Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Urological Symptoms: Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (CAMUS)

Principal Investigator: E. David Crawford, MD COMIRB Protocol Number: 07-0183 NIDDK/NIH Number: U01 DK063833 *********************************************************** ********************************* Purpose of This Research

To determine whether Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) reduces unpleasant urinary symptoms caused by a type of enlarged prostate known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. These urinary symptoms can include a slow, interrupted or weak urinary stream, urgency, leaking, or more frequent urination, especially at night.

Who Can Take Part To be eligible for this study, you must:

· be at least 45 years of age,

· not have had surgery for your enlarged prostate,

· not have another cause for your urinary symptoms (such as prostate or bladder cancer, urinary tract disease, or neurological problems)

· have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level below 10 ng/ml, and

· be able to complete the study in the opinion of the investigator.

Cost to Patient

Qualified participants will receive Saw Palmetto or placebo (a pill that looks like medicine, but will have no medical effect on you) at no cost. All clinic visits, procedures, and lab tests will be covered by the grant except for two physician visits (the initial visit and a visit at 72 weeks). Both of these visits are considered routine care for treating men with enlarged prostates and will, therefore, be billed to you or your insurance company.

Length of Study Involvement

Your involvement in this study will be approximately 1.5 years.

For further information please call:

Cliff Jones -or- Patricia DeVore Section of Urologic Oncology University of Colorado Denver

Telephone: 720-848-1387

Fax: 720-848-1390

E-Mail: cliff.jones@ucdenver.edu -or- patricia.devore@ucdenver.edu

Inflammation (triggered by environmental factors or genetic influences) causes a sequence of actions in the coronary artery such as, plaque rupture, thrombus formation and embolization into the blood vessels within the heart - placing one at increased risk for heart attack. From the Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute

With the removal of Vioxx® from the market, and sales of other drugs in this class plummeting, scientists are working overtime to identify natural agents that safely block the underlying factors that give rise to inflammation in the body.

Researchers have focused their microscopes on the herb boswellia, which works to block a lethal pro- inflammatory enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). Until now, only limited strategies have been available to fight the insidious effects of 5-LOX, a potent contributor to inflammatory processes involved in diseases as diverse as cancer, atherosclerosis, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and asthma.From Life Extension

In the United States, chronic illnesses and health problems either wholly or partially attributable to diet represent by far the most serious threat to public health. Sixty-five percent of adults aged 20 y in the United States are either overweight or obese (13), and the estimated number of deaths ascribable to obesity is 280184 per year (14). More than 64 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which represents the leading cause of mortality (38.5% of all deaths) in the United States (15). Fifty million Americans are hypertensive; 11 million have type 2 diabetes, and 37 million adults maintain high-risk total cholesterol concentrations (>240 mg/dL) (15). In postmenopausal women aged 50 y, 7.2% have osteoporosis and 39.6% have osteopenia (16). Osteoporotic hip fractures are associated with a 20% excess mortality in the year after fracture (17). Cancer is the second leading cause of death (25% of all deaths) in the United States, and an estimated one-third of all cancer deaths are due to nutritional factors, including obesity (18). From the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

OK , so we are getting close to Thanksgiving and most of us will be eating cranberries in some form or another. As many of you already know , cranberries contain plenty of antioxidants and xanthocyanadins which is what gives them their vibrant red color. (Red was always my favorite color!) They are also useful in treating urinary tract infections due to their specialized antibacterial effect on the urinary tract. Here are some recipes. They looked a little more interesting than the standard muffin/ cranberry sauce ones though those certainly are included. Happy Thanksgiving!