The Wise Anderson Protocol for prostatitis is an alternative treatment program for men who have pelvic pain. This protocol can be used to treat pelvic tension associated with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).
A number of urologists, psychologists, and physical therapists at Stanford University developed the Wise Anderson Protocol. The program involves a number of therapies including using trigger point release, physical therapy, and treating any psychological and behavioral issues that could be contributing to the prostatitis symptoms. Patients in the Wise Anderson Protocol are also trained on how to use an internal trigger point wand so that they can continue their therapy at home, since this program does take over a year to complete. That may sound like a long time, but the tension will not simply go away overnight.
About 50% of all CP/CPPS sufferers have their pelvic pain brought on by tension in the pelvic floor. Anxiety or other psychological stressors may trigger this pelvic floor tension. You might be familiar with men holding tension in their neck, which can lead to a headache, but other men hold tension in their pelvic muscles without even realizing it, and this chronic tension can lead to CP/CPPS. That is why the Wise Anderson Protocol involves a psychological component to treatment.
How Does the Wise Anderson Protocol for Prostatitis Work?
The Wise Anderson Protocol combines physical therapy with psychological therapy. The physical therapy part involves doing trigger point release therapy for the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles along with yoga-type exercises using pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Men in the program are also trained to use an Internal Trigger Point Wand, which they use rectally, armed with a map of their trigger points and areas of restriction.
The psychological component of the training is called paradoxical relaxation. Patients listen to a one-hour recording every day. This psychological part of the treatment consists of doing a breathing technique at the beginning of relaxation and following instruction that helps direct a patient’s focus toward letting go of tension in a specified area of the body. Patients follow this program for 14 months. It is a slow healing process, but according to the company, it takes a long time for the patient to let go of deeply ingrained tension. Following a daily program of repetitive loosening is important to achieve success.
Pressing a patient’s chronic tension (trigger) points can recreate many of the symptoms. Once the trigger points are resolved, the pelvic floor muscles can relax and the related anxiety calms down. When this happens, the CPPS symptoms can possibly disappear or be significantly reduced. Even though the process takes time, the Wise Anderson Protocol offers a drug-free way to help eliminate or significantly reduce pelvic floor tension.
There has been some research on the Wise Anderson Protocol for prostatitis. A study from Stanford was published in the Journal of Urology. The treatment team involving a urologist, physiotherapist, and psychologist treated 138 men with CP/CPPS for at least a month with myofascial trigger point assessment and release therapy along with paradoxical relaxation therapy. They assessed symptoms by survey and questionnaire. In the responses, 72% of patients had moderately improved or markedly improved clinical successes. Researchers concluded that these therapies represent an effective therapeutic approach for managing pain and urinary symptom relief for CPPS patients that is superior to traditional therapy.
Where to Find the Wise Anderson Protocol for Prostatitis
There are multiday clinics that help train men in the Wise Anderson Protocol. If you cannot find a clinic in your area, you may be able to find some of the components of the protocol in other treatment programs. You may be able to find a doctor or therapist who does myofascial trigger point release and paradoxical relaxation therapy. Other alternative treatment programs like the Renew XY Health Program for Men also treat pelvic tension.
Most men with CP/CPPS find the best path to success by using a multimodal treatment program such as the holistic “NPAT” Treatment Program for Prostatitis, which involves doing several different natural and alternative therapies such as:
- 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); and
- Total body (exercise, chronic stress management, lifestyle).
The NPAT program also helps patients recognize that many pelvic tension causes actually originate outside of the prostate in other areas of the body, so it is best to use a whole-body approach when treating CP/CPPS. It is important to accept and recognize that pelvic tension will not go away overnight. Whether you use the Wise-Anderson Protocol or employ multiple therapies, it is important to be patient with a slow process in relieving your pelvic pain.
