Posts Tagged ‘penis’

Curved Penis and Peyronie’s Disease

Monday, February 8th, 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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If it is not Peyronie’s disease, what is it?

Tuesday, 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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Peyronies treatment and the penis stretcher

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Peyronies treatment and the penis stretcher

This blog report is about the hot Peyronie’s disease treatment topic of penis stretchers, or as they sometimes call an extender, and the long awaited announcement of our new, one-hour PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© CD video.

All of this work and the discovery of yet another way to use Alternative Medicine to treat Peyronie’s disease started because I receive so many questions about the penis stretching devices, and the sad fact that I hear so many bad stories about them. I got tired of telling people why these penis stretcher devices cannot work, describing the common potential dangers they create, their mechanical limitations of use, and the many horror stories I hear from men whose PD started after using a penis stretcher. So, I started with a goal to learn if I could safely and effectively stretch the Peyronies penis, and I did.

A few months ago I wrote in the PD Institute Newsletters that I would soon offer a process that would revolutionize the concept of penis stretching as an improved form of Peyronies treatment. Now, the brand new PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© CD is complete and ready for your review on the PDI website at http://peyronies-disease-help.com/penis-stretching.html

There are several very good reasons I looked into, and then developed, this entirely new concept in Peyronie’s disease treatment. Most of these reasons are well known to a large percent of men who have Peyronies treatment and have tried and failed with the commonly advertised mechanical penis stretcher devices, and should be well known to the rest of you for your personal benefit and safety.

From my experience, those over-priced penis stretcher devices you see advertised so heavily as a Peyronies treatment are not effective, and are potentially dangerous to all men with PD.

One aspect of the problem is the inability to wear the stretcher. Makers of these manual devices do not mention on their websites that you should not wear the device for more than two hours at a time – yet they want you to wear it for eight to nine hours a day to achieve results. If you could actually wear the stretcher for the full two hours, this would mean that you would put it on and take it off four or five times a day, with perhaps an hour or two rest periods between each wearing cycle. Most of your day would be spent tending to the stretcher, and you would have to do this for perhaps a year or more!

However, after talking to many hundreds of men over the years I know that most men cannot wear one for longer than 10-15 minutes at a time because of the pain and injury they cause. The pain is not so much caused by actual stretching of the penis, but by the pinching and compression to the head of the penis (glans) that is needed to forcefully hold the penis while it is stretched. Now, I don’t know about you, but my penis does not have a handle on it, so there is no good or easy way for a mechanical stretcher to grab the penis in order to stretch it. Thus, it is necessary to apply a strong and constant pressure directly around and below the glans while the traction force is applied.

I have met a few men who could wear a manual stretcher for up to an hour at a time, but not much more than that. If you are one of the men tough enough to wear one for up to an hour, this would mean most of your waking hours would be spent waiting in pain to either put the stretcher on or take it off. I have met men who had so much pain, tissue erosion and broken blood vessels that they never tried to wear it more than once. I have met men whose Peyronies started after a single use of a manual penis stretcher.

The danger of bruising, blisters and tissue erosion are so common that the instructions that come with the stretcher devices discuss what you should do when – not if – these problems occur. If this level of injury happens to the outside of the penis, it can do similar injury to the delicate tunica albuginea where the real injury of Peyronie’s disease occurs. This is how men get into trouble.

There are other practical problems with the stretchers. These involve common issues of daily living like wearing clothes, sitting down, working or urinating that make using a stretcher rather difficult or impossible. I guess these would not be a problem to men who do not wear clothes, do not sit down, do not work, and urinate wherever and whenever they wish. For the rest of us, the mechanical stretchers pose a real problem in the real world.

There are other considerations about the stretcher devices. Have you ever wondered why most of the penis stretcher companies that advertise so heavily are located outside the U.S.? It could be that it is better for them to be located outside the bounds of U.S. law when it comes to customer complaints, product returns and refunds.

Over the years I have been approached by many major manufacturers of these stretching devices, asking me to sell their products on the PDI website. When I ask a few specific questions of these people, something interesting always happens. I find that the person I am speaking to suddenly is not the correct person to answer my kind of question, and I am told that someone else will get back to me with an answer. When I do not get called back by the second person, for fun and curiosity, I call back to speak to the second person. The second person is never available, or is never in the office, and never calls me back. Never, in all the times and all the situations this has happened over the years, has anyone ever answered one of my questions. Remember, these are the people who want me to sell their product, yet this is the kind of help and service I receive. Can you imagine the help and service you would receive if you called with a problem after you spent your money?

Did you ever wonder, if the stretchers worked as quickly and easily as the advertising says they do, why do they have to advertise constantly everywhere you go when you read about PD? There is a reason they are advertised so heavily, and it is not because of effectiveness.

Yet, the concept of stretching soft tissue is interesting since Peyronie’s disease is a soft tissue problem.

So, I recently completed this experimental trial that lasted a little less than two years, in which I worked with 10 men who were customers of PDI and NCMP. From this effort I was able to devise a totally new concept in manually stretching the Peyronies plaque or scar. Our results showed that 80% had moderate to marked reduction of curvature and/or scar formation, with each and every man experiencing an improvement of sexual function.

I encourage you to visit the PDI website to learn more about this method to safely, painlessly, comfortably, and effectively reduce your PD scar, reduce your PD curvature, and improve your sexual ability in 80% of the cases. I ask that you understand that the same concepts of Alternative Medicine, logic and common sense you see throughout the PDI website also applies to the strategy and methods taught in the new PDI one-hour stretching CD.

If, after watching the brief demonstration video, you still have questions about the procedure then just send me an email at info@peyronies-disease-help.com You know I will answer your questions.

Bear in mind that the primary principle behind all PDI treatment concepts has always been synergy, and it always will be. Therefore, you need to understand that the PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© is not a stand alone method.

Manual penis stretching was used in our tests in conjunction with standard Peyronie’s Disease Institute treatment plans as an additional method to increase synergy of care. No one used just this gentle manual penis stretching technique. In each case, greater progress occurred after using the Peyronie’s Disease Manual Penis Stretching Method© than without it; each man who followed the system saw better progress from his PDI therapy plan after adding the stretching technique. It seems that the PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© increased effectiveness of our current treatment concept in eight out of 10 in our little study group.

Yes, Peyronies is a lousy problem and I wish I could tell you that this is a magical cure – just like the people who make the mechanical penis stretchers or the herbal products, but I can’t. Effectively treating Peyronie’s disease is still work.

While I can report that 80% of the group saw improvement, that means that 20% did not. I came to learn that those who did not do well with the manual stretching method were those who used very small therapy plans or did not follow their plans faithfully. So, there is room for improvement with this manual Peyronies treatment method. I would hope so. We are just learning how to apply this concept, so it will be necessary to share our insights, experiences and ideas with each other.

Please check it out. I believe you will be impressed and intrigued with the PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method©. Go to http://peyronies-disease-help.com/penis-stretching.html and let me know what you think.

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Peyronie’s disease and blogging

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Peyronie’s disease is surrounded by a world of misinformation, honest differences of opinion, lack of judgment, as well as total confusion.

 

Every week I get at least one email from someone who is newly diagnosed with Peyronie’s disease, but doubts that he has it.  The email will explain that the writer doubts he has Peyronie’s disease because he has heard that there is a Peyronie’s plaque or scar involved, and since he cannot see one, he doubts the diagnosis is correct.   He asks me to tell him if I think he has Peyronies, solely based on the information that his penis is bent.

 

What does this have to do with PD and blogging?  Well, with this Peyronie’s Disease Treatment Forum blog available to any man or woman who deals with the problem of PD, it is far easier to create a library of information and ideas about Peyronie’s disease treatment using Alternative Medicine. 

 

If you are reading this blog looking for answers to an important question, you owe it to yourself and to the larger Peyronie’s disease community to ask that burning question about your problem that you would like explained.  There is a very good chance that other people would also like to know more about that same issue.  Without your participation in this blog, it will not reach its full potential to help you and others with Peyronie’s disease.

 

Questions in these areas?  Fire away:

1.      Anatomy of the male or female genitals

2.      Erections – how do they happen, why is mine weaker than before, how to increase and strengthen mine

3.      Peyronies disease – any aspect

4.      Peyronie’s disease  treatment – any aspect of medical, surgical or Alternative Medicine treatment      

5.      Intercourse – any aspect

6.      Relationship problems – any aspect

7.      Your treatment plan is not going the way you thought it would

 

Please ask your questions and make your comments to those who have left a comment here.  In this way the misinformation, honest differences of opinion, lack of judgment, as well as total confusion of some, can be lifted.

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Peyronie’s disease treatment with Xiaflex

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Another Peyronies drug treatment

Peyronie’s disease is best known for the plaque, scar or hard lump that develops within the penis.  Peyronies begins as a localized inflammation, usually as a result of injury of some type. It is currently believed that Peyronie’s disease is caused by vascular trauma or injury to the penis. Peyronie’s disease is most common in men over 50 years, and the incidence increases with age. This inflammation often progresses to a hardened plaque or scar that reduces flexibility of the tissue of the penis, and results in a bend or distortion during erection due to incomplete filling or restriction of the tissue.  Often, this causes constant pain or pain during erection, and for some men these can prevent sexual intercourse due t physical incompatibility or erectile dysfunction.

Aside from the physical changes, depression and reduced self-esteem are commonly experienced by men with Peyronie’s disease.

Peyronie’s disease is most often treated by urologists, even though there are no approved drug therapies for Peyronie’s disease. Surgical treatment may be an option for some patients although complications such as worsening of the PD distortion can develop, as well as loss of penile length can occur.   Xiaflex, a type of collagen reducing enzyme, or collagenase, has been experimentally injected into the Peyronie’s disease scar or plaque as an in-office procedure. The purpose of injecting Xiaflex into the PD scar is to soften the scar tissue and improve or reduce the curvature of the penis. Further, this is hoped to improve sexual function and eliminate the distressing negative psychosocial aspects of Peyronie’s disease.

Peyronies Xiaflex trial results

Sponsored and monitored by BioSpecifics Technologies Corp., licensor of Xiaflex, the 12 month phase II open-label trials of Xiaflex showed limited but promising results.  These research tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of Xiaflex to successfully treat Peyronie’s disease, as well as its compatibility and side effect potential.  In this process clinical success was defined as a baseline change of penile angulation of at least 25 percent.

Each of the study participants received three injections of Xiaflex, administered on a separate day, and given over seven to ten day period.  Twelve weeks later, each man received a second series of three injections.  Research subjects were evaluated at three, six, and nine months after the Xiaflex injection series.

The average baseline angulation was 52.8 degrees.  In this study clinical success was achieved at three and six months with 58 percent and 53 percent of patients, respectively.  This would suggest that early success might not last very long or that the improvement to the Peyronie’s disease distortion was temporary.

In this study there were adverse reactions with Xiaflex that were not described in the general media.  The most common adverse reaction was only reported as a problem at the local administration site that was mild or moderate in severity, non-serious, and resolved in time without medical attention.  No comment was made about worsening of the Peyronie’s disease after the nine month time frame as a direct result of repeated injury to the delicate albuginea from the multiple injections of the needle used to deliver the Xiaflex.

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Peyronie’s disease treatment: Changes to look for

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

 

This post is about an interesting question I am asked from time to time about Peyronie’s disease treatment.  I thought it might be of interest to you.  The question is asked something like this, “When people finally get some positive changes in their Peyronie’s disease, how does it usually show up?  What usually happens first?  I want to know what I can expect, although I know we are all different.”

 

Well, usually – not always – as a man continues with a sufficiently large and aggressively applied Peyronie’s disease treatment plan from PDI, he will notice at first some small and TEMPORARY changes in the size and density of his scar.  The temporary nature of the change does not last long.  As treatment continues the changes and improvement become permanent.  Usually the scar itself will change before there is a noticeable change in the penis curvature or his ability to develop an erection.  This scar change will take place maybe during months 2-6 of the treatment cycle, although I have worked with men who see changes in the scar after just a few weeks of a PDI plan.  This fast response is the exception and not the rule, so do not plan on that kind of response although it does happen.

 

The initial and temporary improvement in the Peyronies plaque or scar will not last very long, maybe just a few days or so, and then it will often go back to how it was before – maybe even worse.  I wish I could say why this happens – it just does. Soon a pattern will develop in which there is improvement, regression, improvement, regression, back and forth, etc.  What happens over time is that you will notice that the amount of improvement will be greater than the regression, and the improvement will last longer than the regression.  You will likely see the pattern shifting slowly in favor of improvement – it will last longer and it will be greater than the regression.  Just like the stock market – it goes up and it goes down – but the general trend and pattern is that it slowly comes gets better.  This is how I have seen most every case of Peyronie’s disease improve. 

 

Just as the Peyronie’s plaque changes, a little while later it is common to see a change in the curvature. The initial change in the penis curvature is not always improvement, however.  My curve worsened just after my scar showed some real strong progress for the first time.  I kept in mind that the Peyronies plaque was getting better, so I did not let the change in the curve upset me.  I kept working to reduce the scars I had and in time the curve I had also eventually improved.

 

Peyronie’s plaque and pick-up-sticks

 

Ever play “pick-up-sticks” as a kid?   With the complex interplay of sticks lying across each other, removing one stick makes three or four other sticks shift a bit.  I think the same happens in Peyronie’s disease. 

 

How many plaques or scars do you have?  If more than one, then the dynamics are made even more complicated.  If you have only one scar (kind of unusual) then you have one scar that could be influencing 2-3-4 different planes of connective tissue within the corpora cavernosa of the penis that it is attached to.  It is not difficult to understand that if a part of a scar is changing it could cause alteration of the tensions and angles of pull – as the scar is INCREASING or DECREASING in size – that could cause a change in the curve – to make it INITIALLY better or worse.  So in this sense, an increase in your curve is only seen as a bad thing if you know FOR A FACT that your scar(s) are increasing in size, shape or density. Over time, as the plaque continues to soften and reduce in size, and as the internal pull and tension created by these plaque begins to normalize, the curve should begin to straighten.  Continue monitoring yourself as you work aggressively, and you should see this positive pattern of recovery play out for you.  

 

A worsening of the curve is acceptable if the plaque is improving.  As far as treating your condition and monitoring progress, the condition of the Peyronie’s plaque is far more important to monitor than the curve; plaque changes size, shape and density characteristics, and even seem to move, and so the plaque or scar tissue exerts control over the curve; the curved penis is just a reflection of plaque activity – good or bad.  A smaller plaque can create a larger curve if it is in the wrong place or is pulling or pushing in some strange way. It might make you feel sick to see your curve get worse, but ignore the curve and keep checking the condition of the Peyronie’s disease  plaque.  How do you check your plaque?  Go to my book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” on the PDI website, http://peyronies-disease-help.com/PD-owners-manual.html 

 

Whenever someone sends me an email reporting that he is seeing improvement in his plaque or bent penis, I warn him that it will not initially last very long and that his problem will surely return for a short while.  I can almost guarantee this pattern.  Come to expect it; count on it.  It is just the way it goes, so do not be discouraged or disappointed when it happens.  In a short time, you will see the pattern develop that will tell you that good things are finally happening.  Just stay with it.  

 

How long it takes for the improvement to become permanent is also variable (just like everything about Peyronie’s disease).  Once you get your plan fine-tuned and working well for you, most of the time it takes 6-12 months or more for the progress to level off and become as good as it is going to be.  That does not mean that in 6-12 months or so you will be cured or completely well.  It just means you will be as good as you are going to be, in spite of your best effort.

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Peyronies treatment and the penis stretcher

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

 

 

This blog report is about the hot Peyronie’s disease treatment topic of penis stretchers, or as they sometimes call an extender, and the long awaited announcement of our new, one-hour PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© CD video.

 

All of this work and the discovery of yet another way to use Alternative Medicine to treat Peyronie’s disease started because I receive so many questions about the penis elongating devices, and the sad fact that I hear so many bad stories about them.  I got tired of telling people why these devices cannot work, describing the common potential dangers they create, their mechanical limitations of use, and the many horror stories I hear from men whose PD started after using a penis stretcher.  So, I started with a goal to learn if I could safely and effectively stretch the Peyronies penis, and I did.  

 

A few months ago I wrote in the PD Institute Newsletters that I would soon offer a process that would revolutionize the concept of penis stretching as an improved form of Peyronies treatment.  Now, the brand new PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method©  CD is now complete and ready for your review on the PDI website at http://peyronies-disease-help.com/penis-stretching.html

 

There are several very good reasons I looked into, and then developed, this entirely new concept in Peyronie’s disease treatment.  Most of these reasons are well known to a large percent of men who have PD and have tried and failed with the commonly advertised mechanical penis stretcher devices, and should be well known to the rest of you for your personal benefit and safety.  

 

From my experience, those over-priced penis stretcher devices you see advertised so heavily as a Peyronies treatment are not effective, and are potentially dangerous to all men with PD. 

 

One aspect of the problem is the inability to wear the stretcher.  Makers of these manual devices do not mention on their websites that you should not wear the device for more than two hours at a time – yet they want you to wear it for eight to nine hours a day to achieve results.  If you could actually wear the stretcher for the full two hours, this would mean that you would put it on and take it off four or five times a day, with perhaps an hour or two rest period between each wearing cycle.  Most of your day would be spent tending to the stretcher, and you would have to do this for perhaps a year or more!

 

However, after talking to many hundreds of men over the years I know that most men cannot wear one for longer than 10-15 minutes at a time because of the pain and injury they cause.  The pain is not so much caused by actual stretching of the penis, but by the pinching and compression to the head of the penis (glans) that is needed to forcefully hold the penis while it is stretched.  Now, I don’t know about you, but my penis does not have a handle on it, so there is no good or easy way for a mechanical stretcher to grab the penis in order to stretch it.  Thus, it is necessary to apply a strong and constant pressure directly around  and below the glans while the traction force is applied. 

 

I have met a few men who could wear a manual stretcher for up to an hour at a time, but not much more than that.  If you are one of the men tough enough to wear one for up to an hour, this would mean most of your waking hours would be spent waiting in pain to either put the stretcher on or take it off.   I have met men who had so much pain, tissue erosion and broken blood vessels that they never tried to wear it more than once.  I have met men whose PD started after a single  use of a manual penis stretcher. 

 

The danger of bruising, blisters and tissue erosion are so common that the instructions that come with the stretcher devices discuss what you should do when – not if – these problems occur.  If this level of injury happens to the outside of the penis, it can do similar injury to the delicate tunica albuginea where the real injury of Peyronie’s disease occurs.  This is how men get into trouble. 

 

There are other practical problems with the stretchers.  These involve common issues of daily living like wearing clothes, sitting down, working or urinating that make using a stretcher rather difficult or impossible.   I guess these would not be a problem to men who do not wear clothes, do not sit down, do not work, and urinate wherever and whenever they wish.  For the rest of us, the mechanical stretchers pose a real problem in the real world.     

 

There are other considerations about the stretcher devices.  Have you ever wondered why most of the penis stretcher companies that advertise so heavily are located outside the U.S.?   It could be that it is better for them to be located outside the bounds of U.S. law when it comes to customer complaints, product returns and refunds. 

 

Over the years I have been approached by many major manufacturers of these stretching devices, asking me to sell their products on the PDI website.  When I ask a few specific questions of these people, something interesting always happens.  I find that the person I am speaking to suddenly is not the correct person to answer my kind of question, and I am told that someone else will get back to me with an answer.  When I do not get called back by the second person, for fun and curiosity, I call back to speak to the second person.  The second person is never available, or is never in the office, and never calls me back.  Never, in all the times and all the situations this has happened over the years, has anyone ever answered one of my questions.   Remember, these are the people who want me to sell their product, yet this is the kind of help and service I receive.  Can you imagine the help and service you would receive if you called with a problem after you spent your money?

 

Did you ever wonder, if the stretchers worked as quickly and easily as the advertising says they do, why do they have to advertise constantly everywhere you go when you read about PD?  There is a reason they are advertised so heavily, and it is not because of effectiveness.

 

Yet, the concept of stretching soft tissue is interesting since Peyronie’s disease is a soft tissue problem. 

 

So, I recently completed this experimental trial that lasted a little less than two years, in which I worked with 10 men who were customers of PDI and NCMP.  From this effort I was able to devise a totally new concept in manually stretching the Peyronies plaque or scar.  Our results showed that 80% had moderate to marked reduction of curvature and/or scar formation, with each and every man experiencing an improvement of sexual function. 

 

I encourage you to visit the PDI website to learn more about this method to safely, painlessly, comfortably, and effectively reduce your PD scar, reduce your PD curvature, and improve your sexual ability in 80% of the cases.  I ask that you understand that the same concepts of Alternative Medicine, logic and common sense you see throughout the PDI website also applies to the strategy and methods taught in the new PDI one-hour stretching CD.

 

If, after watching the brief demonstration video, you still have questions about the procedure then just send me an email at info@peyronies-disease-help.com  You know I will answer your questions. 

 

Bear in mind that the primary principle behind all PDI treatment concepts has always been synergy, and it always will be.  Therefore, you need to understand that the PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© is not a stand alone method.  

 

Manual penis stretching was used in our tests in conjunction with standard PDI treatment plans as an additional method to increase synergy of care. No one used just this gentle manual penis stretching technique.  In each case, greater progress occurred after using the Peyronie’s Disease DI Manual Penis Stretching Method© than without it; each man who followed the system saw better progress from his PDI therapy plan after adding the stretching technique.  It seems that the PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method© increased effectiveness of our current treatment concept in eight out of 10 in our little study group.

 

Yes, Peyronies is a lousy problem and I wish I could tell you that this is a magical cure – just like the people who make the mechanical penis stretchers or the herbal products, but I can’t.  Effectively treating Peyronie’s disease is still work.

 

While I can report that 80% of the group saw improvement, that means that 20% did not.  I came to learn that those who did not do well with the manual stretching method were those who used very small therapy plans or did not follow their plans faithfully.  So, there is room for improvement with this manual Peyronies treatment method.  I would hope so.  We are just learning how to apply this concept, so it will be necessary to share our insights, experiences and ideas with each other. 

 

Please check it out.  I believe you will be impressed and intrigued with the PDI Manual Penis Stretching Method©.  Go to http://peyronies-disease-help.com/penis-stretching.html and let me know what you think.

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Peyronie’s disease plaque, Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and blood supply

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

 

Peyronie’s disease is all about the Peyronies plaque, because the Peyronie’s plaque causes all the problems we normally associate with this condition.  To back this idea up, and to show you are doing something that is potentially dangerous to your Peyronie’s disease by using erection enhancing drugs, let’s review some interesting research that took place about 15 years ago.    

 

First, some background. According to two Peyronies disease researchers, Drs. J. A. Lopez and J. P. Jarrow, from the Department of Urology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, most of the erectile dysfunction that is associated with Peyronies disesae is proabbly not due to reduced blood supply coming into the penis. Hence, taking Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, or any erection producing drugs, is often not effective and when it is it could be dangerous when someone with PD any erection producing drug. 

 

Let’s get through the technical material first and then I will put it all together as it relates to using these drugs because you have Peyronies.

 

In the study done by Lopez and Jarrow, they did a penile vascular (blood flow) evaluation; they tested the penis arteries (to determine blood flow coming into the penis), and they tested the penis veins (to determine the blood flow leaving the penis).

 

They tested 95 consecutive men who came to them for evaluation or treatment of Peyronie’s disease; of these 95 men, 19 were potent (able to become erect) and 76 were impotent (not able to become erect).  They also did the very same kind of penile vascular (blood flow) evaluation on 100 consecutive impotent men who did not have Peyronie’s disease so they could compare the condition of their blood vessels as it relates to erections and erectile dysfunction.

 

Potent men with Peyronie’s disease

 

After testing the 19 potent men who had Peyronie’s disease, they found only one (5%) of the 19 potent patients had abnormal arterial blood flow coming into the penis, and none (95%) had evidence of abnormal venous blood supply leaving the penis.

 

Impotent men with Peyronie’s disease

 

After testing the 76 impotent men who had Peyronie’s disease, they found that 27 men (36%) had abnormal arterial blood flow coming into the penis, and 44 men (59%) had evidence of abnormal venous blood supply leaving the penis.

 

Potent and Impotent men who did not have Peyronie’s disease

 

There was no significant difference in historical risk factors for impotence between the impotent men with or without Peyronie’s disease and the control population of impotent patients.

 

After testing the 100 men who did not have Peyronie’s disease they found they had about the same percent of abnormal arterial blood flow coming into the penis.  However, they found these same men had significantly less (16%) abnormal venous blood supply leaving the penis.

 

So the big difference was that the impotent men (59%) with Peyronie’s disease had a whole lot more abnormal venous blood supply leaving the penis, than the impotent men (16%) who did not have Peyronie’s disease.

 

This means that although men with Peyronie’s disease may suffer some impotence due to artery blood flow problems, the research proves that the primary and overwhelming cause of impotence in men with Peyronie’s disease is abnormal venous blood supply leaving the penis.  

 

So you ask, “What could be wrong with my venous blood flow leaving my penis?”  Answer:  your Peyronie’s plaque.

 

Peyronie’s plaque causes impotency

 

It is the Peyronie’s plaque that causes the veins of the penis to not close properly.  There are special valves within the veins of the penis that close off at special times, to trap the blood inside the penis – to create an erection.  If the veins do not trap the blood, no erection.  The presence of the plaque or scar material is the problem that causes the valves of the veins to not trap blood, hence a poor or absent erection.  Yes, there are surely many emotional reasons a man with Peyronies will develop impotency, but this vein problem is by far the primary physical reason for this erection problem that we all are interested in.

 

Imagine that you want to close a door to trap warm or cold air inside a room.  You try to close the door, but you cannot because there is something causing the door to not close all the way – perhaps the door is warped, or maybe there is something lying across the doorway like a doorstop and the door will not seal the room shut.  If the door cannot be closed fully, it will be difficult or impossible to close the door, and you cannot trap the air in that room. It is the same in Peyronie’s disease. If the valves of the veins cannot be closed fully, it will be difficult or impossible to close them, and you cannot trap the blood to create the erection.

 

The presence of one or more Peyronie’s disease plaques or scars can and will cause physical interference with the normal closing of the valves inside the penis veins and one or more areas of the penis stay soft, preventing intercourse.  It is as simple as that.

 

So your medical doctor, hearing that you are having a problem with impotence along with your Peyronie’s disease says to you, “Do not fear.  I have my magic prescription pad here.  I will happily write a prescription for  Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra and you will get an erection that will amaze and delight the woman you love, and amaze all your family, friends and neighbors.  Please pay the nurse at the front desk as you leave.” 

 

I will write more about the potential dangers of erection producing drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra in relation specifically to Peyronies.  For this discussion it is sufficient for you to understand that Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra only bring more blood into the penis.  The do not and cannot help you to trap it there to create an erection.  This is why they may or may not work for you, and in fact, could potentially make your Peyronie’s disease worse.

 

For more information about the safe and effective treatment of Peyronie’s disease with Alternative Medicine, go to www.peyronies-disease-help.com 

 

 

The statistical information for this article came from a 1993 research project reported in:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8267684?ordinalpos=1&itool= EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_ DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=2&log$=relatedarticles &logdbfrom=pubmed 

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Peyronie’s disease treatment: changes to look for

Monday, December 1st, 2008

 

This post is about an interesting question I am asked from time to time about Peyronie’s disease treatment.  I thought it might be of interest to you.  The question is asked something like this, “When people finally get some positive changes in their Peyronie’s disease, how does it usually show up?  What usually happens first?  I want to know what I can expect, although I know we are all different.”

 

Well, usually – not always – as a man continues in a sufficiently large and aggressively applied Peyronie’s disease treatment plan from PDI, he will notice at first some small and TEMPORARY changes in the size and density of his scar.  The temporary nature of the change does not last long.  As treatment continues the changes and improvement become permanent.  Usually the scar itself will change before there is a noticeable change in the penis curvature or his ability to develop an erection.  This scar change will take place maybe during months 2-6 of the treatment cycle, although I have worked with men who see changes in the scar after just a few weeks of a PDI plan.  This fast response is the exception and not the rule, so do not plan on that kind of response although it does happen.

 

The initial and temporary improvement in the Peyronies plaque or scar will not last very long, maybe just a few days or so, and then it will often go back to how it was before – maybe even worse.  I wish I could say why this happens – it just does. Soon a pattern will develop in which there is improvement, regression, improvement, regression, back and forth, etc.  What happens over time is that you will notice that the amount of improvement will be greater than the regression, and the improvement will last longer than the regression.  You will likely see the pattern shifting slowly in favor of improvement – it will last longer and it will be greater than the regression.  Just like the stock market – it goes up and it goes down – but the general trend and pattern is that it slowly comes gets better.  This is how I have seen most every case of Peyronie’s disease improve. 

 

Just as the Peyronie’s plaque changes, a little while later it is common to see a change in the curvature. The initial change in the penis curvature is not always improvement, however.  My curve worsened just after my scar showed some real strong progress for the first time.  I kept in mind that the Peyronies plaque was getting better, so I did not let the change in the curve upset me.  I kept working to reduce the scars I had and in time the curve I had also eventually improved.

 

Peyronie’s plaque and pick-up-sticks

 

Ever play “pick-up-sticks” as a kid?   With the complex interplay of sticks lying across each other, removing one stick makes three or four other sticks shift a bit.  I think the same happens in Peyronie’s disease. 

 

How many plaques or scars do you have?  If more than one, then the dynamics are made even more complicated.  If you have only one scar (kind of unusual) then you have one scar that could be influencing 2-3-4 different planes of connective tissue within the corpora cavernosa of the penis that it is attached to.  It is not difficult to understand that if a part of a scar is changing it could cause alteration of the tensions and angles of pull – as the scar is INCREASING or DECREASING in size – that could cause a change in the curve – to make it INITIALLY better or worse.  So in this sense, an increase in your curve is only seen as a bad thing if you know FOR A FACT that your scar(s) are increasing in size, shape or density. Over time, as the plaque continues to soften and reduce in size, and as the internal pull and tension created by these plaque begins to normalize, the curve should begin to straighten.  Continue monitoring yourself as you work aggressively, and you should see this positive pattern of recovery play out for you.  

 

A worsening of the curve is acceptable if the plaque is improving.  As far as treating your condition and monitoring progress, the condition of the Peyronie’s plaque is far more important to monitor than the curve; plaque changes size, shape and density characteristics, and even seem to move, and so the plaque or scar tissue exerts control over the curve; the curved penis is just a reflection of plaque activity – good or bad.  A smaller plaque can create a larger curve if it is in the wrong place or is pulling or pushing in some strange way. It might make you feel sick to see your curve get worse, but ignore the curve and keep checking the condition of the Peyronie’s disease  plaque.  How do you check your plaque?  Go to my book, “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook” on the PDI website, http://peyronies-disease-help.com/PD-owners-manual.html 

 

Whenever someone sends me an email reporting that he is seeing improvement in his plaque or bent penis, I warn him that it will not initially last very long and that his problem will surely return for a short while.  I can almost guarantee this pattern.  Come to expect it; count on it.  It is just the way it goes, so do not be discouraged or disappointed when it happens.  In a short time, you will see the pattern develop that will tell you that good things are finally happening.  Just stay with it.   

 

How long it takes for the improvement to become permanent is also variable (just like everything about Peyronie’s disease).  Once you get your plan fine-tuned and working well for you, most of the time it takes 6-12 months or more for the progress to level off and become as good as it is going to be.  That does not mean that in 6-12 months or so you will be cured or completely well.  It just means you will be as good as you are going to be, in spite of your best effort.   For some men it is complete recovery and full return to normal, and for other men it is a variable percent of improvement. 

 

No one can accurately anticipate or tell what level of improvement will happen even after an intense effort of Peyronie’s disease treatment.  Some of the worse cases make the most recovery, and some of the mildest problems improve the least.  You just have to do your best and do all that you can to regain your life in the best way you can. 

 

If you want to know more about what you might be experiencing right now with your condition, let me know.  Ask a question on the blog, and I will be happy to explain what I can to you.   TRH

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Peyronie’s disease treatment philosophy – general comments

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

The Peyronie’s Disease Institute treatment philosophy for dealing with Peyronie’s disease is not accepted within the medical community.  You should know the opinions and philosophy of PDI are not current mainstream medical thinking, although PDI has assisted perhaps a dozen or more MDs with their Peyronies problem in the last few years.

The Peyronie’s Disease Institute philosophy for Peyronie’s treatment is different from standard medical thinking in two fundamental ways.

                1.  PDI recommends using mainstream Alternative Medicine therapy products (vitamin E, copper copper, DMSO, enzymes, etc.), and procedures (a special manual stretching technique we have developed,  http://peyronies-disease-help.com/penis-stretching.html exercise, massage and acupuncture).  These are recommended even though  they have not fulfilled the testing standards usually required of medication.

                2.  PDI has found after seven years of review and research that taking multiple therapies, all at the same time, in sufficient quantities as described on its website that it often stimulates or supports some degree of improved ability to heal and repair the famous Peyronie’s plaque or scar.  The scientific term for this phenomenon is “synergy”. 

The specific therapy products used by PDI are well known and generally accepted as important, and often essential, for health and well being, such as vitamin E, MSM, acetyl-L-carnitine, etc.  However, what is unique is that PDI advocates these therapy products are used in combination and in significant number for maximum potential effect and benefit.  This synergistic concept of therapy used by PDI to treat PD takes advantage of the affect of synergy – a concept that is very well known in medical practice. Synergy is the ability of two or more substances to work together to produce a total effect greater than what each individual therapy could produce by itself. To learn more about synergy, go to http://peyronies-disease-help.com/penis-stretching.html

This Peyronie’s disease treatment concept is based on simple observations about this problem:

·         Why do some men completely recover from Peyronie’s disease without treatment?  You know, this happens in about half of the case.   

·         Why do some men get worse and need surgery, no matter what treatment they try?

·         If the Peyronie’s plaque is similar to scars like I have on other parts of my body, why does it seem to change so much – not only the size, shape, and density of the scar, but also the location?

·         If it’s actually the same problem among all the men who have it, why does Peyronies vary so much from one man to the next?

·         What’s the difference between the two groups of men whose Peyronie’s disease goes away on its own, and the other in which it only gets worse no matter what they do for it?  

·         What is the fundamental difference between these two groups of different responses?

·         How can I join the group that repairs and eliminates the Peyronie’s plaque and reverses the bent penis of PD?

Certainly , no one has complete or easy answers to this questions – yet.  However, I think it makes perfect sense that the man whose Peyronie’s disease simply goes away on its own has a better healing capacity, than another man whose PD never improves.  It cannot be a mater of luck; nature is just not that way.   It is my opinion that you can increase your healing capacity and become healthier in some yet undetermined way so you are able to heal your Peyronie’s scar and reverse your Peyronie’s bend  to the best of your ability.

The fact that some men are able to recover better than others, must mean there is variable − not static − capacity to healing and repair among men.  Common sense and generally accepted knowledge about health, nutrition, and the healing process offers you and I the foundation for a treatment concept and philosophy that should improve your chances to recover from Peyronie’s disease better than if you did nothing to enhance your ability to heal.  It is really as simple and direct as that.  The Peyronie’s plaque found within and on the tunica albuginea can be seen as an expression or extension of the overall health and healing potential of the body in which it occurs.  Similar to an ulcer, a Peyronie’s plaque or scar can be thought of as the result of abnormal body chemistry and physiology.  As such, treatment of Peyronie’s disease should attempt to improve that distressed or abnormal chemistry and physiology of the penile tissue in which the plaque is found.

All therapy products, nutrients, techniques and ideas presented by PDI are all directly or indirectly intended to improve the chemistry and physiology of the body in general and plaque elimination in the tunica specifically. The end result of this effort should be a healthier person with healthier tissue that can heal better. That is the reason all Peyronie’s therapy items are selected on the basis of their potential to improve or normalize the chemistry and physiology of the tunica of the penis and the foreign plaque material.  

This Peyronie’s treatment philosophy is not offered as those it is a Peyronie’s cure, not at all.  It is merely presented as a way to treat the man who has Peyronie’s disease, becausue  we all know this happens in 50% of the cases – so it can be done, and it is being done.  PDI is merely offering a way to increase your potential to join th ranks of the men whose Peyronie’s plaque is healed naturally.  The only difference is that you are doing specific things in a deliberate and methodical manner to heal yourself better than you did the first time around. 

Peyronie’s Disease Institute adopts the judgment of Mayo Clinic concerning Peyronie’s disease  when it stated. ”early stage disease [of Peyronie’s disease] is reputed to respond better than well-established plaques, an early trial of inexpensive, safe and well-tolerated oral therapy is often initially recommended. … With advances in the molecular biology of inflammation and wound healing, the management and understanding of this frustrating disease will no doubt improve.”   

With this statement in mind, I strongly recommend that any man, in any stage of Peyronie’s disease – no matter how chronic or advanced – should at least investigate the use of synergy created by the combination of several simultaneous non-invasive treatment measures selected on the basis of the best understanding of your problem and the information that is available to you.  Peyronie’s disease treatment is variable from one man to the next. Because the Alternative Medicine therapies used in Peyronie’s disease treatment are intended not to treat the disease but to support and strengthen the man who has the problem, so he can heal and repair it to the best of his ability.  Since we are all different, each man must approach his own search for a Peyronies cure on an individual basis.

When you look at the different therapy products on PDI website, realize that they are intended to increase your ability to heal and repair PD, just as it naturally and spontaneously happens in 50% of the men who develop this condition.   Keeping this in mind should change the way you look not only at Peyronie’s disease, but also the way that you consider your relationship to the problem and how you hope to eventually overcome it.

 

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