Cold therapy for BPH problems
Posted , 4 users are following.
I thought I'd share an interesting development with my BPH problem. My gym has a hot tub and cold plunge right next to each other. The cold plunge is set to about 40F. I'd see guys go right in no hesitation and I thought they were nuts, some would stay in for several minutes. But I'd read there were some good health benefits to doing this. Anyway, I gave it a try and could barely stay in a few seconds. The feeling afterward was refreshing. So I continued to do this because I liked the feeling afterward. Now I can stay in about 30 seconds and then I finish with a cold shower (which felt like nothing really after the cold plunge.)
So not long after doing this routine I've noticed my BPH problem was much relieved. I was doing this while being on Flomax. The Flomax prescription was never great, in fact I hated it because it affected my sex drive and orgasm. But it gave me mild relief so I continued taking the medication. I really couldn't believe that the cold plunges and showers at the gym would be having any effect on my BPH problem. I decided to stop taking the Flomax. The relief to my BPH continues to this day. It's been many months where I've been getting up multiple times a night to pee. But now I've only been getting up once per night and my pee flow has increased. I'm no longer taking Flomax and my orgasms are much better now.
This is unbelievable to me. I'm going to continue my cold therapy routine at the gym. I guess time will tell if it's just coincidence or truly a health benefit I've discovered. I had postponed my Urolift procedure once, I think I will cancel it for now.
Has anyone experienced something like this with cold plunges/showers?
1 like, 4 replies
carl29026 burritoman
Edited
Kudos, what ever wets your whistle. Do keep in mind, the prostate is ever growing. We all hope to have small victories. You have one, embrace it, for all its worth. The tamulsoline is the main stay for BPH. I took double the recommendation, and got little from it. Except, on a trip to the head, I passed out. Went to the tile floor, completely out, but head missed sink and tub and walls, I basically came down in a HEAP. Never in my life had this happened. Woke up on the floor in an instant. No injuries, just my pride. So, long story short, Uro said cut back to .4 mg. To this day...4 mg flomax and 50 mg Myribetriq (which is expensive as hell). My choices, so far, were medication or surgery. Life changes can make a difference, as moderation in caffeine and alcohol. Ones prostate/bladder will thank you.
burritoman carl29026
Edited
Ouch, you're lucky, could have been a lot worse I guess. I started the Flomax on .4 mg a few months ago and it helped very mildly. But I took what I could get because my BPH had become a real problem and I was having trouble getting good sleep. Doc said I could double it to .8 mg and I tried that for a couple weeks. It didn't help at all. Flomax completely destroyed my sex life while I was on it. I'm glad to be off of it completely. Sounds like it's working OK for you.
I'm going to continue with the cold baths because that's the only thing that's changed recently in my lifestyle. I don't understand it, I won't question it, it's working for me and right now I'm feeling great. I'd forgotten what a good night's sleep felt like. If my BPH comes back (I suspect it will eventually) then I'll reschedule the Urolift.
burritoman
Edited
It's been 6 weeks since I posted this and I thought I'd provide an update. I've been doing the cold baths usually 4 times per week, each session is about 30 to 40 sec followed by a cold shower. I am completely free of BPH problems since starting this routine. Most nights I am now only getting up once to urinate, some nights I'm sleeping a full 7 hrs uninterrupted. It sounds crazy, even to me, but literally that is all that has changed with my lifestyle. I'd read that cold baths can help with body inflammation, all I can figure is that it is working for my particular situation.
Good luck to you all.
not_too_shabby burritoman
Posted
Thanks for posting this. Anything is better than drugs or surgery. I have started swimming and have found my symptoms are better after being in the relatively cool water. Maybe I'll try my own ice path a few times a week. I have also tried sitting one of those gel icepacks to see if I could reduce the inflammation, but I was also following up with heat. Maybe I'll just try cold for a while.