Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Prostatitis - Home Treatment
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
Acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis
If you have prostatitis caused by a bacterial infection (acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis), contact a doctor about your symptoms, especially if you have a fever. Antibiotics and other medicines will be prescribed as needed.
But there are some things you can do at home that may help you be more comfortable:
- Take nonprescription pain relievers, such as aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or acetaminophen.
- Sit in a tub of warm water with the water just covering your buttocks, or try a sitz bath.
- Take care of yourself when you have an infection. Get plenty of rest, and drink lots of fluids. This will make you feel better and may speed your recovery.
- Eat plenty of high-fiber foods, such as fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereal. And drink enough water to avoid constipation. Straining to pass a bowel movement may be very painful when your prostate is inflamed, so use a stool softener if necessary.
Chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory or noninflammatory
Home treatment may help control symptoms and relieve pain if you have chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory or noninflammatory. In addition to trying the above home treatment tips for acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis:
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods such as hot peppers, chili, pickles, and salsa, especially if they make your symptoms worse.
- Try stress management: deep breathing, relaxation, exercise, and elimination of stressful circumstances. Stress and anxiety may make your symptoms worse. For more information, see the topic Stress Management.
- Ask your doctor about plant extracts, such as saw palmetto, quercetin (Prosta-Q), or bee pollen extract (Cernilton), which may provide some relief.1
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: December 4, 2009 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Christopher G. Wood, MD, FACS - Urology, Oncology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network