Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C560g2cLWdt/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Intimidator are recalling Intimidator and Mahindra branded utility vehicles due to a defective universal joint that cuts into the brake line leading to crashes and injuries. About 19,264 UTVs were sold at Intimidator and Mahindra dealers nationwide. Stop riding these UTVs and contact a Intimidator and Mah...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C56z8P0r_ki/ The CPSC and Innovative Bedding Solutions/SBL are recalling GhostBed-branded Natural Mattresses as they violate federal smoldering ignition requirements creating fire and burn hazards.   About 1250 of these mattresses were sold at GhostBed.com, GhostBedNatural.com and other websites. Stop sleeping on these mattresses and contact GhostBed at 1- 877...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C56zMBrLxlN/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Jugder now recall Jugader Zipline Kits including cable wire, trolley, and seat as the stainless steel cable breaks leading to falls, injuries, and worse. About 6600 of these kits were sold on Amazon.com. Immediately discontinue use of these ziplines.  Contact Jugader at 1- 800-360-8078 or via email at  su...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ty_m6Ll32/ You might say: Doc….We’ve heard over and over that charcoal grilling produces carcinogenic compounds that might later trigger cancer.  Now, though, Stanford University chemists have uncovered yet another genetic risk associated with cooking foods at high temperatures.   We know that our food comes from plants and animals, but we never think about...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5tyNkdLpIo/   Babies breastfed for at least 4 months perform significantly better on their English and Math achievement tests at age 16 than those never breastfed.  This from a British study of 5000 kids born between 2000 and 2002.   Tabulating the teen’s scores on the British General Certificate of Secondary Education or GCSE tests, those breastfed for 4-6 m...

 Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5txiCDrV4j/ More than half of people of all ages admit to a fear of clowns or so-called coulrophobia. A survey of 987 participants by South Wales psychologists reveals that 53.5% of us have some fear of clowns,  Compare this with other phobias where 3.8% have a fear of animals, 3% have a fear of needles, 2.8% have a fear of heights, 2.3% fear weather, 2.2% f...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5twslyrt5F/ Men who regularly lift or move heavy objects at work enjoy a 44% higher sperm count and a 46% higher sperm concentration compared with those who do not move heavy objects as part of their occupational activities.  Harvard researchers studied 377 male partners of couples undergoing infertility workups and used surveys to elicit information about th...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5tvj9lrGXS/ Nearly one one every three pediatric admissions for burns is due to scalding from a hot bowl of noodles.  This from a  University of Chicago review of 790 children under 18 years of age.  The data showed that 31% of the burns were due to instant noodles, that those with ramen burns compared with those due to other causes were slightly older, 5.4 y...

 Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5tu0z_ruaY/ Listening to music you love lowers your pain threshold.  Dutch anesthesia-pain researchers studied the perception of pressure- and electrically-induced pain in 415 subjects.  Tolerance for both types of pain was better for those listening to their preferred brands of music rather than music they found annoying.  One odd finding: listening to musi...

Limp Handshakes Associated With Depression   Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ttozjLsY5/   Those with a strong handgrip have a 26% lower risk of depression as years go by.  This the conclusion after a study of 115,600 older Europeans living in 24 different countries over a 7 year period.     The investigators found a dose-response relationship between handgrip power and risk of depression f...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5tsz3NLceS/ Those regularly consuming almonds in advance of unexpected, sudden vigorous exercise report less fatigue and muscle soreness as well as better leg and back strength. North Carolina investigators report this association following their randomized study of 64 middle aged men and women.   The experimental group ate 57 grams of almonds daily for one m...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5tpUxzr0vr/ The greater the intensity of road cycling training on a given day, the lower the moods of those cyclists the following day.  Researchers at Barcelona’s Laboratory of Sports Psychology and Sport Research Institute carefully monitored 5 recreational road cyclists over a 6 week period.   Captured was data that reflected the cyclists actual and percei...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oDg1yuV4k/   Mindfulness meditation can reduce your guilt, but doing so may have a negative impact on your social relationships.  Psychologists at the University of Washington conducted a series of 8 experiments on 1400 participants that included 3 groups: US adults recruited online, undergrads at UPenn’s Wharton business school, and Portuguese grad students...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Yp7gpLAeV/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Shawnee Milling Company now recall 5 lb.bags of Food Club brand All Purpose Flour with Best if Used by date 03/07/2025.  This flour contains undisclosed milk or eggs. This flour has been sold in New York and in Ohio. Return this flour to the place of purchase for a refund.  For additional information, call...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YpRder2Kz/ The Food and Drug Administration and Geissler’s Supermarket Inc. have recalled all Geissler’s sushi products due to the presence of undeclared egg, wheat, or milk.  Those with an allergy to these foods, with a gluten sensitivity, or with celiac disease could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they consume these products...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YomdMLELb/ The Food and Drug Administration and Tropicale Foods have recalled Helados Mexico mango bars in the variety pack.  These bars have salmonella contamination.  Affected are bars with a Best By date of 10/11/2025. Sold in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Ca...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Yn6epr7PG/ The Food and Drug Administration and Lidl US are recalling Deluxe Macarons Party Edition as they contain undeclared wheat, soy, egg, milk, and tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and coconut).  The problem is that these macrons bear non-English ingredient labeling. These macarons have been sold at Lidl US stores in Delaware, District of Columbia, Geor...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YmnSDLHP-/ The Food and Drug Administration and FAonline Inc. now recall ForeverMen Natural Energy Boost supplements. They are contaminated with the phosphodiesterase inhibitors sildenafil and tadalafil commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction.  These drugs do not belong in supplements and pose a danger for those taking nitrate drugs such as nitroglyceri...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Yl2ZMLQrx/ The Food and Drug Administration and Abdallah Candies now recall some boxes of Abdallah Candies 8 oz. sea salt almond alligators.  These boxes are mislabeled with chocolate covered cherry labels rather than the almond labels.  Those with an allergy to almonds could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they consume this pr...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YlICgrzWP/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and BJ’s Wholesale Club now recall Berkley Jensen Citronella 72-inch Tiki Torches.  The top of the torch tends to break open or fall off while lit leading to burns. About 90,000 of these tiki torches were sold at BJ’s. Stop lighting and using these tiki torches.  Empty the fuel reservoirs and return the torch...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YkdZ7LDea/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Pure Brands of California are recalling Purefog High Density Natural Fog Juice Liquid, Long Lasting, Water Based.  This liquid degrades before the expiration date and may contain fungus.  Breathing this fog can induce a fungal pneumonia.  This liquid is designed for use with fog machines rated at 400-1500...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Yi-giLgET/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Polaris Industries are recalling Model Year 2022-2023 Snowmobiles equipped with PATRIOT BOOST Engines.  The fuel lines of these engines leak creating fire and burn hazards. About 7,000 of these snowmobiles were sold in the US and about 3,100 were sold in Canada.  Remember too that these snowmobiles have b...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Yh_MUrvvA/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Forias Direct as recalling Forias pack and play mattresses.  This memory foam mattress violates multiple federal safety standards for crib mattresses including thickness and labeling.  The mattress creates suffocation hazards. About 1900 of these crib mattresses have been sold at amazon.com. Stop using th...

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5WwxNsrj1h/ The next generation of Moderna’s mRNA CoVid vaccines will be directed against two key portions of the virus’ spike protein rather than the entire spike.  Creating mRNA that codes only for the spike’s N-terminal domain (NTD) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) generates blocking antibodies against these two spike regions that play the greatest rol...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Wu4hYLn2O/ The FDA is now out with a warning about skin creams sold for use after tattooing, piercings, laser hair removal, and dermabrasion.  Most of these agents contain the local anesthetic lidocaine in concentrations that are dangerous. The FDA warns that using agents with lidocaine concentrations above 4% is dangerous. The agency has fired off cease and...