Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/tBJw-6SRtGk   Drummers develop simplified connections between the two halves of their brain and more efficiently organized motor control zones.  A German study just published in the journal Brain and Behavior draws these conclusions from their MRI studies of 20 professional drummers with close to 177,000 hours of drumming under their sticks.   The drummers compared with non-musicians had fewer but thicker fibers in the corpus callosum that connects both sides of the brain. The drummer’s brains displayed less electrical activity while playing due to better wiring efficiency.   It would appear that time with a drum kit might be excellent training for anyone aspiring to perform complicated hand motions.  Aspiring painters, sculptors and surgeons take note.   Lara Schlaffke, Sarah Friedrich, Martin Tegenthoff, Onur Güntürkün, Erhan Genç, Sebastian Ocklenburg. Boom Chack Boom—A multimethod investigation of motor inhibition in professional drummers. Brain and Behavior, 2019; DOI: 10.100

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/p1I6x7NGREA   Midwife-directed childbirth in a warm water-filled bathtub instead of a bed are just as safe and result in fewer vaginal tears and episiotomies.  University of Michigan obstetric nurses derive these conclusions from their comparison of 397 water births with over 2000 land births.   Those infants born in water were no more likely to require NICU admissions.  Post-delivery bleeding rates were the same for both groups.   Despite widespread use abroad, few American facilities support water birthing.  The woman may labor in a bathtub, but she is moved to a bed for delivery.     The Michigan nurses hope water birthing will spread.  It is safe, effective, and studies are underway to assess maternal satisfaction.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191210111659.htm   #Waterbirthing #episiotomy #vaginaltears.  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/dwCg-YKSBuk   Different brain regions activate when you see justifiable assaults versus gratuitous brutality.  University of Pennsylvania neuroscientists recruited 26 college students to view 90 second movie scenes depicting defensible violence from Taken and White House Down but also unwarranted strong-arming from Skyfall, and Jack Reacher.  Brain activity was studied by MRI.   Forceful actions in defense of family and friends trigger activity in the brain’s prefrontal center that labels such activity moral.  Violence without redeeming qualities stimulates the lateral frontal cortex and labels the actions unacceptable.   Our brains know right from wrong due to family guidance.  Sadly many in high federal office never experienced such discipline.  We but also they will suffer the consequences.   Azeez Adebimpe, Danielle S. Bassett, Patrick E. Jamieson, Daniel Romer. Intersubject Synchronization of Late Adolescent Brain Responses to Violent Movies: A Virtue-Ethics Approach. Frontie

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/prrcksSUdOU   Viral colds can’t be cured.  Nose blowing makes them worse, but my ABCDE program can keep them under a week without triggering bacterial sinus or chest infections.   A stands for taking an Anti-inflammatory such as Advil or aspirin that reduces pain and congestion.  B is for achieving Bacterial control and eliminating crusts with nasal application of triple antibiotic ointment,.  C stands for nasal Cleansing with saline aerosol spray to improve breathing by clearing mucus and bacteria.  Do each 4 times a day: 8a-12n-4p-8p.   If needed, add a D for Decongestant up to twice a day.  Use oral Sudafed or Afrin nasal spray but only up to 5 days.  E is for exit using Mucinex DM to curb that hacking cough and Flonase nasal spray to stop lingering nasal drip.   Don’t suffer....use your ABCDEs for that cold.   https://www.drhowardsmith.com/treating-colds   #Colds #sinusitis #bronchitis #advil #aspirin  #saline #Flonase #MucinexDM  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/srussDWNdZU   Playing sports enhances your brain’s ability to process environmental sounds and eliminate background noise.  Neuroscientists at Northwestern University report this finding after studying nearly 500 student-athletes and matched controls.   Delivering speech through earbuds and recording participants’ brain waves, researchers discovered playing collegiate sports enhances a player’s ability to extract meaningful speech from their environment by effectively suppressing background noise.  In contrast, other research shows that the brains of musicians and multi-lingual individuals amplify meaningful sounds rather than suppressing background noise.   Hearing better is yet another reason to be physically active.  The trick is to play non-contact sports like tennis, volleyball, and track that pose no risk to your brain’s overall physical health.   Jennifer Krizman, Tory Lindley, Silvia Bonacina, Danielle Colegrove, Travis White-Schwoch, Nina Kraus. Play Sports for a Quieter

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/LbrAqKFbud8   A huge Harvard study definitively associates symptoms of gastrointestinal reflux disease with the ingestion of caffeinated beverages and soda.  Participating were more than 48,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who had no diagnosed gastrointestinal reflux disease.   Analyzing data from nearly 263,000 person-years of follow up, regular coffee drinkers were 34% more likely to experience reflux symptoms, regular tea drinkers 26% more likely, and regular soda drinkers 29% more likely.  Milk, water, and juice produced no such discomfort.   This is the first study to categorically prove an association between some of our favorite drinks and heartburn.  If you do develop reflux symptoms, don’t ignore them as chronic irritation of the esophagus breeds cancer.     Mehta, Raaj S. et al.  Association Between Beverage Intake and Incidence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms.  Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology: http://bit.ly/2Pt5Bie   #Gerd #reflux #coffee #tea #soda  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pE42m2UaxVI   Feeling loved escalates your feelings of self-worth and optimism to the highest levels.  Penn State psychologists studied 212 participants by smartphone polling their self-assessments of being loved and feeling happy or sad.   Phone surveys appeared randomly 6 times a day over a 4 week period.  They explored love in the broadest sense not restricting it to romantic love but including general, positive connections with friends and family.  A sense of loving and being loved had a strong association with happiness, positivity, and overall well-being.   Since love and caring are reciprocal, use your own smartphone as well as in-person communications to give and receive both.  You and those you know will be glad.   Zita Oravecz, Jessica Dirsmith, Saeideh Heshmati, Joachim Vandekerckhove, Timothy R. Brick. Psychological well-being and personality traits are associated with experiencing love in everyday life. Personality and Individual Differences, 2020; 153: 109620 DOI: 10

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/WCVwKnueXMg   Women sleeping 5 hours a night or less were 94% more likely to have whole body osteoporosis compared with those sleeping at least 7 hours.  A study of more than 11,000 postmenopausal women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative was just published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.   The investigation compared self-reported sleep duration with x-ray determined bone mineral densities of the whole body, hip, and spine.  Those short on sleep were 63% more likely to have hip osteoporosis and 28% more likely to have spine osteoporosis.   In this largest study of its kind, sleep proves to be a critical factor for maintaining strong, healthy bones throughout life.  Make sure you get enough!   Ochs‐Balcom, H.M., Hovey, K.M., Andrews, C., Cauley, J.A., Hale, L., Li, W., Bea, J.W., Sarto, G.E., Stefanick, M.L., Stone, K.L., Watts, N.B., Zaslavsky, O. and Wactawski‐Wende, J. (2019), Short Sleep Is Associated With Low Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporosis in the

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/gYEb98stl-8   More pregnant women turn to their own mothers than their doctors or self-help books for advice during pregnancy and child-rearing pointers later.  This from a University of Cincinnati study of  64 pregnant women and 23 almost grandmothers.   Though self-help guidebooks provide solid, factual information, they also tend to create a generational disconnect by dismissing the value of practical information from a woman’s mother.  Both generations of women endorsd the value of professional medical advice for matters pertaining to testing, diet, medications, and vaccinations, but many women comment that their professionals need to listen to them more and talk less.   Navigating pregnancy and parenthood successfully requires many resources.  Use them all….selectively and critically.   Danielle Bessett. Complicating the Generational Disconnect: Pregnant Women, Grandmothers-to-be, and Medicalization. Reproduction, Health, and Medicine, 2019 DOI: 10.1108/S1057-6290201900000200

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wBNR4ratKno   Up to 90% of cosmetics contain the nastiest superbugs on the planet.  A British study just published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology cultured skin foundation blender sponges, mascara, and lip gloss finding grossly unhygienic conditions.   These contaminated products contain Staph aureus, E. Coli, and Citrobacter freundii that can trigger skin infections, eye disease, and even blood-borne sepsis.  The worse offenders seem to be the beauty blender sponges that are reused over and over again without cleaning despite having been dropped on the floor.   If you’re fighting embarrassing skin breakouts, do a deep dive into your make-up bag and consider replacing your products.  To maintain freshness, buy the smallest containers.   A. Bashir, P. Lambert. Microbiological study of used cosmetic products: highlighting possible impact on consumer health. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1111/jam.14479   #Cosmetics #bacteria #beautyblender #mascara #lipgloss  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ofG8jUtS6HU   Rising temperatures increase the deadly toxin arsenic in rice.  A University of Washington study due to be presented this week to the American Geophysical Union measured the presence of arsenic in rice grown at a variety of temperatures that simulate expected conditions over the remainder of this 21st century.   As growing temps increase from the 77˚F though 82, 87, and 91, the levels of arsenic in the rice plants and edible grains rise significantly.  Why? More soil arsenic leaches into the water feeding the rice paddies.   Toxic rice can be a risk for us even now and brown rice contains more arsenic than non-enriched white rice.  It’s a particular risk for those on gluten-free diets.   University of Washington. "Warmer temperatures will increase arsenic levels in rice." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 December 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191204152827.html   https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/arsenic-and-mercury-in-rice-new-research-from-dartmout

  Vidcast: https://youtu.be/vKr2eAmy9C0   The next unsettling dream you experience is likely exercising your brain to counteract potential disasters during your waking life.  This the conclusion of collaborative Swiss-Wisconsin study of some 107 subjects whose dreams were analyzed via journaling and whose brain activities were quantitated by electroencephalograms and MRI imaging.   Those experiencing the most fears in their dreams tended to show less activation of their brain fear centers including the insula, amygdala, and cingulate cortex.  This would translate into an enhanced ability to handle frightening and challenging situations in real life.   So embrace your dreams.  If you awaken with bad vibes, know that the images in your sleeping mind have a powerful, beneficial effect on your conscious intellect.   Virginie Sterpenich, Lampros Perogamvros, Giulio Tononi, Sophie Schwartz. Fear in dreams and in wakefulness: Evidence for day/night affective homeostasis. Human Brain Mapping, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/hbm.2

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mo3bu81XTS0   If you’re struggling with balance problems due to an accident, an injury, or advancing age, that VR headset laying around the house or on the store shelf may just be the key to your recovery.  Balance specialists and physiotherapists at Sweden’s Lund University now report their results using a virtual reality environment to help subjects train their balance systems.    Patients with chronic balance system issues often begin to rely almost exclusively on visual input to stabilize their stance.   By repeatedly practicing stabilizing themselves on a postural stability platform while immersed in a VR roller coaster ride, the 20 experimental subjects were able to deploy the non-visual balance sensors in their muscles, joints, and ears to better reach a state of balance equilibration.     The average number of near fall events diminished 10-fold after 5 VR rides by the female subjects.  The males experienced fewer fall events overall but enjoyed a similar pattern of improv

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XIwudYNkhHs   Sporadic over-consumption of alcohol during adolescent years leads to epigenetic alterations in the cells of brain tissue, and that modification forever damages later emotional stability.  Experiments proving this phenomenon from the University of Illinois-Chicago were just published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.   Using an adolescent rat model, the scientists showed that repeated, intense exposures to alcohol early in life led to overt anxiety later in the animals’ lifespans.  Neuroanatomic studies revealed that the binge drinking led to a significant reduction of a protein ARC in the amygdala.  This missing protein was associated with a 40% reduction in critical neuronal connections.   Worse yet, stopping drinking failed to correct the deficit.   The amygdala is the coordinating center for our emotions, and wiring problems in this zone will create emotional shortfalls including anxiety and depression.  This can lead to a closed loop and a downward spiral wh

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Pj1dBHEHMa8   The poor ole egg is again under attack again.  Numerous studies over the past 30 years have declared the egg to be innocent of being an accessory before the fact when it comes to driving artery hardening, heart attacks, and strokes.  Many nutrition experts have stated that the majority of the cholesterol in our body is synthesized in the liver from the fats that we ingest.  They state that limiting your intake of saturated and trans- fats will keep your cholesterol and other lipids in control.   Now a study from Northwestern University suggests that a higher cholesterol intake, 300 mg or more per day, is associated with a 17% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18% higher risk of death from all causes.  The cholesterol comes in egg yolks, red meat, and high fat dairy products such as cream, cheese, and butter.     The study was a meta-analysis of 6 other studies covering nearly 30,000 adults with nearly 18 years of followup on average.  Experts reviewing the

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/6bhjhS4GLq4   Smartphones and tablets have not reduced the 90 minutes a day that children and teens traditionally spend with other family members.  Sociologists at the British Universities of Oxford and Warwick reviewed journals from nearly 2500 children 8 to 16 years of age and journals from their parents as well.      The data shows that personal electronics actually added about 30 minutes to the amount of time the kids spent at home. This extra time, though, was not social time but rather what the scientists referred to as “alone-together” time.  You know what that is: the child is physically present but the mind is in some other galaxy or medieval castle.    So there is good and bad news from this study.  It’s good that true family time remains during meals, shared discussions, and communal TV time as long as the devices are not in everyone’s hands.  The news is bad as the the extra 30 minutes at home may be robbing our kids of true social interactions with their peers.     Wh

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/yaycsWNG3hw   Sleep deprivation will drive you to consume a wider variety of products.  Marketing researchers from the University of British Columbia’s business school draw this conclusion from several studies of buying patterns as a function of sleepiness.     Their experiments included artificial situations such as choosing candy bars on more or less sleep and a look at the consumption patterns of some 60,000 American households whose occupants lost sleep with the shift to daylight savings time.  Their shopping is quantitated in the Nielsen consumer panel data set.  I guess Nielsen watches more than our TV viewing habits.   The results from the various experiments told similar stories.  We human consumers tend to crave variety when we’re tired.  It seems that the search for new products or a variety of the same product helps to stimulate our brains and keep us awake.  It’s shopping as the ultimate form of self-stimulation.   It’s not rocket science to conclude that the search fo

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XQlxP5qLiz4   Hookah smoking is considered safe and fun.  It attracts teens and young adults by the droves.   This cavalier attitude is drawing alarm from the American Heart Association, and it is time to set the record straight.   Water pipe smoking is industrial strength tobacco smoking.  A one hour hookah session exposes the smoker to the nicotine and tar equivalent of 100 cigarettes.   Then consider the additional dangers.  The flavoring chemicals added to the tobacco mix themselves have toxicity.  Then we have the charcoal that is used to burn the flavored tobacco that adds its own carcinogens and carbon monoxide.   Beyond that, you can contract a nasty infection from the shared mouthpiece.   Here’s the hooker: the water through which the smoke bubbles cools the smoke but does not filter the toxic chemicals.   Hookah smoking is popular because it is a social activity and seems cool.  Pass on this information to your teens so that they understand the risks to the heart and lun

Snoring And Sleep Apnea May Lead to Young Athletes’ Sudden Death Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Y_MjSC0RSQk   Stocky, young athletes often experience disordered sleep snd breathing patterns that could predispose them to heart attack and sudden death.  Exercise scientists from Japan’s Showa University explored this situation by studying 42 male rugby players 18-19 years of age.   After formal sleep studies were completed, 43% of the players experienced significant sleep disordered breathing with snoring, dangerous pauses in their breathing, higher than normal heart rates, and lower than normal oxygen levels.  Further studies of these athletes’ hearts revealed rhythm abnormalities suggesting they had potentially lethal cardiac damage already.   If you have a teen or a spouse, male or female,  “sawing wood at night,” don’t ignore it.  Push for a formal sleep study to determine if the noisy breathing is accompanied by dangerous oxygen level dips and heart rate abnormalities.   Yoshitaka Iso, Hitomi Kitai, Etsushi Kyu

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kb0cdrP9csU   A one-hour midday nap can help you control your blood pressure as well as taking medications or changing your diet.  Greek cardiologists will be presenting their data demonstrating this effect next week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions.   The researchers studied more than 200 middle aged subjects comparing the blood pressures of those who napped with those who did not.  The napping group enjoyed an average of 5 mmHg lower systolic pressure and an average of 3 mmHg lower diastolic pressure.  These numbers don’t sound impressive but they are.   A midday napping “reset” relaxes both the cardiovascular system and the brain.  A regular nap certainly beat popping blood pressure pills or disgusting, restrictive diets.     American College of Cardiology. "A nap a day keeps high blood pressure at bay: Catching some midday shut-eye linked to similar drops in blood pressure seen with other lifestyle changes, some medications." ScienceDaily. Sci