Welcome to Spring 2011! As the year blossoms, let's take the advice of Benjamin Franklin who said: "Let each New Year find you a better man."

Spring provides a way for us to assess where we are and where we want to be, especially when it comes to health. Often, the focus is on getting in shape, through eating less and exercising more. While these are important, I remind men to also get more sleep, eat better (not less) and take some time to enjoy the small things in life.

Another recommendation is to start with a good general check up. We encourage you to take advantage of our "Men's Health Tune Up" to address your urological, sexual and reproductive concerns. Just like a car, putting off maintenance on your body eventually comes back to haunt you.

We would love to hear from you. If you have questions, comments or suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in the newsletter, please contact us at Newsletter@ TheTurekClinic.com. Please also email us to subscribe to the electronic version of the newsletter. For more information, visit www. TheTurekClinic.com or Dr. Turek's blog at http://www.TurekOnMensHealth. com.

In good health,
Paul Turek, MD

Dr. Turek Joins Senator Feinstein in Opening New "Clinic by the Bay"

In November 2010, Dr. Turek joined Senator Dianne Feinstein, Representative Jackie Speier and others in the grand opening of San Francisco's Clinic by the Bay, a free health clinic for the underinsured in the heart of San Francisco. Dr. Turek is a founder, a board member and the chairman of the medical advisory board for Clinic by the Bay. The clinic relies on the services of retired doctors and other health care providers who volunteer their time to provide patient care.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Paul Turek and was inspired by the time and resources he devoted to this clinic," commented Sen. Feinstein.

"It is very important to me to give back to the community where I live and practice," said Dr. Turek. "Clinic by the Bay carries the same ‘culture of caring' tradition I try to bring to my own practice, where each person is treated with kindness, respect and patience in every interaction."

The opening was featured on San Francisco's KTVU, The Huffington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle and elsewhere. For more information about Clinic By The Bay, please log onto: http://www.clinicbythebay.org.

The Expert in Each of Us
A walk among giants…

As President of the Northern California Urology Society, I held an interesting event recently. It was meant to highlight the idea of mentors in our lives. Titled "Inside the Minds of Great Urologists," it was modeled after the show called "Inside the Actor's Studio." Three internationally known, highly successful, academic urologists (Drs. Jack McAninch, Fuad Freiha and Ralph de Vere White) were featured. I asked them how they got where they are, their major influences and traits, and what advice they have for others.

Their stories were short and full of meaty tidbits of advice. Most interesting were the answers to the questions about how they got where they are, what they considered to be the secret sauce to becoming an "expert." The major points are worth summarizing here.

1. Enjoy what you do. If you have a passion, pursue it, as it will keep you smiling.
2. Don't be jealous of others. Talent differs greatly from individual to individual.
3. Mentors help greatly in finding and pursuing your passion. Find and treasure them.
4. Stay focused. Stick-to-it-tiveness matters. "Be like a postage stamp. Stick to something until you get there."
5. An expert involves many things, but importantly, the desire and capacity to constantly change and improve.
6. Be true to yourself and to others.
7. Make a difference if you can.

So there you have it. Straight from pretty reputable sources in my field. And from this, it seems to me that the secret sauce to being a successful urologist in America is probably quite similar to that of any other profession.

To read more, go to http://TurekOn- MensHealth.com/uncategorized/the-expertin- each-of-us/

This article was excerpted from the blog, Turek on Men's Health. The full article can be viewed at http://TurekOn- MensHealth.com/vasectomy/bringing-it-home/

This fall, I presented a paper at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's 66th Annual Meeting in Denver on research indicating we are closer than ever to developing an artificial human testicle. Media from around the country covered the groundbreaking news.

In preliminary groundwork in creating an artificial testis, our research team was able to isolate, maintain and grow in culture a very important testicular cell that is critically important for normal sperm production. These elusive cells, called Sertoli cells, are the "nurse" cells of the testicle and provide environmental support for sperm production.

For 30 years, scientists have grown Sertoli cells from other animals in dishes, but attempts at growing human Sertoli cells have failed. We attributed much of our success to thinking about this cell differently than others have by adding in a dash of stem cell biology.

If you take cells out of their normal "niche" or home, they behave differently. Put a Sertoli cell into the testis with all of its friends and the things it calls home around it and it will stop dividing. Take it away from home and put it in a dish and it continues to grow and divide and duplicate itself.

We believe this model will have groundbreaking implications for the study of human sperm production, cell-to-cell interaction in the testicle and for the production of sperm in culture from early germ cells or even stem cells.

Further research is needed to examine how hormones affect the growth and function of Sertoli cells and the ability of Sertoli cells to support germ cell development in vitro, but we are hopeful that this research has brought us one step closer to building an artificial testicle to treat male infertility, study how sperm are made and to test the toxicity of new drugs without using animals.

I can imagine, one day, being able to create sperm for a man sterilized by chemotherapy from stem cells grown in this artificial testis.

Successful Vasectomy Reversal Gives The Watson’s Another Chance

More than 12 years ago, Michael Watson, father of three children, decided to have a vasectomy believing that his family was complete. But several years later, remarried and madly in love, he and his wife Joyce decided that they wanted to have children together. So, in 2007, Michael had his vasectomy reversed.

He found a local urologist in San Jose to perform the procedure. Unfortunately for Michael and Joyce, the reversal failed. In fact, vasectomy reversals can fail quite often in the hands of relatively inexperienced surgeons.

However, Michael and Joyce were determined to have their own children. After doing some research, they found Dr. Turek.

"We knew we had made the right choice as soon as we arrive at The Turek Clinic," said Michael. "The entire team there is incredible. They work really well together to ensure that nothing gets missed."

Recalling his first meeting with Dr. Turek, Michael remembers how thorough he was at providing a realistic picture of his situation. "The first doctor I went to just said everything would be fine, how do I want to pay for it and that was it. But when I first met with Dr. Turek, he didn't charge me a dime. Instead, he spent an hour, not trying to sell me, but trying to teach me. He was educating me on all the aspects of the procedure, what I need to know and how he expected things could go for me. He gave me the knowledge to feel confident saying to my wife, ‘Here's what we should do and here is why we should do it.'"

On the day of the procedure, Michael was nervous, but he felt comfortable with Dr. Turek's expertise and experience. In reality, about 25 percent of Dr. Turek's reversal patients are "re-do's" from failed vasectomy reversals performed by other physicians.

Dr. Turek's success in performing vasectomy reversals is based on his skill and technical precision as a microsurgeon. Using minimally invasive techniques, he has helped hundreds of men achieve fatherhood. "Within the first three months after reversal, 77 percent of my patients like Michael have sperm return to their ejaculates," states Turek. Within a year, more than 95 percent of men will have ejaculated sperm after the procedure. Losing ejaculated sperm counts after surgery due to scar tissue is a common problem after reversals. However, "only 5 percent to 7 percent of my patients lose sperm counts after gaining them back following a reversal," says Turek, whose results are published in the Journal of Urology and Urology, two leading journals in his field.

A couple weeks after his procedure, Michal learned his semen analysis showed healthy sperm. Just one month later, Michael and Joyce achieved their goal of becoming pregnant with their first child.

Their daughter, Bailey was born healthy and happy on February 4, 2010—the same day as her mother's 34th birthday. "Bailey was the best birthday present I could ever wish for!" exclaims Joyce.

Michael offers his advice for anyone who would like to have children after a vasectomy.

"If there is something I would tell people it's do your research to find the right person who can get it done right the first time because you don't get to have miracles every day. If you want to have a child, it's priceless. I cannot put a price on what that is worth to me or my wife."

Bailey is now 10 months old and Joyce is expecting their second child in May. The couple could not be happier.

"I am so grateful to Dr. Turek for giving us this gift," says Michael. "He doesn't just do procedures, he creates miracles."

What is the surest form of contraception ever developed?

A. The birth control pill
B. The condom
C. The vasectomy
D. The intrauterine device

Answer: Vasectomy. While the other contraceptives listed here rely on repeated patient compliance for their success, a vasectomy, once performed, does not require any "work" to be effective. This is part of the reason why it is the gold standard contraceptive.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in the newsletter, please contact us at Newsletter@TheTurekCinic.com.

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For more information, visit www.TheTurekClinic.com or Dr. Turek’s blog at http://TurekOnMensHealth.com.

The Turek Clinic
55 Francisco Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94133

Phone: 415-392-3200
Facsimile: 415-392-3201
Facsimile (patient records only):
415-392-3268

The Turek Clinic is a men's reproductive health practice, led by board-certified urologist and microsurgeon, Dr. Paul Turek, a former professor and endowed chair at the University of California San Francisco. After leaving the university in 2008, he founded The Turek Clinic based on his philosophy that the best way to treat men's reproductive health concerns is to combine a scientific evidence-based approach with highly personalized care.

The entire staff at The Turek Clinic is invested in offering patients a unique, personal and positive experience. It begins with listening. Listening is key to truly understanding each patient's needs and concerns and is the secret to offering the best care possible—and that doesn't happen in a 15-minute appointment.

Each patient receives a lengthy office visit with Dr. Turek including a comprehensive review of previous test results, operative notes and medical records; a full medical history; a physical exam; and, a comprehensive treatment plan to move forward. Additionally, patients receive a15-minute conference call following the evaluation to discuss test results and next steps.

Dr. Turek's innovative and visionary approach to patient care and research has led to his appointment to the Cooperative Reproductive Network Advisory Board at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He is also a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), President of the American Society of Andrology (ASA), President of the Northern California Urology Society and a fellow in numerous international medical societies.

TESTICULAR MAPPING —Testicular Mapping, also known as FNA Sperm Mapping, is a technology that "maps" the location of sperm in the testes. The technique is designed to benefit severely infertile men as well as men who have undergone cancer treatment.

MALE INFERTILITY EVALUATION—Dr. Turek manages the care of approximately 800-1000 new infertility patients annually and is considered one of the foremost experts in the field.

VASECTOMY REVERSAL—Dr. Turek performs vasectomy reversals weekly. He is internationally regarded as a master microsurgeon and vasectomy reversalist with published success rates among the highest in the country.

VASECTOMY—Dr. Turek was an early adopter of the No Scalpel Vasectomy that uses a single skin puncture instead of incisions to block the flow of sperm during ejaculation. He has performed more than 1,500 no scalpel vasectomies, helping to popularize it in the U.S.

VARICOCELE REPAIR—Varicoceles are enlarged veins in the scrotum; they are the most commonly corrected reason for male infertility. Dr. Turek has popularized a safe, minimally invasive, microsurgical procedure to correct the problem with excellent success and low complication rates.

AZOOSPERMIA—Azoospermia is a condition where there is no sperm in a man's ejaculate. Dr. Turek has pioneered ways to both diagnose the genetic causes of azoospermia and to treat men with this condition. He invented testicular mapping, a procedure that has given renewed hope to men who have been told to give up their quest to become biological fathers.

TESTIS PROSTHESIS—When a testis is missing or has been removed after cancer surgery, accidental injury, twisting or improper development, an artificial testis, called a testis prosthesis, can be implanted to restore the normal appearance. Dr. Turek led the clinical trial on the only FDA-approved prosthesis currently on the market in the U.S.

MALE HORMONE REPLACEMENT—The Turek Clinic specializes in the diagnosis and innovative management of androgen (testosterone and androsterone) deficiency and male hormone replacement in men of any age.

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION—E.D. is caused by neurologic, hormonal, arterial, venous or psychosocial problems. Fortunately, it can be diagnosed fairly quickly with a medical history, physical examination and blood tests and effective treatments are available in virtually all cases.

EJACULATORY DISORDERS—Most ejaculatory disorders are treatable. Dr. Turek offers expert professional sexual education and counseling in addition to established and innovative medical treatments.

SPERM RETRIEVAL—Sperm retrieval procedures are designed to collect sperm from organs within the male reproductive tract, allowing infertile men without ejaculated sperm the opportunity to be fathers. Dr. Turek has 16 years of experience in sperm retrieval procedures and has pioneered many of today's popular minimally invasive retrieval methods.

SECOND OPINION CLINIC—Medicine is both an art and a science. Both are required for good patient decision-making. Dr. Turek is an internationally recognized expert in men's reproductive health and is contacted daily by physicians and patients for his opinions on specific cases and medical conditions.