Contributed by: (www. india-herbs. com) Prostate problems too often put a damper on the activities of men of all ages and they are far more common than previously thought. According to numerous studies, more than half of all men over 50 years of age suffer from an enlarged prostate and its symptoms. As men age, up to 80% will suffer from uncomfortable symptoms that may include difficulty urinating, increased frequency and urgency of urination, bouts with sleep-disturbing nighttime urination and painful lower backache. Prostate difficulties are costly, too. Every year about 400000 men have prostate surgery; adding over $3 billion annually to our national health care bill. Most men know more about a women’s monthly cycle than they do about their own body and its sexual health, yet problems with prostate gland are as common in men as period problems in women. Prostate function A small donut-shaped gland, the prostate surrounds the urethra where it leaves the bladder. The prostate produces an alkaline substance which makes up the largest part of the seminal reproductive fluid. From around the age of 45, the number of cells in the prostate gland starts to enlarge in most men. This non-cancerous process known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH for short. In some men, the prostate gland grows large without causing problems with passing water. This may be because their urethra is wider than average, or because the gland tends to enlarge outward. In many, however, enlargement . . .