hi, everybody. i'm jamie kolby. it's time now for "sunday housecall." >> welcome. joining us today, as always, dr. marc siegel, associate professor of medicine at langal medical center and the author of "the inner pulse." >> and dr. manny alvarez, a professor of ubsecretary of staterics and ggynecology, whos baby have you not delivered? i'm going to start with dr. siegel. i'm not buying it. the fda all of a sudden comes

out with this landmark ruling. they're taking away your transfats. that's what makes all your favorite foods taste good. dr. siegel, i believe they'll then just use more sugar to keep selling products. >> dr. kolby, as usual, you stole my best line. >> sorry. >> i'm going to say, first of all, i want to keep this medical rather than political. whether they're a nanny state, whether they're overreaching, where you draw the line, if you take the transfats out, what about the cheeseburgers? let's talk about a transfats. it's extremely unhealthy. you take a vegetable oil and stick a hydrogen to it and it raises your bad cholesterol and it's been associated with heart disease. we know 5,000 deaths a year are due to trans fats, 1500 heart attacks due to trans fats. but over the past eight years, we have seen a 73% reduction in

trans fats. americans today are only eating a gram of trans fats, where eight years ago, they were eating four grams. >>some people have started to cut down? >> yes, mcdonald's kentucky fried chicken, they have taken it out of the french fries, the big macs. things are moving in the right direction already. i agree with jamie's point. if you start with this, what else is going to creep in? the butter? if you take the trans fats out of participate corn, you' popco up with more butter. >> i was thinking even more sugar to make things taste good. >> i think it's a wonderful idea. i think that, you know, all of these products were really manufactured to sell more. and really, they have no role. these are artificial foods. and we're paying the dividends nowadays. look at our health system. we have more sick people. so as dr. siegel said, these things have come off, 75% of all the companies right now don't

use trans fats. only about a 12% consumption of trans fats, and the few products that have those things are things you don't want to eat, like microwave popcorn. >> but people will. should they check the packages? how much of a trans fat is okay? >> every company already has said they have natural good ways of doing the same thing that trans fats are doing. >> really? >> so we already have the technology. it's just a matter of implementing it and talking about the cost-effectiveness of whether it really increases the price of food, that's another topic for another day. >> what should we look for? sometimes you see on the packages, it says no trans fat. what should we look for in case it doesn't say that? >> baked goods. i want to take off on a point manny made. bakes goods, they sometimes use it for store life or to make it more tender. you look for products where the manufacturer is trying cheaply to keep it tastier and lasting longer. >> that's the line item, five

grams. that's a lot. >> here in new york, it's been removed from restaurants. that was a pace setter, actually. >> look at the label. if it says trans fat, your advice. >> don't buy it. basical basically, you're not going to find it often anymore. good move by the fda, i love it. >> i think it's overreach, but i think it's bad for you, very bad for you. >> have you heard about this other stunning report that came out this past week? it links testosterone treatments to the risk of heart disease in men. what about the study? some are criticizing it, saying it looks at just high-rivlg populations, not the average joe. >> this is a study coming out of the v.a. with men usually over the age of 60. i have to confess, i take testosterone. i did it for six months and because i was having symptoms of low testosterone. no energy, poor concentration, i was getting cranky. but at the end of the day, it does make a difference. >> they're showing a video, not my reaction.

>> not your reaction, but at the end of the day, low testosterone is a real problem. and this study did point out there's a 26% or so increase in heart attacks and stroke. the problem is that there's no direct link in the study. and therefore, the population that they looked at had already pre-existing conditions. and that's the whole issue. >> low testosterone from another -- >> you get it as you get older. once you hit 40, it's downhill until it ends. >> for women, too, right? >> it plays a different role for women, but for women, it's estrogen, which is their good hormone to keep them going. low t is an entity. this is a nice footnote. now it needs to be further studied. men like myself, talk to your cardiovascular specialist like dr. siegel. check my cholesterol and then decide whether or not

testosterone therapy is good. >> manny makes a very good point about this. should he worry? he's taking it now. should hathe average person wor because of the study? >> let me get to the oint in a round about way. this is what we do best on "sunday housecall." when patients come to see me and they're over 50, men, i check their testosterone levels. if they're low, i think about it as something i might want to treat. why? are they overweight, do they have high cholestraugz, are they fatigued, do they have a low sex drive? all of those things can be replaced with testosterone. it's leading to a frenzy of people getting testosterone. i'm really happy about the study because this study looks at a very select group over the age of 60s who has heart risk factors and says over a three-year period if i give you testosterone and you're set up to have a heart attack or stroke, are you going to have one? i like it because we thought

there was no side effect to testosterone. this may be -- this is the take home, maybe if you're in a high risk group for heart disease and you're over 60, maybe you should hesitate a little bit before you start it. >> okay, manny is only 30. if i have those -- >> and my libido is pretty good. >> all right, doc, settle down. wait, dr. siegel, before we leave this topic, quick question. i have to be honest with you, i'm not menopausal. >> we know that. anyone watching can see that. >> i had a doctor who recommended i was low t and women can benefit from t for concentration and things like that. i didn't follow the advice, but i'm curious about that. could it be dangerous for a woman to take testosterone? >> women are taking it for the point of view of sex drive. let me toss it to manny because it's his specialty, but i think it's okay under certain circumstances. >> testosterone plays a different role in women when it comes to their sex drive.

and for some women, sometimes it's recommended. the issue is, we still don't know what the exact -- you know, everything with testosterone, as i was saying before, if you take testosterone and you don't get relief from the symptoms, then you don't need it, despite what the number might be. >> that's a great point, dr. manny. >> hormone therapy about the effectiveness and whether it changes the symptoms. women, same thing. you start with low testosterone, see how things change. if they don't, you go to something else. >> that's great because this recommendation was based solely on numbers. you take a good history from a patient. that's great. >> same with men, too, by the way. i forgot to mention that. what's the background, the medical problems? >> very good. we appreciate it. we're going to tell you about a potential breakthrough that could change the way we fight cancer next. could our own bodies hold the key to curatiing that deadly disease? >> if you have back pain, it's a

fact of life and it could hurt and be full of discomfort, but how do you know if it's really your kidneys? where are they? what do i do? should i worry? we'll have that coming up. heart healthy, huh?! ugh! actually progresso's soup has pretty bold flavor. i love bold flavors! i'd love it if you'd open the chute! [ male announcer ] progresso. surprisingly bold flavor for a heart healthy soup.

to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, she's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay. now the ciabatta is done and the pain is starting again. more pills? seriously? seriously.

[ groans ] all these stops to take more pills can be a pain. can i get my aleve back? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. welcome back to "sunday housecall." you know when there's a potengsm game-changer in the fight against cancer, this is where you're going to hear it. turns out it could be right around the corner. could our own bodies be the key to treating kachcancer? >> that's exactly right. the reason this could be a game-changer is first of all, traditional chemotherapy gives us a lot of side effects. you try to poison the cancer, but you poison the body, too. we're using immune therapies

wher to fight the cancer like it's a foreign invader, like an invection. what i like about the vaccine is for the first time, they take the whole tumor out of the body and use all the proteins on the tumor to trigger the immune system. the results are very promising. in brain cancer, which is fatal approximately 15 months, in brain cancer, they have people living up to three years. let's take a look. >> ultimately, we would like to find a cure for this and many other types of cancer. right now, this seems to be our best weapon to make this a more chronic disease that you -- that you can live with this tumor and not die from it. >> i think that vaccine has been life changing for me. what you see before you is what you get. my energy level is at all-time high. i have nothing negative to say about this that i think that with this vaccine and with the proper nutrition, i think that a

lot of positive things could happen. >> i'm living the wave of the future, which is using the body and its own mechanisms to defeat cancer rather than having to take a club to it from the outside through all the traditional measures. >> the patient we just saw, had thyroid cancer treated with this vaccine. he's in total remission. and he compared it to this treatment for colon cancer. he said no comparison because no side effects with the vaccine. to answer your question you're going to ask me, when is it going to be available? >> what do i say to my doctor? >> it's in stage three trials in 48 centers across the country. >> what does that mean. >> it's in the final stages of trial before apruvlg. if i come on and tell you when that's will be, the fda doesn't like that. >> is it fast tracked? >> it is, but we don't know months or years. this follows vaccines for other

cancers that targeted specific proteins. >> you talk about the centers for trials. can you get into that trial if you're a patient? how does that work? >> a lot of people are asking me that over the last few days and i'm sending it over to the manufacturer, northwest the therapeutics. >> perhaps you can get more information. >> absolutely. >> is this an allergenic vaccine. >> you use your own cells. you use your own tumor. >> so basically, the patient has the cancer, then they remove the tumor from his or her own tumor cells. then they create a vaccine. it's not coming from other tumor donors. >> by the way, i should add, that process takes eight days. $100,000 for three years and you have enough to treat you for three or four years. >> there's five vaccine trials going on right now, dna, that style of vaccinations,

antiogenic vaccines going forward, and i think the key for any vaccine therapy is that it has to have a broad production, if you will, so that the cost comes down. right now, with these individual kind of vaccines for your own particular cancer, they're so expensive that in order to get effectiveness and then reduce the rates of breast cancer and things like that, this is going to be the challenge moving forward. >> to produce it, it's not a shelf item at the pharmacy. >> this is individual from your own dna. >> nevertheless, an advance. >> this is $100,000 for three years, which is actually cheap by these things, but the question is, will insurance cover these things? >> probably not, but keep us post ed for the folks who want o get more information. >> it seems to work so well. >> the doctors are answering your questions.

here's a question about chronic back pain. you'll hear what they have to say if your pain is moving lower. >> from november to mo-vember. we'll tell you why moustaches aren't just about style anymore. suffering from the flu is a really big deal. with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so call your doctor right away. tamiflu treats the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately.

children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. so don't wait. attack the flu virus at its source. ask your doctor about tamiflu, prescription for flu.

>> first, where's my kidneys? how do i know the pain is not gas or gout? >> it could be anything.

it depends on if you're a man or wom woman, but basically in the flanks of your back, lateral to mid-back is where the kidney is. >> the lower back, how do you know it's not something going on with my kidney? >> when you have pain, you have to ask a couple questions? how long have you had it? does it radiate to any other part of your body? is it sharp, burning, and do you have triggers? from that point, you can start thinking of what to do. and if you are thinking of kidney, you have to think of an infection. an infection of the kidney, very common, especially if you have chronic stones.

you can put your hand overthe lower back and punch and you feel a sharp tenderness, you know you're shaking the kidney and the kidney is sensitive and you should see a doctor immediately. >> you talk about stones. >> cvat. >> come on, speak english. >> a quiz at the end, seriously? >> let me ask you, if you have never had one, once you get it, you know you've got it the pain is so excruciating? >> it's very excruciating. >> well, it's very sharp. and take this together with what your history is. do you have a history of kidney stones? is there blood in your urine? you can have a urinary infection if year worried about the kidneys. do you have an urgency to go? do you have a fever? these are -- do you have cloudy urine? these things we have to put altogether. if you've got a sharp pain in your back and you're not sure, you see your doctor. now, the other thing this is -- >> it could be a frame, though. >> much more often than kidney problems, it ends up being a

muscle spasm, something that's radiating. but i don't want people self-diagnosi self-diagnosing. that's why you have to involve your doctor. much more often, heat, some voltarin gel, some nonsteroidal muscle relaxers may help. but if somebody banks on your back, cvat, that is a pretty good sign that it is a kidney. >> a lot of people have back problems. some good advice. >> kids, here we go. i was asked to do this by dr. siegel. do not be surprised if you notice a lot of men putting away their razors and women, too, looking scruffier. but it's for a good cause. clearly i wouldn't do it otherwise. and the doctors will tell you why, next. >> you look beautiful. [ male announcer ] 'tis the season of more.

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about to find out why. so are you. november is known as movember for many, where guys worldwide raise awareness and funds for men's health issues. they do it by sporting a stash. dr. siegel, do you think i raised any money when i just wore a moustache? fortunately i cleaned up during the commercial. >> there's no question, people saw that out there. >> give and give generously. >> we talk about prostate cancer on this show a lot. you all know i believe in the psa and prostate screening. but we don't talk about testicular cancer enough. there's 8,000 new cases a year and it's half of it is in men between 20 and 34. and i want all the internists out there to screen men for testicular cancer. you can find it with a lump. you can do it with self-exams and if you're a patient, a young patient, it's a reason to see a doctor. get the testicular exam. >> how easy is it to conduct that exam? what do you look for?

>> just like dr. siegel said, if you find any tenderness in the testicular area or you find any no, sirrul, this is something that you should have that checked out immediately. but it should be part of the routine physical. routine physical a lot of americans think is taking your blood pressure and cough or whatever. you really have to do, especially for men as they get older, you have to have a comp on hencive evaluation for any things regarding prostate cancer or testicular cancer. >> so what's the deal with the moustache? >> i'm the original movember. >> i'm no waldo, but -- but i balance it between women's health issues and guys health issues. i have to represent the women on this. >> i appreciate that. i want to ask you what other men's health issues are for men, but how does it raise money? >> something called movember, and there's a website for movember. when people go to see manny, they have a baby delivered,

women stay in the loop of on health care. men don't. men don't. men don't go to the doctor. they're macho. they don't want to go to the doctor. you want to take care of women that go to the doctor. this month is an awareness of men to go to the doctor, to get checked, at least yearly. i believe in at least a yearly physical even if you don't have on any active medical problems. >> even if you have okay, just to keep your doctor in the loop? >> prevention is the key and men have to become used to that. women do it, men don't. >> hyper extension a silent killer. >> men get breast cancer. >> absolutely. >> all right. so a thorough examination. dr. manny is what you would recommend? >> 100%. every year. and as you get older, you have to do it more frequently once you get to that 40 year -- >> but we're not there yet. >> we're not there yet. i'm only 25. >> and one foundation that does terrific work in testicular cancer is the sean kimmerly foundation. >> i used to work with shawn, as well. bless his family.

>> all right, everybody. so take care of your guys and that's going to do it for us. >> coming up is media buzz. >> with howie kurtz. >> coming up right now. >> have a great day, everybody. thanks for joining us on "sunday house call." >> take care. >> on the buzz beater, the white house blames him for the mounting criticism that president obama is failing to lead. why he says it's time for the media to demand answers on obama care. >> obviously, this is a miscalculation and it's not correct and i think it's right for the media to kind of say let's straighten this out. >> bob woodward on whether the press is holding the president accountable and his relationship with the washington post's new owner jeff bezos. chuck todd asks president obama about that broken promise on health care.