Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DO5R-swjWYs/ Their heating elements will cause the contained sugar to ignite if used without the included sugar receptacle. Affected is model 836098. About 21,690 of these cotton candy spinners were sold in the US at ALDI retail stores between August 2024 and September 2024. Immediately stop using these recalled cotton candy makers. For a refund, return the in...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DO5RJmgjH_o/ Their internal lithium-ion batteries overheat, produce smoke, and eject hot material leading to fires and buns. Affected are units with serial numbers beginning in M2. About 5,460 of these vaporizers were sold in the US, and about 2,820 were sold in Canada at specialty, health, wellness, and adult novelty stores, as well as online at arizer.com, f...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DO5QdAaD3VT/ The remotes for these mobiles have battery compartments that can be opened without a tool permitting young kids to access the button batteries. Swallowing these batteries can cause serious internal burns that lead to death. Affected is model RT668-17. About 3,000 mobile sets were sold on Amazon between May 2024 and April 2025. Stop using the recal...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DO5PXnljh7D/  When loaded, these top-heavy dresser tip over if not anchored to the wall.  They fall over and seriously injure children and pets.  About 11,200 dressers were sold by Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, Shein, TikTok, Shopify, and Temu between September 2023 and March 2025. Stop loading and using these dressers if they are not wall-anchored. Move them wher...

https://www.instagram.com/p/DO5OSVUD_iI/ Their lithium-ion batteries tend to overheat. This recall affects model numbers A1647, A1652, A1257, A1681, and A1689. About 481,000 of these batteries were sold at Best Buy, Target, and other stores, as well as online at Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, Walmart, and TikTok between August 2023 and June 2025. Stop charging and using these recalled power banks. For...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwhvJ2CTKL/ The kissing bug is the popular name for the triatomine bug, a blood sucking insect that tends to attach to the faces of sleeping victims.  This insect carries the parasite Trypanososma cruzi which causes Chagas’ disease.  Normally found predominately in Central and South American as well as Mexico, now this bug and its potentially deadly baggage i...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwgkXgDFge/ Stanford neuroscientists have tagged the reticular thalamic nucleus (RT) as a likely trigger for characteristic autistic behaviors in mammals.  This neuronal plexus carries signals from the thalmus, the brain’s sensory relay station, to the cerebral cortex, the center for conscious thought, sensory, and motor activity.  Using autistic mice, the Cn...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwf2u9FNvx/ When a woman’s eggs are harvested from her ovaries in preparation for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), they are covered by so-called cumulus cells.  These cells must be removed after IVF and before ICSI in order to obtain viable fertilized eggs for implantation. The traditional method for cumulus removal, CR...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwe9yfDnI2/ Azelastine nasal spray, marketed as Astepro but also available as a generic, can reduce your chances of developing a CoVid infection by a factor of 3 and cut your chances of developing a common cold by a factor of 3.5.  German researchers at Saarland University recently published their double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 450 participants in...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOweKVlCSKY/ A single RSV vaccination is protective for vulnerable adults through 2 consecutive RSV seasons.  This the conclusion of a multicenter, collaborative study headed by investigators at Vanderbilt University.  They studied 6958 persons 60 years or older hospitalized with respiratory illness in 20 states from 2023 into 2025. The vaccine effectiveness f...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwdSuilDQG/ Acupuncture therapy can effectively reduce disability for those with low back pain.  That’s the result of a Kaiser Permanente randomized,  study of 789 older adults in 3 healthcare systems across the US and recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Network publication. Two experimental groups received acupuncture: the...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwcerADAD3/ If you’re a victim of motion sickness, listening to soft and joyful music will tamp down your nausea and discomfort.  This the result of Chinese study just published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience . The researchers studied the reactions of 30 subjects in a simulated driving environment noting their subjective reactions and collecti...

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwbtF0jPOI/ Pregnancy is a blessed event, but it is accompanied by discomfort and, at times, outright pain.  The golden rule during these 9 months is to avoid all but absolutely necessary medications. Over the years, the pain and fever medication of choice has been acetaminophen, better known as the brand Tylenol. Now, some government officials are warning tha...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwaN4mDH8S/ The new Moderna mRNA CoVid vaccine is named mNEXSPIKE; their original CoVid vaccine was named SPIKEVAX.  This second generation mRNA CoVid vaccine yields a stronger and longer-lasting antibody response to the virus.  By targeting specific viral spike proteins rather than all proteins contained in the spike itself, the robust antibody response last...

Now with the weather cooling, it’s time to buttress your protection against CoVid. This year, for the first time in the 55 years that I have been practicing medicine, the most reliable recommendations are coming from our nation’s family practice, pediatric, internal medicine, obstetric-gynecological, and infectious disease professional societies rather from the CDC and the FDA. These groups have l...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWvYdKgCLb/ This recall involves half-gallon cartons of crunch ice cream mistakenly packaged in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough containers that fail to mention these ingredients. Consuming these products could pose a serious or life-threatening risk for those with nut allergies.  Affected is lot number 061027524. These recalled half-gallons were sold in Alabama,...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWuZwZDQak/ Salmonella and listeria trigger serious and sometimes fatal gastrointestinal and systemic infections in young children, elderly persons, and others with weakened immune systems. Listeria can also trigger miscarriages and stillbirths. The affected products are Viva Ground Beef for Dogs and Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies, Lot 21495, and Viva Gro...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWrYICj10W/ Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal gastrointestinal and systemic infections in young children, elderly persons, and others with weakened immune systems. Affected eggs sold are under the brand names Country Eggs, Nijiya, Golden Yolk, Nagatoshi Produce, and Misuho with sell-by dates from July 1, 2025 through September 18, 2025. These c...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWqeFIDP_z/ Counterfeit versions contain tadalafil, an undeclared prescription drug, branded as Cialis. This drug is a powerful phosphodiesterase inhibitor that poses serious health risks including life-threatening drops in blood pressure if taken by those also using nitrate medications such as nitroglycerin. The genuine, authentic versions of this supplement...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWpRMHDM-A/ Consuming this ice cream can trigger a risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction for people with tree nut allergies. Affected is ice cream with an expiration date of March 2027. This ice cream has been sold in New York State at Golden Krust retail stores in Mount Vernon and White Plains, and at Farm Country Supermarket in Queens. Retur...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWoZkMkTzL/ This organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. In healthy individuals, it may cause high fever, severe headache, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, and it can also result in miscarriages or stillbirths among pregnant women. Affected are Peas and Carrot lot 1...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWnSwaD-9r/ These products contain easily accessible button cell batteries that, if swallowed by babies and young children, cause internal chemical burns, serious injuries, or death. Affected are models PF-1082, PF-1227, PF-1153, and PF-1084. About 10,100 of these products were sold in the US at All Star Toys in Brooklyn, New York; Home Bargain and One Dollar...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWmdz0jZrc/ These motors have a defective safety cutoff switch allows overheating and electrical fires. Affected are gable- and roof-mounted model numbers DOW-136-0-34-XIN, DOW-136-0-26-XIN, DOW-136-0-40-XIN, DOW-136-0-40-XIN-3/4”, and D-RE-PSC-127/20-4P1SP. About 2.9 million units were sold in the US at retailers and wholesalers including ABC Supply, Lowe’s,...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWln1VjF6X/ Capacitors inside these units burst, eject parts at high speed, and create a serious projectile hazard that leads to user or bystander injuries. Affected are models RY142300 and RY142711VNM. About 764,000 pressure washers were sold in the US and about 16,000 were sold in Canada at Home Depot and Direct Tools Factory Outlet stores nationwide as wel...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOWknWtjnEx/ Their automatic closing mechanisms are dangerously defective and prevent the gate from closing with risks of falls, serious injuries, and death.  These carabiners were sold individually and in packs including the Nimbus Lock 3 Pack, Locker Draw KS, Energy CR3 Pack, and Energy Nova Pack.  About 12,600 carabiners were sold in the US and about 2,100...