Your Health

Doctors Warn Against Herbal Treatments for Diabetes; New Research Says Fathers Really Do Make a Difference; Is Organic Food Healthier?

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DR. STEVE SALVATORE, HOST: Hello, and welcome to YOUR HEALTH. I'm Dr. Steve Salvatore.

This week is Men's Health Week, and a survey by CNN and "Men's Health" magazine finds too many men aren't seeing their doctors fort regular checkups. In fact, we found that one-third of men wouldn't go to the doctor even if they were experiencing chest pains. So what would it take to get them in? Our survey found the majority say shorter visits would help. Also, free massages and big-screen TVs for sports viewing.

Well one issue that is prompting men to seek medical care is the so-called "male menopause." Now there's a new drug that could help. But, as CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports, it isn't without controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every morning, Don Gelles (ph) rubs testosterone all over his stomach. He says it's increased his sex drive, made him feel younger and more energetic. The prescription drug, called AndroGel, goes on the market today.

Testosterone drugs are nothing new: Shots and skin patches have been available for years. But this easier-to-use form has reopened a debate: Should men use testosterone only when they're sick? For example, pituitary disorders can make testosterone levels plummet. Or should men take testosterone even when they're healthy, just because they want to feel younger?

Men's testosterone levels gradually decline with age, starting in the mid-30s. Sometimes it's called male menopause, or andropause, meaning a decrease in male hormones.

Dr. Lisa Tenover, a geriatrician at Emory University, says doctors need to be careful with testosterone. Supplementation has been linked to strokes. She won't give it to just anyone.

DR. LISA TENOVER, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We don't yet know the long- term risks, and that's where I'm most concerned. COHEN: But Dr. Malcolm Carruthers says he's prescribed testosterone to hundreds of men who were otherwise perfectly healthy, just not very happy.

DR. MALCOLM CARRUTHERS: They're sick and tired of their lives, they're sick and tired of their families, and they're sick and tired of their jobs, and this can be turned around.

COHEN: Dr. Carruthers, who's 62, takes it himself.

CARRUTHERS: About 10 years ago, I was beginning to feel tired and pretty grumpy myself, and generally, my zest and drive dropped quite a bit.

COHEN: He says one day he thinks testosterone replacement therapy for men will be just like hormone replacement therapy for women: offered to most people and used to fight the natural signs of getting older.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, YOUR HEALTH.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SALVATORE: So on average, how often should men be getting regular checkups? While there are no official guidelines, most doctors suggest a yearly visit. But that could change, depending on your age and underlying condition.

Well ahead on YOUR HEALTH, should you go organic?

Plus, another reason to get up and exercise.

And, anti-bacterial soaps: They're supposed to help us, but are they doing more harm than good?

But first, alternatives to treating diabetes: Why your doctor may not give herbal remedies his or her stamp of approval.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

What does "being fit" mean? Half of all men think it means being able to, quote, "do strenuous activities like running, hiking, playing basketball, or other games without getting tired." Twenty-five percent of men polled defined fitness as being able to do, quote, "basic activities like climbing stairs or yard work without getting tired or out of breath."

(END GRAPHIC)

SALVATORE: Recently on YOUR HEALTH, we've been talking a lot about the growing popularity of nutritional supplements, and the questions about their safety. Well, now researchers say a growing number of diabetics are joining others who've turned to herbal treatments. But as CNN's Holly Firfer reports, doctors say too little is known about the benefits and risks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With many patients suffering several insulin injections a day, doctors understand why diabetics look for alternatives to control the disease, a disease that adds 2,200 patients every day.

Many of those alternatives are herbal remedies, an emerging yet rarely studied trend in the treatment of the disease.

LAURA SHANE McWORTER, PHARMACIST: It's important that they not take these products lightly, that just because they're actually extracted or developed from natural sources, that they still have the potential to produce adverse effects.

FIRFER: At the American Diabetes Association's convention, researchers shared data on the most popular herbs used by diabetics, warning that little or no research has been done to prove alternative remedies work, or to understand potential harmful side effects.

Some examples. The spice fenugreek, often used to flavor maple syrup, decreases blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of glucose. But it can also induce labor, cause digestive problems, and interfere with anti-platelet agents and cause bleeding.

The dried fruit powder or juice of bitter melon is said to lower blood glucose levels after eating, but it also can induce labor, cause a diabetic coma in children, or infertility problems in women.

Gymnema sylvestre can block can block the absorption of blood sugars in the digestive tract and block sweet tastes and lessen cravings. But it can also cause extremely low blood sugar levels and abdominal problems.

BERNADETTE MARIOTT, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH OFFICE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS: There are a number of botanical supplements that are marketed in this country and throughout the world as helpful for diabetes, but we have very little data on these in terms of scientific clinical trials.

FIRFER: The best advice, say the health experts here, if you plan to try an alternative treatment for diabetes, be sure to talk with your doctor first.

Holly Firfer, CNN, YOUR HEALTH.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SALVATORE: Another growing trend among people trying to take what they believe is a more natural or safer approach to their health is to go organic. But is organic food really healthier?

CNN medical correspondent Linda Ciampa went in search of some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LINDA CIAMPA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During the past decade, sales of organic food in the U.S. have grown by more than 20 percent each year. A recent survey found almost a third of Americans now buy at least some organically produced food. Among the top reasons cited, healthfulness and environmental concerns.

MADELINE RAINES: You going to be put more (inaudible) in the salad?

CIAMPA: Madeline Raines started eating organically about seven years ago when she met her husband, Nicholas, an organic farmer.

RAINES: I lost, like, 20 pounds eating the same things I'd always eaten, but eating them organic. And my chronic fatigue went away, and, I mean, my life completely changed. I didn't just get Nicholas, I got healthy.

CIAMPA: While there are no human studies proving organically grown food can make you healthier, there is concern about what pesticides might do to the body, especially to the body of a child. The government originally evaluated pesticides only in terms of their effect on a grown man.

KATHERINE DIMATTEO, ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION: Recently, in the last 10 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has gone back and taken a look at all their pesticide reviews and done it in terms of, well, what's its impact on children and women and elderly and young people?

CIAMPA: The EPA is currently reevaluating what some consider the riskiest group of pesticides, organophosphates. Since the review began in 1996, the agency has taken five of the 43 organophosphates off the market.

In addition to concerns about pesticides and the environment, Nicholas Donck worries about genetically modified foods.

NICHOLAS DONCK, CRYSTAL ORGANIC FARM: I feel that it needs to be tested for at least 50 years and see what it does to the human body before it should be allowed on the shelf.

DIMATTEO: We have decided that genetic modification is not a natural system. It is a synthetic process. It is a synthetic method. And that doesn't fit into our philosophy.

CIAMPA (on camera): While many are joining the organic trend, experts say what's most important is a healthy diet. They point to studies that show eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day can reduce the risk of cancer by as much as 20 percent.

Linda Ciampa, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SALVATORE: When we return, a look at the latest health headlines. And later, exploring fatherhood from a child's point of view. Why having someone to call Dad is so important.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALVATORE (voice-over): Welcome back to YOUR HEALTH. I'm Dr. Steve Salvatore with this week's YOUR HEALTH headlines.

Could a walk a day help keep stroke away? Maybe so. A Harvard- based nurses' health study found women who get 30 minutes of vigorous exercise every day can cut their risk of stroke by up to 30 percent. The study, which followed 72,000 women over a six-year period, has also shown that regular exercise reduced the rates of heart disease, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.

The quicker the better should be the rule of thumb when it comes to emergency angioplasty. That's the word from a new study showing that heart attack victims are far more likely to survive if they have an angioplasty within two hours of arriving to the hospital.

The study looked at more than 27,000 heart attack patients treated with angioplasty in 661 hospitals across the U.S. They found the death rate climbed the longer patients waited for the procedure to open blocked arteries. Waiting as little as half an hour longer makes a difference.

When factors such as age and the severity of the heart attack were included, the death rate was 40 to 60 percent higher among patients who waited longer than two hours for the procedure. Researchers also found the success rate was greater among hospitals that perform angioplasty more often.

Black churches are stepping up their battle against AIDS. A national campaign called the Black Church Lights the Way is pushing people to get tested for HIV. The campaign links people with testing sites and is helping black churches become community centers for HIV information. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports AIDS is the leading cause of death for black men and women aged 25 to 44.

And those are this week's YOUR HEALTH headlines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

When YOUR HEALTH returns, the battle against superbugs, and how something as small as your antibacterial soap could be adding to the problem.

But first, this week's Health Quiz.

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

Health Quiz: What are the odds a man will develop heart disease before age 60?

(END GRAPHIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

Health Quiz: What are the odds a man will develop heart disease before age 60?

One in three men will develop heart disease by age 60. The best prevention is exercise, keeping fat intake below 30 percent of total calories, and taking 200 international units of vitamin E every day.

(END GRAPHIC)

SALVATORE: This week, the World Health Organization warned that almost all major infectious diseases across the world are slowly becoming resistant to the drugs now being used to treat them. Among the reasons, increased travel and more frequent transmission of diseases, improper and unnecessary use of antibiotics, the use of antibiotics on the farm in the beef and poultry we eat, and finally, the popularity of antibacterial soaps and cleaning products.

This week, the American Medical Association weighed in on America's use of antibacterial soaps and is calling for some changes.

CNN's Jonathan Aiken has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soaps and cleansers that claim to be antibacterial have become big business. You'll find them in public facilities and airports, restaurants, hotels, and millions of homes. Americans bought $400 million of antibacterial soaps and cleaners last year alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I guess it's a phobia. I guess everybody is just so phobic about germs and everything.

AIKEN: But what if you were told those antibacterial products didn't necessarily work?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Then I would probably go back to using soap and water.

AIKEN: The American Medical Association suggests that might not be a bad thing.

DR. MYRON GENL, A.M.A. COMMITTEE ON SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS: We concluded that plain soap and water and very careful washing of your hands is probably the first line of defense, and that the addition of these substances does not add anything that has been demonstrated.

AIKEN: Worried about growing numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the A.M.A wants the Food and Drug Administration to speed up its review of antibacterials with an eye towards regulating them.

DR. GERALD McEWAN, COSMETIC TOILETRY AND FRAGRANCE ASSOCIATION: The A.M.A. is overreacting here. And the issue is the overprescription of therapeutic antibiotics.

AIKEN: Needless prescriptions and the use of antibiotics in animal feed are often cited by scientists as contributing to the development of superstrains of bacteria. But there is also evidence that some strains of E. coli and Mycobacterium have developed a resistance to triclosan, the most common ingredient in antibacterial soaps.

Another factor in how well these soaps work is how one washes their hands. If you're like most people, you're probably doing it wrong.

DR. STUART LEVY, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: You scrub for two or three minutes. And if you're in an operating room for 10. But not in the home. The average washing time is five seconds.

AIKEN: Which is about how long it takes to grab a doorknob, which is when your hands come into contact with more germs, starting the process all over again.

Jonathan Aiken for CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SALVATORE: Next on YOUR HEALTH, there's no replacing Dad, biological or not. Coming up, proof that having a steady father figure really does make a difference.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

In general, about half of all men say they gained back at least some of the weight they lost from dieting. Thirty percent gained back some of the weight in the last 12 months.

(END GRAPHIC)

SALVATORE: Welcome back to YOUR HEALTH.

In honor of Father's Day, something special for dads, and all the other men in the world who don't officially carry the title but have taken the time to make a difference in a child's life -- some proof that what they're doing really is important.

Here's parenting correspondent Pat Etheridge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FATHER: ... puts his arms way back.

PAT ETHERIDGE, CNN PARENTING CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In case there was ever any doubt...

UNIDENTIFIED FATHER: Superbaby!

ETHERIDGE: ... now there's new evidence that dads do make a difference.

UNIDENTIFIED FATHER: That-a boy!

ETHERIDGE: According to researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, children who have fathers in their lives learn better, have higher self-esteem, and show fewer signs of depression than children without fathers.

JAMES LEVINE, FAMILIES WORK INSTITUTE: All you have to do is ask any child, frankly. You don't have to ask a child development researcher if fathers make a difference. All kids will tell you that the presence of a father makes a big difference.

ETHERIDGE: That's just what the Maryland study did, exploring the role of fathers from a child's point of view.

(on camera): Researchers followed 855 children in five different states, all of them deemed high risk. Those with fathers in their lives scored higher on basic learning skill tests.

(voice-over): The findings applied equally to white and minority children and echo previous research. That's not to say children who grow up in single-parent homes can't succeed.

BROK NOEL, "SINGLE PARENTS" MAGAZINE: We found that a lot of times, these children are getting more and more attention than they would in a two-parent home, because the single parent is very conscious of the fact that it's one person doing the entire job. So they rely on teamwork, cooperation, they incorporate the child in the family unit.

ETHERIDGE: The study does not address whether a bad father is better than no father at all. Whatever the family situation, experts stress a father or father figure should stay emotionally connected with his kids.

PENELOPE LEACH, PSYCHOLOGIST: A little is better than nothing, and you can be really involved with a child on the basis of talking and playing and being there emotionally, even if you can't be there physically all the time.

ETHERIDGE: The connections begin at birth.

UNIDENTIFIED FATHER: This is essentially a blank tape, and we have to mold this person, and give him lots and lots of love.

ETHERIDGE: And last a lifetime.

Pat Etheridge, CNN, YOUR HEALTH.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SALVATORE: That's our show for today. If you'd like more information about how and why bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, click on our Web site at cnn.com/health. It's produced in conjunction with WebMD.

From the entire CNN health team, I'm Dr. Steve Salvatore. Thanks for watching, and happy Father's Day.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com