Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ohUzmKKBY_I 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. #cannabis #marijuana #brainchange, teendruguse #emotion #memory #healthnews #healthtip

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/9JV0SLJuclE Standing, walking down the hall or room to room, even going to the kitchen....for water, ANYTHING BUT SITTING, will add years to your healthy life.  This health tip comes from New York’s Columbia College of Physicans and Surgeons as an ongoing study follows nearly 8,000 middle aged men and women using wearable activity monitors. Swapping just 30 minutes of sitting for even low intensity activity cut the risk of early death by 17%.  A little more activity, say faster walking, going up the stairs, or pushing a cart around, cycling, or running more than doubled the benefit to a early death rate drop of 35%. Since one-quarter of us spend our entire 8 hour days sitting, use your phone or watch to remind you to get up and do something, ANYTHING, for at least several minutes at least once an hour. #sitting #couchpotato #standing #walking #exercise #earlydeath #longerlife #healthnews #healthtips Keith M Diaz, Andrea T Duran, Natalie Colabianchi, Suzanne E Judd, Virginia J Howard,

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/A1dV3YvCf8w 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 produce swel

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ZG9QzEod8iY Victims of bullying and sexual exploitation are more likely to suffer a lower quality of life than those with current heart disease, diabetes, and mental illnesses.  This is the conclusion of an Australian study of some 3,000 persons of all ages and socioeconomic levels. The researchers used the presence of multiple self-destructive behaviors including smoking and binge eating as signs of troubled lives.  Those who had been bullied and sexually abused were twice as likely as controls to be problem smokers, 3 times more likely to have an eating disorder, and four times more likely to be depressed. Bullying, both physical and now electronic, is becoming epidemic, and more sexual abuse is discovered yearly in synch with the #metoo movement.  If these plagues affect you or yours, combat them vigorously knowing the impact they’ll have on health and wellness. #bullying #sexualabuse #metoo #smoking #eatingdisorder #depression #healthnews #healthtips David Alejandro González-Chic

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/NXeOBr57VNY Beware of missing those doctors’ appointments.  Now, I’m not shilling for my colleagues but merely reporting a warning from the latest and largest study of its kind from Britain and Scotland.  After reviewing the appointment histories of one-half million persons, researchers report that patients with continuing medical issues of all kinds who missed 2 or more appointments in a year had a 3 fold higher risk of dying from any cause compared with those who showed up as scheduled.  The situation was even more dire for those with emotional disorders, and appointment no-shows in that group had a whopping 8 times higher risk of death. If you tend to miss or repeatedly reschedule doctor’s appointments, don’t be surprised if their offices get on your case.  Look at it as a sign of caring and concern rather than harassment.  You may not be as healthy as you think. #misseddoctorsappointments #appointmentcancellations #appointmentpostponements #healthnews #healthtips

  Vidcast: https://youtu.be/IyL2_-NFP3w   Missed Doctors’ Appointments Can Be DeadlySocial and Sexual Abuse Drive Substantial Health DeclineHELP: 3 Tips Every Infant’s Parent Should KnowBursts of Any Physical Activity Add YearsFirst Uses of Marijuana Trigger Permanent Brain ChangesFutureMed: Smart TattoosAromas of Fattening Foods Can Stir or Curb AppetiteRunners’ Wearable Sensors Will Not Prevent Stress FracturesAcupressure Comforts Breast Cancer SurvivorsZebra Design Repels Biting InsectsTRY A LITTLE KINDNESS: Lyft Driver Help Seizure Sufferer Show Notes: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/jan-2019-4th-week-health-news #misseddoctorsappointments #bullying #sexualabuse #newborns #infantbreathing #gerd #reflux #exercise #marijuana #tattoo #sugar #UV #fats #sugar #cookies #wearablesensors #stressfracture #acupressure #breastcancer #zebra #bodypainting #mosquitoes #flys #Lyft #seizures #healthnews #healthtips

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/MJwjbyGChDU Disabled veteran Marc Walsh was frantic and disheartened when he noticed that his wallet, filled with cash, credit cards, and difficult to replace identification cards, was not in his pocket.  Meanwhile, two teen sisters, walking along a snow-covered West Detroit street, saw the wallet and picked it up.  Opening the wallet, Walsh’s military ID card immediately caught the girls’ attention.  They thought of their grandfather, himself a veteran, and they hoped that anyone finding his wallet would return it. Return it they did to a nearby store that then notified Walsh.  Thrilled and grateful, he appealed to  Fox 2 in Detroit to help him find the girls.  They broadcast the story on the news and arranged for him to meet the Vincent sisters.  His faith in humanity restored, he met and hugged them generously giving them the money in the wallet as a reward.    https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/vet-gets-to-meet-reward-detroit-teens-with-wallet-money/

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/W9pIH4Cq7zc Half of the millions using the most common type of sleeping pills might never wake to escape a fire.  Taken to induce sleep and relaxation, the popular benzodiazepine medications or benzos for short include Restoril, Halcion, Ativan, Xanax, and Valium.  This class of drugs induces drowsiness but also suppresses emergency arousal.  Even newer drugs such as Ambien and Lunesta trigger sustained drowsiness and some disorientation. A new class of medication called DORAs, dual orexin receptor antagonists, induce sleep but permit retention of sensory input including sound, vibration, smell, and lack of oxygen.  This makes for a safer sleeping pill.  After a threat has passed, the medication also re-induces sleep. To date, only one DORA sleeping pill has won FDA approval.  Belsomra (suvorexant) may only be prescribed those 18 years or older, but its expensive and often not covered by insurance.  As other DORA drugs become available, competition will drive down price and increase

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/BdkFM7lAJ7Q Eating fiber-rich foods and whole grains rather than fast food carbs will prolong your healthy life.  A meta-analysis of 135 million person-years of data, completed in New Zealand, was just published in The Lancet. The highest consumption of dietary fiber and whole grains led to a 15-30% reduction in deaths from all causes, in the incidence and deaths from heart disease, in the incidence and deaths from stroke, in the incidence of diabetes, and in the incidence of colon cancer. Most of us eat half of the recommended daily fiber which is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men.  Boost your fiber intake by eating: pears; strawberries; avocado; apples; raspberries; and bananas.  For whole grains, you should have at least 48 grams or 3 servings a day that include: oatmeal; popcorn; whole wheat bread, pasta, or crackers; brown rice; quinoa, and barley.   Andrew Reynolds, Jim Mann, John Cummings, Nicola Winter, Evelyn Mete, Lisa Te Morenga.  Carbohydrate quality and human healt

VidCast: https://youtu.be/BfUxLso3b5I Restricting childrens’ sedentary screen time in favor of more physically active pursuits is the latest weapon in the war against childhood obesity.  New Canadian research just published in the journal BMC Obesity reminds us that parenting practices are key factors in their offsprings’ screen time. Nearly 40 families with at least one child 18 monthS to 5 years of age were studied.  Parental device use and television viewing during meals as well as the offering of extra screen time as a reward resulted in excessive screen times for the children.  Kids are sponges, and they quickly see if you follow your own advice.  Get your head out of your phone and offer a good example.  To reward healthy behavior, offer physical activities such as the playground, sports play with you, and healthy treats rather than always suggesting extra screen time and sugary treats. Lisa Tang, Gerarda Darlington, David W L Ma, Jess Haines. Mothers’ and fathers’ media parenting practices associated w

VidCast: https://youtu.be/seKiQCg_VEw Excess abdominal fat, particularly visceral fat around the bowels that creates a pear-shaped belly, can substantially raise your risk of heart disease even more than just being overweight or obese.  A new study published in the journal Neurology now associates pear-shaped bellies with smaller brains.   The study reviewed over 9600 middle aged people and looked at the association between various weight parameters and brain volumes as determined by MRI imaging.  Those with the smallest volumes of brain gray matter, the so-called thinking tissue, were those overweight with pear-shaped bodies.  Overweight subjects without the expanded mid-sections had less reduction in gray matter compared with those of normal weight.  Reduced gray matter is associated with less cognitive ability and eventually dementia. These results only show an association, and we don’t yet know if obesity and excess abdominal fat make your brains shrink or if those with small brains are unhealthy eaters. 

VidCast: https://youtu.be/cdG-7SCuuSk Women experiencing serious post-menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and flushing are frequently prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  One uncommon but life-threatening risk associated with this therapy is venous thromboembolism, the formation of blood clots in leg or other veins that can travel up into the heart and lungs or beyond. British epidemiologists studied nearly 6000 women 40 to 79 years of age who had used HRT and compared them to over 21,000 who had not.  The only hormonal drugs not associated with any increased risk of thromboembolism were hormone patches, and with some patches the risk of clots was actually lower than for those women not using HRT. Women at higher risk for vein clots including those who are older, overweight, immobile, or having a family history of clotting should consider patch rather than oral estrogen therapy. #hormonereplacementtherapy #HRT #venousthromboembolism #VTE #estrogenpatch #healthnews Vinogradova Yana, Coupland Ca

VidCast: https://youtu.be/BXJr5-3AZ80 Terrifying flashbacks and horrifying visual memories are suffered by those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  German and Swedish researchers now publish data in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology that demonstrates suppression of these hallucinations by playing  Tetris. Their studies showed that 75% of those who played Tetris while experiencing triggers that normally would provoke the flashbacks experienced a 64% reduction in those scary visions.  The investigators explain the effect by proposing that the flashbacks and Tetris compete for the same brain regions.  Apparently Tetris wins. If you or yours have PTSD, playing Tetris may be a winning strategy whether or not the game is won. #PTSD #posttraumaticstress #Tetris #healthnews #healthtips Henrik Kessler, Emily A. Holmes, Simon E. Blackwell, Anna-Christine Schmidt, Johanna M. Schweer, Anna Bücker, Stephan Herpertz, Nikolai Axmacher, Aram Kehyayan. Reducing intrusive memories of trauma using a vi

VidCast: https://youtu.be/Xue5gu5TAe8   Everyone assumes that Vitamin supplements in reasonable quantities are safe and beneficial.  Investigators at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital now show that for Vitamin E and cancer that assumption is dead wrong.  The word dead is significant.   The enzyme that controls how the body uses Vitamin E comes in 3 genetic variants.  It turns out that women with the met-met variant who taking Vitamin E had a 14% lower cancer incidence while those with the val-val variant and taking the Vitamin E had a 15% higher incidence of cancer. We’re only beginning to understand human genetics, and most of us do not know which specific gene variants we have.  Until we do, we should all be cautious about taking any supplements except to correct deficiencies.  The smart money remains on eating a balanced, healthy diet and avoiding supplements. #Vitamin E #women #cancer #healthnews #healthtips Hall, K et al. COMT modifies alpha-tocopherol effects in cancer prevention: gene-supplement i

VidCast: https://youtu.be/WIVM5wcPtQA   Fasting intermittently while on restricted intake was the most effective path to weight loss for the obese.  That’s the result of Australia’s Adelaide University’s study of 88 overweight or obese women on controlled diets over a 10 week period.   The data showed that those who ate only 70% of their normal caloric requirement and fasted for 3 non-consecutive days a week lost more weight than those who either ate only the restricted-calorie diet or those who only fasted. Dieting for weight reduction must be done carefully.  Fasting without proper supervision can be dangerous. #dieting #obesity #fasting #healthnews #healthtips Amy T. Hutchison, Bo Liu, Rachel E. Wood, Andrew D. Vincent, Campbell H. Thompson, Nathan J. O’Callaghan, Gary A. Wittert, Leonie K. Heilbronn. Effects of Intermittent Versus Continuous Energy Intakes on Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolic Risk in Women with Overweight. Obesity, 2019; 27 (1): 50 DOI: 10.1002/oby.22345

VidCast: https://youtu.be/aoeVuKJMH8U   Doctors who regularly prescribe marijuana have some practical advice for you, and I’ll pass it on.  The Annals of Internal Medicine solicited this information and here are the pearls: AS A PAIN MED:  not the first thing to try;  if you try begin with low doses, avoid smoking it in favor of edibles and topicals; begin with CBD (cannabidiol) rather than the psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol);  choose tested compounds;  listen to your body. AS A DANGEROUS DRUG:  still a controlled substance and not covered by insurance;  not standardized;  off-limits during pregnancy and lactation; should be avoided by cardiac patients;  should be removed from dangerous drug list. #marijuana #pain #opiods #CBD #THC #pregnancy #healthnews #healthtips https://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/top-medical-news/article/2019/01/08/7552735/  

VidCast: https://youtu.be/yRHTi8fPcow To remain happy in the mainstream of life, check your hearing.  Researchers in Columbia’s ENT department studied over 5,000 New Yorkers with hearing tests but also screening for depression.  They found that even a mild hearing loss doubles your chances for depression. If you have a severe hearing loss, you are 4 times more likely to be depressed. Almost everyone over 70 has at least a mild loss.  It is easily diagnosed and treated with amplification or surgery.  If you or someone you know is missing conversations and instructions, drag them to get a hearing test.  I say drag, because most of us resist the idea of a personal hearing loss as a sign of aging. Here’s good news: you can test the benefit of amplification by using your smartphone with an earphone as an amplifier.  Also be aware that hearing aids will soon be available over-the-counter at reasonable prices. #hearing loss #depression #hearingaids #healthnews #healthtips Justin S. Golub, Katharine K. Brewster, Adam

Hearing Loss Fuels Depression 10 Things To Know About Marijuana Starve Your Appetite For Better Weight Loss This Vitamin Can Kill You…Or Save You Which Video Game Cancels Post-Traumatic Stress Safest Medicine For Menopausal Hormone Replacement Bad Eating Shrinks Your Brain Monkey See Monkey Do When It Comes To Screen Time Eating Good Carbs is Lifesaving The Wrong Sleeping Pill Can Burn You TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS: Teens return disabled Veteran’s Lost Wallet. Entire Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/p3rnvkcPUM0

An 80 pound, 11 year old immigrant boy saved a 34 year old man twice his weight from drowning in a Minnesota apartment swimming pool when no other swimmers were around.     Advaik Nandikotkur, an Indian boy only 3 years in this country, was at the pool with his parents, both non-swimmers, when another apartment resident began drowning.  His father was unable to reach the panicked man with a flotation device, but Advaik quickly plunged into the water and pulled the victim to safety. His uncle, untrained in CPR, began working on the drowned man with maneuvers he had seen on   TV and in the movies.  The victim began to recover before the EMTs arrived and took him to the hospital.  Thanks to Advaik’s swift and selfless actions, he made a full recovery.   The near-drowning victim later thanked Advaik for what the St Paul police lauded as heroic actions, but the shy boy underplayed his role.  We can also thank the accuracy of those TV and motion picture CPR rescues for “training” his uncle and contributing to the h

If you’re a regular user of the pinks, blues, yellows, and greens, the non-sugar sweeteners, a study just published in the British Medical Journal now reveals that these products will not help you lose weight.  Scientists at Germany’s University of Freiberg conducted a Cochrane review of 56 individual studies and found no convincing statistical evidence that use of fake sugar leads to weight loss for either obese children or overweight adults.   They admit that many of the available studies were of relatively short durations and that longer, longitudinal studies would be helpful.  Meanwhile, they recommend moderating the use of artificially-sweetened drinks or switching from them to water or natural juices as the safety of continuously using fake sugar has not been confirmed. Vidcast: https://youtu.be/s5FO6xh58nE nonsugarsweeteners #fakesugar #obesity #weightloss #saccharin, sweetnlow #aspartame #equal #sucralose #splensa #acesulfame #aceK #stevia #truvia #healthnews #radionews Ingrid Toews, Szimonetta Lohner