Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Fancy Gift Wrapping Can Trigger Disappointment or Impress Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3lZ6g4FQiJk   The holidays are ahead, and, if you want your friends and family to enjoy your gift, don’t overdo the wrapping.  Consumer psychologists at the University of Nevada compared the reactions of gift recipients to neatly or sloppily wrapped presents.   A beautiful, precise gift wrap for those you know overpromises frequently creates disappointment when what’s inside falls short of the promise.  Better to contain the gift in a bag or more informal wrapping.   Different situation if you’re gifting your boss or non-family.  Then, the gift itself is immaterial.   A beautiful wrap communicates organizational skills and how you value the relationship.  A sloppy wrap reflects the opposite.   The choice of the gift wrap can be as important as what’s inside.   Jessica M. Rixom, Erick M. Mas, Brett A. Rixom. Presentation Matters: The Effect of Wrapping Neatness on Gift Attitudes. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2019; DOI: 10.1

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XbRK74f4Hog   Short bursts of exertion to near maximum creates more cardiovascular fitness than the traditional continuous exercise in one-third less time.  A Japanese study in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings followed 679 subjects over a 5 month period.   The interval training routine was walking at a pace 70% of the individuals maximal capacity for 3 minutes, then at 40% of capacity for 3 more.  This cycle was repeated 8 to 9 times over the week for a max of 50 minutes.  Those using this plan showed a significant 14% increase in aerobic capacity and a 17% decrease in lifestyle-linked disease compared with those following the traditional 75 minutes of intense aerobic exercise.   The bottom line:less is more.   Shizue Masuki, Mayuko Morikawa, Hiroshi Nose. High-Intensity Walking Time Is a Key Determinant to Increase Physical Fitness and Improve Health Outcomes After Interval Walking Training in Middle-Aged and Older People. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.04.039

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/KNGlHUOcAtU   Enjoying a daily avocado helps to keep your coronary arteries open by increasing antioxidants and lowering harmful LDL cholesterol .  Penn State nutritionists now publish this finding after  studying 45 overweight and obese subjects with elevated LDL cholesterol levels.    Adding avocado to a moderate fat diet right-sized the circulating LDL and LDL particle levels while increasing beneficial antioxidants more than either a moderate fat diet alone or even a low fat diet.  This is the first study to credit the avocado with reducing dangerous small LDL particles that readily penetrate and damage blood vessel linings.   Avocados tastefully replace mayonnaise on salads and sandwiches.  Add at least one a day to live longer.   Li Wang et al, A Moderate-Fat Diet with One Avocado per Day Increases Plasma Antioxidants and Decreases the Oxidation of Small, Dense LDL in Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial, The Journal of Nutrition (2019). DOI: 10.10

Vidcast:  ttps://youtu.be/uwQjrBlO6DQ Constant noise will raise your risk of sustaining a severe stroke by 30%, while quiet, green space reduces that risk by 25%.  These conclusions come from a Spanish study of nearly 2800 stroke victims over a 10 year period.   Strokes kill 6.7 million worldwide annually. Reduce your chances of having one by keeping your weight, blood pressure, lipid levels in control.  Then too, avoid noisy places,   Problem is, noise is becoming epidemic.  Nearly everyone is screaming in restaurants, on subways, at sports events, and on the street.     Besides worsening strokes, noise also kills your hearing, raises your blood pressure, and drives heart disease.  We should all take the advice we so often give to children as they scream: indoor voices dear!     Rosa Maria Vivanco-Hidalgo, Carla Avellaneda-Gómez, Payam Dadvand, Marta Cirach, Ángel Ois, Alejandra Gómez González, Ana Rodriguez-Campello, Pablo de Ceballos, Xavier Basagaña, Ana Zabalza, Elisa Cuadrado-Godia, Jordi Sunyer, Jaume

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/xjgFV9pe82M   Obesity and overweight problems are more common in kids of all ages living close to convenience stores.  New York University researchers report these results online this week after reviewing data from 1 million school-aged New York City children.   Of those living within a half-block of a convenience store or bodega, some 20% were obese and 40% were overweight.  For every half or full city block kids live away from these junk food havens, the incidence of obesity dropped from 1 to 4%.   If you live close to such stores, keep an eye on your children’s purchases.  The investigators also suggest that these neighborhood gathering places could be incentivized publicly or privately to stock healthier fruits and vegetables.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191029080737.htm   #conveniencestores #bodegas #junkfood #obesity #overweight

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/o_fpt8jt3ZQ   If you plan to use weed for significant psychological issues, think again!  It simply doesn't not help manage these problems.   A mammoth Australian meta-analysis just published in the The Lancet Psychiatry looked at 83 studies in which marijuana was used to treat depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, psychosis,  and Tourette syndrome.   Weed did help with minor situational anxiety due to short-lived illness issues, but THC with or without CBD offered no relief for the other disorders studied.  In some cases, its use exacerbated the symptoms.   If you or a family member has serious psychiatric problems, seek help from qualified psychiatrists or psychologists.  Don’t self medicate with recreational drugs.   Nicola Black, Emily Stockings, Gabrielle Campbell, Lucy T Tran, Dino Zagic, Wayne D Hall, Michael Farrell, Louisa Degenhardt. Cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and symptoms of mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry,

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/6GAM_yWOM6s   Jon and his college pals were celebrating the end of exams with endless parasol-topped drinks at the Szechuan Star Restaurant.  His buddy Bill screams, “Jon....bet you can’t down this quart of soy sauce.   Jon wins the bet but nearly loses his life.  He starts to seize and becomes unresponsive.  At the ER, the anti-seizure medicines work but he is in a coma.  Blood testing shows his blood sodium to be the highest ever recorded.   He only recovers after a massive infusion of 6 liters of sugar water into his gastrointestinal tract.  He never wants to see soy sauce again.  Soy sauce is salty and the quart he chugged contains one-third pound of salt.     https://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679%2813%2900202-3/fulltext   #soysauce #salt #seizures

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/rNQ3yz7Gdc4   Betty was rushing to dress for her New Year’s Eve date.  She picked up an earring, but her asthma suddenly flared.  After rushing to extract her inhaler from a handbag, she deeply inhaled her medicine.   She felt a throat scrape followed by a cough deeper than she usually experiences after medication inhalation.  Betty’s cough persisted and became bloody.  Her breathing became more difficult.   Her date rushed her to the hospital where a chest x-ray revealed an object blocking her right lung’s airway.   Then on to the operating room where surgeons extracted an earring from that right lung.    The earring had fallen into the inhaler as Betty fumbled through her purse.  Lesson learned: she never again left the cap off her inhaler.   https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2015/bcr-2014-207398   #Foreignbody #asthmainhaler  

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/9cFQ6A3girI   Regular exercise helps prevent most women’s cancers and many gastrointestinal malignancies.   It improves the results of all forms of treatment for these dread diseases and also for prostate cancer.  Problem is that fewer than half of cancer patients exercise.   Why?  Studies say it’s lack of encouragement by doctors and nurses.  Currently only 21% of oncologists and 9% of nurses cajole their patients to pursue the 3 times weekly aerobic and/or resistance workouts that will turbocharge their systems to eradicate cancer cells and lift their spirits.   If you are a cancer patient or don’t want to be one, pound on your docs and nurses to suggest or approve exercise tailored to your body’s needs.     Kathryn H. Schmitz, Anna M. Campbell, Martijn M. Stuiver, etal.  Exercise is medicine in oncology: Engaging clinicians to help patients move through cancer.  CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.  https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21579.   #Exercise #cancer #PT #mood

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/eErkpq7PXEg   A happy tune is THE secret to unmasking solutions to your dilemmas as you get some ZZZs.  This remarkable discovery comes to us from Northwestern University psychologists.   Investigators tested 57 subjects presenting them with tricky puzzles the evening before sleep. Each puzzle was accompanied by a unique sound.  Then, as they slept, they heard the unique sounds of half the brain teasers.  The next morning, the participants were able to solve those puzzles whose sounds they heard while sleeping some 55% more efficiently.   If you have an nagging issue, try associating a tune with it.  Then play the song at low levels as you sleep.  You might just wake up with a brighter idea.   Kristin E. G. Sanders, Samuel Osburn, Ken A. Paller, etal.  Targeted Memory Reactivation During Sleep Improves Next-Day Problem Solving.  Psychological Science, 10/19; https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619873344   #Sleep #problemsolving #creativity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/AHxyX4NwegA   Parents who used marijuana only in their teens give birth to kids who, as teens themselves, are 2.5 times more likely to overuse weed and nearly twice as likely to overuse alcohol.  These findings come from a University of Washington study of 380 families over the past 30 years.   Parents who are lifelong marijuana users have children 4.5 times more likely to use weed and 2.8 times more likely to use alcohol.  Teen users have poorer high school academic performances and a lower economic status as adults.   With weed ever more available, parents must instill the dual themes of moderation and self-control in their children from an early age.   Marina Epstein, Jennifer A. Bailey, Madeline Furlong, Christine M. Steeger, Karl G. Hill. An intergenerational investigation of the associations between parental marijuana use trajectories and child functioning.. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2019; DOI: 10.1037/adb0000510 #Marijuana #alcohol #teens

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/P6q74WG7d0I   Adding just one hour of TV or cell use each day bumps teen sugar and caffeine intake beyond World Health Organization guidelines.  Pediatricians at Canada’s McMaster University studied more than 32,000 US students from 8th through 10th grade.   The additional hour of TV bumped the risk of exceeding WHO sugar guidelines by 32% and caffeine guidelines by 28%.  The hour of cell use raised the risk of exceeding both sugar and caffeine limits by 14%.   Watching TV or talking on the cell distracts teens from what they put into their mouths.  Replace the soda and snacks on the side table with abundant ice cold water and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.   Kelly M. Bradbury, Ofir Turel, Katherine M. Morrison. Electronic device use and beverage related sugar and caffeine intake in US adolescents. PLOS ONE, 2019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223912   #TV #cellphone #snacks #sugar #caffeine

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VIdlb5NYSdg   Consuming abundant fiber and yogurt cuts your risk of lung cancer by as much as 33%.  So say Vanderbilt University researchers who studied 1.4 million US, European, and Asian subjects.   This benefit held for men, women, and non-smokers.  Smokers, past or present, derived about a 20% reduction in lung cancer incidence.    The investigators suggest that fiber and yogurt exert their influence by promoting growth of bacterial populations in the gut capable of enhancing the body’s immune response.  The two foods appear to work together to achieve the benefit.   Fiber and yogurt are already known to reduce heart and gastrointestinal cancer.  Protecting yourself against lung cancer is yet another reason to eat both of them regularly.   Jae Jeong Yang, Danxia Yu, Yong-Bing Xiang, William Blot, Emily White, Kim Robien, Rashmi Sinha, Yikyung Park, Yumie Takata, DeAnn Lazovich, Yu-Tang Gao, Xuehong Zhang, Qing Lan, Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, Ingegerd Johansson, Rosario Tumino, Elio

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wgBg2CkXW0o   A full 80% of child and family social workers would consider it parental neglect if a child under the age of 10 is left home alone.   Most considered it criminal neglect if a child under 12 left alone becomes injured.     University of Iowa researchers report this conclusion after polling 485 pediatric social workers.  They remind us that more than 40% of pediatric injury-driven deaths are due to lack of adult supervision   Given these standards, the “Home Alone” parents would likely face criminal charges for accidentally leaving little Kevin behind.  He might even end up in a foster home if the relentless but inept home invaders actually harmed him.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191025075904.htm   #Homealone #parenting  #neglect

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kUd4ZGD1awU   Breast milk is the best milk for your baby.  If you supplement your own with some from a friend, neighbor, or a co-op, you could be dangerously exposing your child to viruses, disease, dangerous drugs, or inappropriate medications.   Researchers at New York’s Northwell Children’s Medical Center surveyed 650 mothers.  Half of them had no concerns about the safety of informally donated breast milk, and 80% of those who did give it to their babies never medically screened the donors.   Mothers needing supplemental breast milk can obtain it from registered milk banks that do screen donors carefully. Failing that, formula is second best, but using it will not sicken or poison your infant.   https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/Informal-Sharing-of-Breast-Milk-Gains-Popularity-Among-Women-Despite-Safety-Risks.aspx    https://www.northwell.edu/news/banking-the-benefits-of-breast-milk   #$Breastfeeding #milkbanks #breastmilk #crowdsourcing  

Swimming Too Hard Triggers “Swimmer’s Shoulder”Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/blWE7iLH_Mc   Overzealous coaches and a winning obsession may be damaging high school swimmers’ shoulders.  Data from 150 such athletes was just presented to the American Academy of Pediatrics.   Nearly 77% report pain, 66% just suck it up hoping to become better swimmers, and 51% know a peer regularly using pain medicine.  Pain with possible joint damage is related to practice intensity: little or no pain from swimming 1600-3500 yards but definite pain swimming 2,000 to 6300 yards.   Swimming is a terrific sport, but developing bodies are vulnerable to repetitive trauma and overuse damage.  If your kid is a swimmer complaining of shoulder pain after and between practices, have a word with the coach.   American Academy of Pediatrics. "'Swimmer's shoulder,' common in more than three-quarters of swimmers: Research shows that painful swimmer's shoulder may be due to heavy training load and a 'no pain, no gain' work ethic." ScienceDaily. Sc

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/h0U1Gf37Yl0   Nearly 4 extra years of education cuts a risk of alcohol dependence by 50%.  National Institutes of Health investigators draw this conclusion from their study of 780,000 participants.   The genetic markers linked to more education were not associated with less alcohol consumption but rather with less binge drinking, fewer memory gaps due to drinking, fewer drinks on average per drinking day, and a lower weekly intake of beer or hard cider.  Added education did link to more alcohol with meals and more wine consumption.   Our politicians now talk about extending public education to include 4 years of college or vocational training.  One benefit of these additional years after high school may be fewer Americans with alcohol addiction.   Rosoff et al. Educational attainment impacts drinking behaviors and risk for alcohol dependence: results from a two-sample Mendelian randomization study with ~780,000 participants. Molecular Psychiatry, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0535-9

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/BvpOnQHfbeg   If you are having a baby, try to do it during the day on a weekday.  A new study from the Colorado State University reviews data from more than 2 million Texas births over a 5 year period and pinpoints the riskiest times to give birth.   Obstetric complications are nearly 30% higher on holidays, about 20% higher during night shifts,  and 9% higher on weekends.  If you deliver in a teaching hospital in July when the new residents first arrive, the complication risk is an average of 28% higher.    Hospitals are sites where medical miracles occur, but, given the nature of human frailty and exhaustion, so too can medical mishaps.  When you or a family member is hospitalized, keep your eyes open and advocate for your own best interests in a friendly way.  Then, if you can, try to avoid those holidays, nights, and weekends.   Sammy Zahran, David Mushinski, Hsueh-Hsiang Li, Ian Breunig, Sophie Mckee. Clinical Capital and the Risk of Maternal Labor and Delivery Complications:

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3lQomJHLMWE   Soccer playing seems to increase the risk of developing ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This is the conclusion of an Italian study that reviewed the medical records of all professional soccer players in the Italian leagues between 1959 and 2000.   Players were followed for at least 16 years after their playing days ended.   The data showed that nearly twice as many soccer players as expected  developed ALS, and nearly 5 times as many younger players 45 years or less fell ill.  The average age at ALS diagnosis in the general population is just over 62 years but the average age at which soccer players developed the disease is age 40.   Since ALS development is associated with a history of head injury, soccer heading is the likely culprit.  Parents, please listen up!  If your child is playing soccer at any age, insist that they not do any heading.  Ask their coaches to enforce a strict no-heading rule.     Soccer is called football in Europe and for good reason.  Ba

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/V_o6df79H60   Teen hypertension doubles the risk of end stage renal failure later in life.  A study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at more than 1.5 million candidates for Israeli military service.  Of this group, nearly 8000 were found to have elevated blood pressures.   Those with hypertension were predominately male and half were overweight or obese.  They were followed for nearly 20 years.  Teen hypertension doubled the risk of eventual kidney failure, a need for dialysis, and a possible kidney transplant even for those who were not overweight.   Elevated blood pressures in children have become more common as the rate of childhood and adolescent obesity skyrockets.  Pediatricians now recommend that every child over the age of 3 years should have their blood pressures checked annually.     If their pressures are elevated, they should be measured at every visit and treated aggressively initially with lifestyle changes such as weight reduction, dietary modification,