How to Interpret a High PSA Result

I continue to clinically see men distressed over the PSA test. That makes sense to me – this is often the first time these guys face their potential mortality.

No blood test provokes more anxiety in men than the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. Not cholesterol, not glucose, not triglycerides—nothing else makes a man's knees shake like when he goes for a PSA test.

You know what PSA stands for, right? Patient Stimulated Anxiety.  Kidding aside, the problem is that feelings of worry and stress can cause the PSA number to rise by itself. So, it would be in your best interest to figure out some tools and techniques to remain calm about PSA. 

A high PSA does not always mean cancer and certainly does not always mean death will occur after prostate cancer.

To further confuse things about this anxiety-inducing biomarker, David, a prostate cancer thriver for 19+ years and my partner at XY Wellness, LLC, wrote a great blog post about Dr. Richard Ablin, the creator of the PSA test, titled "PSA Test: How to Properly Interpret and Avoid Misuse" Dr. Ablin has argued that PSA can't differentiate between the type of prostate cancer "that kills you and the one that won't.… The test simply reveals how much of the prostate antigen a man has in his blood…. Men with low readings might still harbor dangerous cancers, while those with high readings might be completely healthy."

In my book, The PSA Book, I provide some takeaways regarding the stressful PSA biomarker:

• The function of the PSA enzyme is to liquefy semen so that sperm can mobilize freely and eventually induce fertilization.
• The PSA read from your blood test is from "prostate leakage," where more of this molecule "leaks" into your bloodstream. Higher PSA reading is not from more PSA produced from cancer or otherwise.
• Obesity falsely lowers PSA, meaning that an obese man may have a low PSA value but still harbor cancer.
• Like PC-SPES, a dietary supplement from the 1990s (no longer legally available) that contained synthetic estrogen, other dietary supplements in the market may also significantly falsely lower PSA. Buyer beware.

Be assured that none of our dietary supplements at XY Wellness contain estrogenic compounds in them. While I have noticed that formulas like ImmunoPCTN and GDtoxSel, moderately lower PSA values in many cases, the reason is not from an estrogenic effect, but mostly from reducing inflammation and lowering oxidative stress, I hypothesize.

It is important to emphasize here that a high reading in PSA is often not a death sentence. Still, an unfavorable reading may be an opportunity to reset, prioritize what's essential in your life, and get to work with a lifestyle practice that improves your longevity and quality of life.

Yours in Good Health, 

Dr. Geo, Co-founder & Medical Director