Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/yZ2lRytD7kw   Going on alcoholic benders is bad news for your liver, but a new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that women’s livers may be particularly vulnerable to alcohol injury.  The researchers employed a rodent model and gave both female and male rats three large rounds of drinks at 12 hour intervals.   The females’ do  blood alcohol levels surged twice as high as those in the males, and their livers had 4 times as much fatty buildup.  More ominous is the finding that an alcohol-induced tumor-promoting protein called DGKalpha rises more than four times higher in the females than in the males.   Now let’s talk about humans.  The CDC has data to show that 1 in every 8 women binge drink at least 3 times every month, and each binge consists of 6 drinks on average.  One in 5 high school girls binge drink.     The sudden, sustained burst of alcohol in the bloodstream is even more damaging to our bodies than chronic alcohol consumption.  This latest study is a

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/A5oZaWBaabk   Insomniacs have a genetic association with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke.  This conclusion stems from a Swedish Karolinska Institute study of more than 1.3 million individuals whose genetic characteristics were found in publicly available databases.   The investigators employed an epidemiological method called Mendelian randomization to identify the associations and reduce bias.  This is a first-of-its-kind study which does have the limitation that it focuses not on those with proven insomnia but only a genetic predisposition to it.   Insomnia is common, and 30-50% of us suffer from it.  If you’re one of those unlucky enough to experience sleepless nights, work with a sleep specialist to find the cause and effective treatment.  Also know, that you should do all you can to avoid cardiovascular disease by exercising and monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and diet.   Susanna C. Larsson, Hugh S. Markus. Genetic Liability to Insomnia a

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wMLmrsA4nfc   If your child is a mild asthmatic, you need only use inhalers when symptoms arise.  If you do, your child child will likely receive 74% less steroid medication and you’ll save a bundle of money.   This strategy comes from Washington University-St. Louis study just published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  The researchers studied more than 200 mild asthmatics 6 to 17 years of age.  They compared asthma control in one group receiving typical therapy, daily puffs of the steroid beclomethasone and as needed puffs of the bronchodilator albuterol, with asthma control in a second group receiving both the steroid and bronchodilator inhalers only in the face of shortness of breath, chest tightening, coughing, and wheezing.   At the end of a year, the two groups of asthmatics had similar numbers of attacks, similar visits to their doctors, and similar numbers of urgent visits to the emergency room.  The “AS NEEDED group” used much less steroid and saved a bun

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kj8WxgQ-ZS4   Thousands of young women are having unnecessary radiation exposure via mammograms prior to surgery to right-size their breasts.  A just published University of Michigan study of more than 52,000 women candidates for this surgery shows that one-third of them had mammography prior to the procedure.   The American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated 5 years ago that such routine pre-op imaging should be stopped.  Such procedures in women who otherwise have no indications for breast imaging are economically wasteful and unnecessarily expose patients to radiation.   If your surgeon is recommending this preop imaging, pass on the reference I’m providing and challenge the suggestion.  It’s always good to speak up and take a role in planning your healthcare.   #reductionmammoplasty #mammography #preoperative imaging #health news #health tips   Erika D. Sears, Yu-Ting Lu, Peter R. Swiatek, Ting-Ting Chung, Eve A. Kerr, Kevin C. Chung. Use of Preoperative Mammography During Evalu

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/eHlGf-j9ZaA   We know all about the dangers of second-hand smoke, those clouds of toxic fumes emanating from cigarettes, cigars, and pipe bowls.  Now a study from the University of Cincinatti and the Cincinatti Children’s Hospital hone in on the vapors that waft up from those yellow stains on walls, ceilings, carpets, upholstery and, yes, the fingers of smokers themselves.  We call these third hand smoke.   The investigators measured the levels of nicotine on the hands of children exposed to these 3rd hand sources but not to parental smoking directly, and these children had the same levels of nicotine as an indirect measure of all toxic chemicals as those kids directly exposed to cigarette smoke.   Also know that these poisonous chemicals accumulate.  The children under 2 years had average hand nicotine levels of 69 ng, and that figure shot up 2.5 times by age 4 years.  The nicotine levels detected were a function of the number of cigarettes smoked by their parents and caregivers. 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kj8WxgQ-ZS4   If you smoked or ate some weed over the weekend, will you flunk that pop drug test your boss springs on you Monday morning?  The answer depends on how much you consumed and the type of test you must take.  Either way, be forewarned that marijuana’s psychoactive agent, THC, is fat-soluble and definitely hangs around in your body longer than alcohol.   Smoking one isolated marijuana cigarette yields a positive test for 3 days.  If you smoke 3 or 4 times a week, you’ll fail a test up to a week later.  If you smoke everyday for awhile, you will test positive for at least a month after quitting.   The most sensitive marijuana test is hair analysis, and with it THC detection can occur up to 3 months after stopping any use.  Next sensitive is the urine test that detects use 3 to 30 days after cessation.   Saliva tests may be positive for 24 hours.  Blood tests only pick up THC for 3-4 hours after use.   If your job depends on a negative unannounced drug test, you’d better thi

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/fTadT-9r9_k   Another goal for the #metoo movement is suggested by the latest study from Yale psychologists.  As research subjects observed a video of the very same child being subjected to the classic, old fashioned medical torture, the fingerstick, but identified as either Samuel or Samantha, the majority of observers, both men and women, believe that the girl Samantha felt less pain than the boy Samuel.   This gender bias result is in synch with similar impressions of adults experiencing pain.   The result can be explained by the widespread misconception that boys are more stoic than girls, and it would take greater pain to elicit the same response in the male.    Parents of girls and significant others of women undergoing procedures need to advocate for their child or partner if they feel that the  pain management being offered is insufficient whether or not it’s due to gender bias.     Brian D Earp, Joshua T Monrad, Marianne LaFrance, John A Bargh, Lindsey L Cohen, Jennifer A R

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ud9tvdV6Kus   School violence is on the rise but, surprise, it’s the bullies themselves who are most likely to be  seriously injured.  This the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Texas-Houston who studied of some 4300 5th, 7th, and 10th graders in Houston, LA, and Birmingham, Alabama.   In 5th grade, 17% of children sustained at least one violent injury with a gun or knife, but that percentage rose to 33% by10th grade with gunshot injuries predominating.  Bullies themselves were 41% more likely to be violently injured compared with other children because they engage in more risky and violent activities.   If you are the parent of a bully, don’t think that encouraging your child to “feel his/her oats” will end well.  Aggressively stop this behavior and redirect your child’s energies in more positive directions.   Katelyn K. Jetelina, Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, Mark A. Schuster, etal. Mechanisms and Frequency of Violent Injuries Among Victims and Perpetrators

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/bZrgrEGpo-A   Women suffering preeclampsia during their pregnancies have a 30% higher risk of later stroke.  Columbia University neurologists studied 84,000 California teachers and found that low dose aspirin at least 3 times weekly virtually erases the greater risk of stroke for women before they reach the age of 60.  Once past 60, aspirin’s protective effect vanishes.   Preeclampsia complicating pregnancy is rising in the US, and one in every 20 pregnancies is now affected.  An increasing incidence of obesity and associated high blood pressure in women seem to be responsible.   If you experienced preeclampsia during your pregnancy and are currently less than a young 60, do ask your doctor about beginning a course of low dose aspirin.   Steven K. Feske, Cheryl Bushnell. Stroke prevention. Neurology, 2019; 92 (4): 159 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000006802   #preeclampsia #stroke #hypertension #aspirin #healthnews #healthtips  

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/WmKXvNLFi1Y   One or two hits of cannabis in any form does permanently affect the brain structure of young people.  New studies by University of Vermont psychiatrists looked at brain imaging for 46 teens experiencing cannabis for the first time and compared their brains with those of with non-users.   The data reveals greater gray matter volumes in cannabis-binding zones of the brains in teens who used marijuana only once or twice by age 14.  The differences occur in the emotion-processing amygdala and in the memory processing hippocampus.   The researchers point out the teens’ brains naturally thin during adolescence in a type of pruning or refinement process.  Even a joint or two of marijuana may prevent this vital process from occurring.   The increasing legalization of marijuana means more of us and our kids will have access to it.  Studies like this should make us pause and ask if that’s a good thing.   Catherine Orr, Philip Spechler, Hugh Garavan, etal. Grey Matter Volume Diff

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/x0ty9N1p3D4   Newborns and infants have very sensitive developing respiratory and gastrointestinal channels.  When parents have brought them to my pediatric ENT office, I found that their breathing issues were usually due to  airway irritation from refluxed feedings and dryness.  These observation became so common, that I began to offer 3 tips to every parent of a newborn or young infant.   1. Never Put Your Baby To Bed With A Full Stomach. 2. Wash Your Baby’s Nasal Cavities with Aerosol Saline After Every Meal. 3. Keep Your Child’s Bedroom At A Comfortable Humidity.   ONE:  Never put your baby to bed with a full stomach.  Newborns and infants under a year of age have developing and poorly functional esophageal sphincters or gates.  Any fluids or foods in the stomach and the stomach acids they induce will easily back up, reflux, into the upper esophagus, the throat, the nose, and fall down into the airway.  The fluids, food particles, and acids are all irritating to linings and prod

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/50fbFNDy8bE   Repeated miscarriages, that is 3 pregnancy losses in a row each before 20 weeks of gestation, are usually thought to be due to maternal factors including uterine defects, infection, hormonal imbalances, and autoimmune disease.  A study from Imperial College, London, now suggests that flawed sperm may also play a key role in some miscarriages.   After analyzing the sperm of 50 men whose partners experienced recurrent miscarriages and compared them with sperm from 60 males whose partners had delivered successfully, the investigators found twice the incidence of DNA damage in the recurrent miscarriage group.  The damage may be done by an excess of reactive oxygen species that, in normal quantities, protect sperm from bacterial infection.   Isolated miscarriage occurs in about 15% of pregnancies, but recurrent miscarriage happens in only 1-2% of pregnancies.  If you are experiencing recurrent miscarriages, be certain that both you and your partner are studied.   #Recurrent

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ANDsWahh5Ow   Metabolic syndrome is a nasty group of problems that might kill you but certainly will make your life miserable.  If you have any 3 of these 5 issues, namely central obesity or a body like a pear, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, or low high density lipoproteins, then you’ve got metabolic syndrome.  Metabolic syndrome is accompanied by excess body oxidation and it puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and mental dullness deteriorating into dementia.   Researchers at Oregon State University now show that the type of overeating and fat consumption that triggers metabolic syndrome also causes a body depletion of Vitamin C since less is absorbed.  This critical anti-oxidant works in tandem with another anti-oxidant, Vitamin E, to put a lid on tissue inflammation.  If your Vitamin C levels are low, your Vitamin E stores then begin to drain as your body makes hopeless efforts to prevent oxidative inflamm

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/PGXT-Mn_Dwo   Food scientists at the University of Georgia report that cottonseed oil outperforms olive oil  in terms of blood lipid normalization during a 5 day trial diet of each.  The scientists studied 15 men using a crossover design study in which each subject followed a diet rich in one oil or the other for 5 days, enjoyed a break, and then followed a diet with the other oil.   When the data was tabulated, those eating the cottonseed oil-rich diet had higher HDL cholesterol values but lower total cholesterols, LDL cholesterols, and triglycerides than when eating the olive oil-rich diet.  It appears that cottonseed oil will be the new oil of choice in your diet.   Kristine R.PolleyaNatalie J.OswellbRonald B.PeggbChad M.PatonabJamie A.Cooper.   A 5-day high-fat diet rich in cottonseed oil improves cholesterol profiles and triglycerides compared to olive oil in healthy men https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2018.09.001    #Cottonseedoil #oliveoil #cholesterol #HDL #LDL  #triglyceri

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Dv5aEjVx7Hw   If you want to be more approachable, you might try tilting your head slightly.  Psychologists at UC-Santa Cruz studied this phenomenon using eye tracking equipment.  They found that a head tilt of as little as 11 degrees makes your eyes less threatening.  Their studies show that the tilt makes your conversational companion focus only on the upper eye, and a single eye tends to be more inviting than both eyes.   The researchers plan to extend their studies, and they have a particular interest in whether head-tilting will enhance communications with autistic persons.  If a family member or someone you know is autistic or on the spectrum or if you just want to try having smoother communications, try tilting your head just a tiny bit when speaking with them.  It might just aid in breaking a barrier.   Nicolas Davidenko, Hema Kopalle, Bruce Bridgeman. The Upper Eye Bias: Rotated Faces Draw Fixations to the Upper Eye. Perception, 2018; 030100661881962 DOI: 10.1177/03010066188

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pIexMYNgSVc   A dramatic and shocking demonstation posted on Twitter by Isu-Isu Semasa and his mechanical smoking machine.  Here is Semasa’s time-lapse photography that shows you what is left in your throat and lungs after smoking 600 cigarettes.   https://mobile.twitter.com/homopoliticoos    #Smoking  #tar  #lungcancer  #copd  #quitsmoking  #radionews  

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/5TpdeAWZZ5I   A2 Milk is in a line of dairy products with a unique milk protein.  Should you buy and try it?   A2 Milk: Breakthrough of Science or Marketing? Medscape - Aug 10, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/900365_2

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/I40hVVo4-9s   Smoking during pregnancy can produce genetic disease in their babies. Study reference in video.

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/AN2hJLSqiiU   I’m Dr. Howard Smith, PENTA Medical Network, reporting from NYC with the Health News Roundup for the 2nd week of AUGUST, 2019.  This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries and commonsense advice that you can use in a practical way to keep yourself and your family healthy.     Here are this weeks stories : Whole Body Vibration Is Healthy Do Yellow Lens Glasses Make Night Driving Safer? Genetic Testing Motivates The Melanoma-Prone To Coverup Socializing Cuts Risk Of Dementia Dark Chocolate Lifts Spirits Baseball Players Outlive Many Men Fighting Family Fatness Cheating Is A Habit First Trimester Moving IS Risky Not Only The Young Binge Drink A Better Test For Cervical Cancer Vaccinations Do Not Cause MS Heart Surgery No Riskier In July DIY Acupressure For Low Back Pain Art Therapy Eases Teen Girls’ Stress Headaches   For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/aug-2019-2nd-week-health-news

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/H4mvftl5mrQ   If your teen daughter has headaches from adolescent stresses, she may want to pick up a paintbrush as part of art and mindfulness therapy.  A small study at the University of Washington just published in the journal Art Therapy shows the usefulness of this approach.   Therapists there intensely studied a group of 8 teen girls who each experienced 3 or more stress-related headaches over a 2 week period.  During the 6 twice-weekly therapy sessions, the girls would draw body maps of their pain and stress points, do mindfulness exercises, and create art.   The therapy reduced their headaches by some 40%.  The teens particularly liked the square breathing mindfulness exercise and painting with oil pastel paints.  Though experiencing fewer headaches, they still felt stressed but better able to cope.   If your daughter, or for that matter your son or you, is experiencing headaches due to life pressures, you might just want to try some mindfulness exercises coupled with drawin