Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/9719lEJfRc8 If you’re looking to suppress your hunger without “pigging out” and bumping up your daily calorie count, try substituting avocados for carbs in your diet.  Nutrition scientists at the Illinois Institute of Technology studied some 31 overweight and obese subjects and modified their diets. They replaced carbohydrate calories with fat calories from avocados on a calorie-for-calorie basis.  They used either whole avocados or half avocados to create dose-response data. The final results demonstrated that avocados can suppress hunger and increase the hormones typically released when a person feels full.  The fats and fiber contained in avocados are healthy additions to anyone's diet, and this soft fruit is a useful weapon in the battle against obesity and diabetes. Lanjun Zhu, Yancui Huang, Indika Edirisinghe, Eunyoung Park, Britt Burton-Freeman. Using the Avocado to Test the Satiety Effects of a Fat-Fiber Combination in Place of Carbohydrate Energy in a Breakfast Meal in Overw

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/uZ8R9XqIQPA Ok college students!  Looking to bump up your GPA?  Get yourself signed up for intramural sports ASAP! A study of some 1800 Michigan State University freshmen revealed that those playing intramural sports earned a GPA average of 3.25 compared with the 3.07 GPA earned by the couch potatoes.  In addition, the data revealed that the athletes were less likely to drop of fail a course and were 40% more likely to advance and become sophomores during their second year at MSU.  The students in each group were matched by high school GPA, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and legacy status. Lest you think that more extracurriculars were better, the study reported that between 4 to 6 was the ideal number. Kerri L. Vasold, Lauren E. Kosowski, James M. Pivarnik. Academic Success and 1 Year of Intramural Sports Participation by Freshmen Students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 2019; 152102511983300 DOI: 10.1177/1521025119833000 #Intramuralspor

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/yiNPfnT5xXA A study of 62 million persons in 26 US health systems shows that those who had an appendectomy for any reason were three times more likely to develop Parkinson’s Disease.  These results are being presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2019 meeting this month. This study represents yet another link between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain.  This is only an association, and further investigations must reveal the how and why appendectomy could affect the development of Parkinson’s Disease.  This data is ammunition for those who recommend a conservative approach to appendicitis using antibiotics and dietary modification.  It is also food for thought before undergoing a prophylactic appendectomy if you are having other abdominal surgery.  Until we know more, if you can, hold on to your appendix. Digestive Disease Week. "Appendix removal associated with development of Parkinson's disease: Data from 62 million records explores relationship between the gut and the nervo

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZSuPJ8F3dls Meditation is designed to relax you, but a new study from University College London finds that one in every four persons who regularly meditates experiences a decidedly unpleasant experience on a regular basis. The investigators surveyed more than 1200 persons who had regularly meditated for at least 2 months. The unpleasant experiences included anxiety, fear, distorted emotions or thoughts, and an altered sense of self or the world.  Those most likely to have negative meditation experiences were those subjects who had been at a meditation retreat, those practicing deconstructive meditation, and those without deep religious beliefs.  Bad meditation trips were slightly more likely for men than women. Meditation can have very positive effects.  Just be aware, though, that it may trigger negative sensations so buyer beware! Marco Schlosser, Terje Sparby, Sebastjan Vörös, Rebecca Jones, Natalie L. Marchant. Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Pre

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/DeihdcN1XFk With the rates of skin cancer including the deadly melanoma escalating, sunscreen is a must for beach goers and particularly vital for those with light complexions.  Since sunlight is a driver for Vitamin D synthesis in our bodies, some worry that sunscreen use will create a Vitamin D shortfall. A study just published in the British Journal of Dermatology shows that sunscreen use does not prevent Vitamin D synthesis despite protecting against sunburn and cancerous skin cell mutations.   Those sunscreen formulations with a high UVA protection factor allowed more Vitamin D production. Sunscreen overuse can be harmful, however, as application and reapplication can drive absorption of sun-blocking chemicals into the body.  A study from the FDA shows that 4 daily applications of sunscreen by spray, lotion, or cream drives absorption of the most common sunscreen chemicals, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule to levels deemed possibly toxic. The bottom line is that you should

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/R0U3fzU6TIw More than 6 cups of coffee a day drives blood pressure to dangerous levels and bumps up the risk of heart disease by 22%.   A new study from the University of South Australia derives this conclusion from a review of data from 347,000 Aussies between the ages of 37 and 73 years. Coffee has many beneficial effects including waking us up boosting our energy, and focusing our thinking, but, as is the case with many things in our lives, more is less.  An estimated 3 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily worldwide.  Do make sure that your consumption reflects the principle of moderation and amounts to fewer than 6 cups a day. Ang Zhou, Elina Hyppönen. Long-term coffee consumption, caffeine metabolism genetics, and risk of cardiovascular disease: a prospective analysis of up to 347,077 individuals and 8368 cases. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019; 109 (3): 509 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy297 #Coffee #hypertension

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/RnDteFmdD5o Women who give birth via a vaginal delivery that requires an instrumental assist using either forceps or a gentle vacuum benefit from a single dose of a common antibiotic.  A just published study from the University of Oxford in The Lancet journal shows a significant reduction in post-partum infection after one intravenous dose of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, better known as Augmentin. The randomized, blinded study looked at nearly 3500 women who gave birth in 27 British obstetric units.  The group that received a single dose of antibiotic enjoyed a 42% reduction in postpartum infection.  The antibiotic advantage was somewhat greater for those women requiring forceps versus vacuum assist.  There also appeared to be an antibiotic advantage for those women requiring an episiotomy despite the lack of need for instrumentation.  Prophylactic antibiotics are currently recommended by the World Health Organization for all women delivering by c-section.  This study suggests the s

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/OI5pnCcaYbc 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’s a run down of this weeks stories: The Healthiest Breakfast For Diabetics Kids’ Foreign Body Ingestions Double Over 20 Years Muscle Power Versus Muscle Strength Associated With Longer Life Smiling Does Make You Feel Happier An ICU Stay Can Disrupt Brain Function Petting Zoos Harbor Bad Germs Taking A Break From Learning New Skills Hastens Success Flow And Grow Drugs Are Associated with Diabetes New Imaging Detects CTE Brain Damage In The Living Dental Whitening Could Destroy Your Teeth Fecal Transplants May Help Autism A Five Minute Exercise Works Wonders Glimpses Of Coffee Mimic Caffeine Effect Fruits and Vegetables Keep Your Vision Clear MEDICAL MAILBAG: Farxiga For Weight Loss? For more information, you’ll find all the references for the stories and a copy of show notes on my website at: https://www.drho

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/K3jUwpv4zXE A viewer on YouTube asks the following question: I am not type two diabetic but my doctor has given me farxiga for weight loss cause I am 225 lbs and 5' 2 with a bmi of 39.9. Would you consider this drug safe for just weight loss? I responded to her with the following: Farxiga is not FDA-approved for any use in non-diabetics.  There are no published experimental studies on its use for weight loss in non-diabetics.   The only available data on Farxiga and weight loss was in diabetics.  This drug and its sister medication Invokana, both sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, cause blood sugar to spill out through the kidneys and trigger weight loss. A study reported in 2014 showed that, when Farxiga 10 mg was taken daily for 6 months, there was an average weight loss of only 1 kg or 2.2 pounds over that entire 6 months.  Not impressive!  A more recent study combined the Farxiga with insulin but in type 1 diabetics and clocked only a 3.8% weight drop. Weigh that meager

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/e4ZbolZk2_g Eating foods high in antioxidants will lower your risk of developing age-related cataracts.  This is the conclusion of a meta-analysis from Australia and China recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The investigators reviewed 20 studies from as many world nations.  Their data indicates that eating citrus fruits, carrots, tomatoes, and dark green vegetables suppresses the development of cataracts. The only definitive treatment for cataracts is extraction and lens replacement, and these operations, where they are available, have racked up a $5.7 billion price tag.  For those without access to the surgery, cataracts cause 35% of all blindness around the world. Prevention is far better than treatment, and now you know exactly what to do.  Hong Jiang, Yue Yin, Chang-Rui Wu, Yan Liu, Fang Guo, Ming Li, Le Ma. Dietary vitamin and carotenoid intake and risk of age-related cataract. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019; 109 (1): 43 DOI: 10.10

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/gBkcwslZo1w Tired of shelling out 3 bucks for that Starbucks Latte.  You might just derive some of the same emotional and psychological effect by looking at a picture of it. Management researchers at the University of Toronto’s Rotman Management School studied responses to seeing even glimpses of coffee-related images.  Called priming, such images caused the subjects to think more precisely and to sense a shorter than actual time scale loosely mimicking the effects of caffeine. The effect was definitely stronger in Westerners for whom coffee has a strong tradition than it was for those accustomed to Eastern culture and drinking tea.   This priming effect apparently also works for fast food logos.  Seeing them prevented viewers from relaxing and enjoying a pleasurable experience. Eugene Y. Chan, Sam J. Maglio. Coffee cues elevate arousal and reduce level of construal. Consciousness and Cognition, 2019; 70: 57 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.02.007 #Coffee #caffeine #priming #arousal  

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/EyLBqke2qcI Here’s a quickie exercise routine that can lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart attack, boost your fitness, and sharpen your brainpower.  The best part is that there is no weight lifting, jogging, or sweating involved. Integrative physiologists at the University of Colorado reported to the recent Experimental Biology scientific meeting that exercising your muscles of breathing just 5 minutes a day with an inhalation device that can vary the resistance you breathe against has all of these beneficial effects. Inhalation exercise devices are available on Amazon for $30 to $50.  You may want to try using this so-called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) using your blood pressure and level of fitness for aerobic exercise as outcome measures to see how it is working for you. Buffing up your respiratory muscles is a wonderful idea, but it is no substitute for consistent, aerobic exercise.  I highly recommend stationary recumbent cycling as a form of aero

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/B8MTjm8lgMQ Building on increasing evidence that the bacteria residing in our gastrointestinal system influence our brain function, a team of biotechnologists at Arizona State University report beneficial effects of gut bacterial manipulation on the behavior and GI symptoms of autistic subjects. Their latest report in the journal Scientific Reports catalogs the long-term success of Microbiota Transfer Therapy that is essentially the transfer of highly selected GI bacteria from healthy donors. Autistic persons typically have not only behavioral issues but also gastrointestinal issues.  The Arizona group conducted longitudinal studies of 18 subjects who had undergone an intense regimen of gut bacteria transfer, known as microbiota transfer therapy or MTT, two years previously. The results show that the MTT therapy course was associated with a continuing improvement in both psychological and gastrointestinal symptoms.  The 2 year post-therapy assessment showed a 47% reduction of autisti

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/3YqEXRoSpzw Usin whitening strips to wipe away those coffee and nicotine stains from your dental enamel makes your teeth sparkle.  But…..the chemical reactions that occur beneath the surface could trigger a time bomb.   This warning comes from biochemical studies at New Jersey’s Stockton University that were presented last week to the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. All commercial whitening strips contain hydrogen peroxide.  After it whitens the surface enamel, the peroxide penetrates deeper into the protein-rich dentin layer that makes up most of your tooth.  These new studies show the that hydrogen peroxide fragments the dentin collagen explaining why previous studies detected a diminution in the total amount of dentin collagen present.  The concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the whitening strips is sufficient to totally destroy the dentin collagen. There are no studies to indicate whether dentin collagen can regenerate.  Until such information surfaces,

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/IUS_Wp0n4yk CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the disease caused by repetitive head trauma is typically only diagnosable by autopsies.  It was discovered by post-mortem brain examinations of professional football and soccer players that sustained repetitive head trauma.  CTE may soon be routinely diagnosable in the living.   Radiologists at Boston University’s med school, the Harvard Medical School, and the Mayo Clinic now report a study of  26 former NFL players using the latest PET scanning technique. These new positron emission tomography studies using unique injectable contrast agents can now detect depositions of tau proteins in the brain. Compared with healthy controls who had not sustained head injuries, the NFL players with cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms had significantly higher deposits of tau protein on imaging.  The more years of tackle football a player had under his belt, the greater the accumulation of tau protein in the brain. This study marks the beginni

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/z99bXE9KVcI The drugs in question are those that make men’s urine flow and their hair grow.  Many men take finasteride, better known as Proscar and Propecia, to shrink their prostates to improve urine flow and others take the same medicine help hair grow on their scalps.   A new study from Scotland’s University of Edinburgh reveals that this drug and its cousin dutasteride (Avodart), technically known as 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, can make the body less sensitive to insulin and induce type 2 diabetes. The investigators reviewed health records from 55,000 men in the UK each of whom been taking these drugs over an 11 year period.  They discovered that this drug increases a man’s chances of developing diabetes by about 33%. Finasteride and dutasteride are effective and popular.  Experts agree that these medications may be continued, but they add the sound medical advice that dictates close followup and surveillance of the users carbohydrate handling capabilities.  In simple terms, lo

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/YuySgR0brbM If you are trying to teach yourself new skills, either physical or mental, give your brain a short break during the learning process.  Neurophysiologists at the National Institutes of Health make this recommendation after analyzing the brain activity of volunteers as they master the task of reproducibly pressing a series of keys. The scientists noted that brain wave activity which signals the cementing of behaviors into memory was more intense during short rest periods between skill practice sessions.  The subjects performed incrementally better when their initial mastery and practice sessions were interrupted by short rest periods compared with intense practice sessions followed by a night off and re-testing in the morning. So, if you are trying to perfect a skill, learn it and practice it for awhile, then take a break, and the return to practice.  After several cycles, you should be able to optimize your performance and make it reproducible. Marlene Bönstrup, Iñaki Itur

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/PVtH56EdCSQ Nasty bacteria are everywhere, and petting zoos turn out to have some of the nastiest.  An Israeli study of some 8 randomly selected petting zoos in that country reveals that an alarming number of animals are carrying drug resistant E. coli that can and do spread to human visitors. These results were presented this week at a meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. The microbiologists collected some 380 samples from about 230 animals of varied species in the petting zoos and found that 12% of the animals were colonized with one or more strains of dangerous and antibiotic resistant E. coli.  These germs cause terrible diarrhea and urinary tract infections. Most of the bacteria were predictably in feces, but nearly a quarter of the positive cultures came from the nimasls’ skin, fur, and feathers. Most petting zoos I’ve visited in the US do have hand washing stations.  Even so, infants and toddlers who tend to lick and suck on their f

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/rBYdLg2PUlg Patients admitted to an ICU for any medical problem, whether it directly affects the mind or not, is likely to be discharged with a thought disorder properly labeled a neuropathy.  Neuroscientists at Ontario’s Western University report this result after studying 20 patients who entered their hospital’s ICU with non-neurologic problems. Each patient was assessed with psychometric tests upon discharge, and 100% of them demonstrated cognitive defects in two or more spheres including attention, decision-making, logical reasoning, and memory.  This is not surprising since any illness such as cardiovascular disease, infection, or traumatic injuries severe enough to land you in the ICU may certainly have secondary effects on your brain. If you or a family member is in the ICU or has been there, a post-discharge visit to a neurologist should be considered.  Also be certain that the patient in question has proper supervision during the weeks following hospital discharge in order t

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/NsMPlTzykEk Psychologists have been debating over the past century whether or not smiling will actually make you feel happier.  Most thought that smiling was indeed a picker-upper until 3 years ago when a landmark study questioned that premise. Psychologists at the University of Tennessee now provide a more definitive answer to the question by performing a meta-analysis of 138 studies that collectively reviewed findings on more than 11,000 subjects.  The tabulated results show statistically that smiling makes a person feel just a little bit happier, frowning has the opposite effect, and scowling induces an overlay of anger. So the next time that you are in a funk, think happy thoughts and beam a smile.  Remember too, that if you are having negative thoughts about someone, your expression could give it away.  To keep your feeling to yourself, use your innate acting skills to suppress that frown.\ Nicholas A. Coles, Jeff T. Larsen, Heather C. Lench. A meta-analysis of the facial feedba