You’ve heard about Botox being used cosmetically, but a recent study indicates that Botox may be useful for treating an enlarged prostate gland in men!
The study was funded by Allergan, the drug company that makes Botox. And the results are encouraging! Botox injections into the prostate gland eased symptoms in three-quarters of men in the study! Researchers from the United States and Taiwan are excited about the results. A doctor from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said that “Botox could represent a simple, safe, and effective treatment for enlarged prostate.”
Millions of men in the United States suffer from an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. The forty-one men in the study all suffered from BPH and had not found relief with traditional medical treatment. More than seventy-five percent of the study participants experienced a noticeable improvement in urinary tract function after receiving Botox injections — as much as thirty percent. In some patients, the improvements lasted for an entire year! Eighty percent of patients were able to completely empty their bladders within a month of Botox injection.
What makes Botox work so well? It appears to cause the prostate gland to relax, easing pressure on the urethra. Your prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut that is pretty important to the reproductive system. It sits under your bladder, which is why you get up to use the bathroom a hundred times a night when the gland is inflamed. If Botox can reduce swelling in the prostate gland, you won’t have that feeling of always having to go to the bathroom.
None of the patients in the study experienced any significant side effects. The most common medical treatments currently in use can have some serious side effects, including impotence. Botox may be a good alternative for the millions of men in the United States suffering from an enlarged prostate.