Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/nzYmPzIEq-k   Sixty percent of adolescents ride with teen drivers who are distracted.   University of Michigan researchers report this information from their study of 877 surveyed families.   The most common distractions in the vehicle include deafeningly loud music in 46% of cases, cell phone use in 42%, and raucous teens in the back seat 39% of the time.   Even more c...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/IbIaSEhMt7c   Growing cannabis plants give off biogenic volatile organic compounds, BVOC for short, that can poison those exposed.   Besides the BVOCs from the plants, the oil extraction process gives off another, butane.   Together, these organic compounds create highly toxic ground-level ozone.   Researchers from Nevada’s Desert Research Institute studied emissions fr...

  idcast:   https://youtu.be/bILq94CbJoc   Give kids active toys like bikes, skates, scooters, slides, and swings that motivate them to physically exert themselves.   When you do, they will not be among the more than 80% of kids who never meet physical activity guidelines.   These specify at least one hour of vigorous activity each day.   Researchers at the University of Queensland studied more th...

Vidcast:   ttps://youtu.be/r6alvHymzwg   Simply rubbing your hands with Purell™ or   knock-offs will not kill the influenza virus.   A Japanese study just published by the American Society of Microbiology shows that the mucus that contains the virus protects it from alcohol-based hand sanitizers.   The typical 15-30 second sanitizer rub won’t kill the flu virus, or probably any virus, unless the s...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/GIM0xl8Rs10   Babies delivered by C-section rather than by a normal vaginal route develop a gastrointestinal bacterial population contaminated by bad bugs found around the hospital.   Their gut bacteria include antibiotic-resistant ones rather than the more benign species found in their mothers.   British researchers studied 600 healthy babies to identify their gut bact...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/bTWGLdnm90w   If you prefer more conservative medical therapy but must visit a surgeon for a consultation, pick an appointment at the end of day or just before lunch.   You’ll be half as likely to hear a recommendation for surgery.   A Swedish study of some 848 orthopedic appointments confirms that, when doctors are relatively fatigued, they avoid difficult or risky dec...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/-81VImw-zEo   The prevalence of heart infections, bacterial infestations of the valves and cardiac linings known as endocarditis, have nearly doubled in drug abusers.   Cardiologists at the Cleveland Clinic studied nearly 1 million hospitalized patients with this disorder to understand the causes.   The drug users who developed bacterial endocarditis were predominately...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/BV1PEQG6hzk   WikiHow’s 3 step program to become extroverted.   It is excellent, and I will paraphrase it.   ONE: Have the mindset. TWO: Do the work. THREE: Engage with others.   Have the mindset:   Value Extroversion: make friends easily, comfortable in crowds, keep a party going. Envision yourself as a good extrovert: not phony or hurtful. Select a spot on the extrove...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/eFtj42jop5Q   If you’re quiet and withdrawn by nature, you’ll be happier if you push yourself to be outgoing.   UC-Riverside psychologists studied 123 subjects classifying them as introverts or extroverts.   Investigators coached each participant to act, for one week, as quiet, reserved introverts or as talkative, outgoing, “life of the party” extroverts.   The particip...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/4V_LSBkMV5s   Four months on a plant-based, low fat diet can cleanse your gut and leave you with a healthier microbiome that helps you control your weight, improve your body composition, and avoid diabetes.   The Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine demonstrated this result after studying 147 subject half of whom followed the vegan program.   Those foregoing mea...

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 wer...

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 near...

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 suc...

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.   An...

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 websit...

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...

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 s...

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.   O...

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...

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 l...

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...

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...

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 t...

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’ Languag...

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...