Question: Can you tell me what prostatitis is and what the best treatment would be for it?

Dr. Brownstein's Answer:

Prostatitis is an inflammatory condition that can cause painful and difficult urination. Men with prostatitis also can suffer from a persistent, urgent need to urinate, and pain in the abdomen, groin, penis, testicles, rectum, or lower back.

Prostatitis also can result from infection. Approximately 15 percent of prostatitis cases are caused by acute bacterial infection of the prostate gland, which can be associated with a fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, and a poor appetite. In addition, prostatitis can be caused by an infection of the bladder, sometimes brought on by trauma from activities such as biking or horseback riding.

In these cases, the tetracycline class of antibiotics (minocycline or doxycycline) has proven effective. Another class of medications, the quinolones (Cipro or Levaquin), also can be effective for treating these symptoms.

However, I’ve seen some men who take numerous courses of potent antibiotics for prostatitis and suffer adverse effects like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches from overuse of those drugs. And yet the condition persists. Sometimes the solution is a simple one. I have treated many men with prostatitis by simply having them rehydrate with adequate amounts of water.

Dehydration can be insidious, and it is vital to guard against it. To be sure you are getting enough water, simply take your weight in pounds and divide by two; the resulting number is the daily amount of water to ingest in ounces.

Also, eliminate liquids that enhance dehydration, such as sweetened beverages. I have seen an association between the artificial sweetener aspartame and prostatitis in some individuals. In these cases, eliminating aspartame, reversing dehydration, and correcting nutrient imbalances have been successful at eliminating prostatitis.