When it’s abnormally metabolized, estrogen can alter the gene expression and change vital signaling sequences between cells wreaking endothelial damage and abnormal cell growth in the body by creating high cholesterol and causing vasoconstriction. Excess estrogen can stimulate tumor-cell activators and become a weak genotoxic (DNA damaging) carcinogen. Women can develop ovarian, beast, or uterine cancer when their bodies metabolize estrogen improperly; for men, prostate cancer. In 2012, the Molecular Cell Endocrinology journal published an article explaining that estradiol can be made from testosterone by aromatase in the prostate cells, endothelial cells, breast cells, and fat cells. An experiment conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago showed that when estradiol is applied to rats the incidence of prostate cancer increased significantly; even when the rats were administered with a short course of estrogen, the incidence of prostate cancer also increased.

Prostate cancer was quite much more common in older people four decades ago. Because they do not tend to suffer from imbalanced testosterone and estrogen levels, the rate of prostate cancer is low in older men even though more than half of them (men 80 years old and above) have enlarged prostates. The development of prostate depends on how the body metabolizes testosterone. 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone can be created from the metabolism of testosterone and this compound cannot be aromatized to estrogen which does not induce prostate cancer. But if aromatase is the enzyme that converts high amounts of testosterone into estrogen, prostate cancer can develop. Hence, it is not testosterone per se that causes prostate cancer but how it is metabolized. It is in the prostate that estrogen receptors are expressed and may determine the way testosterone is metabolized. From the above mentioned experiment, the DNA of the rat’s prostate has been damaged from the estrogen treatment; this phenomenon can happen at exactly the same location and just before the development of cancer. In the book, Prostate, Masayoshi Hiramatsu believed that aromatase overexpression may be possibly due to abnormal gene regulation and can lead to in situ production of abnormal estrogen and contribute to the development or inducement of prostate disorders in humans.

The consumption of a lot of simple sugars and processed food on a daily basis which the body usually converts into fat because of a sedentary life style is the biggest reason why prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement is now being diagnosed among men in their 40s and 50s. Insulin surge occurs when you eat a lot of simple sugars and this causes inflammation in the body. When you have a lot of body fat, you also have more testosterone that can be transformed into estrogen through aromatase. Inflammation, a sedentary life, stress, and a high level of estrogen combined can switch on bad gene expression. Regular intake of alcohol may increase the abnormal activity of aromatase and lower testosterone levels which can lead to impotence. It also can result in higher production of intracellular estrogen from testosterone.

What can acupuncture do to treat or prevent the rise of prostate cancer?

One of the benefits of acupuncture in West Orange is that it can strengthen the function of your immune system which helps prevent or at least lessen general inflammation, which is intimately associated with the development of cancer. Another benefit is that acupuncture can boost metabolism by bettering thyroid and digestive function. So, by eating certain foods, your body creates more heat and energy instead of storing all the calories as fat. This makes your body burn fat more efficiently resulting in less estrogen and thus less mutation of genes. One of the most important benefits of acupuncture is its ability to alleviate stress which helps you sleep better. Acupuncture also reduces anxiety and enhances natural killer-cell activity, a function that is very important during radiation therapy and chemotherapy. One final benefit of acupuncture is that it assists your body in creating high amounts of dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and endorphins which are chemicals that make you relax and feel good all over.