Privacy Policy and Legal Notice
Menshealthpd.com is owned and maintained by Cook Medical (Cook). Cook Medical is committed to fostering an ongoing discussion around clinically proven information to promote the continued improvement of patient care and advancement of treatments.

Cook Medical believes in transparency. Therefore, it will be clearly indicated when information or commentary is being provided by Cook.

Privacy Policy
Our Privacy Policy is designed to assist you in understanding how we collect and use the personal information you provide to us and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our site.

Your Consent
By using this site you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. Whenever you submit information via this site, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

About Children
This site is not intended for children under the age of 13. We will not knowingly collect personally identifiable information via this site from visitors in this age group.

What Information Do We Collect?
When you visit menshealthpd.com and join the Forum, you may provide us with two types of information:
  • personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis
  • website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse menshealthpd.com
Personal Information You Choose to Provide
Passive Information Collection
As you move through menshealthpd.com, certain anonymous information can be collected using various technologies such as "cookies," Internet tags or web beacons. Navigational data is also collected including log files, server logs and click stream. In addition, your Internet browser automatically transmits some anonymous information such as the Web address, your Internet Protocol address and your computer's browser version.

You may set your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent or to refuse cookies altogether. Be advised, however, that certain portions of the site may not work without cookies being allowed.

The site may, from time to time, combine and anonymously collect data to provide better service to site visitors, customize the site to better suit site visitors, compile and analyze statistics and trends, and to refine the site to better serve you and our other constituents.

Use and Disclosure of Information
The passive information collected is used for site content improvement and for statistical marketing and research purposes only. Cook may make full use of all information acquired through the site that is not personally identifiable.

Links to Other Internet Sites
Menshealthpd.com contains links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience. They provide additional information on the topics covered on menshealthpd.com.

These third party sites may also contain opinions and viewpoints of third parties that do not necessarily coincide with Cook Medical opinions and viewpoints. Those sites may also have privacy policies different than our policy. We are not responsible for the practices employed or content contained by websites linked to or from menshealthpd.com.

Please remember that when you use a link to go from menshealthpd.com to another website, our Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link on our website, is subject to that website's own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.

Legal Notice
All content on menshealthpd.com is owned or controlled by Cook Medical Incorporated (Cook) and is protected by worldwide copyright laws. Content may be downloaded only for personal use for non-commercial purposes. No modification or further reproduction of the content is permitted. The content may otherwise not be copied or used in any other way.

Cook will use reasonable efforts to include up-to-date and accurate information in this website, but makes no representations, warranties or assurances as to the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information provided. Cook shall not be liable for any damages or injury resulting from your access to or inability to access this website or from your reliance on any of the information provided.

This website may provide links or references to other sites but Cook does not have responsibility for the content of such other sites and shall not be liable for any damages or injury arising from that content. Any links to other sites are provided as merely a convenience to the users of menshealthpd.com.

The trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade dress and products in this website are protected in the United States and internationally. No use of any of these may be made without the prior, written authorization from Cook except to identify the products or services of the company.

Any personally identifiable information in electronic communications to this website is governed by this site's privacy policy. Cook is free to use or copy all other information in any such communications, including ideas, inventions, concepts, techniques or know-how disclosed therein, for any purposes. Such purposes may include disclosure to third parties and/or developing, manufacturing and/or marketing goods or services.

The sender of any communications to this website or otherwise to Cook shall be responsible for the content and information contained therein, including its truthfulness and accuracy.

The comments, opinions and statements posted in the website's Forums don't necessarily reflect the views of Cook Medical and Cook Group. The information posted in our Forums is the responsibility of those persons posting the comments.

Protocol for Journal Abstract Selection
To ensure impartiality, abstract lists that appear after clicking "Related Articles" in the "Options For Treatment" portion of www.menshealthpd.com have been aggregated based on the following protocol.

  1. Keyword searches were conducted on www.pubmed.gov using the following key words plus "Peyronie's disease."
    1. Grafting
    2. Injection therapies
    3. Ionphoresis therapies
    4. Lasers
    5. Lithotripsy
    6. Medical treatments
    7. Penile extenders
    8. Plaque incision
    9. Plication
    10. Radiation therapies
    11. Ultrasound therapies
  2. All abstracts dated from January, 2006 through October, 2007 were included.
  3. All abstracts within those date parameters were included, regardless of the contents reported in the individual abstracts.
  4. Site updates using the same search criteria will be conducted at 6-month intervals to ensure the most current abstracts are included. Additional search criteria may be added if and when new treatment options become available.
  5. Abstracts will remain listed only for two years following the year of publication. At the end of each calendar year, the oldest abstracts will be eliminated from the list.
  6. Exception to this protocol has been made to allow for listing of a bibliography of "classic" Peyronie's disease articles selected by Peyronie's disease physician advisors.
  7. All abstracts that cite Cook Medical's Surgisis® Biodesign™ Peyronie's Repair Graft, or refer to the graft in terms other than its registered trademark, will follow the same search and selection process regardless of the abstract's content.


Forums Usage Guidelines and Policy
The Peyronie's Forum was created to build a welcoming community for Peyronie's patients, their partners and professional practitioners where they can share concerns and knowledge as well as foster conversation without fear of condemnation or embarrassment. The following policies have been established to ensure that sense of community is allowed to flourish.

Cook Medical does not control the content nor does it guarantee its accuracy, usefulness or quality. Cook Medical has no liability for any errors or omissions or loss or damage, including loss of data, incurred as a result of your use or reliance on this Forum or any content posted to it. By using this Forum, you agree to the following guidelines and policy.

Member Names and Personal Information
The public Forum is anonymous. Participants in the public Forum, to ensure your anonymity, please do not post any personal or contact information on the Forum that could jeopardize your or anyone else's identity. Users who might be aware of another user's identity or personal information are not to reveal that information on the Forum.

Physicians participating in either the public Forum or the physician's Forum should register, provide their name and be transparent in all Forum interactions (e.g. identify yourself as a physician). Registered physicians can create their own profile. This profile information (name, photo, hospital/professional affiliation, certifications, areas of specialty, and medical interests) is displayed to Forum participants.

Cook Medical will participate in its online communities in order to expand its knowledge and improve the quality of its products. Cook representatives will only post comments into Forums to answer questions directed at Cook, clarify facts, or to provide usage instructions. There will be a single Forum administrator who will post in these instances on behalf of Cook. While Cook may use aggregated abstract information from its Forums, it will not use specific information publicly without expressed written permission from its author unless required by law. Standard Website/Forum metrics are being collected by Cook for the purposes of measuring usage and to make ongoing user experience and content enhancements. These metrics may also be used for academic study by physicians.

Rules of Forum Conduct
Please do not engage in any of the following conduct:
  • Harassing, threatening, embarrassing or otherwise abusing a participant.
  • Use of any vulgar, obscene or otherwise objectionable language
  • Post any indecent, sexually specific or adult-oriented content
  • Use any racially or ethnically offensive language
  • Discuss, incite or facilitate illegal activity
  • Advertise or offer other products or services for sale
  • Use the Forum to conduct a contest, sweepstakes or game
  • Interfere with or disrupt the flow of discussion between participants or otherwise act in a way that negatively affects a participant's ability to engage in real time dialog
  • Upload, post or transmit any content that contain viruses, corrupt files or anything designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer or telecommunications system
  • Upload, post or transmit content that infringes any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property rights held by another
  • Upload, post or transmit content that you do not have a right to submit under any contractual or fiduciary obligation
  • Impersonate or represent another participant or Cook personnel
  • Harm minors (persons under 18) in any way whatsoever, including but not limited to, requesting personal or other information from a minor.
  • Intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state national or international law
Cook may, from time to time, establish new rules or policies regarding uses of the Forum or change existing rules. Cook reserves the right to modify this Forum or any part thereof at any time, or discontinue it temporarily or permanently. In the event Cook terminates this Forum, Cook may delete any content residing on the Forum site.

Violations of Forum Usage Terms
Cook reserves the right to terminate your participation in the Forum or in other Cook website services if you violate any of these Forum Usage Rules or Cook's Terms of Use. Cook may also pursue any other legal right or remedy allowed by law or equity.

Though Cook does not edit or pre-screen any content posted by a participant, Cook may monitor any dialogue or content to preserve adherence to these Forum usage terms. Cook may remove any content that it considers in violations of these terms.

If you know of any violation of these Forum Usage Rules, please contact the Webmaster.

Participants may provide content containing or referring to links to other websites or resources. Cook does not endorse, nor is it responsible for, any content found on such sites or through such resources. You are fully responsible for your use of or reliance on any such content or goods or services available through these sites or resources.

Posted Content
Any content posted to the public Forum will be considered "public" and non-confidential. Content posted within the physician's Forum will be considered accessible for "peer review" and be confidential to the registered physician members of the site. You hereby grant Cook a world-wide, royalty-free, non-exclusive right to reproduce, modify, adapt, publish and distribute such content with the Forum. This license will exist for as long as you elect to include such content with the Forum and will be terminated when you delete the content from the Forum. In addition, Cook may preserve or disclose any content that Cook reasonably believes is necessary to comply with applicable laws; to respond to claims of infringement; to enforce these Forum usage terms; or to protect the rights or safety of participants.

Warranty Disclaimer and Limitations of Liability
Your use of this Forum is at your own risk. The Forum services are provided by Cook on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Cook expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, oral or written, including with limitation the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

Furthermore, Cook makes no warranty that the Forum will meet your needs or requirements; that it will be uninterrupted, secure or error free; or that the content will be accurate or reliable. Any product, service, information or other material downloaded by you or obtained by you through your participation is solely at your own risk and you assume responsibilities for any damage or loss of data that may arise from such materials.

Cook will not be liable for any direct, indirect (including costs of cover), consequential, incidental, special or punitive damages, even if Cook has been advised of the possibility of such damages, arising from your use (or inability to use) or reliance on the Forum and its contents.

Note: Some jurisdictions do not allow the disclaimer of implied warranties or the limitation of liability. Therefore, the foregoing disclaimer of implied warranties and the limitation of liability may not apply to you.

General Information
These Forum Usage Terms along with Cook's Terms of Use for its website constitute the entire agreement between you and Cook governing your use of the Forum superseding any prior agreements or understandings.