Espinosa is the Director of the Integrative Urology Center and the former Director of Clinical Trials at Columbia University.
The letters in NPAT stands for the following:
- Natural treatments (ALCAT, elimination diets, and wheat-free diets)
- Phytotherapy (pollen and quercetin together with probiotics)
- Alternative treatments (acupuncture, prostate massage, pelvic rehabilitation and therapy)
- Total body (exercise, chronic stress management, lifestyle)
Dr. Espinosa developed the NPAT program to focus specifically on pelvic tension because many causes of chronic prostatitis develop from problems that occur elsewhere in the body and outside of the prostate itself. Tension in the pelvic floor is responsible for about half the CP/CPPS cases. This tension can stem from inflammation from other places in the body, stress, emotional health problems, pelvic floor disorders, and chronic tension disorders. Other issues can contribute as well, including immune disorders and allergies (such as food intolerances), and that is why a well-rounded whole-body approach to diagnosis and treatment can help CPPS patients in reducing inflammation.
When a health care provider uses NPAT, he or she individually analyzes the patient’s symptoms to form a complete and individualized treatment program that may include acupuncture, pelvic rehabilitation and therapy, trigger point release, phytotherapy (quercetin and pollen extract), stress management, dietary changes, and other natural remedies, depending on the individual patient’s symptoms.
“NPAT” Treatment Program for Prostatitis—Does It Work?
How does the NPAT program work? One of the key elements of the NPAT program is that patients learn what is causing their symptoms and employ treatments for those causes and learn to avoid triggers so they can prevent future flare-ups. Each man’ treatment might vary from another’s, but in general patients use several different natural and alternative therapies. These therapies may include:
- Acupuncture;
- Phytotherapy with Pollen and Quercetin;
- Probiotics;
- Pelvic therapy;
- Stress management;
- Prostate massage;
- Physical therapy; and/or
- Diet analysis and elimination
For example, some patients might find relief by following a diet for prostatitis by avoiding foods that cause inflammation in the body while also using phytotherapy and other supplements for prostatitis. Patients who realize that stress or emotional health problems may be contributing to their health problems will look for ways to reduce stress in their lives by employing stress-reduction exercises (such as tai chi, yoga, or meditation). Still, other patients with chronic tension and pelvic floor disorders may benefit from physical therapy types of alternative treatments such as trigger point release therapy, biofeedback, or targeted high-frequency stimulation. Some men may need to employ all of these. Many men find acupuncture and reflexology to be useful, and many patients have probiotics recommended to them to restore gut bacteria to promote immune health. Patients who need advanced pelvic floor therapy are often referred to specialists such as those that employ the Renew XY Program for Men®. So you can see that treatment under NPAT can look very different for each man, depending on what is going on in his health and lifestyle.
Even though each patient who follows Dr. Geo’s “NPAT” CPPS treatment program may follow a slightly different treatment course, based on their individual symptoms, all patients generally will follow a variety of treatments specific to their own diagnosis. A multimodal approach to prostatitis is the most successful healing program, and that is why Dr. Geo’s “NPAT” CPPS treatment program has so much success as a natural treatment approach whereas other traditional treatments fail to provide relief.
Uses and Side Effects of the “NPAT” Treatment Program for Prostatitis
All of the alternative and natural treatments in NPAT support whole body and prostate health. Overall, these treatments are not associated with the kinds of side effects that are associated with traditional treatments such as medications. The therapies employed in the “NPAT” treatment program for prostatitis may vary for each patient, depending on what is causing his symptoms, so there is not a “one size fits all” approach. Many of the factors involve making lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and managing stress.