Join me this weekend in Los Angeles for the Prostate Research Institute (PCRI) 2013 Prostate Health Conference. Each September (prostate cancer awareness month), PCRI holds its annual Prostate Conference — the only conference in the world geared specifically towards patients. This year’s conference will be held on September 6-8 at the Marriott LAX Hotel. As always, there’s an impressive array of speakers.
The conference is overseen by Dr. Mark Scholz, a specialist in prostate oncology. Dr. Scholz is the author of
Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers*, Medical Director of
Prostate Oncology Specialists, and the Executive Director Dr. Scholz is joined by Dr. Mark Moyad, the co-director of the men’s health program at the University of Michigan. Dr. Moyad is the primary author of over a hundred medical articles and numerous books. He maintains a consulting practice on complementary medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Urology. You can subscribe to his free Men’s Health Newsletter.
The conference agenda features talks from expert practitioners and researchers from all over the country, representing many approaches to prostate health including a session for women only. Dr. Dean Forrester from Scottsdale will speak on Prostate Growth Arrest Through Self-Care; Dr. Timothy Wilt from the University of Minnesota will address Active Surveillance; Dr. Wilt will be joined by Dr. Mack Roach III from the University of San Francisco to give you their latest views on the controversy surrounding testing; there will be information on diet and nutrition, and GULP! a live onstage biopsy?! I will update you on topics of prostatis interest over the coming days, or join me there.
* More on Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers. If you are seeking straightforward no-nonsense information, this is one of the best resource books I can recommend for you. Written by Dr. Scholz, in collaboration with his long time patient Ralph Blum, the information covers the very broad array of treatment options you hear about. Blum, a self-described “refusnik,” balked at the debilitating treatment options available for men suspected or newly diagnosed with prostate cancer. Under the guidance of Dr Scholz, who deemed Blum an appropriate candidate for a less invasive approach, he was one of the pioneers of watchful waiting or Active Surveillance. The two give their different perspectives on the decisions, from both the patient’s as well as the doctor’s perspective.
