until next time, i hope you're learning to be more of a healthy you. i'm arthel neville. time now for "sunday housecall." >> and i'm eric shawn. welcome as always. joining us is dr. marc siegel. professor of medicine at nyu's langone medical center. he's also the author of the inner pulse. >> and dr. david samadi. chairman and professor of urology and chief of robotic surgery. doctors, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> we begin with breaking news. have you heard about this? news that president obama has been diagnosed apparently with acid reflux. this happened yesterday after he complained of a sore throat. this means the president of the united states is going to be on,

what, nexium and prilosec and has to watch the amount of wine he drinks and all that. >> his doctor said he does drink occasionally at least, moderately. so cutting down on alcohol for sure. he's a former smoker which is definitely correlated with acid reflux disease and got off of cigarettes with nicotine gum. what is reflux disease? it's actually not what people think. it's not that there's a lot of acid in the gi tract. it's that the sphincter gets loosened, especially if you're obese, especially if you drink a lot of coffee, which we love here on the program. if you drink a lot of capitalco eat a lot of fatty foods or fried foods, that can increase your risk. on the other hand, if you drink a lot of water, if you exercise a lot, if you drink a lot of water, if you lose weight, you decrease the problem with acid reflux.

if you do all of those things, and they don't work, then you start talking about medication like nexium to decrease the amount of acid in your stomach. >> is it related to stress? >> i think it's completely related to stress. trektly related to stress. again, alcohol, coffee, cigarette smoking. the c.a.t. scan he has, i'm going to steal his line, that cat scan he had would not be approved under obamacare. we didn't examine him. if you see swelling there, that's what's called extra heartburn reflux. in other words, you get a lot of reflux without feeling that heartburn. people think if i don't have that heartburn, i can't have reflux. you can. the acid shoots all the way up into your throat. >> i was just going to say, it's so common now. why is it so common? is is there a way to avoid getting it? >> the question is how did they

come up with the diagnosis of acid reflux. he didn't go to the doctor saying, i have acid reflux. what he had first was a sore throat. so he started with the sore throat. what i want people to know is that sometimes when acid actually finds its way all the way up to the esophagus, it can irritate the vocal cords and the throat and cause sore throats. so one of the symptoms of acid reflux is sore throat. the other one can be chest pain. you can have similar symptoms as having a heart attack and that could be as a result of acid reflux. they do the endoscopy. they got a c.a.t. scan because they were worried about swelling. they were worried about other things. everything turned out to be negative except for irritation as a result of this. the food, as it goes down to your stomach, that could -- sphincter is supposed to be a one-way valve. anything that increases the pressure in the stomach can go

against that muscle or something that would relax that muscle. one of the things talk about prevention, when you have a lot of fatty food, chocolate, alcohol, smoking, citrus food. it relaxes that muscle and causes acid reflux. now, as a surgeon, i would also tell you one of the other things that's very common is a hernia. it's the herniation of stomach up in the diaphragm muscle. that can cause acid reflux. the reason why it's so common nowadays is because obesity is on the rise. we're eating very late at night. you have a big meal, go straight to bed. the way to prevent this, going back to what you were asking, small meals. if you wait two to three hours before you go to bed, lift the head of the bed by four to six inches. and i know he's a huge fan of h-2 blockers. i think he has a great outcome. dr. siegel takes care of these patients very well. i don't think these medications are the first line .

i think things such as baking soda for example that neutralizes the acid. >> baking soda or whatever? what do you do? >> some people have it more severely than others. you can be coughing or hoarseness or sore throat or gurgling in your throat. it's the number two or three cause of coughing, chronic cough. it could be asthma or reflux. with 15 million people in the united states having this problem every single day, we dwot to be looking for it. >> i think we're overtreating with medications. you can try gum, you can try baking soda. you can modify -- >> how do you do it? >> two spoons in the water, warm water, that can neutralize the acid. changing your lifestyle, getting more fruits and vegetables and certainly this time of the year is very critical. because we are heading toward -- >> also a question about cancer.

can acid reflux -- >> absolutely. by the way, that's one of the reasons that some people need these medications. i want top add to david's point -- >> does it increase esophageal cancer? >> it increases your risk of esophageal cancer, the medications decrease your risks. to david's point, if you stop the medications, you get a rebound acid. in a way, it's an addictive medication. >> you can't take nexium or prilosec for the rest of your life. >> we got to make sure we give it to people that really need it. those at risk for cancer have to be on it. >> how do you get off it when you've already started it? >> you wean it. >> when you're on them for a long time, you actually need the acid, not only for digestion, but in order to absorb vitamin

b-12. you may see a low form of vitamin b-12, which is anemia. we actually did a segment not too long ago. when you're on these medications for a long time -- >> what's a long time? >> these are meant to be on for maybe two weeks to two months to six months, in my book, is a long time. >> no more than six months. >> i don't like them. >> depends on the patient. >> of course. if somebody is not doing well, medication is a treatment. when your b12 starts to go down, you see similar symptoms of alzheimer's, lack of energy, anemia. i want people to be careful about overtreating. >> to this point, calcium too. calcium absorption goes down if you don't have an acid enough stomach. there was a british study that showed more fractures for people on these medications. you take these medications, it interferes with your b-12

absorption and calcium absorption. >> so don't eat so late, stay away from fatty food. anything that will increase the pressure in the abdomen can cause it. have one glass of red line. it's holidays and i don't want to spoil the mood. >> thank you. it's fascinating. so many people have it so i'm glad we discuss this. injuries are inevitably a part of any sport. up next, the new warning about head trauma and its potentially devastating effects. trauma and devastating effects.

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enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. enbrel helped relieve my joint pain. but the best part of every journey... dad!!! ...is coming home. ask if enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists, can help you stop joint damage. welcome back. the death of a college football star now shedding new light

about the devastating effects of head injuries. the 22-year-old ohio state player kosta karageorge was found dead thanksgiving weekend, police saying he took his own life days after he apparently texted his mother about suffering from severe concussions. dr. samadi, i want to start with you. if you could talk to us about the short-term and long-term effect of concussions on the brain. >> concussion is basically a trauma to the brain. whether it's as a result of car accident or this kind of football players, we see about a million of these cases coming in every year in this country. about 300,000 of them have long-term consequences. whenever you have some sort of a concussion or attack on the brain, you will have deceleration and acceleration. there will be some trauma and swelling of the brain. the brain consists of 100 billion nerves surrounded by fluid, which is the shock absorber, and the skull. and there's really not any room to play with.

any shock, any attack, push on that brain can cause a problem. so just like degenerative disease of the knees, the trauma that over time people get arthritis, the same kind of trauma on the spine, we will have the same kind of trauma on the brain as a result of these attack. concussions and trauma. cells start to become degenerative. areas of the brain which is responsible for emotions, for rage, for passion, for sexual drive, all of those will become out of sync and the person will feel that. short term, they may feel dizzy, headache, nausea. some of the early symptoms of concussion. the best thing is to really pull those players out, not go under the influence of the coaches and parents that push these players to go back in. long term what we're finding out from a lot of canadian studies and other places is that these degenerative cells won't function well. that will set them up for

depression, suicidal ideas, alzheimer's, parkinson's, and so there's real trauma to the brain that we're seeing. it's a real deal. >> i want to talk about a study that just came out of north carolina. i spoke to the study author this week. before i get to that, i want to emphasize a point david just made. it's a three time greater risk of depression and suicide and violent behavior. that applies both to the karageorge case and maybe even ray rice, of course who had a problem with domestic violence. it may be this has got to be looked at from a neurological point of view. with our high schoolers, and this is the study out of north carolina, dr. powers looked at 24 high schoolers and put something to measure head impact in the helmets. this is nonconcussion. this is just the regular blows of a football game. he found that all 24 high schoolers over one season had brain impact, brain damage to the white matter of the brain.

i think that all football players out there of any kind should have these head impact measurers on the helmet. the helmet has cut down on brain injury dramatically since the 1950s, but let's face it, the philosophy of football is lower your head and charge forward. that head is not supposed to be an impact device. younger people even more so. >> it's a good point, because the helmets they wear, and they think are basically protecting them, it only protects the soft tissue, not real brain damage, which is what's going on. there are more and more studies coming up with mris and c.a.t. scans that they're finding out certain proteins that's responsible for slowing down the brain is found in these type of patients that have repeated trauma to the brain.ses the sam brain start to slow down just the way a computer freezes. and you move the mouse and it doesn't work, it's the same idea. you slow down the memory. you don't remember the names.

i'm trying to think of -- >> yeah. is there any real other than football, like normal people. >> soccer. anybody that has head impact. if you had these head impact devices, you could say, the readings are going up too high, better pull them off the field. >> there's no other occupation out there apart from sports. >> construction workers. >> there is also a two-minute test they have. a lot of coaches are using it now. they pull the players out and they start making you count backwards or test your memory quickly. if there's any doubt, you sit on the bench. the game is becoming more and more competitive, the coaches are pushing the players and that's dangerous. sit on the bench until you have a -- >> those monitors sound very important. >> really important. >> thank you. some doctors say it's your best defense against a painful disease. we'll ask how you will know if

the shingles shot is right for you. our doctors will fill us in. you. our doctors will fill us in. ame, and i quit smoking with chantix. i had tried to do it in the past. i hadn't been successful. quitting smoking this time was different because i got a prescription for chantix. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. the fact that it reduced the urge to smoke helped me get that confidence that i could do it. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea,

trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i love myself as a non-smoker. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. [chris]still smoking up a storm? [tom]yeah.pathetic,isn't it? [chris] ever try to... [tom] quit?of course! my best time was six days. the worst was ...uh...23.4 seconds. [chris] so can i ask you... [chris & tom] why are you still smoking? [tom] [sarcastic] "it's so much fun." [chris]why not call the smokers' helpline? the program's free,and... [tom]and they'll tell me..."you oughta quit." [chris] not so. just tell them you're ready to quit. then,they'll tell you how. [tom] really? you wouldn't have that number on you,would you?

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built for business. >> in "should i worry," our viewer eyes, my wife and i are 74. we had meese olds in our youth. when we asked our doctor about a shingles shot, he advised against it. >> i issue a correction, it is not measles to worry about but whether you have had chicken pox and the centers for disease control has found that 99 percent of the people over the age of 40 have had chicken pox so it is not that someone comes to the office and i check them

for chicken pox or make sure they are exposed, if you are over 60 i want you to have the shingle vaccine if you are not immune compromised and don't have h.i.v. and are not pregnant -- well, that would be over impossible at 60 -- but listen to this, it works 50 percent of the time. the big pay off it decreases the risk of post problem two-thirds of the time, and the post problem is after you have shingles which is an outbreak of a rash that usually is a band line form with blisters and redness and it is following the nerves because the chicken pox was hiding all those years. if you had chicken pox you can get shingles. if you have not you will get chicken pox. but most of us have had chicken pox or the vaccine so if it

resurfaces it is going to be shingles. the vaccine is important because what that is, after you get the shingles, the pain continues for months. you are there in pain in the area and it does not go away. >> after the herpes infection the rash goes away --. >> you have pain in the area where the rash was. you get rid of the rash but you have the pain. >> a good vaccine after age of 60, it works six years and it is a one-time deal. if you have not had chicken pox you should get it. it is safe. you could get soreness or rash. but if you get the vaccine and get the rash you do not want to be around kids because you could be putting them in danger. people who have leukemia or h.i.v. should stay away from the vaccine. we 50 percent lower chance of

getting shingles and 67 percent of those getting this will have the virus in a nerve ending along the path of the muscle and the rash will be around but once it is gone the pain could resist and stay there for months after that. it is painful. when you get the shingles at older ages it is extremely painful and that is why we recommend to get this vaccine. >> are some more likely to get it than others? >> most who have had chicken pox are covered but 99 percent of the team who may or may not have had chicken pox have had it. it is safe. >> stress increases your risk of getting it and other illnesses bring it out. if you are bombarded with another infection or stress you can get it. >> very good. it can be triggered by all sorts of things especially stress but

there is a wrong way and a right way to deal with it. coming up we will talk about what not to do during a panic attack. so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron! whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime. just a tap away on the geico app.

>> it can happen to anyone at any time, a panic attack. what you do in the moments right when it is happening can make all the difference. dr. samadi how do you know if you are having one? what do do you? >> simple: look right here. >> he makes me panic. >> people who have panic attack you recognize it. they sweating, gasping for air and almost suffocate. it comes suddenly. sometimes it could be genes or a learned response as a result of tragedy event that happened. i want to make sure that people know that there are medical issues that can cause panic attack including severe reflux. magnesium and zinc deficiency is another. patients with asthma could be gasping. sometimes hard disease can cause that kind of stuff and always remember that.

what do you do? you recognize it. you stop saying, relax, you will be fine. that is not going to work. there are ways to tell them you are there to support them but there are things that we can give them, there are medications with can give them, yoga, and an ash that calms down. >> what do you do with the herb? >> you make sure they are breathing and if you are not in control you call 9-1-1. >> first thing you have to make sure it is not three reside, and if you think it is psychological and i get a last patients with this, try breathing exercises, what the triggers are causing the panic, not telling someone to calm down or suck it up obviously. you have to go along with it. when you are done and you have ruled out the other problems you

want diversionary activities and avoidance of the triggers. >> on the buzz beater a rolling stone story alleging gang rain at the university of virginia falls apart as new reporting underlines the confident the accuser and her friends question her verdict. the magazine itself now is backing off saying it made serious mistakes. how did this shoddy piece get published? >> from ferguson to staten island the media pounce on another death of a black man in a confrontation with police. this time, in the choking death of eric garner this was video and many on the right and the left are appalled. >> this ought to have been an indictment for some form of manslaughter. >> are is the humanity? how does a human