Yeah BJ, O'Reilly is #1, however the three shows right behind him are all Fox News. Larry King is (IMO) a little over the hill. He's one of those aging agnostics who is trying ever so hard to believe in God. That really bothers me, I can't imagine being old and caving in to the fear of my mortality. But apparently this is exactly what King has done, being that he interviews psychics and tries to converse with the dead... He also has on to much fluff garbage which I think shows his selling out for ratings (AKA, trying to remain competitive). Just my opinion though.
I taped this segment of the show last night and wrote down the dialog today. Note: The copying over may not have been perfect. There might be some slight discrepancies between the actual dialog and what I have copied down here. Also of note, the guy who represents our side (Klatz) dominated this segment and was awesome. He was very polite, but really took it to the opposition. We need more people like him on our side, i.e. good public speakers. I was really impressed with Klatz, he hit a home run.
O’Reilly Factor
O’Reilly (O): Do you want to live to 150 years old? New Drugs may make it happen. Coming up next.
O: In the personal story segment tonight, do you want to live to 150 years old? Some people believe that will be possible in the next century as genetic medicine is making huge strides.
Joining us now from Chicago is Dr. Ronald Klatz, President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and author of the book The New Anti Aging Resolution and Dr. SJ Olshansky author of The Quest For Immortality. Woowww! Ok you guys. I wanna get really specific here. Doctor Klatz we’ll begin with you.
Uummm, what’s gonna be possible in say the next decade? And what substances are going to help us? Can you spot light a few?
Dr. Klatz (K): Certainly, there are tremendous gains to be made with regard to quality of life and quantity of life and life expectancy as well. We have the tools right now which can detect the earliest forms of heart disease and cancer. We can interrupt the mechanisms that lead to diabetes, at least adult onset diabetes. We have stem cell technology which is incredible. Holds great promise for curing dozens of diseases, of treating and repairing damaged hearts, for strokes, for repairing…
(O’Reilly cuts him off)O: Alright, but what I’m getting at is that we have medical advances to fight disease, everybody knows that and that’s a great thing and we’re hoping that that progresses, but what about aging in general, I mean baby boomers like me. My generation thinks they're gonna live forever, Mic Jagger prancing around in his little tight pants and he’s 60. We’re not ceding to middle age or old age easily.
Now we just got this DHEA on the screen and that’s being sold in every health store trying to keep you young and vital. But I don’t, ya know…Is that any good?
(K): Yes it is. DHEA, there was just a study published by the Japanese showing that DHEA has a beneficial effect in preventing heart disease and diabetes. DHEA is the most abundant natural hormone of the sexual hormone variety. DHEA is a precursor for testosterone estrogen progesterone and 18 other steroidal hormones.
(O): Okay you’re in on that.
(K): When you get older DHEA falls. When you’re young it’s very high.
(O): Yeah, I got it. It’s the same thing with Seratonin, when you get older it dries up…Now Doctor Olshansky, you’re not buying any of this, right? You think this is a big fraud.
Dr. Olshansky (OL): Well Bill, let me be as crystal clear as I possibly can. There is no such thing as an anti aging medicine that exists today. It is not currently possible to slow, stop, or reverse aging. Now as Dr. Klatz said, there are plenty of ways to alter the expression of many of the diseases that kill us, but there is nothing on the market today that has been demonstrated to slow stop or reverse aging. In terms of the future, there are plenty of opportunities for us to influence aging. Some of the pharmaceuticals that are currently being studied have the potential perhaps sometime in the future to influence aging, but the hormones, the anti oxidants that are being sold today, there’s no demonstrated…
(O): Ok, so I’m gonna be a geezer, you’re gonna be a geezer doctor, no matter how much DHEA, melatonin…how about this human growth hormone (HGH)? Some doctor said to me that this is what all these Hollywood macho guys in their 50s 60s are getting these shots of human growth hormone (HGH). And he said, “Would you like one for $5,000?” I said, “No, I wouldn’t. I don’t want to look like Sulvester Stalone.
(K): Bill, how about $1K, or $500?
(O): Look doctor, I’m not putting anything in my body unless I know that it’s not going to hurt me. I’m not going to put some human growth hormone in my body. I might grow a tail!
(K): No. But HGH has been around for 40 years. It’s an incredibly safe drug. It’s been tested in every western country. It’s just been approved by the FDA for children of short stature, essentially for cosmetic purposes.
(O): Alright, do you take it?
(K): HGH is incredibly safe. Yes, I do.
(O): Alright, tell us what do you do? Do you take a shot of HGH every month, week?
(K): No, I was on injectable growth hormone for 6 months when I did my first book on the topic, just to experience the beneficial effects.
(O): Which were?
(K): Which was I lost weight and gained muscle. My chest blew out. I had to go get new suits.
(O): Yeah, you can get that on steroids though.
(K): Well, I didn’t need it. I was taking it but I was getting a little bit too high a level, so I stopped taking the injectable. Now I’m taking amino acids just to keep my hormones at natural levels.
(O): So you’re not taking this HGH anymore even though it made you look like Arnold?
(K): No, I’m not taking the injectable. I’m taking amino acid precursors and I didn’t want to look like Arnold, I wanted to look like me and I wanted…
(O’Reilly interrupts) (O): Alright, but again you’re getting the same thing with creatine and steroids. Now I assume Dr. Olshansky you’re not taking HGH?
(OL): Absolutely not.
(O): Why not?
(OL): Well, first of all growth hormone has been around for a few decades, but it has not been studied in detail using clinical trials in humans, there have been a couple of initial studies…
(Interrupted by K): Oh that’s not true.
(OL): there have been a couple of initial studies indicating some positive benefits associated with the use of growth hormone, muscle mass, improved skin elasticity and so forth. But the research that has been published indicates that it is premature…
(O cuts him off): But then it’s possible that this would be good then? It’s possible.
(K): Improved immune system, improved kidney function, improved heart function, improved liver function, right across the boards…
(O): Well, why aren’t you still taking it?
(K): Because all of these things are working fine for me. You see, anti aging medicine isn’t one magic bullet, it’s obtaining optimal health for your physiology.
(O): Ok, so if your body starts to break down you go on the HGH?
(K): I’d go right back on the injectable growth hormone.
(O): Alright, ok.
(K): But my levels are fine the way they are you know, there are 25,000 doctors who the American Academy of Anti Aging Medicine has trained and all these guys are doing all these therapies themselves.
(O): No. I’ve heard both. I’ve read up on this, I’ve heard pro and con. Go ahead Mr. Olshansky.
(OL): Bill if you’re considering the use of HGH I would strongly recommend against it. Some of the initial studies show that it increases the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, increases the risk of diabetes…
(K): Wrong.
(OL): Potential increase in the risk of cancer.
(K): Wrong.
(O): We’ll let the audience decide whether they want to get it.
(K): Ya know Bill, all these…
(O’Reilly lays down the law): Whoa whoa doctor doctor. Come on, no spin zone here, my program. There are people like doctor Klatz who say good and Olshansky who say bad.
Now I want to get to this Focus Factor stuff because this is all over the radio and television. So you buy this little pill, Focus Factor, ok and you’re supposed to be smarter. You buying this doctor Olshansky?
(OL): Well, in terms of making you smarter, there isn’t any substance on the market capable of making you smarter…
(O interrupts): Except watching The Factor
(OL): Yeah, watching The Factor.
(O): That’s been scientifically proven.
(OL): Right, and of course reading and studying would work very well but in terms of taking a substance, it sounds like snake oil to me.
(O): How about you Mr. Klatz, are you taking Focus Factor?
(K): No, I’m not but I know about the ingredients and there is some good science behind some of the ingredients.
(O): So would you buy it?
(K): I have bought it.
(O): Do you recommend it?
(K): No, I don’t recommend Focus Factor. I don’t really recommend any specific product because I don’t endorse any products, but as far as the science behind the product, its far from being snake oil, nutritional products work quite well, and there is a lot of science behind anti aging medicines and just because it’s on the market and being sold to the mass market doesn’t…
(O interrupts): Last question real fast. Last question real fast. You gotta give me a 10 second answer. We’ll start with you Dr. Klatz. You believe in the next 30, 40 years you gonna live to 100 and have quality of life?
(K): I believe that 50% of the baby boomers today who are alive and well today following an anti aging life style will live to see their 100th birthday and beyond, including myself. I plan on 120 years of age, maybe if I’m lucky 150.
(O): Alright, gotta get some new cloths then. And Doctor Olshansky, what say you about that?
(OL): I’m sorry could you repeat the question.
(O): In the next 30, 40 years people going to live routinely to more than 100 because of all these things?
(OL): Ok, well 30 or 40 years absolutely not. I would be delighted if life expectancy could rise to 85. If we could live an additional 10 years I would be happy. 30 40 50 100 years, out of the question…
(K): And what are you going to say on your 86th birthday?
(O): Alright, guys guys I gotta go, but that’s good, I enjoyed it. Thanks very much.
Edited by Kissinger, 14 August 2003 - 05:30 PM.
