Curved Penis and Peyronie’s Disease

February 3rd, 2010

Peyronies bent penis is focus of problem

While the primary interest of Peyronie’s disease treatment is the internal scar tissue or fibrous  plaque material that causes the distortion or curved penis to develop, it is not the primary interest of the man who has PD.  For him, the most important aspect of Peyronie’s disease is the curved penis that plagues him.  For this reason Peyronies is also known as the “bent nail disease.”

Peyronie’s disease causes a curved penis when the fibrous tissue of the Peyronie scar or plaque pulls unevenly or causes incomplete filling within the erect penis.  This can vary in degree or severity from man to man.  For this reason the curved penis does not indicate the severity of the Peyronies problem or success of Peyronies disease treatment.  The true success of Peyronies treatment is based on the change that occurs in the Peyronies plaque or scar.  Once the fibrous scar changes, eventual improvement in the curved penis can be expected in time.

The internal tissue of the healthy penis is flexible and expandable.  This normal tissue is able to allow for a normal erection to develop when blood is trapped inside the organ.

In Peyronie’s disease some of the tissue is not healthy or flexible and elastic.  Specifically, the deep tissue known as the tunica albuginea is not elastic because it replaced by dense and inelastic fibrous tissue that is called a scar or plaque.   As an erection develops the elastic tissue of the tunica albuginea must stretch and expand evenly on both sides, left and fright, and top and bottom, of the penis.  If this cannot happen because an area of the penis is no longer flexible and expandable, then a curved penis results.

Peyronie’s disease usually begins with a small nodule or bump that is found on the top or sides of the penis, just immediately below the surface.  A few weeks to several months to a year later, a small fibrous nodule can expand into a larger irregular scar of variable size, shape, density and surface quality.  These scars can be as long as the penis.  Some appear like a collar to go around the shaft.   Some are one large mass, while others appear to be like small isolated islands of fibrous tissue in many areas.   Scars can be so soft or small, with edges so tapered and vague that no scar can be found.  In a case of Peyronie’s disease when no scar or plaque can be found, it is still assumed to exist when a curved penis develops during erection. .

Normally curved penis

Most men have a straight erection, but some are born with a penis that curves or bends (usually upward).   Just as fingers on the hand or a nose can display a natural bend, or arms can be of different length on the same person, the penis can be bent without the presence of Peyronies.  Typically, the normally curved penis follows a more gradual and arched design, more like a banana.  In Peyronie’s disease the curved penis is more localized and abrupt, like an angulated bend.

When the two primary chambers (corpora cavernosa) of the penis are a different diameter or length, the penis will bend when erect.   The penis will appear straight when flaccid, and on erection it will bend.

This slight penile distortion will not be associated with pain, there will be no trauma in the history, and it will not appear suddenly as does the curved penis of Peyronie’s disease.

Curved penis affects sexual intercourse

It is estimated that 75-90% of Peyronie’s disease couples will sooner or later experience a sexual intercourse problem, in regard to either pain or difficult penetration – or both.   The curved penis of is the primary reason sexual penetration is compromised, and it is also the reason for the pain that can be experienced by either – or both – partner. This is especially so in those cases in which the distortion is so severe it is described as “cork screw” or “cane handle.”

Incomplete filling of the penis with blood during erection can also happen in Peyronies.  This results in an area of the penis, either small or large, that is soft and unable to sustain the rigors of intercourse.  A soft area within an otherwise firm erection presents a weakness and vulnerability of the normally turgid erection.  A weak area of erection can suddenly collapse or buckle during intercourse, causing additional injury to the penile tissue.  This can cause pain, inflammation and additional fibrous infiltration.

It is a rare Peyronies couple that does not deal with some level of sexual difficulty related to penile distortion and reduced firmness of the erection.  The many physical, emotional and social issues of Peyronie’s disease are complex.  For this reason the reader is referred to “Peyronie’s Disease and Sex” for more information about this complicated area of life with a curved penis.

Treatment of the curved penis

It is important to remember that any penile distortion that develops in Peyronie’s disease is not the primary problem of this condition.   A curved penis that appears one night is difficult to ignore, but is only a symptom of the real problem of Peyronie’s disease – the scar. Without the Peyronies scar there would be no curved penis.

This is the reason I advise men who are undergoing Peyronies treatment to focus on the size, shape, density and surface qualities of the scar or plaque to determine if their Alternative Medicine treatment is being effective.  The curvature can improve or worsen as the scar is reduced.

A small scar can cause a large bend, just as a large scar can cause no bend at all if it is balanced and symmetrical.   For this reason a curved penis can worsen as the scar is being reduced or eliminated.   Estimating progress or success of a PD therapy plan is difficult .  A man can have many more scars than he is aware of, and they can be larger than can be detected since they are often difficult to locate and often overlap.

If only one scar is present the curvature problems are direct and easy to understand, although  this is unusual.   However, if multiple scars are present the internal pulling and twisting they cause can be very complicated.   Several scars can interact on many  planes of internal penile tissue.   Any reduction in one or more scar will alter the internal tension and pulling of the tissues, resulting in an altered curvature.  There is no guarantee the curvature will change for the better initially – sometimes it can look worse as the scars become smaller.  This is why 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 what is going on with the scar9s) below the surface.

Do not be discouraged by the curved penis of Peyronie’s disease.  Instead, stay focused on your plan for effective Peyronies treatment.  Learn more about Peyronie’s disease treatment.

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Peyronies and Viagra

February 2nd, 2010

Peyronies and Viagra are connected

Questions about Peyronie’s disease and Viagra are common.   Viagra, one of the PDE5 inhibitor drugs, is wildly popular and widely used not only among men who have erectile dysfunction (ED, impotence), but healthy men who merely use it to have longer lasting and more repetitive sexual intercourse.

While I hate to spoil the fun, over the years I have had a disturbing number of men tell me that they now have Peyronies, and Viagra was the cause of it.  They report the erections that occurred after using Viagra were super-erections and caused greater than normal internal pressure and pain.  Shortly after having such and episode they report having Peyronie’s disease; Viagra use is the only possible cause, because no trauma occurred.

It makes sense that any of the PDE5 inhibiter drugs (Cialis and Levitra are the others) increase pressure that is sometimes greater than normal with the tunica albuginea. In addition, these drugs create such hard and long-lasting erections because they induce an artificial condition within the penis.

If it were possible to take a drug that would allow you to lift a truck above your head and keep it there for an hour, should you do it?  That would be an interesting, and very impressive to the ladies, but is that reason enough to subject your body to the potential risk that would be involved?   The fact is that the body is not built to be used that way.  Lifting a great amount of weight causes internal pressure on tissue and organs that were not meant to bear that kind of weight.  Great injury would occur to internal organs, your spine, knees, hips, shoulders, blood vessels, and so on.  The same relationship exists between Peyronies and Viagra, and the rest of these products.

All of this is so unfortunate because there are far safer methods for Peyronie’s disease treatment.

Even though it sounds like a teenagers dream come true, the penis is not designed or intended to sustain such great internal pressures that are created by these drugs, nor is the penis built to be used in hour after hour of intercourse.  Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.  That kind of activity can be abusive to the delicate tunica albuginea and could be the connection between Peyronies and Viagra or any other PDE5 inhibitor drug.

Several months ago a man told me he injured his penis while using Viagra.  He took some Viagra for the first time to the delight of his wife, and him.  After rousing intercourse, both fell asleep except his penis stayed erect.  He enjoyed the enormous erection and at first he thought it was great.  While asleep with this huge erection he rolled over and jammed his penis into the mattress.  In great pain, he heard and felt the tissue of the penis “pop.”  Two months later he was diagnosed with Peyronie’s disease.

Weekly I am told or I read that MDs write orders for their patients with Peyronies and Viagra is the most commonly prescribed drug.   The MD will explain that the Viagra will increase the blood flow to the penis and this is beneficial to Peyronie’s disease.  I think this is nonsense.

While there is an increased amount of blood within the penis during an erection that causes the greater size of the organ, it is perhaps only 2-3 tablespoons more blood than is normally present.  But here is the most important point that explains why this idea is so silly:  The extra blood, and even the normal amount of blood that is inside the penis during an erection, is TRAPPED there.  It is not freely flowing, or moving in and out as you would like to happen, to actually increase circulation.  During an erection, there is less true circulation of blood – that is why the penis gets darker, because there is less oxygen present – and so there is no therapeutic purpose in creating super erections with Viagra because that is not the way to get better circulation.

A man would know he actually is suffering from poor circulation in his penis, just as he would know he has poor circulation in any other part of his body – like his feet or hands.  When the feet or hands have poor circulation they become cold, painful and pale.  If your penis is not cold, painful and pale, then reduced circulation is not your problem.  And enduring prolonged erections from a PDE5 inhibitor will not help your Peyronie’s disease, and could make it worse.

If you want to increase circulation to the penis, you can do it as you would to your feet or hands.  You would apply heat to the area as with a hot water bottle, or cover it with a blanket.  You can even rub it!  It is as simple as that.

The increased occurrence of Peyronies and the increased use of Viagra is not a coincidence.  There is a reason more and more men are getting Peyronie’s disease at the same time that more and more men are using Viagra and the other PDE5 inhibitors.  Now you know about Peyronies and Viagra.

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If it is not Peyronie’s disease, what is it?

January 19th, 2010

Peyronie’s disease treatment to be successful must be directed to the correct condition.

While I spend a good part of my day communicating with men about Peyronie’s disease treatment, I also am asked frequent questions by men who are unsure if they even have Peyronies.

One of the common vexing questions is, “If that lump or bump on my bent penis is not Peyronies disease, what else could it be?”

The truth of the matter is that it is difficult to answer this question because it often just opens up a large door of possibilities since many conditions can cause a penile lump.  This, of course, starts many questions about a curved penis.  To prevent the eruption of a long list of questions from this one particular question, I will not go into much discussion about the various problems and conditions that can be mistaken for Peyronie’s disease.

The real value of this kind of list of possible conditions that can cause,  contribute, or be associated with or confused with a bump or lump on the penis is one of simple recognition.  If you already recognize you have one or two health problems that you personally have been dealing with or one or two health problems that are present within your family history, then seeing it mentioned in this list will alert you to the possible connection between these two your penile problem and this other problem.

This list is not meant to be an education about any of these problems, just a way to offer possibilities other than Peyronie’s disease.

Conditions that sometimes can contribute to, cause, or be associated with  lumps and bumps within the penis, but not Peyronie’s disease, are:

  1. Congenital curvature of the penis – you were just born that way
  2. Penile dorsal vein thrombosis
  3. Local trauma
  4. Acute penile fracture
  5. Alcohol Abuse
  6. Diabetes Mellitus
  7. Tertiary Syphilis – a structure known as a Gumma, that develops late in the progression of this sexually transmitted disease
  8. Scleroderma
  9. Gouty tophi or nodules – important if you have a history of gout, or that you notice your penis nodules get worse during a bad episode of gout

10. Metastasis of cancer to the penis – very rare

11. Chordee with or without hypospadias

12. Ventral curvature secondary to urethral instrumentation

It is important that Peyronie’s treatment is directed toward the correct problem.  If you are unsure about the cause of your lump, bump or penis curvature it is important that you have your physician examine you for a competent medical examination.  After that, review the PDI website to learn as much as you can about the Alternative Medicine treatment of Peyronie’s disease.

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Peyronie’s disease and the erection

January 15th, 2010

Peyronie’s treatment and how to care for erections

An important consideration of Peyronie’s disease treatment concerns how the ability to develop a normal erection will be influenced.

While erections can be difficult to develop on demand during a sexual situation, paradoxically, an erection can be difficult to stop, especially when it develops while asleep.  Nocturnal (nighttime) erections occur for a reason, and they are important for the overall health of the spongy tissue of the corpora cavernosa and corpora spongiosum (deep tissues of the penis that fill and trap blood to create the erect state).

It is as though the body takes the opportunity to develop an erection during the night when there is little other activity going on, to assure that the penile tissue is stretched and used in this particular way for its own benefit.  The problem with nocturnal erections in Peyronie’s disease is that confinement and binding of the erection can be sustained against the penis for a long period of time at the risk of additional injury.  Be especially careful about getting an erection during a time when the penis has no comfortable place to go – do what you can to avoid an erection while wearing tight underwear or pants.

For this reason it is important to not wear tight clothing to bed in order to avoid this problem.

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 stretch out the penile tissue to any great excess that is going to be detrimental to the penis. Where you can get into trouble is in creating a drug-induced or artificial erection, during which an abnormally great amount of blood is drawn into the penis by more soft tissue relaxation than normal.  So in this way we see that a naturally occurring erection is safer than an artificially created erection.

Over the years I have communicated with many men whose Peyronies disease 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 PSI during normal use, and over-inflating it to 100-150 PSI during use.  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 Peyronie’s disease, but rough, aggressive, hard sex could really hurt you.  Developing and using a natural erection is not to be avoided either in PD.  Just keep your wits about you and do not go wild during sex.  The emphasis should be on an easy, smooth and gentle sexual encounter.  Anything 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 recent book, “Peyronie’s Disease Owner’s Manual.”   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.

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Peyronie’s disease treatment question

January 15th, 2010

Peyronie’s treatment that are not mainstream

Every now and then someone emails a question to me about an herbal Peyronie’s disease treatment (ginkgo biloba, echinacea), a micronutrient (coenzyme Q, EPA), or an old home remedy (garlic, castor oil, olive oil) that might be used as a Peyronie’s disease cure.  Along a similar line, I am sometimes asked if I know anything about a legendary Peyronie’s treatment known as Thacker’s formula, what I would think about using the treatment, and why does this treatment not appear in the PDI lineup of therapies?

How is a Peyronie’s treatment method selected by PDI?

In order for any therapy or procedure to be included in the PDI lineup of 14 potential Peyronie’s treatments, it has to have either been applied specifically in treatment of PD in a series of scientific studies and proven at least 50% effective in several trials (even though it might have done poorly in others), or it must have demonstrated good success and acceptance within the scientific community for treatment of other unrelated health problems (acupuncture and homeopathy).  With this simple criterion we establish some level of scientific credibility for those therapies in our PDI lineup, and further increase the possible effectiveness of therapy when several of these are united in a synergistic program of care.

There are probably some really good Peyronie’s disease treatment ideas that that could be actually very effective.  But who among us wants to waste his time, effort, energy, money, and most importantly, his opportunity to get over his Peyronie’s disease by experimenting with theories that have absolutely no proven ability to influence the body to promote healing? I did not want to waste my time on theories of questionable merit, when I knew there were many available that had already achieved some level of success.  This last group seemed to be a better place to look for answers, than chasing unproven ideas.

Edgar Cayce’s castor oil pack might indeed be an effective Peyronies’ disease treatment, but for one reason or another it has not been subjected to even minimal scrutiny for PD.  The goal of recovering from Peyronies is too great to use an untried treatment, when there are so many others of higher credibility and logic to work with.

PDI was started on the basis of using treatments of some level of known and proven merit, and uses this standard today to determine what additions will be recommended and used in future therapy plans.  Rumors, stories, and speculation you read about on a Peyronie’s forum is not enough.  Alternative Medicine employs early science to see through the maze of superstition and learn the truth of what may or may not work to regain health.  These are the principles used to formulate the current Peyronie’s disease treatment strategies you have learned about.  We are already working on the outer rim of established medical practice, but we must be careful to not go too far away from common sense and valuable scientific information that will help us achieve our health goals.

Usually, my suggestion for someone who wants to use such a new Peyronie’s treatment is to do it in combination with several other known and better proven therapies already in the PDI lineup.  This way there is back-up treatment, and the total effort will create a therapeutic synergy.  Never is it suggested to use only the one therapy of any type, proven or unproven.

So, if you are just adding in an extra type of therapy because you read about it on a Peyronie’s forum, I say, all the more power to your curiosity and sense of adventure, but please do not have that constitute the majority of what you do for yourself.

Try not to become so desperate that you grab at straws. There is a lot of good information about sensible Peyronie’s disease treatment I can offer if you need help with your rehabilitation program.

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Treatment for Peyronie’s Disease with Alternative Medicine

January 11th, 2010

Peyronie’s Disease Treatment is simple with Alternative Medicine

All Peyronie’s disease treatment is surrounded by controversy.  Every drug and surgical treatment for Peyronie’s disease is unproven, to say nothing of the Alternative Medicine treatments proposed by PDI.

No one can say which is the best treatment for Peyronie’s disease at this time, because only prescription medication is researched by the drug industry.  Peyronie’s medication and surgery are the only forms of treatment for Peyronie’s disease that the pharmaceutical companies seriously investigate; no other Peyronie’s treatments are even considered.  With no economic motivation Alternative Medicine ideas are ignored.

The Peyronie’s Disease Institute offers a way for the average man to apply concepts and have personal control over a form of new treatment for Peyronie’s disease, using Alternative Medicine.  Peyronie’s natural treatment will never be considered by the pharmaceutical and hospital industries, and these business interests will never endorse home treatment for Peyronie’s disease for obvious economic reasons.

The PDI website recommends aggressive use of multiple Peyronie’s disease natural treatment in the acute and chronic stages.  The purpose of this intense treatment for Peyronie’s disease is to increase and support the maximum healing potential of the body.  In this way each man is given the best possible opportunity to repair and regenerate the damaged penile tissue to the best of his ability.

“Proof” of Peyronie’s Disease Treatment

In modern society drugs and medical technology with the greatest profit potential are researched most and are pushed hardest into the marketplace. Even though a particular treatment for Peyronie’s disease might help people, unless there is strong economic motivation to find “proof” that it works.  Low profit therapies (vitamins, enzymes, homeopathy) are generally ignored by the medical establishment for reason of simple economics.   Simple remedies are labeled “unproven” not necessarily because they do not work, but simply because no one wants to spend the time, effort and money to scientifically prove their effectiveness. A good home treatment for Peyronie’s disease can stay untested (ignored actually), and therefore remain “unproven”.

New Treatment for Peyronie’s Disease

Our theories for using aggressive and multiple Peyronie’s treatments are not yet proven.  That proof is probably a long way off, since PDI cannot underwrite PD research the way a large university or billion dollar company can.   PDI is not against surgery or drugs in cases that have been non-responsive to prolonged aggressive use of its new treatment for Peyronie’s disease.  Too many men rush into Peyronie’s surgery believing that is an easy and sure solution to a big problem.

Natural Peyronie’s disease treatment theory is that the potential benefits of these subtle natural therapies are enhanced and multiplied by simply using several alternative therapies at the same time.  We strongly suggest that abundant benefits are available to any man who needs treatment for Peyronie’s disease by using what is known and what is available – even if it is not perfect – rather than passively behave like a Peyronie’s victim.

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Peyronie’s Treatment and Cialis

January 4th, 2010

Peyronie’s and Cialis (Tadalafil) and PDE5 inhibitors

Peyronie’s and Cialis are both on the rise – no pun intended, and there is a reason for that.

Cialis it is not a Peyronie’s treatment; Cialis is used to treat erectile dysfunction (impotence).   But some MDs use Cialis in Peyronies treatment because they think it will help the patient achieve a stronger erection  since Peyronie’s disease often is associated with erectile dysfunction.   This practice is is coming close scrutiny because Cialis and all the other PDE5 inhibitors like it can actually make Peyronies worse when it causes a very extreme erection that the body is not built to handle.  This can cause damage to delicate tissue and more Peyronie’s scar formation.

Peyronie’s and Cialis Usage

Every man with Peyronie’s should know each package of Cialis contains information warning that men with Peyronie’s disease should use Cialis with great caution because of possible side effects that include damage to the penile tissue that can actually cause Peyronie’s disease if you do not already have it.

MDs write orders for their patients with Peyronies and Cialis is a commonly prescribed drug.   The MD will explain that the Cialis will increase the blood flow to the penis and this is beneficial to Peyronie’s disease.  I think this is nonsense.

An erection is created when blood is TRAPPED inside the penis, causing the spongy tissue to fill up and expand with about 2-3 tablespoons more blood than is normally in the penis.  This additional 2-3 tablespoons of blood become TRAPPED inside the penis, just like when you blow up a balloon and tie a knot at the end of the balloon.  Sure there is more air inside the balloon, but it does not circulate freely – it is stagnant air. And the additional blood also does not circulate freely in the penis.  That is why the penis is darker when it is erect – the blood does not have much oxygen in it, making the tissue darker.  This just goes to show how little many MDs think about what they are doing when they write a prescription.

Cialis is a popular erectile dysfunction drug, but it does not make sense to use it for treatment of Peyronie’s disease. When a man goes to his doctor for his Peyronie’s and Cialis is prescribed, he should understand the reason for the prescription does not make sense.

Cialis and Peyronie’s Connection

While I hate to spoil the fun for those whose sex life is enhanced by Cialis, but over the years I have had a disturbing number of men inform me they now have Peyronies and Cialis use was the cause.  Any of the PDE5 inhibiter drugs (Viagra and Levitra are others) can increase pressure within the penis that  can be greater than normal.  Injury to the tissue can lead to Peyronie’s disease.

If it were possible to take a drug that would allow you to lift a truck above your head and keep it there for an hour, should you do it?  That would be an interesting, and very impressive to the ladies, but is that reason enough to subject your body to the potential risk that would be involved?   The fact is that the body is not built to be used that way.  Lifting a great amount of weight causes internal pressure on tissue and organs that were not meant to bear that kind of weight.  Great injury would occur to internal organs, your spine, knees, hips, shoulders, blood vessels, and so on.  The same relationship exists between Peyronies and Cialis, and the rest of these PDE5 inhibitors.

All of this is so unfortunate because there are far safer methods for Peyronie’s disease treatment.

The increased occurrence of Peyronies and Cialis use also increasing is not a coincidence.  There is a reason that more and more men are getting Peyronie’s disease at the same time that more and more men are using Cialis and the other PDE5 inhibitors.

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Peyronie’s disease and baby boomers

December 26th, 2009

Peyronie’s disease:  male health problem no one knows about

If you are a member of the baby boomer generation and have never heard of Peyronie’s (pay-row-neez) disease, you are not alone.  However, if you are a male baby boomer or married to one, you are in the prime age group to experience a problem you know nothing about.  This is so because Peyronies disease primarily affects men between 50 to 65 years of age, although an age range of 18 to 80 years has been reported, with an average age at onset of 53.

Few people know about the problem until they need Peyronie’s disease treatment.   This is why it is important for all baby boomers to know about, and how to avoid, it because this health problem can easily ruin your life.

Peyronie’s disease remains one of the most perplexing and difficult urologic diseases to treat; it has been called “the doctor’s nightmare”.  Most everything about this condition (cause, progression, symptoms, age distribution, response to treatment) is variable and unique to the man who has it.  The great variability of Peyronie’s disease that makes it difficult to study and to understand, also makes it almost impossible to treat like other medical conditions.

It is a complex problem that is much more common than most people realize. Estimates suggest that up to eight out of 100 men over the age of 40 have Peyronie’s disease – that is a lot of people worldwide – and still only a small percent of people have ever heard of it.

People are reluctant to discuss this problem because it involves the male organ.  For this reason it is difficult to develop accurate information and statistics, especially since men are so shy on one hand, yet also inclined to exaggerate.

Definition of Peyronie’s disease

Peyronie’s disease can best be understood as an exaggerated wound healing in response to an injury in which an excessive amount of Peyronie’s scar tissue develops within the man’s shaft.

Peyronie’s disease (also known by over 12 different names, among which is “iduratio penis plastica”) is very special disorder of the connective tissue in which fibrous “scars” or “plaques” develop usually after direct injury.   This Peyronie’s plaque occurs in a special tissue of the shaft known as the tunica albuginea, a fibrous chamber or envelope that surrounds the two penile cylindrical shaped masses of spongy tissue known as the corpora cavernosa.  The corpora cavernosa enlarge during sexual excitement, and the tunica albuginea covering, are designed to expand and elongate.  If there is fibrous scar or plaque material in the tunica albuginea, the expansion and elongation cannot develop properly resulting in bending, weakness, shortening and incomplete filling of the organ.  Sometimes this distortion is mild (just a few degrees) and does not affect the ability to perform, while at other times the distortion can be extreme (more than 90 degrees) resulting in greatly adverse consequences.

A certain degree of normal penile curvature can and does occur in some men.   This is a benign and natural condition many men are born with, commonly referred to as congenital curvature; this is not Peyronie’s disease.

Peyronie’s disease signs and symptoms

Four common findings of Peyronie’s disease:

  1. Pain – caused by inflammation and stretching of internal tissues in response to injury and distortion; can be present constantly or only during erection
  2. Nodule or mass formation – variable size lumps or elongated cords can develop in one or multiple areas; sometimes these are difficult or impossible to locate depending on the density, depth and size of the scar formation
  3. Curvature or distortion – caused by presence of one or more nodules or masses of scar tissue in the tunica albuginea, preventing normal expansion during erection; can be minor to gross in appearance
  4. Reduced sexual ability – due to physical distortion that prevents penetration or due to reduced firmness that also prevents penetration (erectile dysfunction).

The onset of Peyronie’s disease symptoms can be sudden or slow, but often appears within a month or two after direct injury.  The pain of Peyronie’s disease is extremely variable; from hardly noticeable to the kind of pain that prevents sleep.  Peyronie’s pain is worse in the beginning, usually gradually improving over time – improvement in a few weeks while others continue for years. For these reasons Peyronie’s pain is not a reliable way to judge the severity or calculate the time for eventual recovery.

Even though Peyronie’s disease is a male health problem, women are also affected by it.  They are indirectly and adversely affected by the erectile dysfunction, organ curvature and distortion that make intercourse often impossible, as well as loss of organ size that often occurs over time.  Additionally, and perhaps even to a greater degree than men, woman bear the brunt of the mood swings, anger, brooding and ill-temper that accompany their partner’s Peyronies problem.

Treatment of Peyronie’s disease

There is no standard or accepted medical treatment for Peyronie’s disease since no drug is proven to eliminate the scar within the shaft.  The only accepted and available medical treatment is surgery.  However, given enough time after Peyronie’s surgery the condition will only re-appear in a worsened presentation.  This surgical outcome is made bleaker by knowing that even the first Peyronie’s surgery can result in total loss of sensation (anesthesia), increased pain and increased curvature and greater scar formation than before surgery, and in some cases amputation.

The Peyronie’s Disease Institute has specialized for the last eight years in the use of Alternative Medicine therapies and techniques that are found to be successful in perhaps 60-80% of cases. None of the therapies are known to result in adverse reactions or side effects.  For more information about the Alternative Medicine approach, visit Peyronie’s disease treatment.

Prevention of Peyronie’s disease

With so many variable aspects of this problem to consider, it is important to know that in addition to everything else, there is no universal agreement about the cause of Peyronies. Some say that injury alone cannot start the problem as we have described above, but that other genetic and metabolic factors must also be present.  The Peyronie’s Disease Institute takes the position that this is true.  However, if a man never sustains direct injury to the area he is far less likely to develop Peyronies.

With age not working in the favor of any baby boomer couple, it is important to evaluate all situations in which direct injury can affect this area – especially sexual activity.  This requires  that special caution is exercised if a baby boomer gentleman finds he no longer has the usual firmness he previously possessed (erectile dysfunction).  Attempting intercourse with a partially flaccid organ can result in sudden buckling or abrupt bending during insertion or the sex act itself.  Another way to prevent injury is to modify the techniques used during sexual relations.  The single most common injury that starts Peyronie’s disease occurs when the female partner is on top, and she loses hold of him while she thrusts down, jamming and painfully bending him against her upper thigh.  To avoid this kind of injury it is important to not use any female-superior position, but to use other techniques in which physical contact is controlled, firm and not likely to disengage during activity.

Even if baby boomers have never heard of this terrible condition that robs a couple of one of the greatest pleasures of life, it happens every day.  Now that you know about Peyronie’s disease you can do a lot to protect the best years of your life.

Dr. Theodore Herazy has practiced Alternative Medicine for over 40 years, and has directed the Peyronie’s Disease Institute for the last eight years.  He has written two books about this problem, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” and “Peyronie’s Disease and Sex.”   He can be reached at http://www.peyronies-disease-help.com

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Peyronie’s plaque or scar

December 21st, 2009

The central issue of Peyronie’s disease is the infamous Peyronie’s plaque, also called a scar. Peyronie’s disease typically occurs in men between 40 and 65 years of age, although a range of 16 to 80 years is documented; some experts say it can occur at any age. From personal communication with a particular man, I was told that his own Peyronie’s disease was started after a dog bite to the groin – at the age of 10. Nonetheless, it is most important to recognize that all clinical signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease originate from the effects of the plaque upon the internal tissue layers (tunica albuginea) of the penis.

A developing Peyronie’s plaque appears in response to either micro-trauma to the small blood vessels from a single injury of great force, or multiple injuries of a small force. While there is strong evidence that genetic factors and drug factors also influence the start of PD, it is trauma that is usually considered to be the most likely cause of the Peyronies scar, or plaque.

A Peyronie’s plaque on the cellular level initially consists of fibrin threads deposited in a massive network throughout an area of injury within the tunica albuginea of the penis. Peyronie’s plaques, or scars, later combine the dense threads of fibrin connective tissue with reduced and fragmented elastic connective tissue fibers, as well as excessive amounts of type III collagen material, which happens to be specially inclined to excessive scar development. In about one-third of chronic cases of Peyronie’s disease, calcification of the plaque can occur over time. For more technical information about the Peyronies plaque, please go to http://peyronies-disease-help. com/ peyroniespathology.html

The curvature of the Peyronies penis is due to the fact that scar tissue does not stretch as easily or as fully as healthy normal tissue. The normal tunica albuginea is composed of elastin fibers and collagen, although the site of scar tissue from Peyronie’s disease is composed mostly of collagen. This difference in composition of these two tissues is what causes a bent penis to develop during erection.

Eventually as one or more Peyronie’s plaques develop into a mass of hardened tissue in the delicate tunica albuginea, it results in variable pain and penile distortion that most often takes the form of a bend or curve; sexual function is often reduced as a result of direct or indirect affects of Peyronie’s disease, also. The penile curvature of Peyronie’s disease is caused by the dense inelastic scar, or plaque, material that shortens the involved side of the tunica albuginea layer that covers the corpora cavernosa of the penis. In approximately one third of patients, the scarring involves either the top or bottom portion of the penis shaft, occasionally both. The lateral sides of the penis can also be affected by Peyronie’s plaque development, if that area experiences injury.

In some men the Peyronies plaque is easily found on manual examination, in others it is found with difficulty, and in some men no Peyronies plaque is ever located. It can be frustrating to have a wicked penis distortion, and still not be able to locate the Peyronie’s plaque.

To locate the plaque or scar material a light and inquisitive touch is most effective. Do not be heavy-handed, or press down into the deeper layers to find the Peyronie’s plaque material, because it is found just below the surface of the skin. And, oh yes, you will never directly see the plaque or scar, since it is not on the surface of the skin, but below. Make peace with the Peyronie’s plaque and do not hate it, just determine how to assist your body to remove it.


To learn about using Alternative Medicine to increase your ability to heal and repair the Peyronie’s plaque, a good place to start is the PDI website at http://peyronies-disease-help.com/ treatmentintroduction.html

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What is the best Peyronie’s disease treatment PDI uses?

December 14th, 2009

Every week, without fail, some poor guy who just learned he has PD will write an email to me asking, “What is the best one of all the Peyronie’s disease therapies PDI uses?”

A common question, and a good one.

The best way to treat PD is with everything you can throw against it. It is that kind of problem.

There is no one therapy that is a magic bullet. There are no wonder cures, no nifty little tricks that will get you a larger penis and somehow this is a Peyronie’s disease treatment.

Each person must educate himself about the problem, read about the different Alternative Medicine therapies and what they can do, determine if there are any indictors that one or more might be indicated, and then consider time, effort and cost. Lastly, it is necessary to determine how important it is to you to regain your health. Based on all this, a man should feel comfortable with a plan of action he can follow for several months as he goes about doing all he can to improve his body’s ability to heal and repair the injury of PD.

Those men who get good results with their Peyronie’s disease are the tough SOBs who just keep going after it day after day with as much therapy as they can afford to use, until they seem to wear the fibrous tissue down. Slowly they gain on it, with the scar(s) becoming softer and smaller; slowly they come around. Some get fantastic results and some get only moderate results – few who work hard at it do poorly. There usually is progress to be made if you work at it.

So, again, “What is the best way to treat PD?” I would say the answer is that you do all that you can for as long as you can until your body overwhelms the Peyronies plaque tissue. To do less than that is to allow Peyronie’s disease to ruin your life.

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