Alternative therapies in the management of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Standard medical therapy for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) including such agents as nonsteriodal anti-inflammatories, alpha-blockers, antimicrobial therapy, and 5a-reductase inhibitors has not been uniformly effective. The purpose of this review is to focus on the role of alternative therapies available for the management of CP/CPPS. We performed a systematic review of the literature for articles published in PubMed up to 2012 pertaining to commonly employed alternative therapies. The evidence for alternative therapies such as diet and lifestyle modifications, phytotherapy, acupuncture, myofascial physical therapy, and stress management/cognitive behavioral therapy is reviewed. CP/CPPS often requires a multimodal approach and alternative therapies should be considered as adjuncts in the treatment of refractory CP/CPPS patients