Dr. Howard Smith Reports

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/SH-X2A-Tc64   A British survey of some 1000 millennial men and women shows that most like the concept of reducing meat consumption but find it inconvenient.     Seventy-three percent think eating plant-based food is more ethical, 70% rate it more environmentally-beneficial, and 50% consider it healthier.   However, up to 80% feel it takes too much effort and 60% rate...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/vwVsXQfh5-0   Virtual gaming can provoke damaging shoulder fatigue, neck inflammation, and eye strain.   Oregon State University industrial engineers studied 20 male and female GenZ and millennial gamers for repetitive-type injuries as they pointed and painted in VR.   The gamers extended hands led to shoulder discomfort after only 3 minutes as well as later eye strai...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/CEVbxm64OJ0   When adults enjoy play with infants, a bi-directional neural bond forms that creates an intensely rich interaction.   Neuroscientists at Princeton University explored this phenomenon by studying 18 children 9 to 15 months of age.   As the babies interacted with adults sharing toys, rhymes, and stories, their brain waves were recorded.   Child-adult brain...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/xLOIonn4-SQ   Feeling down may be the root of your inability to stop smoking for good.   This the conclusion of Harvard researchers who reviewed a national survey of more nearly 11,000 persons but also conducted a detailed study of nearly 1300 locals and habitual smokers shown sad video clips.   Those in the national sample who rated themselves as sad tended to be smo...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/kx4IZRogQ78   Regular tea drinkers live 26% longer than non-drinkers and have significantly lower risks of heart disease and stroke.   This from a Chinese study just published in the European Journal of Cardiology .   The investigation focuses on nearly 101,000 healthy middle-aged Chinese participants.   Regular tea drinkers have a 39% lower risk of any heart disease...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/eHMN3NQAGFI   The all-nighters you throw to complete that project or cram for that exam seem harmless, and you seem fine after a good subsequent sleep.   No so says a new Swedish study that shows sleep deprivation triggers deposits of the tau protein synonymous with Alzheimer’s disease.   The researchers studied 15 healthy Gen Z men who normally enjoyed a good night’s...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/RJ4GkeblYuw   A huge problem is the lack of comprehensive care and services after any hospitalization elective or not.   A Canadian study of 700 persons shows that top 3 patient complaints are: insufficient home care services, services not in place before discharge, and the dumping of the burden for arranging services on the recovering patient.     US national hospita...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/1YUDCkhva2g   If you tend to sleep poorly and are prone to migraine headaches, beware that a doozie may strike you two days later.   This warning comes from a Harvard study of 98 young persons 35 yrs on average who wore wrist devices to quantitate their sleep and kept headache diaries.     The data shows that a night with 6 and a half hours or less of fragmented sleep...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/TdNB8BS7RGY   More than 2 million teens 15 through 19 years underwent uncomfortable bi-manual pelvic exams and Pap tests over a recent 6 year period.   More than half the pelvics and nearly two-thirds of Paps were unnecessary according to a just published CDC/UC-San Francisco study.     FYI: A routine pelvic is not recommended for young women unless pregnant or sympto...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/rFJpY1FDVCQ   The polyphenols and fiber in just two apples a day can lower cholesterol and normalize other lipids and vascular function.   This conclusion comes from a British and Italian Study just published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .   Study participants were 40 overweight men and women with mildly elevated cholesterol who consumed 2 Renetta app...

    Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/tak9_VV6Yuc   Pre-teens viewing healthy food prep on TV are nearly 3 times more likely to make healthy food choices for themselves.     A Dutch study focused on 125 participants 10 to 12 years of age who viewed a 10 minute TV clip before choosing a snack.   The snack choices included healthy apple and cucumber pieces versus unhealthy chips and min-pretzels   Those p...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/EAor3z2zmXE   Kindness to others can reduce your feelings of pain.   This the conclusion of Chinese experiments just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .   In one experiment, the needle jab to donate blood hurt less when volunteers were giving to earthquake victims rather than making a routine donation.   In another, subjects were exposed...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/_Usci1VDUaA   A large, multicenter study of   222 breastfeeding babies and their mother shows that insignificant amounts of most anti-seizure drugs pass from mom to babe through breast milk.   The one drug that did pass was lamotrigine marketed as Lamictal.   Nearly 50% of babies had undetectable levels of drug in their blood, and the remainder had insignificant quant...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/iMqDLWIj6Rk   Confining food consumption to 10 hours produces significant weight reduction, better overall health and sounder sleep.   Researchers at UC-SanDiego studied 19 unhealthy subjects with so-called metabolic syndrome before and after 3 months of time-restricted eating (TRE). Metabolic syndrome includes a number of issues including obesity, high blood pressure...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/qaShibFU3hU   Men and women under 45 who cut their levels of bad cholesterol by half have a 4 times lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.   This conclusion comes from an international collaborative study of   nearly 400,000 individuals published in The Lancet .   This population and computer-modeling study shows that the effect of lowering non-HDL choles...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/x96mfKzKFDo   Children given whole milk have a 39% lower risk of becoming overweight or obese.   Canadian researchers publishing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report this conclusion from their meta-analysis of 28 studies and nearly 21,000 children 1-8 years of age.   This finding flies in the face of current pediatric recommendations to switch from who...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/ufXT9FHoXAs   Thinking of fathering a child or having problems doing just that.   A new Swedish study shows that only 2 weeks of healthy eating including a lots of sugar the second week might boost your odds.   The investigators checked sperm quality for 15 healthy young men before and at the end of two weeks of controlled healthy eating.   During the second week, the...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/10NdkjxKigc   If you rang in the New Year enjoying some weed and noticed ringing in your ear, so-called tinnitus, it isn’t a coincidence.   Ear researchers from Stanford now show that annoying tinnitus is associated with marijuana use.   The study looked at 2160 adults tabulating use of marijuana, alcohol, and more dangerous, addicting drugs.   Marijuana use, even onc...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/2rDWQ_5Cen8   Does sugar really turbocharge you and improve your mood?   A study by British and German psychologists just published in Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews says absolutely not.   The researchers performed a meta-analysis of 31 studies covering nearly 1300 adults.   The investigations looked at how the quantity and type of sugar ingested affected alertne...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/CGVcV0EKQpw   Since we just learned that sugar will not sweeten your mood, we look to psychologists from the Iowa State University to provide an alternative to a Hershey bar or a glass of sangria.   They just published a study in the Journal of Happiness Studies that suggests a very good alternative.   The researchers had groups of college students test 3 potentially...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/VLMP7UqntR8   The FDA has just issued a special warning that some e-cigarette users have developed seizures.   Nicotine toxicity can lower a persons seizure threshold.   Seizures have previously only been reported in cases of accidental e-cigarette liquid ingestion.   Now case reports are coming in where seizures are occurring in those vaping for the first time but al...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/P3pgy7NLv9w   So you have celiac disease, the most severe form of gluten sensitivity, and exposure to the wheat protein can make you terribly sick.   You avoid any wheat products at home, and you carefully choose restaurants that certify their food to be gluten-free.   Just how good is their certification.   Not very good say studies just published by gastroenterologi...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/iRn033adAuY   The debate continues!   The latest multi-country study of nearly 18,000 kids in England, Ireland, and the US analyzed the effect of screen time on adolescent well-being.   When the data were tabulated, no negative effects could be found.   The University of Oxford investigators looked at the duration of screen time and its proximity to bedtime.   They sc...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/9XGgeCUMD6s   Medical marijuana now legal   in 33 states and the District of Columbia, and many of you probably have questions about its uses.   I came cross this excellent article published this week in the British Medical Journal, and I want to pass it on.       The article reviews the available types of medicinal but also non-medicinal cannabis products and by-prod...

  Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/ZuqDeXVraTM   Keeping your gums healthy may help you maintain a sharp mind as well as a full set of teeth throughout your life.   A study from the University of Louisville’s dental school shows that a bacterium that frequently causes gingivitis and periodontitis can travel to your brain and help to trigger your mental decline.   The nasty bug in question is Porphyromo...