Effective Prostatitis Treatment and its Impact on the Quality of Life

Assessing a New Study

First, it should be noted that it is not the symptoms of chronic prostatitis that can destroy one’s quality of life, but the thought that the symptoms will never go away. A group of European urologists reported in a recent international study of 1563 patients* that the pain associated with chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CCPS) impacted the quality of life of those suffering from this disorder more than the impact of urinary frequency/urgency or other common symptoms. The study reported that pain in the perineum was the most common symptom. Almost ½ of men reported discomfort after ejaculation. Discomfort in the testicles and area above the public bone were common symptoms. About 1/3 of men complained of pain in the penis.

Men suffering from chronic prostatitis know only too well that the pain can play havoc with one’s quality of life.

This report is old news to anyone treating or suffering from chronic prostatitis. While the source of the pain and symptoms of chronic prostatitis are not visible to anyone, nor are symptoms seen by any visualizing technology or detectable by conventional medical testing, the pain and symptoms diagnosed as chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome can at best put your life on hold and at worst make you feel like you will never be happy again (see details of symptoms of chronic prostatitis). The intensity and intimacy of pelvic pain is a perfect storm for inciting the catastrophic thinking so common in men with this disorder. Once someone has pelvic pain diagnosed as chronic prostatitis and there is no solution in sight, quality of life tends to evaporate.

It is not the pain but the meaning given to the pain that is the real suffering.

The new article did not delve deeply into why the pain of chronic prostatitis impacted quality of life so deeply. What is called chronic prostatitis is pelvic pain and a related group of symptoms that are very disturbing. Most important, chronic prostatitis symptoms can make normal functioning of life painful and difficult. The pain and dysfunction of the symptoms regularly intrude on living life moment to moment.

Our patients often say that they could handle their pain if they knew they would go away.

The actual pain of chronic prostatitis per se is not the reason why the quality of life is so profoundly impacted. In fact, most people we have seen have said that if they knew their pain would go away, they would be able to handle it. The source of the impact on quality of life is the catastrophic fear that the pain will never go away. They struggle to imagine living a normal and happy life again. It is this catastrophic meaning about the pain never going away that impacts their quality of life so strongly.

In the last review of hundreds of our patients we found that a large majority of them who did the Wise-Anderson Protocol for 6 months reported their level of emotional distress significantly dropped in conjunction with their ability to reduce the sensitivity/pain in their pelvic muscles. In other words, when our patients were empowered to reduce or stop their symptoms by themselves, they reported that their emotional distress significantly improved.

Treating chronic prostatitis pain using effective prostatitis treatment can reduce pelvic pain and the feeling of hopelessness.

Fear, helplessness, and hopelessness that the pain and symptoms will never go away fuel the hallmark catastrophic thinking of most patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis. When a man can reduce his pain through his own efforts, his emotional distress improves. Effective prostatitis treatment gives patients a real sense of control over their pain, making them no longer fell like helpless victims of their pain.

[i]In this article, chronic prostatitis refers specifically to nonbacterial chronic prostatitis

*Wagenlehner, Florian, et al. “1082 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH CHRONIC PROSTATITIS SYMPTOM INDEX (CPSI) SYMPTOM EVALUATION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PROSTATITIS/CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN SYNDROME–A MULTINATIONAL STUDY IN 1,563 PATIENTS.” The Journal of Urology 187.4 (2012): e439.

Is There a Cure for Chronic Prostatitis?

The question as to whether there is a cure for chronic prostatitis does not offer a simple answer. When prostatitis is bacterial, antibiotics can cure the problem and eradicate the bacteria. However, in most cases of men diagnosed with prostatitis, the prostate is not the source of the symptoms.

Antibiotics, alpha blockers, or anti-inflammatories typically do not cure nonbacterial prostatitis. It has been our experience that the symptoms of the majority of men we have seen diagnosed with chronic prostatitis are associated with chronic muscle tension in the pelvis. Almost none of the men we have seen clinically ever had prostate infections nor have antibiotics helped them. That is to say, it is our view, based on our clinical experience, that most cases of chronic prostatitis we have seen are caused by a self-feeding cycle of tension, anxiety pain, and protective guarding within the pelvic basin. This is the new emergent understanding of chronic prostatitis that is often ignored by conventional medical treatment. Our book, A Headache in the Pelvis, goes into this in detail.

That being said, it is possible for the symptom of muscle based prostatitis to significantly reduce or resolve, and a normal, happy life can begin again. Even when this occurs, under periods of stress the symptoms can flare up. This flare up of symptoms can typically be resolved using the Wise-Anderson Protocol.

For this reason, we do not say that this is a cure for chronic prostatitis per se because the symptom of muscle based prostatitis can recur under periods of stress. The tendency for anxiety, pain tension, and protective guarding often reasserts themselves. We do not say that our protocol is a ‘cure’ but instead, we say it is a method that allows a majority of men, for whom all other treatments have failed, to learn a method to help themselves throughout their lives. If you are showing  prostatitis symptoms and you’re looking for help, you can read about our protocol and the research we have done demonstrating the efficacy of our protocol.

NOTE: While it is our hope that these facts about chronic prostatitis are helpful, this information is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. This should be presented as general information about the disorder.

What to Know About Antibiotics and Alpha Blockers for Prostatitis

Despite the almost universal use of antibiotics for prostatitis symptoms diagnosed as chronic prostatitis, credible and highly regarded studies over the past years have shown that antibiotics, alpha blockers, and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually no better than placebos.

Traditionally, those suffering from prostatitis experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Urinary Frequency / Urgency / Hesitancy
• Discomfort with Sitting
• Rectal / Perineum / Genital Discomfort
• Discomfort During or After Sex
• Pain or Relief After Bowel Movement
• Lower Abdominal Discomfort
• Tailbone / Low Back Discomfort / Pain
• Stress Can Increase Symptoms
• Hot Baths, Heat, Benzodiazepines Can Help Temporarily
• Medications, Procedures, and Surgery Rarely Help
• Medical Tests Find No Disease
• Depression / Anxiety / Reduced Quality of Life

What the community must realize is that prostatitis is a local and systemic disorder. Conventional medical professionals tend to help relief through the use of antibiotics and alpha blockers for prostatitis. Yet, many of these short-term solutions only work to exacerbate the problem. Instead, this should be seen a local problem. Chronic anxiety and worry in certain individuals result in pain and dysfunction of the pelvic muscles. Without effectively treating this root of the problem, symptoms are unfortunately very likely to continue.

Our 6-day clinic seeks to resolve the symptoms of prostatitis by training our patients in self-treatment (local treatment) and practicing our protocol, Extended Paradoxical Relaxation. The ultimate aim is to reduce nervous system arousal daily. For more information about prostatitis, feel free to view recently published research.

NOTE: While it is our hope that these facts about chronic prostatitis, antibiotics, and alpha blockers are helpful, this information is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. This should be presented as general information about the disorder.

About Chronic Prostatitis and Surgery

To begin, there is no credible evidence to show that surgery helps prostatitis. While there is sporadic experimentation with prostate surgery and pelvic surgery, it has been our clinical experience that surgery typically complicates or worsens someone’s situation. We never recommend surgery for prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Are Surgical Solutions Worth It?

Drugs, surgeries, and procedures have not been effective for those who are suffering from chronic prostatitis. In fact, we have concluded that surgery tends to complicate symptoms or make them worse than they were before. To our dismay, we have seen patients who have had their testicles and prostate glands removed, their anal sphincters cut, and colostomies put into place in the hopes that the lack of bowel movements would lessen the pain they feel. In addition, Botox, electrical stimulation, and acupuncture have all been ineffective treatments as well. More than that, we have seen patients become addicted to narcotics and other medications that did little good for them.

Unfortunately, many conventional doctors do not understand that pelvic pain is not typically related to infection or inflammation. It’s a muscle-based issue. The root of the problem cannot be solved if the spasticity of the muscles and the arousal of the nervous system are not addressed.

Paradoxical Relaxation is a method we use to help patients with chronic prostatitis. This method trains pelvic muscles to relax in the presence of stress. This means that instead of “trying” to feel better, thus causing more anxiety and in turn, pain, we disengage the muscles of the pelvis from activity to allow tightened tissue to get used to being at a more normal length.

NOTE: While it is our hope that these facts about chronic prostatitis and surgery are helpful, this information is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. This should be presented as general information about the disorder.

About Chronic Prostatitis and Diet

Many men we have seen diagnosed with symptoms of chronic prostatitis report no benefit from diet modification. In fact, some men report that their symptoms temporarily improve with alcohol.

When it comes to pelvic pain syndromes and chronic prostatitis, when the pain or discomfort does not go away, there is a feeling that the pain may never go away, and this can be despairing. What Pelvic Pain Help hopes to achieve is the daily practice of relief. Relaxing the pelvic floor, quieting down anxiety, and calming down the tendency to tighten up the pelvic muscles under stress. Individuals can themselves release their own trigger points and areas of physical restriction.

This tension – anxiety – pain cycle can cause individuals to wonder if there is any hope of relieving their condition and symptoms. For a person under this type of duress, knowing they can do something about it is everything.

For more information about chronic prostatitis and diet, as well as how they relate to each other, watch the above video by Pelvic Pain Help.

NOTE: While it is our hope that these facts about chronic prostatitis and diet are helpful, this information is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. This should be presented as general information about the disorder.

About Ejaculation Discomfort in Chronic Prostatitis

• Many men who see a urologist for chronic prostatitis will be given the advice to increase ejaculation. In fact, it is very common for men with prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome to experience discomfort during and/ or after ejaculation.
• There is often an increase in discomfort during or after sexual activity in men with prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome because orgasm causes strong contractions of the pelvic, prostate, and seminal vesicle muscles that last about once a second during orgasm. Dr. Jeannette Potts observed that orgasm is a ‘pleasure spasm’. There is a significant increase in nervous system arousal during sexual intercourse or activity.
• The ‘pleasure spasm’ of an orgasm will tighten the pelvic muscles further. This increased tightening temporarily contracts an already contracted area which doesn’t relax well and tends to throw the patient further above the symptom threshold. After a while, the muscles relax and return to their baseline level, the normal state of the pelvic floor reasserts itself (which is back to some degree of pain or discomfort when a person has chronic pelvic pain syndrome). For this reason, we do not recommend increasing sexual activity when a person has a pronounced increase in symptoms after sex.

NOTE: While it is our hope that these facts about ejaculation discomfort in chronic prostatitis are helpful, this information is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. This should be presented as general information about the disorder.