i'm patty ai ann browne, inr jamie colby. it's time for "sunday housecall." >> i'm eric shawn. joining us is dr. safd samadi. chief of robotic surgery. >> and dr. marc siegel, associate professor of medicine at nyu's langal medcon centical. joining us from london this morning. welcome to both of you. >> good morning, docs. >> good morning. >> we begin today with a potentially major change for blood pressure patients. have you heard about this?

after new guidelines say they may not need the medication after all. dr. samadi, what does this mean if you have high blood pressure. should you stop taking what you're using? >> if you're on blood pressure medications and your doctor is guiding you and you're doing well, we don't want you to stop, but this is big news about high blood pressure, and the new guidelines is normally we call high blood pressure anything over 140 over 90. now, it could be up to 150 instead of 140 to be officially called high blood pressure. >> they raised the high blood pressure if you're older. >> from 140 to 150 if you're over 60. under 60, nothing has changed. if you're diabetic, if you have kidney disease, instead of 130, they bump it up to 140. the reason is this government panel, they think we're overprescribing too many medications. they're worried about the side

effects, headache, dizziness, and the biggest risk is the risk of fall and pelvic fractures and bone fractures. also, if you look at the older population, they have 10, 15 medications. interaction with all of the medications and that's part of the reason. the other big news is instead of using beta blockers. now they're recommending using diuretics or water pills. especially in african-americans where high blood pressure is a big issue, those are the medications that would be the first line treatment. ultimately, lifestyle changes, exercise, and we'll talk more about that, should be an integral part of the process. >> they talk about high blood pressure as being the silent killer. could this be dangerous to people who should have high blood pressure medicine who go off it? >> absolutely. the first point is you have to start with exercise and

lifestyle changes and decreasing salt. once you decide you're in that fwrup, and two thirds of all americans have a problem with blood pressure. two thirds over the age of 60. one third of all americans, two thirds over the age of 60. those guidelines were developed in 2004. but half of the people who should be following them are not. so we already have a problem with compliance. the national institute of health and clinical excellence in great britain has not changed to 150 over 90. they're still at 140, and the american heart association has not changed. there, it's still 140. the main point i want to make is this is a decision between doctor and patient. i take care of high blood pressure all the time. it's the number one risk of heart disease in the world. we have a huge problem with heart disease, so we should not rush to medications. david mentioned diuretics. they're a very good medication to consider in elderly people if the higher number is higher. that's called the systolic. if the systolic is up, that

seems to work more. we shouldn't rush to medications. on the other hand, we have to be careful in undermedicated. i'm not a huge fan of overinterpreted guidelines. guidelines are something to put up on the wall. they're not something to follow religiously. what are you risk factors? what about heart failure, what about diabetes, what about people in high-risk groups. >> 140 over 90, talk to your doctor. >> lifestyle changes. >> absolutely. marc brought it up, which is important, is the salt issue. we're consuming about 3500 milligram of salt, which is way over the 2300. look at marc's blood pressure. being in london, his blood pressure is lower, he's more relaxed. i'm glad "sunday housecall" is going global. >> really important issue. >> while he's over there, he might be drinking tea. it's one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world. you might not know all the health benefits provided by tea. dr. siegel is going to talk to

us about tea now. doc. sorry to interrupt you while you're drinking. >> david has made a great point on the show about coffee. four cups of coffee a day. i'm talking about tea today because i changed my lifestyle to some extent since i have been over here, and i have been having afternoon tea and i find it's better on my stomach, and i read the clinic of american nutrition has 11 studies involving tea, and they need better studies. they need the randomized trials we like. but very good for bone health. seems to improve behavior and concentration. decreases risks of certain cancers like that in the gi tract and maybe even the advancing of prostate cancer. it's overall very, very good for you and has a lot of health benefits and it's overall in my field, i notice there are some studies that show it decreases the risk of heart disease. and three cups a day. we say four cups of coffee,

three cups of tea a day show a decreased risk dramatically of stroke. i'm going to have my four cups of coffee and three cups of tea. >> david, is that too much? >> i convert eed one person so that's good news. there's a lot of studies. the three to four cups, you have to get enough antioxidants to get the full effect of what we're talking about, the anti-cancer, the heart protection. now, with tea, especially green tea, it has a lot of flavinoids a lot of antioxidants. the one that's really big and i want people to look into this, is egcg. there are antioxidants and then antioxidants. egcg is a very potent antioxidant you find in tea. we're finding it can slow down the process of alzheimer's. it can reduce your ldl, which is your bad cholesterol, increase your hdl, and the majority of

studies coming out will tell you it's healthy for even cognitive. you have almost neuroogenesis and generation of new nerves as a result of this. >> is that egcg, all teas or just green tea? >> you get it in anything that comes from plants, which is most of the teas you would get this, but it's a very potent one. we want people, unless you have high blood pressure and other issues, you should not be touching coffee or tea, but if you're well, i think this will help you. also, tea reduces cravings. we know at nighttime, people get hungry, they want to eat more. my taking tea, you take away that. i'm a big proponent. and by the way, it's not the caffeine. it's all the vitamin bs and flavinoids. >> speaking of vitamin b -- >> the key hereantioxidants. something called catechins.

they don't do much herbal tea. they stick with the black, the white, and green tea. the green tea has a lot of c catech catechins. but these come from plants. they're getting studies more and more and the results look terrific. >> it's interesting because what marc is talking about is also found where? all the fruits and vegetables. in a sense, if you're not getting enough fruits and vegetables, by drinking tea or coffee if it goes well with you, you're catching up on some of the antiox dnlts. >> doctors are big proponents of coffee and tea. now marc is doing it, too. >> coming up, you're going to want to see this. a rare and personal discussion with former vice president doic chen cheney. he opens up to dr. siegel talking about his decades of living with heart disease. what we can all learn to help our hearts from someone who has lived so long with that. >> well, i would hope that they

would take away from it a message of hope. what's happened in the area of cardiology is happening in other fields as well. cancer and diabetes and so forth and a lot our serious diseases. too soft. too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection. the deep sweep power brush by oral-b for the first time. wow. it's "wow," you know? wow. wow. that feels "wow." [ male announcer ] oral-b deep sweep, featuring 3 cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles that reach deep between teeth to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. it seems like it gets more to areas of your mouth that you can't reach with a regular toothbrush. [ male announcer ] guaranteed "wow" with deep sweep from oral-b. #1 dentist-recommended toothbrush brand worldwide. with deep sweep fromis a really big deal.u

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.

i have a cold with this annoying runny nose.

[ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male anner ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is! welcome back to "sunday housecall." as you know, former vice president dick cheney has been battling coronary heart disease for decades. he knows first hand about the cutting edge technology and innovative medical procedures that have saved his life more than once. he sat down to talk about that with dr. siegel. here's what he's learned. >> this is a very revealing, personal book. it's a joy to read it. what can americans take away from it? ? a message of hope. what's happened in the area of cardiology is happening in other

fields, too, cancer, diabetes, so forth, a lot of our serious diseases. people can look at that and say chaina had coronary artery disease, he had it as a young man. i was able to function ten years in the house, the leadership, the department of defense in desert storm. serve as vice president, and so it's doable. and people have got heart problems or serious health problems of some kind, part of the solution is your mental outlook, your attitude about life itself. >> talk to me about the diet and exercise you have now. >> i'm past that one year mark, so that's very important. in terms of diet, i try to eat a healthy diet. i'm restricted from eating raw seafood. that's partly because of the immune suppressant process. that's a small price to pay. but i try to eat a basically minimize the

fats and go easy on the desserts. with respect to exercise, i work out on a recumbent bicycle. try to do that four or five mornings a week, and that helps with your cardiovascular system, work up a sweat. i have been on five hunting trips so far this fall. i'm on the river one day a week with my fly rod. i do everything i want to do. i can't ski, but that hasn't got anything to do with my heart. it's because i have a bum knee. >> my father used to have a saying it's one thing to have a disease. it's another thing have to the disease have you. heart disease never really had the president. >> dr. siegel, is really is a message of hope. >> because, eric, he never saw himself as sick. when he had the first heart attack at the age of 37, the first thing he did was quit smoking. that's a message it's not too late. many people who had heart attacks in the 1970s are not alive today. the second thing he did, he cut through the denial and allowed

doctors to help him over the years so the latest technology that came about, he was able to benefit from. bypass surgery, stinting, implantable defibrillators. the ventricural pump, and finally, the heart transplant, and he didn't get vip care, either. he waited on the transplant list 20 months, which is twice as long as people normally wait. he got very careful care. >> dr. samadi, what can we learn the. >> what we can learn is family history is a big deal when it comes to the heart, which is what he had. the other mistake he made, he started smoking the first time at the age of 12. then when he was in politics, almost two to three packs a day. so that's a lot of smoking, which i'm glad that he stopped, he quit at the age of 37 when he had the first heart attack. what we're learning also is we should commend his doctors because the team of doctors that

took care of him over the years, we're talking about over three decades of heart disease. very few people really can last that long. this is the number one killer in the country, eric, so he got the best care. i also want to say he was at the right time at the right place. five heart attacks. he got multimal angiograms, multiple stints. he had bypass surgery and went on to the ventricular assisted device. that's a story that speaks to how wonderful and great the health care system is in this country. we use our technology, and even though sometimes access to health care could be a problem, we're still one of the best health care systems in the world. we should all be proud of it, but i want to say a healthy diet, exercise, and stop smoking is the way to go. >> marc, those are the three tips from dr. samadi. how about you? >> i agree completely that the technology was a key part of

this. and that exercise and diet are really important. but you know what his number one message is, eric? i asked him about 9/11, what about all the stress you faced? you were a big shot in congress, a chief of staff at the age of tlur. he looked at me and said it's an unexpected answer. i didn't consider myself under stress because i loved what i did. and that's a message for all americans out there. you can live with chronic diseases but love your work and love your life. >> this is also a man who doesn't take no as an answer. he doesn't let the disease take over him. he beat the disease. that's a huge message to patients with cancer and heart disease. >> great advice for all of us, absolutely. other topics, do you suffer from shortness of breath while you exert yourself? is it a sign of lack of exercise or something more serious? should you worry? that's coming up this sunday, just three days before christmas, but no stress.

now for should i worry? it's our weekly segment about everything that worries on us. one viewer asks, i have difficulties breathing while i run or pick up something heavy. should i worry? dr. siegel. >> patti ann, i think i would need to know more is like is this new? the change in pattern is something i look for when someone comes to my office. are you overweight? do you smoke? the thing i would worry most about is heart disease. i want to rule that out. so if someone is short of breath when they run, i want to get them on a treadmill. i think a stress test is key.

you start with an x-ray and an ekg. but in someone like this, maybe a stress test. in younger people, as march would be a consideration here. easily enough, there was a study in 2005 that said a lot of the time it's deconditioning and people pushing themselves farther than they should go. so if that's happening, again, you need to see a physician. by the way, david, you didn't comment on my tweet today. you know, i'm trying to look like i'm an english doctor. >> you look great over there. and don't drink too much tea. you're going to get kidney stones. you're doing great. >> thank you. . >> if you have too much -- you can get calcium -- on kidney stones. it's a hint. lynch, this is the kind of question that comes up every day before we go to the operating room. do you get short of breath when you go up the stairs or when you actually exercise? whenever the answer is sometimes, that's when we get worried about heart disease. maybe congestive heart failure,

maybe some angina or heart disease. what i would do is i want to get basic blood tests, labs, get a chest x-ray, make sure there's no pneumonia. exercise induced asthma, there are people that go out there and as soon as they start running, they get short of breath. so we give them inhalers. they would take a puff before they start and that opens up the bronchials and they could breathe. but certainly heart disease is one of the things you want to rule out in a patient like this. after ekg. a chest x-ray, you move on to possible stress tests if that's the case. but you should be worried. you should look into this because there's no reason for you to be short of breath. and i hope it helps. >> finally, dr. siegel, obviously, if you have this, talk to your doctor. >> well, sure. and the key thing that i worry about here -- and, again, we don't worry about a lot of these. he says just lifting something make his short of breath and that could be a sign something is really going on here. talk to your doctor.

>> it's good advice. anybody know what the spleen really does? coming up, the doctors will fill us in. hi honey, did you get e toaster cozy? yep. got all the cozies. [ grandma ] with n fedex one rate, i could ll a box and ship it r one flat rate. so i kn untilt was full. you'd be crazy not to. is tt nana? [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex.

it's one of the biggest medical questions out there, what does the spleen really do? >> we haven't talked about the spleen a lot in the past, so this is a great segment. the spleen is the organ that sits on the left upper part of our abdomen right next to the stomach and pan koreaace. really, what it does, it filters all the old red blood cells. so our red blood cells, there are cells that bring the oxygen to our body and carry the co2. they go through the spleen like it filter. it is a big reservoir for white blood cells or cells that defend

us from any infection and platelets that prevent bleeding. think of the spleen like a u.s. army camp dwb soldiers go in, rest up and get ready to war. now, what happens sometimes as a result of infection, virus, mononucleosis or the kissing disease, the spleen can get enlarged, somebody who has lymphoma, maybe they have a rupture of the spleen. can you live without spleen? the answer is yes but then he would be at the risk of not having those soldier toes fight. so you have to get your vaccinations, your pneumonia vaccine. any infection can get you in trouble. such a vital organ that you need to keep. >> all these things we have we can live without, like tonsils,

appendix. >> it's almost time for lunch over there, right? >> i'm not eating that, david. actually, the spleen is very hard to examine. inalternativists have a lot of trouble feeling it. you have to put the patient in exactly the right position. so if it's enlarged for some of the reasons david was mentioning, it's hard to find. and another thing that can cause a problem with the spleen is sickle cell anemia. if it was removed from a fall or on something like that, you have to have those vaccines. as david was saying. you're at a high risk of infection. one other point, by the way, if you have a traumatic fall, you have to watch out. that's one of the reasons ambulances rush people in. because if that spleen bursts, you can end up bleeding out and that's one of the surgical emergencies. >> the best way to detect it, mark, is is to get a cat scan. a lot of times we try to preserve as much of the spleen as possible.

>> happy holidays, merry christmas. >> thank you both for joining us for sunday housecall. coming up now is media buzz, all about the media with howard kurtz. here's howie. >> on the buzz meter this sunday, a&e under fire for suspending the star of "duck dynasty" after he called hoe mow sexuality a sin and compared it with beastlty. now there's a video of phil robertson in which he says this about gays. >> they are infamous arrogant god haters. they are heartless. they have ruthless. >> does the reality show deserve to be sidelined for offensive comments or is this political correctness run amuck? a federal judge's ruling against nsa spying ignites a fierce media debate. is ed snow