Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/pxtKl_qb31I   A full 99.9% of meals that we eat outside the home aren’t well-balanced or healthy.  Nutritionists at Tufts University just released a dining habit analysis of more than 35,000 American adults surveyed from 2003 through 2016.  They studied both full service and fast food restaurants.   Predictably 70 to 75% of the fast food meals consumed were of poor dietary quality. Sit-down restaurants with servers fared only slightly better at 50%.   We Americans ingest more than 20% of our daily calories outside our homes.  Far too often, those calories come from fatty and sugary meals.  The remedy: eat more fruits, vegetables, and lean meat, and fish at home where the price is right.   Junxiu Liu, Colin D Rehm, Renata Micha, Dariush Mozaffarian. Quality of Meals Consumed by US Adults at Full-Service and Fast-Food Restaurants, 2003–2016: Persistent Low Quality and Widening Disparities. The Journal of Nutrition, 2020; DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz299   #restaurant #eatingout #fastfood #fa

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3DAXea20sSU   Natural sunlight triggers normal fat cell metabolism.  Experimental biologists from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital just published a study that explores how light performs this trick in mammals like rats and yes humans.   Fat cells contain light sensitive proteins called opsins.  Light reaches fat cells through our skin, activates opsins that release fatty acids from white fat cells,  and the fatty acids serve as fuel for brown fat cells to produce heat.  If this process fails to occur, disordered fat metabolism can lead to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.   Indoor lighting won’t work, so spend time in sunlight.  UV blocking lotions won’t stop the good stuff so do use them to prevent skin cancer.    Nayak et al., 2020, Cell Reports 30, 672–686 January 21, 2020 a 2019 The Authors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.043   #sunlight #fat #heat #heartdisease #stroke #diabetes  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/c-JpAiLh5aw   Skiers turning in the best performances were the least likely to have blood pressure problems.  Swedish investigators compared the cardiovascular health of nearly 207,000 long-distance skiers with over a half million age and gender-matched individuals from the general population.   When the numbers were crunched, skiers were 41% less likely than non-skiers to have significantly elevated blood pressure.  The top 20% speedy skiers had a 59% lower risk of high blood pressure while the slowest 20% only enjoyed a 22% lower risk.  The benefits were the same for women and men.   Brisk aerobic leg exercise opens up your blood vessels and drops the pressures in your arteries.   Kasper Andersen et al. Long-Distance Skiing and Incidence of Hypertension: A Cohort Study of 206,889 Participants in a Long-Distance Cross-Country Skiing Event, Circulation (2020). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.042208   #skiing #hypertension #aerobics  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/zGDZFppkjVo   Listening to high tempo music takes the pain out of exercise and boosts the value of lower intensity sessions.  Italian exercise physiologists report their experiences with 19 active women engaging in treadmill walking or weightlifting .   Listening to faster paced music reduces perceived exertion 50% more for walking than for weightlifting.  The effect is greater the faster the music tempo.  The music also accelerates the subjects’ heart rates suggesting that tunes enhance the aerobic benefits of even low exertion exercise.   No matter what type of exercise you prefer, music will make it more pleasant.  We now know that boppin’ to a faster beat will actually burn more calories and make you more fit.     Frontiers in Psychology (2020): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00074/full   #exercise #pain #music #aerobics  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/4vmYHwJ21dc   Smelling roses while studying and again while sleeping improves student outcomes.  Psychologists at Germany’s University of Freiberg studied 54 6th grade students.   The experimental students were exposed to rose-scented incense while learning vocabulary, sleeping, and taking a quiz on the subject the next day.  The control group had no scent exposures.  The rose-y kids demonstrated 30% better test results and improved memory.   Students of all ages in school or not could benefit from the pleasant fragrances of rose incense.  A pack of 100 sticks sells for about $10 online or buy two dozen roses for $20 on the street.  A potential problem:  you might turn out to be allergic to the scent.   Franziska Neumann et al, How odor cues help to optimize learning during sleep in a real life-setting, Scientific Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57613-7   #roses #learning #memory #rose incense  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/NkvA7GZpqBA   Waiting until age 50 to screen for bowel cancer is too late.  Tulane University researchers reviewed data from 92 million Americans looking at the incidence of colon cancer for each one year age group from 30 to 60 years.   There is a 46% increase in cancer incidence between ages 49 and 50 indicating that these additional cancers had a delayed diagnosis.  Confirming this situation, 92% of these extra cancers are invasive requiring radical surgery and chemotherapy,   The US Preventive Services Task Force continues to recommend waiting for screening until 50.  The American Cancer Society now says 45, and this study supports screening at that younger age.    Abualkhair WH, Zhou M, Ahnen D, Yu Q, Wu X, Karlitz JJ. Trends in Incidence of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer in the United States Among Those Approaching Screening Age. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(1):e1920407. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.20407   #coloncancer #screening #cancercoloncancer, screening  

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/hqeOv8cPjj0   Anterior cruciate ligament injuries with subsequent repairs lead to a 15% reduction in the connections between the brain and muscles of the affected leg.  Sports medicine scientists at the University of Michigan studied 10 subjects over 5 years following their surgery with MRI analysis of their corticospinal tracts, their brain to muscle cables.   Neural connections to the injured limb revealed atrophy and reduced functional signal transmission.  The investigators speculate that this nerve impulse cutback may serve to speed knee healing.   We know the importance of post-ACL surgery physical therapy.  Now we know, though, that strengthening exercises must be directed not only to the affected leg but also to the brain powering it.   Adam S. Lepley, Monica T. Ly, Dustin R. Grooms, Jeffery M. Kinsella-Shaw, Lindsey K. Lepley. Corticospinal tract structure and excitability in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A DTI and TMS study. NeuroImage: Clinical,

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nLpLf4-5fSY   Those suffering from eating pathology are nearly 4 times more likely to become addicted to exercise.  A meta-analysis of 9 studies and 2140 participants, average age of 25, was just published in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders.     The linkage between these problems is the tendency for those with eating challenges to demonstrate obsessive-compulsive and addictive personalities.  Maintaining a healthy weight by consuming moderate amounts of healthy food is valuable.  Regular, aerobic exercise is as well.   Moderation is key.  Overdoing either is a recipe for disaster.  If you find yourself obsessing about your weight, your diet, or your level of physical activity, it is time to seek counseling.   Mike Trott, Sarah E. Jackson, Joseph Firth, Louis Jacob, Igor Grabovac, Amit Mistry, Brendon Stubbs, Lee Smith. A comparative meta-analysis of the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders. Eating and Weight Disorders - Stu

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/UEFVD_rDKsg   Children embrace guidance from adults who exude confidence, but they reject a hard sell from the over-confident.  These conclusions come from a Canadian study of  662 children 3 to 12 years of age.   The child subjects viewed videos that featured adult actors portraying justifiable and phony confidence as well as justifiable and sham hesitancy.  The results showed that children base their confidence in an adult on the proven truth of their past statements.   Children are concrete about adult hesitancy.  To them, indecision reflects intellectual dishonesty, not a desire to be certain about the truth.   Be square with your kids.  Teach them if its too good to be true, it usually isn’t.   Susan A. J. Birch, Rachel L. Severson, Adam Baimel. Children's understanding of when a person's confidence and hesitancy is a cue to their credibility. PLOS ONE, 2020; 15 (1): e0227026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227026   #confidence #hesitancy #children #parenting #conartist

A study just published by NYU shows that hemoglobin A1C testing in neighborhood barbershops can effectively screen black men for diabetes.  A total of 900 black men in Brooklyn were offered free testing at their trusted black-owned barbershops.  One-third consented to participate, and 9% of those were found to have undiagnosed diabetes and 28% more had pre-diabetes.  A disproportionate number of black men with diabetes suffer complications when compared with other racial and ethnic groups.  Community barbershops have also successfully screened their customers for high blood pressure.   https://www.jwatch.org/fw116286/2020/01/28/black-barbershops-could-id-undiagnosed-diabetes

Clostridium difficile is a nasty bacterium that pops up in the gut after antibiotic therapy for other infections.  This highly contagious germ can trigger life-threatening colitis.  The treatment for seven infections has been the powerful antibiotic vancomycin and for milder infections metronidazole.  The first additional antibiotic be developed for this dangerous condition in 30 years, fidaxomicin (Dificid), was approved for adults, 9 years ago.  Now the FDA announced its approval for use in children 6 months of age or older.  This drug gave significantly higher sustained cures than vancomycin after a randomized trial at the Children’s Hospital of Chicago.  Its available as an oral suspension or tablets.   https://www.mrknewsroom.com/news-release/prescription-medicine-news/fda-approves-mercks-dificid-fidaxomicin-treat-clostridioides   Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/2UKbc2aYWYc

  A British cobbler who accidentally demolished his right thumb had it replaced surgically with his big toe.  The surgeons took 10 hours to complete the operations needed for this transformation.  He has returned to repairing shoes.  Magical piece of good news.

  Numbers of infected, hospitalized, and perished continues to rise quickly.  Get the latest stats from Bloomberg:  https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-wuhan-novel-coronavirus-outbreak/ and bookmark the page. As of this recording, DATE, TIME: ConfirmedCasesWorldwide: X; DeathsWorldwide: X. Official name to date 2019-nCoV Genetically similar to SARS coronavirus and thought to have originated in bats.  The originally report snake may have been an intermediate host. The WHO has declared a global health emergency. Risk of spread highest: 1. Bangkok Thailand, 2. Hong Kong, 3. Taipei China followed by 6. USA, 10. Australia,  12 Sydney Australia, 16.New York City, 17. UK. Cloth masks are not proven barriers to spread.  While they can catch large liquid droplet containing infected material, most cannot filter out fine viral particles in the air.  Spread is often from hand to mouth, masks do remind you to keep your hands from your face.  Frequent hand washing is effective.  The FDA has cleared more effective N95

Purell Warned By FDA to stop making unproven marketing claims.  Boasts that it improves school attendance and can prevent flu, norovirus, MRSA, and even Ebola are BS.  The manufacturer says that the CDC and WHO recommend using alcohol hand sanitizer to prevent infection spread.  In reality, this recommendation only holds if soap and water aren’t available since hand washing is more effective than sanitizers. Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/7wd4ZWUgF5g

Beepa’s Goulash being recalled by Beeps of Beloit, WI. Undeclared milk that could cause allergic reaction.  Sold in WI and northern IL. Return to point of purchase or call company at 860-362-1703.  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/10Z8JeCAGuM

Harris Teeter’s Fresh Food Market Mushroom Barley Soup is being recalled by Bakkavor Foods USA.  May contain undeclared milk and a danger if you’re milk allergic.  Turns out some Chicken Wild Rice Soup containing milk was packaged as Mushroom Barley soup.  Sold in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington DC.  Return to point of purchase or call company at 855-312-7504.  Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Lemuc9y7RI8

Cotija Cheese (Quesa Cotija) by Quesos La Ricura LTD recalled due to E. Coli contamination.  The bug has the dangerous shiga toxin that causes severe diarrhea but also hemolytic uremic syndrome with kidney damage especially in young children.  Sold in NY, NC, PA, GA, FL.   Return to point of purchase or call company (516) 932-5756.  Vidcast: https://youtu.be/g8lr6Gbkx5g

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/dLeTpUalcco Fluctuating and diminishing hormones in association with menopause trigger word-finding challenges.  A preliminary multisite study directed by neuroscientists and gynecologists at the University of Illinois studied 14 menopausal women with verbal memory tests, symptom diaries, and functional MRIs.   The data confirm previous observations that menopausal women with hot flashes demonstrate verbal memory reduction.   The MRI findings of altered hippocampal and prefrontal cortical function during reported hot flash symptoms now demonstrate the causes of these verbal inadequacies.   Word-retrieval brain fades occur for us all, but increase with age.  Coping strategies include: Continue expressing your thought without the specific word. Use humor to defuse your anxiety. Consult a thesaurus.      Maki PM1,2,3, Wu M4, Rubin LH5, Fornelli D6, Drogos LL2,7, Geller S3, Shulman LP8,9, Banuvar S8, Little DM10, Conant RJ11.  Hot flashes are associated with altered brain

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/BmPJ8Abr5uY   Only 5% of children and teens with chronic fatigue syndrome, technically known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, ever receive a proper diagnosis.  Investigators from DePaul University and the Lurie Chicago Children’s Hospital studied a random group of over 10,100 kids 5 to 17 years.   The reasons affected children aren’t identified includes poor healthcare access but also provider misconception that this disease is not a genuine condition.  With an estimated 51 million children and teens in the US this year, 3.8 million have this disorder but 3.6 million go undiagnosed.   A child with sleep problems and lightheadedness when standing for 6 months or more should be evaluated.   Leonard A. Jason, Ben Z. Katz, Madison Sunnquist, Chelsea Torres, Joseph Cotler, Shaun Bhatia. The Prevalence of Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Community-Based Sample. Child & Youth Care Forum, 2020; DOI: 10.1007/s10566-019-09543-3   https://www.childstats.gov/

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/FJjR42mC2iU   The trick to avoiding bloat when eating a high fiber diet is to reduce protein in favor of carbs in the form of whole grains and other healthy carbs.  This the conclusion of a Johns Hopkins study of some 164 subjects consuming high fiber, heart-healthy diets.   Their data reveals 40% less bloating when a high-fiber diet is carb-rich versus protein-rich.  Sources for those carbs include whole grain oats, bananas, sweet potatoes, and blueberries.  Most of these foods also provide extra anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.   Bloating impacts at least 20% of Americans, and it deters many from adhering to healthy diets.  Don’t let that happen to you.   Mingyu Zhang, Stephen P. Juraschek, Lawrence J. Appel, Pankaj Jay Pasricha, Edgar R. Miller, Noel T. Mueller. Effects of High-Fiber Diets and Macronutrient Substitution on Bloating. Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, 2020; 1 DOI: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000122   https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-healthy-hig