It’s not an easy task to prevent a disease that is poorly understood and that can appear in four different forms. However, experts have established the following guidelines that can show you how to prevent prostatitis.
- Practice good hygiene to reduce the risk of infection. That includes keeping your penis clean
- Enjoy sex frequently, but practice safe sex to reduce the risk of getting STDs.
- See your doctor if you experience any symptoms involving your urinary tract or prostate
- Avoid trauma to the perineal area (for example, is your bicycle seat comfortable or is it restricting blood flow?)
- Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration and ensure regular urination.
- Exercise regularly. Be sure to include both aerobic and resistance/strength exercises and be active at least four to five days a week
- Maintain good overall physical and emotional health
- Learn how to manage stress
- Develop a social support system (including family, friends, social groups, and so on)
- Try supplements that have been shown to ease prostatitis symptoms and/or boost your immune system. These include beta-sitosterol, Echinacea, flaxseed meal, goldenseal, omega-3 fatty acids, Pygeum, quercetin, rye grass pollen, saw palmetto, vitamin D, lycopene and zinc.
- Maintain a diet and lifestyle based on the 6 Pillars of Prostate Health
- Don’t hold it. Use the bathroom regularly to avoid irritating your urinary tract. Even when you don’t feel the urge to go, you should visit the bathroom before beginning a long car journey, going to a movie, or any activity that will separate you from available facilities for a long time. Don’t “strain to drain,” but see if you can relieve yourself now so you won’t have to go again until your activity is complete.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, and other foods that seem to make your symptoms worse as well as additives and foods that are harmful to prostate health.
- Avoid constipation by eating high-fiber foods. Straining to eliminate can trigger pain if your prostate is inflamed.
- Try a sitz bath, in which you sit in just enough warm water to cover your buttocks. This “heats up” your pelvic area and can relieve prostatitis symptoms.
- Drink cranberry juice. Cranberry juice has long been used to help prevent and treat urinary tract infections, but it wasn’t until scientists analyzed this small reddish fruit that they discovered it contains substances that make it difficult for bacteria to attach to the urinary tract and thus cause infection. Laboratory studies suggest that cranberries have antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and other infection-causing organisms.
- Experiment with alternate treatments for prostatitis to see which ones give you relief
- Avoid exposure to BPA, a toxin which has been linked to an increased risk of prostatitis as well as other environmental chemicals that cause cancer
- Try acupuncture. Studies have shown that acupuncture can relieve the symptoms of prostatitis
Read more in our Prostatitis Health Center
