Health Team 9 Investigates 2005

Health Team 9 Investigates

Our team of health experts investigate various issues, including the effectiveness of mammograms, whether there's a link between childhood vaccines and autism, and a new approach to anti-aging.

We also have inspirational stories about people who are fighting devastating illnesses.

For more than 30 years, mammograms have been the tried-and-true method to detect breast cancer. But, they are not foolproof.

Dr. Amir Salmanzadeh with the Watson Clinic in Lakeland says the accuracy of the mammogram depends on the skills of the radiologist.

"The machine itself is not an issue," said Salmanzadeh. "How you calibrate a machine, how you adjust your machine and how you expose your film, in other words, the expertise of the radiologist and the tech staff, will make or break if an X-ray is optimal."

Researchers in San Francisco found doctors with at least 25 years experience who read more than 2,500 mammograms a year are 30 percent better at detecting cancerous tumors than doctors who read less than 780 mammograms a year. Click here to read more about this study.

In response, experts are looking to other forms of technology to improve the rate of early breast cancer detection,including:

• Computer-Aided Detection or CAD
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI
• Digital Mammography
• Tomosynthesis

Today's teenagers are certainly tech-savvy. In fact, most teens give adults a run for their money when it comes to working the family computer or setting the cable box.

Click here to learn more about the study.

Teenagers use cell phones, text messages, and instant messaging more than any other age group. A nationwide study found 45 percent own a cell phone, 33 percent have used text messaging, and about 32 percent instant message every day.

Many times this technology can be convenient or even helpful during emergency situations. But, University of South Florida social sciences professor Michael Berson says the modern tools for teens have created modern problems.

"We're finding that children are engaging in cyberbullying," said Berson. "That it is an extremely intense process because in many cases the technology cannot be turned off. Some say, yes, you can power down your cell phone, but when you turn your cell phone back on you can get 29-30 messages waiting in your inbox."

Berson says parents need to do their homework and become familiar with the latest technology trends. They should also monitor their teenager's use of the computer and cell phones.

Jerry Gomez has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On August 24, 1998, doctors diagnosed the 44-year-old with the disease just months after he and his wife, Carol, welcomed their newborn triplets into the world. The diagnosis marked the beginning of a seven-year fight to save Jerry Gomez's life.

Gomez was desperate for a bone marrow donor.

Since his diagnosis, Gomez has undergone countless rounds of chemotherapy, taken part in clinical trials, and tried experimental medications. One medication, Bexxar, put him in remission for two years. But, the cancer came back.

In October of 2004 doctors told Gomez that the only chance to cure his cancer was to find a stem cell or bone marrow donor. They said if he didn't find a donor and undergo a stem cell transplant he would have a life expectancy no greater than two years.

Members of the Gomez family were all tested to see if they were a match. The tests revealed that no one in Gomez's family was a match, so the family had to find one from the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. This proved to be quite a challenge for Jerry because of his ethnicity.

"The antigens in my blood are a little more complicated," said Gomez. "Apparently, it needs someone out there that is a Latin, European and possibly American Indian."

There are about 5.5 million people on the donor registry, but less than a third are minorities. This made finding a match for Gomez even more difficult.

Carol Gomez organized several blood and bone marrow drives to get more people, especially minorities, added to the donor registry. Meanwhile, Jerry's health deteriorated. Tumors associated with the cancer were getting bigger and affecting his kidney function.

In March, doctors found Gomez had developed a secondary cancer, making it even more urgent that he find a stem cell or bone marrow donor as soon as possible.

Jerry and Carol Gomez hold a press conference announcing they've found a bone marrow donor.

A donor with American Indian ancestry was located in June and the Gomez family was elated. They began making arrangements for the transplant. Gomez flew to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle in July to undergo his transplant.

Doctors say the transplant was a success, but Gomez is struggling with post-transplant complications. He hopes to be released from the hospital in time to return home for the holidays.

Click here to visit the Gomez family web site and get a detailed account of Jerry's story and the latest update on his condition.

Former Bay News 9 sports reporter and anchor Chris O'Connell found out firsthand what it's like to suffer a major sports injury. He was playing recreational flag football when he heard his knee pop.

Doctors did an MRI and found that Chris had a complete tear of his Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL. In addition, he suffered a miniscule tear, which required an arthroscopy of the knee.

The ACL is one of four ligaments that are critical to the stability of the knee joint. Each ligament controls excessive motion by limiting joint mobility. If too much pressure is applied, then the ligament can tear.

The ACL injury is the most common of all knee ligament injuries. ACL patients often say they feel their knee is going to give out on them at any moment.

The procedure took three hours.

Chris underwent surgery at the Palms of Pasadena Hospital to replace his ACL. The surgeon drilled a hole into Chris's tibia and femur. Metal screws were then inserted into the bone and then a donated ACL was secured into place.

Most people who tear their ACL do so while taking part in a sporting activity of some kind. The following high-demand sports are the most demanding on the knee:

• Football
• Soccer
• Basketball
• Skiing
• Gymnastics
• Hockey (ice and field)
• Wrestling
• Lacrosse
• Rugby

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Vladmir Alexander evaluates Chris' knee.

Autism is one of five disorders falling under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). The disorders are considered neurological and are characterized by severe and pervasive impairment of the many areas of development.

The disorders are known as Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Rhett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) and Pervasive Development Disorder of Childhood. Parents are usually the first to recognize symptoms that include but are not limited to:

• silence
• being withdrawn
• self-abuse
• indifference to social overtures
  

According to the Autism Society of America, autism occurs in one out of every 250 births. The society also calls autism the fastest-growing developmental disability. However, these statistics are in dispute.

There is a debate heating up as to what causes autism in children. St. Joseph's Children's Hospital's Dr. Eric Tridas said, "The medical reason for autism is that the brain does not work the way that it should."

Pediatrician Dr. David Berger has a different viewpoint. He said, " I am of the belief until proven otherwise that children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism are toxic with mercury and heavy metals."

Berger said he believes that in some children the mercury toxicity comes from childhood vaccines that contain Thimerosal.

Sydney undergoes Chelation Therapy to treat her autism.

Thimerosal is a preservative containing approximately 50 percent mercury. Sydney Swenson, 10, is one of his patients he believes developed autism as a result of childhood vaccines.

To treat her condition, Berger uses Chelation Therapy. The therapy uses chelating agents, a series of different medicines, to excrete metals from the body through urine. Approved uses of chelation therapy include to treat Sickle Cell Anemia and lead poisoning.

Berger said he's seen dramatic improvements in autistic children who take advantage of chelation therapy. In Sydney's case, Berger says he saw the largest excretion ever of mercury and lead.

The Swensons say the chelation treatment has produced amazing results.

"I can see things like her being able to relate to a video, instead of doing a four-step process, she's doing an eight-step process," said Sydney's mother, Kathy Swenson. "She's clapping her hands, stomping her feet, saying hooray. She never did that before."

Another family, the Abelas, take a different approach. They say their autistic daughter Emma was born with the disease. Emma's pediatrician agrees.

Emma's parents don't believe vaccines caused her autism.

"We do not have any scientific evidence to date suggesting there is a connection between the vaccines and the development of autism," said Tridas.

The Abelas have elected not to try chelation therapy. Instead, they use physical, emotional, and educational therapy to treat Emma.

Click here to visit the Autism Society of America web site.
Click here to learn what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has to say about mercury.
Click here to learn about the preservative Thimerosal.

Staying Young

It seems as though everyone is searching for the secret to staying young. Physicians at the Infinite Vitality clinic in Tampa say they have a way to stay young; it's called age management.

The goal of age management is to maintain good health in healthy people. To do this, they evaluate a patient's fitness, analyze their eating habits, and conduct hormone therapy.

Clinic physician Dr. Tim Mackey says hormone therapy can make a real difference.

"As we age, there's a decline in a lot of level of hormones, including growth hormone, testosterone, DHA, for example," said Mackey. "As they decline, there's a direct correlation with that decline and the development of age-related diseases."

Growth hormone therapy is part of Infinite Vitality's three-prong approach to staying healthy.

The clinic stands by human growth hormone therapy. But, others in the medical community say not enough studies have been done on the long-term impact of using human growth hormone for this purpose.

The National Institutes of Health conducted a study in 2002 that followed 131 men and women for six months as they took growth hormone. Study participants showed increased muscle mass and reduced fat, but there was also a disturbing increase in diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions among the men.

We followed Infinite Vitality patient Goodwin Barrymore for a few months. He says he feels like a new man.

Barrymore talks with Mackey.

"It's increased my enthusiasm and energy, my optimism," said Barrymore. "I just feel better. That's not just from hormone replacement therapy, but my diet. I noticed that immediately in my energy."

Age management at Infinite Vitality costs about $1,000 for the initial evaluation, which includes lab work, a meeting with a dietitian, medical monitoring, a bone density test, and fitness assessment. Monthly costs run anywhere from $200-$800.

Click here for more details about the National Institutes of Health study.
Click here for a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Click here for a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology.
Click here to learn more about growth hormone and aging.

The Survivor

Miller was diagnosed with kidney cancer in late 2004.

State Senator Lesley "Les" Miller and his family are no strangers to cancer. Miller's first wife died of breast cancer and both his daughter, Lejean Miller, and current wife, Gwen Miller, are breast cancer survivors.

Last year, doctors diagnosed Senator Miller with kidney cancer. According to the Kidney Cancer Association, more than 36,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year.

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute urologist Dr. Julio Pow-Sang found a large tumor in one of Miller's kidneys and immediately scheduled surgery to have it removed.

Miller's recovery was difficult.

"I knew I was in pretty bad shape and I didn't know if I was going to come out of this, or what the outlook was going to be, but sick as I was, I prayed still," said Miller.

About two weeks after his surgery, Miller's organs just started working again on their own. He didn't have to have radiation or chemotherapy. He says he is cancer free.

Although it's been a tough year, Miller is back at work and is even running for Congress next year. He says faith and family are what got him through this trying time.

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