Chemical cause?

[faceinthecrowd]

I hope this isn't redundant, but I did search on this and couldn't come up with what I was looking for. I am wondering if there is any reason to believe chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome is the result of exposure to hazardous chemicals. You know, like the stories of people who got cancer after drinking tainted water for years. I know it's far-fetched, but I'm just wondering. Thanks.

[scotsman]

Really can't see that being a factor.

[webslave]

FWIW, I got chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome right after exposure to chlorine-based pesticides in the workplace. I am undecided on this as a factor. I suspect it may be part of the picture. Jill of the ICN was similarly exposed to a heavy dose of pool chlorine on the very day she fell ill.

[scotsman]

Actually - I fell ill the day after we came back from a health spa - with lots of time spent in the whirlpools etc....

[faceinthecrowd]

This is going to sound ridiculous, but what the hell. The possible exposure event I am thinking of in my case happened about 12 years before I came down with CPPS. And between the two times I had absolutely no problems with my genitals.I know, I know, sounds crazy. But this disease has made me paranoid! I keep thinking that the chemical got into me and warped my DNA, or changed how my cells developed, or made my parts down there develop abnormally. Of course I know nothing about anatomy really or how the body works, so what I'm saying could be utterly ridiculous. But like I said, this condition has left me prone to fantastic thoughts. Please someone tell me if I am being idiotic or if something like this is possible??

[scotsman]

You're being idiotic

Seriously, I don't think it's anything to do with your NDA, etc. The muscular nature of the problem is logical - which is why the standford protocol of physio and relaxtion works.

I believe mine kicked off with a urine reflux - and it will be different for everyone.

I'd stop your current thought process - it's only going to add more stress and anxiety - which of course will make matters worse.

Richard.

[alphacentauri]

I am wondering if there is any reason to believe chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome is the result of exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Well, I live in a city notorious for its pollution - high levels of lead, carbon particles in the air, etc. As an adult I've never had so many health problems as I have living here. 3 months before getting my current symptoms I was hospitalized with tonsillitis. Apparently my tonsils are chronically enlarged, just like my prostate.

Anyway, the ENT doctor said the sudden onset of tonsillitis was likely due to a generally weakened immune system, which made sense. Lately, I've led an inactive sedentary lifestyle in a city with an unhealthy physical environment, so you put 2 & 2 together - and voilà, a recipe for health problems.

It seems pretty obvious in retrospect that the tonsillitis thing was a big wake-up call - but it's amazing how dense you can be when you're complaisant.

[NoMoPain]

I believe that your current state of mind is not going to help you. I am currently doing the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol and this is the only thing that has helped me with any significance and consistence. I understand your thinking though since I did the same kind of thinking myself in the past which only put me in more of an anxious, helpless, powerless state of mind which made my physical symptoms worse. Many conditions can result from chronic muscle tension (headaches, TMJ, ulcers, etc.). I am not sure why the muscle tension theory of chronic pelvic pain is so slow to being accepted. I had a terrible migraine a few weeks ago (thought I was going to throw up) and I did and intense relaxation session and within two hours my headache was about 90% gone, which allowed me to get a restful nights sleep and awaken in the morning feeling almost 100%. There is no way I could have recovered that fast without the relaxation. If my pelvic pain flares up, I find that doing the relaxation session makes the symptoms feel much better. Also, how do you know that your prostate is enlarged ? Were you told this by your doctor ?

[alphacentauri]

I believe that your current state of mind is not going to help you... I understand your thinking though since I did the same kind of thinking myself in the past which only put me in more of an anxious, helpless, powerless state of mind which made my physical symptoms worse.

I agree that anxiety makes matters worse, but trying to understand the factors led up to your problem is not the same as experiencing anxiety.

My point was not that chemical or hazardous materials can directly lead to CP, but that a combination of factors like a polluted environment and a less-than-healthy lifestyle can lead to a general degradation of your health, which can in turn trigger chronic illnesses - nothing surprising here.

Also, how do you know that your prostate is enlarged ? Were you told this by your doctor ?

I had 3 prostate exams with 3 uros (and that's just last month, baby!) - and they all concurred on this point. Plus I think, at least 2 other uros told me the same thing 4 years ago. So the Rubinesque nature of my prostate is documented in at least 5 urologists' filing cabinets

[tractor316]

Mine started right after having sex in a hot tub. Docs claim it was bacteria, but none was ever found. Maybe the chlorine????

[webslave]

FWIW, I got chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome right after exposure to chlorine-based pesticides in the workplace. I am undecided on this as a factor. I suspect it may be part of the picture. Jill of the ICN was similarly exposed to a heavy dose of pool chlorine on the very day she fell ill.

Just for completeness, I thought I'd add this link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 110852.htm

This study shows that male rats prenatally exposed to low doses of atrazine, a widely used herbicide, are more likely to develop prostate inflammation ... than non-exposed animals .... "It was noteworthy that the prostate inflammation decreased over time, suggesting the effects may not be permanent," said David Malarkey, D.V.M., Ph.D., an NIEHS pathologist and co-author on the paper. Fenton points out that these findings may extend beyond atrazine alone, and may be relevant to other herbicides found in the same chlorotriazine family, including propazine and simazine. All three of the herbicides create the same set of breakdown products.

[I will beat this]

the smell of the swimming pool does bother me