Polacheck's Clinic in Tucson

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Polacheck's Clinic in Tucson

Post by webslave »

Just for informational purposes, and because we so rarely hear from patients who go to clinics specializing in CPPS, I am reporting that a poster called "Paul Curley" asked Dr Polacheck a direct question about his treatment at Dr Polacheck's Prostatitis Clinic in Tucson. Here is the question:
> ----- Original Message -----
From: "PJC" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 1:47 AM
Subject: Re: History, 1999 - - - II. Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis

Dr Polacheck, I notice that you are always posting on this
group. Why is it that you ignored all my emails after my visit
to you? Thx again, Paul.
I emailed Paul, asking for details, and received this response:
Paul Curley wrote:Hi

My name is Paul

Prior to travelling to see Polacheck he answered every email & question I could ask. After the visit he basically forgot who I was not answering emails & being very vague which was very disappointing as he promised after treatment help. I do realise that CP is one very hard problem to cure & do not hold him in anyway responsible for not curing me as he gave it his best shot while we were there. I am not trying to stir trouble a simple reply was all I was after.
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Post by webslave »

I wrote back to Paul asking about costs, and he replied:
Per visit US$150 but that equates to $300 Australian dollars as we live in Australia. Approx 20 visits from memory. The complete trip cost us about $13500 with airfare, treatment, accommodation, car hire etc etc so it was a very costly trip for us both being a tradesperson not on a large salary it took its toll financially. It's just a shame I'm no better off than I was before I went. Thanks for showing interest it seems like no body cares in my country I feel I'm like the only one with the problem. Thx Paul
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Post by webslave »

Image

This rather shocking message was posted to Usenet ("Google Groups"), shedding more light on The Tucson Clinic and its affiliates:

----- Original Message -----
Here is a posting by Meir Yeheskel, one of Dr. A. E. Feliciano's former patients. As you may know, Dr. AEF is John Polacheck's business partner ("consultant," according to Polacheck's website).

From: [email protected]
Subject: Dr. AEF FRAUDULENT Bio Data
Date: 1997/07/01
Sender: Prostatitis Discussion <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: sci.med.prostate.prostatitis


Subject: Dr. ANTONIO ESPINOSA FELICIANO JR.'s (alias DICK ESPINOSA) BIO DATA AS SUBMITTED TO THE PROSTATITIS FOUNDATION, USA, VIA INTERNET, A COMPLETE FABRICATION AS WELL AS HIS CLAIMED RESEARCH DONE BETWEEN 1983 AND 1986, IN HIS SPEECH GIVEN IN CHICAGO LAST JUNE 12, 1996

My name is Meir Yeheskel, from Israel, a former patient of Dr. Antonio Espinosa Feliciano Jr. I learned about this doctor from the Prostatitis Foundation page in the Internet and consulted him last Aug. 1996 and after 40 visits which included a prostate massage each time and more than $4000 spend on his clinic, I am not cured, with still a urine and prostate infection. My symptoms were not relieved and I got hold of Dr. Antonio Espinosa Feliciano Jr's bio data from Aaron [email protected].

I became suspicious because of the nature of the bio data itself and did some investigation. I discovered that the information given was a complete fabrication.

Bio data of Dr. Antonio Espinosa Feliciano, Jr. M.D. as submitted to Aaron

Specialty: Genitourinary and Reproductive Microbiology.

Facts: No such specialty nor any document exist pertaining to his training on the subject.

School Graduated: University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center - Class 1982.

Fact: A quick check with the University verified that he did not graduate until after 1984.

Fact: He did not even list if he took the Philippine Medical Board Examination: A check with the Professional Regulation Commission verified that he is a 3 time board flunker and did not pass the board until after 1991.


Post Graduate: Internship - Ospital Ng. Maynila, 1982-83

Fact: A check with the hospital indicated that no doctor by this name took internship at that year. How could he when he only graduated after 1984.

Preceptorship in Genitourinary and Reproductive Medicine at the Community Medical and Surgical Services, Makati, Philippines, 1986-1991. Researcher, Senior Lectured and Training Moderator at the CMSS, 1986-1991.

Fact: I talked to the Medical Director of the CMSS in Makati, who informed me that no such preceptorship nor any title was given to Dr. Antonio Espinosa Feliciano,Jr. at any time. He even denied the existence of such preceptorship.

Previous Position: Canadian Embassy Reserve Medical Examiner 1992.

Fact: I called the Canadian Embassy in Makati and they denied having any such position nor are they aware of any Dr. Antonio Espinosa Feliciano Jr.

Chief of Clinics FMT Health Care Specialist Group, Manila.

Fact: No such FMT clinic exists.

Memberships: Manila Medical Society Philippine Academy of Family Physicians American Society for Microbiology Philippine Society of Venereologist Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Diseases, London

FACT: Any general practitioner can apply to the Societies he mentioned, provided he pays the joining fee.

Hospital Affiliation: Manila Doctor's Hospital Medical Center Manila Waterous Hospital

Fact: I called these hospitals and they never even heard of Dr. Antonio.Espinosa Feliciano Jr. nor is he a member of the consultant staff of above named hospitals.

Proficiency Certificates: Philippine Sexually Transmitted Diseases Assoc. American Venereal Diseases Association

Fact: I talked to Dr. Antonio Novak Feliciano, who is the founder and President of the Philippine STD Association and the American Venereal Disease Association, Philippine Chapter. Records of the association did not include the name of Dr. Antonio Espinosa Feliciano in their master list of more than 200 doctors.

I discovered that the American Venereal Disease Association, do not and did not issue any proficiency certificate to him.


Publications: Co-author, Sexually Transmitted Diseases: You May Have It But Don't Know it, 2nd Edition, 1990.

Fact: I talk to Dr. Antonio Novak Feliciano, author of the book and he told me that as a reward for the clerical work done by Dr. A. E. F. Jr's wife and since at that time Dr. ANF was trying to build DR.AEF up, Dr. ANF made him a co-author. In fact, AEF did not contribute a single paragraph.

With regards to the other publication that research this doctor claimed he did, he could not show me any proof that it was ever done.


There are other patients with similar sad situations I went thru with this doctor here in Ermita and who will write about their experiences. Had I known the above facts, I would never have come to the Philippines to consult such dishonest doctor. Petr Vanysek, a former patient of this doctor is more critical and wrote about his observation in the Prostatitis Foundation.

I feel that the Prostatitis Foundation should reveal the above facts which could easily be authenticated, to prevent more victims like me.
Mier Yeheskel

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Original posting of this data here
Last edited by webslave on Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:54 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Post by webslave »

I was also concerned to see the attitude of Dr Polacheck to scientific publication. He has received considerable funds from his supporters at the Prostatitis Foundation for the express purpose of producing scientific studies of a quality suitable for publication, to support his protocol (derived from Dr A E Feliciano).
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 10:00:34 -0700
To: [email protected]
From: "John W. Polacheck, M.D." <[email protected]>
Subject: Avery: Articles

Dear Mr. John Avery,

> EVER published *anything* on PROSTATITIS/CPPS in
> a peer-reviewed journal??? Just wondering...

Dr. Vega and I tried twice. Both times our articles were rejected by "our peers", presumably urologists. When we get time, we will resubmit the articles to pathology and/or infectious disease journals, etc.

For now, we are posting on our website. It is faster (it can take many months for an article to be published) and the information can reach a more diverse audience (not just the physicians and researchers who subscribe to the journals). By the way, we get lots of "feedback" from that approach, both positive and negative....... most helpful in shaping our future work. And, it takes far less of our time.

Thanks for your interest.

Yours, John W. Polacheck, M.D.
PLEASE NOTE: DR POLACHECK HAS STILL NOT PUBLISHED ANY SUPPORTING STUDY IN ANY QUALITY PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL.
Last edited by webslave on Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by webslave »

This correspondence was forwarded to me today from MastCells. I have suppressed the other individual's email address for privacy reasons.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 12:02 AM
Subject: The Tucson Clinc Cure


Hi there,

I read your post about Polacheck's clinic in the newsgroup archives. I was wondering if you could provide me with any information/specifics about your treatment at Tucson. How much did it cost? Were you cured, etc.? It seems that several people have stayed for months in Tucson at great expense and were not cured.

Thanks,
a prostatitis sufferer
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 4:14 AM
Subject: Re: The Tucson Clinc Cure

Wow. That was quite a long time ago. I am saddened to learn that Dr. Polacheck is still in business.

I lived on campus at Arizona in school housing (by telling them I was doing research) and stayed for just over three weeks - maybe it was four, I don't really remember. Cost of housing, food and treatment was just under $5,000. Fortunately, my insurance paid for a substantial portion of the treatment.

Polacheck did not cure me. In my opinion, he read a couple of books on prostate drainage and proceeded from there. At the time, he was not particularly adept at producing fluid from my prostate like my urologist at home was. He virtually ignored my speculation regarding yeast as a factor (although I have since learned that he has explored this as a factor). I don't even think he has an M.D. You would think that this place out in Tucson would be a great place to meet other sufferers yet strangely, regardless of the fact that we were all out there alone - appointments were set up so that our paths never crossed. I actually waited outside of the office one day and met another guy with prostatitis. He was not cured either. He had met others who had also not been cured. Polacheck only talked of one persone he "cured." He said the rest continued with problems.

While I recognize and appreciate that Polachek is making an effort to help others, I do not recommend the treatment.

For what its worth - if you are looking for a message of hope - over time, my prostatitis faded. Today, I have VERY few symptoms. Many days it is hardly something I think about. I cannot point to which treatment did this - but it was probably the combination of the appropriate diet and time.

I hope this helps.
[Name Suppressed]
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Post by webslave »

Looking through the archives yesterday, I was amazed to find this statement from the late Dr A.N. Feliciano, father of Dr A.E. Feliciano (Dr Polacheck's colleague):
If we only take 10 patients I massage daily since 1981 when I retired from surgery, that would be an average of 3000 massage yearly x 16 years = 45,000 times I inserted my finger into the anus of patients, and many got to like it and I have also been teased that I enjoy myself doing it.
Antonio Novak Feliciano, M.D., F.P.C.S.
Original here.

From the horse's mouth, so to speak. All these massage/antibiotic sessions led to virtually no stories of cure on the newsgroup.

General information about the Manila Protocol
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Post by webslave »

Another interesting snippet of data I want to add to this thread:

Today I was reading an interview with a US Professor of Nursing, someone who trains nurses at college level and who was describing the acute shortage of nurses in the USA. The interviewer asked about the importation of nurses from the Philippines and the Prof answered that many of the Filipina nurses are trained to such low standards that they are not useable in the US system. He went on to say that in fact he currently had a group of Philippines-trained doctors training to be nurses at his Faculty. He opined that the quality of medical training in the Philippines is so low that all their "doctors" are good for, in the most part, is retraining as nurses.

This puts Dr Feliciano's qualifications, such as they are, in a slightly different light.
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Post by webslave »

A few people have claimed positive outcomes with Polacheck, to be fair. I am attempting to contact them and post their views here.

One of them is [email protected], who tells me that
[email protected] wrote:He is one of the few doctors on the planet that REALLY takes the time to listen to a patient, and in doing so, often reveals the deeper -- possibly psychological -- causes behind prostatitis.
This seems to diverge from the bacteria and antibiotic regimen for which Polacheck's clinic is known. Maybe he has changed his approach?

More reports to follow ...
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Post by webslave »

Another poster, Craig E. from Australia, said that his visit with Polacheck enabled him to obtain better treatment in Australia and an improvement in his condition. This I find too vague to call a recommendation per se.

The final respondent, Patrick K., a long time advocate for Dr Polacheck's methods, and who lives in Arizona near to Polacheck's clinic, said that the internal massages ("a lot" of them) were of great benefit.

Once again, I am reminded that Dr Polacheck is inadvertently touching and stretching trigger points near the prostate, specifically the insertion points of the levator ani muscles, which makes an easy dismissal of his methods problematic.
Last edited by webslave on Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Hennenfent and Feliciano

Post by webslave »

Now that we have seen evidence that raises serious questions about Dr Antonio Espinosa Feliciano (see exposé above), it is perhaps not surprising that he has been at the forefront of futile (so far) attempts to classify chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome as an infectious disease. In close collaboration with Bradley Hennenfent of the Prostatitis Foundation of Illinois (an organization that has worked assiduously to undermine our website and forum), he has published a variety of studies attempting to link chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome and even Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (an endocrine disorder of older men) to infection, as can be seen here.

I won't go so far as to say that this effort to paint CP/CPPS as an infectious disease is an attempt to pervert the course of science for personal gain, since both men stand to gain in various ways, including financially, were this theory to be accepted, but the suspicion is raised, at least in my mind. Fortunately, nobody in any sort of position of power in the scientific world has accepted this view and major studies have refuted it resoundingly. This has not stopped these men from tirelessly promoting the ideas at their websites, including prostatitis--dot--org, and trying to foist their views on various conferences, meetings and public websites like wikipedia. Be on guard! :evil:
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Re: Polacheck's Clinic in Tucson

Post by webslave »

Found this on the net, an ex-patient of Polacheck, when asked if Polacheck had cured him:
Polacheck ex-patient wrote:No I didn't get cured, and the massage irritated the prostate. I did the massage both ways every day, Polacheck said to do this every day...I personally don't think Dr. Polacheck can cure a person that's had prostatitis for a while, although he can help the symptoms quite a bit with prostate massage and antibiotics, but this in my book is not a cure. Not to badmouth Polacheck but I am a little upset because he keeps giving high doses of antibiotics as long as it takes for the symptoms to go away. I've asked him a lot of times how long will this be for the symptoms to go away? He always evades the question and says everybody is different, and then I will ask what's the average time in all the patients for the symptoms to go away? Polacheck goes on to say there is no average and everybody's different. Now come on, everything that has volume has average to this area....He told me he has a 85 % cure rate. How does he get that if there's no average? And I know for a fact that Polacheck has volume, I was there. If he can't cure you in 3 months I don't think he can. I met a guy there from the UK and he's had it for I think for 10 years he just emailed me and said Polacheck did not make any difference and in despair of what he should do. To sum it up, Dr. Polacheck is offering hope for desperate people by keeping them on high doses of antibiotics for long periods of time in hope of a cure. Rob was on them for 2 years with Dr. Polacheck. And I asked Dr. Polacheck can I be on antibiotics for five years and he said highly unlikely but not unheard of. All I can say is be careful.

My stomach still has problems from all the antibiotics. Dr. Polacheck hasn't given me any names of people he's cured has he giving you any Boston?

Polacheck's business side the way I see it- Always putting a carrot in front of your face.

Let me try and put the Polacheck protocol into perspective. If he told every desperate patient in the beginning that it would be at least 2 years of high dose antibiotics (doses that a pharmacist shakes his head at) and then tell the patient that a small percentage of people are healed by it, do you think people would go to him? Do you think he would have a business? I think absolutely not!

Now, in order to build his business he would need to tell his patient he needs you to commit to 21 days of therapy and testing but if you aren't cured in the 21 days, he feeds you the carrot and gets you to stay another 7 days. He tells you there is good progress and the 7 days will put you on the right track. He sends you home with the hope that the antibiotics will heal you in 60-90 days. When your symptoms are still present after the 60 days, you call him and he feeds you another carrot and tells you he needs to change your antibiotics to fight the infection with another antibiotic. He reminds you that you need to continue prostate/machine massage because this is going to push out the infection. He feeds you another carrot and tells you it sounds like you're doing better but the change in antibiotics will fight the bacteria from a different direction. You go another 60 days and you still have symptoms so you call and he gives you another 60 days of high dose antibiotics and feeds you another carrot and tells you that you're about there and keep up the massages. Your symptoms will be better because antibiotics act like an anti-inflammatory as long as you're on them. You're getting more frustrated because now when you call him he is too busy to talk with you or he forgets your chart when asked to bring it home. Is this because he needs to avoid phone conversation because there's not much more he can offer you but high doses of antibiotics for a long period of time? Am I painting a picture yet?

Remember, this is from my experience only. Maybe he has healed people, but I have not talked to anyone that has been healed by him, I have not read anywhere on his website that a patient has been healed nor has anyone on this forum told me they have been healed by him. I think my biggest frustration is the damage the high dose of antibiotics could have caused (or has caused) me. He feeds this to you like candy and never calls to see how you're doing. .... I have probably spent close to $10,000 when you consider the Polacheck treatment costs, lab tests, lodging, gas, monthly spending on antibiotics, massage supplies, Polacheck follow-up, etc. If I continue with this protocol, how much money do I have invested after 12 months? After 24 months?

I don't want to discourage anyone to go (or not go) to Polacheck. This is just my own story from my own observations. Though, I would advise you to write down on a piece of paper when "enough is enough" so you don't get sucked into the antibiotic nightmare for years down the road.
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Re: Polacheck's Clinic in Tucson

Post by kevin »

Polacheck ex-patient wrote:I've asked him a lot of times how long will this be for the symptoms to go away? He always evades the question and says everybody is different, and then I will ask what's the average time in all the patients for the symptoms to go away? Polacheck goes on to say there is no average and everybody's different. Now come on, everything that has volume has average to this area....He told me he has a 85 % cure rate. How does he get that if there's no average? And I know for a fact that Polacheck has volume, I was there.
I can't provide any further insight on the specifics of Polacheck's treatment, but I can say this: whenever a healthcare provider is evasive on questions about their average rates of success or durations of treatment, that raises a big red flag suggesting they're hiding something. Saying "there is no average" is an insult to my intelligence: every treatment has an average success rate. In fact, that's the bottom line for any treatment, and the basis for whether a treatment is accepted by the scientific and medical community. Sure, you can have high variance (spread) in your treatment efficacy; if so, you just mention your standard deviation. Anybody who graduated from medical school has no excuse for giving such an evasive and unscientific reply.
Started: Spring 2003; high urinary frequency and pain associated with bladder filling; urinary hesitancy; pubic/prostate/perineal discomfort; Helped by: trigger point therapy, Afrin nasal spray, Cymbalta, hydrocodone (small doses), distraction. Makes worse: sex.

Not medical advice. Consult your doctor.
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