Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  ttps://youtu.be/0PQgrkKSGSw   You’ll make poor choices and turn in awful intellectual performances on an empty stomach.  Psychologists at Scotland’s University of Dundee put 50 participants to the test either 2 hours after eating or following a 10 hour fast.   Test results revealed that hunger triggers impatience, impulsivity, and a need for immediate gratification .  The well-fed were willing to wait over a month for a substantial reward while the hungry could only manage 3 days.   If you want and need consistent mental performance, start with a good breakfast and eat regularly.  The researchers add, of course, that you shouldn’t food shop when you’re hungry.   Jordan Skrynka, Benjamin T. Vincent. Hunger increases delay discounting of food and non-food rewards. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2019; DOI: 10.3758/s13423-019-01655-0     #Hunger #impulsivity #impatience

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/OSjfU5mXNbI   Studies prove that oral exposure to peanut protein can tame deadly peanut allergies.   The FDA just approved a drug therapy program, Palforzia, to do just that.     A Stanford University study now shows that peanut reactivity will return unless therapeutic peanut exposures continue.   The researchers studied 120 peanut-allergic participants.    After nearly 3.5 months of ever increasing peanut protein, all were successfully desensitized and could safely consume the equivalent of 200 peanuts.  Stopping the 200 peanut treatments completely or continuing with daily exposures of only 15 peanuts a day failed to maintain peanut non-reactivity.   This result suggests that any desensitization program, including Palforzia, will require continuation of therapy for an extended period.  It would be dangerous to stop.    R Sharon Chinthrajah, MD ,Natasha Purington, MS, Sandra Andorf, PhD, etal.  Sustained outcomes in oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy (POISED study): a large, ra

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/UUTcZc0Izxs   The harder you think, the more sleep you require.  Neuroscientists at University College London report this finding after studying sleeping patterns in zebrafish.  These marine animals are a good model since, like humans, require a daily sleep session to rejuvenate their brains.   Experimental animals were driven to continuous brain activity by drugs such as caffeine or by forced, non-stop, swimming.  When an opportunity for them to rest occurred, they demonstrated a greater need for sleep.   Now that school and work are back in full swing, we all must be certain to permit our brains sufficient time for a recharge.  That necessary rejuvenation only comes from restful, deep, and uninterrupted sleep.   Sabine Reichert, Oriol Pavón Arocas, Jason Rihel. The Neuropeptide Galanin Is Required for Homeostatic Rebound Sleep following Increased Neuronal Activity. Neuron, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.010   #Thought #sleep  

Vidcast:  ttps://youtu.be/YZQ4NNpfZ1Y   After my years as a camp counselor, raising 4 kids, and caring for children and their parents as a pediatric otolaryngologist for 40 years, here are my go-to principles for effective parenting.   ONE. Consistency.  Establish reasonable boundaries that create security.  Offer praise and rewards for remaining within them.  Use a carrot versus a stick.  Announce consequences for violations.  Say what you’ll do and do what you say.   TWO: TWO: Responsibility.  Allow progressive decision-making within limited choice boundaries even for infants and toddlers.  Child refuses food.  You say, “Do you want apples or peaches?” Have a balky, uncooperative teen?  “Do you want garbage or yard duty?”   THREE: Distraction.   When the inevitable poor behaviors and disagreements arise, distract using redirection to a different activity or location and…..   FOUR: Humor.  Laughter and smiles are powerful parenting tools.  Don’t be afraid to clown around and show love in a offbeat ways.   #p

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/X36J-0nZ-rk   The common child discipline, the good old time out, is safe and effective.  University of Michigan pediatric psychologists report this conclusion after studying a large group of children in Early Had State Research study at 3 points in their early development: around 3, 4 and 10 years of age.   Despite the statements found on 30% of parental advice websites, time outs are recommended by the Academy of Pediatrics and not associated with anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, or loss of self-control.     Time outs are part of my 4 commandments of good parenting that I’ll review in another report.   Rachel M. Knight, Jeremy Albright, Lindsay Deling, Dawn Dore-Stites, Amy K. Drayton. Longitudinal Relationship Between Time-Out and Child Emotional and Behavioral Functioning. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000725   #Timeouts #parenting #discipline

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ia2-rZBk8yo   Sleep quality impaired by breathing disruptions accelerates the aging process.  So said sleep scientists from Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital earlier this summer at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting.    A group of 622 adults underwent sleep analysis via polysomnography and quantitative aging determination by epigenetic DNA methylation.  Each standard deviation increase in apnea ages you 215 days. Each standard deviation increase in sleep disruption ages you 321 days.  Women were more susceptible than men.   Poor sleep quality negatively impacts every body organ leading to a shortened life.  This study puts it on a disease severity on par with diabetes.   https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/914374   #Apnea #aging #sleepdisorderedbreathing  

Vidcast:  ttps://youtu.be/4O6kaDUCs-4   Children born even as little as 3 weeks prematurely during the summer months may be inappropriately placed a grade ahead.   Then they go through their elementary education at a profound disadvantage and are twice as likely to underperform.     The researchers at Britain’s University of Leeds do not recommend arbitrarily holding back a premie. Instead they suggest special educational services for such kids when they stumble and require them.     I suggest that, for educational placement purposes, the child’s date of birth be considered to be their expected due date, the date on which they should have been born.  Then, again, if the child needs help, it may be provided.     University of Leeds. "Early education setback for summer premature births." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 August 2019. to be published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.   #Premies #schoolplacement #duedate

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/LXahZTaYegs   Your child is more likely to suffer a head injury biking or skate boarding than playing team sports like soccer, rugby, or basketball.  So says a Australian-New Zealand study of  20,000 plus kids presenting to emergency departments with head injuries.   Bike riding, skateboarding, and golf are 20 times more likely than rugby to produce a head injury.  Of the team sports, surprisingly only baseball and softball were the most dangerous accounting for 8% of the total head injuries.   Only you can instill your children with a 6th sense of impending danger.  Encourage them to play safely and use headgear.   Nitaa Eapen, Gavin A Davis, Meredith L Borland, Natalie Phillips, Ed Oakley, Stephen Hearps, Amit Kochar, Sarah Dalton, John Cheek, Jeremy Furyk, Mark D Lyttle, Silvia Bressan, Louise Crowe, Stuart Dalziel, Emma Tavender, Franz E Babl. Clinically important sport‐related traumatic brain injuries in children. Medical Journal of Australia, 2019; DOI: 10.5694/mja2.50311   #h

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pTL7gMnka1s   Feeding your infant to excess triggers undesirable genetic changes that could condemn the child to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Pediatricians and molecular geneticists at Texas’ Baylor College of Medicine now report that overfed mouse neonates develop lifelong DNA methylation abnormalities.   These genetic changes led to premature aging patterns of the pancreas.  That, in turn, produces less robust insulin production with diabetes and all its dire consequences.   Parental responsibility for good child nutrition begins at birth.  This study adds to other than emphasize that the effects of an unbalanced diet are difficult if not impossible to correct.   Ge Li, Tihomira D Petkova, Eleonora Laritsky, Noah Kessler, Maria S Baker, Shaoyu Zhu, Robert A Waterland. Early postnatal overnutrition accelerates aging-associated epigenetic drift in pancreatic islets. Environmental Epigenetics, 2019; 5 (3) DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvz015   #Overfeeding #diabetes #DNAmethylation

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nt8CnzUfzIE   Protect your brains guys if you value your virility and sex lives.  The Harvard Football Players Study reports that repeated head trauma is associated with testosterone reductions and a risk of erectile problems or ED.   Included in the study were 3400 former football players.  Those with the highest concussion scores were 2.4 times more likely to have low testosterone and 1.7 times more likely to report ED.   If you played high school, college, or pro ball, don’t be shy about getting testosterone testing.   If you are counseling your sons about football, hockey, rugby, or soccer heading, have them pick a safer sport.   Grashow R, Weisskopf MG, Miller KK, et al. Association of Concussion Symptoms With Testosterone Levels and Erectile Dysfunction in Former Professional US-Style Football Players. JAMA Neurol. Published online August 26, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.2664   #Concussion #headtrauma #testosterone #erectivedysfunction

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/LVHpX2FdrEA   Ladies with post-traumatic stress should so inform their ob-gyns and seek close surveillance for ovarian cancer. The Harvard School of Public Health just reported that young women with past traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms have up to a 3 fold higher risk of this deadly disease.   The study of nearly 55,000 nurses showed that women with the most PTSD symptoms including flashbacks, social isolation, nightmares, insomnia, anxiety, and anger issues had a average 2 fold greater cancer risk. The subset of young, pre-menopausal women suffered the highest 3 fold risk.   Stress and its hormones stymie your immune system and its fight against cancer.  If you have PTSD, neutralize its symptoms and maintain a watchful eye for its dire consequences.   Andrea L. Roberts, Tianyi Huang, Karestan C. Koenen, Yongjoo Kim, Laura D. Kubzansky, Shelley S. Tworoger. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer: a prospective and retrospectiv

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/4waXXk7vFG4   Growing up with an older brother slows a young child’s language emergence.  French developmental linguists observed this phenomenon after observing more than 1100 children from birth to 5 and a half years.   Children of either gender with older brothers had a 2 month language delay compared with those having a sister.   The investigators suggest that this gap may be the result of more language stimulation from the sister as girls tend to develop verbal language faster than boys.   Young parents whose growing families have an oldest male child should give special time and provide more language stimulation for that younger sib.   Naomi Havron, Franck Ramus, Barbara Heude, etal. The Effect of Older Siblings on Language Development as a Function of Age Difference and Sex. Psychological Science, 2019; 095679761986143 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619861436   #Languagedevelopment #siblings

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kR-yJ1SX370   Positive thinking fuels a longer, happier life.  A collaborative study from Boston University, the Boston VA Medical Center, and Harvard’s School of Public Health now shows that optimistic men and women live 11 to 15% longer and have a 50-70% greater chance of living to 85 years.   The study looked at more than 70,000 participants.  Surveys quantitated their optimism, and medical records provided their health status.   Researchers speculate that optimism neutralizes stress and its nasty associated hormones.  A smile on your face and a positive half-full philosophy will not only brighten but also lengthen your life.   Lewina O. Lee, Peter James, Emily S. Zevon, Eric S. Kim, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Avron Spiro III, Francine Grodstein, and Laura D. Kubzansky. Optimism is associated with exceptional longevity in 2 epidemiologic cohorts of men and women. PNAS, 2019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900712116   #Optimism #longevity #stress

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/UvP-dhmAPs0 Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries that you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Here are this weeks stories : First Responders At Greater Risk For Heart Attack And Stroke Roasting High Blood Pressure Mushrooms Lower Prostate Cancer Risk Soft Drinks May Kill You PTSD Risks Ovarian Cancer Older Brother Delays Sibs’ Language High Fat Pregnancy Diet May Thwart Offspring Alzheimer’s  Overfeeding Babies Triggers Life-long Health Woes Optimists Live Longer Space Age Mosquito Protection Sleep Apnea Ages You Don’t Get The Flu Shot Too Early Concussions Lower Testosterone, Trigger Erectile Dysfunction Children’s Team Sports Safer Than Recreational Sports  Premies Placed In The Wrong School Grade   For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at: Www.drhowardsmith.com #Firefighter #police, heartdisease #stroke #Hypertension #heat #hotyoga #heatingpad #Mushrooms #prostatecancer #Soda #pop #death #sugar #artificialsweete

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/71TKGvmUViM   Expectant mothers should increase the fat content of their diet to shield their baby from Alzheimer’s dementia later.  Molecular biologists from Temple University draw this conclusion from studying mice prone to developing this tragic and ever more common disease.   Researchers fed group A pregnant mice a high fat diet and the control group B mice normal mouse chow. This strategy protected the litters of Group A mothers from memory decline and accumulation of amyloid and tau protein deposits typical of Alzheimer’s.   Pregnant human moms might just want to consume healthy unsaturated fats in avocado, nuts, and olive oil.  Their dietary choices might just gift their kids agile minds throughout life.   Antonio Di Meco, Jaroslav Jelinek, Elisabetta Lauretti, Mary Elizabeth Curtis, Jean-Pierre J. Issa, Domenico Praticό. Gestational high fat diet protects 3xTg offspring from memory impairments, synaptic dysfunction, and brain pathology. Molecular Psychiatry, 2019; DOI: 10.10

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/5NnTQvjlIjs   More than 2 glasses a day of any soda pop will increase your chances of dying from any cause by 17%.  This startling conclusion stems from a multi-national study of more than 450,000 participants just published in JAMA Network.   Those downing the sugar-sweetened fizzies suffered an 8% higher death risk but artificially-sweetened soda had more than 3 times higher risk at 26%.  The sugary drinks bumped the death risk from gastrointestinal disease up 59%, while drinks with fake sugar drove death from circulatory disease up some 52%.   If you’re looking for a long, healthy life, you should take all soda pop off the menu.   Mullee A, Romaguera D, Pearson-Stuttard J, et al. Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Mortality in 10 European Countries. JAMA Intern Med. Published online September 03, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2478   #Soda #pop #death #sugar #artificialsweetener

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/CYnOr9jNWa0   Gentlemen...listen up!  The more mushrooms you eat the better, and enjoying them 3 times a week or more will drop your prostate cancer risk at least 17%.     Japanese epidemiologists studied about 36,500 men 40-79 years of age who are in the Miyagi (no relation to Mr. Miyagi of Cobra Kai fame) and Ohsaki Cohorts,  They followed the men for 13 years.   Those eating mushrooms twice a week saw an 8% benefit demonstrating a dose response effect.  The researchers did not capture info about the mushroom species eaten.  Although the mechanism of this protective effect is not yet known, you can still take advantage by eating ‘shrooms often.   Shu Zhang, Yumi Sugawara, Shiuan Chen, Robert B. Beelman, Tsuyoshi Tsuduki, Yasutake Tomata, Sanae Matsuyama, Ichiro Tsuji. Mushroom consumption and incident risk of prostate cancer in Japan: A pooled analysis of the Miyagi Cohort Study and the Ohsaki Cohort Study. International Journal of Cancer, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32591   #Mushrooms

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/MEdGDfCBryw   Heat can lower your blood pressure according to 2 studies just presented to this year’s American Heart Association’s Hypertension meeting.  One study from Vanderbilt University employed heating pads while the second, from Texas State University-San Marcos used hot yoga.   The heating pad study showed that torso heating pads at 100 degrees for 4 hours could reduce systolic pressure up to 30 mm Hg.  Hot yoga for an hour 3 times weekly for 12 weeks reduced systolic BP 5 mmHg and diastolic BP 3 mmHg.   If efforts to get your pressure under control with diet, weight loss, exercise, and even medications have been challenging, add a little heat.   American Heart Association. "Heating pads may lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure when lying down." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 September 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/0190906172515.htm   American Heart Association. "Temps up, blood pressures down in hot yoga study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XI6Hk8owIM8   Brown University engineers report that clothing made of the nanomaterial graphene can prevent mosquito bites.  The researchers tested brave volunteers willing to reach into a mosquito-infested box protected only by a single layer of fabric.   Graphene is a lattice of carbon atoms formed into sheets, and it may be complexed with other material to create clothing.  The Brown tests indicate that graphene works by blocking the mosquitos’ awareness of human skin rather than by preventing insect penetration.   Although more testing is in the offing, graphene clothing is available online.  You already can buy graphene hoodies and pants.  They may not be exactly like the graphene tested, but do let me know if they protect you from the mosquitos.   Castilho CJ, Li D, Liu M, Liu Y, Gao H, Hurt RH. Mosquito Bite Prevention through Graphene Barrier Layers. PNAS, 2019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906612116   #Mosquito #graphene

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/KfCUKNwDFWc   All of us over 6 months of age need the flu vaccine before the winter.  Most of us only require one dose.    Get the shot in the last half of October.  The CDC warms that, if you vaccinate too early, your immunity may not last through the season.  If you vaccinate too late in later November or December, your immunity won’t be there when you need it.     Some children require two doses of vaccine.  They should begin getting them now.   There are two versions of this year’s flu vaccine.  The trivalent type has two strains of Influenza A and one of B.  The quadrivalent has two As and two Bs.  Be in the know.  Unless you need a high dose shot or have an egg allergy, ask for the Quad version and get extra protection.   https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/rr/rr6803a1.htm?s_cid=rr6803a1_w   #Influenza #fluvaccine #trivalentvaccine #quadrivalentvaccine