Lee Rodwell is Health Editor of the popular weekly magazine Take a Break. Before becoming a full-time freelance health writer, she was a staff journalist on several national newspapers. She has written many books on health and lifestyle issues and her articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world.

Price: £10.95

You and your prostate
• The World Health Organisation estimates that eight out of ten men will one day need treatment for prostate problems and, of these, one in three will need an operation. Yet few men know where their prostate is, what it does, or what to look out for when things start to go wrong.
• This book aims to give men the information and confidence they need to make decisions which affect their health and well-being. It explains:
• how the prostate works
• what kind of problems can develop
• how to take steps to prevent problems
• when and how to seek help
• what treatments are available
• what the risks and side-effects may be

Chapter 1: The prostate and its disorders: a summary
An explanation of the prostate gland, its function and development. A brief guide to the three main problems – prostatitis, BPH and prostate cancer.

Chapter 2: Investigating a problem
Warning signs. Diagnostic test explained: DRE, PSA levels, uroflowmetry, TRUS, biopsy, CT scanning, MRI.

Chapter 3: Prostatitis
Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis; chronic non-bacterial prostatitis; prostatodynia. Symptoms, investigation and treatment. Prevention and self-help.

Chapter 4: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Risk factors and possible causes. Treatment options: watchful waiting; drugs (alpha blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors); surgery (TURP, TUIP); minimally invasive treatments (stents, microwave, Thermex, TURAPY, laser). Risks and side-effects; making a balanced choice. Prevention and self help: diet, zinc, herbal medicines including rye grass, pollen and saw palmetto.

Chapter 5: Prostate cancer: part 1
Incidence and risk factors. The PSA test and the screening debate.

Chapter 6: Prostate cancer: part 2
Diagnosis and treatment options: watchful waiting, radiotherapy, radical prostatectomy, drugs (LHRH analogues, antiandrogens). Coping with cancer.

Chapter 7: Incontinence and impotence
Self-help to improve continence: pelvic floor exercises, bladder training. Continence aids. Treatments to aid potency: vacuum pumps, injections, drugs.

Chapter 8: A prostate diet plan
Guidelines and suggested recipies for healthy eating.

Chapter 9: Getting the best out of the system
Dealing with doctors; trials; patients’ rights.
Also included:
• Jargon busting
• Medical terms explained
• Staging and grading prostate cancer
• Explanation of the way doctors assess the size of prostate cancer and try to decide how aggressive it may be.
• Case histories
• Contact list of self-help groups, books, cancer charities, leaflets.