Alternative Health Blog

Here’s an provocative new finding about over-the-counter pain relievers and prostate cancer: Researchers found regular use of aspirin or ibuprofen lowers the amount of a specific protein in the blood that is used for prostate cancer screening.  The question is, do the pain reliever lower the risk of cancer or simply make it harder for prostate tumors to be detected because a lower number on the blood test might well give both a man and his doctor a false sense of security?

Researchers from the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center who performed the study say they don’t know yet. More research is needed, they write, and by no means does these findings suggests a man should take aspirin or ibuprofen as a preventive strategy for prostate cancer.

There are three factors to raise here. First, long-term and chronic use of pain relievers can greatly disrupt your digestive function and lead to ulcers among other conditions. It is important to remember that painkillers can work wonders for the muscles and joints, but often at the expense of the gut. That tradeoff is rarely worth it.

Second, a good number of men are told by their doctors to take a baby aspirin per day. One big reason is stroke risk, especially if it runs in the family. This new study seems to provide a bit more motivation to take that baby aspirin (about one-third the amount of a normal tablet and much easier on the gut)

Third, and it’s the perspective we will always take here at the Alternative Health Blog, is if aspirin and ibuprofen (Motrin, Alleve) are capable of lowering a man’s PSA (prostate-specific antigen) reading by a significant 10 percent, then maybe dietary supplements with anti-inflammatory properties will do the same. So if  a guy regularly uses flax or omega-3/fish oil supplements, glucosamine or probiotics, it might affect PSA. Of course, you can get the flax, omega-3 fats and probiotics  in foods, along with turmeric and ginger for anti-inflammatory effects.

It remains to be seen whether using an anti-inflammatory medication or supplement reduces prostate cancer risk or masks a prostate tumor. But it is good for every man to know that his PSA might be affected, and there are certainly advantages to eating foods with anti-inflammatory properties even if it means factoring the positive effect into a re-calculation of your PSA reading.