Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/NfXKa2CRvIE Lead-in by the late and great Gary LaPierre Many turn to AlkaSeltzer for gastrointestinal distress. Problem is that AlkaSelzer contains aspirin in addition to an antacid sodium bicarbonate. Aspirin can irritate stomach linings but can also induce gastrointestinal bleeding due to its interference with platelets leading to blood thinning or anticoagulation. Know...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/PBh_bf3DFUg Lead-in by Diane Stern Headaches after anesthesia may be due to caffeine withdrawal according to a New Zealand study. Ingesting more than 200 mg of caffeine a day(3 cups of coffee or 4 cups of tea) increases likelihood of a post-anesthesia headache. #anesthesia #caffeinewithdrawal #coffee #tea #wbznewsradio

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ZoHVWd1zkKY Parents looking for early warning signs of serious and sometimes life-threatening teen problems can now add back pain to that age-old upset stomach. The Journal of Public Health now publishes an Australian study of nearly 6400 teens that reveals back pain in these 14 to 16 year olds is consistently associated with smoking, drinking, depression, and missed scho...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1XkO78Dz5Mc It’s healthier to maintain weight at a given level than have your weight bounce up and down. Korean study shows that those with unstable weight are 127% more likely to die prematurely, 43% more likely to experience a heart attack, and 41% more likely to experience a stroke. More than a 5% flux in weight has adverse health consequences. #obesity #overweight #we...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/HezG9Kjgt00 At least one in 5 new mothers experience postpartum depression, but, wait, new fathers may experience it too. A study from University of Cambridge sampling more than 3000 British families just published in JAMA Psychiatry shows that one in 20 fathers may suffer from it too. Most interesting was the finding that 18 year old girls whose father did have confirmed...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/jK4ZBqyHOWU Women over 30 with an interest in motherhood constantly have an eye on that ticking biological clock. The latest study from Rutgers University suggests that men also need to pay attention to old Father Time if they want to produce healthy offspring. The study reviewed nearly half a century of research on fertility and healthy reproduction. Men 45 years or olde...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/oZnv44nuUNs Premature infants who listen to music enjoy enhanced neural development. Swiss neuroscientists at the University of Geneva report the positive effects of specially composed and performed music on developing neural networks of premies. The musical selections varied with time of day and were designed to lend an auditory structure to the infant’s first days out o...

Chocolate Packaging Influences Its Flavor: Best Of: Jun, 2019 Vidcast: https://youtu.be/q2aUF3MNWds When you chomp down on a chocolate bar or daintily take a bite of that truffle, the package that tasty tidbit came in has much to do with its perceived flavor. Aussies at the University of Melbourne’s School of Agriculture and Food presented 75 study subjects with the same piece of chocolate wrapped...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/6q6ccwVjmIw Learning comprehension and retention are unaffected by watching an instructional video at up to twice the speed. Educational psychologists at UCLA studied this phenomenon in 231 of their undergrads by having them watch two 15 minute videos including one about the Roman Empire and the other about real estate appraisals. Groups screened the videos at either norm...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/n1M_tcv0xcY More than 75% of patients expect to be contacted with abnormal test results within 24 hours. Only 9% of clinicians agreed. This disturbing non-connect is now reported by surgical investigators at the University of Colorado after surveying 57 patients and 69 clinicians. Some 89.7% of patients and 80.6% of clinicians agree with the premise that patients s...

Kids Riding In Bike Trailers Inhale Excess Pollutants: Best Of: Feb, 2022 Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1eRPln4QaDo Parents who reduce their carbon footprints by cycling rather than car riding their children to preschools and elementary schools in bicycle trailers may be exposing the young ones to undue levels of pollutants. The same goes for parents who take their children along in these trailers as...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/CPcthyRkfq8 Individuals with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at least 6 times more likely to evidence a hoarding disorder (HD) that significantly interferes with the conduct of their lives. So say psychologists at the UK’s Anglia Ruskin University following their study of 88 patients in an ADHD clinic, a matched control group of 90 persons, and an onli...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1Yo45wdXcJw This set of reports mark the last that I am broadcasting from New York City. In a few weeks, I will be moving from the Big Apple back to the medical and healthcare capital of the world, Boston. Wish it were as easy as pressing a button. Once I’ve settled into my new studios, I’ll resume health and recall reports. That will be sometime over this coming summer....

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/0BEGVu7AAt4 The FDA and Stratford Care USA are recalling multiple brands of dog and cat omega3 soft gel supplements. All of them contain dangerously high levels of Vitamin A. The supplements were sold nationwide at Veterinary Clinics, Distribution Centers, Retail Stores, and Online Market Places such as Amazon and Chewy. The affected lots and expiration dates are: lot 311...

Yeti Coolers and Gear Cases Spew Dangerous Magnets Vidcast: https://youtu.be/zOAiSYOP6sc The CPSC and YETI are recalling YETI Soft Backpack Coolers, Soft Coolers, and Sidekick Dry Gear Cases. The magnets in the magnet-lined closures may detach and be swallowed by young children. These high powered magnets may attract each other while in the gastrointestinal tract leading to perforations, gut torsi...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/fp5S7VhQ0mU The CPSC and Vornado are recalling Vornado SRTH Small Room Tower Heaters. These heaters have defective wiring that cause the appliance to overheat and create burn and fire hazards. About 1450 of these heaters were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com and other websites. Stop using this heater, unplug it, and visit...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/OHW4bWqJ-zI The CPSC and the Akerson Enterprises have recalled Kindred Bravely Bamboo Nursing Hoodies. The drawcords on these hoodies have small plastic end caps that may become loose and create choking hazards for infants, toddlers, and young children. About 7500 of these hoodies were sold at Village Maternity, Nature Baby Outfitter, Tootsies Children’s Boutique, Nurturi...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/UaLVGXZtW2g The CPSC and Epoch Everlasting Play LLC are recalling all Calico Critters flocked animal figures and sets that were sold with bottle and pacifier accessories. The bottle and pacifier accessories create choking hazards for infants and toddlers. More than 3.2 million sets were sold in the US. Immediately take these recalled bottles and pacifier accessories away...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/gMgSpIkgzG0 The CPSC and the Bedsure company are recalling Bedsure Electric Heating Blankets and Pads. These appliances have defective controllers that lead to overheating, fires, and burns. About 350,000 electric blankets and pads have been sold online at amazon.com and BedsureHome.com. Immediately stop using these blankets and pads, unplug them, and contact Bedsure at 1...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/C_OgGY2Op1w The CPSC and the Monoprice company are recalling Monoprice Pure Outdoor Cooking Systems. The insulation coating on the stove may ignite during use creating fire and burn hazards. About 3780 of these outdoor cooking systems were sold online at monoprice.com, amazon.com, walmart.com, ebay.com, buy.com, newegg.com, shopping.google.com, and target.com. Stop using...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/NrAGe869vEE The CPSC and the Fantasia Trading company are recalling Anker Powercore 20K 523 Power Banks Model A1366. These lithium-ion batteries tend to overheat posing burn and fire hazards. About 42,000 of these batteries were sold in the US and 620 were sold in Canada at Target stores nationwide and online at Anker.com, Amazon.com and eBay.com. If you have one of these...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/l_vynjQGHPc The CPSC and BeyondMedShop now recall Vaunn Medical Bed Assist Rail adult bed rails. As is always the case with poorly designed bedrails, the user may become entrapped within the the bedrail structure proper or between the bedrail and the mattress with a risk of neck entrapment and asphyxiation. About 102,000 of these bedrails were sold online at BeyondMedShop...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/jvlCZSc0Y14 New Jersey cardiologists have tested a wrist-worn sensor developed by RCE Technologies Inc. that employs infrared light to continuously detect and instantly measure blood levels of troponin. This protein, released when heart muscle is damaged, is usually measured as a snapshot via a blood draw in the emergency room that can take nearly an hour make the diagnos...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/QlcoUtNbGlQ Investigators at the Japanese company NanoCarrier Ltd. have developed technology to deliver so-called naked mRNA, that is mRNA not wrapped in a lipid container, directly into the skin without a needle. Using jet injection, the mRNA that encodes for a vaccine protein is forced into a person’s skin layers rather than into the sub-skin, the subcutaneous layer, or...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/bhdWjC0HAGA Use of sound waves to numb and silence overactive kidney nerves that drive up blood pressure leads to a substantive 8 point pressure drop in patients poorly responsive to conventional medical therapy. Collaborators at New York’s Columbia University and the Université de Paris analyzed data from 3 randomized trials involving 506 persons with hypertension. Twice...