Complementary therapies in the control of male lower urinary tract symptoms: A systematic review.
Luciana Regina Ferreira da Mata, Paula Giuliana Rodrigues Motter, Cissa Azevedo and 3 others
PMID 35858004WHAT IT FOUND
Phytotherapy lowered urinary symptom scores in six of eight male trials, but effects differed by herb and dose.
Electroacupuncture evidence came from four trials, only one low risk of bias.
Key findings
01Saw palmetto at 320 mg/day improved International Prostate Symptom Score, but it did not improve peak urine flow, post-urination residual volume, or prostate volume.
02Cranberry at 500 mg/day lowered the International Prostate Symptom Score by 4.1 points on a 0-35 scale and improved urine flow and bladder emptying.
03Electroacupuncture was tested in four trials, and only one was classified as low risk of bias.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only clinical trials were included, and trials that combined complementary therapy with conventional medical or surgical treatment were excluded, so the review may not reflect how these therapies are often used in practice. The trials differed in herb, dose, acupuncture points, electrostimulation settings, treatment duration, follow-up time, and baseline symptom severity. Six of twelve trials were low risk of bias, three were moderate risk, and three were high risk; important electroacupuncture evidence came from trials with moderate or high risk. Saw palmetto extract type and concentration were often not specified, and one trial used a carbon dioxide extract, so product comparisons are uncertain. Electroacupuncture trials used different sham methods and were not fully blinded. All included trials were published in English between 2001 and 2019.
Declared interests
Funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Grant #429958/2018-8 and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) Grant APQ 01034-21, Brazil.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that any herbal product controls male urinary symptoms. The review found benefits only for specific herbs and doses in some trials, and several trials had moderate or high risk of bias.