Genesen Acutouch Therapy
Genesen Acutouch pointers – professional office equipment for at-home use
Acupuncture is one small part of a 5,000 year-old oriental healing tradition. It is performed by inserting fine needles into the skin to stimulate or sedate specific treatment points on the surface of the body. Two main reasons people today who would like to try acupuncture do not do it: the cost and the needles. The availability of the remarkable non-needle Genesen Acutouch professional grade acupuncture equipment has changed all that.
Genesen Acutouch pointers – Acupuncture without needles
The Genesen Acutouch instruments are sometimes called Acutouch pointers or Genesen pointers because of the way that they are used during treatment; they are simply pointed toward an area on the surface of the body. To receive the benefit of acupuncture treatment it is no longer necessary to be concerned about pain, bleeding or fear of needles. Just point the tips of the Genesen touch pointer and let them do all the work.
The Acutouch pointers are ideal for both the professional acupuncturist and the layperson for three reasons:
- Acutouch Pointers are totally safe because they do not penetrate the skin and bleeding cannot occur. The instrument uses only natural atmospheric infrared, magnetic and ionic energy. It provides a simple, non-invasive, self-administered treatment that is totally unique in both traditional and Alternative Medicine because it uses no artificial or external power source, with no wires and no batteries to replace – it is totally mobile.
- This instrument produces a wide treatment area. The tissue area that is affected by the galvanic energy field of the Acutouch pointers is huge compared to an acupuncture needle. The treatment area of an acupuncture needle is about the width of a human hair; the treatment area of the Genesen Acutouch Pointer tip is one inch or 25 mm. For this reason a person only needs to be roughly close to an acupuncture point for the Genesen device to be effective. Experts and novices get similar results using it for this reason. This instrument has such a wide area of impact or effectiveness, and it tells you when you are on the correct treatment area, that you cannot make a mistake with it.
- Your Genesen pointers will last a lifetime because it has no moving parts, it will never wear out, and it has no external power source. This is certainly space age technology you can hold in your hands today. It operates on an infinite supply of natural atmospheric energy, providing the home user with a compact, portable and convenient response to more than 220 ailments, injuries and conditions.
- Effectiveness of point stimulation. The Genesen Acutouch instrument is manufactured to ISO9002 standards; the product carries CE certification as a Class 1 medical device. It causes penetration of chi to pass down through the gold tips (coated in 20 microns of 24K gold for optimum hygiene, performance and response) into the body to a depth of 25mm (1 inch).
Most people do not realize there are many methods to effectively stimulate acupuncture points; pressure, heat and electricity are just a few different ways that are commonly used instead of needle stimulation. With the recent development of the Genesen Acutouch pointers everyone can safely and easily stimulate various acupuncture points on the body, and do it with just as much accuracy as a highly skilled acupuncturist.
By following the simple instructions that come with this equipment it is now possible for a layperson with no formal training to perform a rather sophisticated acupuncture treatment without encountering any of the problems and limitations of traditional needles. The Genesen pens (they are often called this because each one looks very much like a ballpoint pen) will indicate to the user when an active acupuncture point has been located and if it is in need of treatment. It is this aspect of the Acutouch pointers that make them so easy to use and effective even in the hands of a total novice.
Acutouch pointers for at-home use
There are several great reasons anyone who is interested in Alternative Medicine would use Genesen Acutouch at-home therapy in place of traditional needle acupuncture.
- Safety – no needles involved
- Results – the three forms of naturally occurring energy focused by the Genesen pointers spread out an inch wide and penetrate an inch deep into the tissue to stimulate every acupuncture point for treatment
- Cost – with professional acupuncture office visits costing anywhere from $75 to $200 each, the Genesen instruments will pay for themselves after just a few uses.
- Convenience – treat yourself or family members in the privacy and comfort of your home at any time of the day or night, as often as you like
- Ease – simply look at the pictures in the 160 page instruction book and place the pointers on those same areas of the body. The Genesen Acutouch pointers will tell you if you are on the correct or not; if not, simply move to another spot until the pointers indicate you have located the correct area for treatment.
The Genesen Acutouch instrument was invented by a South Korean engineer, Chi Kyung Kim, in 1999. It carries several international patents and earned him awards from the governments of several countries. The Acutouch pointers use a combination of 1200-G focused magnets; a pinpoint far infrared beam (between 6 and 14 micrometers) that is focused down the length of a hexagonal barrel of the device; and a negative ion emitter in a ceramic powder chamber. These three energy sources are tuned to precisely merge at a gold plated point of the Acutouch device. The gold pointers of the device direct this composite of natural energy into the body, stimulating the body’s inherent ability to regulate and heal itself.
Acupuncture is not one thing. There are many styles of acupuncture and many ways of stimulating acupuncture points. Some of the best acupuncture treatments are those provided using innovation and the ability to respond to the needs of the individual. The Genesen pointers allow you to do just that kind of self-care treatment. You can hold in your hands a truly revolutionary treatment device like the Genesen Acutouch pointers even as a layperson and deliver to those you love an effective acupuncture treatment, without the costs, problems and limitations of traditional needles.
Best Peyronie’s disease treatment, Neprinol 300 or Neprinol AFD?
Neprinol reduces inflammation and tissue damage
Neprinol is a completely vegetarian blend of several different enzymes that have tested to have over six time’s stronger activity to break down fibrin than the leading animal based enzyme blend product. The enzymes in Neprinol have been shown to be clinically effective in supporting C-reactive protein (CRP) levels when taken as directed. In this way Neprinol promotes normal levels of anti-inflammatory markers in the blood stream that are part of the physiologic response of the body while dealing with acute (sprain, strain, overwork) and chronic (arthritis, most soft tissue disease, stroke, blood vessel disease) injury. As a result Neprinol enzymes will assist the body in its effort to eliminate from the blood stream damaged red and white blood cells, fibrin, any protein material that is part of the inflammation process, as well as other cellular debris and foreign protein that can accumulate in the blood.
Neprinol AFD important in treatment of Peyronie’s disease because it affects fibrin
Fibrin deposition in Peyronie’s disease plaque
Immediately after injury occurs in the body, a protein called fibrin is deposited at the site of injury to act as a meshwork to trap and collect important blood cells and helpful components that create a clot that stops bleeding and promotes healing and repair of the recent injury. This is normal. After a period of time this mass of fibrin with it cellular collection changes so that the fibrin is removed and another protein called collagen fills in the spaces and changes the area of repair so that it resembles a fresh scar. This is normal. However, in Peyronie’s disease two abnormal things occur, for reasons that are not understood: the fibrin does not leave the clot, and an excessive amount of collagen forms in the young scar so that it takes on a different name, a Peyronie’s plaque. The way this fibrin and collagen collect and remain at the site of injury is consistent with repetitive injury to the small blood vessels of the penis.
The benefit of Neprinol AFD to Peyronies treatment is that it can break down and assist the removal of the fibrin that remains in the Peyronie’s plaque or scar.
Neprinol 300 most popular systemic enzyme sold by PDI
The ability to break down fibrin with enzymes, and to do it as economically as possible because it is a larger size bottle, is the reason some people call it Neprinol 300. The high potency of two key enzyme ingredients, nattokinase and serrapeptase, address the concern about aggressively placing a systemic enzyme product as the foundation of treatment. Start by taking only four Neprinol 300 capsules daily, then slowly increase dosage while monitoring the size, shape, density and surface features of each Peyronie’s scar. This is a great way to use this Alternative Medicine therapy for treatment of Peyronie’s disease. Neprinol 300 is recommended for both clinical use and therapeutic applications.
No difference between Neprinol 300 and Neprinol AFD
Whether you choose to call it Neprinol 300 or Neprinol AFD, these two terms are simply different names for the same potent enzyme therapy supplement that most people simply call Neprinol.
Neprinol continues to be by far the commonly used Peyronie’s disease therapy product. Many times I have seen men who are following a particular plan that does not include Neprinol, and they experience slow or totally stalled results. After adding Neprinol to that same plan it is common to learn that their recovery greatly improved from that point forward.
The name Neprinol 300 refers to the fact that Neprinol is bottled in either a 300 or 90 count bottle, for your benefit. With the larger Neprinol 300 size bottle it is possible to take advantage of the reduced price of a greater supply and to purchase it fewer times; this is especially helpful for those who use Neprinol for chronic health problems that require prolonged treatment. With the smaller Neprinol 90 count bottle it is possible to keep a smaller amount on hand for relief from occasional and mild overwork injuries or to simply get acquainted with the Neprinol product by taking a small amount of it. By far, Neprinol 300 is a much more popular product.
The name Neprinol AFD refers to the primary purpose of Neprinol, as an Advanced Fibrin Defense therapy product. Neprinol AFD is a name that tells the story that reduction and elimination of fibrin from the blood stream and tissue is what this product is all about.
Neprinol is safe
In over 10 years of use through the Peyronie’s Disease Institute there has been no report of any serious complication or adverse side effect associated with taking any systemic enzyme product like Neprinol, when it is taken in the way that we suggest. Worldwide experience during this time has revealed, as well as clinical studies have demonstrated, that taking extremely large doses of this product does not result in a toxicity reaction. Anyone taking a prescription for blood-thinning medication should consult with his treating physician prior to taking Neprinol.
Neprinol for Peyronie’s treatment
As good as Neprinol is when used to reduce Peyronie’s plaque material, it is almost always necessary to use several other in addition to the Neprinol to support and sustain the desired tissue changes. Neprinol is best taken as part of an already good therapy plan, often used as a substitute for low dose nattokinase and serrapeptase supplements, although some men use all three products with very good results.
Neprinol AFD contains primarily serrapeptase, nattokinase, bromelain, and co-enzyme Q, plus a few other lesser ingredients. Other products also contain serrapeptase and nattokinase, individually, but few put these two in combination and none in the concentration of Neprinol AFD. It is a more potent form of nattokinase and serrapeptase than if you would buy each in individual bottles, and the Neprinol 300 bottle itself is three times larger than most others that contain 100, to say nothing of smaller bottles with 60 or even 30 capsules.
However, in regard the idea of successful PD treatment is to not focus on any one particular therapy, even if it is a great one like Neprinol because the goal is to attempt to create a synergistic effect with several therapies taken at once for maximum therapeutic effect. For this reason the Peyronie’s Disease Institute has always maintained that even if someone believes Neprinol (or any other) is a key PD treatment it should not be taken alone but combined for greatest therapeutic benefit.
No one knows how any one will respond to any or all of the 13 Alternative Medicine therapies found on the PDI website. Some men report some positive results with just one therapy, but more men report better results when they take multiple therapies. That is what the whole therapy concept of synergy is all about: the more you do, the larger your plan, the greater the likelihood of promoting a favorable metabolic change to support and encourage scar reduction. The PDI idea is not to “treat the scar” as a medical doctor would do, but to “treat the man who has the scar” so that his body can heal what is wrong with it. This is a major concept shift for most medically indoctrinated people. For this reason, as good a single therapy as Neprinol is, it is not recommended that anyone who is interested in earning good results in treatment of his PD scar should use just Neprinol – or just any one product – but several to create synergy.
Peyronies disease is a tough and terrible thing to happen to a man. It takes dedication and persistence to overcome it. Call it Neprinol 300 or Neprinol AFD, but definitely use it in a well diversified plan to break down the fibrin network of your Peyronie’s plaque material. Success over this problem is never an easy victory, but always worthwhile.
Which Aneros prostate massage model should I use for BPH and an enlarged prostate?
Aneros purchase guide for Prostate Massage
Deciding which Aneros model to choose for natural enlarged prostate treatment is easier when you remember that they are all designed to do the same two things – prostatic massage and orgasm pleasure enhancement – but one model may be more effective than another because of overall body size, prostate size and shape, strength of PD muscles and ability to control contractions, pelvic contours, ability to relax during Aneros use, etc.
All five Aneros prostate massager devices rely upon a patented, hands-free design that uses the contraction of the anal muscles to control the prostate massage in a controlled, safe and pleasant action. While each model has the same general design idea, close inspection shows each has its own unique shape and size that determines how it performs. Some are slightly larger, and some have more subtle curves here and there.
Click here to purchase an Aneros prostatic massager – scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Aneros devices
It is important to understand that each Aneros unit – Helix, MGX, SGX, Maximus and Eupho – works the way it does because of its overall design, not just because of one characteristic. Size is not the most important characteristic of any one unit (bigger is not necessarily better), nor is shape. Each model will be described and general comments will be offered about the performance quality of each. With this information you can develop an idea which mode will work well for you.
It can be safely said that most men can use most Aneros prostrate massagers; one or two might feel more comfortable than one or two others, but most models could be used with no problem. There are no strict rules that dictate which model would suit a man better than another. The idea that there is a “best” model of Aneros is not generally true. The idea that there is a model you prefer more than others – your “favorite” – because its subtle difference fits your body better than others is closer to the truth of it.
To massage the prostate well, improve pelvic muscle tone
The Aneros will work better as a prostate massager if the lower pelvic PC muscles are strong and can be controlled well to push the device against the prostate. If you feel nothing happening when you have your prostate massager in place, it will be because your pelvic muscles are not strong enough; with continued use you will begin to feel a pleasant and sexual feeling during use that will tell you that you are getting stronger. The more you use the Aneros, regardless of which model you select, the better the prostate massage and sexual stimulation will be. Continued use and practice pays off over time, as you learn how your body reacts to the Aneros depending on body posture while using it, comfort level and your mindset.
Read about each model before making a decision.
Aneros MGX – for beginner and all men Aneros MGX
The Aneros MGX is a medically researched and designed to slide and rock over the surface of the prostate gland as the anal sphincter muscles slowly contract and relax. The MGX is well balanced with a ribbed stem for prostate stimulation and stability
It is designed to stimulate both the prostate and the perineum in a rhythmic motion that moves lymphatic fluid out of the prostate as well as increase blood flow in this region, thus assisting the natural healing ability of the body, as well as creates male orgasms. It has a standard ample perineum tab to provide an external prostate massage through the perineum.
A good choice for the novice and a favorite of the advanced user, with continued use and improved muscle action it provides a progressively great prostate massage for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).
• For beginning and experienced users
• Ribbed stem
• Standard perineum tab
• Polished to hold lubricant for better movement
• Sue Johanson’s Top 10 Toys of 2003
• One of Playgirl Magazine sex columnist’s two favorite toys for men.
All Aneros models are made in the USA from FDA approved materials.
Aneros SGX for beginner and all men, especially those men shorter than 5’6” Aneros SGX
The SGX is the smallest Aneros model, originally developed for the Asian market and geared toward men 5’6” and shorter. The insertion length of the SGX measures approximately 1/2 inch shorter ( a total of 3½ inches) than the MGX. So do not be fooled to think that there is a huge sixe difference in these units. Even so, its smaller size makes for easier insertion and use, and progressively rewarding symptom relief and improved sexual experiences.
However, this smaller unit might be a good starter model for those men who want to be conservative due to apprehensive about prostate stimulation.
Do not be confused about size of the different Aneros units. Many times it happens that a short and smallish man prefers a larger Aneros device and a tall and large man prefers a smaller Aneros unit like the SGX; all size men can use all size Aneros massagers. Ability to relax the anal muscles probably has more to do with the size of the device that a man will prefer to use.
The Aneros SGX is for men of all experience levels. Men who receive good results from the SGX sometimes try a slightly larger model to see if their positive results might not increase.
The Aneros SGX, like its cousin the MGX, has a balanced head and ribbed stem with a thick, standard perineum tab.
• Great for prostate health, especially BPH (benign prostate hypertrophy or hyperplasia)
• For beginning users
• Smaller cousin of the MGX
• Ribbed stem for stability
• Standard perineum tab
Aneros Helix – for beginner and all men; tends to be the most effective model for prostate massage for most men Aneros Helix
The best-selling Aneros Helix is part of the Next-Generation line (includes the Maximus and Eupho models.) The Helix is aggressively shaped and angled, providing immediate pressure and tension on the prostate and surrounding area. It has a large, bulbous head and thin-angled stem for greater pivoting action. The tip of the head is also flatter, offering the most direct contact on the prostate, resulting in a more “aggressive” or vigorous prostate massage.
The Helix was designed based on research studies and user feedback surveys, and earned several additional design patents. In terms of dimensions, the Helix is larger at the tip (1 1/16″ versus 7/8 ” on the MGX) and is more angled to provide a more vigorous massage. However, the mid-ridge is slightly smaller (1/16″ smaller) on the Helix. The redesigned P-Tab provides a more focused external prostate stimulation when massaging the perineum.
• For adventurous beginners and advanced users
• Next generation model
• Larger bulbous head with flat, wide head for more contact with prostate
• Strong angled stem for greater pivoting ability
• Dime perineum tab
Click here to purchase an Aneros prostatic massager – scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Aneros devices
Aneros Maximus – for Intermediate to advanced users Aneros Maximus
The Aneros Maximus is definitely true to its name. It has a larger contact head, larger stem, and thick, standard perineum tab. It is recommended for the advanced Aneros user and for men experienced with anal play, and is popular in the gay community. The Maximus is similar in shape to the MGX and SGX, but expanded throughout.
The Maximus is part of Next-Generation line which includes the Helix and Eupho. Its size makes it more difficult to insert and moves less than the other models. Experienced Aneros users will have higher developed PC muscles, which makes it easier for the Maximus to move. It provides greater pressure throughout the rectum and this makes it slightly more difficult to insert due to its size. The Maximus has been reported to be a great performer during traditional intercourse. Therefore we recommend the Maximus for men who are experienced with anal and prostate stimulation.
• Next-Generation Model
• Largest Next-Generation model
• Extra girth provides more anal canal stimulation
• Requires stronger PC sphincter muscles
• Great for prostate health
Aneros Eupho – for Advanced users Aneros Eupho
The delicately shaped Aneros Eupho is the most advanced model, at least based on the most number of patents it holds. It is recommended only for advanced Aneros users. It is proportionally the longest and slimmest model. It has a dime-style perineum tab and extremely thin head. These design features allow for the greatest movement of all Anderos models. Therefore, the Eupho user must have highly developed PC muscles to control its movement. The thin head will “skip and dance” around the prostate during use, creating subtler sensations than other models.
This model of Aneros stimulator was not designed as much for prostate massage benefits, but for intense sexual stimulation.
Due to its advanced design, the Aneros Eupho is best reserved for experienced users who have developed their technique through experience and exercise with other models.
• Next-Generation Model
• Most delicate, agile and advanced model
• Thin stem requires strong PC sphincter muscles
• Dime perineum tab
• Polished to hold lubricant for better movement
Aneros Progasm – for Intermediate to Advanced users
The Aneros Progasm is the newest and largest member of the Aneros family. It was created due to popular demand for an even larger model than the Maximus. The result is a large model that can move easily because it is still agile due to design features. It has a newly designed round perineum tab and also boasts a Kundalini “K-Tab.” The “K-Tab” adds sensations up and down your back that are complementary to the sensations from the prostate.
Mobility of each Aneros model is achieved through PC muscle contraction and relaxation is the key to success for prostate massage and sexual stimulus. Despite that it is the largest of the Aneros units, the Progasm moves inside the man’s body to provide a robust prostate massage for incredible pleasure.
• For advanced and experienced users
• Largest Aneros model, but is very mobile
• Round perineum tab design
• Kundalini “K-Tab” provides additional sensations
Aneros purchase guide for Prostate Massage
Prostate milking for BPH, enlarged prostate and prostatitis
Deciding which Aneros model to choose is easier when you remember that they are all designed to do the same two things – prostatic massage and orgasm pleasure enhancement – but one model may be more effective than another because of overall body size, prostate size and shape, strength of PD muscles and ability to control contractions, pelvic contours, ability to relax during Aneros use, etc. In this way the Aneros provides a wonderfully therapeutic prostate milking massage that greatly helps recovery from BPH and chronic prostatitis, as well as reduction of prostate symptoms in men over 40.
All five Aneros prostate massager devices rely upon a patented, hands-free design that uses the contraction of the anal muscles to control the prostate massage in a controlled, safe and pleasant action. While each model has the same general design idea, close inspection shows each has its own unique shape and size that determines how it performs. Some are slightly larger, and some have more subtle curves here and there.
Click here to purchase an Aneros prostatic massager – scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Aneros devices.
It is important to understand that each Aneros unit – Helix, MGX, SGX, Maximus and Eupho – works the way it does because of its overall design, not just because of one characteristic. Size is not the most important characteristic of any one unit (bigger is not necessarily better), nor is shape. Each model will be described and general comments will be offered about the performance quality of each. With this information you can develop an idea which mode will work well for you.
It can be safely said that most men can use most Aneros prostate massagers; one or two might feel more comfortable than one or two others, but most models could be used with no problem. There are no strict rules that dictate which model would suit a man better than another. The idea that there is a “best” model of Aneros is not generally true. The idea that there is a model you prefer more than others – your “favorite” – because its subtle difference fits your body better than others is closer to the truth of it.
To massage the prostate well, improve pelvic muscle tone
The Aneros will work better as a prostate massager if the lower pelvic PC muscles are strong and can be controlled well to push the device against the prostate. If you feel nothing happening when you have your prostate massager in place, it will be because your pelvic muscles are not strong enough; with continued use you will begin to feel a pleasant and sexual feeling during use that will tell you that you are getting stronger. The more you use the Aneros, regardless of which model you select, the better the prostate massage and sexual stimulation will be. Continued use and practice pays off over time, as you learn how your body reacts to the Aneros depending on body posture while using it, comfort level and your mindset.
Read about each model before making a decision.
Aneros MGX – for beginner and all men Aneros MGX
The Aneros MGX is a medically researched and designed to slide and rock over the surface of the prostate gland as the anal sphincter muscles slowly contract and relax. The MGX is well balanced with a ribbed stem for prostate stimulation and stability
It is designed to stimulate both the prostate and the perineum in a rhythmic motion that moves lymphatic fluid out of the prostate as well as increase blood flow in this region, thus assisting the natural healing ability of the body, as well as creates male orgasms. It has a standard ample perineum tab to provide an external prostate massage through the perineum.
A good choice for the novice and a favorite of the advanced user, with continued use and improved muscle action it provides a progressively great prostate massage.
• For beginning and experienced users
• Ribbed stem
• Standard perineum tab
• Polished to hold lubricant for better movement
• Sue Johanson’s Top 10 Toys of 2003
• One of Playgirl Magazine sex columnist’s two favorite toys for men.
All Aneros models are made in the USA from FDA approved materials.
Aneros SGX for beginner and all men, especially those men shorter than 5’6” Aneros SGX
The SGX is the smallest Aneros model, originally developed for the Asian market and geared toward men 5’6” and shorter. The insertion length of the SGX measures approximately 1/2 inch shorter ( a total of 3½ inches) than the MGX. So do not be fooled to think that there is a huge sixe difference in these units. Even so, its smaller size makes for easier insertion and use, and progressively rewarding symptom relief and improved sexual experiences.
However, this smaller unit might be a good starter model for those men who want to be conservative due to apprehensive about prostate stimulation.
Do not be confused about size of the different Aneros units. Many times it happens that a short and smallish man prefers a larger Aneros device and a tall and large man prefers a smaller Aneros unit like the SGX; all size men can use all size Aneros massagers. Ability to relax the anal muscles probably has more to do with the size of the device that a man will prefer to use.
The Aneros SGX is for men of all experience levels. Men who receive good results from the SGX sometimes try a slightly larger model to see if their positive results might not increase.
The Aneros SGX, like its cousin the MGX, has a balanced head and ribbed stem with a thick, standard perineum tab.
• Great for prostate health, especially BPH
• For beginning users
• Smaller cousin of the MGX
• Ribbed stem for stability
• Standard perineum tab
Aneros Helix – for beginner and all men; tends to be the most effective model for prostate massage for most men Aneros Helix
The best-selling Aneros Helix is part of the Next-Generation line (includes the Maximus and Eupho models.) The Helix is aggressively shaped and angled, providing immediate pressure and tension on the prostate and surrounding area. It has a large, bulbous head and thin-angled stem for greater pivoting action. The tip of the head is also flatter, offering the most direct contact on the prostate, resulting in a more “aggressive” or vigorous prostate massage.
The Helix was designed based on research studies and user feedback surveys, and earned several additional design patents. In terms of dimensions, the Helix is larger at the tip (1 1/16″ versus 7/8 ” on the MGX) and is more angled to provide a more vigorous massage. However, the mid-ridge is slightly smaller (1/16″ smaller) on the Helix. The redesigned P-Tab provides a more focused external prostate stimulation when massaging the perineum.
• For adventurous beginners and advanced users
• Next generation model
• Larger bulbous head with flat, wide head for more contact with prostate
• Strong angled stem for greater pivoting ability
• Dime perineum tab
Click here to purchase an Aneros prostatic massager – scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Aneros devices
Aneros Maximus – for Intermediate to advanced users Aneros Maximus
The Aneros Maximus is definitely true to its name. It has a larger contact head, larger stem, and thick, standard perineum tab. It is recommended for the advanced Aneros user and for men experienced with anal play, and is popular in the gay community. The Maximus is similar in shape to the MGX and SGX, but expanded throughout.
The Maximus is part of Next-Generation line which includes the Helix and Eupho. Its size makes it more difficult to insert and moves less than the other models. Experienced Aneros users will have higher developed PC muscles, which makes it easier for the Maximus to move. It provides greater pressure throughout the rectum and this makes it slightly more difficult to insert due to its size. The Maximus has been reported to be a great performer during traditional intercourse. Therefore we recommend the Maximus for men who are experienced with anal and prostate stimulation.
• Next-Generation Model
• Largest Next-Generation model
• Extra girth provides more anal canal stimulation
• Requires stronger PC sphincter muscles
• Great for prostate health
Aneros Eupho – for Advanced users Aneros Eupho
The delicately shaped Aneros Eupho is the most advanced model, at least based on the most number of patents it holds. It is recommended only for advanced Aneros users. It is proportionally the longest and slimmest model. It has a dime-style perineum tab and extremely thin head. These design features allow for the greatest movement of all Anderos models. Therefore, the Eupho user must have highly developed PC muscles to control its movement. The thin head will “skip and dance” around the prostate during use, creating subtler sensations than other models.
This model of Aneros stimulator was not designed as much for prostate massage benefits, but for intense sexual stimulation.
Due to its advanced design, the Aneros Eupho is best reserved for experienced users who have developed their technique through experience and exercise with other models.
• Next-Generation Model
• Most delicate, agile and advanced model
• Thin stem requires strong PC sphincter muscles
• Dime perineum tab
• Polished to hold lubricant for better movement
Aneros Progasm – for Intermediate to Advanced users
The Aneros Progasm is the newest and largest member of the Aneros family. It was created due to popular demand for an even larger model than the Maximus. The result is a large model that can move easily because it is still agile due to design features. It has a newly designed round perineum tab and also boasts a Kundalini “K-Tab.” The “K-Tab” adds sensations up and down your back that are complementary to the sensations from the prostate.
Mobility of each Aneros model is achieved through PC muscle contraction and relaxation is the key to success for prostate massage and sexual stimulus. Despite that it is the largest of the Aneros units, the Progasm moves inside the man’s body to provide a robust prostate massage for incredible pleasure.
• For advanced and experienced users
• Largest Aneros model, but is very mobile
• Round perineum tab design
• Kundalini “K-Tab” provides additional sensations
Peyronie’s disease and pain in the penis
Penis injury during sex common cause of Peyronie’s disease
Nothing will get a man’s attention more than when his penis hurts.
There are typically two ways in which a painful penis can develop: after direct penis injury, or as a result of some type of medical health problem or sickness affecting the urinary system. When the penis hurts because of suspected disease of the prostate gland, bladder or urethra there are few clear cut answers to penis pain with the exact location, duration, and quality of penis pain different from case to case, without good explanation. You will notice that some men with prostatitis have pain at the base of the penis, while other men with the same diagnosis have pain at the tip of the penis, and other men no penis pain at all. Men who have a painful penis are often surprised that their condition is never given a definite diagnosis to explain its cause.
This discussion will focus primarily on a particular type of painful traumatic event peculiar to Peyronie’s disease that can either cause or worsen an existing penile problem, as with an injury during intercourse.
Peyronie’s treatment
Regardless of how Peyronie’s disease starts, surgery and drugs are not always needed to reduce the pain and penile distortion it causes. Since 2002 the Peyronie’s Disease Institute has worked with people from around the world to use natural Alternative Medicine methods to help their body reverse the Peyronie’s scar naturally. While surgery is always an option, most people prefer to first use non-surgical treatment to possibly avoid the inherent risks of surgery.
Learn more about Peyronie’s disease treatment with Alternative Medicine. Another good source of information is the Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.
Medical conditions that can cause penis pain
It is important to know that several common disease conditions not related to penile injury can also cause dull and sharp pain in the penis and should not be ignored, especially if you have other unexplained symptoms related to the pelvis or urinary system:
- Peyronie’s disease
- Bladder stone
- Cancer of the penis
- Inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis)
- Reiter syndrome
- Sickle cell anemia
- Erection that does not go away (priapism) after 4 hours – medical emergency
- Genital herpes
- Syphilis
- Urethra inflammation caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea
- Infected or defective penile prosthesis
- Infection under the foreskin of uncircumcised men (balanitis)
- Pimples or insect bites on the head or shaft of the penis
Because any of these conditions can cause a deeply hurt penis, it is always best to rule out disease of the urinary system by going to your family doctor for a complete examination with any type of pains in the penis. If you do not have a medical health problem, then a painful penis is usually explained by past trauma to the genitals or pelvis. Even minor trauma can at times cause significant penile injury with varying degrees of pain and other symptoms. One of the reasons that traumatic penis damage is often not suspected as the cause of genital pain is that there is sometimes a delayed response between the time of injury and when the penis pain begins. It is rather common for a man to discover that a penis injury during sex that started his Peyronies disease might not cause discomfort until several weeks or months afterward. Probably the single-most common way for PD to start is from a forcefully bent penis during sex.
Penile fracture or broken penis syndrome – Common way to hurt penis during sex
Even though there are no bones in the penis, penile fracture and broken penis syndrome are legitimate medical terms. Both refer to a sudden and forceful bending injury of the erect penis, resulting in torn or ruptured internal tissue. Many times a penile fracture will occur as a result of injury during sex activity when an erection is suddenly and forcefully impacted at the tip of the penis, almost like being punched in the nose. When the force is sudden and unexpected the vulnerable shaft can painfully sustain a sharp bend, “breaking” the inner layer of penile tissue called the tunica albuginea membrane, as well as other tissues. The forceful impact that causes a penile fracture most commonly happens during heightened sexual activity with the female partner in the superior position; other sexual positions allow for this to happen but this is the classic situation that results in a penile fracture. Within just a second of time she will pull back too far, lose contact with the male, and then continue back down on top of the erection impacting the penis head with her pubic, inguinal or inner thigh area. The initial immediate pain can be very mild or severe, depending on many variables, yet sufficient to tear the tunica when it is stretched tight during an erection.
The tunica albuginea surrounds the two corpora cavernosa chambers, specialized elongated masses of spongy tissue of the penis that fill with blood to create an erection. In a penile fracture, because the torn tunica albuginea can no longer trap blood inside the penile chambers, blood that is normally confined within the penile chambers can freely leak out to surrounding tissue often resulting significant bruising and swelling, in addition to varying degrees of pain in the penis.
About half of men who undergo penis injury similar to the above, or even compression injury during a work-, sports- or auto-related accidents, will self-heal and repair the problem with the tunica albuginea without developing Peyronie’s disease. The other half of cases will not heal, and it will slowly and gradually worsen as Peyronie’s disease develops over time.
Pain in tip of penis
Men with Peyronie’s disease sometimes have pain in the tip of the penis, although this is somewhat unusual because the pain of PD is usually located along the shaft or even base of the penis. Although pain in the penile tip could be related to Peyronies, it is more likely due to reflex from the prostate gland; prostatitis often will refer pain to the tip of the penis. As a point of differentiation, prostatitis will often increase urinary frequency, reduce the force and volume of urine, burning in the penile tip unrelated to voiding, reduced erectile ability, blood in the urine and semen, and aching pain is possible in the penis, testicles, rectum, perineum, groin and lower abdomen and low back. Prostatitis can be precipitated by too frequent or too infrequent ejaculation, sexual arousal without ejaculation, withdrawal at the time of ejaculation, aggressive bike or horseback riding, excessive spicy foods, alcohol, and caffeine, as well as prolonged sitting especially in an automobile.
A similar complaint is burning at the tip of the penis. When this occurs it suggests the possibility of an STD (sexually transmitted disease) or an infection of the urinary tract. Generally, an STD is associated with a change of sexual partners, and can be variable from few a few subtle symptoms to marked genital pain during intercourse, discharge, itching and pain burning pain in the penis tip during urination. STDs are serious problems that demand prompt and aggressive medical diagnosis and care. A common urinary infection is suspected if you feel the need for frequent urination or notice that you need to urinate again within a few minutes.
Pain at base of penis
Pain at the base of the penis is perhaps most often explained as originating from a chronic bacterial infection of the prostate (chronic bacterial prostatitis). This problem often comes and goes over time without apparent reason. During a flare-up the penis pain can be dull or sharp, and extend to the testicles and anus as well as the pubic bone in front or the low back. Bowel movements may be painful at this time. It is also common to note frequent urgency of urination, pain when urinating or during ejaculation. While these symptoms are similar to an acute bacterial prostatitis, men who have a flare-up of chronic bacterial prostatitis tend to be less run down, feverish and ill-feeling than with acute prostatitis.
Spontaneous Remission and Natural Cure for Peyronie’s Disease
Helping nature to remove the Peyronie’s plaque
Is cancer more difficult to treat than Peyronie’s disease?
Because most of our medical information is presented through medical sources, it has long been suggested spontaneous regressions, let alone cures, from cancer are rare. Frequency of spontaneous healing was estimated to occur approximately at the rate of 1 in 100,000 cancers. Everson and Cole report that at least for small tumors, the frequency of spontaneous regression had been was drastically underrated and underreported. In their carefully designed mammography study they found that 22% of all breast cancer cases underwent spontaneous regression. They explain spontaneous regression from cancer: "In many of the collected cases … it must be acknowledged that the factors or mechanisms responsible for spontaneous regression are obscure or unknown in the light of present knowledge. However, in some of the cases, available knowledge permits one to infer that hormonal influences probably were important. … In other cases, the protocols strongly suggest that an immune mechanism was responsible".
1. Williams JL, Thomas GG. The natural history of Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1970; 103: 75-76.
Change Peyronie’s Treatment Dosage
How to change Peyronie’s treatment
Peyronie's treatment dosage example
Peyronies dosage determined by scar response
Why Is My Penis Curved?
How to straighten a penis
What a terrible shock to realize, “My penis is curved.”
But then you must ask, “How did that happen, and what is going on down there? And the most important question to Google, “How to straighten my penis?”
Of several causes of a curved penis, the most common and difficult to deal with is Peyronie’s disease.
Peyronie’s disease is a condition that occurs in about 6-10% of men over the age of 40 (although it can affect teenagers and men in their early 20s) in which a dense and thick mass of fibrous tissue, called a Peyronie’s plaque or scar, is found within the tunica albuginea layer of the penis. The presence of this fibrous nodule or band under the skin of the penis prevents the normal expansion of the chambers of the penis during an erection. This causes the erection to be curved, bent, hinged, or to take on an hourglass or bottleneck distortion.
Please visit Peyronie’s symptoms to view the Peyronie’s pictures of curved penis to determine if you might have this condition. It is always advisable to have a complete examination by a physician to make an accurate diagnosis of Peyronie’s disease. Do not think you can self-diagnose this problem.
The problem of Peyronie’s disease is not that you have a curved penis; the penile curvature is just the outward appearance of the actual problem that is found below the skin surface. The real problem is the Peyronie’s plaque found deeper in the tunica albuginea causing incomplete filling of the penile chambers. For this reason any treatment that is only directed to making the penis straight, without removing the PD plaque, will not be successful.
If a man knows he has Peyronie’s disease he should also know the problem is that his body produced excessive scar tissue or plaque in response to a small injury or inflammation of the deep penile tissue layer. While the Peyronie’s Disease Institute does not take a position against Peyronie’s surgery, we feel too many men resort to penis surgery far too soon before trying conservative treatment. Our objection to Peyronie’s surgery is that when a surgeon cuts that same tissue that has the plaque material in it puts stitches into it, what prevents additional scar formation from occurring? The very real chance that more scar tissue will result is the reason many urologists and surgeons take a position against all Peyronie’s surgery.
Peyronie’s Disease Institute has educated men since 2002 about the use of Alternative Medicine to assist the body to heal the Peyronie’s plaque. Fifty percent of men naturally recover from Peyronie’s disease without any help or outside intervention. Our approach is to assist each man to increase his chance to heal naturally like those in that lucky 50% group. So if you are one who has said in shock, “Why is my penis curved,” and “How to straighten your penis,” now you know.
Learn more about Peyronie’s disease treatment with Alternative Medicine. Another good source of information is the Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.
Pentoxifylline, Niacin and Peyronie’s Disease
Pentoxifylline is not an approved Peyronie’s disease drug
There are several things I find interesting in a question and answer about Peyronie’s disease and Pentoxifylline (Pentox) I discovered online recently. It appears on the Peyronie’s forum of a medical doctor who is well known as a Peyronie’s disease expert. I will not use the doctor’s name since it does not serve a useful purpose to mention his name.
Here is the question, followed by the doctor’s answer:
Question: Can Pentoxifylline help with increasing blood flow when a man has PD? Also is Niacin also an alternative that might achieve any results?
Answer: Pentoxifylline has been shown in animal studies to potentially reduce the development of the Peyronie’s scar when the animals consumed the Pentox in their drinking water from the time that the Peyronie’s process is triggered. Pentoxifylline is indicated to enhance blood flow to the lower extremities in patients with peripheral vascular disease likely because it has a mild non-specific vasodilating effect. Therefore, it is possible that it can increase blood flow in the man with PD. As to whether this will improve erections or has anything to do with preventing progression of already established PD is unknown. Niacin, to my knowledge, has not been studied as a treatment for Peyronie’s disease.
Pentox preferred simply because it is a drug
Point # 1. The doctor responds that the use of Pentoxifylline is used to treat Peyronie’s disease because it has the ability to enhance blood flow to the lower extremities in patients with peripheral vascular disease likely because of its mild non-specific vasodilating effect.
My response: Here the doctor is saying that Pentoxifylline is used in Peyronie’s disease because it improves blood flow in people who have peripheral vascular disease. Anyone who has studied this subject knows that Peyronie’s disease is not a vascular or blood vessel disease, so it is difficult to understand from this answer the connection between the two conditions. This reason he gives for using Pentox for treatment of PD is not supported by what we know about this condition.
Point #2. The doctor states that Pentoxifylline is used in Peyronie’s disease (of the penis) because it improves blood flow in the periphery of the body, meaning arms and legs.
My response: These are two different areas of the body. This part of the answer suggests that Pentox has not been tested or shown to actually improve the blood flow to the penis, only the upper and lower extremities. This reason he gives for using Pentoxifylline for treatment of PD is not supported by what we know about this condition.
Point #3. The doctor attempts to tie his two points together and then carefully speculates that “it is possible that it can increase blood flow in the man with PD.”
My response: What the doctor is saying is that using Pentox for Peyronies treatment might possibly work since it works for other conditions that are only remotely related. This kind of speculative use of a drug is common, and would not be objectionable except for the fact that Pentoxifylline is known to have side effects that can affect the cardiovascular, immune, digestive, respiratory, visual and nervous systems. That is a risk taken by a patient for use of a drug that might only possibly help an unrelated condition. I doubt many patients know that they are exposing themselves by taking drugs that are not known to help the condition they have.
Point #4. The doctor reports that it is unknown if Pentoxifylline will improve erections or has anything to do with preventing progression of an existing case of Peyronie’s disease.
My response: Saying that it is unknown if Pentox will improve erections suggests that it does not influence blood flow to the penis. Yet, improving penile blood flow is one of the reasons given by this doctor to justify using it for Peyronie’s disease. Since I have never heard of anyone taking any medication for prevention of Peyronie’s disease, the doctor also says that Pentoxifylline will not alter the progression of a case of PD once it has started. This sounds to me that it would not help Peyronie’s disease.
Point #5. The doctor reports that to his knowledge niacin (a member of the B vitamin family) has never been studied as a possible treatment for Peyronie’s disease.
My response: Niacin is well known to those who take vitamins for the “niacin flush” that it causes. Niacin causes an increased blood flow throughout the body, experienced as heat, redness and itching that occurs after taking a few hundred milligram dose.
So we have the doctor reporting that Pentox (with side effects) is used to treat Peyronie’s disease because it has a “mild non-specific vasodilating effect,” yet niacin (with no side effects) which also has a mild to moderate non-specific vasodilating effect has never been studied as a Peyronie’s treatment.
I think this is a classic example of the drug industry ignoring potential non-drug therapies simply because they lack profitability. This is a point to remember when you are told that no nutritional therapy has been shown to help PD. This is only true because these companies refuse to do the testing to prove they might have merit.
Point #6. The doctor uses only one brief sentence to discuss niacin, and 90% of his reply to discuss a drug that does the same thing as niacin can do and do it without side effects. In his short sentence about niacin he only says that it has not been studied as a Peyronie’s treatment. Period. As a scientist, as a physician interested in advancing the body of thought about Peyronie’s treatment, wouldn’t you think the doctor would be more interested in something like niacin? Instead, he merely brushes the idea of niacin use for PD aside. This is so typical of the attitude of organized medicine about treatment of Peyronie’s disease.
Point #7. The man who asked a reasonable and intelligent question about niacin was not given an actual answer about niacin. He was only given a reply that promoted the use of a drug that has side effects and not known to be effective against Peyronie’s disease. And you wonder why men get frustrated with the lack of help and useful information about Peyronies treatment.
Read a few testimonials that show what the PDI concept of Alternative Medicine treatment of Peyronie’s disease can do.
Spontaneous Remission and Natural Cure for Peyronie’s Disease
Helping nature to remove the Peyronie’s plaque
Peyronie’s disease is filled with unknowns and controversy. There is even controversy about how often this problem simply goes away on its own. Some say it never goes away; that once you have Peyronies you have it for life. And there are those who say it goes away half of the time, and those who say it rarely goes away on its own.
The term “simply goes away on its own” is another way of saying “self-healed” or “spontaneous cure” or “the body healed itself without outside assistance.” This is not an example of playing with words. In my world of working to help men reverse their Peyronie’s disease by improving their ability to heal or correct this problem, there is no difference in what these terms mean. It is important – even critical – to realize that when the body is able to rid itself of a disease process or abnormality it is an instance of true healing or a self-cure. Hence, it cannot be said that there is no cure for Peyronie’s disease. The body is able to cure Peyronie’s disease; it happens either rarely, or up to 20-50% of the cases, depending upon whom you choose to believe – but it does happen.
This is an extremely important point to consider in regard to using Alternative Medicine to treat Peyronie’s disease. When you use the different internal and external therapies to rid yourself of the Peyronie’s scar all you are attempting to do is to increase your body’s ability heal or cure itself of PD.
Most of us would be in agreement that the body can and does rid itself – by a process in which the immune system heals, or “cures itself” – of Peyronie’s disease. How often this happens might be of some disagreement, but I think it is fair to say that most people know the body is able to cure or heal the Peyronies problem in some cases. This is an important point to keep in mind when you read or hear that there is no cure for Peyronie’s disease.
When the medical doctor says there is no cure for Peyronie’s disease what he really means is that there is no drug that he can prescribe that is a Peyronie’s cure. We have established that the body can and does heal the Peyronie’s plaque in an undetermined number of cases. With the Peyronie’s Disease Institute therapy program we are attempting to increase that natural healing ability.
Is cancer more difficult to treat than Peyronie’s disease?
A spontaneous healing, also called spontaneous remission or spontaneous regression, is the unexpected cure or improvement of a disease which previously appeared to be stable or worsening. These terms are typically used to explain unexpected improvement of a cancer. The spontaneous regression and remission from cancer was defined by Everson and Cole in their 1966 book, Spontaneous Regression of Cancer, this way: “The partial or complete disappearance of a malignant tumour in the absence of all treatment, or in the presence of therapy which is considered inadequate to exert significant influence on neoplastic disease.”
Because most of our medical information is presented through medical sources, it has long been suggested spontaneous regressions, let alone cures, from cancer are rare. Frequency of spontaneous healing was estimated to occur approximately at the rate of 1 in 100,000 cancers. Everson and Cole report that at least for small tumors, the frequency of spontaneous regression had been was drastically underrated and underreported. In their carefully designed mammography study they found that 22% of all breast cancer cases underwent spontaneous regression. They explain spontaneous regression from cancer: “In many of the collected cases … it must be acknowledged that the factors or mechanisms responsible for spontaneous regression are obscure or unknown in the light of present knowledge. However, in some of the cases, available knowledge permits one to infer that hormonal influences probably were important. … In other cases, the protocols strongly suggest that an immune mechanism was responsible”.
When you read that in 20-50% of the cases the Peyronie’s disease goes away on its own, these are the instances in which the body was able to heal itself of the excess Peyronie’s scar. This issue of spontaneous resolution and tendency for improvement of Peyronie’s disease has been commonly cited. 1-4 If the body can cure cancer on occasion, why not Peyronie’s disease if you are doing many things at once to encourage this to happen?
All of this should give you some encouragement that the Peyronie’s Disease Institute therapy program is following a logical and reasonable course of action to help the body remove this problem, as the body was designed to do.
Learn about starting a Peyronie’s treatment plan.
- Williams JL, Thomas GG. The natural history of Peyronie’s disease. J Urol 1970; 103: 75-76.
- Furlow WL, Swenson HE, Lee RE. Peyronie’s disease: a study of its natural history and treatment with orthovoltage radiotherapy. J Urol 1979; 114: 69.
- Williams G, Green NA. The nonsurgical treatment of Peyronie’s disease. Br J Urol 1980; 52: 392-395.
- Gelbard MK, Dorey F, James K. The natural history of Peyronie’s disease. J Urol 1990; 1441: 376-379.
Penis Extender Claims and Peyronie’s Disease
Correcting the curved penis of Peyronie’s disease
In early 2011 there are about 12 companies that manufacture penis extenders, with five of these companies that seem to dominate the market in terms of very aggressive internet marketing. Of the many penis extender devices I have personally evaluated, all are of the same basic design and engineering concept, with only small differences in regard to materials used and design features to hold the head or shaft of the penis while traction forces are applied. The only great difference amongst this group appears to be in the advertising and promotional claims that they dare to make about the effectiveness of their products. Prices range from $250 to $430 for the most common models.
Problems with penis extenders
Penis extender not Peyronie's treatment
1. Any man would like to believe that the answer to his Peyronie’s problem will also cause his penis to be bigger.
2. The simple idea that fixing a curved penis is as easy as straightening a bent paper clip must appeal to anyone who is frustrated by the complexity of Peyronies disease.
Broken Penis and Peyronie’s Disease
Penile fracture can lead to Peyronies
The most frequently found explanation of Peyronie’s disease usually refers to it as an exaggerated healing of penile trauma. This injury can be so small as to be unnoticed or so severe as to be considered a broken penis or a penile fracture.
A fractured penis is also known as a broken penis syndrome. It is a severe and painful form of bending injury that occurs to the erect penis typically during intercourse when a thin tissue membrane of the penis called the tunica albuginea becomes ruptured or torn crosswise, not along the length of the penis. When a penile fracture occurs it is often accompanied by a popping or cracking sound that can be heard by the sexual partner, and results in immediate flaccidity. Because of the severe pain in the penis, bruising, and swelling, this is considered a medical emergency that often results in surgical repair. When the fractured penis is severe, the urinary tube within the penis that drains urine from the bladder (urethra) can be damaged, leading to blood in the urine.
All couples who use the woman-on-top intercourse position have experienced times when the woman will thrust back and lift off the penis only to come back down again, forcefully pushing and bending the penis against her pelvic bone , groin or vulva region. And all men have had the experience of missing the point of penetration at the opening of the vagina during intercourse. These two are the most common way to cause a penile fracture.
Approximately 1,000 cases of broken penises are reported each year in the U.S. Men in their 20s and 30s are a higher risk because they are more inclined to engage in vigorous or acrobatic sexual activity that result in a broken penis. Men in their 50s and 60s are less inclined not only because of reduced frequency and vigor of sexual activity, but because their erections tend to be less rigid.
It is not necessary to stop sexual activity if you have Peyronie’s disease, only that you become more careful and conservative about a few aspects of your sexual repertoire. Especially for a man who already has a penile problem, it is most wise to avoid additional injury of another fractured penis so that the Peyronie’s sex problem is not made worse. Peyronie’s Disease Institute suggests the following safety steps to avoid reinjury and possible worsening of an existing case of Peyronies:
- The man should not allow himself to be so filled with sexual excitement and abandon that the throws caution to the wind during intercourse. He must be the calm and sensible one who monitors and evaluates the strength and control of thrusting and selection of sex positions so as to avoid those that put him at risk for additional injury.
- The man should be the one who does primary thrusting in intercourse to reduce the chance of additional penile trauma.
- Use of additional sexual lubrication during sexual intercourse. Even if his sexual partner produces adequate natural lubrication, apply additional sexual lubrication to avoid dryness during intercourse that can lead to additional injury while thrusting.
After the broken penis has healed begin a treatment plan using Alternative Medicine measures found on the PDI website. Learn more about increasing the ability of the body to heal and repair PD at Start Peyronie’s Treatment.
Prostate Screening Tests and Peyronie’s Disease
Older men undergoing unnecessary PSA screening
A new study from the University of Chicago reports on the use of PSA-based prostate cancer screening in the United States, concluding that many elderly men could be receiving excessive and unnecessary prostate cancer screening tests. This same study also determines that while elderly men are over-tested for prostate cancer, while a significant percent of men in the 50-60 age group are not being tested enough for prostate cancer.
The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is used to help detect prostate cancer or other prostate abnormalities.
These same University of Chicago researchers report that data from two separate surveys conducted in 2000 and 2005 found that slightly less than half of men in their seventies received PSA screening tests within the prior year, a number almost double the PSA screening rate of men in their early fifties. Consistent with this trend, men who are 85 years and older were given PSA screening tests about as often as men in the 50-60 age group.
Senior author of this study, Scott Eggener, MD, said, “Our findings show a high rate of elderly and sometimes ill men being inappropriately screened for prostate cancer. We’re concerned these screenings may prompt cancer treatment among elderly men who ultimately have a very low likelihood of benefiting the patient and paradoxically can cause more harm than good. We were also surprised to find that nearly three-quarters of men in their fifties were not screened within the past year.” In the active study group were 2,623 men age 70 years and older and almost 12,000 men between the ages of 40 and 69 served as the control group. .
Published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (March 28, 2011), Dr. Eggener and his colleagues evaluated test results in 2000 and 2005 of health surveys from randomly selected households, as part of the National Health Interview Survey initiative. Reviewing this survey data, Dr. Eggener was able to calculate the estimated 5-year life expectancy of each participant over age 40 who had received a PSA test.
The total PSA screening rate for all men (40 years and older) within the past year was 23.7% in 2000 and 26% in 2005. A breakdown of this total number into meaningful groups shows that the PSA screening rate was lowest in the 40 to 44 age group (7.5%), the PSA screening rate increased to 24% in men ages 50 to 54 years. The PSA screening rate increased again with a peak rate of 45.5% for men s 70 to 74 years of age. Screening rates then declined with age, with 24.6% of men age 85 years or older reporting being screened.
The study concludes with the suggestion that treating physicians should be more selective in recommending PSA cancer screening tests for elderly male patients who are less likely to receive benefit from the results of that testing. Instead, they recommend that more rigorous prostate and PSA screening tests should be done routinely for those men who are in the younger and healthier 40-50 age groups, since it is they who will more likely benefit from early prostate cancer diagnosis.
How does this relate to Peyronie’s disease? Well, it shows that as your medical doctor is recommending tests and procedures for you, he is also calculating values and factors that might not be related to your direct benefit. This is the aspect of modern government-managed and insurance company-dictated health care that is warned about. Medical decisions are made for you and about you that are based on what is good for others. Keep this in mind when health care options are being given to you.
Peyronie’s Disease Treatment and Vitamin E
Vitamin E not researched well for Peyronie’s treatment
Because of its early success in treating Peyronie’s disease, vitamin E is the most commonly prescribed form of non-drug Peyronies treatment. With this history of positive results based on the really rather limited medical research that has been given to vitamin E, not much additional research has been done after that point.
To make this simple point even more clear, even thought the early research studies that looked at the effectiveness of vitamin E and other nutrition products for treatment of Peyronie’s disease were good, almost no additional research has been done in this area of treatment. This sad fact should be of interest to anyone with Peyronie’s disease.
One is the few complaints about the effects of vitamin E and Peyronie’s treatment that is always used to justify not using this therapy is that there has not been enough research to prove it actually works.
Have you ever noticed that every time you read about vitamin E treatment for Peyronie’s disease the article will say something like, “Early testing of Peyronie’s disease treatment with vitamin E showed initial promise and success. However, more testing needs to be done.” We have all read that. t must ask you, “Why hasn’t that additional testing been done with vitamin E for PD?”
Just as vitamin E started to show promise as a Peyronies treatment, research in this area stopped. What could have been the reason? Vitamin E is a known essential human nutrient, it is relatively inexpensive to extract from food sources, and has myriad health benefits. Why would medical science and the large drug companies not be interested in doing the needed research to prove it as a valid Peyronie’s treatment? It is not necessary to ponder this question too long before the answer, profit, becomes apparent.
Vitamin E is a valid Peyronies therapy
It sometimes appears that the drug industry wants to protect its own health more than it wants to protect the health of the public.
Vitamin E does not present a high profit to the large drug companies because it cannot be held as a monopoly; anyone and everyone can manufacture and sell it. It is currently manufactured by so many small companies around the world, that the competition keeps the price relatively low for it. Without adequate profit, these large drug companies lack motivation to sell it even though it might be of value to sick people.
By not researching vitamin E the drug industry has locked it out of serious consideration as a potential Peyronies treatment. And so, the common refrain continues that your doctor will not – and actually according to standard medical ethics cannot – strongly promote the use of vitamin E for treatment of Peyronie’s disease because it has not been proven through research to work as a treatment.
Do not be afraid of using vitamin E as a general supplement or as a specific product as a therapy for Peyronie’s disease. The risk and danger have been greatly exaggerated in the literature, and are generally unfounded. Please read this blog post that explains more about the safety of vitamin E.
Peyronie’s Disease Institute has used vitamin E with great success since 2002 and continues to do so without reservation. For more information, see “Start Peyronie’s treatment.
Who is a Peyronie’s Disease Expert?
The problem of the Peyronies specialist
The problem for a man with Peyronie’s disease is much greater than his physical condition. If it were not bad enough that there is no known cause and no known cure for Peyronies disease and that most medical doctors prefer to rush out of the room rather than explain this problem, there is another layer of distress to deal with when you have PD. It appears that even within the medical profession there is disagreement about who should provide Peyronie’s disease treatment. While reviewing an internet Peyronies forum recently I discovered an interesting Q/A. This brief exchange demonstrates just how great the difficulty is for any man who has a curved penis to know where to go for help. The doctor’s name has been omitted only because it is actually not important to this discussion. Suffice it to say that this doctor is considered a Peyronies specialist and practices in one of the largest US cities. His answer says a lot about the low knowledge and poor experience level of the average general practitioner and urologist with Peyronie’s disease. It is both amazing and sad to think he believes so few doctors are capable of providing good care for this problem. I have been diagnosed with PD by a urologist 3 months ago. I am 59. He has prescribed 800 IU of Vitamin E daily & also Infam-away (a hi-potency Enzyme formula) capsules 6 daily on a empty stomach. Nothing has helped after taking these medicines for 3 months. Erections are very painful and curvature has developed to the left. An indentation about 1" below the glans has also developed. He has basically told me that there is nothing else he can do. My primary care physician admits that this is a disease that not much is known as to the whys and what will work to help the pain and hopefully stop or reverse the curvature which at present is 30-40%. I was given a pain killer to help especially if erections get too painful. Are there any over-the-counter or on the internet medicines that may help? Dr. XXXXX Answers: There are no known over-the-counter products of benefit in Peyronie's disease. Most urologists know little about this condition and are generally not completely up-to-date on treatments and we suggest that you seek out a Peyronie's disease expert for evaluation and a discussion of treatments From his response you could almost hear the professional rivalry and his impatience with his medical colleagues who he thinks do not know as much as he thinks he knows. You will also notice he did not offer any helpful advice to this man who asked the question. If you should not go to a urologist for a problem with your penis, then to whom should you go for care? If “most” urologists do now know enough about PD to be current with care, how is the average patient to know who is safe to go for care? No urologist has on his/her business card, “I am a urologist but it do not know how to treat PD.” Many of the people who write to me at the PDI website info@peyronies-disease-help.com live in small states and areas of low population, with poor access to a urologist and have no idea who a “Peyronie’s specialist” might be. This is why so many men who contact me after going through the medical route of Peyronies treatment are totally confused, frustrated and angry about their medical care. While I do not agree with the opinion of this Peyronie’s specialist, “[t]here are no known over-the-counter products of benefit in Peyronie's disease,” I can only assume he is referring to the absence of studies in medical journals about non-drug treatment of PD and not his own private investigation or experience. This tends to be true in this country because our medical doctors are not comfortable or experienced doing independent thinking. They only repeat what the drug companies and the multi-million dollar drug research have told is the truth. This truth of course changes when that same multi-million dollar drug research is found to be false, full of bad research, or riddled with corrupt findings. When a new “wonder drug” is suddenly pulled from the market after patients are made worse or die from the prescribed drugs they are given by doctors, the doctors are told to think and prescribe in a different way. They are given new truths from the drug companies and new drugs. In Europe it is different. This is why so many new ideas and innovative discoveries come from Europe. In my own opinion, it is best to attempt to promote your own spontaneous recovery from Peyronie’s disease by doing all that you can to increase your body’s ability to heal and repair the curved penis plagues you. Read about this process at Start Peyronies treatment
Can’t Find Peyronie’s Plaque or Scar
Help to locate the Peyronies plaque
It is not uncommon for the Peyronie’s plaque to be difficult to locate. Sometimes it even happens that the examining urologist is not able to definitely locate a mass of foreign tissue that he/she is certain is the offending Peyronie’s plaque that is causing the bent penis to develop. First of all, it must be mentioned that if you are expecting to see the scar or plaque on the surface of the skin, you will not. And Peyronie’s disease seldom causes a lump that raises the skin of the shaft. The “scar” of PD is internal, not external – it is never seen, only felt. It is a poor term to use, but the lesion of PD is also called a plaque (which is also a poor term). Generally, you do not have to examine the entire shaft looking for something that feels like a foreign mass of tissue. Your examination should be centered in the immediate area of the concavity of your distortion. By concavity I mean the condition of being curved like the inner surface of a sphere or the depressed area of an indentation. You can also think of a concavity as being the lower bent area on the underside of a rainbow. As far as the Peyronie’s disease is concerned, the concavity if that part of the bent penis that is the inner part of the arch that is formed. If you want to learn more about the anatomy of the penis, please see Peyronie’s Anatomy of the Penis and Related Areas. Some men do not have a curved penis, but instead their distortion is that the shaft has small depressions, that look like dents or dings or areas where the surface has been pushed inward. All of these are caused by one or more Peyronie’s plaques immediately below the lowest portion of each depressed area on the shaft. In fact there could easily be one, two or three or more internal plaque formations that are responsible for causing a single curve of the penis. For this reason, as one of these scars responds to treatment faster than the others, it can cause the distortion to temporarily appear worse as the scar actually improves. Once you know where to find the scar it is a simple matter to carefully and thoroughly examine all the tissue directly at the lowest area of the concavity of the distortion to find the foreign plaque material that is preventing complete expansion of the shaft.
Peyronie’s plaque easier to find if you have an open mind about it
If your internal scar or plaque is not easy to find, forget about finding a “scar.” Just try to find something – anything – within the mass of erectile tissue of the shaft that feels unlike the other tissue. Find something that is unlike the rest of the tissue. When you find it, mark its location with a marker pen or something that will stay on the tissue for a day or two. Go back each day to that area and re-think what you are feeling. You are trying to see if it becomes easier to make sense of it. It could be that you have an unreasonable expectation of what a “scar” should feel like, and you are missing what is really rather obvious only because your expectation is wrong. Really, how could you know what a PD scar feels like if you have never had to do this before? It is a common problem. “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” is available from PDI and presents great information about finding the PD scar and valuable information about Peyronie’s Disease treatment. If you have any trouble finding your Peyronie’s scar, please write an email to Dr. Herazy at info@peyronies-disease-help.com
Peyronie’s Disease and Phimosis
Phimosis treatment and Peyronie’s disease
There is a lot of discussion these days about how the sellers of the mechanical penis stretchers say they can be used for treatment of Peyronie’s disease. Any reader of this forum knows that PDI has taken a position against these awkward mechanical devices because of countless conversations and emails from men who report to PDI that these stretchers have actually caused their PD or worsened the PD problem if it was already present. See Penis Stretcher: Big Problem as Peyronie’s Treatment and Penis Stretching for Peyronie’s Treatment and Penis stretching for Peyronie’s Disease Treatment
There is another way to that is better and safer to correct the distortion and bent penis of PD. It is to use the PDI Gentle Manual Penis Stretching Technique © instruction CD to actually make significant improvement in the curved penis that is caused by the Peyronie’s plaque. For confirmation how this might work for Peyronies disease, one has only to look at how the medical profession advises a man to help himself when he has a condition of the penis called phimosis.
Phimosis is a fairly common condition of the penis in which the prepuce or foreskin is too tight or small for it to be completely pulled back or retracted over the head of the penis. Most of the time this condition is detected in early childhood, but sometimes persists into adulthood. In the adult with phimosis, since the foreskin cannot be easily pulled back over the head, oil and dead tissue cells collect between the head and foreskin and results in the collection of a smelly white cheese-like accumulation called smegma. During sexual activity the skin can become irritated and painful because of the forced friction and movement of the otherwise tight skin. To correct this problem the medical profession has a simple solution that should be kept in mind by anyone with Peyronie’s disease.
Phimosis treatment shows how to manage Peyronie’s disease
There are two basic ways to stretch the foreskin or prepuce when phimosis is present:
- Gently pull back on the foreskin when erect, so that its opening feels tight around the head without feeling real pain. Hold this position for a few minutes, and repeat a few times at one session. Do a few sessions per day. This stretching can be made easier if you first soak in a warm bath.
- Gently pull the foreskin forward over the head to create extra tissue in front of the head. Then, with the foreskin forward and the two little fingertips inserted into the foreskin opening, hold each side of the foreskin further open and gently pull out and away on each side of the opening you have created so that the opening is larger than usual. Continue stretching the opening with the tips of the little finger until it feels like you have stretched it to a comfortable limit and is never painful. Hold for a few minutes and repeat a few times during a session. This is also done best after soaking in a warm bath for a few minutes.
Continue stretching the prepuce or foreskin for a while longer once you develop to the diameter foreskin opening you want.
Peyronie’s treatment can also be done by stretching that should be easy, gentle and done in a relatively short time. Heavy weights, tight clamps that abuse the tissue, and months of treatment are not necessary. All of this is best accomplished with the PDI Gentle Manual Penis Stretching Technique ©.
How to Change Peyronie’s Treatment If Not Effective
In 2002 I started working exclusively with men who have Peyronie’s disease. Since that time I have noticed a common pattern with men about 6-8 weeks after the start of their treatment with Alternative Medicine. This pattern occurs no matter the size of the PD treatment plan a man uses, or even with some personalized modification of a standard PDI plan based on personal needs.
It seems that after seeing some initial changes in the size, shape, density or surface quality of their scars at about 6-8 weeks of treatment, improvement and progress will often level off or plateau. It seems that most men assume that all recovery and progress remains on a level and constant course, like putting your foot on the accelerator of a car. When they begin to notice their improvement has slowed down or stopped, they are stumped about what to do next. They will not know what to do with their current plan to improve it or modify it to assure continuation of those early positive changes.
Time and again I have seen this pattern: Start care, make progress, slow down or stoppage of progress. What must be done is some modification of the initial treatment (usually increase of treatment in some way) to again stimulate the healing capability of the tissue. This can be expressed as: Increase care by increasing current therapy or adding new therapy, re-stimulate immune response, make additional progress, monitor for next slow down. What happens after the next slow down or stoppage can be expressed in the same way: Increase care again in a same or different way, re-stimulate immune response, monitor for next slow down, and so on.
This process of exactly how to slowly modify Peyronie’s treatment to increase activity of the immune response against the PD scar is where the day-today challenge is found – and it is not easy.
Peyronie’s treatment plateau of progress
It is common for a man who experiences his first plateau of progress to think only in terms of adding more therapies to his treatment lineup to re-energize his recovery. If he has gotten good results from a medium size PD plan, he will assume he must add one or more therapies that are not part of his current plan – like PABA, or the Genesen pointers, or acetyl-L-carnitine, or Unique-E vitamin E oil as an external application or the gentle manual penis stretching technique, etc. However, this is usually not necessary and not the best course of action.
From my experience, to help you get off your plateau and begin progressing again toward additional recovery it is best to work within the same group of therapies that was good enough to create your initial improvement. This is usually accomplished by slowly and carefully increasing the dosage of one of those therapy items a little at a time. If you develop any unusual problem/symptom while increasing your dosage, simply stop taking the product for 48 hours, and restart from the next lower dose. When you reach the highest dose where you had no problem or symptom, stay at that dosage level for a few weeks. After 2-3 weeks without problems, then slowly increase the dosage until you are at the desired level. You will know you are taking the correct effective dose when you begin to see improvement in your scar size, shape, density or surface texture.
Modify slowly and deliberately
If no improvement or change occurs in the features of your scar after being on the increased dosage for about 14 days, then increase the dosage again. Repeat this process until you begin to note improvement in your scar size, shape, density or surface texture.
Only after you have attempted to increase all therapies singly, and have attempted to increase several therapies together as a group, and all have shown to be unsuccessful should you then consider expanding the number of different therapies you use – like adding in PABA, or the Genesen pointers, or acetyl-L-carnitine, or Unique-E oil as an external application or the gentle manual penis stretching technique, etc. to your Peyronie’s treatment plan.
Peyronies Treatment and Attitude
Peyronies care improved with right attitude
When someone starts Peyronies disease treatment using Alternative Medicine there is always a sense of heightened anticipation about how fast results might occur, and how quickly sexual function and lost size might be restored. Often this attitude of expectation is so intense that an unreasonable anticipation develops that can only lead to disappointment, frustration, and ultimate failure. This is unfortunate since so much of this self-inflicted problem is totally avoidable.
The best attitude to have while starting Peyronie’s treatment is a simple combination of determination, honest curiosity and low expectations. Your determination should stem from the fact that there is no known Peyronies cure, other than the fact that 50% of men get over their PD solely because of natural healing and repair of their immune system. This should serve to make you determined to be one of those 50% of men who corrects his own PD problem. Honest curiosity should arise from learning about your particular case of Peyronie’s disease in terms of the size, shape, consistency or hardness, and surface features of your plaque or scar formation. You should also be curious to learn what you use and what you can do to make your scar go away on its own. Keep your expectations low and allow yourself to the surprised and delighted by whatever progress you can achieve on your own. Reasonable expectations reduce your stress, and stress slows and inhibits your progress. Contribute to your recovery with the right mindset that leads to the success you are looking to earn.
Contributing to your ultimate success is to keep in mind that Peyronie’s disease follows almost no pattern of behavior or similar findings or reaction from man to man for comparison. It seems that each case of Peyronies is different in small and large ways. And for this reason it is also difficult to anticipate the course of recovery for anyone. You must be willing to accept the uniqueness of your situation, including how long it will take to begin to see improvement and the eventual elimination of the Peyronie’s plaque that plagues you. Peyronie’s disease us unlike any other health problem you have ever dealt with, so do not make the mistake of using past experiences to anticipate PD progress.
Lastly, you should not expect to gain good results against your Peyronie’s disease with a half-hearted or minimal effort. Over and over again I see that men who do little, gain little, and men who do their best, achieve the best. Stay focused and work hard to eliminate your Peyronie’s plaque and you stand the best change of ridding yourself of this terrible problem.
Vitamin E as Peyronie’s Treatment
About once a month we receive an order from a new customer who purchases only vitamin E. Often these are one-time orders; these people order their vitamin E only once and we never hear from that person again. When these orders appear I always assume it is from someone who has not taken the time to learn about correct Alternative Medicine treatment, and is simply following his MD’s suggestion to “try some vitamin E.”
Using vitamin E as a single therapy with no other support therapies to develop synergy, from my experience in over 10 years of work with Peyronie’s disease, is never effective. For this reason it is the policy of PDI to always include a note with that order to explain the limitation and problem of using vitamin E by itself.
I have talked to many of these men who order only vitamin E to learn a bit more about their thinking, and how they come to believe this is all they have to do to recover from Peyronie’s disease. Usually these men tend to take their health for granted, they do not use Alternative Medicine for their health problems and generally are not interested in knowing about this kind of treatment. They place their vitamin E order simply because they were told to do it.
During this conversation I will also learn that they are reluctant about taking vitamin E because they say “I recall that taking vitamin E can be dangerous.” This is usually a minor objection that can be explained easily with the information from the PDI blog post, “Peyronie’s Disease Treatment and Vitamin E.” Once the facts are presented there is no real reason to be fearful about using vitamin E in general or in a well designed treatment plan for PD.
To be really successful using an Alternative Medicine to reverse the tissue changes of Peyronie’s disease requires that a man use multiple therapies to develop a synergistic effort to improve the ability of the body to heal and repair the Peyronie’s scar. to learn how to do this, see Start Peyronie’s Disease Treatment.
Poor Peyronie’s Disease Treatment Results
Every few months I will receive a telephone call from someone who asks why he has not had any improvement after using his Peyronie’s treatment for a while.
Usually the first and last question I ask is, “What is the size, shape, density and surface texture of your scar?” The typical response I receive is at first silence, and then the caller will admit he does not know the answer to the question. At that point I will explain that if he does not know the current size, shape, density and surface qualities of his scar and he did not have that information when he started his treatment, there is no way to know for a fact that he did not progress.
Basically, these men are comparing minimal information to minimal information, and conclude that nothing has changed.
Further, I also get emails and calls from men who complain that they have not made enough progress to justify continuing with their treatment plan. My line of questioning goes like this:
1. What products and therapies are you using now?
2. What is your dosage for each?
3. Honestly, how faithful are you to your plan; how often do you forget to do what you are supposed to do?
4. What kind of change to your PD therapy plan have you made recently?
5. What was the size, shape, density and surface quality of your PD scar before treatment started and what is it now?
As you can imagine I usually learn they have not been following the PDI plan, but picking and choosing to do a few things that suit their fancy.
Most often the men who do not respond well are those who use no more than 1-3 different therapies. Sometimes the products they use are not from PDI but they use something recommended by someone at a local vitamin store. Compliance on a day to day basis for taking their products is “not great”. I learn they have not read the book I wrote but were trying to base all their therapy on the information only from the website. Along the way I might also learn they have been using Viagra while following their modified PDI plan or that they have received a series of Verapamil injections within the past few years. These men also seem to naturally eat all wrong for PD based on the suggested diet in “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.” In short, they are their own worst enemy.
If any of this describes how you approach your Peyronies treatment, please consider changing your ways if you wish to get good results.
Please take your problem seriously, and take your treatment even more seriously. The more you do the better your results should be.
Click here for information about Peyronie’s disease treatment.
Stay focused to your plan, and do not become discouraged.
Erections and Peyronie’s Disease
Erections can be difficult to develop on demand while in a sexual situation. Paradoxically, erections can be difficult to stop or inhibit at certain times, especially during sleep. All of this is important to Peyronie’s disease treatment since erections during sleep can have an adverse affect on progress of care.
A nocturnal, or nighttime, erection occurs because it is important for the basic health of the deep tissue, known as the corpora cavernosa, of the penis. These deep tissues of the shaft fill with blood and trap it within the corpora cavernosa to create the erect state. If this term, corpora cavernosa, sounds familiar it is because the tunica albuginea is a thin and tough layer of tissue that covers the corpora cavernosa and the tunica albuginea is where the Peyronie’s scar is located.A nocturnal erection can be thought of as type of stretching exercise that takes place during the night when there is little other activity going on, to make sure the penile tissue is stretched and used in this unique way to keep the tissue healthy.
The problem during a nocturnal erection when Peyronie’s disease is present is that restriction and binding of the already-bent erection can be sustained against the penis for a long period of time. Also, it is important to keep in mind that this added pressure poses a risk of additional injury top the man who already has PD. For this reason it is important to be careful with an erection when the penis has no comfortable or safe direction to extend itself. Since it is not possible to stop an erection while asleep, it is smart to not wear tight or limiting underwear or pants while sleeping if you have Peyronie’s disease. It might be even smarter to wear nothing at all while you sleep since this avoids a great potential for binding and restriction.
For the most part, a normally occurring erection that can simply “stand on its own” with no pressure against it, is not going to bind or incorrectly stretch out the penile tissue in a way that is detrimental to the penis. Problems occur during a drug-induced (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) or artificial erection, during which an abnormally great amount of blood is drawn into the penis by more soft tissue relaxation than normal. For this reason it is understood that a naturally occurring erection is safer than an artificially created erection.
Drug induced erections can start Peyronie’s disease
Over the years I have communicated with many men whose PD started after a drug induced erection that stressed the penile tissues by greatly increased internal pressure. This process would not be much different than taking a car tire that is meant to go no higher than 40-50 pounds per square inch during normal use, and over-inflating it to 100-150 pounds per square inch. Because it is not built to take that kind of pressure, you could expect some problems to develop in using a tire that way. Not much different with the penis.
Sexual activity is NOT to be avoided if you have Peyronies, but rough, aggressive, hard sex can be dangerous and really injure the already damaged tissue further. Developing and using a natural erection is not to be avoided either in Peyronie’s disease. However, it is important to keep your wits about you and do not go wild during sex. The emphasis should be on an easy, smooth and gentle sexual encounter. Any sexual activity or posture that causes pain should be avoided.
Many important related topics about taking care of yourself, avoiding injury, doing nothing to set your progress back while you are attempting to heal your problem, are covered in my book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.” Check out the website about this book at http://www.peyronies-disease-help.com/PD-owners-manual.html I think you would enjoy learning more about what you can and should do to take care of this nasty problem.
When Peyronie’s Scar Not Easily Located
Peyronie’s plaque
If you are going to be in charge of your therapy plan, you must know where your Peyronie’s plaque or scar is located. Even though it is not always easy or obvious, it is essential to Peyronie’s disease treatment because our method is to use “scar behavior” as a guide – a bench mark – a barometer – to judge effectiveness of care. Scar behavior is not a matter of curiosity; you MUST know about the scar in as great detail as possible to know if you are making actual progress or not. If you do not know if there is a change in the size, shape, density or surface features of your scar during treatment, then you are guessing – and shame on you because your results will not be as good as if you actually knew what was going on down there.
Before I go into this subject in some detail, I must remind you that the Peyronies scar is best located while the penis is soft or flaccid – meaning not erect. This will be true 99% of the time, so don’t bother to look unless you are flaccid.
Peyronies scars or plaques can be extremely variable in most all aspects. For example, while some men have an obvious scar, others could not find one if their life depended on it. Often, when a scar is not found, but there is still pain and bending or any kind of recent penile distortion, a diagnosis of Peyronie’s disease is still made. This diagnosis can be accurately made because the scar that is causing the pain or bending is either:
1. So small – it cannot be found
2. So very soft – it blends into the other tissue and cannot be detected
3. So deep – it cannot be reached or felt easily
4. So large and flat – that the edges are not easily determined, almost like trying to find the edge of a roll of plastic wrap. When it is a large scar – as many of them are – it is something that is so close to you that you do not see it because you are looking far away and cannot see what is under your nose
5. The doctor’s lack of ability, experience or concern when he does the examination – that he simply misses what is actually there if he was better at this kind of thing – yes, I know, it is difficult to imagine but it is true.
When a scar is never found it is because of a combination of two or more of these factors – deep and small, or soft, large and flat, or deep, soft and doctor error, and so on. From my experience with those who have an extremely difficult time locating their scar, it seems that #4 (so large and flat) is often an issue. Keep this in mind when you search your personal landscape while trying to locate your scar.
Finding your Peyronie’s plaque
Ultimately, if you have Peyronie’s disease you must begin the search with the attitude the scar is there, and only waiting to be found. Do not start with a negative attitude; you want to have a sense of high anticipation that it will be found within the next few seconds – this will help keep your senses alert. You should use as many different tactics as you can to find your scar(s) because having a good knowledge of your scar situation will help your treatment effort.
Hint: Try to think in terms of your scar being much larger than you have previously imagined. Allow yourself to mentally expand the size of the scar you are looking for. Meaning, if you were looking for a “pea” before, start looking for a “peanut” size structure or even larger. This changes your methods and your outlook about what you can detect.
It seems that lately I have many men reporting that their scars are as large as the length of the shaft. Of these, some are narrow while others are wider. With this in mind, image that your scar is very large. If you are looking for a pea-sized scar it will prevent you from easily finding something much larger.
Do not be discouraged if the scar you have is large since it does not seem that the size has much to do with difficulty or time required to eliminate it. Larger scars can take just as long as smaller scars to treat.
Different way to approach Peyronie’s scar
Try this: forget about finding a “scar.” Just try to find something – anything – within the mass of erectile tissue that feels unlike the other tissue. Find something that is unlike the rest of the tissue. When you find it, mark its location with a marker pen of something that will stay on the tissue for a day or two. Go back each day to that area and re-think what you are feeling. You are trying to see if it becomes easier to make sense of it. It could be that you have an unreasonable expectation of what a “scar” should feel like, and you are missing what is really rather obvious only because your expectation is wrong. Really, how could you know what a Peyronie’s plaque feels like if you have never had to do this before? It is a common problem.
Peyronie’s Disease Institute has much success with the methods we present to you. Just because your doctor could not locate your scar does not mean it is not there. And it definitely does not mean that you cannot find it, just because he can’t. As so many men with PD finally come to understand, you must take control of your situation and begin to get well on your own.
I have worked with hundreds and hundreds of men who wanted Peyronie’s treatment. Some of these cases were mild and some were severe, some had it just a few months and a few more than 10 years old. I had a bad Peyronie’s disease problem until I cured my condition using the procedures found on the PDI website. You will not feel like a victim once you start working to improve your health and immune response against the presence of this foreign tissue.
Protection for Peyronie’s Disease during Intercourse
Girth enhancement rings stabilize Peyronies
Since 2002 Peyronie’s Disease Institute has made several different products available to our customers that offer important penile protection while still allowing sexual intercourse to take place. One of these is the girth enhancement ring or sleeve, please see Girth Enhancement Ring.
Using this uncomplicated device provides a level of support that greatly reduces the possibility of re-injury of the penis during intercourse. For many men this simple and inexpensive device is essential in a couple’s ability to engage in sex at all – for many men the added support is needed to make penetration.
The basic girth enhancement sleeve is a thick but flexible tube that is open at both ends, made of very soft and stretchy silicone material. The penis is slipped into the tube and the glans or head of the penis sticks out at the other end for full sexual contact. With this added support the shaft is less likely to be re-injured by sudden bending or collapse.
Even if the cause of Peyronie’s disease in your case was not trauma, it is critical that you do all you can to not injure your penis during sex if you have PD. The following deformities present a real or potential weakness of the shaft of the penis that can easily get re-injured during sexual activity, and therefore will benefit from the use of girth enhancement sleeve:
1. Twist
2. Curve
3. Bend
4. Dent, dink, nick, depression, impression or filling error
5. Bottleneck deformity
6. Hourglass deformity
Any of these Peyronies deformities is weakest at the area of the greatest distortion, or thinnest part of the shaft, that can suddenly bend, fold or collapse during insertion or while thrusting. This is the area over which the girth enhancement sleeve should be worn.
Dealing with a penis that is weak in one small area is like having an ankle that is weak because of an earlier injury, making it susceptible to re-injury. Also, just like a sprained ankle, each penile re-injury occurs more easily and gets progressively worse. The best approach to take is to not allow additional injury to take place so the tissue remains as healthy and strong as possible. For the ankle the treatment is to wear a support and to slow down so that you do not hurt yourself again. The same with Peyronie’s disease.
A valuable second benefit to the girth ring support is the additional thickness or girth it adds to the penis that can make up for the lost dimension that many men experience.
I urge any man whose penis is distorted by Peyronie’s disease – known as a Peyronie’s penis – to investigate the girth enhancement sleeve to provide protection during sexual activity to avoid re-injury and worsening of his problem.
Communication Vital for Peyronie’s Teatment Success
Saying you do not know might be the wisest thing you can do
The Peyronie’s Disease Institute has been working with men since 2002, offering the most effective therapy ideas and products we can find, and helpful information about successful Alternative Medicine treatment of Peyronie’s disease.
Usually within the first month of Peyronie’s treatment a man will enter into a critical point of his Peyronie’s treatment when he can become confused and doubtful. Many men become unsure if they are using the correct treatment products or using them in the right way. Many times men want to change their plan but do not know how to do it. If this describes how you are feeling about your treatment plan, you must let me know your questions and I will do my best to help you with all of this.
Please do not hesitate to send an email asking for help and information. I would be happy to answer your questions, and offer insights and ideas gained after successfully treating my own PD, writing two books on this subject, and working with nearly a thousand men from around the world with their Peyronie’s treatment.
Contact Dr. Herazy at info@peyronies-disease-help.com
Peyronie’s Disease and Sexual Performance
Assist sexual vitality safely when you have Peyronie’s disease
It seems that well over half of the men with Peyronie’s disease suffer moderate to severe problems with sexual performance. While the sexual problems peculiar to Peyronie’s disease might be especially frustrating and limit the enjoyment of life, that is not the real issue why a weak erection is important to a man with PD. The most compelling problem with a weak erection is that it increases the risk that the penis will buckle, bend or collapse during intercourse, resulting in greater injury and worsening of his Peyronie’s disease.
If this kind of sexual injury happens to a man who already has PD, his currently weak erection can possibly deteriorate to no erection in the future. His currently mild curve that still allows for sexual penetration can possibly deteriorate to such a terrible distortion that no sexual entry is possible.
I hear these stories weekly in which a man has a mild case of PD that is not much more than a minor inconvenience and annoyance. His erections are weak, or he has a small deformity that makes a small area of the penis weak. During insertion or during active sexual intercourse he experiences a sudden buckling, bending or collapse of his penis that makes a small problem much worse. This kind of thing is avoidable in two ways:
1. Use of a non-drug sex booster that firms up the erection
2. Use of a reusable girth ring enhancer that supports the penis at the area of greatest weakness, and also adds important girth to the penis if this has been lost due to PD.
Review some of the information on the PDI website about these natural sex boosters and the girth ring enhancer. Go to the PDI Products Store Front and scroll down to learn more about these important tools that can protect you from worsening your PD, and add enjoyment to your life.
For those who are unfamiliar with my opinion about the use of erection producing drugs (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) for a man with Peyronie’s disease – or any man without Peyronie’s disease, for that matter – please go to my blog post titled, Peyronie’s Disease Treatment and Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.
What follows is a copy of an email exchange I had with someone who had a question about using Cialis for improving his erection. From it I believe you will learn some valuable information about treating and living with Peyronie’s disease.
—–Original Message—–
From: RXXXXXX [mailto:rxxxxxxxxx@earthlink.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 02, 20XX 3:51 PM
To: herazy@sbcglobal.net
Subject: follow-up
Hello again,
I was about to place an order when I saw that you have a few erection boosters you recommend. The Male X Booster product for instance. I’ve found that I cannot do without some Cialis when using the Stimulin that I get from your at the PDI store front.
The other day three natural Stimulin plus about a quarter of the Cialis pill (5-7 mg) worked pretty well. Without the Stimulin I’d need at least twice that much Cialis. (By the way, even taking a full 20 mg does not give me the kind of killer erection you warn about.) Given all this, I’d like your suggestion re whether one of these other products is worth trying. It seems you favor the Male X Booster.
RXXXXXXX
My response to RXXXXXX follows:
From: Theodore Herazy <herazy@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: follow-up
To: RXXXXXX [[mailto:rxxxxxxxxx@earthlink.net]
Date: Saturday, August 2, 20XX, 4:14PM
Greetings RXXXXXXX,
This is an area where the opinion and experience of others means very little. My preference for Male X Booster is based on my observation that most men do best with it most of the time. It is one of our best sellers. After all, it is popular for a good reason. Regardless of how well it works for others, the question is, are you like these other men? Stimulin helps a lot of men with their sex problems related to PD, but you must learn if you are one of them, and how to use it. It all comes down to playing the odds I suppose.
However, even if Male X Booster does work as well for you as it does for others, could another product work better? I have seen this happen. It does not cost much to find out. Once you find the best product for you, it will always cost much less than the drug products that can be dangerous and they will often work just as well.
And, if Male X Booster works well for you, is there a variation of the way you have been using it that will make it work even better? I have also seen this happen. Those who experiment a bit will often see much better results than they got from their first use. If you write back to me and tell me exactly how you are using the Stimulin I can suggest some variations of use that could make it even more effective for you.
Just because of the many variables involved, I would like to think the most logical and prudent action is to go through the smorgasbord of sex boosters other men have had good experience with, and take on the pleasant task of determining which one works best for you. Our list of sexual booster products is simply a collection of products that many PD Warriors have said gives them a lift – sorry for the pun, I could not resist.
I hope you see this answer is not a cop-out, as much as it is honestly the best answer I can offer at this time. I do not know any way of determining a successful response to these herbal sex boosters ahead of time. You just have to try a few to learn how you will respond. Of course, the same is true of any drug your doctor prescribes for you. While he/she might have a good idea of what kind of response you should experience, the fact is that no doctor knows ahead of time exactly how or if a patient will react to any drug that is prescribed.
By the way, thanks for sharing your personal observation about how Stimulin allows you to use less Cialis. That is a good way to reduce your exposure to potential injury. I am still very concerned about anyone using any of these PDE5 drugs (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) because of the horror stories I hear frequently.
Concerning your observation of not getting a killer erection even with 20 mg of Cialis: My conversations and communications with men from around the globe tells me that a man can use an erection enhancing drug many times without an adverse or unexpected reaction over a long time. Then without warning, one day he can get the monster erection of his life that tears up a lot of internal tissue. Just because it hasn’t happened yet with your Cialis, doesn’t mean it cannot happen the next time. That drugs are unpredictable and risky, no one will argue. As I said above, “It all comes down to playing the odds I suppose.”
Then again there is the issue that many men who have never been warned about the dangers involved with these erection drugs. They keep on experimenting with their dosage until they intentionally get a super-erection. Sometimes it is the last normal erection they will ever have. You can only play with fire so often before you get burned.
Have a good one.
Regards,
Theodore R. Herazy, DC, LAc
Peyronie’s Surgery
Finding a surgeon for your Peyronie’s surgery
There are those times when Peyronie’s disease surgery must be done. If you sincerely feel you have faithfully and honestly used all possible drug and non-drug options to avoid Peyronie’s surgery, and they have all been unsuccessful, and now you cannot continue with the pain and limited sexual ability that started with Peyronie’s disease, then you should carefully consider penis surgery.
From my experience in talking and emailing to many hundreds of men each year since 2002, I have only occasionally found men who are happy with the results of their Peyronie’s surgery. Am I saying that most Peyronie’s operations are failures? Not necessarily. All I can say is that of those men to whom I speak, the great majority are not pleased with their results to restore the penile curvature of Peyronie’s disease.
When I get to speak to someone who has good things to say about his Peyronie’s surgeon and the results of the operation, I always make it a point to ask a lot of questions about the surgeon’s name and location, his credentials, and the interpersonal issues and insights that develop while working with the surgeon.
Here is some advice in helping you select a Peyronie’s surgeon, or any surgeon, because it all comes down to the same traits and characteristics that make someone a good surgeon:
1. Do your research. While many physicians can claim to do surgery, or be someone who specializes in being a Peyronie’s doctor, you should only consider using a doctor who is a board certified surgeon in the area of specialty you need the care. You definitely do not want to have surgery performed by someone who comes to you randomly, without experience in working with Peyronie’s disease. The need to have experience and site-specific and disease-specific training cannot be emphasized too much. After all, it is your penis that is going to be cut on, and you want the best you can find holding the knife above you.
2. There is no need to rush into anything. Plan on spending at least six months doing your research. No need to rush into anything. The more time you spend the fewer mistakes you will likely make when you must decide. If it takes you a full year to collect information, all the better you will feel and all the better your results will occur.
3. Your doctor should be a Board Certified Urologist with a sub-specialty in genitourinary surgery, or a Board Certified Urologist with a sub-specialty in surgery that does exclusively genitourinary surgeries. For example, a surgeon might be a board certified urologist with a subspecialty in genitourinary surgery, but might also further specialize in operating only on male patients. Whether this surgeon might do male urogenital surgery on the elderly (geriatrics) or male children (pediatrics) only makes his experience more valuable.
4. Generally, using a plastic surgeon is not a good idea. While a plastic surgeon might be skillful in facial work, and have a good technique and a good hand for doing the fine details around the face, that does not mean these skills will carry over into removal of the PD scar material. If your primary Peyronie’s or genitourinary surgeon wants to use a plastic surgeon for one particular phase of the PD surgery, and that primary surgeon will stay at the operating table the entire time, that is fine. It all comes down to training and experience in the area of the penis, especially removal of the PD scar.
5. Your surgeon should have vast experience with Peyronie’s disease, having performed at least 25 prior surgeries of the specific type you need – usually the Nesbit plication, or others. The larger this number, compared to others, the more likely you should consider this doctor. Someone who has done 10 Nesbit surgeries does not know as much as someone who has done over 100. You want someone who has seen it all, done it all, knows what to do in all circumstances, and will not be surprised while you are under the knife – or later.
6. While this might seem to be a small and superficial consideration, I suggest you employ a surgeon with a meticulous office and very neat appearance, and a clean non-cluttered desk –you want someone who is really meticulous and highly motivated for fine detail work to be doing your Peyronie’s surgery for you. You want a neat-freak, someone who is “anal” doing this kind of work, cutting into your one and only manhood.
7. Good eye contact and warm personality – two reasons: not only will this be what he/she will be like when you are under his/her knife, but how you will be treated in discussions and after surgery care – not ignored or forgotten. You want someone who will be open and friendly and a good communicator before surgery, because these are great doctor skills after the surgery when you need it the most.
8. If you have a friend that is a nurse in area, ask her to ask around for you about the surgeon you are thinking about using. I worked for orthopedic surgeon who was the rave of the hospital and all the nurses who worked in that hospital brought their kids for broken bones and for their husband’s bad backs. Nurses are more likely to know, and talk about, the bad stuff and the good stuff concerning doctors in your area. It is a high recommendation when you know that nurses like work of the doctor you want to use.
9. Go to the internet to Google your surgeon professional work history with your state board of medical review to see if any disciplinary actions have been taken against this doctor. This is important because it will give you a strong indictor about the skill and ability he/she possesses. If your doctor has been sued three times for malpractice, and there are two others who have never been sued, the decision becomes much easier to make.
However, it is always best to avoid any surgery, especially Peyronie’s surgery, if at all possible. That is what the Peyronie’s Disease Institute is all about. Helping you to naturally treat Peyronie’s disease by helping your body to heal and repair so you can eliminate the scar and avoid getting cut on in the first place. Look at a few of the testimonials about our Alternative Medicine treatment for Peyronies.
Peyronie’s Disease and Intercourse
Peyronies and problems with sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse can be a problem in Peyronie’s disease due to the penile distortion that occurs because of the presence of fibrous scar tissue, or Peyronie’s plaque, within the shaft of the penis. The presence of this fibrous plaque can cause the penis is bend in any direction to a minor degree that is hardly noticeable, up to and even beyond a 90 degree curve. In addition to a significant bend, Peyronies disease can also cause distortions that are described as “bottle neck” and “hour glass” for their resemblance, as well as simple dents or dings along the side of the shaft. Click here for Peyronie’s pictures.
The cause of Peyronie’s disease has not yet been determined even thought the condition has been known for almost 500 years. Some researchers theorize the distortion forms as a result of trauma to the penis, or when minor contact causes an indirect micro-trauma shearing force that can result in minor bleeding into the wide area of tissue. While healing is taking place certain growth factors that appear to be genetically determined cause an abnormal amount of scar tissue (or plaque) to form at the site of injury.
The penis is composed of three cylindrical cavities, with two of these at the top and one below. The top two are wider and thicker, and are called the corpus cavernosa, while bottom cylinder is the corpus spongiosum and contains the urethra or the tube through which urine flows. During erection the two top corpora cavernosa expand to trap and hold the blood that produces the pneumatic force that results in enlargement and rigidity. Each of these paired cylinders is surrounded by a very elastic covering called the tunica albuginea, similar to the casing of a sausage.
In a case of Peyronie’s disease the elastic tissue of the tunica is replaced by scar tissue, so it lacks flexibility and the ability to stretch. Because the plaque is not elastic, but rather hard, it will not stretch with erection. When this happens the erection that occurs is not even or symmetrical, and often smaller than before.
What starts out as a small nodule or constriction on the penile shaft just below the skin surface, eventually expands to form a flat plaque or deposit that can sometimes extend along the entire length of the shaft. This plaque invades and replaces the elastic tunica albuginea covering of the internal tissue of the penis, leaving a mass of inflexible material. In some patients the penis beyond the plaque will not become as rigid. When a man with this degree of extensive Peyronie’s has an erection, the scar or plaque material cannot expand, resulting in a curved or bent penis, or one that exhibits a bottle neck or hour glass deformity – or a combination of these distortion patterns.
Often the plaque is located on the top surface of the penis, causing an upward curvature. However, plaques can occur anywhere on the penis; the scar or plaque will always be worse on the concave portion of the distortion pattern.
Many men with Peyronie’s disease complain not only about their curved or distorted erection, but also about the loss of length and girth. These are all results of the inelastic tissue within the substance of the penile body.
Peyronies curved penis and sexual intercourse
One-third of men with Peyronie’s have pain when erect, and a smaller number become impotent. In some cases, the head of the penis does not fill with blood, resulting in a penis that is erect on the bottom near the pubic area, and soft or flaccid toward the top part of the penis – this is called a bottle neck deformity. This type of distortion would make intercourse difficult due to penetration problems. About half of men with Peyronie’s disease continue to function sexually when their curving penis is gradual and minor. But as the curvature becomes abrupt and large the amount of sexual difficulty also increases. Half of men with Peyronies experience frequent to constant problems with intercourse due to their distortion pattern.
For in-depth solutions and discussion of the sexual problems related to Peyronie’s disease please review the contents of Peyronie’s Disease & Sex, a one-of-a-kind book written by a man who completely cured his PD using the Alternative Medicine treatment principles found on the Peyronie’s Disease Institute website.
Disorders of the Penis besides Peyronie’s Disease
Penile conditions, other than the curved penis of Peyronie’s disease
There are additional problems of the penis that can develop while a man treats his Peyronie’s disease. There are not many additional problems, but all can complicate your life more than you need at this time.
Priapism
Priapism is a persistent, often painful erection that is not associated with sexual activity and is not relieved by orgasm, lasting from a few hours to a few days. In priapism blood enters the penis but does not leave, thus the erection is maintained. The more common causes of priapism:
- Penile injections, as verapamil, collagenase, steroids or interferon-alpha-2b
- Drugs, such as anesthetics, antidepressants and blood pressure medications
- Alcohol or drug abuse, especially cocaine
- Spinal cord disease
- Injury to the genitals
- Blood diseases, including leukemia and sickle cell anemia
Rapid treatment for priapism is important, even without Peyronie’s disease present, because a prolonged erection can result in tissue destruction by reducing blood flow and lead to scar formation. Treatment involves removing trapped blood with a needle placed in the corpora cavernosae, as well as treating any underlying medical condition or substance abuse problem that might be present.
Balanitis
Balanitis is an inflammation of the foreskin, or skin covering the head of the penis. Symptoms are redness, swelling, itching, rash, pain and a foul-smelling discharge in the area of the foreskin. Balanoposthitis is a similar condition in which the glans (penis head) and foreskin are inflamed and present similar symptoms. Both problems can occur in men or boys who are uncircumcised (foreskin has not been surgically removed). If an uncircumcised male does not wash under the foreskin regularly, then sweat, debris, urine, dead skin cells and bacteria will collect under the foreskin and cause irritation. Other common causes include:
- Infection – local or systemic infection with candida albicans, the yeast responsible for thrush, can result in an intensely itchy and scaly rash. Several sexually transmitted diseases (STD), gonorrhea, herpes and syphilis can also produce balanitis in addition to their unique infections that affect other parts of the body.
- Dermatitis/allergy – Dermatitis is any inflammation of the skin often caused by contact with an allergen or irritating substance. Sensitivity to even a small amount of certain chemicals in soaps, detergents, perfumes and spermicidal preparations can cause balanitis.
- Diabetes – When a diabetic has glucose (sugar) in the urine, this can be trapped under the foreskin and acts a rich breeding medium for many bacteria.
Treatment of balanitis depends on determining the underlying cause, improved hygiene and perhaps circumcision if the balanitis cannot be controlled in any other way.
Phimosis and paraphimosis
Phimosis is a medical problem in which the foreskin (prepuce)of the penis is so tight, preventing it from being pulled back or retracted from the head of the penis. Paraphimosis is a medical emergency in which the foreskin is stuck, after being rolled back or retracted, and cannot be slid back to its usual position over the head of the penis.
Phimosis is most often observed in children, and may be present even at birth. When it occurs in an adult male it is usually caused by an infection of the reproductive tract, or scar tissue that formed as a result of injury or chronic inflammation of the prepuce. Phimosis can also be caused by balanitis when it causes the foreskin to the scarred or tight around the head of the penis. Immediate medical care is required if phimosis makes urination difficult or impossible.
Paraphimosis is a medical emergency because serious complications can arise if it is not treated. Paraphimosis may occur after sexual activity, a nocturnal or typical daily erection, or after trauma to the head of the penis, leading to pain and swelling, and impair blood flow. When extreme, this reduced blood flow can result in death of the penile tissue (gangrene), making amputation of the penis necessary.
Treatment of phimosis may only require gentle manual stretching of the foreskin repeated daily over a period of time. Circumcision is often used to treat phimosis. When the phimosis has gone on a long time the prepuce sometimes adheres to the glans. When this happens, a surgical procedure called preputioplasty is used to separate the foreskin from the glans.
Treatment of paraphimosis focuses on rapidly reducing the swelling of the glans and foreskin, using ice and pressure applied to the head of the penis. If these simple measures are unsuccessful, an injection of medication can be used to drain the inflammation and blood from the penis, or small cuts in the foreskin are made by a surgeon to release the prepuce from behind the glans.
Penile cancer
Penile cancer is a rare form of the disease. While the exact cause of penile cancer remains unknown, certain risk factors for cancer are known, including:
- Phimosis – Tight foreskin that is constricted and difficult to retract, discussed above.
- Uncircumcised penis – Men who are not circumcised are at higher risk for cancer of the penis.
- Smegma – Natural oily secretions from the skin of the prepuce can accumulate if not cleaned daily. If allowed to collect under the foreskin, this results in thick, cheesy white, bad-smelling substance, known as smegma. Smegma by itself is irritation to the prepuce and lead to inflammation and a host of other problems.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection – More than 70 types of human papillomaviruses can cause warts (papillomas). Only a few of these HPVs infect the reproductive organs and the anal area, being passed as a STD from one person to another.
- Smoking –Cigarette smoking brings many cancer-causing chemicals into the blood stream that affect more than the lungs.
- Psoriasis treatment – The medication and ultraviolet light used to treat can cause penile cancer.
- Age – Penile cancer occurs most commonly in men after age 50.
Common symptoms of penile cancer are sores or unusual growths on any area of the penis, abnormal discharge from the penis, and bleeding. Surgery or radiation is commonly used to remove the cancer from the penis.
Since 2002 PDI has advocated Alternative Medicine Peyronie’s treatment options to avoid any of these complications that compromise penis health.
Pentoxifylline and Peyronie’s Disease Treatment
Pentox for Peyronie’s treatment is an off-label use
Every now and then I get an email asking for my opinion about using Pentox (Pentoxifylline) for Peyronie’s disease treatment. Over time I have developed a few ideas about this controversial drug that is gaining some popularity as an off-label Peyronie’s treatment.
Those MDs who prescribe Pentox are still trying to figure out the best way to use it, not only for PD but for many other conditions. While the primary use for Pentoxifylline is based on its ability to increase peripheral blood circulation, hence it is used to treat senile dementia and intermittent claudication, Pentox is gaining acceptance with the medical community for Peyronie’s treatment.
Some MDs who have learned the hard way that PDE5 drugs (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) are not at all a safe or effective Peyronie’s treatment have instead begun to prescribe Pentox to increase blood flow in Peyronies. But to have that make any sense at all you have to believe that PD is caused by reduced blood flow in the first place, or that merely increasing the blood flow will somehow help PD. I can totally agree with that thinking if you have evidence that your penis suffers from reduced blood flow (it is cold and blue). But if your penis is not cold and blue and bent, then you probably will not benefit from Pentox in the way that most people think.
It is my opinion that when Pentox is said to help men with PD it is because as the blood flow is increased to the periphery, it also brings in an increased flow of nutrients to assist the healing process. Further, when Pentox helps a case of PD it is because of the totally secondary benefit of increasing the body’s ability to heal and repair the PD plaque when there are more nutrients in an area of the body. It is a small point, perhaps, but a vitally important point to understand that it all comes down to the body healing the PD scar – not the Pentox having some curative ability by itself. If Pentoxifylline can increase general circulation more safely than Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, then great I am all for that. But you have to consider that if you do not have a circulatory problem in the first place, then why take any of these drugs at all?
If the benefit of Pentox is to bring more nutrients into the tissues, to assist healing and repair of the PD plaque or scar, that is wonderful. If it is beneficial to bring more nutrients into the tissue, would it not be a more logical and effective Peyronie’s treatment to intentionally and intelligently supply a wide variety of nutrients at a higher than average dosage to the body to assist the healing process? After all, that is what PDI has been doing since 2002 and it works in a great percentage of cases when it is done correctly.
Since extremely few men actually have any evidence of a circulatory problem in the pelvis, taking Pentox or even Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, will not make a difference because that is not the problem that is going on with PD. If the problem is that you did not heal your tunica albuginea injury because of poor nutrient availability then I suggest it would do you a lot of good to increase the nutrients directly, not indirectly by playing with the circulatory system when there is no circulatory problem.
You notice that I do not say, “Do not take Pentox,” I only say it is new so use caution. I also say that when Pentoxifylline helps it probably does so only because it helps the body work better by increasing available nutrients, not because it specifically increases blood flow. If you want to help your pelvic blood flow:
1. Wear boxer shorts
2. Uncross your legs when you sit
3. Do some Kegel exercises
4. Put a moist hot pack on your privates when you watch TV
Most MDs are taking the attitude that while they do not know if Pentox helps PD, or why it helps when it appears to help PD, at least they currently have no evidence that it makes PD worse – so what the hell, take it and let’s see what it does for you. This is how many medical patients get hurt in the long run with such a cavalier attitude about drugs.
I say better to take an Alternative Medicine approach to your problem to help your body heal and repair the Peyronie’s pathology naturally.
Viagra Peyronie’s Disease Connection
Greater Viagra use and increase of Peyronie’s disease
In a 2002 article in the International Journal of Impotence Research about possible causes of Peyronie’s disease, authored by Sikka and Hellstrom of Tulane University, these two medical researchers observed that with the increased use of Viagra, Peyronie’s disease also increased.
In my work with the Peyronie’s Disease Institute, while corresponding with six to 10 men daily who have Peyronie’s disease concerning various aspects of their problem, I have also made this observation – that with greater use of Viagra, Peyronie’s diseases clearly increases. The difference between Drs. Sikka and Hellstrom’s and my explanation why Peyronie’s disease is becoming more common as the use of Viagra – and other PDE5 drugs like Cialis and Levitra – increases around the world.
Their explanation, quoting Drs. Sikka and Hellstrom’s report:
“Peyronie’s disease usually affects 13% of males between the ages of 40 and 70, and the number of patients with such lesions have increased since the advent of oral sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer) either because more men are becoming manifest and/or not hesitant anymore to come to clinics for such evaluations.”
In other words, these two Tulane researchers say the only reason PD appears to be increasing is that more men are willing to talk about it, now that men are talking more about erectile dysfunction with the greater awareness brought about with the frequent TV and magazine ads about this problem and drug solution of it.
While they offer the simple explanation that because men are becoming less hesitant to talk about their sexual problems, they assume more men are inclined to enter medical clinics asking for help – like asking for a prescription for Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. That is certainly a possible explanation of perhaps some merit. But that does not match my experience in talking with men who actually have Peyronie’s disease.
Peyronie’s and Viagra
Men I talk to about starting Peyronie’s treatment still ask about how the mailing package will be labeled and if the return address will mention “Peyronie’s disease,” lest their letter carrier will learn they have PD. I am asked if the credit card statement will mention that their therapy products are for treatment of PD, lest someone at the credit card company will learn they have PD. I am asked by men how to explain the problem of Peyronie’s disease to a new girl friend so that she will not be scared away from a relationship with someone who has a disease of the penis. I talk with men who do not want to talk at work about their PD lest someone overhears the conversation. I learn from men that the worse thing about PD is not the pain associated with the scar development, but the loss of penile girth and length – something that most men would seem hesitant to tell the world about.
I do not doubt for an instant that men are more relaxed and casual about admitting to a problem with erectile dysfunction, and more willing to ask for a Viagra prescription than they were a few years ago. This is a more sexually open society – for good or for bad. Yet, I doubt that men are just as willing to admit that they have Peyronie’s disease in which their penis is shockingly smaller than average or that can be so distorted as to be incapable of entry to engage sexual intercourse.
Erectile dysfunction is one problem related to advancing age that perhaps has some dignity related to it and hope of easy drug solution, but Peyronie’s disease might not be seen in the same way since it is associated with permanent deformity and reduction of the size of the male organ.
My opinion is that Drs. Sikka and Hellstrom are reluctant to discuss the possibility that these PDE5 drugs sporadically, irregularly and without warning cause severe injury to the tunica albuginea by extensive over-inflation of the corpora cavernosa of the penis. The mechanism of this possible route of injury was discussed on 8-17-09 in the Peyronie’s Disease blog under the title, Peyronie’s Disease Treatment and Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, and again on 8-1-10 under the title Viagra, Cialis and Levitra Use with Peyronie’s Disease.
These doctor’s hesitance to discuss or speculate that the increase of PD parallels the increase use of these drugs due to yet another drug side-effect of yet another group of drugs itself can be speculated upon. Each man with PD must make up his own mind if this possibility makes sense to him, and if it is further reasonable to avoid the use of these drugs if he wishes to avoid further injury to his penis.
Fix Penis Curvature
How to straighten curvature of penis
For most, the main focus of Peyronie’s disease treatment is primarily to fix penis curvature or whatever distortion might exist. However, this is not the best goal to have when you want to get fix your bent penis.
The primary goal of Peyronies treatment should be elimination of the internal scar (Peyronie’s plaque material) that causes a curved penis to develop in hte first place – not to fix penis curvature. Although the most obvious aspect of Peyronie’s disease is the curved penis, it is not the actual problem. Using penile curvature to determine success of any Peyronie’s disease treatment is unwise and counter-productive since it is not the real problem.
Healthy internal tissue of the penis is able to fill, trap and expand as blood enters it for a normal erection to develop. In Peyronie’s disease one or more areas of a layer of tissue known as the tunica albuginea develop a dense and inelastic fibrous scar tissue or Peyronie’s plaque. During a normal erection the slightly elastic tunica albuginea will stretch and expand evenly in all directions. But when a man has Peyronies disease expansion is limited because the tunica albuginea contains fibrous tissue, resulting in a curved penis.
Peyronie’s disease usually begins as a small internal nodule or band of fibrous tissue on the top or sides of the penis, within the tunica albuginea. A few weeks to a year later, this fibrous nodule can develop into a larger irregular plaque of variable size, shape, density and surface quality. The Peyronie’s plaque can be as long as the penis and sometimes surrounds the penis, creating an hourglass indentation around the shaft. Some are one large mass, while others are small isolated islands of fibrous tissue in many areas. Scars can be so soft and small, with edges so tapered and vague, that no scar can be found. When no Peyronie’s plaque or scar can be found it is assumed to exist when a curved penis develops during erection.
Peyronie’s disease causes penile curvature because the inflexible fibrous tissue of the Peyronie plaque prevents incomplete filling as an erection develops or by pulling unevenly on those same internal tissues. The location and degree to which this poor filling and internal tug-of-war takes place is different from man to man, and so the bends and distortions are also different. At times a small internal scar can cause a great amount of distortion and poor erection quality, just as a large scar can cause very little problem. In other words, the scar size does not determine the degree of problem that is observed. Sometimes as a Peyronie’s plaque or scar increases or decreases, the distortion can get either better or worse; many times the degree of penile curvature does not indicate the severity of the Peyronies plaque or the success of Peyronies disease treatment. For this reason, the true measurement of success of Peyronies treatment should be determined by the reduction of the Peyronies plaque or scar. Once the fibrous plaque material reduces in size, shape, density or surface quality, only then can improvement of the curved penis or reduced erection strength be expected in time.
Fix penis distortion by treating the Peyronie’s plaque
A curved penis that suddenly appears one day might be difficult to ignore, but it is only a symptom of the real problem of Peyronie’s disease that lies below the surface – the fibrous scar in the tunica albuginea. Without that Peyronies scar there would be no curved penis; because it is the cause of the distortion it should be the only way that treatment success is determined.
Evaluating progress of a Peyronie’s therapy plan can be difficult, if not impossible, if only paying attention to a curved penis. A small scar – or a scar that is getting smaller – can cause a large penis curvature. A large scar – or a scar that is getting larger – can cause no bend at all if it is balanced by other scars that are applying a symmetrical force. Making matters more complicated, a man can have many more scars than he can locate because the often overlap. Thus, it happens that a curved penis can worsen as the scar is actually being reduced or eliminated.
When only one scar is present the curvature problem is direct and easy to understand, although this is uncommon. More commonly multiple scars cause internal pulling and twisting that create complicated distortions that can worsen as the scars become smaller. Several scars can interact on many planes of internal penile tissue. Any significant reduction in one or more scar will alter the internal tension on the tissues, resulting in an altered curvature. Because there is no guarantee the curvature will improve initially, I advise to focus all attention to the size, shape, density and surface qualities of the scar while treatment of the Peyronies problem continues. Realize the curved penis is just a reflection of Peyronie’s plaque structure below the surface.
Do not be discouraged as you try to fix the penis curvature related to Peyronie’s disease. Instead, look for changes in the size, shape, density and surface qualities as you continue your Peyronie’s disease treatment.
Peyronie’s Disease Treatment and Insanity
Einstein and Peyronie’s treatment
We have all heard Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Well, I think this sometimes applies to the way some men conduct their Peyronie’s disease treatment plans.
I am reminded of Einstein’s famous quote each time I communicate with someone who wants to know why his Peyronies treatment is not getting results even though he is faithfully following it daily, for weeks and months at a time.
Please review the following email exchange between one of your PD Warrior brothers and me. You will see the writer had no idea about the size, shape, density or surface quality of his scars yet he was trying to treat himself with Alternative Medicine. Because he had no idea of where he was, where he had been, or where he wanted to go, he was easily discouraged and was not successful with his Peyronies treatment.
I will use the familiar method to keep the email question sent to me in black and my responses to him in red within his email so the information becomes more of a conversation between us.
Hello Dr. Herazy,
It has been a while since we talked on the phone when I asked for help getting started treating my Peyronies correctly. My name is BXXXXX, maybe you remember me. I am the student at the University of XXXXXXXXX who was in the bike accident and was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis. Three months later I was diagnosed with PD. I asked my doctor if he thought there was a connection between the accident and the PD and he said no. From my experience Peyronie’s disease is a fairly common outcome if you sustained direct injury to the penis shaft when your pelvis was fractured. Many men develop Peyronies disease after injuries that occur during sexual activity that are less serious than what you went through, so I am not sure why he would have said this. Also, your Peyronies could have started either from the injury to the shaft that took place during the bicycle accident, or from the catheterizations that took place during surgery or afterward. I have a large discussion about how PD can start from abusive catheterizations on the PDI blog at Possible Peyronie’s Causes: Catheter and Cystoscope Trauma. Because of my limited funds I settled on using a PDI medium plan plus PABA.
I thought because I am young and the injury was recent I would get over the PD fast. That is usually true for most men, but even some younger men take longer to recover because of overall poor health, stressful lifestyle, poor diet, genetic predisposition, or other reasons like drug abuse. But after two months I got discouraged and quit care for a few months. I was following the medium plan for two months and my curve stayed the same as far as I could tell, so I stopped doing everything. You made a few mistakes early in your care: 1. You did not contact me for ideas and advice about your treatment when you ran into a problem. You were in a totally new area of your life and you were trying to do it all by yourself when you have help available. Big mistake. 2. I looked up your records and you did not get “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” that would tell you how to go about treating your problem. For this reason you used the phrase “my curve stayed the same as far as I could tell.” This means that you were not using the condition of your curve to tell you if your treatment was successful or not, and this is a big mistake made by people and MDs who have no idea how to approach PD treatment. The condition of the penile curvature is determined by the internal PD scars that affect the tunica albuginea. If you want the curve to go away you must get rid of the scars. All of your evaluation and attention should be directed to understanding and documenting the condition of the size, shape, density and surface qualities of each of your scars. Once your scars are reduced or eliminated you will change in the distortion pattern or bend that you have. 3. You were guessing about your care because you were guessing about your condition at the time you were treating yourself.
Before you go on a diet to lose weight you must at least measure your waist and weigh yourself so you know your situation at the start of your diet. If you do not measure your waist and weigh yourself, how will you know if your diet is working? If you are guessing about your weight, you will either quit a plan that is working because you do not know that it is working, or you will stay on a diet too long that is not working. If you know your exact waist measurement and weight you will be able to tell immediately when the diet starts to work – or not.
You will then be able to intelligently either stay on a diet that is helping you or change the diet if it is not helping you – all based on your knowledge of the situation. You must do the same with your PD treatment. Then I reinjured myself during sex Always be very careful during sexual activity and maintain control of the situation because it is you who will suffer most. All woman-on-top positions are dangerous because you do not have good control over her and she can bend the penis if she comes up too far and you slip out. When she comes back down again you will get your shaft bent. and my curve got even worse. I thought I had no choice but to start PDI treatment again since the idea of Peyronie’s surgery is out of the question for many reasons. Good thinking. Surgery is the last thing you want to do if you have PD. I have many posts on the PDI blog about Peyronie’s disease surgery that goes bad.
I am sorry to say that after ten weeks of faithfully No, you did not faithfully follow the PDI concepts of treatment. You think you did, but you did not. You tried to make up your own rules and they did not work for you. You cut a few steps out of the process and you wasted time and money guessing about your treatment. As a necessary step at the beginning you must determine the exact size, shape, density and surface quality of each of the scars you can find. Once you know that, then you can begin care. By applying or using whatever level of treatment you think would help you, you should frequently monitor your scar to see how they are responding to whatever kind of treatment you have chosen to use. To learn more about this process, please refer to chapter four of the “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” and many blog pages that refer to this process. treating my problem I believe I have not made any changes with my bend or the pain I have, Again, it is not the bend or pain that is important – but it is the condition of the scar that is causing the bend and the pain that is important. All focus and attention should be on the scar that is causing all of the things you notice. although sometimes it is difficult to say. That is exactly the point I am making. It is difficult for you to say because you were guessing for four and a half months and you got confused and frustrated along the way. The two nodules on the top of the shaft are smaller some days, but it is difficult to know for sure. It is good that you can tell that they are changing, that means that your tissue will respond to your treatment if it is already responding to things that you are doing in your daily life.
For the last ten weeks this is what I take:
Nattokinase – 2/dose between meals
Fibrozym – 2/dose between meals
Vitamin E 400/400 – 3/day
Maxi-Gamma E – 1/day
Vitamin C – 1/day
MSM – 3/day
Scar-X – 2/day
PMD DMSO with Unique-E and Super CP serum – 1/day
PABA – 6/day
Massage and Exercise program – 4 or 5/week
There is nothing wrong with the plan you are following. The problem is that you are not sure your body is not responding to it because you have no baseline for comparison to judge progress. So, the job in front of you is to know exactly the size, shape, density and surface qualities of your scars, and to then see what you have to do to your plan to make your scars change from that baseline. It is that simple – and that difficult. More about that will be covered below.
If you are looking for my suggestions about what you might want to consider changing with your PD program:
1. Consider increasing your enzyme dosage; maybe even adding Neprinol into your plan.
2. You really should reduce the Factor 400/400 vitamin E for now
3. Consider increasing the vitamin C intake
4. Adding moist heat applications prior to your PMD DMSO treatment is always a good idea
5. Consider getting the PDI Manual Stretching video – it is an inexpensive way to add a very different level of treatment to your plan
6. Consider using the Genesen Acutouch pens – they are effective and often increase treatment results within a short time for many men
You do not want to follow all of these changes or additions at once; doing one at a time while monitoring your PD scar for positive changes is how it is done.
Putting these two different times I followed your system of treatment I worked for a total of about 4½ months and do not have anything to show for it. How do you know you have nothing to show for it? You could have a nice reduction of the size, shape, density or surface quality of your scars but you would never know it because you have not taken the time to learn how to document these important measurements.
Your system makes sense and I like the logic of it, but I do not know how to make it work for me. It is really not that complicated or difficult to make the system work once you get a few things explained to you. What changes should I make to my treatment plan to create more definite changes in my problem? All you have to do is to make some change – any change – to your PD treatment plan and check back in 7-10 days to see if there is any change in the size, shape, density or surface quality of your scars. If you see a change, then keep doing what you are doing. If you see no change, then change something else. It is as simple – and complicated – as that.
Since neither you nor I am smart enough to know ahead of time what your body needs to recover from PD, it is your job to try different things to learn first-hand how your scar will respond to whatever changes you decide to make.
Following the same ineffective plan for four and a half months is insane. If you are walking north and you really want to be going south, you must stop what you are doing and turn yourself around. Successful PD treatment is not a matter of popping a handful of pills into your mouth, hoping that something will happen. You must learn what it takes to make your PD scar respond favorably and continue to do that. You must be in control of your plan and understand your Peyronie’s plaque or scar behavior better than your MD – and that should be pretty easy. I can help you if you let me. TRH
Thanks for your time and help.
BXXXXXXX
I hope reviewing this email exchange was helpful.
It really is not a complicated process to figure these things out. I believe the problem is that most people are accustomed to going to the doctor and following orders; they are not accustomed to being in charge of their treatment. After men realize that their MD has no viable PD treatment to offer them, then they finally take on the challenge of taking control of their destiny and they start to see results.
Cause of Peyronie’s Disease
Trauma frequently seen as Peyronie’s cause
While the cause of Peyronie’s disease remains open to speculation, some theories are more popular than others. However it starts, it is important to remember that Peyronie’s disease is a disorder of the tunica albuginea.
Among the several explanations for a possible Peyronie’s disease cause, trauma or direct injury to the penile shaft is almost always mentioned as either a primary cause or at least a significant secondary cause. More specifically, the cause of Peyronie’s disease is universally explained as a wound that does not heal in the normal way, whether related to injury usually associated with sexual activity or a medical procedure. Even when other causes are mentioned it seems that injury will usually be associated in some way.
Role of wound healing in Peyronies disease cause
The penis contains two sponge-like, tube-shaped chambers (corpus cavernosae) with many tiny blood vessels that fill with blood during an erection. Below the two corpora cavernosae is the corpora spongiosum through which runs the urethra or passage way to release urine from the bladder. Each of the corpora cavernosa are enclosed in a thin and flexible sheath of elastic tissue called the tunica albuginea, which stretches slightly during an erection. Injury to the penis can cause inflammation and damage to the tunica albuginea.
If an injury heals as it should then usually there are no long-term problems. But if the healing of the injured tunica does not proceed as it should, it can lead to excess internal scar formation, known as Peyronie’s disease. The area of the injured tunica albuginea is not as flexible as before injury. With the area less flexible, when the penis attempts to become erect the region with the scar tissue doesn’t stretch, and the penis curves, bends, develops a dent or becomes distorted in some other way (bottle neck or hourglass deformity).
The tunica albuginea has many layers, with very little blood circulation between them. When an injury to the tunica albuginea occurs, the tissue fluids associated with the inflammatory process can remained trapped between these layers for many months. During this time the cells found in the inflammatory fluid can release chemicals that lead to increased formation of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that causes reduced elasticity of that area, internal scar tissue and possibly calcification. The combined effect of these tissue changes is the characteristic penile deformity associated with Peyronie’s disease.
Inherited abnormality as cause of Peyronie’s disease
There is some evidence of a genetic cause or predisposition to PD related to an inherited abnormality of human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27). Peyronie’s disease is statistically more likely to occur in men whose immediate family members also have PD, or systemic lupus erythematosus (a connective tissue disorder). PDI research shows that 37 percent of men with Peyronie’s disease also experience Dupuytren’s contracture, in which hard contracted develops on the palms of one or both hands.
Other conditions as cause of Peyronie’s disease
- Vitamin E deficiency has been associated with the Peyronie’s disease, primarily because early Peyronie’s disease research showed treatment with vitamin E demonstrated success in a significant number of cases. Since that time less interest has been shown in using vitamin E as a Peyronie’s treatment.
- Inderal and the PDE5 inhibitor class of drugs (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) used to chemically stimulate development of an erection have been known to cause Peyronie’s disease.
- Diabetes when severe or prolonged will precipitate damage to the blood vessels in any area of the body, including the penile shaft. PDI research shows that 21 percent of men with PD also have diabetes.
Regardless of the cause of Peyronie’s disease, it is important to start treatment as soon as possible to increase your ability to heal and repair the underlying injury to the tunica albuginea. Refer to the Peyronie’s Disease Institute website to learn how to start Peyronie’s disease treatment using Alternative Medicine.
Peyronie’s Treatment at the New Year
As this New Year begins it is a good time to stir your commitment to success in your Peyronie’s treatment.
When you consider that your odds for success against Peyronie’s disease are not very good if you do nothing, it is important that you do something to help yourself. We specialize in doing all that you can to help you to heal this problem of PD.
Good luck to you. Let me know what I can do to help you along on your path to successful Peyronie’s disease treatment.
“The secret of success is constancy to purpose.” — Benjamin Disraeli
“Genius is divine perseverance. Genius I cannot claim nor even extra brightness but perseverance all can have.” — Woodrow Wilson
Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.” — B.C. Forbes
“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” — Vince Lombardi
Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” — Mario Andretti
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” — Tommy Lasorda
He conquers who endures. — Persius
“Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life.” — Abraham Lincoln
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of determination.” — Vince Lombardi
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing.” — Abraham Lincoln
Peyronie’s Disease and Having a Merry Christmas
Peyronies is no reason to not enjoy the holiday
Well, we are not far from the big day that is so heavily pushed upon us by commercial interests. Yet, as we struggle with the burdens life has given to us, it would be good to take comfort in what we learned in our innocent youth about this season of the birth of the Christ Child. It might be helpful to the spirit and body to allow your nostalgia to take you back to that time of wonder when anything was possible. When on a special day at the end of December everything somehow was supposed to be better. We believed it then, yet over time lost a lot of that expectation to the reality of life.
Do yourself the favor of taking a few minutes to imagine what you would think and how you would feel right now if you had that same youthful enthusiasm for life and for your future. The child hidden inside you will make you feel good.
You are now attempting to change what has happened to your body, and you are working hard to assist your recovery. You do not have to feel discouraged or unhappy. How you feel inside is your choice. Realize you have chosen to feel however your attitude is directed. If you want to feel like a kid again , it is up to you. No one can take that from you, and no one can give it to you, but you.
Please stay focused to your PD treatment and let me know if you have any questions or need help in any way.
Merry Christmas to you and to those you love. Be grateful for all that you have.
TRH
Penis Stretcher: Big problem as Peyronie’s Treatment
Question safety and effectiveness of mechanical penis stretcher
I closely monitor all aspects of Peyronie’s disease treatment. On July 27, 2010, I received the following news release from the Food and Drug Administration. This information is of vital importance to any man who has Peyronie’s disease and has considered using a mechanical penis stretcher for this curved penis problem.
Please carefully read the last sentence of the last paragraph of the FDA release since I will discuss that sentence in particular:
News & Events
FDA NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: July 27, 2010
Media Inquiries: Erica Jefferson, 301-796-4988
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
Federal Agents Seize FastSize Extenders and FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitors
Unapproved devices are adulterated and misbranded; safety and efficacy not established
At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today seized $346,954.43 worth of FastSize Extender devices and FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitor devices, as well as component parts used in the manufacture of the FastSize Extender. The FastSize Extender and the FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitor are manufactured and distributed by FastSize, LLC of Aliso Viejo, Calif.
The FastSize Extender and the FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitor are misbranded and adulterated because they, among other things, are unapproved and were manufactured under conditions that did not meet current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) requirements. The seizure warrant was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitor device was promoted to measure penile axial rigidity (intercavernosal pressure) and to aid in the diagnosis of health related issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The FastSize Extender device was promoted to gain length, girth, and overall penile health improvement and to correct penile deformity caused by Peyronie’s disease. Because the devices are intended to diagnosis, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent diseases, they are subject to the regulatory authority of the FDA. The devices do not have approved applications for premarket approval for these uses.
During a recent inspection of the FastSize LLC manufacturing facility, inspectors noted significant deviations from cGMP regulations. Additionally, the devices are not properly listed with the FDA as required by law, and the firm failed or refused to furnish materials or information regarding the devices to federal inspectors as required under the Medical Device Reporting regulation.
Three important issues come to mind about this penis stretcher:
1. Seizure of more than a third of a million dollars worth of property is a serious action for the FDA to take. It indicates they acted in accordance with strong evidence against the FastSize Extender manufacturer to immediately stop any further sales of this product. This is not just a slap on the wrist over a difference of opinion or a minor offense; this suggests the FDA encountered a major problem with the FastSize Extender. Perhaps they had reason to think they would not be cooperative or forthright if they were otherwise simply asked to stop selling this device to the public.
2. Although the news release does not go into detail about the deviations from current Good Manufacturing Practices problems encountered by the FDA inspectors, it could possibly do with sanitation or material and assembly quality issues. None of this should make anyone feel good who has used this product in the past.
3. The first sentence of the second paragraph, in which the FDA says. “…The FastSize Extender…are misbranded and adulterated because they, among other things, are unapproved and were manufactured under conditions that did not meet current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) requirements…” caught my interest. I wanted to know more about what these “other things” might be. For this reason I called the FDA spokesperson who wrote this FDA news release, Erica Jefferson, to learn what she did not report concerning these “other things” that were a problem with the FastSize Extender. I specifically asked her in a telephone conversation about details concerning the safety of this product and what is called efficacy (the ability to produce the desired result) meaning, the ability of the FastSize Extender to reduce the penile curvature of Peyronie’s disease. In an email on 7-28-10 Ms Jefferson replied to me:
Dear Dr. Herazy,
Thanks for your call. So, I checked in with our compliance folks and as the release points out, the FastSize Extender has no approved application for premarket approval in effect (pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 360e(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act), thus, there is no assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended uses.
Regards,
Erica
Erica V. Jefferson
Press Officer
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
office: 301-796-4988
cell: 240-753-3047
fax: 301-847-3536
email: Erica.Jefferson@fda.hhs.gov
So, apparently these “other things” are the fact that in spite of the extensive advertising about how great the FastSize Extender is to treat PD, the manufacturer has no proof that it is safe or effective. No additional details were available about the safety issues.
If the manufacturer actually had any data or information to prove the FastSize Extender was safe or that it had efficacy (effectiveness) to treat Peyronie’s disease, you can rest assured they would have completed the necessary applications for premarket approval from the FDA. It is reasonable to assume that they did not complete the required forms because they could not prove the safety or the ability to help treat Peyronie’s disease.
Mechanical penis stretcher not a Peyronie’s treatment
For years now this blog has addressed the problems of these mechanical penis stretching devices. To read a past blog about this subject, go to Peyronie’s disease and the penis stretcher. Many men have told me their PD started after they injured themselves with a mechanical penis stretching device; therefore, it does not make sense to me that this same device could actually help PD.
Please keep this FDA news release in mind the next time yo0u see one of those slick ads promoting a mechanical penis stretcher. It looks like the government is starting to crack down on these folks.
Let me know what you think about this FDA announcement, and let me know your experiences with a mechanical penis stretcher.
Protection for Peyronie’s Disease during Intercourse
Girth enhancement rings stabilize Peyronies
Since 2002 Peyronie’s Disease Institute has made several different products available to our customers that offer important penile protection while still allowing sexual intercourse to take place. One of these is the girth enhancement ring or sleeve, please see Girth Enhancement Ring.
Using this uncomplicated device provides a level of support that greatly reduces the possibility of re-injury of the penis during intercourse. For many men this simple and inexpensive device is essential in a couple’s ability to engage in sex at all – for many men the added support is needed to make penetration.
The basic girth enhancement sleeve is a thick but flexible tube that is open at both ends, made of very soft and stretchy silicone material. The penis is slipped into the tube and the glans or head of the penis sticks out at the other end for full sexual contact. With this added support the shaft is less likely to be re-injured by sudden bending or collapse.
Even if the cause of Peyronie’s disease in your case was not trauma, it is critical that you do all you can to not injure your penis during sex if you have PD. The following deformities present a real or potential weakness of the shaft of the penis that can easily get re-injured during sexual activity, and therefore will benefit from the use of girth enhancement sleeve:
1. Twist
2. Curve
3. Bend
4. Dent, dink, nick, depression, impression or filling error
5. Bottleneck deformity
6. Hourglass deformity
Any of these Peyronies deformities is weakest at the area of the greatest distortion, or thinnest part of the shaft, that can suddenly bend, fold or collapse during insertion or while thrusting. This is the area over which the girth enhancement sleeve should be worn.
Dealing with a penis that is weak in one small area is like having an ankle that is weak because of an earlier injury, making it susceptible to re-injury. Also, just like a sprained ankle, each penile re-injury occurs more easily and gets progressively worse. The best approach to take is to not allow additional injury to take place so the tissue remains as healthy and strong as possible. For the ankle the treatment is to wear a support and to slow down so that you do not hurt yourself again. The same with Peyronie’s disease.
A valuable second benefit to the girth ring support is the additional thickness or girth it adds to the penis that can make up for the lost dimension that many men experience.
I urge any man whose penis is distorted by Peyronie’s disease – known as a Peyronie’s penis – to investigate the girth enhancement sleeve to provide protection during sexual activity to avoid re-injury and worsening of his problem.
Peyronie’s Treatment and a Crying Baby
Peyronie’s disease treatment requires a variable approach
Peyronie’s treatment is a lot like caring for a crying infant.
If you have never had to care for an infant it is necessary to understand that, regardless of what the adult might think about solving the problem of a crying baby, it is the baby who will ultimately determine how a situation is handled and a problem is solved.
The adult might have a certain idea in mind to stop a baby from crying, but to be successful the solution must be in agreement with what is wrong with the baby. It is the baby who will eventually dictate how the problem should be addressed because the baby has needs that must be met, regardless of any adult preconceptions
- If it is a wet diaper that makes a baby cry, what good is it for the adult to feed the baby?
- If the baby is frightened, what good is it for the adult to change the baby’s diaper?
- If the baby wants to eat a lot, what good is it for the adult to feed the baby only a little?
The wise adult will listen to the baby and watch for clues, and act accordingly.
Peyronie’s disease treatment
What was said of the baby is also true of your treatment of the Peyronie’s disease plaque.
- If you think a high price mechanical penis stretcher will somehow solve your curved penis like straightening out a bent paperclip, I can assure you that your penis is not a paperclip and will not respond like one.
- If you are convinced that taking vitamin E for a few weeks should help your Peyronie’s problem, but you are actually deficient in MSM, acetyl-L-carnitine, PABA and systemic enzymes, then you will be disappointed.
To be effective, your Peyronie’s treatment must be directed toward what your body needs to heal and repair the Peyronie’s plaque. In other words, to be successful your Peyronie’s disease treatment philosophy must be correct and directed toward what is actually wrong in your body.
Monitor Peyronie’s plaque to guide treatment
If you know the exact size, shape, density and surface characteristics of each of your PD scars, you will know when your treatment is being effective because one or more of these findings will change as you alter your treatment plan. Without this exact information about your scar you are only guessing if your treatment plan will work.
For more information about this vital process for successful Peyronie’s disease treatment, go to “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.”
Causes of Peyronie’s Disease
Many possible Peyronie’s causes, few proven ideas
While the cause of Peyronie’s disease is not well understood, it is generally thought to be the result of an excessive response to wound healing, or exaggerated internal scar formation at the site of injury. The traumatic cause of Peyronie’s disease is said to be repeated minor trauma to the penis that occurs during sexual activity; from my experience it is often from significant or major injury during sexual activity in which the penis is suddenly bent during sexual intercourse or during aggressive foreplay of various types. This type of injury can also occur during a work related or sports accident.
Factors that influence causes of Peyronie’s Disease
- Inherited weakness – a genetic predisposition is thought to exist because Peyronie’s disease is seen to be more common in men with family members who also have PD, or Dupuytren’s contracture, or Ledderhose disease, or systemic lupus erythematosus, (SLE, a connective tissue disorder). This is supported by a commonly found inherited abnormality of the human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27).
- Injury – Peyronie’s disease can sometimes start after trauma to the penis in which localized bleeding occurs. Sufficient injury may happen during an accident related to sexual intercourse, a medical procedure such as catheterization in which a tube or catheter is passed through the urethra of the penis, or unusual events like falling forward on the ice or even prolonged bicycle riding.
- Vitamin E deficiency – some evidence this makes Peyronie’s disease easier to occur after injury.
- Drug side-effects – Peyronie’s disease is a rare side effect of blood pressure medications that belong to a group called beta blockers (Inderal).
- Diabetes – Prolonged diabetes can predispose to damage to the internal lining of blood vessels, including the penis, making either trauma, vitamin E deficiency or genetic factors easier to trigger an occurrence of Peyronie’s disease.
- Infection – When inflammation occurs secondary to an infection it sometimes can spread to the blood vessel walls (vasculitis) causing a reduced blood flow because the response is very similar to a direct trauma to the penis.
Peyronie’s disease and wound healing
Two things you need to know about Peyronie’s penis anatomy is that the penis is made of three long tube-shaped cylinders of tissue – two larger ones called the corpus cavernosae, and one smaller one called the corpus spongiosum; both are filled with a blood-filled type of tissue that resembles a sponge. And the other is that these three tissue structures are wrapped by a layer of tough but delicate tissue called the tunica albuginea. During sexual arousal or when erection occurs nerve impulses from the higher centers are sent down to chambers signal that they should fill with blood, resulting in the penis being able to expand, straighten and stiffen, causing trouble with sexual activity.
The two corpus cavernosae are surrounded by a sheath of thin elastic tissue called the tunica albuginea, which very slightly stretches during an erection. During penile injury the tunica can become damaged, causing inflammation.
When Peyronie’s disease develops – especially easily in men who are genetically predisposed, but in other men as well when the injury is more significant – normal wound-healing process does not occur because the internal scar tissue becomes excessive. When this happens the area of the tunica albuginea with the internal scar is no longer flexible and expandable, and the ability to develop an erection in Peyronie’s disease is reduced totally or partially. When erect, the Peyronie’s penis is distorted and often painful.
For more information, cause of Peyronie’s disease.
Improving Peyronie’s Disease Treatment Results
One small skill makes Peyronie’s treatment more effective
Several weeks ago I received a good question in an email from someone who had just started a Medium Plan for Peyronies treatment. Even though he just started his Peyronie’s disease treatment plan he wanted to know if there was more he could do to maximize his recovery. I thought to myself, “This is a man after my own heart.”
I replied that although it seems like an indirect way to reduce the Peyronie’s plaque, there is something that is most important in any recovery plan that is often missing. This is the knowledge of where you are at the beginning of care, as well as the knowledge of how you are progressing during the course of your care.
To improve your Peyronie’s treatment results considerably, it is critically important to simply have the knowledge of where you are at the beginning of care and every point thereafter.
This information is vital to your recovery because without knowing where you are and how you are advancing, how will you know for sure you are doing the right thing or not? Thus, knowledge is an important element of any therapy plan. You must know what is going on – or not going on – with your Peyronie’s plaque in order to treat yourself most efficiently and effectively. If you are only evaluating your curved penis you are making a mistake.
Because it is so essential to be able to recognize progress when it occurs, and to not fool yourself into thinking there is progress when it is not occurring, I made this a major topic of my book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.” In this book there is a large chapter devoted to measuring and familiarizing yourself with the minute details about your scar(s). If you think only in general and vague terms about your scar, you will never know for sure if you are making progress. You can be discouraged if you think you are not making progress when your scar is actually making great improvement – only you do now know enough about your scar to recognize that improvement. That is a sad and sorry situation. What a terrible tragedy to be so discouraged that you quit care, if you are actually making progress and don’t know it.
Unless you are fully aware of all the details about your scar, you are only guessing when you examine yourself after several weeks of therapy. You will have to rely upon your memory and vague recollection of your scar. This is not a smart way to approach a problem of such great importance. Do not do this to yourself.
Better that you take the time to learn how to approach your scar and the treatment of your scar like it was very important to you. You should set out to become the world’s leading authority on your scar. This makes a lot of sense. You know from your own experience that your medical doctor is not paying too much attention to your problem, so perhaps you should be the one to take the time to be interested in what is going on with you.
If you are not sure about the exact details of your scar location, size, shape, density and surface features, shame on you! You are failing yourself, and you are creating an opportunity for failure when none should exist.
Go to the PDI website and order the book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.”
Pentoxifylline and Peyronie’s Disease
Pentox not researched Peyronie’s disease treatment
Pentoxifylline (often called simply, Pentox) is a drug that is sometimes used in medical Peyronie’s disease treatment. The exact mechanism by which Pentox affects the Peyronie’s plaque is not at all understood. But then, its use for PD is called off-label – meaning experimentally and without scientific basis since the drug was not intended or designed to be used in this way. This is similar to the way that Viagra, Cialis and Levitra are prescribed for PD, even though this is also an irregular use of these drugs; Verapamil is used in a similar off-label manner.
Pentoxifylline is not a vasodilator; it affects the body by changing the shape of red blood cells while in the blood vessels by a mechanism that is not completely understood. This change allows for improved flow into the smaller arteries and even capillaries of the body. For this reason it is commonly used for treatment of circulation problems in the arms and legs. While being taken, the effects are experienced as though Pentox is a vasodilator but it is not.
Pentoxifylline is one of those drugs that have multiple off-line uses as determined by any adventurous doctor who is willing to experiment with his/her patients. This is good and bad at the same time. Apparently pentoxifylline does so many things in the body that it can and is applied to many conditions – this is good, I suppose. But because it does so many things in so many areas and systems of the body that Pentox is more likely to cause widespread and surprising side effects and new problems that new health problems can develop in those who experiment with it – this is bad. It has been used in humans for a wide variety of inflammatory and fibrotic conditions; hence, it has been also used for Peyronie’s disease at times. When it does seem to help PD, the mechanism is not understood, but could be related to blocking of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-1-mediated pathway of inflammation, thus prevents deposition of collagen type 1.
It comes as a tablet that is specially coated to prevent stomach lining irritation. For this reason do not break, crush, or chew the tablets; swallow dosage whole. Do not stop taking pentoxifylline suddenly. It may take 8-12 weeks for any beneficial effects of pentoxifylline to be noted.
This drug is so new that there have been very few – maybe only one – studies of pentoxifylline for any use. It has yet to be determined how much and how reliably pentoxifylline reduces plaque formation in later term or well developed Peyronie’s disease.
Before taking this medication, let your doctor know if you have an ulcer of the stomach or duodenum, liver disease, any type of bleeding disorder or any type of surgery.
Lastly, because pentoxifylline increases the movement of blood into and out of all areas of the body, it increases how the body responds to some drug functions and reactions. For this reason, if you are taking another medication along with Pentox you might notice that the other drug will begin to affect you stronger or differently than before. Thus it might be necessary to adjust the dosage of these other drugs while you are taking pentoxifylline.
I have run across many men who were put on this drug and had no improvement of their PD, and experienced multiple side effects strong and bizarre enough that they had to stop usage – and this made their problem even worse. These Pentox side effects include loss of appetite, nausea, constipation, headache, dizziness, anxiety or blurred vision may occur at first as your body adjusts to the medication. More significant are the other side effects of chest pain, mental confusion, gastric irritation, difficulty breathing, or severe rashes that should prompt immediate attention of the prescribing doctor. Also, pentoxifylline can be difficult to reduce once you are on it since rapid reduction can worsen any of the above side effects.
For information about the natural Alternative Medicine treatment of Peyronie’s disease please visit the Peyronies Disease Institute website.
Why is My Penis Curved?
Might not need to straighten your penis
To answer this common question it is first necessary to know if this penile curvature is something you have had all your life, or if it is something that just appeared after being fairly straight all of your life; if it is an old or a new feature of your anatomy. Usually there is little reason to straighten your penis if that is the way you were born. If a small curvature has not caused any problem in the past, it is not likely to be Peyronie’s disease and you should not treat it.
If you have had a curved penis all your life, then it is most likely due to a normal and natural variation of tissue in that part of your body. The human body is often made with slight imperfections and variations, and this might be one of yours. Just as someone might be born with one ear that is shaped differently than the other, or one leg slightly longer than the other, you might have a penis that is curved just because it is not made perfectly.
Inside the penis are three chambers of special tissue that have the ability to expand and become rigid when filled with blood. If any of these three chambers is larger or smaller than the other two, or has some anatomical variation that prevents it from completely filling with blood, the penis will be distorted in some manner when erect.
This is rather common among men and is not in any way related to Peyronie’s disease and does not warrant treatment or concern. So long as sexual function is not limited in any way the curvature is considered a normal variation that makes you a unique person.
On the other hand, if you have had a fairly straight penis all your life, and at some time later you noticed an unusual bend, curve, twist, or dent-like physical deviation during erection that was not there previously, then that recent change in your anatomy suggests the possibility of Peyronie’s disease. This is especially true if the unusual bend, curve, twist, or dent-like physical deviation is accompanied by Peyronie’s pain and reduced hardness of your erection. Confirming the problem of Peyronie’s disease even more would be your recollection of a recent accident or injury, or use of a drug that is known to have Peyronies as a side effect.
Straighten your penis sometimes unnecessary
Even though the distortion of your previously perfect penis can be very disturbing to a man, it is not the real problem of Peyronie’s disease. While the curved penis gets your attention, it is the internal Peyronie’s plaque located in the tunica albuginea layer of the penis that is the real issue. The way to straighten your penis is by eliminating the internal Peyronie’s plaque that is the cause of the curvature. Having surgery to straighten your penis carries a high risk of failure and tragedy, and only creates the opportunity for more internal Peyronie’s scar tissue to develop as a result of the penis tissue being cut during surgery. This is the reason so many men find that after having Peyronie’s surgery their curvature becomes worse; it is because of additional internal scar tissue that results from the surgical incisions.
This is why Peyronie’s Disease Institute advocates that Alternative Medicine first be used to eliminate the internal Peyronies plaque before penis surgery to treat Peyronie’s plaque is attempted. For additional information about this process, please review safe and effective Peyronie’s treatment options.
Straighten Your Penis
How to straighten your penis naturally and gently
A common question about Peyronie’s disease treatment concerns restoring a curved penis to its prior degree of natural straightness. The question usually is along the lines of, “If someone has Peyronie’s disease for over 10 years like me, do you think the problem has gone on too long to straighten your penis?”
The answer to that question is a simple. “No, probably not, and treatment is always worth a try. Even if you have had a curved penis for 10 years due to Peyronie’s disease, it is still worth the effort to try to straighten your penis.”
Notice, I did not reply that reduction of penile curvature was guaranteed or easy, or that it would necessarily be a total correction – I have replied that it is possible because this kind of thing can and does occur using the concepts presented on the PDI website. No one can accurately predict if and how much progress a man can make with his Peyronie’s problem after any length of time, let alone 10 years. But, I have worked with men whose PD is older than 10 years, and many were able to see change and improvement. You will only know if it is possible to straighten your penis if you attempt to do so.
In my experience most men simply stop looking for Peyronie’s disease help after a year or two. This seems to be about the time when they accept the defeat that the medical doctors feed to them. After a while they read and hear so much negativity about recovering from their Peyronie’s penis that they eventually stop looking for fresh ideas and help. They accept that there is no help and they do nothing. For this reason I tend to communicate with men whose Peyronie’s disease is relatively recent, and they are still searching for answers; for this reason most of my experience is working with men whose PD is in the 3-24 month range.
Using Alternative Medicine to straighten your penis
Although the explanation is long and detailed, the basic idea for using Alternative Medicine to reduce the excess fibrous tissue of Peyronie’s disease that causes a curved penis can be simply stated:
1. Determine the exact size, shape, density and surface qualities of your PD scar(s)
2. Improve your diet to take in more nutrients that will assist healing
a. Make needed dietary changes outlined in “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook”
b. Aggressively and faithfully follow a broad based and diverse Alternative Medicine therapy plan of both internal and external therapies, as outlined on the PDI website
3. Use the Manual Penis Stretching Technique© developed through research of the Peyronie’s Disease Institute. Do not be fooled by the clever ads that promote a mechanical penis stretcher that attempts to force the correction you are looking for; they can be dangerous and can actually make your PD worse. I have spoken to hundreds of men who learned the hard way that there is no easy way to reduce penile curvature.
If you do these things, in my opinion, you will stand your best chance to straighten your penis from the effects of Peyronie’s disease. If you do nothing, if you sit around and wait for someone to develop a miracle drug that will magically solve all your problems for you, you will be waiting a long time and your life will slip away from you. If you use a mechanical penis stretcher you run the risk of injury to your already injured penis. This is why the best time to learn if you respond to your effort to straighten your penis is now; the sooner the better.
Peyronie’s Disease and Cancer Surgery
How Peyronie’s disease can start after cancer treatment
This blog entry will be different from the usual discussion of Peyronie’s disease. In this blog posting I will offer my comments about an email I discovered on another website that covers the subject of prostate cancer and Peyronie’s disease; it is predominantly a medically leaning website in which the moderator and visitors discuss their personal experiences with prostate cancer treatment.
Because there is a statistical relationship between men who undergo radical prostate surgery and Peyronie’s disease, I am interested in discussing this topic from a different perspective. There is a bit to say about these cases of secondary PD that occur after cancer surgery, often ignored in comparison to the more pressing problem of prostate cancer.
The man who wrote the following email wanted to tell others his experience while visiting an ED specialist after his radical prostate surgery. After this kind of surgery it is common for erectile dysfunction (ED) to develop due to the large amount of nerve damage that occurs. The writer mentions he developed Peyronie’s disease after his prostate operation, and makes several comments about PD that are typical of those I receive daily. This is why I bring this email and my comments to the Peyronie’s Disease Institute blog. Many people believe what this man expresses because of what they are told and read from other sources. I present my thinking to you to challenge your thoughts and beliefs. If you disagree, I would like to hear from you.
The email I am using was posted on this other website without comment because no one thought there was anything wrong or unusual about this man’s Peyronie’s disease treatment comments. It is important for my audience of PD men to read this email because of the popular ideas and attitudes that the writer reveals.
The email from the man (RR) who had the radical prostate surgery is written in black, and my comments inserted within his email are in red.
From RR:
A recent posting stimulated me to go to my ED specialist, a trip which I have been putting off. My history: RP This means “radical prostatectomy,” or surgical prostate gland removal along with surrounding tissues – usually related to cancer. 9/20/99 at age 65, one nerve spared, PSA still undetectable, and some detectable Peyronie’s, or at least a bending of the penis at about a 20% angle to the left (looking down on it) about one inch from the base.
I started early pursuing ED options and had tried Viagra, a VED and injections by seven weeks post RP. For those who have read the PDI website and blog you will immediately notice that this man within seven weeks after his cancer surgery did three things that are associated with causing Peyronie’s disease: 1. He used Viagra – this can excessively stretch and injure the tunica albuginea; the same is true of Cialis and Levitra. 2. He used a VED – this is the vacuum pump device that can overstretch and injure the internal tissue of the shaft. 3. He received injections into the shaft of the penis, probably to create an artificial and temporary enlargement, apparently because his doctor thought this is beneficial to his recovery. I never really had success with the VED, partly because I got enough initial take from the Viagra for a stuffable erection, This is an interesting point he makes here. After using Viagra he says it is necessary to “stuff” his penis into the vaginal opening for intercourse to take place. Forcing or stuffing a weak enlargement into the vaginal opening is a common way to start Peyronie’s disease or worsen your problem if you already have it. If a man is so soft that insertion is difficult, he runs the risk of abruptly bending his weak erection during insertion or possibly causing the shaft to bend, buckle or collapse during the thrusting of intercourse. This can easily injure the delicate tunica albuginea enough to start or worsen Peyronies. You never want to engage in sexual relations with less than a fully hard erection because a soft erection is an unstable situation that often leads to injury and PD. His doctor should have warned this man about his need to “stuff” his penis, but apparently did not. This fellow is writing as though this is just the way things are supposed to be when you use Viagra; you just have to push and “stuff” yourself in, like it is no big deal. This is a foolish and dangerous thing for a man who already Peyronie’s disease, but no one has warned him about this danger. but primarily because I had early success with injections. Notice he uses the plural form, “injections.” You will see in his next sentence he is referring to injections of the drugs Trimix and Papaverine Chloride into the shaft to create a temporary artificial enlargement. I have repeatedly warned about any kind of injection into the penile shaft that is known to start or worsen Peyronie’s disease because the needle damages the tunica albuginea. I have scores of conversations in which men who tell me their PD started after just one injection. It is certainly possible that this fellow’s PD started because of repeated injury caused by inserting a needle into the tunica albuginea and leaving irritating chemicals there. Trimix gave me too much discomfort for intercourse, so I was soon switched to Papaverine Chloride which is one of the three ingredients in Trimix. A 30 cc dose of this gives me a reliable erection for about an hour, and the pain-free reliability of this made me forsake the other options, even though I still take 100 mg. of Viagra two to three times a week to encourage nocturnal erections.
I now get nocturnal erections both with and without Viagra, and can get rather full erections without Viagra, but it takes a fair amount of stimulation, so that my wife and I have just continued with the Papaverine when we desire intercourse, Papaverine is an injection drug that is used each time this couple desires sexual union. So, rather than take Viagra because it is too much work because it requires “a fair amount of stimulation,” he chooses to inject himself each time with Papaverine. He does not say how often he does this, but this could be many injections monthly. Yet no one has presented the idea to this fellow that his shaft is not a pin cushion that could eventually develop Peyronie’s disease after this kind of repeated injury. This is how people get into trouble being far too casual about the use of drugs and intrusive therapies. rather than risk the undependability or hassle of the other options. Because he wants to avoid the risk of undependability and hassle of other options, he repeatedly stabs a needle into his tunica albuginea and now wonders why he has Peyronie’s disease. This kind of casual and repeated use of drugs in general is a common way for many people to create many problems for themselves – yet no where in this discussion does this fellow’s doctor try to stop this kind of behavior.
The Peyronie’s hadn’t seemed to be getting worse, and didn’t interfere with the enjoyment of sex, so until today I had been putting off the trip to my ED specialist because it involved a long trip. My specialist is Dr. Steven Auerbach who is listed as an ED specialist in the appendix to Eid’s book and who also contributed the chapter on erectile dysfunction in Aubrey Pilgrim’s book.
Auerbach’s reply was that there did not seem to be enough scarring to take any action now. If it gets worse he will give me either Verapamil cream or Verapamil shots if the problem is more localized. He has about 15 men on Verapamil, and although there is not yet any real documented success he is pursuing this treatment. Please read that last sentence again. Both the doctor and this patient are not at all bothered that there are no reports of success using Verapamil – they will use it anyway. Neither the doctor nor the patient do not mind there are real dangers (increased or decreased blood pressure, lung and breathing complications, liver and kidney damage) posed by the use of topical Verapamil, because they think it might help his PD. Further, he does not mention that Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker that has been implicated as the cause of Peyronie’s disease in some men. He also continues to recommend taking Viagra frequently, if for no other reason than to stimulate blood flow. This is a favorite topic of mine – the idea that Viagra should be used “to stimulate blood flow.” First, no one can question the need for good blood flow and adequate circulation for health and healing. But, when should a person really consider taking action to increase blood flow? Answer: when there is actual evidence of reduced or inadequate blood flow to an area. This evidence would be slight coolness or a slight blue colored tint to the skin. We all know that if your skin is cold and blue, you need to increase circulation. If your penis is not cold or blue, but it is as warm as the rest of you and is the usual color, this is strong evidence that your circulation is fine. Second, the idea of increased circulation of blood should bring to mind either a faster blood flow into an area or more blood than is normally found in an area of the body. Let’s say that you are running for a while. You would expect more blood to be flowing into the lungs and legs, at least, and probably all the rest of you. This would be an example of increased blood flow. Do you know what an example of decreased blood flow is? (Remember, before you answer, that this means “a faster blood flow into an area or more blood than is normally found in an area of the body.”) Well, a good example of decreased blood flow in the body is what happens during an erection. What? Think about it. During an erection blood is trapped in the spaces of the corpora cavernosae and corpora spongiosum of the shaft. The primary veins of the shaft close, stopping drainage of blood that goes in and out, thus backing up or trapping blood to increase pressure against the walls of the tunica albuginea. This is what creates the characteristic hardness and enlargement of an erection. The shaft does get longer and thicker because more blood enters the shaft, but for the average man this might be only 2-3 tablespoons more blood than is normally present while flaccid. However, this slightly greater amount of blood is still trapped inside the shaft and does not flow freely like when you exercise. There is a very small amount of exchange or circulation of blood during this time; otherwise it would be dangerous to have an erection for more than a few minutes. But, overall, the actual movement and flow of blood is less at this time, compared to the non-erect state. You can prove this to yourself by close examination of your erection. Your entire organ is darker and more purple colored – when the normally red head or glans becomes tinted blue because of reduced circulation, it appears to be purple by mixing of the two colors. Also, the veins of the shaft become obvious (like varicose veins) in the same way they will if you wrap one hand around the other wrist and squeeze to stop the blood flow. So, if all this is true – and it is – then how does taking Viagra increase blood flow? Answer: it does not increase circulation in the penis. An erection can only happen if blood is trapped like air becomes trapped inside a balloon to make it more rigid. Go tell that to your MD the next time he wants to write a prescription for you to “increase circulation” down there. He/She is not thinking, but only repeating some nonsense he/she read somewhere.
His web site (http://www.hisandherhealth.com/) is not all that encouraging about the use of Verapamil, but he now seems encouraged. I do not understand this comment at all.
I questioned him on the use of the VED for exercise, The VED (vacuum erection device) is not exercise. It does not increase blood circulation; again, it merely traps more blood in the shaft by creating a negative force. This is why the penis turns very dark and purplish while it is in the VED, and the penis comes out cold – because blood is trapped there, not moving. This is also why in order to stay enlarged after removing himself from the VED, it is necessary to put a tight rubber ring around the base to keep the blood trapped inside. but he did not recommend it, but also did not recommend against it. He recommended taking Vitamin E and counseled against taking Vitamin C, especially in the mega dosages that some take. MDs do not study nutrition in medical school, did you know that? The vast majority of MDs think you do not need to take additional nutrients beyond what you get in your diet. I could go on and on about what MDs as a group do not know about nutrition, but this blog post is too long already. I have never heard of anyone who has taken vitamin E by itself – in the way that MDs recommend – and gotten any help with their Peyronie’s disease.
He also thought that my Peyronie’s, or whatever we want to call it, may be entirely independent of the injections I am taking. It is common for a doctor to not admit to the possibility that a patient’s Peyronie’s disease was caused by the Papaverine injections he prescribed. That could result in a law suit. He believes most of the Peyronie, scarring or fibrosis comes from lack of use. In all my years of researching PD, I have never heard of this before; that PD is caused by lack of use. There is no way to support this idea that PD results from lack of sexual use – it just not make sense at all. He is strongly against sitting idly by for any period of time after an RP, believing that exercise and blood flow is very important for recovery. Of course good blood flow is important for recovery. But taking a bucket of Viagra is not going to make that happen. However, applying heat packs (rosy red skin and a larger shaft afterward) would be a good way to increase circulation. Wearing boxer shorts rather than tighty-whitey briefs would be a good way to help circulation. Also, a massage of that area to actually increase blood flow to the lower pelvis would be great. However, this man’s doctor apparently did not mention any of that. Your average MD would rather quickly write a drug prescription than take two minutes to talk about hot packs, underwear and massage. My bending is on the left side of the penis, which means that the scarring would be on that side, so being right handed I probably would be giving myself more injections on the other side. He probably gave himself more injections on the left side of the shaft. Go here to see Peyronie’s pictures.
Just thought I would throw this information into the hopper of information to which we all have access. I believe what this post actually did was to create more confusion and bad information about what to do after RP surgery and what not to do if you have Peyronie’s disease. This is simply more drug promotion and little new thought about true health care.
RR
The email just discussed appears at http://www.phoenix5.org/sexaids/basics/penile/PeyPersRR.html
Please forward your thoughts and comments about my opinions. I would be happy to hear from you, especially if you are interested in Peyronie’s disease natural treatment.
Curved Penis Facts and Humor
Since Peyronie’s disease is all about the effect of the Peyronie’s plaque that causes the classical curved penis, here is useful – and sometimes just fun – information about an important part of the male anatomy.
1. Pronged cigarette smoking can shorten the penis up to a centimeter, or slightly less than a half inch. Since erections are affected by normal blood circulation, and smoking leads to calcification of blood vessels, it is easy to see that erectile quality is not helped by smoking cigarettes. If you are not concerned about how smoking is bad for your lungs and blood vessels, now you know it is also not good for your manhood. .
2. With knowledge and techniques developed through stem cell research, it is now possible to use the foreskins of circumcised infants to grow skin for burn victims. A single foreskin can be used to create 23,000 square meters of new tissue. This is an area large enough to cover every Major League infield in the U.S.
3. An enlarged prostate gland can lead to premature ejaculation, as well as erectile dysfunction (ED). If you have a problem with either ED or premature ejaculation that has not responded to direct therapy, consider having your prostate gland examined.
4. The average male orgasm lasts six seconds, while the average female orgasm lasts 23 seconds.
5. Scientists have identified the oldest male fossil animal yet discovered. It is an ocean-dwelling creature found in 425-million-year-old rocks in the UK. This creature is called is a hard-shelled sea creature called Colymbosathon ecplecticos; that is Greek for “amazing swimmer with large penis.”
6. Even after circumcision the foreskin can be grown back. The movable skin of the penile shaft can be pulled up toward the glans (head) of the penis and kept in place with tape. Using a series of plastic rings, caps, and weights, and after a few years the male can once again say, “Everything is covered.”
7. From a physiological standpoint, there are two types of penises. The first type is called a “grower” because it can easily expand and lengthen when erect to a size much greater than its flaccid dimensions. The other is called a “shower” because it is very large when flaccid, but doesn’t increase in size when erect. It is estimated that 80% of men are growers, while 20% are showers.
8. German researchers say the average time for sexual intercourse is 2 minutes, 50 seconds. Yet, women estimate that the average time for sexual intercourse is 5 minutes, 30 seconds, and men say it is in excess of 10 minutes.
9. The record holder for numbers of sexual partners is King Fatefehi of Tonga, an island in the South Pacific Ocean. It is recorded that he had sexual relations with 37,800 women between the years 1770 and 1784—that’s about seven women a night.
10. Spanish researches have determined that better-looking men may have faster and stronger sperm. When women were shown photos of men who sperm was known to be in good, average, and unhealthy condition – and were told to select the men that they thought were most handsome. The women consistently selected men who were in the good sperm category.
11. The act of ejaculation is not controlled in the brain, but it is a reflex that is started within the spinal cord. It can therefore be said that it does not take any brains for a man to have sex.
12. The most common cause of penile rupture and injury is overly vigorous masturbation causing Peyronie’s disease. For this reason it is wise to slow down, use a lot of lubrication, and enjoy a nice gentle ride.
Beta-Blockers and Peyronie’s Disease
What is a beta-blocker?
Anyone who has looked for a cause of Peyronie’s disease will eventually read about a drug called a beta-blocker. I will not bore you with the technical aspects of the chemistry and physiology of beta-blockers, but only what might be important to you as someone who suffers with PD.
Beta-blockers are prescription drugs used to treat a wide variety of conditions, but most often heart-related disorders like abnormal and irregular heart rhythms, chest pain, and the immediate symptoms of a heart attack, as well as to lower the heart rate and reduce the force of heart contraction. They are available in tablet, liquid and injection forms. Beta-blockers can also be used to treat migraine headaches, social phobias, hypertension, muscle tremors related to anxiety and/or an overactive thyroid gland. Timolol is a particular beta-blocker that is prescribed as an eye drop, used in the glaucoma treatment since this beta-blocker reduces the pressure of fluid inside the eye. Beta blockers have been called “the musicians underground drug” because they can be used for performance anxiety.
Some of the more popular beta-blockers and their brand names are: acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol (Lopressor, Lopressor LA, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), and timolol (Blocadren).
Inderal is perhaps the most commonly prescribed beta-blocker. This beta-blocker affects the heart and circulation particularly well. It is frequently used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), heart rhythm disorders, tremors, angina (chest pain), and other heart or circulatory conditions. It is also used to treat or prevent heart attack, and to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches.
If you have taken a medication for any of these problems you might have taken a beta-blocker and were not warned about it. This might be worth checking out.
If you know you have taken a beta-blocker in the past and now have Peyronie’s disease, this might be a possible explanation for your PD and you might want to discuss this with the doctor who prescribed it for you.
If you are currently taking a beta-blocker you need to know that this category of medication should not be stopped suddenly, since this can bring about an attack of the original condition – sometimes more severe than the original problem – plus a rapid and dangerous rise of the blood pressure. If beta-blocker use should be stopped or reduced, this should only be done under close medical supervision. The best way to continue your Peyronie’s disease treatment is to keep your doctor informed and aware of what you are doing with Alternative Medicine. You should try to get him or her to be a part of your natural Peyronie’s disease treatment.
Peyronie’s disease connection to beta-blockers
All beta-blocker drugs list Peyronie’s disease as a possible side effect. This association has been borne out in communication with men in my work with the Peyronie’s Disease Institute.
Channel Blockers and Peyronie’s Disease
Peyronie’s disease and Verapamil
Calcium channel blockers, or calcium antagonists, are a class of medications as well as natural substances (D-glucaric acid) that disrupt calcium ion conduction along what are known as the calcium channels of the body.
While some doctors use calcium channel blockers to treat Peyronie’s disease, there are researchers who have evidence that these very same calcium channel blockers can actually cause Peyronie’s disease. This shows how strange and up-side-down is the world of Peyronie’s disease treatment.
The most widespread prescription use of calcium channel blockers is to reduce elevated blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension, particularly elderly patients. Calcium channel blockers are notably effective to reduce large blood vessel stiffness, a common cause of elevated systolic blood pressure in geriatric patients. They are also used to control and reduce rapid heart rate, prevent spasms of brain blood vessels and reduce chest pain due to angina pectoris.
Calcium channel blockers, or calcium antagonists, also treat a variety of conditions, such as Peyronie’s disease, high blood pressure, subarachnoid hemorrhage, migraines and Raynaud’s disease.
All tissue of the body requires oxygen, and the heart muscles in particular need oxygen to pump blood. The faster and harder the heart pumps blood, the more oxygen it needs. Heart pain occurs when the amount of oxygen available to the heart muscle walls is inadequate for the work load of the heart. Calcium channel blockers dilate the large arteries that supply blood to the heart muscles, and thereby reduce the pressure within those arteries. This action reduces the stress on the heart muscles and reduces the need for oxygen at the same time, thus reducing angina pain. In similar mechanism, calcium channel blockers reduced elevated blood pressure, and slow the rate at which the heart beats in a condition known as tachycardia.
Peyronie’s treatment with verapamil
One type of calcium channel blocker known as a phenylalkylamine calcium channel blockers, is called Verapamil. It is used in the treatment of Peyronie’s disease because it is thought to be effective in disrupting the calcium ions found within the Peyronie’s plaque, thus slowing or reversing the development of the offending plaque material that is the cause of the notorious Peyronie’s curved penis.
Peyronie’s disease is a complex health condition without a known cause that affects nearly 4-6 percent of the worldwide male population. It is best characterized by the development of internal fibrous plaque material below the surface of the penile shaft that results in curvature of the penis, as well as pain. Peyronie’s disease typically on average at age 54, yet men of all ages (from 16 to 80) can and do develop it for reasons that are not consist or clear.
Some medical doctors prescribe a topical gel of the calcium channel blocker, Verapamil to be applied once or twice daily over the area of the Peyronie’s plaque. Since it is thought that calcium channel blockers change the way that calcium is bound within the plaque, that it might slow or reverse the development of Peyronie’s disease. While this form of treatment has not proven especially effective, and has fallen out of general favor, other medical doctors attempt a more direct route of administration by injecting Verapamil directly into the plaque material of the penis. This can be a rather painful treatment, and is often given in series of 12 to 20 injections over time. Verapamil injections have not proven to be especially effective, either, yet remain on the list of medical therapies because it offers some avenue of treatment for both patient and doctor who do not have much medical treatment available for this troublesome and persistent problem.
Danger of Verapamil injections into the Peyronie’s plaque
In addition to the problem of inconclusive results and lack of support within the medical community for the use of Verapamil drug injections as a Peyronie’s disease treatment, there is also the vexing problem of trauma to the delicate tunica albuginea by repeated piercing of these multiple injections.
While there is still debate if calcium channel blockers actually cause Peyronie’s disease in healthy men, as well as if it can be used to treat Peyronie’s disease in those men who have it, the use of verapamil appears to be reducing if only because of discouraging clinical outcomes.
The Peyronie’s Disease Institute has maintained since 2002 that it makes sense to attempt to restore and support the natural healing ability of the body to correct Peyronie’s disease as occurs in about 50 percent of men who develop this condition. Read how you can use many Peyronie’s disease natural treatment options to help your body heal and repair without risk or danger of unnecessary drugs or surgery.
Possible Peyronie’s Cause: Catheter and Cystoscope Trauma
Unrelated cancer surgery possible cause of Peyronie’s disease
Debate and confusion persist about a Peyronie’s cause, no matter how much time passes.
We who deal with Peyronies on a daily basis know that not much research effort is given to this problem we share. Medical research into the cause of Peyronie’s disease is often directed toward a genetic quirk or biochemical flaw within the cellular structure – that can be treated with drugs. In spite of a hundred years of failure looking for a pharmacologically treatable Peyronie’s disease cause, one obvious area has not received much interest: trauma.
No one denies that trauma is at least a common secondary cause of Peyronie’s disease, if not the primary cause. Yet, there is nothing in the medical literature that addresses the great amount of totally preventable trauma delivered while under medical care. It is my opinion that doctors can be a Peyronie’s cause during the sometimes brutal and hidden trauma of male catheterization and cystoscopic examination that occurs before, during or after many types of surgery, like bladder or penis surgery.
Since 2002 when I started the Peyronie’s Disease Institute I have communicated with a host of surgical nurses. They advise me that during surgery, while a man is under general anesthesia and is catheterized or given a urethral scope examination for any reason the process is often rushed and aggressive since the patient is not awake or aware.
To understand the potential problem, consider that the male urinary opening at the tip of the penis is a slit that averages 0.15 to 0.20 inches (4-5 mm) in length, compared to a 9 mm catheter or cystoscope that is put into that slit. .
The potential for abuse that can lead to Peyronie’s disease exists because the size of the cystoscope used for men ranges from between the thickness of a pencil up to approximately 9mm. In addition, many cystoscopes have extra tubes to guide other instruments for surgical procedures to treat urinary problems. That is a lot of material that goes up that little passage way. Sometimes twists and narrowed areas of the male urethra are encountered that prevent passage, when the catheter or cystoscope will be forced deeper by a surgeon who encounters difficulty. This, I have been told, is a common problem that is not much talked about.
Nurses get into big trouble, and jeopardize job security, for revealing what they see and hear in the operating room.
It is my speculation that unnecessary injury related to forceful and rushed catheterization or cystoscope insertion is the reason many men develop PD that they cannot otherwise explain. This opinion is based on the number of men I speak to who tell me they cannot account for their PD based on penile trauma. Of these men who recall no direct penile trauma, when I ask about any kind of surgery that took place within a year or so before developing PD, at least 95% tell me they were either catheterized or received a cystoscopic examination for one reason or another.
For this reason I speculate these men were traumatized during their catheterization or cystoscopic procedure sufficiently to injure their tunica albuginea enough to cause Peyronie’s disease.
One example within Peyronie’s disease research to support this theory of an association between surgical catheterization and cystoscopic examination and PD, comes from the Urology Service of the Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, in June of 2010 published an article in Urology Times titled, “Peyronie’s Disease Following Radical Prostatectomy: Incidence and Predictors.”
This search for a cause of Peyronie’s disease must consider that for men in their 50s, both prostate cancer and Peyronie’s disease are fairly common. The purpose of this project was to determine if there was an actual link between those men who had a radical prostatectomy (RP) operation for prostate cancer and Peyronie’s disease.
They reviewed their sexual medicine database from 2002 to 2008. They isolated men who received a RP as the only form of treatment for a well-defined and localized prostate cancer, looking for those who developed Peyronies within three years after their RP surgery and compared this group to those men who did not develop Peyronies. They studied 1,011 such men, of whom 15.9% PD – a number higher than the general population. They found that the average time for a man to develop PD after his RP was 14 months, give or take a month. The average curvature was determined to be 31 degrees, +/- 17 degrees. They further found that younger men (average of 59 years) who had a RP operation were more likely to develop PD afterward, than older men (average of 60 years), and that white race men (18%) were more likely to develop PD than non-white rave men (7%). Also, they discovered that erectile function after RP surgery did not predict the later development of PD.
Because men who experienced sexual dysfunction after RP were found to develop Peyronie’s disease more frequently than the general population, the study suggested that this group should be routinely evaluated for PD.
This study, written by R. Tal, M. Heck and others, speculates that the Peyronie’s cause for these men might be somehow related to their prostate cancer.
Because it is common for the medical community to primarily delve deeply and intently into the biochemical and hereditary factors for a cause of Peyronie’s disease, without consideration of more simple and obvious reasons, they do not much evaluate for trauma. Surgical trauma is a possible Peyronie’s disease cause for those with a history of prior radical prostatectomy (because of the cystoscopic and catheterization procedures they receive), but apparently is not investigated since this would cause a medicolegal problem for the medical community and little reason to use medication.
Peyronies: Disease of the Penis?
Peyronie’s disease is not a disease
The problem that brings men to this website that is usually commonly called Peyronie’s disease is not a disease of penis tissue, actually. We continue to use this term only because for hundreds of years it has been commonly associated with this problem we share, but it is not accurate.
A disease refers to an altered condition of the body that is associated with extreme pain, significant and limiting organ or system dysfunction, social problems, and even death. Further, a disease is typically acquired by means of indirect or direct contact or transmission from one person to another. While there are many definitions of what constitutes a disease, the above definition is universally acceptable.
Let’s consider each element of what constitutes a disease, point by point.
1. Peyronie’s disease seldom causes extreme pain, and sometimes no pain at all – does not fulfill definition.
2. The genitourinary system of which the penis is only a part continues to function carrying urine in all cases, and has reduced sexual function in about half of the cases – does not fulfill definition.
3. Society is not affected by a Peyronie’s curved penis that plays havoc with the man who has it in the way that diseases like the flu or measles, alcoholism, syphilis and tuberculosis do – does not fulfill definition.
4. Lastly, it is not communicable. It is not possible to catch Peyronies from someone else or pass it on to another person – does not fulfill definition.
5. Peyronie’s disease is not fatal, except to some couple’s sex life – does not fulfill definition.
You will notice that throughout the PDI website and blog I often refer to this problem as a “condition.” More clinically accurate names that were taken from the Peyronie’s Disease Institute website:
1. Indurato penis plastica
2. Penile fibrosis
3. Penile fibromatosis
4. Penile induration
5. Chronic cavernositis
6. Fibrous sclerosis of the penis
7. Fibrous cavernositis
8. Fibrous plaques of the penis
Peyronie’s syndrome
Some people use the term Peyronie’s syndrome to refer to this problem, but technically that is also not a correct way to refer to Peyronie’s disease.
A syndrome refers to a typical group of several essential and clearly recognizable clinical signs, symptoms and characteristics that often occur in association or together, creating a picture or profile of a recognizable clinical condition. In an actual syndrome the presence of one feature, sign or symptom will alert a doctor to the possibility a particular syndrome might be present. Once this is established, the doctor will automatically look for other features, signs and symptoms that normally occur with it within the profile of that suspected syndrome. If additional typical findings are found, a diagnosis of that suspected syndrome can be made.
Peyronie’s syndrome is not a valid term because the characteristics, signs and symptoms of Peyronies are actually too few, and seldom present a customary group of features that suggest this particular health problem. By usual medical standards the few symptoms and signs associated with PD are actually vague and sometimes are totally missing. Since there are typically only three such standard findings associated with Peyronie’s disease (penis pain, penis curvature, presence of the common Peyronie’s plaque or scar), this group is not large enough to strongly suggest this condition, hence Peyronie’s syndrome is not a good term to use.
Disease of penis not fair to either party
Many times I am asked how I would suggest telling a woman about Peyronie’s disease. The first thing I say is, “You want to be fair and accurate when you tell this new woman you have just met about your problem. For this reason do not tell her you have a ‘disease.’ PD is not a disease, so do not create a problem for her or yourself that neither of you deserve.” I then go on to explain that to be most accurate and honest requires that you describe what is wrong with you, avoiding the term “Peyronie’s disease.” Simply say, “I injured myself a few years ago, and now I have an excess of internal scar tissue that has caused some penile curvature. I am not as straight or large as I was before this scar material developed, but I am otherwise very healthy. Do you have any questions about what I have just said?” Then answer her questions honestly and forthrightly. I have never met a man who has gotten into trouble or lost a woman in a new relationship if he offers this type of description of his problem.
You do not have a disease of penis tissue so do not frighten her or create problems where none should exist.
If you wish to learn more about this condition usually called Peyronie’s disease, or Peyronie’s disease treatment, please review our website and blog for additional information.
Difficulty Swallowing Many Peyronie’s Vitamin Pills
Can’t easily follow Peyronie’s disease vitamin plan
It’s sometimes difficult to swallow a solid substance without first chewing it; you feel like you are working against a protective instinct. This is made worse when there are many such solids to swallow. Nonetheless, it is often necessary to swallow 4-18 pills several times a day as part of the Peyronie’s disease vitamin plan you have created to assist your recovery over PD.
Frustration grows when you can’t easily take many pills in your Peyronie’s disease vitamin plan because you hesitate or gag. There are different useful strategies to get over this hurdle. I have never met anyone who cannot get over this problem if they work at it.
Since pill swallowing will likely remain a required skill until you correct your Peyronie’s disease, approach a pill swallowing problem from several angles using old and new tricks:
1. Practice with common food. Swallow mini candies, or small bites of food, without chewing to simulate pill taking. Deliberately think about and feel the sensation of having chunks of solid food sliding down your throat; get comfortable with that feeling; focus on how easy it is to be relaxed when you swallow pieces of cooked vegetables or meat that are actually larger than the pills that make you uncomfortable.
2. Put 1-4 pills in your mouth. Keep them there while you carefully go through a few small chewing motions – do not actually chew on them to avoid a nasty taste. After you have satisfied the need to “chew before swallowing,” immediately drink some water as you swallow the pills already in your mouth. You will thus fool yourself into the idea that you have chewed what you want to swallow.
3. Take pills one at a time to avoid overloading your gag reflex.
4. Drink a large glass of warm water BEFORE taking your Peyronie’s disease vitamin plan. This will relax your throat muscles and make taking the actual pills easier.
5. Sip a cold, carbonated beverage (sparkling water, lemon-lime soda) straight from the bottle when swallowing a pill.
6. Spray or gargle with an over-the-counter topical anesthetic (normally used for sore throats) before swallowing.
7. Take a deep breath and hold it in, before putting the tablet in your mouth; some say that this can suppress gag reflexes.
8. Place the pill on the back of your tongue, drink some water, tilt your chin down toward your chest, and swallow.
9. Put the pill on the tip of your tongue, drink some water, tilt your head back, and swallow.
Combining some of the above ideas could yield a remedy for you, but if none of them help you should really consider some larger issues.
The fact is your throat operates as part of a complex system. While it may seem you have an extraordinarily strong gag reflex or odd throat mannerisms, consider that it may actually be the power of your mind, not the power of your throat. Try to psych yourself out with this pill swallowing mantra — “I can swallow this…I can see the pill going down.”
Or, perhaps not being able to swallow pills has something to do with a past event. If you are unusually tense about pill swallowing from something that happened in your childhood, it makes sense for it to surface when you try to swallow a pill again. Did you choke on a raisin many years ago? Did a school nurse with dirty hands force you to take a pill? You may be subconsciously dealing with issues such as these every time you swallow an aspirin or vitamin. Fear of choking, fear of medicine, or general anxiety may be preventing you from swallowing pills. If you think these mental factors are to blame, you might consider talking with a counselor.
While it seems unlikely, the possibility of a greater medical issue does exist. The medical term for difficulty swallowing is dysphagia, and the term is often used with regard to a disorder of the esophagus. Keep in mind, though, that if you can swallow your food without trouble, your esophagus is probably fine.
This is an important issue to address because you cannot allow trouble swallowing your Peyronie’s vitamin pills to prevent you from achieving success over your PD.
Help Peyronie’s Disease Treatment with One Simple Idea
Early Peyronie’s treatment experimentation
In the early phase of experimenting with my own Peyronie’s disease treatment in 2002, I saw only slight improvement. With so little helpful information available at that time, I was forced to constantly experiment on myself based on my reading and research. My double-curve was only slightly better after a few months of using a wide variety and a great amount of different natural therapies. I was discouraged because I was not sure i would be able to figure out how to get the Peyronie’s help I needed.
About this time two important things happened that would change everything for me.
The first was that I began to notice that while my curvature did not change at all in the early part of care I noticed that my Peyronie’s plaque or scars were not only changing, but changing often and in different ways. The penile curvature did not change but the scars were very active. I began to notice that the size, shape, density and surface features of each scar would change – sometimes a lot – sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse – every few days. This was a fascinating and frustrating observation that I had never read or heard about while doing a great amount of investigation into Peyronie’s disease. I thought I was the only one whose scars changed so much, because in all my reading I had never read about rapid and significant scar changes.
This was the unique discovery about PD in 2002 that I was the first to make: Not only do the size, shape, density and surface features of the Peyronie’s scar change, but they change on a frequent – sometimes almost continuous – basis. Realizing that the scars were changing made me think differently about Peyronie’s disease; as a result I had to re-evaluate my early Peyronie’s disease treatment ideas.
The second thing that happened was my wife made a brilliant observation about my scars in relation to what I was eating. I would discuss my scar changes with my wife because I was fascinated that so much change could take place often in just a few days. One day, after making yet another report to her about my scars getting worse again (after showing improvement for several days), she casually told me, “You know, it seems that whenever you eat ice cream your scars get worse. You said your scars were softer and more difficult to find a few days ago. You had a big bowl of ice cream last night, and now your scars are hard again and easier to find. I noticed the last few times you ate ice cream that two or three days later you complained about your scars getting bad again. Maybe you should stop eating ice cream for a while and see what happens to your scars.”
Well, like any husband, at first I thought she was wrong. But when I began to experiment with her ice cream theory, I saw to my amazement that she was correct.
This led to a series of other direct observations that changes in the size, shape and density of the PD scar are often in relation to what I was eating. It also led to my second important discovery: By observing for changes in the size, shape, density and surface quality of the PD scar, it can be “used” to act like a guide to determine what is good and bad for that person’s Peyronie’s disease.
Help Peyronie’s treatment: compare to scar
If you want to help Peyronie’s treatment be more effective you must learn to measure your treatment efforts against changes in your PD scar. All treatment must be evaluated to learn if your scar responds favorably to it. In order to do this you must know how to determine and record the size, shape, density and surface feature of each scar. This very important topic is discussed in detail in “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” – in addition to other important topics.
Don’t guess with your Peyronie’s treatment. Know what makes your scar get better or worse. Use that critical information to guide you to your best level of recovery of which you are capable.
Detoxification during Peyronie’s Disease Treatment
Consequence of systemic enzymes like Neprinol for Peyronie’s treatment
When using any of the systemic enzyme products (Neprinol, Nattokinase 1500 or Fibrozym) in a Peyronie’s disease Alternative Medicine program, it is not uncommon to go through a detoxification reaction. Avoiding a detoxification reaction, and what to do if you have one, is the reason anyone who orders these particular products receives specific suggestions for their use.
Any of these systemic enzymes will destroy foreign fibrin in the body, regardless of the location of the fibrin material. Over time as Peyronie’s plaque and fibrin is destroyed the greater the problem for the body is to eliminate the fibrin protein break-down products and tissue debris. Like when you clean the attic – you must find a way to get rid of all the accumulated junk.
When starting to use the systemic enzymes in a Peyronie’s disease treatment plan, this can amount to a flood of break-down debris that possibly can overwhelm the ability of the liver and large intestine for removal. The end result is often nausea and diarrhea that are caused by this “housecleaning” that performed by the systemic enzymes.
Besides being no fun, the nausea and diarrhea problems that detoxification causes will also make absorption of nutrients more difficult and inefficient. It is difficult for the body to absorb nutrients through the bowel wall while diarrhea is taking place. For this reason I suggest that you stay at an enzyme dose high enough to just border on digestive distress (light occasional diarrhea and nausea, but definitely controllable), but less than having bad out-of-control problems. This way you are attempting to still push for the benefits of detoxification without losing nutrients because your system is in a state of irritation from toxic overload.
Peyronie’s treatment personal and specific for the individual
There is no one who can tell you the exact dosage to go about detoxification without developing a lot of diarrhea; you have to figure out how to do it; no one can do it for you. I suggest you not stay on a constant or level dose of enzymes.
Let’s say you wish to try a 6/day dose of your enzymes (either Neprinol, Serrapeptase or Fibrozym). I suggest you start at 3/day and over a 7 day period slowly work your way up the level you wish. If you notice a slight case of diarrhea starting, drop down to one less pill per day for a few days but do not totally stop taking the enzyme because you then interfere with your body’s tendency to adapt to and tolerate that product. After a few day go back up to the dose that had caused a little diarrhea and you will likely have no problem.
As an option for those who want to take – as an example – 6/day of a systemic enzyme consider this effective variation. Play with that 6/day dose by taking 5/day and 7/day on alternate days; or even 4/day and 8/day on alternate days. This way, on the high days you are pushing yourself for detox but this is followed by a day of relative “rest” with the lower dose of enzymes so that you your gut does not stay irritated for a long time. This method also has the advantage you are not stopping your program; you are staying with it but modifying it for maximum benefit to you.
If you are taking these enzyme products you might consider trying this pattern of taking them for a few weeks. I found I was experiencing toxic overload when I was taking about 12/day of Neprinol in addition to other systemic enzymes. I did this higher/lower pattern and it really seemed to help. Eventually I got to the point I could take up to 18/day of Neprinol with no problem at all. This higher level of systemic enzyme therapy can be a little complicated, but it was definitely worthwhile for me.
A Peyronie’s disease treatment plan requires planning, work, and dedication to be successful. Read the testimonials of the Peyronie’s Disease Institute from those who do did it the right way and learned how to avoid detoxification problems.
Drugs Can Cause Peyronie’s Disease
Prescriptions drugs that start Peyronie’s disease
The cause of Peyronie’s disease remains unknown. However, among the more commonly suspected causes are injuries as during intercourse, penile trauma as during a difficult catheterization procedure or surgery, genetic predisposition, or a problem of the immune system.
Because medical Peyronie’s disease treatment is also poorly defined, with no standard drug receiving formal approval, one must wonder about the drugs that are currently being prescribed by medical doctors for their Peyronies patients.
Several prescription medications list Peyronie’s disease among the potential side effects. While no formal research exists that proves these medications cause Peyronie’s disease, presumptive evidence and frequent patient complaints of strong association with these drugs supports these as possible causes.
- 1. Beta Blockers – These are the most common medications in popular use that list Peyronie’s disease as a potential side effect. Beta blockers is a class of drugs used for various indications, but particularly for the management of cardiac arrhythmias, protection of the heart after a myocardial infarction (heart attack), angina pectoris, atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, glaucoma, migraine prevention, mitral valve prolapsed, and hypertension (high blood pressure). They tend to diminish the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) and other stress hormones in the body, thus reducing cardiac demands. If you have ever been treated for any of these conditions, and were treated with a beta blocker, this might explain a current case of Peyronie’s disease. Commonly prescribed beta blockers:
Acebutolol Alrenolol Atenolol
Betaxolol Bucindolol Carteolol
Carvedilol Celiprolol Esmolol
Labetalol Metoprolol Nadolol
Nebivolol Penbutolol Pindolol
Propranolol Sotalol Timolol
- Interferon – This prescription medication is used to treat multiple sclerosis, leukemia, and hepatitis. Its manufacturers list Peyronie’s disease as a possible side effect.
- Dilantin – This is a well established anti-seizure medicine, also reported by its manufacturers as a potential cause of Peyronie’s disease.
- PDE5 drug group (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) – this is a group of inhibitor drugs that block an enzyme process of the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels supplying the corpus cavernosa of the penis. As a result of this influence, these drugs act to increase blood flow in the penis in response to sexual stimulation. The maker of each of these three drugs advises that men with Peyronie’s disease should consult with their doctors due to possible adverse effects on the penis.
The bottom line concerning all these drugs is that every one of them has side-effects and related ways of complicating the problem of someone who is already sick. Drugs should be used with great reserve and discretion, and avoided if at all possible.
Once PD is present and a man learns that there is no known medical treatment available, he should consider using Alternative Medicine for Peyronie’s treatment options. This is an option that the Peyronie’s Disease Institute has researched and developed since 2002, with considerable success.
Guide for Peyronie’s Disease Treatment
How to know if your Peyronie’s treatment is working
For those who do not have the book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook,” this post will be an introduction to the idea that to seriously provide Peyronie’s disease treatment it is absolutely critical for you to master of the physical condition of your Peyronie’s plaque. This handbook book presents in detail the necessary steps required to fully understand and accurately report all possible physical qualities and aspects of your Peyronie’s plaque or scar.
To use Alternative Medicine well to treat Peyronie’s disease it is necessary that you can accurately describe the current condition of your problem. It is not good enough that you know you have a scar somewhere down there, or that it is a “nodule” or “lump” or “band”, or that your shaft is “curves upward.” All of these are general and meaningless terms. They do not clearly and accurately say anything about the specifics of your current state. Worse yet, these terms are not objective or real enough to compare the condition of your scar from one time to another.
If you think about your Peyronie’s disease problem in these vague terms you would not know enough about your problem – now or in the future – to determine if your Peyronies is getting better or worse. Saying that your scar is “hard” or “soft” is like saying the weather today is “hot” or “cold.” These terms are very general and subjective, and mean very little. This means if someone said it was “cold on Christmas day,” in middle of summer it would not help him to know exactly how cold it was – he could not “remember” how cold that day was six months later.
Specific Peyronie’s treatment information
If you were looking for a new job and you were told you would be paid “money,” you would not be satisfied with that information. You would want to know how much money per hour, your total per week, how often you would be paid, what other direct and indirect benefits were included, and your vacation schedule. You would want details at the beginning of your employment so you would know later if you were being paid correctly on pay day. You would need details at the beginning to determine later if things were going correctly or not. The same with Peyronie’s treatment.
The other day I had a long discussion with someone who just finished reading my book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.” I asked about his scars. He said the largest one was “3/4 of an inch and rather square-ish with somewhat sharp, not rounded, edges, rather flat, generally firm but with a little ‘give’ like the seat cushion of his car, and rough and bumpy like the backside of a carpet.” The other he said was a scar that was the size, shape, hardness and smoothness of a “grain of un-popped pop corn.”
I was very impressed! Not only did I fully understand the physical nature of those two scars, but I knew he knew for his future reference how to evaluate his scar as his therapy progressed. As he continues to make improvement he will be totally confident to identify all progress and changes he makes – or doesn’t make. He is on top of his problem and he will do a better job and make more progress than the man whose only recollection is that his scar is, “I don’t know, I guess it is just some kind of bump.”
Two months later he would be able to think back to the feeling of a grain of unpopped popcorn and know exactly what his small scar was like. If later by comparison the ¾ inch square of bumpy cardboard felt like a ¼ by ½ inch strand of overcooked pasta with a loose and rough surface like a pair of woolen socks, he would know for sure he was making progress. He would know for sure how to manage his dosage and his selection of therapies based on his confidence in the progress he was making.
You cannot possibly remember what “hard” or “soft” felt like one month earlier. Without vivid, exact and personal references that do not change over time you will not have to guess about your progress or lack of progress. Saying your scar is a “bump” or that it is ‘hard” is almost useless. Each description must be loaded with personal meaning that you can accurately refer to later so you will have no doubt if you are making progress or not.
Peyronie’s Disease Handbook
If you follow these instructions from the handbook you will be more knowledgeable about your problem than a medical doctor about the condition of any one patient’s problem. I guarantee it. With that knowledge you will be able to direct and control your therapy better than ever before.
The goal is to be a master of what is going on with your Peyronie’s disease treatment on a day to day basis, and to use that knowledge in such a way as to guide your diet and your Alternative Medicine therapy to your fullest success possible.
Good luck to you, even though after all, it is not really about luck, it is about hard work and knowledge!
Peyronie’s Sex Problems Can Be Helped
Sexual intercourse and Peyronie’s disease
The heat of a sexual relationship is a chemical (hormonal) reaction, and over time it can fade unless a couple takes measures to prevent that from happening. This is especially true when Peyronie’s sex difficulties must be dealt with.
Compounding the usual situation in which, over time, a couple will often experience their usual sexual heat cooling down to a comfortable glow. This is perhaps a sign of maturity of the relationship, indicating there is more than sex between them that keeps them committed and attracted to each other. Perhaps this is why some couples who deal with Peyronie’s disease sex problems actually improve their relationship, while others do not stay together.
Peyronie’s disease sex enhancing strategies
1. Let her lead you
Be the submissive one. Follow her lead. A University of Michigan study reports that female rats experience a dopamine (a pleasure and euphoria-inducing neurotransmitter chemical) boost only when they control sex. The critical point is that she is actually leading the sexual activity, not just conducting sex the way you like it to be done. If this means you both get your nails done – go for it. She will pay you back.
It seems that women really enjoy sex related to role-playing. It is reported in Men’s Health that 76 percent of women surveyed said would be interested in sexual role-playing in which the woman is in a position of authority and the man is the sexual novice she is instructing. Most popular fantasies: professor/student and nurse/patient.
2. Learn new moves
A new sex position is more than a new way to do the same old thing. ”Anything novel or exciting is likely to drive up the levels of dopamine in her brain,” says anthropologist Helen Fisher, Ph.D., author of Why We Love. Oxford University MRI scans found that learning any new motor skill – learning to ties a new knot, taking piano lessons, or some new sexual activity – stimulates the brain in the same way and the same region as those stimulated during orgasm. Therefore, a new sexual maneuver or activity will boost sexual activity and pleasure.
3. Games are fun for many reasons
Competitive games and situations in which there is a mild and healthy tension and sense of anxiety (as when competing in a game of chess or poker, or Trivial Pursuit)0 increases the dopamine levels outside the bedroom. This could increase sexual pleasure and interest in sexual activity because “Your brain can’t differentiate between the external anxiety caused by a novel situation and the internal anxiety caused by being attracted to someone,” says Victoria Zdrok, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist. “A boost outside of the bedroom can carry over for when it matters most.” This happens because competition promotes the release of the sex drive-boosting hormone, testosterone.
4. Start all over
Approach your sexual activity as thought it was your first date. “If you’ve learned how to pleasure her, it’s too easy to forget about foreplay and all the other things that keep sex fresh,” says Debbie Herbenick, Ph.D., a Men’s Health sex advisor.
To heighten the foreplay experience, do this: First, take a 3-day sex break to heighten sexual tension and anticipation. This will cause dopamine to collect in the brain. Next, spend an evening just necking like two teenagers, and keep your clothes on to increase the sense of anticipation. This will cause an increase of dopamine in the body without a way of release. Third, wait two days and spend another evening only touching each other sensually any where you want – except the genitals.
Then, wait another two days with no physical or sexual contact. The fifth step is to spend another evening using only your lips to stimulate and touch each other sensually any where you want – except the genitals. Without sexual release and continued sexual stimulation over this prolonged time period, your dopamine levels will be sky high. In addition both of your testosterone levels will be higher than usual, leading to explosive sex and heighten sexual sensations when you finally do engage in full wonderful sexual contact.
5. Massage message
Stimulate her body to increase her levels of oxytocin. This is the hormone that battles stress, increases sexual arousal, creates a bonding affect between sexual partners.
Physical contact – such as kissing, cuddling and deep muscles massage – unleash oxytocin in her body. The best time to do this is after sexual activity. The more time and tenderness involved in giving physical contact AFTER sex, the better your bonds will be. It is certainly possible for your relationship to improve in spite of your Peyronie’s disease.
6. Nostalgia has benefits in bed
Discussing the early part of your relationship, from the first date to your honeymoon, is not just an exercise in nostalgia. With the simple act of revisiting old memories when romance and sexual passion were fresh and strong will stimulate the hormone norepinephrine. This is a brain hormone that highlights and intensifies those sexual memories. “You’ll unlock her passion,” says sex therapist Laura Berman, Ph.D., director of the Berman Center in Chicago, “and intensify the new memories you’re making, too.”
When you use these simple and easy methods to stir hormone activity in the body the net affect will be to reduce your Peyronie’s sex problem. Add to that an aggressive and faithfully followed Peyronie’s disease treatment plan and you will find yourself feeling better about a lot of things.
Is It Necessary to Straighten a Curved Penis?
Not every curved penis requires Peyronie’s treatment
Before discussing how to straighten a curved penis, it would be wise to consider if reducing penile curvature in your situation is a necessary and advisable thing to do.
If you know for a fact that you have Peyronie’s disease, it is my opinion that it is always wise to attempt to treat your problem – even if it is currently only minor and does not interfere with intercourse. Many men suggest to me that since their curved penis is not causing any sexual problem they are not going to do anything about getting rid of their Peyronies problem. They say they will only worry about having PD if they cannot engage in intercourse. Otherwise they intend to just leave it alone.
But, it is unwise to delay effort to straighten a recently curved penis for three reasons:
- Many times a small penile curvature suddenly gets bad enough to interfere with intercourse
- The longer Peyronie’s disease persists the more difficult it can be to treat
- A curved penis is unstable during intercourse. The longer your penile curvature continues you take an unnecessary risk every time you engage in sexual intercourse because your penis could suddenly bend and buckle when you least expect it, resulting in additional injury on top of what you currently have.
If you are not sure you have Peyronie’s disease, it might be unnecessary to use any treatment procedure. It is best to seek a medical opinion about your curved penis to determine the exact cause and diagnosis of your situation.
Lifelong penile curvature
When a man has had a curved penis all his life, it is still possible to use a few techniques that are discussed on this website to straighten a curved penis that is not related to Peyronie’s disease. The Peyronie’s treatment that might be successful to reverse a normally curved penis are:
- Gentle Manual Penis Stretching Technique © – done without dangerous or painful penis stretcher devices.
- PMD DMSO, in combination with copper peptides (Super CP Serum) and vitamin E concentrate.
- Neprinol
The idea behind this approach is to soften and reduce as much soft tissue as possible within the contracted scar tissue, while using gentle manual penile stretching to straighten your curved penis; approaching the problem from two different directions at the same time.
Straighten a curved penis due to Peyronie’s disease
Regardless of the duration of Peyronie’s disease or how severe the curved penis, it is possible to make changes in the penile curvature and distortion. There is no way to predict how much correction can be earned; sometimes it is complete reversal of curvature and other times the correction is only minor – but everyone seems to note some degree of improvement. The real factor that seems to determine if a man succeeds or not is the amount of time and effort he devotes to his problem.
Now that you know how to work to straighten a curved penis it is time to get busy. You will never know for sure until you do your best to correct your penile curvature, and now is the best time to do it.
My Penis is Curved
How to straighten a penis
What a shock when you realize, “My penis is curved. How did that happen, and what is going on down there? And the most important question to Google, How to straighten my penis?”
While there are several other causes of a curved penis to suddenly happen, the most common one, and the most difficult one to deal with is Peyronie’s disease. Peyronie’s disease is a condition that occurs in about 6-10% of men over the age of 40 (although it can affect teenagers and men in their early 20s) in which a dense and thick mass of fibrous tissue, called a Peyronie’s plaque or scar, is found within the tunica albuginea layer on the inside of the penis. The presence of a nodule or band of fibrous tissue under the skin of the penis will prevent the normal expansion of the chambers of the penis during an erection. This causes the erection to be distorted resulting in a curve, bend, hinge, hourglass or bottleneck distortion.
To assist you to determine if you have PD, please visit Peyronie’s symptoms and check out some of the Peyronie’s pictures of curved penis. It is necessary for anyone who thinks he might have Peyronie’s disease to go to his doctor to have a complete examination so an accurate diagnosis can be made. Do not make the mistake to think you can self-diagnose this problem.
It is important to remember that the problem of Peyronie’s disease is not that you have a curved penis. The problem is actually the Peyronie’s scar that is present within the deep tissue of the tunica albuginea causing incomplete filling of the penile chambers, resulting in the curved penis that got your attention. For this reason any treatment that is directed solely at trying to make the penis straight without removing or eliminating the PD plaque will not be successful.
While the Peyronie’s Disease Institute does not take a position against Peyronie’s surgery, we feel too many men resort to penis surgery far too soon before trying conservative treatment. If a man knows he has Peyronie’s disease he should also know the problem is that his body produced excessive scar tissue or plaque in response to a small injury or inflammation of the deep penile tissue layer. What does he assume will happen to that same tissue when a surgeon cuts that same tissue and also tugs on it, stretches it, and put stitches into it during the course of Peyronie’s surgery? There is a very good chance that more excessive scar tissue will result. This is why many urologists and surgeons take a position against all Peyronie’s surgery.
Since 2002 the Peyronie’s Disease Institute has educated men about the use of Alternative Medicine to assist the body to heal the Peyronie’s plaque. Fifty percent of men naturally recover from Peyronie’s disease without any help or outside intervention; the problem just goes away on its own like any other health problem should. Our approach is to assist each man to enable his body to heal naturally like those in that lucky 50% group.
So if you are one of us who has said in shock, “My penis is curved,” you now know what to do about it. Learn more about Peyronie’s disease treatment with Alternative Medicine. Another good source of information is the Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.
Viagra, Cialis and Levitra Use with Peyronie’s Disease
Peyronie’s treatment using erection producing drugs
The erectile dysfunction and soft erections associated with Peyronie’s disease are sometimes treated with Viagra, an erection causing drug made by the Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company. The information about Viagra duplicated in this blog post is written by Pfizer about Viagra, in relation to Peyronie’s disease. The basic information presented by Pfizer is essentially true for other erection producing drugs, like Cialis and Levitra.
Here is the Viagra drug information from Pfizer, found their website. I have removed a considerable amount of technical Viagra information that does not apply to Peyronie’s disease to make it easier to find what you need to know. Notice the section below that I have put in bold and underlined.
PRECAUTIONS
General
The evaluation of erectile dysfunction should include a determination of potential underlying causes and the identification of appropriate treatment following a complete medical assessment.
Before prescribing VIAGRA, it is important to note the following:
The safety of VIAGRA is unknown in patients with bleeding disorders and patients with active peptic ulceration.
VIAGRA should be used with caution in patients with anatomical deformation of the penis (such as angulation, cavernosal fibrosis or Peyronie’s disease), or in patients who have conditions which may predispose them to priapism (such as sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma, or leukemia).
The safety and efficacy of combinations of VIAGRA with other treatments for erectile
dysfunction have not been studied. Therefore, the use of such combinations is not recommended.
In humans, VIAGRA has no effect on bleeding time when taken alone or with aspirin. In vitro studies with human platelets indicate that sildenafil potentiates the antiaggregatory effect of sodium nitroprusside (a nitric oxide donor). The combination of heparin and VIAGRA had an additive effect on bleeding time in the anesthetized rabbit, but this interaction has not been studied in humans.
Use of any drug to assist erections in Peyronie’s disease
It is my opinion that any man who is undergoing Peyronie’s disease treatment is taking a huge risk to use any of these erection producing drugs because it has been my observation and experience in talking to hundreds of men about their Peyronies problem, that these drugs can injure the penis and actually start Peyronie’s disease, make it worse, or possibly delay or interfere with your effort to try to heal your Peyronie’s plaque. This happens because of the damage done by the surprisingly strong and uncontrollable erections these drugs can create.
With the use of these drugs it is possible that the forced erections they cause can place great internal stress within the penis that can injure the delicate tunica albuginea. The erections created by these drugs can be indeed super-erections, greater than what a man normally experiences.
I have had a number of men tell me they are convinced their Peyronie’s disease started after using Viagra, Cialis, etc. I am confident that at a later time we will start to hear reports about more side-effects of these medications. This should not be so difficult to believe when you can read for yourself that the drug manufacturer is already warning men in particular with Peyronie’s disease to be cautious about its use.
Peyronie’s disease aggravated easily
Super-charging an erection is not the way the body was designed to be used.
What if you could take a drug that would enable you to lift a ton of weight above your head and keep it there for an hour? Nice trick, very impressive, but your body is not built to take that kind of pressure to the muscles, ligaments, joints, bones and blood vessels. A trick like that would cause great damage to internal organs, your spine, blood vessels, all major joints, etc. Simply put, “It just ain’t natural.” Same with these erection drugs like Levitra and Viagra. The increased pressure created by these medications can be very damaging to the delicate tunica albuginea, and can result in or worsen a case of PD.
What would happen to your car tires if you happened to over-inflate them with 100 pounds of air pressure, even though they were built to take just 40 pounds of pressure? You would be running the risk of damage to the internal structure of tire, wouldn’t you? Of course. The same thing can happen if the penis is over-inflated and then given a “rough ride.” This is where the problems start, and this is what I want to bring to your attention.
Viagra, Cialis and Levitra are not a Peyronie’s treatment
It is very likely that the MDs who prescribe these medications to men with Peyronie’s disease will not agree with this thinking. MDs tend to favor a chemical “fix” to most problems, so you would tend to expect a natural and automatic prejudice from an MD to use drugs to solve most problems.
If you have taken Cialis or any other erection producing drug because it was prescribed for you, and you mention this information to your MD, what do you suppose he or she will say? Well, the first thing you must consider is that this information indicates that your doctor prescribed something for you that was not safe or appropriate. The natural reaction would be for your doctor to immediately defend her decision. That makes sense. It is not my intention to make trouble for your doctor, she was only doing what she thought was best for you. It is my intention for you to independently think about these things and see if they make sense to you, the owner of the penis that could become injured. Do more research on your own, then talk to your doctor. This way you are armed with both sides of the story.
It is my further intention to prevent you from injuring yourself further with these erection producing drugs.
A penis that is predisposed to Peyronies in the first place cannot tolerate the kind of stress that these erections drugs create. It is just like someone with asthma cannot tolerate dust, odors or smoke that does not bother other people. If you already have Peyronies you should do everything you can to avoid any kind of stress to this tissue, including avoidance of erection producing drugs.
I talk to a lot of men who are given a prescription for Viagra, etc. to help their sexual difficulty, and they instinctively know that this treatment does not make sense to them. Yet, they are tempted to use the drug because of the promise of improved sexual performance; besides, they are also tempted because they feel, “Heck, my doctor would not do anything to hurt me, maybe it is OK to do.” I would agree, your doctor would not want to hurt you intentionally. Yet, we all know that tens of thousands of people are hurt each year by drugs that are given with good intentions and bad consequences.
In addition, I have talked to many men who have reported to me that they used these erections drugs many times, maybe for several months, with absolutely no problem. The erections were “normal” and controllable, and everything was fine, and the sex was great. Then, one night, one time, they took that same drug in the same way, and they got an erection that was unbelievably hard and huge, and they thought they were going to explode. It scared the devil out of both partners. A few days or weeks later – a curved penis and Peyronie’s disease developed.
If you attempt to think independently and logically about what might happen to your Peyronie’s disease when these drugs are used, you should have no trouble understanding how this could work against you. If your doctor can convince you that they are perfectly safe, then you should do what your doctor says to do. Just remember, who that penis is attached to if a tragedy happens. Your doctor will shrug his shoulders; you will have a worse case of PD.
My opinion is that the use of Viagra and similar erection drugs could easily be worsening the very problem you are attempting to heal. The use of these drugs represents a calculated risk that you are taking, and you should be aware of it.
Please write a comment or question about this article if you want to know more about Peyronie’s disease treatment with Viagra, Levitra or Cialis.
How to Increase Peyronie’s Natural Recovery
Peyronie’s natural treatment is not like using drugs
“What is the very best way to treat my Peyronie’s disease?” That is the million-dollar question, my friend.
When I developed Peyronie’s disease in 2002, my basic strategy for recovery was this: 50% of men get over their Peyronie’s disease without any outside help – in effect they experience a Peyronie’s disease natural cure. If this is true – and it is – then it seems most logical to do everything possible to increase my ability to heal my problem like the men in that lucky 50% group.
Even from the start I felt like my Peyronie’s disease it was a problem I could beat since the odds for recovery are good at 50/50. All I had to do was consistently support and promote my natural ability to heal in this particular area of the body over a period of time, knowing that this would increase the capability of my body to heal itself. I believed then – and know now – that Peyronie’s natural treatment is often just a matter of time and persistence.
I studied the problem of Peyronie’s disease diligently, I worked even harder, I was always faithful to my plan, and I used myself as a guinea pig for every idea that seemed to have merit. In less than six months I was free of all traces of the PD scar, all penile distortion was gone, and all lost dimensions returned. I succeeded.
How to increase Peyronie’s disease natural healing
Everyone comes to the PDI website expecting to see a clear and direct answer, a logical 1-2-3 set of instructions that explains how I beat my Peyronie’s disease, and how you can do it also. But, that is not the way it works. There are no magic 1-2-3 steps to success. Each case of PD is as different as the man who has the problem. Therefore, every man must work out his own Peyronie’s treatment plan – using all the information and ideas I can supply to you. The lack of specific treatment rules is what frustrates men with PD – as if they do not have enough to be frustrated about already! But that is just the way it is.
The entire PDI website (if you printed it out, you would have over 400 pages of information), is devoted to Peyronie’s natural treatment. Even so, all I can give to you is an outline and the basic ideas of how to increase your ability to heal and repair the Peyronie’s plaque. The “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” is essential in your recovery from PD; it explains in great detail how to monitor and define the size, shape, density and surface quality of your scar(s) – the most important skill you can develop to speed your recovery. While I freely offer you whatever guidance and ideas you might need, and answer all your questions based on considerable experience with Peyronie’s disease natural treatment, you are still in charge of the way you treat yourself. This is the way it must be because you must monitor the size, shape, density and surface qualities of your scar(s) to directly judge how your body is responding to your treatment plan.
I present the basic ideas of Peyronie’s treatment, but you must jump in and do your best to determine which of these ideas works best for you. This is not an exact science, and these are not drugs used for treatment with exact dosages.
For most men it often comes down to deciding how much time and energy you have available to treat your PD each day, and how much money you can afford to spend each month; this is realistic. You might want to do much more for yourself, but can only afford a little. Do your best – whatever that is. Men who get the best results are those who do the most to increase their ability to heal. Do as much as you can to get this problem behind you. Many do very well with the Medium Plan, or some variation of it. Maybe that will be a good way to start your recovery from PD.
I get reports of success and progress weekly from men who use this approach for Peyronie’s natural treatment. You will only know if it can help you if you give yourself a chance. I will help you in any way I can to be successful.
What is Peyronie’s Disease?
Not all definitions of Peyronie’s disease are honest or correct
Great question, “What is Peyronie’s Disease?” However, an accurate and honest answer is not always easy to find. If you are one of the hundreds of new people each day who surf the Internet for a Peyronie’s cure, you need to pay attention to the kind of answer you might run across.
In my experience it is common to receive an incorrect answer when it is provided by someone who only wants to sell you something, like a magic herb or a manual penis stretcher. When a salesperson is the source of your information the answer will often minimize Peyronies by oversimplifying the real problem to the point the answer is not truthful.
The reason that someone will intentionally give you this false information is easy to understand. If Peyronie’s disease can be made to sound like a simple problem, then a simple solution can be more easily presented to you in a believable way – and the more likely you will buy a product if the problem and solution sound uncomplicated and straightforward.
The usual short (and false) answer you will see to this question is, “Peyronie’s disease is a curved penis.” This is almost like saying that Peyronie’s disease is no more complicated than a bent paperclip. All you have to do is straighten out the paperclip – and we all know how easy that is to do – and you are as good as new.
What you must understand is that the bent penis of Peyronie’s disease is just a symptom of what is wrong. The penile curvature is not the problem, it is just a sign of the real problem. What is causing the penis to curve is the actual problem that must be addressed. Click here to view
If you have pneumonia, you will probably have a nasty cough. But, it is not correct – or helpful – to say, “Pneumonia is a cough.” If the problem was presented to you like that, and you believed it, then someone could sell you a cough suppressant as a cure for pneumonia. You would believe that stopping the cough is all you have to do. The truth is that the cough is just an outward sign of a deeper problem. To address your pneumonia correctly you must do what is necessary to help your body reduce and remove the lung infection, the inflammatory response that occurs because of an invasion of foreign bacteria, and the cough – and the pneumonia – will no longer be an issue. The cough is just a sign of the pneumonia, it is not pneumonia – just as a curved penis is a sign of Peyronie’s disease, but it is not the problem. The bent penis is just an outward sign of a Peyronie’s plaque or scar tissue within the tunica albuginea interfering with the normal filling of the corpora cavernosa, resulting in a bent or distorted erection. No amount of penis stretching or mystery herb from Afghanistan will eliminate the PD plaque.
So, what is Peyronie’s disease?
Peyronie’s disease is a problem with no known cause and no known medical cure in which the presence of a dense fibrous nodule or band in the tunica albuginea layer of the penis causes a variable degrees of pain, penile distortion during erection, reduced sexual function, and loss of physical size in length and girth.
If the explanation, “Peyronie’s disease is a bend in the penis” makes you think it is just like a wrinkle in your shirt that can be ironed out – then you are ready to accept the notion that pulling on the bent penis can magically remove that kink. If it were only that simple and worked that well.
You will notice that none of the advertisements for the magical herbs or mechanical penis stretchers explain how they work. The reason there is no explanation is because they do not affect the Peyronie’s plaque, which is at the heart of Peyronie’s disease.
For additional discussion to the question, “What is Peyronie’s disease?” please go to Peyronie’s disease discussion.
Penis Surgery to Treat Peyronie’s Plaque
Peyronie’s surgery from correction to amputation
It is not uncommon for a man to learn that he has Peyronie’s disease and to have his doctor immediately recommend penis surgery to attempt to remove the Peyronie’s plaque or straightened his curved penis.
When faced with even a mild degree of penis curvature someone might think that penile surgery is the only treatment option. It seems to me from my perspective in talking to a dozen men each week about their history with Peyronie’s disease that many of them are given strong pressure to have surgery far too early in the process.
It seems they are not being told that many who undergo penis surgery end up with numerous side effects like pain, numbness or loss of all sensation of the penis, additional loss of length and girth greater than their PD gave to them, greater curvature than their PD gave to them, and total impotence or inability to develop an erection. I frequently communicate with men who have more pain, distortion and loss of sexual ability after penile surgery than before it.
In a desperate effort to satisfy their sexual partner, and under false expectation of how easy and safe the surgery will be, men sometimes make matters worse with Peyronie’s disease surgery. Worse yet, it often happens that a man will have a second Peyronie’s surgery to correct the errors and problems created by the first Peyronie’s surgery – only to have even greater problems after the second surgical attempt.
For information about the Leriche surgery technique for Peyronie’s disease.
Peyronie’s surgery to the extreme
The worse case of failed Peyronie’s disease surgery I ever spoke to occurred sometime in 2006. I received a phone call from a man who asked if I guaranteed the treatment we present in the PDI website. I told him that no medical procedure or therapy is ever guaranteed – even aspirin. I said there is no such thing as a medical guarantee provided anywhere in the world because of the complexity of human physiology. I asked him why he was interested in a guarantee. He said he was desperate for something to help his terribly curved penis that had gotten progressively worse after each of three separate penis surgeries. He said he was scheduled to have his fourth penis surgery in two weeks, but he would cancel that surgery if I could give him a guarantee that the PDI process would correct his problem. I told him I was sorry that I could not make such a guarantee, and said I doubted his surgeon was going to guarantee the next operation. He corrected me. He told me that the next surgery was going to “fix’ his problem because the next operation was for the surgeon to amputate – completely cut off – his penis!
He went on to explain that his penis was now just a tiny two inch mass of twisted scar tissue; he had no feeling in his penis; for the last two years when he urinated he would get his abdomen wet; his wife was long gone and he felt that suicide was his only other option, so having his penis cut off made sense to him.
I was shocked. Just as I was starting to explain that I could not guarantee his results at this late stage in his problem I heard a click, and the phone was silent. The entire conversation took less than five minutes, but it was the most powerful discussion I have ever had with any of my Peyronie’s men. I will never forget the empty and desperate tone of his voice.
Penis surgery for a man who already has Peyronie’s disease presents a greater risk than for someone who does not have a Peyronies problem:
- High degree contracture due to fibrous tissue buildup, resulting in greater curvature than prior to surgery.
- Greater chance for numbness or total loss of sensation, or Peyronie’s pain,
- Greater chance for impotence.
Start with conservative Peyronie’s treatment, then penis surgery if necessary
I am not saying that a bad outcome will happen to all men who have Peyronie’s surgery, but it can and does happen so the possibility should be clearly kept in mind before rushing into surgery. Every day I hear from men who tell me their doctor on the first visit suggested penis surgery to “correct” their Peyronie’s disease.
It is my opinion that it is safer and wiser to take a more conservative route of care using the Alternative Medicine form of natural Peyronie’s treatment options that have been presented here since 2002, before considering surgery.
Peyronie’s and Verapamil
Verapamil and Peyronie’s disease treatment
Verapamil is used in Peyronie’s disease treatment by injection directly into the Peyronie’s plaque or a topical Verapamil cream is applied to the skin over the Peyronie’s plaque. For more information about this method, see Peyronie’s disease treatment via direct drug injection.
Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker of the phenylalkylamine L-type. It works by relaxing the muscles of the heart and blood vessels. Verapamil is an anti-arrhythmic drug approved by the FDA in 1981 to treat hypertension, angina, cardiac arrhythmia, and recently, cluster headaches. No oral or transdermal Verapamil is approved for Peyronie’s disease treatment. Most used for Peyronie’s treatment is in the form of a topical Verapamil cream that is applied twice daily for many months.
There are many different companies that compete against each other with their own unique patented Verapamil formula, creating difficulty to know what to believe about the use of Verapamil for Peyronie’s disease treatment.
With so much competition among companies and unsafe practices of illegal companies, some even resort to making inferior and dangerous topical Verapamil cream products. As a result, Peyronie’s patients who use counterfeit Verapamil have reported:
- Changes in blood pressure, causing dizziness, fainting, heart beat irregularities, often requiring changes in other medications to become stabilized
- Severe skin irritation
- Skin burns and blistering
Peyronie’s Verapamil connection
As with many popular medications, the exact way Verapamil is supposed to benefit Peyronie’s disease is not entirely known. Keep this in mind when someone says they do not know how vitamin E or acetyl-L-carnitine or PABA helps Peyronie’s disease.
It is proposed that long term use of Verapamil blocks calcium from entering into the Peyronie’s plaque or scar. Another theory s that Verapamil increases fibroblast activity to make more collagenase that breaks down the Peyronie’s plaque or scar. However, calcium is an essential mineral that must have free access and movement in all tissues and hundreds of different normal and healthy chemical, enzyme and hormone functions of the body. The body needs calcium to function normally and healthfully, and it does not do well when it is blocked by a drug like Verapamil.
Peyronie’s disease and Verapamil side effects
When taken topically or orally for Peyronie’s, Verapamil can cause side effects that may impair thinking or abnormal organ function because of calcium metabolism interference. Care should be used when driving a car, operating dangerous equipment, or any skill in which mental alertness or memory is needed.
Verapamil and Peyronie’s disease warning
Men treating Peyronie’s disease with Verapamil must deal with extreme fatigue, loss of energy, blood pressure problems and skin reactions that often occur. Also, if Verapamil is stopped suddenly any side effect or problem for which it is being taken (like Peyronies) may become worse.
You should not use Verapamil if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
- Serious heart conditions, especially “sick sinus syndrome” or “AV block” (unless you have a pacemaker)
- Low blood pressure
- Recent heart attack
Personal experience with Verapamil and Peyronie’s disease
After attempting to treat my own Peyronie’s disease with topical Verapamil cream for eight months, my overall health suffered from weakness, fatigue, memory failure and low blood pressure caused by the Verapamil in my blood stream. However, worst of all, while using Verapamil my Peyronie’s disease worsened. The size of each Peyronie’s plaque increased and my Peyronie’s curve doubled.
Shortly after using Alternative Medicine to eliminate my Peyronie’s problem, I started the Peyronie’s Disease Institute with my MD colleagues I was working with at the time. With this organization I communicate with dozens of men daily about their problems with PD. Considering the information outlined above, it seems fewer and fewer medical doctors use Verapamil for Peyronie’s disease management.
How to Straighten a Curved Penis
Penile curvature and Peyronie’s disease
Before discussing how to straighten a curved penis, it would be wise to consider if reducing penile curvature in your situation is a necessary and advisable thing to do.
If you know for a fact that you have Peyronie’s disease, it is my opinion that it is always wise to attempt to treat your problem – even if it is only minor and does not interfere with intercourse at the time. Many men suggest to me that since their curved penis is not causing any sexual problem they are not going to do anything about getting rid of their Peyronies problem. They say they will only worry about having PD if they cannot engage in intercourse. Otherwise they intend to just leave it alone.
It is unwise to delay effort to straighten a curved penis for three reasons:
- Many times a small penile curvature can suddenly become bad enough to interfere with intercourse
- The longer Peyronie’s disease persists the more difficult it can be to treat
- A curved penis is unstable during intercourse. The longer your penile curvature continues you take an unnecessary risk every time you engage in sexual intercourse that your curved penis could suddenly bend and buckle, causing additional or worse injury on top of what you currently have.
If you are not sure you have Peyronie’s disease, please see Peyronie’s pictures because it might be unnecessary to use any treatment procedures. It is best to seek a medical opinion about your curved penis to determine the exact cause and diagnosis of your situation.
Lifelong curved penis
In those cases where a man has had a curved penis all his life, it is still possible to use a few techniques that are discussed on this website to straighten a curved penis that is not related to Peyronie’s disease. The Peyronie’s treatment that might be successful to reverse a normally curved penis are:
- Gentle Manual Penis Stretching Technique © – done without dangerous or painful penis stretcher devices.
- PMD DMSO, in combination with copper peptides (Super CP Serum) and vitamin E concentrate.
- Neprinol
The idea behind this approach is to soften and reduce as much soft tissue as possible within the contracted scar tissue, while using gentle manual penile stretching to straighten your curved penis; approaching the problem from two different directions at the same time.
Straighten a curved penis due to Peyronie’s disease
Regardless of the duration of Peyronie’s disease or how severe the curved penis, it is possible to make changes to the degree of abnormal penis bending and distortion. There is no way to predict how much correction can be earned; sometimes it is complete reversal of curvature and other times the correction is only minor – but everyone seems to note some degree of improvement. The real factor that seems to determine if a man succeeds or not is the amount of time and effort he devotes to his problem.
Now that you know how to work to straighten a curved penis it is time to get busy. You will never know for sure until you do your best to correct your penile curvature, and now is the best time to do it.
Difficulty Finding the Peyronie’s Plaque
Peyronie’s disease plaque
Let’s clear up the confusion about the Peyronie’s plaque, the fibrous scar-like tissue that is the most common characteristic of Peyronie’s disease. Many people when reading “scar” automatically think they should see it on the skin surface; for this reason I prefer the term Peyronie’s plaque.
Peyronie’s plaque is usually a flat or slightly elevated mass of fibrous tissue just under the skin, in a thin but tough membrane of the penis known as the tunica albuginea. Sometimes it is cord-like or nodular, but usually it lies flat making it difficult to locate.
Peyronie’s plaque is not in any way related to plaque material that line artery walls. It is benign, meaning it is not cancerous and it is not a tumor. Peyronie’s disease and this fibrous material is not in any way contagious, and is not in any way the result of any transmittable disease or microorganism – thus there is no way for a sexual partner to “catch’ the Peyronie’s plaque.
The mystery of Peyronie’s disease
For a male health problem that affects up to nine percent of the adult population, it is amazing that practically no man ever hears about PD until the day he is given the diagnosis. It is this shock – a “mystery” condition that comes out of the blue, for which there is no known cause and no known cure that can wreck a man’s life. While caught off guard, totally confused and shocked upon first learning about Peyronie’s disease, a man is often does not ask all the standard questions and does not remember the information as he receives his diagnosis.
With so many details pouring into his ears, and so many questions rolling around in this brain, it is easy to understand why a man can leave his doctors office and not remember much about the mystery condition. Even the doctor’s explanation about a Peyronie’s plaque can become confused, making it sound like it is related to the blood vessels.
Location of Peyronie’s plaque suggested by penile curvature
You can usually count on finding your internal plaque on the concave part of a curved penis. If a plaque is located on the topside of the penile shaft (the most common location), the penis will bend upward. A plaque on the underside causes a downward penile curvature. A plaque on the left lateral side of the penis causes a curvature to the left, and a Peyronie’s plaque on the right lateral side of the penis causes a curvature to the right.
Many times a distortion develops on both top and side, or top and bottom, resulting in twists, hourglass deformities or indentation, even shortening of the penis.
Peyronies plaque is elusive
Each week I receive emails asking, “Since my doctor examined me and could not find any Peyronie’s plaque material, and I cannot see a scar, do you think I really have Peyronie’s disease?”
There is never an EXTERNAL scar or plaque in Peyronie’s disease that can be seen. The Peyronie’s plaque is always an internal mass of fibrous tissue that is sometimes called a scar, but is not a scar in the usual sense. Peyronie’s plaques or ‘scars” are only sometimes obvious, while at other times they cannot be found if a person’s life depended on it. Ultimately, if you have Peyronie’s disease you must assume it is there and you should try as many different tactics as you can to find your scar(s) because having a clear and accurate information will help your Peyronie’s disease treatment effort.
To find the internal Peyronie’s plaque, sometimes it is helpful to think about it being much larger than you have previously imagined; mentally expand the size of the scar you are looking for. If you were looking for a “pea” before and couldn’t find it, start looking for a “postage stamp” or a “thumb nail” size structure. This change of the mental image increases your odds to detect it.
When the plaque cannot be located, but there is still pain and distortion of any kind, a diagnosis of PD can still be made. This is so because the fibrous plaque can be so:
1. Small – it cannot be found
2. Soft – it blends into the other tissue and cannot be detected
3. Deep – it cannot be reached easily
4. Large and flat – that the edges are not determined, almost like something that is so close to you that you do not see it because you are looking far away
When plaque is never found it is because of a combination of two or more of these factors – deep and small, or soft, large and flat, or deep, soft and doctor error, and so on.
It is common to have difficulty locating the plaque for the first time. Sometimes it is best to forget about finding a “scar.” Instead just try to find something – anything – within the mass of erectile tissue that feels unlike the other tissue. Finding something unlike the rest of the penis tissue will help define the problem tissue that can be difficult to locate. It might be you have an unreasonable expectation of what a “scar” or Peyronie’s plaque should feel like, making it easy to miss what is rather obvious to someone else with experience in this regard.
After an unusual tissue is found, mark its location on the penis with a marker pen or something that will stay on the skin for a few days. Return to that location each day to re-evaluate it. You want to determine if it becomes easier to make sense of it, so you can monitor it during your Peyronie’s treatment.
Curved Penis and Peyronie’s Disease
Can a curved penis be normal?
One of the common questions I am asked is if a lifelong curved penis could be Peyronie’s disease. The fast answer is that not all penile curvature or bends are abnormal, or even a problem. If you have had a bent penis all your life it is probably not PD.
To help readers make sense of the situation, a longer answer is that a curved penis might indicate Peyronie’s disease under these two basic situations:
- Curved penis that occurs with other signs and symptoms:
A. Pain – the pain of Peyronie’s disease can be variable
i. Constant
ii. Only when erect
iii. Only when non-erect
iv. Occasional
B. Nodule or chord of fibrous tissue (Peyronie’s plaque) present somewhere under the surface of the shaft, usually located on the concave side of the curved penis C. Penile curvature, bend or distortion not present earlier
D. Loss of sexual function - Sudden appearance of penile distortion or bend that was not present earlier in life
Causes of a normally curved penis
Everyone has some degree of difference or asymmetry between one side of the body and the other. I can just about be 100% certain that if you looked into a mirror you would notice not one, but many, differences in the appearance of your face:
- One eye shaped differently than the other.
- Wrinkles around the mouth or eyes that are different on one side of the face than the other.
- Nose and nostrils not even on the face.
- Mouth crooked.
- Center of chin not lined up with the tip of the nose or the space between the eyes.
- Ears shaped differently.
- Cheek bones not curved the same.
While all of this relates to the face, but can also be said of the hands, feet, legs, abdomen – or penis. All parts of our body demonstrate slight irregularities and imperfections that make us human. These are the small and unimportant things that make us unique individuals.
Inside the penis are three long tubular chambers that contain erectile tissue – one corpora spongeosa and two corpora cavernosa. If there is any difference in the length, width or straightness of these three chambers it will result in an erection that is curved or imbalanced in some way.
When a small boy first notices his erections he accepts them for what they are. Later he begins to question and wonder if he is as good as other people, and does not like being different from other people who he assumes are all perfect. Don’t allow a curved penis to become more than what it is.
It would be a good idea to have your curved penis evaluated by a doctor who has experience in this area if you also have recently started to have pain, a nodule or mass of fibrous tissue, and/or reduced sexual ability.
Your curved penis may or may not be Peyronie’s disease, therefor this diagnosis is always best left to the experts.
Visit the Peyronie’s Disease Institute website for information about the Peyronie’s disease natural treatments.
Peyronie’s Disease and Masturbation
Masturbation prominently factors into Peyronie’s disease either as a cause of PD, or later as a man attempts to cope with his curved penis.
Masturbation is the self-stimulation of the female or male genitals to arouse sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm or sexual climax. It is commonly performed by touching, stroking, or in some way pleasurably stimulating the penis or clitoris until orgasm occurs.
Peyronie’s disease intersects with masturbation in particular for several reasons:
- Older boys and men of all ages can injure themselves during rough masturbation rituals with the potential to lead to Peyronie’s disease, especially if genetically predisposed.
- Men who are unable or too embarrassed to expose their deformity to their sexual partner often reso