already over. gosh, time flies, doesn't it? well, i hope you enjoyed it and are learning to be more of a healthy you. hello. i'm arthel neville. time now for "sunday housecall." >> hi, everyone. i'm eric shawn and welcome. joining us, as always, dr. mark siegel, professor of medicine and author of "the inner pulse." >> and dr. david samadi, chairman and professor of urology and chief of robotic surgery. good to see you. >> we start with a very important issue. this happens to be a new study on colon cancer. turns out the number of cases in people older than 50 is dropping. that's the good news. but they say more young people

are coming down with the disease and it's so easily preventable. dr. siegel, why is this so? how come colon cancer is decreasing for the older folks but sadly increasing for the younger ones? >> this is out of a place called m.d. anderson. a top cancer center down in texas. they looked at a huge database from 1990s up to 2008. you know what they found? they found that there's a 3% decrease in colon cancer over the age of 50. i think the reason why is colonoscopy. we're screening and we're finding polyps before they turn into cancer. you never actually get the colon cancer. as with prostate cancer, and david was pointing this out to me before the show, though younger people who get the cancer don't only get it, they get a very aggressive form. they found this an increase of almost the same percent, about 2% in people 20 to 34 of aggressive colon cancer. that doesn't mean -- i anticipate your question. it doesn't mean i'm telling

25-year-olds to get colonoscopies. what i am saying is we need to be on the lookout. age 50, colonoscopy. before age 50, no colonoscopy. that's two -- too cookie cutter. we have to look at the patient. what are your risk factors, what's your diet, how obese are you, do you smoke? if you're a smoker and you're obese and you're sedentary, your risk of colon cancer goes up. >> when should you get a colonoscopy? i have it in my family. when do you get it? how often should you get it and what age? >> i think what marc is trying to say is a guidelines is coming from a lot of these agencies and they're too stiff. you have to individualize medicine. if you have family history of colon cancer, perhaps we should do it early on. as we just heard, 142,000 americans are getting colon cancer. it's the third common cause of cancer in this country. 50,000 die from this. so family history.

what kind of diet do you have? if you're having a lot of fried food, processed meats, you're not taking a lot of fruits and vegetabl vegetables. obesity is a huge risk factor. even smoking. we know smoking is also a big risk factor for colon cancer. you know, maybe we should do a baseline colonoscopy on you at the age of 40. if you find polyps, you can take care of it and that would be the end of it. what we're seeing both in prostate cancer and colon cancer as a result of all this screening moving toward 50, we're finding out young men with very lethal and aggressive prostate cancers and colon cancers, and that's why -- >> what if you don't have it as part of your family history? what do you do then? >> the key here is to look at the individual patient and look at a trend. the thing i look for most is what we call a change in bowel habits. is somebody suddenly constipated

that wasn't constipated before? i don't suddenly say, colonoscopy. 42, change in bowel habit, suddenly not feeling well, having abdominal discomfort. maybe has a family history, get that screening. you want to know. >> i think the best thing to watch out for is if you see blood in the stool, this is a first mark of this. a lot of times the doctors may just pass it on saying it could be hemorrhoids and other things. pay attention to these things. if you have a history of inflammatory bowel disease, that's a huge risk factor. in our field, i'm always concerned about men that get radiation for prostate cancer. we know radiation can affect the rectum and can cause rectal cancer and colon cancer. on those patients, you want to be a little more aggressive. in the hands of experienced gast ro end rolgss, these can lon os comys are fairly safe.

>> to david's point about that -- >> what's -- >> i give the stool cards out to you and i say -- >> you put that on the shelf and you forget that. >> don't forget that. >> i lose it. it's like this big. >> three days in a row. bring it back to your doctor. you can even mail it to your doctor and i'll check it for you. we can do that in advance. >> what's this called again? >> there's the yearly rectal exam we have to do. we can check for blood then. on top of that, ask your doctor. do three of them in a row. three successive days. either bring them back or mail them in. we should be screening for blood. if we find blood, we do a colonoscopy. >> exercise is extremely important. inactivity increases the risk. add fruits and vegetables and get rid of a lot of these processed meats and red meats. >> let's say you're 25 years old. you're eating your jalapeno poppers. how do you know you have this?

>> if you lose sudden weight loss, if you're having abdominal pain, you see blood in the stool. first-degree relatives have colon cancer, if you have some sort of irritated bowels, go to your doctor. don't worry about the guidelines. those are for mass screenings. a lot of these guidelines we've talked about, these guidelines are basically for the whole population. i just operated on a 38-year-old with very aggressive prostate cancer. this guy would have never made it to age 50. >> how do you know he had it? >> he went for life insurance. they got the psa. it was high. that's how he found out about this. >> if you have red blood or blood in your stool, you want to see your doctor. i may tell you it's the beets you ate last night. it may not be blood. but let me test you for it. >> that's what i was going to ask you. you mentioned having spicy food, which can sometimes cause problems when you're having a movement. maybe that's just temporary. if it is temporary, it's that. if it persists, you're saying don't ignore it. >> but i can do an exam right

then and tell you if it's really blood or not. i can exam it. or we can do the stool cards on the spot. get to your doctor if you see a change in the color of your stool. >> or the size. >> or if you're constipated, having any kind of diarrhea. >> when you have colon cancer, the stool comes in at a very small -- narrow diameter. >> very helpful. so it is the largest family planning event in the world, world vasectomy day. who started this and why do we need such a day? "sunday housecall" returns. thi need such a day? "sunday housecall" returns.

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friday marked world vasectomy day. what has this accomplished? first of all, if you could tell us what a vasectomy is, what entails the procedures. you do this them. and are there risks involved? >> it's basically a very basic male sterilization. it's common. 500,000 vasectomies are being done. november 7th, i had no idea, but i learned something myself, it's called national vasectomy day. this is a doctor in utah going around and has encouraged other doctors to start doing vasectomies all over the world, especially in countries like africa and other places where they have no means. they're doing this because there was a picture of a father who had 26 children. in order to control this, they're doing this. so vasectomy is a minor procedure. it's done in our office. what you do is take a piece of vas deference. it's a tube that carries the sperm to the outside world. by taking a piece out and puts sutures at the end of it, you basically prevent any kind of

sperm and sterilization. now, just because you get a vasectomy, it doesn't mean that you have no sperm. the doctor, you have to go back after a couple of monthsnd get a specimen. he has to tell you on the microscope that there are no sperm. this is a very important point. people who get a vasectomy may end up having another child. that's really important. people are worried about the risk and benefits of this. it's fairly minominor. it's about 10, 15 minutes. most insurances accept this. sometimes there could be a sign of infection or bleeding. those are extremely rare. some data suggests, and this is not a cause, there's some study that came out in journal of clinical oncology this year that when you get a vasectomy, you have a very small chance of developing very aggressive prostate cancer. we have not been able to really duplicate this. i don't want to people to be worried. this is a very small chance. some suggest the ones that go for vasectomy are also the ones that will go for their psas and

maybe there's a relation. >> is it reversible? >> that's a very good point. yes, you can reverse it, but when you get a vasectomy, you should think of this as a permanent solution. that's the way it is. now, if you reverse it and the first three years after you have a much better chance than when it's over ten years. typically, again, experience matters. you have about 50% chance of having a child by reversal. those are centers of excellence that do this all the time. >> the way you're describing it, snipping down there, is making me feel really uncomfortable. what's it like? does it hurt? >> it can be painful for the first couple days after wards. you can be sore down there. there's ways to do it where they don't even use a scalpel. risks of bleeding, risks of infection are the key thing. and 50% reversible within ten years. you have to compare that to what we offer women, which are called tubectomies. with women, we're snipping the tubes in between the ovary and uterus. there again it's about 500,000

cases. there we're now going to it the lap ra scope for women whereas before it used to be done through abdominal incisions, which had more complication rates. obviously i'm going to vote for a vasectomy over a tubectomy if i can make a choice because it's less invasive. studies have been showing a decreased risk of ovarian cancer in women that get tubal ligation. it's a dramatic decrease in ovarian cancer. with men, maybe it's just an association. we don't know. but it's a more complicated procedure for women to have to have it, obviously, because the fallopian tubes are buried in much deeper. there again, reversible in about 50% of cases. >> i was going to ask you that. basically, something you were pointing out, that first of all, none of these procedures are without risk. you shouldn't just casually get them. and also, you mentioned that having a vasectomy, for instance, does not prevent the possibility of getting stds. >> that's a very important point. a lot of time men use condoms in order to prevent this and also

stds, just because you have a vasectomy, now you're not protected against stds. also, i don't want people to worry about their libido because this doesn't interfere with sexual function. it's a personal decision, something you have to talk to your partner about. think of a vasectomy as irreversib irreversible. you don't want to go in think you have the choice of doing this later on. of course, we leave it up to men to save the world. we have to go through the painful experience and protect our women. >> you just went off the rails. women save the world. we know this. >> versus the medical risks -- >> it's a joke. >> i know, but unwanted pregnancies is what we're trying to avoid here, either by vasectomies or tubal ligations. that's the key thing. >> all right. keep your cards and letters coming, folks. you know, we talk about water and they say you should drink eight glasses of water a day. i mean, eight? who really does that? coming up, a viewer question on

dehydration. the surprising facts you need to know from the doctors on how much we should drink. that next on "sunday housecall." (receptionist) gunderman group. gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics. that would be my daughter -- hi dad. she's a dietitian. and back when i wasn't eating right, she got me drinking boost. it's got a great taste, and it helps give me the nutrition i was missing. helping me stay more like me. [ female announcer ] boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein

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you're promised one speed. but do you consistently get it? you do with comcast business. and often even more. it's reliable. just like kung pao fish. thank you, ping. reliably fast internet starts at $89.95 a month. comcast business. built for business. back now on "sunday house yn call." our weekly segment, should i worry. one viewer writes, i drink a couple of cups of coffee, one coup cup of green tea and three-quarters of a gallon of water each day and was recently diagnosed with dehydration. how can that be? sounds like they're drinking a lot. how do you get dehydration? >> this is a very good question we're getting from a viewer. i'd say you should worry a little. i don't actually think the amount of coffee and green tea you're having, though they have caffeine in them, i don't think that's the cause of this.

we love coffee on this show. i have to tell you, you have to have about 500 milligrams of caffeine to get a significant amount of fluid loss. that amount of water, eric, is not a ton. we probably want people to drink more than that. i'm suspicious that the dehydration here could be from something dehydration could be from something else. are new hot climate. have you been exercising a lot? have you been having die ree yoo? could you have burns? you know what most likely thing is, what about diabetes. if your sugar is elevated, that causes diuretics. i want this patient to be checked for that. >> potential sign of diabetes. >> yes. or kidney problems or adrenal problems. but especially diabetes in this country. so get checked. >> how much water should we be drinking? >> i think it depend on what you are doing. if you're in arizona, hot weather, humid, drinking all the time, you should be drinking more than here because we're not perspiring as much. everyone should be treated

differently. i'm concerned about this patient, and i hate to act like a medical doctor. but diabetes with someone who is drinking a lot and urinating a lot because the hormone that absorbs the fluid waback to our system is not there. or something with the kidney. so you are drinking a lot but not holding on to it. >> not absorbing it. >> adrenal disease, be a, so absorb the sodium, if you are not able do that, you lose your salt and the water follows. so looking at urinalysis, looking at 24-hour urine test, you will find out what kind of electrolytes have you in the you'ron, how much you drink and put it all together. >> if i may, before we get to your medical advice, i wanted to ask something simple before you get to the complication. should we have the drinks with the electro lights. the gatorade. have a banana with the potassium?

there? >> especially if you're exercising, absolutely. we have bananas, jelly beans loaded with potassium. to david's point, a simple blood test to rule out diabetes, excellent point. it could be from the adrenal gland. it could be sodium way low. water loss but sodium not -- >> whoa. jelly beans have potassium? >> special jelly beans. >> i like jelly beans. >> not those. they have sugar. >> if you have coffee, because it is diuretic, make sure you have two cups of water for one cup of coffee. and don't have sugar or milk. and that's basically it. >> great. thank you. >> that viewer had a great question. thank you viewer for that question. if you have questions e-mail thee guys. they could potentially answer it on the air.

of course names and e-mail addresses will be kept confidential and they will never send you a bill. >> and co-pay is $100. it goes charity. >> very good. >> one thing, yeah, men with mustaches. next, we will discuss why they are letting it all grow out.

and welcome back. hey, look who it is. you recognize this handsome devil? yes, our very own jeraldo rivera sporting his signature mustache. lot of men with that same look this month. that's because it is movember. men are growing out their staches to raise awareness about men's health issues. it is important, but why do we have to promote it and focus so much? >> the reason is because men don't like to go to doctors. they live five years less than women. they go to doctors 25% less. and partly because either they are too busy, they don't want to deal with it, they're in denial or it is embarrassing for them. we think different than women. and movember is no shave and it is become more and more popular. and growing a mustache, i tried,

i made some cup cakes and we will show the pictures of the cupcakes we made for you. blue is the color of men's health. and the concept that we should go and get your psa checked and get your testosterone checked. look at mental health, cardiac, colonoscopies, and everything else to help you live longer. this is important. you know we are launching a big event out of lenox hill in new york city. women for prostate health, which if ygo /* you go to our faceboo page, check out how we can help. this is the best shot i could give to growing a mustache. >> i like the hair on your head better. that color is much better. >> i tried. >> we think, just don't go to the doctor, we think everything

is okay, we don't want to know. >> that's one thing. other thing is testosterone. women protect themselves from heart disease. men can increase risk of heart disease. another one that's a big killer is testicular cancer in young men 15 to 24. nine cases a year. when you're young, 15 to 24, you have that testosterone storm. there's a lot of issues of motor vehicle accidents. risk of suicide, homicide. men are four to five times more likely to die in their adolescence than women. we need our young men checked. check them for testicular cancer, check the mood and the rage. >> and the shawn kimmering foundation, they do a lot of work on testicular cancer. >> anything that happens to men indirectly affects women. that's why women are jumping on. prostate cancer, enlargement of

the prostate, all of this affects women. that's why it is time go out, get tested and it can save your life. >> excellent. thank you, doctor. >> have a great week. enjoy your cup cakes. i worked hard. >> they look good. >> thanks for watching. >> this sunday, missing the mark. republicans with a ms.ive mid term victory. bigger and broader than most journalists. >> fox news can protect that republican joni ernst will win there by giving republicans control of the united states senate. and dealing a major blow to president obama's agenda. >> nbc news has been able to make a call in one of the most important senate races in the country. this is the enchilada for the republican party. >> the republicans will take control of the united states senate. they will be in the majority in the next united states senate. >> the mainstream media giving gop are s