Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFOK_BOU4r/ A headband named ENMod uses brainwave-synchronized audio to lull you to sleep faster.  Created by Cambridge MA’s Elemind Technologies, the device continually captures EEG brainwaves.  It uses this data to deliver sounds that are phase locked to slow-wave sleep brainwaves and in so doing trigger deep sleep. A preliminary study of 21 subjects demons...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFNOewtyA3/ Toxic flame retardant chemicals are present in black kitchen utensils and in black plastic take out containers.  A study from the organization Toxic Free Future, published in the journal Chemosphere, surveyed levels of flame retardants in 203 items found around the home and particularly in the kitchen. Data from black plastic products showed that...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFMTHUvUYt/ MIT bioengineers have developed a polymer capable of delivering lethal heat therapy and chemotherapy to cancer cells.  The injectable microparticles are fabricated by mixing light-sensitive molybdenum disulfide, a chemotherapeutic drug such as doxorubicin, and the polymer polycaprolactone and creating films that are pressed into various micro-size...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFLhVnttuZ/ Given the epidemic of obesity in the US with 30 to 40% of each state’s population dangerously tipping the scales, the diabetes drug semaglutide has become wildly popular.  For those who can’t afford the diet pill or who want a more natural solution, look no further than edible grains like oats, barley, and other foods that contain the soluble fibe...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFKzDrMAFU/ It is ultra-important that your anesthesia team know as much as possible about your health status before they ask you to count down from 100.  Swiss anesthesiologists at the Lausanne (lows anne) University Hospital are testing the utility of a smartwatch to deliver this detailed information ahead of the surgery. Using a Masimo W1 smartwatch model...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFJ4M5Mthu/ The latest recommendation is that those heart attack victims who had a post-coronary revascularization procedures wait at least 3 months before undergoing any elective procedures.  University of Rochester anesthesiologists headed a multi center collaborative study reviewing data from more than 5 million operative procedures for those 67 years and...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFIV9RteNr/ The latest study indicates that those suffering from Long CoVid have virus-triggered circulating inflammatory agents that inflict the cardiac damage characteristic of this CoVid complication.  Australian researchers at the University of Queensland studied the blood of 50 subjects including those with Long CoVid, those recovered from CoVid, and tho...

Vidcast:  Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuKfpqsyxK/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Powerblock company now recall Powerblock Commercial Pro 100 Weight Sets sold with 5 lb grip handles.  The weight plates above 55 lbs dislodge from the defective 5 lb grip handles leading to user and bystander injuries.  About 1,845 of the weight sets were sold in the US and about 18 were sol...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuOwMGJshi/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Con Yeager Spice Company are recalling Trail Bologna Meat Processing Kits.  This product contains undeclared soy and wheat. Those with an allergies to soy and/or wheat a well as those with celiac disease could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they consume this product.  Affecte...

Vidcast:  Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuOCbFPeaw/ The Food and Drug Administration and Sprouts Farmers Market are recalling Sprouts Chicken Street Taco Meal Kits due to listeria contamination.  This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.  Listeria can also trigger miscarriages a...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuNZ_4g8Tt/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Grand Central Bakery now recall Grand Central U-Bake Pie Crust, U-Bake Apple Pie, U-Bake Marionberry Pie, U-Bake Chicken Pot Pie.  These frozen pie products contain undeclared egg. Those with an allergy to eggs could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they consume this product. ...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuMv3nP5y-/ The Food and Drug Administration and Fresh Express Incorporated is recalling Gourmet Café Chicken Caesar Salad Bowls.  This prepared food contains chicken from the BrucePac company that is contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.   This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, an...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuMF5WJ5b4/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Acme Smoked Fish Corporation are recalling Kirkland Signature Smoked Salmon in twin 12oz packages.   Affected is Lot# 8512801270, Best-by-Date 11/13/2024.  This salmon is contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.  This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuLcqVuDyJ/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and CFMOTO Powersports are recalling 2024 CFORCE 800 Touring and 2024 CFORCE 1000 Touring All-Terrain Vehicles.  The throttle lever won’t return to the idle position when the driver releases it causing unexpected acceleration, crashes, and injuries to the driver and bystanders. About 2650 of these ATVs were s...

Vidcast:  Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuKfpqsyxK/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Powerblock company now recall Powerblock Commercial Pro 100 Weight Sets sold with 5 lb grip handles.  The weight plates above 55 lbs dislodge from the defective 5 lb grip handles leading to user and bystander injuries.  About 1,845 of the weight sets were sold in the US and about 18 were sol...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuJxmPtGth/ Standing desks have become popular as health experts have warned us about the dangers of sitting for prolonged periods of time.  An Australian study from the University of Sydney, just published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, now shows that standing at a desk during the workday does not reduce cardiovascular risks and triggers other...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuJCUjMyO0/ When someone, usually an athlete such as a football or hockey player, sustains a head injury on the field of play, coaches and parents wonder whether the injury is significant, whether it is a true concussion requiring additional medical attention.  Now a retrospective survey from Boston University’s CTE and Alzheimer’s Research Centers suggests t...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuIToZNyHR/ Northwestern University bioengineers in conjunction with Washington University-St. Louis surgeons and anesthesiologists have developed an implantable device, dubbed the Naloximeter, that monitors opioid levels and automatically administers the antidote naloxone as such levels rise to life-threatening levels.  The device has an integral optical sen...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/ A good many ocean cruises have been abruptly ruined by a norovirus infection literally galloping through the hapless passengers.  Two norovirus vaccines are in development that may put a stop to this vacation-disrupting pathogen. Moderna, famous for its CoVid vaccine, is developing a single shot mRNA vaccine against 3 common subvariants of...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuGughN6DG/ Neuroscientists in London and Texas now report the successful management of major depression using at-home application of transcranial direct current electrical stimulation.  A total of 174 subjects with depression participated in the 10 week trial.  Half of the group received 30 minute at-home electrical stimulations with a week current between t...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuF7AgNVJX/ The American Headache Society is just out with a position statement recommending the use of anti-CGRP drug therapy for the prevention of migraines.  Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptides, CGRPs for short, have been recognized as drivers of these devastating headaches.  A meta-analysis of the studies that tested the drugs that block them have proven the...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuFOozsd4X/ Taking semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy, reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease by 40 up to 70 percent, compared with other medications.  This the finding of a large retrospective case study of over 1 million type 2 diabetics by Cleveland’s Case Western University  and published in the Alzheimer’s Association jour...

Vidcast:   https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuEaHSt2nH/ With the colder weather on its way, you’ve heard lots of talk about the Influenza and CoVid vaccines.  It’s now time to get both of these but two others as well to protect you and yours against pneumococcal pneumonia and respiratory syncytial  viral pneumonia.   These two diseases as well as the flu and CoVid could land you in the hospital or in...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBhEhCdPGDV/ The Food and Drug Administration and C&A Naturistics have recalled AK Forte Dietary Supplement, marketed for arthritis.  This product is contaminated with diclofenac, dexamethasone, and methocarbamol. Diclofenac is an NSAID that can irritate the gastrointestinal tract linings and thin your blood. Dexamethasone is a powerful corticosteroid.  Me...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBhDsegMZFh/ The Food and Drug Administration and Church Brothers LLC have recalled green onions due to salmonella contamination.  This bacterium can cause serious and sometimes fatal gastrointestinal and systemic infections in young children, elderly persons, and others with weakened immune systems.   These onions were sold across the US in Alabama, Californi...