newsdoctor's Blog

Not a free lunch, but a free prostate exam. Hey guys, it's a very common cancer and early detection can make a big difference. Doctors suggest we start getting the exams at age 50.. at age 40 if you have a family history of prostate cancer or are African American. Here's a chance to get a free screening that could save your life.. and here's the information.

 IT'S SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH.. FROM 8AM TIL NOON AT MISSOURI BAPTIST.

FOX-2 AND THE ST. LOUIS MEN'S GROUP AGAINST CANCER.. ARE TEAMING UP WITH MISSOURI BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER AND UROLOGY CONSULTANTS, LTD.. TO OFFER THE SCREENINGS. OR CALL 996-LIFE OR 1-800-392-0936.. TO REGISTER.

You can also check it out on the hospital's website.. missouribaptist.org

Ever heard of primordial dwarfism? I hadn't either until I met the Jordans in Sandoval, Illinois. That's about 70 miles east of St. Louis.  It's a rare disorder that affects less than 100 people in the country. The Jordans make for a fascinating story.

Christy Jordan's first child, named Brandi was normal size. Two years later, Christy had Bridgette or Bri who was tiny. She weighted 1lb, 12-ounces when she was born. 12-1/2 inches long. Doctors thought it was just poor nutrition in the womb. But a year and a half later, a geneticist figured out the diagnosis.. primordial dwarfism. By that time, Christy was  pregnant with Brad. He too had the disorder. He weighed 2-lb, 4 oz at birth and was 13-1/2 inches long.

Primordial refers to a lack of growth at the earliest stages of development in the womb. Then they don't grow normally after birth. Bri is now 18. She is 2-feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 19 pounds. Brad is 3-feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 34 pounds. Bri is smaller than her niece who is not quite 3, but she and Brad have learned to accept and deal with their short stature. 

That doesn't mean it's been easy. Imagine trying to function in a big world when you're that small. This family has done an amazing job of helping these kids do just that. Mom, Christy and Brandi have tried to treat Brad and Bri as much like average kids as usual. They go to public schools. Bri is a cheerleader for Sandoval High School and Brad plays on the golf team and plays in the band. He belongs to an independent tumbling team and competes against his normal-sized peers.  He is very good. Bri wants to be a model someday and Brad wants to become an actor.

It's been expensive raising special needs kids.. things like health needs beyond insurance coverage, modifications for the house, national conferences for little people so they can interact with their peers, Brad's tumbling competition expenses.

I really enjoyed meeting the Jordans and marveled at their strength and courage to meet the big challenges of these little people. They only ask that we treat them with respect and dignity and like anyone else.

That's what doctors wish they could get.. more attention for sickle cell disease. It's a disorder of the red blood cells that carry oxygen to the body and it can be devastating. It can hit people from Latin America, the Middle East or the Mediterranean, but it mostly strikes African-Americans. If both parents carry the gene, they have a one-in-four chance of having a child with some type of sickle cell disease. About one-in-400 African American babies are born with the disorder. The irregular cells clog up blood vessels and cause pain, infections, organ damage and strokes.

Penicillin has helped hold down infections that used to kill many of these children before age 5. But doctors say the average life span for sickle cell patients is around 40-45.

I did a story with a couple that lost their wonderful 25-year old daughter to sickle cell. Miki Hudson suffered a stroke in grade school and had to be home-schooled. Miki's parents, Mike and Stephanie Hudson, and her three sisters would all help massage her limbs when she would suffer excruciating pain. The pain was often so intense that she had to be hospitalized. She had to have frequent blood transfusions. Colds would often turn into pneumonia. Yet she worked in the family business, drew strength from taking care of her nieces and nephews and developed a social life. But a major stroke last May would prove to be too much. Miki had to enter a nursing home. She got the flu.. which turned into pneumonia.. and she died on Valentine's Day of this year.

Doctors need more money for more studies for more and better treatments. Some patients lose their insurance and can't afford the care that's available. In the meantime, Miki's parents say getting educated about the disease can help others avoid the heartache they suffered from Miki's struggle and her death.

Need a lift? Most adults reach for a cup of coffee. Many kids grab an energy drink... things like Red Bull, Amp, Adrenaline, Rockstar. The drinks usually taste pretty good and have a little kick to them. But that boost can be temporary.. and when the caffeine and sugar starts to wear off, you might be in for a crash. Sugar content in these drinks is about the same as a regular soda, so you can get a lot of extra calories if you drink a lot of them. The caffeine content is about the same as a weak cup of coffee. Of course, some of the cans of energy drinks contain more than one serving. So be aware!

Doctors say kids who drink these drinks consistently can get addicted to the caffeine.. just like coffee drinkers. And it's possible, though the risk is very low with these drinks.. for someone to get heart arrhythmia's or increased heart rates. They also discourage you from mixing it with alcohol.

I talked with Dr. Sam Klein, an obesity expert and nutrition researcher at Washington University Med School. Bottom line, he says one or two energy drinks a day.. no problem. If some kid is downing 10-15 a day, that's a ton of calories and can put him or her at risk of medical problems.

So the kids can go ahead and enjoy their drinks while you pour yourself another cup of coffee.

Ever heard of cosmetogynecology? I hadn't either until just recently. It's the term for gynecologists doing cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections, fillers, liposuction or tummy tucks. Gyneciologists tell me it's a naural extension of what they do everyday. They already perform various female surgeries and they just take a little specialty training and branch out to offer cosmetic procedures to their patients. They say their patients frequently ask if the doc can do a little body sculpting when he's doing their scheduled surgical procedures. I did a story with Dr. David Levine who has offices at St. Luke's Hospital. He says his patients have been very receptive. Because of the close relationship between a gynecologist and his or her patients, Dr. Levine predicts we will see more and more of this. By the way, it's pronounced "coz-meeto-gynecology."

Pfizer released a new anti-smoking drug last May and it's proving to be very effective. A doctor I talked with says it's helping about half the smokers quit on the first try. It's a prescription drug and 3-month course is recommended. It doesn't have nicotine like the gum or patch.. but it lessens the craving and blocks nicotine. I interviewed one woman who had been smoking for 45 years. She took Chantix and hasn't had a cigarette in 3 months and insists she doesn't miss them. The only side effect she noticed was some insomnia.. a side effect nicotine withdrawal can also cause..

Common side effects include nausea, sleep disturbances and mood changes. The FDA sent a letter to doctors last November urging doctors to monitor their Chantix patients closely for any changes in feelings or mood. The FDA recently issued a health advisory and Pfizer changed its label to warn of the potential of psychiatric symptoms such as suicidal thoughts and behavior. As part of ongoing safety evaluations, the FDA and Pfizer are reviewing about 450 reports of serious side effects. The company adds that there is no evidence Chantix caused the problems, but it can't be ruled out in some cases. Patients are urged to tell their doctors about any history of mental illness before trying the drug. There have been more than 4-million prescriptions of Chantix.

Pfizer released a new anti-smoking drug last May and it's proving to be very effective. A doctor I talked with says it's helping about half the smokers quit on the first try. It's a prescription drug and 3-month course is recommended. It doesn't have nicotine like the gum or patch.. but it lessens the craving and blocks nicotine. I interviewed one woman who had been smoking for 45 years. She took Chantix and hasn't had a cigarette in 3 months and insists she doesn't miss them. The only side effect she noticed was some insomnia.. a side effect nicotine withdrawal can also cause..

Common side effects include nausea, sleep disturbances and mood changes. The FDA sent a letter to doctors last November urging doctors to monitor their Chantix patients closely for any changes in feelings or mood. The FDA recently issued a health advisory and Pfizer changed its label to warn of the potential of psychiatric symptoms such as suicidal thoughts and behavior. As part of ongoing safety evaluations, the FDA and Pfizer are reviewing about 450 reports of serious side effects. The company adds that there is no evidence Chantix caused the problems, but it can't be ruled out in some cases. Patients are urged to tell their doctors about any history of mental illness before trying the drug. There have been more than 4-million prescriptions of Chantix.

Happy New Year everyone!  It's hard to believe 2007 has come and gone. but 2008 is here and so are a couple of big stories already. First, congratulations to the Missouri Tigers on a big win in the Cotton Bowl. Their victory was another argument against the BCS system. The Tigers beat Arkansas who beat LSU who is playing for the national championship. Yet Mizzou and it's 11-2 (now 12-2) record was not good enough for a BCS bowl game. But enough already with the whining about that. The Tigers won a big bowl game and hold a lot of promise for 2008.

Second big story on the second day of the new year... The countdown is over.. HIGHWAY 40 IS SHUTTING DOWN!!  The very idea still sounds crazy doesn't it? Where else in the country have they done something like this? Whatever.. we have to deal with it. We at Fox 2 will do the best we can to help you navigate the resulting maze.. and we are counting on you to help us as well.l. We will get through this together. 2008  should be an interesting ride.. HANG ON!!

I'll be out of the office for a few days so I wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Thanks for helping Fox 2 News have another great year!

Remember when Mark McGwire testified at that congressional hearing and said he wasn't there to talk about the past, just the future? He was crucified for his remarks and frozen out of any consideration for the next Hall of Fame vote. But after the big investigation into steroids in baseball, we heard Senator Mitchell saying about the same thing.. we shouldn't get mired in the past, but look to the future. I agree to an extent. MLB banned steroids in 2002 and human growth hormone in 2005. I'd say if a player used before the rule changes, he doesn't get punished. If he used after the changes, he gets punished and we move on. The players mentioned in the report are going to get plenty of questions from the media and plenty of heat from the fans.  I'm not condoning the use of steroids and it really does muddy the waters as far as which records are legit. But at least it's out in the open and MLB, the players association and we fans can decide how to deal with it. The report really didn't reveal anything new about McGwire. The only thing we know for sure he used was Andro.. a legal, dietary supplement at the time that anyone could buy at the local nutrition center.

Yellow cones, lane closures, construction work, traffic jams... driving can be a little crazy right now and it's only going to get worse. I don't think any of us really realize what it's going to be like when Highway 40 closes down completely. It's going to take a lot of patience to get through the next couple of years. And a little courtesy will go a long ways, too. I always try to acknowledge it when another driver lets me in line and I appreciate it when others acknowledge me. It's not that big of a deal, but when another driver shows you some courtesy... how about a little wave?

Give me a break!

My hat is off to Oklahoma. The Sooners beat the Tigers on both sides of the ball Saturday night. They deserve to be Big 12 Champs and they deserve to be in a BCS bowl game. But Missouri doesn't? They went from the number-1 ranked team in the country to out of the BCS bowl picture? Even with the loss they finished 6th in the BCS standings! I'm happy for the Illini, but the Tigers beat Illinois and they beat Kansas. They're both slotted for a BCS bowl game and MU is not? The bowl bids definitely show a lack of respect for Mizzou.. but also expose the flaws of the BCS. Maybe they should consider dropping the C out of those initials.