November 1, 2015 PDI Newsletter
Greetings to all PDI and DCI Warriors,
Welcome to this November 2015 PD Institute newsletter. I must be getting older; time is just flying. I cannot believe the holiday season and the end of the year are so near.
I hesitated for a moment to use this particular email for the November newsletter because some of the ladies, who make up about 15-20% of the readership, might be offended by the guy-like candor and bluntness expressed by the writer of the email, RBXXXXXX. But I decided there was enough instruction and motivation within the email exchange to justify its use. I also felt I could trust our female readers to either avoid the paragraph I will identify or to be mature enough to understand that men, no matter the age, tend to be hyperactive pleasure-seeking little boys when it comes to their privates. RBXXXXXX shows that this is true of him. If reading a sentence or two about this kind of subject might be offensive to you, then please do not read the paragraph that starts with the asterisk (*). Enough said.
People tell me they enjoy and learn from reading the emails in these monthly newsletters. These particular emails are selected from the many dozens of correspondence I get from PDI and DCI readers each month who have questions, primarily about treatment. Peyronie’s disease and Dupuytren’s contracture cause a similar fibrous lesion in the body, and we have repeatedly seen how successful Alternative Medicine treatment is almost identical for these two problems. For this reason it is beneficial for people with PD to read about DC treatment, and for people with DC to read about PD treatment; everyone on our mailing list should benefit from learning the treatment principles and ideas found below.
Because we all use SPAM filters on our emails, I had to edit the content of these emails from RBXXXXXXXX. He naturally and appropriately uses the word P_ _ _ S in several of his emails to me to discuss that part of this body. If I used that word as often as he does in a newsletter all of your SPAM filters would reject this newsletter to your junk folder. To avoid this problem, I have substituted the word SHAFT for this other word so that no one will have a problem receiving this newsletter.
Read this series of combined emails like the back-and-forth of two people talking while one occasionally interrupts the other to make an important point or answer a question. To understand the flow of the conversation, keep in mind that the text in black is from RBXXXXX and the text in red is from me.
Greetings RBXXXXXX,
Please see below for comments…
Regards,
Theodore R. Herazy, DC, LAc
Peyronie’s Disease Institute
Dupuytren’s Contracture Institute
—–Original Message—–
From: RBXXXXXXX
Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2015 7:53 AM
To: info@peyronies-disease-help.com
Subject: I’ve ready many articles but….
I’m a 62 year old man. I’ve had Peyronies since I was 59. As with many men I’ve had some of the same physical issues we all read about. I’ve had advanced Duypuytren’s Contracture in both hands and have had surgery on both. (2012 and 2015) Prior to that I had plantar fasciitis. Sorry to learn of your multiple problems; you are being hit in many directions. But you are not alone; you would be surprised to learn how many men are experiencing a similar history as you. Are you showing any evidence yet that your DC is starting to return after the 2012 surgery? I ask because it is common for DC surgery to recur after about three years or so, although some are even quicker depending on the genetic predisposition of the individual. Since you have PD, DC and something going on with the soft tissue of your feet (that could be early Ledderhose disease) it sounds like you might have a strong hereditary tendency toward chronic fibrosis of multiple tissues. The reason I ask is that if you are showing a very rapid return after surgery of your DC, it would influence how you would go about using a natural Alternative Medicine program to help yourself.
At the time of both Duyputrens and plantar fasciitis I was totally unaware that Peyronies had the propensity of coming next. (Frankly, I never heard of it.) That is not exactly true. There is no particular sequence or order in which these problems develop, or even if they will develop; many people have only one of these problems and never develop the other two.
*A few days prior, I was using one of those masturbation hand held devices, (flashjack) I think it was called and got “carried away.” Anyway, at the time I noticed something was wrong and almost immediately the length, girth and direction of my shaft changed. I had absolutely no pain. My shaft prior to that was healthy. When erect I hung down and was 7 inches. It changed to a stubby 3-31/2-4 inches. It is now smaller than my hand. Sorry to say but my s_x life is primarily “I’m holding my own.”
OK, I guess I’ve given enough personal information.
Here’s where I need your help.
I’ve been reading articles on Trental and am considering going on it to reduce the PD plaque. For a commentary about what I think about Trental (pentoxifylline) please see https://peyronies-disease-help.com/pentoxifylline-peyronies-disease-treatment/ For the details of how you should use such medication it would be wise to consult with a medical doctor who has had considerable experience, great results and high confidence using Trental specifically for the purpose of PD treatment. I would suggest you find someone who fits that description, as opposed to someone like the urologist you mentioned who is using it for the first time and has no experience using it. Many of the problems that men tell me about with their PD medical treatment seems to occur because the MDs have little experience and less interest in treating this particular problem. You will not find a lot of information about Trental and PD, and almost no positive results about outcomes from treatment with it, so what you are looking for is not common. For these, and other reasons, it is my opinion that the PDI natural approach to initial PD makes most sense.
1) Have there been any studies on it to return the erect penis back to its original shape and size? In my work, especially with men who use the PDI gentle manual penis stretching video, I have had many spontaneous reports of regaining lost length and girth, but I have not tried to conduct any formal counts about recovery of lost size. Personally, these kind of studies that investigate the size of the male organ are doomed for failure and questionable results since so many men exaggerate the numbers in this area. I have worked with men who report their lost size has been returned completely, others whose say their size has returned partially, and some who have not had any changes at all; I never ask for numbers, only the percent of return of what was lost. I think this approach keeps men honest, and allows them to retain some sense of dignity when discussing what men tend to think of as their diminished masculinity and self-worth. The restoration of lost size is variable dependent upon many factors, especially how aggressively PDI treatment is conducted. However, I can tell you that most men who conduct an aggressive plan, and do it well, usually report some degree of size restoration; it is not common for no size increase to occur when a large PDI plan is conducted correctly.
2) Is it too late to start taking Trental due to it being three years since original diagnosis? Please consult with an MD who has used it frequently and abundantly in PD treatment for best information; do not just take the word of the MD who is down the road from you. I realize this will not be easy since Trental it is not a favored treatment approach. Xiaflex injections are currently popular, primarily because they are the newest and most hopeful contender of the small medical arsenal that is currently available to men with PD. However, if you look into it, you will see there is a growing awareness that Xiaflex injections are not the wonder-drug that people were hoping they would be; a higher rate of bad reactions is surfacing than was reported in the initial drug evaluation tests; the stories are sometime horrific. As far as PDI and DCI treatment is concerned, I can tell you that I have worked successfully with people who have had both conditions for more than 10 years, so age of the problem does not greatly influence how people respond to this natural therapy.
3) Trental is usually prescribed as 400mg three times a day. For this diagnosis is it recommended twice or three times a day? Again, this is not my area of expertise. For this reason I recommend that you talk to the best urologist you can find to get advice about how to use this drug.
4) Any success or studies with PABA and/ or Vitamin E? Yes. PABA and vitamin E have been included in both the DCI and PDI approach because there were reported positive improvements during medical studies when used in PD treatment, but not as good as would be required to satisfy the requirements of a drug. It comes down to understanding and accepting that vitamins do not work like drugs – that should be no big surprise or concession to the idea that nutrition is critically necessary for the body to function properly. In all medical research studies each vitamin is tested and used by itself (as a solo therapy) as would any drug be used and compared. For this reason the results indicated that these vitamins were not as effective as a drug – which is not surprising because a vitamin is not a drug. PDI and DCI do not suggest using vitamins as drugs, we suggest using them as vitamins, and for that reason they work much better when taken in combination with other vitamins. PABA and vitamin E are mainstays with the PDI and DCI approach, but they are not the sum total of what we advocate. From my experience in working daily with people from around the world for the last 14 years for their PD and DC problems, I have seen the best natural treatment results occur when the broadest and most aggressive treatment is used; isolating treatment to just a small plan of only PABA and vitamin E is usually not diverse or aggressive enough to get the kind of results that a person with PD or DC wants.
5) How about a combination of all? If you are asking about combining Trental with PABA, you must again seek out an MD who works in that way for an answer. However, I can report my own observation that when a person combines natural therapies it can get results when other approaches are ineffective. I always try to discourage people from using solo vitamin therapy (just vitamin E by itself, or acetyl-L-carnitine alone, or ultrasound treatment alone, or any other therapy by itself) because DC and PD are too difficult, too stubborn, and too complicated to treat in a narrow and limited way. Best results occur when a broad based and aggressive natural treatment plan is used consistently for at least 3-4 months.
I really don’t want to use one of the male organ extenders. The thought of doing that for 10 hours a day while wearing a heavy stretcher contraption is out of the question. Mechanical stretchers are extremely difficult and painful to use for the men I talk to, often resulting in so much tissue damage that they actually can cause PD; I have had countless emails and conversations with men whose PD started with the use of a mechanical extender device. Some men cannot keep them on unless they are worn so tightly that they get bleeding bruises and blisters, or black and blue marks, on the shaft. Other men report trying to wear them during the day – as when at work – and get involved in embarrassing situations that would be hilarious if they were not so terribly sad. Several years ago I completed a research project with a group of men to develop a revolutionary gentle manual stretching procedure that does not pose the risk of mechanical stretchers, please go to the PDI store to see information about the 1-hour DVD that shows you how to safely stretch the shaft for maximum improvement. I’ve also thought about the injections verapamil or xiaflex. The cost is absorbent. I’m recently retired and insurance would never cover that. It has been a long time since I have heard of any MD actually using verapamil injections for PD, so I will assume it is not being done currently and will not respond about it. I have written many times about Xiaflex. Here is one link that might interest you http://peyronies-disease-help.com/peyronies-disease-treatment-xiaflex/ I had a wonderful urologist before I retired. I called him yesterday in NJ and talked to him about Trental. He was UNAWARE of Trental being used. He read up on it and called me back and prescribed it three times a day. The man might be a great doctor and urologist, and perhaps he is, but his lack of experience and background with using Trental for PD would worry me. My concern centers around his willingness to treat your PD with a drug he had never heard of before you told him about it. I suggest you be very careful. Over and over again I hear tragic stories from men whose lives have been ruined by MDs who make huge treatment mistakes.
My primary issues and concerns are regaining my shaft size by reducing plaque. Exactly. Good PD treatment is all about reducing the internal PD scar tissue, not focusing only on reducing the curvature and not getting lost size back. While those goals are important, if you reduce the internal scar tissue the curvature will improve and lost size will come back. Similarly, good DC treatment is all about reducing the internal cords and palmar contractions, not making the hand look pretty or increasing finger movement. If you reduce the internal cords and palmar contractions the hand will look normal and finger movement will come back. Our emphasis is on helping the body eliminate the abnormal foreign fibrous tissue; once the body is able to make that happen the function of the body should return to normal. I’m able to get a pseudo erection and able to have an orgasm; I can even deal with the minimal angling. When I wake up hard and I see it that small after years of a “normal shaft.”
You ask for help getting started treating your problem, but it is always difficult knowing where to begin learning how to help yourself without drugs. I suggest you spend a bit of time clicking on the various links found on the PDI home page, especially http://peyronies-disease-help.com/peyronies-treatment-options/peyronies-disease-natural-treatments-introduction/ and http://peyronies-disease-help.com/new-customer-how-to-select-treatment-plan/ and http://peyronies-disease-help.com/peyronies-treatment-help/
If you are looking for an easy A-B-C kind of treatment answer I must tell you there is none. Natural treatment is not the same for everyone and each plan has to be customized to the individual. Peyronie’s disease is a very difficult and stubborn problem to treat successfully. In order to make any level of correction of the problem requires that a man be prepared to spend time and effort to build up his inner strength to correct his problem. That is a key idea to understand how to go about treating PD – you are attempting to treat yourself to cure the problem naturally. This is often not an easy thing to do and results cannot be guaranteed, but when it happens your world will change.
Probably the best single page on the PDI site to learn about natural treatment ideas is, “Get Started with PD Treatment”; there is a similar page on the DCI site. This will get you pointed in the right direction. Even if you gave more details about your condition, the absolute best treatment plan for you is still something you have to determine for yourself based on how you actually respond to your initial treatment plan. This is a key concept: A successful treatment plan is developed over time with trial and error using careful observation of what works or doesn’t work to make favorable changes to the size, shape, density and surface features of your PD scar(s). I can get you started with your care, but the actual work is done by you. You must be in control of your plan, guiding your self-treatment. I can and will help you with ideas and suggestions for your plan modification as you advance. We can work together with me supplying suggestions for you as needed, based on the information you determine by monitoring the size, shape, density and surface features of your PD scar to determine what is working and what is not working. This is the best and most accurate way of approaching your problem with highest success.
Treatment for Peyronie’s disease can begin with any of the plans you see presented on the PDI website. Progress will tend to be faster and more dependable with a plan that is larger and more aggressive than one that is smaller and more conservative. The more you do to assist your immune response to the foreign tissue that is present in your body, the stronger the natural response tends to be. Most people tend to use a plan that is as large and diverse as they can afford in terms of time and money. You should keep in mind that any of the suggested sample plans you see on the website can be modified as you decide by being made smaller or larger. In other words, you can change any plan to suit your ideas, with the idea in mind that success is usually related to how much is done to recover from this problem. Most people start with the medium size plan and if not successful after a month or two, they will add a little therapy to it until they notice progress and correction to take place.
As you can tell from the length and detail of this response, PDI is here to make a real difference with your problem and we have information you will not find anywhere. If you want some help and ideas that you are not now getting, I would be pleased to help you along. However, be aware that my knowledge and experience in treating PD with Alternative Medicine is exclusive to the specific therapies you will find on the PDI website. These are the therapies I have worked with since 2002 with countless thousands of men to improve their PD. My expertise is with these specific products that were selected because of their ability to influence the PD scar.
It still depresses me. I understand. For many men the emotional and interpersonal stresses of PD are more painful and taxing than the physical issues. From my personal experience when I first developed PD many years ago, I can tell you that it is dangerous to look into that dark hole of depression caused by PD. Don’t go there; there is nothing there for you that will help you. Find encouragement and enthusiasm for doing something positive for yourself. For example it is an extremely positive thing to realize that for around 50% of men who develop PD, it will go away – heal – on its own. Yes, the body can and does spontaneously eliminate PD in half of the cases it occurs. That should be wildly encouraging and exciting to think about. The same is true of DC; a wide percent of early DC cases develop just so far, and then spontaneously disappear. Both of these problems can be eliminated by the natural immune response of the body. But for some people help is needed, because the problem does not go away on its own. Right now you are apparently in that group of men who failed to correct your PD and DC. While your body has not healed itself of its PD, consider that you have up to this point in time done nothing to help your body heal and repair itself. I suggest to you that perhaps your body can heal and repair its PD like the lucky 50% whose PD goes away naturally, if you only give it some assistance in ways that have been shown in research studies to have some limited success when done in a solo manner. The PDI and DCI concept is to use a large group of these same therapy items – not one at a time – of all known natural methods to assist soft tissue recovery at the same time it is possible to help the body recover on its own. It is really not such a far-fetched or radical idea. Think of it as overwhelming and flooding your tissue with the “good stuff” so your body has all that it needs at the same time to heal spontaneously. I think it is a safe and reasonable way to try to help yourself. If it works, great, look what you have accomplished. If it does not work, you have not done anything that might injure yourself and you have at least tried to do some good. We get reports of good results all the time from people who have DC and PD, when they faithfully and aggressively use the ideas presented in these two websites. Our reports of failure are fewer and far between compared to our many reports of success.
Good luck with your search for finding a treatment direction you can have confidence in. Please email me any questions you might have about treatment of PD with Alternative Medicine, I will be happy to help you in any way I can. TRH
Any information on successes is appreciated from a doctor’s perspective.
Thank you,
RBXXXXXXX
This concludes our discussion for this issue of the newsletter. Hope that everyone found something that was helpful so you can do a better job of helping your own PD or DC condition. I have not heard back from RBXXXX so I do not know what he has decided to do for himself. I trust he will do the right things that will give him better health and peace of mind. If you want to contact me about your problem or any treatment question, please send an email at info@peyronies-disease-help.com.
Prepare for the cold weather coming our way, except of course if you are one of our hundreds of New Zeland or Australian readers who are facing the start of summer. But for the rest of us, keep warm and stay focused on your treatment plans. TRH
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