Studies reported that Serenoa repens was effective in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ) .
This study indicated that Serenoa repens had the same effect in treating BPH compared with tamsulosin in terms of IPSS , QoL , and PVR after at least 6-month treatment cycle , however , the latter had a greater improvement in PV compared with the former .
And Serenoa repens did not increase the risk of adverse events especially with respect to ejaculation disorders and libido decrease
Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study.
CONTEXT Research both in the United States and abroad suggests that significant numbers of people are involved with various forms of alternative medicine . However , the reasons for such use are , at present , poorly understood . OBJECTIVE To investigate possible predictors of alternative health care use . METHODS Three primary hypotheses were tested . People seek out these alternatives because ( 1 ) they are dissatisfied in some way with conventional treatment ; ( 2 ) they see alternative treatments as offering more personal autonomy and control over health care decisions ; and ( 3 ) the alternatives are seen as more compatible with the patients ' values , worldview , or beliefs regarding the nature and meaning of health and illness . Additional predictor variables explored included demographics and health status . DESIGN A written survey examining use of alternative health care , health status , values , and attitudes toward conventional medicine . Multiple logistic regression analyses were used in an effort to identify predictors of alternative health care use . SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A total of 1035 individuals r and omly selected from a panel who had agreed to participate in mail surveys and who live throughout the United States . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Use of alternative medicine within the previous year . RESULTS The response rate was 69 % . The following variables emerged as predictors of alternative health care use  : more education ( odds ratio [ OR ] , 1.2 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 1.1 - 1.3 ) ; poorer health status ( OR , 1.3 ; 95 % CI , 1.1 - 1.5 ) ; a holistic orientation to health ( OR , 1.4 ; 95 % CI , 1.1 - 1.9 ) ; having had a transformational experience that changed the person 's worldview ( OR , 1 .8 ; 95 % CI , 1 .3 - 2.5 ) ; any of the following health problems : anxiety ( OR , 3.1 ; 95 % CI , 1.6 - 6.0 ) ; back problems ( OR , 2.3 ; 95 % CI , 1 .7 - 3.2 ) ; chronic pain ( OR , 2.0 ; 95 % CI , 1.1 -3.5 ) ; urinarytract problems ( OR , 2.2 ; 95 % CI , 1.3 - 3.5 ) ; and classification in a cultural group identifiable by their commitment to environmentalism , commitment to feminism , and interest in spirituality and personal growth psychology ( OR , 2.0 ; 95 % CI , 1.4 - 2.7 ) . Dissatisfaction with conventional medicine did not predict use of alternative medicine . Only 4.4 % of those surveyed reported relying primarily on alternative therapies . CONCLUSION Along with being more educated and reporting poorer health status , the majority of alternative medicine users appear to be doing so not so much as a result of being dissatisfied with conventional medicine but largely because they find these health care alternatives to be more congruent with their own values , beliefs , and philosophical orientations toward health and life
Studies reported that Serenoa repens was effective in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ) .
This study indicated that Serenoa repens had the same effect in treating BPH compared with tamsulosin in terms of IPSS , QoL , and PVR after at least 6-month treatment cycle , however , the latter had a greater improvement in PV compared with the former .
And Serenoa repens did not increase the risk of adverse events especially with respect to ejaculation disorders and libido decrease