Over The Counter Caution

In 2018, when my PSA test came back just above the range that is considered normal, my doctor said, as a precaution he would re-test my PSA in 90-days. After my doctor visit, a couple of well-meaning friends told me they also had issues with their PSA and prostate and that there was no need for me to re-check my PSA. They said they found relief after taking some vitamins and or one of the many over the counter prostate and testosterone health supplements that are advertised on TV, on-line and in major retail stores that convincingly in their ads offer to relieve prostate issues and support better urological health.

While I appreciated their advice, I choose to listen to my doctor and re-check my PSA in 90-days. And it’s a good thing I did. My PSA jumped even more which led to my eventual diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer that required immediate treatment. According to my doctor, if I listened to my friends and waited another couple of months before rechecking my PSA I probably would have been beyond help. Plus, given the fact that my prostate issue was aggressive prostate cancer, if I had taken one of those well-advertised supplements, they wouldn’t have helped relieve my health issue and depending on their ingredients could have quite possibly made it worse.

That is why I mention in my book, Unaware, the importance of talking with your doctor before you self-treat any health issue with vitamins or any over the counter supplements. Let your doctor decide if these vitamins and supplements might help your particular urological problem. After my cancer diagnosis, my doctor gave me a list of vitamins and supplements that I should take everyday along with a list of those that I should avoid because in some studies they were shown to feed prostate cancer cells.

Friends can be a great source of support and sometimes they may even have some note-worthy suggestions. However, it’s what you don’t know about your health that can hurt you. So, when something is amiss in your body, before your self-treat the issue, talk to your doctor first. Don’t put yourself at risk for overlooking or masking a serious medical condition like prostate cancer.