Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Your Health
New Test for Heart Disease Risk; Hollywood Comes Out to Benefit Camp for Sick Children; What Can Parents Do to Make Their Babies Smarter?
Aired November 16, 2002 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, HOST: This week on YOUR HEALTH, a new test may let you know if you're at risk for a heart attack. It's not just your cholesterol that needs to be checked anymore.
Some of Hollywood's most popular stars band together to benefit Paul Newman's newest children's camp. Big stars roll out to help some of the littlest victims of disease.
And smart babies. Are they just born that way, or is there something you can do to give your child's brain a boost? We'll take a look at some popular theories that parents hope will transform junior into genius.
Those stories coming up as CNN turns its focus to YOUR HEALTH right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Your health, there's nothing more important.
How can you keep your heart in tip-top shape? Over the years, modern medicine has identified certain markers that put people at higher risk for a heart attack and other cardiovascular events. For example, having high levels of so-called bad cholesterol, having diabetes, being overweight, having high blood pressure. Well, now scientists have identified a new bad boy -- inflammation -- and it can be detected with a simple blood test.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): She never thought it would be that hard. Eat right, exercise, get some fresh air, and, of course, keep your cholesterol low. But Mary Arehart discovered it wasn't that easy.
MARY AREHART, HEART PATIENT: My cholesterol was always good, it was about 168, which is what it was when I had my heart attack. They're always saying under 200, that's great.
GUPTA: That's because of the over 300 risk factors, doctors look to the bad cholesterol number almost as if it was a crystal ball to predict heart disease. The problem is the science keeps changing.
Dr. Paul Ricker noticed that change early on.
DR. PAUL RICKER: We've known for sometime that half of all heart attacks and strokes in the United States occur among individuals who actually have normal, if not low, cholesterol levels.
GUPTA: Now, Dr. Ricker has published the strongest evidence yet about a new test. It's called C-reactive protein, or CRP. It's a blood test, simple and expensive and works by measuring painless inflammation inside the body. While Mary Arehart's cholesterol was normal, her CRP was dangerous.
AREHART: Had I known about this test, I would have asked for it at my yearly exam. I think it would have benefited me quite a bit. I think, by then, we actually would have known that I was already in trouble, and maybe we could have prevented the heart attack.
GUPTA (on camera): Today, dr. Ricker and many other doctors believe C-reactive protein is actually a better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol, but your best is to get both checked.
RICKER: Cholesterol tells us a very important part of the risk equation, and the CRP tells us a different part of the equation. It is using these two things together that really helps us to understand a patient's true risk.
GUPTA (voice-over): Of course, with every new test, there are cautions.
DR. ROBERT BONOW, AMERICAN HEART ASSN.: Exactly who should be measured and when to measure it is something that still requires a very careful evaluation.
GUPTA: That's because doctors know that a high number is bad, but still aren't exactly sure what number is safe. The American Heart Association, along with the CDC, hope to release guidelines soon.
Meanwhile, Mary is urging her siblings to have their CRP levels checked so they know if they're at risk, and could benefit from a warning she didn't have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now, for a look at other top stories making medical headlines this week, let's check "The Pulse."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Raise your glass once again to the benefits found in red wine and other popular foods and drinks. A Danish study has found that people who drink red wine occasionally may have a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Those who drink beer actually had a higher risk of dementia. The report adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that wine contains helpful compounds. These flavenoids (ph) can also be found in red grape juice, berries and garlic. The researchers caution more studies are needed. While the studies suggest there is something beneficial about wine, it can also show that wine drinkers simply tend to have a better diet than beer drinkers.
For those who want to stop the aging clock, there is some good news and some bad news. The anti-aging cocktail made up of growth hormones and testosterone is not quite ready for prime-time, according to a new study. Researchers found that while growth hormone replacement plus testosterone decreased fat mass and improved cardiovascular endurance in men, it also increased the risk for diabetes, joint pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
On the plus side, another study has found cognitive training can help seniors stay sharp. Healthy seniors were assigned two hours a week of training in either memory, speed or reasoning. After five weeks, they were tested, and all three groups showed improvement in their area of training. Moreover, those improvements were maintained two years later.
And finally, there is no reason why postmenopausal women should be prevented from having babies with donor eggs. That's according to one researcher. His study finds that older women have the same pregnancy rate using donated eggs, as younger women, and although they experience more pregnancy-related complications, those are temporary and resolved once the baby is born. Currently, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine discourages the practice.
For more information on these stories or any other story, please log on to cnn.com/yourhealth. That's a look at the health headlines for this week in "The Pulse."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Coming up, you may need to just look in the fridge to find relief from pain.
But first, the medical story behind this star-studded event. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: While researchers and doctors struggle to find cures for children with chronic and terminal diseases, actor and director Paul Newman has taken a different road to help sick kids, by establishing a string of Hole-in-the-Wall Gang camps. There, the kids can be themselves and forget about their illnesses. A new camp is about to open, and as Janine Sharell reports, dozens of stars got together to make it shine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you kids are tough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you've got to be tough.
JANINE SHARELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're Hollywood's heavy hitters: Newman, Damon, Nicholson, Hanks, Roberts, Benning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's us.
SHARELL: One stage, one night, one reason: To raise money for a new Paul Newman camp for chronically and terminally-ill children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Amanda. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 11 years old.
SHARELL: The all-star cast performed "The World of Nick Adams." Hemingway wrote the material; Lou Adler produced the show.
LOU ADLER, PRODUCER: I was able to go to the Connecticut camp. You got to be dead not to have a passion for it once you experienced it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beware of lightning.
SHARELL (on camera): Organizers raised about $2 million at this celebrity-packed event, but the real story takes place far from the bright lights of the stage, about 60 miles outside of Los Angeles, in what used to be a run-down RV park.
(voice-over): They're making way for the Painted Turtle, the only camp of its kind on the West Coast. At the helm is Lou Adler's wife, Page.
PAGE ADLER, CO-FOUNDER, THE PAINTED TURTLE: We decided to go with the theme of a turtle, because it's an animal that has a tough exterior and a soft interior, and very much like these kids that we're serving. We plan on serving 1,000 kids in the summer, and then during the year-round, 2,000 children and their family members. One of the biggest things that Paul Newman always says is that it's free of charge.
SHARELL: After volunteering at Newman's Connecticut site, Adler was hooked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, hello.
SHARELL: She found the right spot and assembled a board, but still needed to reel in Newman.
P. ADLER: We fished, although he didn't catch a fish and I did, but you know, maybe we should cut that part.
SHARELL: There will be fishing, horseback riding, swimming, activities like any other camp, only with a twist.
P. ADLER: It really was important for us that they could enter the pool the same way, that they didn't feel, like, oh, I'm in a wheelchair, and now I'm noticing it because I can't go in the pool the same way, or I can't enter that building the same way, so there has been a lot of attention paid to the details that makes all these kids on the leveled playing ground.
SHARELL (on camera): And there you have the Well Shell, which is the medical center for the kids.
DR. EDWARD MCCABE, PHYSICIAN: It's not there to be this sterile, white hospital-type scene that might get them scared and make them nervous and create problems.
SHARELL (voice-over): Dr. Edward McCabe is just one of the physicians who will be on-site at the camp, minus the dress shirt and tie.
MCCABE: What will be even more interesting for the kids to see the doctors in shorts and sandals. It's great that we can see them behave as normal kids, and we learn about the medical care in a different way in that setting. It also, I think, can have a direct physical benefit for their underlying illness.
L. ADLER: They are with kids that are like them. There are kids that have no hair, there are kids that have to take shots during -- they feel a part of a community, and that also helps their confidence.
P. ADLER: We really wanted to create an environment where children with medical issues were able to feel normal.
SHARELL (on camera): The Painted Turtle will be the sixth Hole- in-the-Wall Gang camp. It's been more than four years in the making, and though it sounds pretty ambitious, they plan to welcome their first campers in the fall of 2003.
P. ADLER: I will be there standing at that gate, welcoming, and kissing and hugging every single one of them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Camp is the kind of place where you wish you could live all the time. It's a kind of place you wish the rest of the world was like.
SHARELL (voice-over): Janine Sharell, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Coming up, a drug already on the market is holding new promise for multiple sclerosis patients.
But first, this quick update on the important issue of breast cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men. Why? No one knows for sure, but it may be that women don't seek treatment as soon as men. The biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and family history. Women should consult their doctor and assess their risk and make a plan to avoid potential problems.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: A drug meant to lower cholesterol has many multiple sclerosis researchers and patients very excited. CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains how the drug works and what promises it holds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No drug has been found yet to reverse the ravages of multiple sclerosis, but a study out in the journal "Nature" may point in the right direction. And the direction may be towards medicine already on pharmacy shelves.
When researchers gave the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor to paralyzed mice with the disease similar to MS, their paralysis improved and in some cases disappeared. How does the drug work? When people have MS, their immune system attacks nerves. Lipitor and drugs like it, called statins, appear to tell the immune system to back off and may go even further and actually protect nerves. And why would a cholesterol drug affect the immune system? Scientists say it is a biological coincidence. The same enzyme involved in cholesterol production is also involved in the immune system. Some 300,000 Americans have MS, including Montel Williams and Terry Garr, both of whom have been paid by drug companies for their work on MS awareness.
MONTEL WILLIAMS, TALK SHOW HOST: I get up every single morning not wanting to get out of my bed, not wanting to put my feet on the floor. There are some nights that I go home and at 6:00, 7:00 at night, I really -- it's hard pressed for me to be walking around, but I do it anyway.
COHEN: Scientists now want to know if the drug which helped mice could also help people. "It's exciting, but it's animal work," said a spokeswoman for the MS Society.
People with MS should not go to a drug store and ask for Lipitor. Doctors are now testing statin drugs in a small group of people with MS. Results are expected in the next few months.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Arthritis sufferers spend an estimated $2 billion annually on a wide range of products, all in the hope of relieving pain. Some, like copper bracelets and magnets, appear harmless, but others, such as illegal drug sold on the black market can be deadly. But as Liz Weiss reports, one of the easiest ways to help control arthritis pain may be through diet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIZ WEISS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the base of the arthritis food guide pyramid is water. Drink at least eight cups of liquid a day.
MIRIAM NELSON, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: And if you don't get that water from the diet, we're going to be slightly dehydrated, which really goes into perpetuating the pain.
WEISS: Tufts University researcher Miriam Nelson has taken the existing body of arthritis research and sums it up in her new book, "Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis." As part of her pyramid, she advocates eating six or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
NELSON: Beta carotene and vitamin C are very important in our diet to help reduce the progression of arthritis.
WEISS: Whole grain breads and cereals are also considered arthritis busters, because they are loaded with fiber, and eating more fiber promotes weight loss.
NELSON: If you're 10 pounds overweight, that's more like 30 pounds of extra weight at the level of the knee or the hip joints, so you get more wear and tear and it really wears down your joints.
WEISS: The pyramid promotes Omega-3 fatty acids found primarily in sea foods, such as salmon. The recommendation: Eat four to five servings a week.
NELSON: The Omega-3 oils help us to really take our bodies into an anti-inflammatory state and therefore to reduce the pain.
WEISS: Deborah Brown suffers from osteo arthritis. At one point, the pain was so bad she says she could barely walk.
DEBORAH BROWN, ARTHRITIS PATIENT: And lately, I have been really following the four times a week eating fish just to make my quota of Omega-3s come out, and it really makes a difference.
WEISS: Beyond the pyramid, Nelson suggests two dietary supplements, vitamin D and vitamin E. And as with any self-prescribed treatment, she reminds everyone to talk to their doctor first.
Liz Weiss, for "Feeling Fit."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Coming up, I'll answer some of your e-mail questions. But first, how do you raise your baby into a genius? We'll take a peek-a-boo at some of the prevailing theories. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: Go to any bookstore, and on the child rearing shelf you're sure to find volumes on how to make your babies smarter, funnier, brighter, more musical and the like. You know what I mean. They cater to parents who want super high achieving babies, but is the money and time you spend really worth it? Today we're going to separate the hype from the helpful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): 360,000 babies are born every day on our planet. Which of them will grow up to outwrite Shakespeare, find a universal cure for cancer, or prove Einstein wrong?
It's a common myth, perhaps made popular by Spock, the emotionless Vulcan from "Star Trek," that emotions and intellect are two separate parts of our mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really need to change that historic dichotomy of cognition on the one hand, emotions on the other hand, and realize that our emotions are the fuel that give rise to social behavior, but also to different levels of intelligence.
GUPTA: Genetics play a role, but Dr. Greenspan says a baby's future is not written in the DNA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Regardless of the history of the IQ tests in the family, if I see nurturing, warm, interacting people that read emotional signals well and interact well, usually I see happy, confident and bright children.
GUPTA: And there's a few other approaches to increasing baby brain power that have drawn attention. Breast feeding is good for your baby, and most experts believe it's also good for your baby's developing brain.
Listening to music was once thought to enhance mathematical skills. Recent studies, however, don't prove this claim. But music and dancing can be excellent ways to interact.
Other studies show infants can learn basic sign language even before they speak. These infants appear to grow up a little smarter, but some experts think, again, the benefit dueis to increased parent- child interaction.
Baby reading lessons are quite popular. The maker of these videos, books and flash cards claim to sometimes have 2-years-olds reading simple children books themselves. Some experts support these programs, other oppose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you do a little bit of looking at books with your children, and inspire them to be curious about the pictures and the words mean, but don't get into very structured systematic teaching at too early an age, I think, and I think you also interact emotionally, and have fun with reading and problem solving together, then you have the best of both worlds.
GUPTA: While it may seem obvious, your child will learn the most if he or she also learns that learning is fun.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now let's turn to our e-mail bag and answer some of your questions. Pundit from Mombai, India wants to know: "What is psoriasis and how can it be treated?"
Pundit, psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes skin cells to grow too quickly. That results in thick white, or red patches of skin. The patches can be large or small, and typically occur on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back. The patches, called plack (ph), may join together or cover large areas. In severe cases, skin can be inflamed with red areas topped with loose, silvery scaling skin. It can also become itchy and tender. Psoriasis can affect joints, causing swelling and tenderness, as well as fingers and toenails. Symptoms may come and go, and treatment can help control them, but there is no cure. Treatment usually involves keeping skin moist and lubricated. Photo therapies, such as ultraviolet light and antibiotics, may also be necessary.
And our next question is from Ganeshrom in Malaysia, who asks: "If a pregnant woman gets the chickenpox in her sixth month, how will the baby be affected?" Good question, and one that most pregnant women don't want to think about. While a cold is unlikely to do harm to a developing fetus, various infections and diseases, including chickenpox and its cousin, shingles, can. Chickenpox and shingles can cause prematurity, skin lesions and a host of abnormalities from neurological to skeletal to gastrointestinal, and the babies of pregnant woman who are not yet immune to the virus. In the worst case scenario, it can cause stillbirth. Fortunately, 85 to 90 percent of pregnant women are immune to the disease. If you think you've been exposed to chickenpox, see your doctor immediately.
For more information about anything we covered in the past half- hour, just go to our Web site. That's at cnn.com/health. And please, don't forget to send us your "Ask the Doctor" e-mails. Keep those coming. That address, yourhealth -- one word -- @cnn.com.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And until next week, remember, your health, there's nothing more important.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Benefit Camp for Sick Children; What Can Parents Do to Make Their Babies Smarter?>
Aired November 16, 2002 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, HOST: This week on YOUR HEALTH, a new test may let you know if you're at risk for a heart attack. It's not just your cholesterol that needs to be checked anymore.
Some of Hollywood's most popular stars band together to benefit Paul Newman's newest children's camp. Big stars roll out to help some of the littlest victims of disease.
And smart babies. Are they just born that way, or is there something you can do to give your child's brain a boost? We'll take a look at some popular theories that parents hope will transform junior into genius.
Those stories coming up as CNN turns its focus to YOUR HEALTH right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Your health, there's nothing more important.
How can you keep your heart in tip-top shape? Over the years, modern medicine has identified certain markers that put people at higher risk for a heart attack and other cardiovascular events. For example, having high levels of so-called bad cholesterol, having diabetes, being overweight, having high blood pressure. Well, now scientists have identified a new bad boy -- inflammation -- and it can be detected with a simple blood test.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): She never thought it would be that hard. Eat right, exercise, get some fresh air, and, of course, keep your cholesterol low. But Mary Arehart discovered it wasn't that easy.
MARY AREHART, HEART PATIENT: My cholesterol was always good, it was about 168, which is what it was when I had my heart attack. They're always saying under 200, that's great.
GUPTA: That's because of the over 300 risk factors, doctors look to the bad cholesterol number almost as if it was a crystal ball to predict heart disease. The problem is the science keeps changing.
Dr. Paul Ricker noticed that change early on.
DR. PAUL RICKER: We've known for sometime that half of all heart attacks and strokes in the United States occur among individuals who actually have normal, if not low, cholesterol levels.
GUPTA: Now, Dr. Ricker has published the strongest evidence yet about a new test. It's called C-reactive protein, or CRP. It's a blood test, simple and expensive and works by measuring painless inflammation inside the body. While Mary Arehart's cholesterol was normal, her CRP was dangerous.
AREHART: Had I known about this test, I would have asked for it at my yearly exam. I think it would have benefited me quite a bit. I think, by then, we actually would have known that I was already in trouble, and maybe we could have prevented the heart attack.
GUPTA (on camera): Today, dr. Ricker and many other doctors believe C-reactive protein is actually a better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol, but your best is to get both checked.
RICKER: Cholesterol tells us a very important part of the risk equation, and the CRP tells us a different part of the equation. It is using these two things together that really helps us to understand a patient's true risk.
GUPTA (voice-over): Of course, with every new test, there are cautions.
DR. ROBERT BONOW, AMERICAN HEART ASSN.: Exactly who should be measured and when to measure it is something that still requires a very careful evaluation.
GUPTA: That's because doctors know that a high number is bad, but still aren't exactly sure what number is safe. The American Heart Association, along with the CDC, hope to release guidelines soon.
Meanwhile, Mary is urging her siblings to have their CRP levels checked so they know if they're at risk, and could benefit from a warning she didn't have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now, for a look at other top stories making medical headlines this week, let's check "The Pulse."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Raise your glass once again to the benefits found in red wine and other popular foods and drinks. A Danish study has found that people who drink red wine occasionally may have a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Those who drink beer actually had a higher risk of dementia. The report adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that wine contains helpful compounds. These flavenoids (ph) can also be found in red grape juice, berries and garlic. The researchers caution more studies are needed. While the studies suggest there is something beneficial about wine, it can also show that wine drinkers simply tend to have a better diet than beer drinkers.
For those who want to stop the aging clock, there is some good news and some bad news. The anti-aging cocktail made up of growth hormones and testosterone is not quite ready for prime-time, according to a new study. Researchers found that while growth hormone replacement plus testosterone decreased fat mass and improved cardiovascular endurance in men, it also increased the risk for diabetes, joint pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
On the plus side, another study has found cognitive training can help seniors stay sharp. Healthy seniors were assigned two hours a week of training in either memory, speed or reasoning. After five weeks, they were tested, and all three groups showed improvement in their area of training. Moreover, those improvements were maintained two years later.
And finally, there is no reason why postmenopausal women should be prevented from having babies with donor eggs. That's according to one researcher. His study finds that older women have the same pregnancy rate using donated eggs, as younger women, and although they experience more pregnancy-related complications, those are temporary and resolved once the baby is born. Currently, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine discourages the practice.
For more information on these stories or any other story, please log on to cnn.com/yourhealth. That's a look at the health headlines for this week in "The Pulse."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Coming up, you may need to just look in the fridge to find relief from pain.
But first, the medical story behind this star-studded event. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: While researchers and doctors struggle to find cures for children with chronic and terminal diseases, actor and director Paul Newman has taken a different road to help sick kids, by establishing a string of Hole-in-the-Wall Gang camps. There, the kids can be themselves and forget about their illnesses. A new camp is about to open, and as Janine Sharell reports, dozens of stars got together to make it shine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you kids are tough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you've got to be tough.
JANINE SHARELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're Hollywood's heavy hitters: Newman, Damon, Nicholson, Hanks, Roberts, Benning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's us.
SHARELL: One stage, one night, one reason: To raise money for a new Paul Newman camp for chronically and terminally-ill children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Amanda. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 11 years old.
SHARELL: The all-star cast performed "The World of Nick Adams." Hemingway wrote the material; Lou Adler produced the show.
LOU ADLER, PRODUCER: I was able to go to the Connecticut camp. You got to be dead not to have a passion for it once you experienced it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beware of lightning.
SHARELL (on camera): Organizers raised about $2 million at this celebrity-packed event, but the real story takes place far from the bright lights of the stage, about 60 miles outside of Los Angeles, in what used to be a run-down RV park.
(voice-over): They're making way for the Painted Turtle, the only camp of its kind on the West Coast. At the helm is Lou Adler's wife, Page.
PAGE ADLER, CO-FOUNDER, THE PAINTED TURTLE: We decided to go with the theme of a turtle, because it's an animal that has a tough exterior and a soft interior, and very much like these kids that we're serving. We plan on serving 1,000 kids in the summer, and then during the year-round, 2,000 children and their family members. One of the biggest things that Paul Newman always says is that it's free of charge.
SHARELL: After volunteering at Newman's Connecticut site, Adler was hooked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, hello.
SHARELL: She found the right spot and assembled a board, but still needed to reel in Newman.
P. ADLER: We fished, although he didn't catch a fish and I did, but you know, maybe we should cut that part.
SHARELL: There will be fishing, horseback riding, swimming, activities like any other camp, only with a twist.
P. ADLER: It really was important for us that they could enter the pool the same way, that they didn't feel, like, oh, I'm in a wheelchair, and now I'm noticing it because I can't go in the pool the same way, or I can't enter that building the same way, so there has been a lot of attention paid to the details that makes all these kids on the leveled playing ground.
SHARELL (on camera): And there you have the Well Shell, which is the medical center for the kids.
DR. EDWARD MCCABE, PHYSICIAN: It's not there to be this sterile, white hospital-type scene that might get them scared and make them nervous and create problems.
SHARELL (voice-over): Dr. Edward McCabe is just one of the physicians who will be on-site at the camp, minus the dress shirt and tie.
MCCABE: What will be even more interesting for the kids to see the doctors in shorts and sandals. It's great that we can see them behave as normal kids, and we learn about the medical care in a different way in that setting. It also, I think, can have a direct physical benefit for their underlying illness.
L. ADLER: They are with kids that are like them. There are kids that have no hair, there are kids that have to take shots during -- they feel a part of a community, and that also helps their confidence.
P. ADLER: We really wanted to create an environment where children with medical issues were able to feel normal.
SHARELL (on camera): The Painted Turtle will be the sixth Hole- in-the-Wall Gang camp. It's been more than four years in the making, and though it sounds pretty ambitious, they plan to welcome their first campers in the fall of 2003.
P. ADLER: I will be there standing at that gate, welcoming, and kissing and hugging every single one of them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Camp is the kind of place where you wish you could live all the time. It's a kind of place you wish the rest of the world was like.
SHARELL (voice-over): Janine Sharell, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Coming up, a drug already on the market is holding new promise for multiple sclerosis patients.
But first, this quick update on the important issue of breast cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men. Why? No one knows for sure, but it may be that women don't seek treatment as soon as men. The biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and family history. Women should consult their doctor and assess their risk and make a plan to avoid potential problems.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: A drug meant to lower cholesterol has many multiple sclerosis researchers and patients very excited. CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains how the drug works and what promises it holds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No drug has been found yet to reverse the ravages of multiple sclerosis, but a study out in the journal "Nature" may point in the right direction. And the direction may be towards medicine already on pharmacy shelves.
When researchers gave the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor to paralyzed mice with the disease similar to MS, their paralysis improved and in some cases disappeared. How does the drug work? When people have MS, their immune system attacks nerves. Lipitor and drugs like it, called statins, appear to tell the immune system to back off and may go even further and actually protect nerves. And why would a cholesterol drug affect the immune system? Scientists say it is a biological coincidence. The same enzyme involved in cholesterol production is also involved in the immune system. Some 300,000 Americans have MS, including Montel Williams and Terry Garr, both of whom have been paid by drug companies for their work on MS awareness.
MONTEL WILLIAMS, TALK SHOW HOST: I get up every single morning not wanting to get out of my bed, not wanting to put my feet on the floor. There are some nights that I go home and at 6:00, 7:00 at night, I really -- it's hard pressed for me to be walking around, but I do it anyway.
COHEN: Scientists now want to know if the drug which helped mice could also help people. "It's exciting, but it's animal work," said a spokeswoman for the MS Society.
People with MS should not go to a drug store and ask for Lipitor. Doctors are now testing statin drugs in a small group of people with MS. Results are expected in the next few months.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Arthritis sufferers spend an estimated $2 billion annually on a wide range of products, all in the hope of relieving pain. Some, like copper bracelets and magnets, appear harmless, but others, such as illegal drug sold on the black market can be deadly. But as Liz Weiss reports, one of the easiest ways to help control arthritis pain may be through diet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIZ WEISS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the base of the arthritis food guide pyramid is water. Drink at least eight cups of liquid a day.
MIRIAM NELSON, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: And if you don't get that water from the diet, we're going to be slightly dehydrated, which really goes into perpetuating the pain.
WEISS: Tufts University researcher Miriam Nelson has taken the existing body of arthritis research and sums it up in her new book, "Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis." As part of her pyramid, she advocates eating six or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
NELSON: Beta carotene and vitamin C are very important in our diet to help reduce the progression of arthritis.
WEISS: Whole grain breads and cereals are also considered arthritis busters, because they are loaded with fiber, and eating more fiber promotes weight loss.
NELSON: If you're 10 pounds overweight, that's more like 30 pounds of extra weight at the level of the knee or the hip joints, so you get more wear and tear and it really wears down your joints.
WEISS: The pyramid promotes Omega-3 fatty acids found primarily in sea foods, such as salmon. The recommendation: Eat four to five servings a week.
NELSON: The Omega-3 oils help us to really take our bodies into an anti-inflammatory state and therefore to reduce the pain.
WEISS: Deborah Brown suffers from osteo arthritis. At one point, the pain was so bad she says she could barely walk.
DEBORAH BROWN, ARTHRITIS PATIENT: And lately, I have been really following the four times a week eating fish just to make my quota of Omega-3s come out, and it really makes a difference.
WEISS: Beyond the pyramid, Nelson suggests two dietary supplements, vitamin D and vitamin E. And as with any self-prescribed treatment, she reminds everyone to talk to their doctor first.
Liz Weiss, for "Feeling Fit."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Coming up, I'll answer some of your e-mail questions. But first, how do you raise your baby into a genius? We'll take a peek-a-boo at some of the prevailing theories. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUPTA: Go to any bookstore, and on the child rearing shelf you're sure to find volumes on how to make your babies smarter, funnier, brighter, more musical and the like. You know what I mean. They cater to parents who want super high achieving babies, but is the money and time you spend really worth it? Today we're going to separate the hype from the helpful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): 360,000 babies are born every day on our planet. Which of them will grow up to outwrite Shakespeare, find a universal cure for cancer, or prove Einstein wrong?
It's a common myth, perhaps made popular by Spock, the emotionless Vulcan from "Star Trek," that emotions and intellect are two separate parts of our mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really need to change that historic dichotomy of cognition on the one hand, emotions on the other hand, and realize that our emotions are the fuel that give rise to social behavior, but also to different levels of intelligence.
GUPTA: Genetics play a role, but Dr. Greenspan says a baby's future is not written in the DNA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Regardless of the history of the IQ tests in the family, if I see nurturing, warm, interacting people that read emotional signals well and interact well, usually I see happy, confident and bright children.
GUPTA: And there's a few other approaches to increasing baby brain power that have drawn attention. Breast feeding is good for your baby, and most experts believe it's also good for your baby's developing brain.
Listening to music was once thought to enhance mathematical skills. Recent studies, however, don't prove this claim. But music and dancing can be excellent ways to interact.
Other studies show infants can learn basic sign language even before they speak. These infants appear to grow up a little smarter, but some experts think, again, the benefit dueis to increased parent- child interaction.
Baby reading lessons are quite popular. The maker of these videos, books and flash cards claim to sometimes have 2-years-olds reading simple children books themselves. Some experts support these programs, other oppose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you do a little bit of looking at books with your children, and inspire them to be curious about the pictures and the words mean, but don't get into very structured systematic teaching at too early an age, I think, and I think you also interact emotionally, and have fun with reading and problem solving together, then you have the best of both worlds.
GUPTA: While it may seem obvious, your child will learn the most if he or she also learns that learning is fun.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now let's turn to our e-mail bag and answer some of your questions. Pundit from Mombai, India wants to know: "What is psoriasis and how can it be treated?"
Pundit, psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes skin cells to grow too quickly. That results in thick white, or red patches of skin. The patches can be large or small, and typically occur on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back. The patches, called plack (ph), may join together or cover large areas. In severe cases, skin can be inflamed with red areas topped with loose, silvery scaling skin. It can also become itchy and tender. Psoriasis can affect joints, causing swelling and tenderness, as well as fingers and toenails. Symptoms may come and go, and treatment can help control them, but there is no cure. Treatment usually involves keeping skin moist and lubricated. Photo therapies, such as ultraviolet light and antibiotics, may also be necessary.
And our next question is from Ganeshrom in Malaysia, who asks: "If a pregnant woman gets the chickenpox in her sixth month, how will the baby be affected?" Good question, and one that most pregnant women don't want to think about. While a cold is unlikely to do harm to a developing fetus, various infections and diseases, including chickenpox and its cousin, shingles, can. Chickenpox and shingles can cause prematurity, skin lesions and a host of abnormalities from neurological to skeletal to gastrointestinal, and the babies of pregnant woman who are not yet immune to the virus. In the worst case scenario, it can cause stillbirth. Fortunately, 85 to 90 percent of pregnant women are immune to the disease. If you think you've been exposed to chickenpox, see your doctor immediately.
For more information about anything we covered in the past half- hour, just go to our Web site. That's at cnn.com/health. And please, don't forget to send us your "Ask the Doctor" e-mails. Keep those coming. That address, yourhealth -- one word -- @cnn.com.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And until next week, remember, your health, there's nothing more important.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Benefit Camp for Sick Children; What Can Parents Do to Make Their Babies Smarter?>
