There are several methods and themes for treating prostatitis, some of which stand in stark contrast, others of which can be complementary. Because there is no scientific consensus on prostatitis and because some patients continue to suffer despite even the best methods, it is up to you, the patient, to decide what works best for you. Methods, themes and special topics are linked in the columns on both sides and described below. Note that the importance of these methods for you may not be related to where the links appear or the order in which they are mentioned in the following text Among them:

•  In the USA, Canada, and much of Europe, your doctor is likely to treat you by prescribing antibiotics. This is often done whether or not a culture of your EPS or semen is performed. The antibiotics may help if your prostatitis is caused by bacteria, or it may help due to anti-inflammatory effects of antibiotics. Or it may not help at all. (See Dr. Shoskes interesting newsgroup comment on antibiotic use.) The quinolone family of antibiotics can cause serious side effects for some people.
• In January, 1996, Prostatitis patients began hearing the ideas of Dr. A.E. Feliciano of Manila, the Philipines, who advocated careful culturing of EPS for bacteria and basing antibiotic therapy on culture results, plus using prostate massage or drainage to enhance results. Many men improved by using these techniques, or having their doctors try them, and some US doctors reported improved results with modifications of the Feliciano technique. But many patients, especially some North Americans who had already had a lot of antibiotics, were not helped. (See note below for more on Feliciano.)
• There have been doctors and patients all along who felt prostatitis had little or nothing to do with bacteria in most cases,and instead might have something to do with pelvic floor muscle tension or tension disorders. This site has a growing list of inter-linked pages on this method of treatment. There are studies, scientific papers and books.
• There's growing interest in the idea that prostatitis may be caused by immune disorders or allergies, in which case treating the inflammation is the way to go. The natural bioflavinoid called "Quercetin" has potent anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to help some prostatitis patients. There are research trials underway with the drug Elmiron, which addresses auto-immunity and mast cell responses. And antibiotics themselves have anti-inflammatory benefits. There's a range of illnesses like Reiter's syndrome which cause prostatitis along with other symptoms.
• The Gout connection occurs when a man's uric acid metabolism is disordered. Allopurinol is a prescription drug for uric acid problems, which helps some prostatitis patients.
• Ejaculatory duct obstruction/seminal vesicle infection. Pain on ejaculation (instead of relief felt by most prostatitis patients) may indicate that you have an obstructed ejaculatory duct or seminal vesicle infection. In this case you should look at the information on seminal vesicle removal, and at the EDO page.
• There are a variety of herbal remedies and traditional (mostly Asian) medical approaches to prostatitis. This site has an alternative medicine FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file, a link to a page on another website on Saw Palmetto (an herbal remedy) and a page on traditional Chinese remedies .
• Sometimes doctors will recommend surgery or any of several high tech methods of heating or destroying prostate tissue to treat prostatitis. The track record of these methods in prostatitis is poor, because pain often persists. Collected from the newsgroup archives, the prostatron page contains a number of comments on the ":Prostatron": device which cooks the prostate gland with microwaves. T.U.N.A. comes under this general heading.
• Be sure to look over the clinics page. Clinics exist which deal with prostatitis on a pain management basis and in more conventional ways.
•  The "Feliciano method" is also known as "The Manila Protocol," "The Philippines Cure" and other terms. (There are two doctors [Dr. ANF and Dr. AEF ] named Feliciano from the Philippines involved in treating prostatitis. One [Dr. AEF] has an association with The Prostatitis Center in Tucson, AZ, USA. Click on the links to see their respective web sites. (The Prostatitis Foundation is not responsible for the information on these sites.) Click here for our policy on what we include on our site. (Back to top)

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