Dr. Chughtai on discussing supplements with urology patients

In this video, Bilal Chughtai, MD, shares the key takeaways from the study, “Saw Palmetto Treatment for Prostatitis: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” for which he served as the senior author. Chughtai is the chief of urology at Plainview Hospital at Northwell Health in Plainview, New York.

Video Transcript:

What is the key take-home message from this work?

Supplements have not been part of the armamentarium for urologists. We know that a lot of our patients use these supplements, so I think it's important for us to have a baseline knowledge, at least an idea, of what things we would recommend, what things we don't recommend, and where the data lies. I think having an overall stance of "supplements are all the same, or they're terrible," or whatever it is, I don't think that's a great stance for us. Articles like this really allow us to have an understanding of where it could potentially play a role for our patients.

Is there anything else that you would like to add?

I would just say that the world of supplements is wide and varied. It isn't a well-regulated market. Looking at supplements that have regulation or having the United States Pharmacopeia recommendation on them can definitely be helpful. I think using reputable supplements can also help you go in the right direction. These are all things that we can share with our patients even though we may not have specific supplements that we recommend. Talking about the variety that's out there, the lack of regulation, and having things that are independently verified by labs can also enhance the patient outcome.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.