Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CsAjYmrPUMD/ Following a diet rich in fish, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, and olive oil reduces the risk of preeclampsia by 28%.  Columbia University epidemiologists led a multi center cohort study of 7798 first time mothers with single pregnancies and complete dietary data. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 21% lower ri...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cruy-DXMX26/ Dr. Smith takes an on-air call from a woman with a late menstrual period.  They discuss signs of pregnancy, home and in-office pregnancy testing, and reasons for late periods. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-is-my-period-late/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menstrual-cycle/art-20047186 #lateperiod #pregn...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Crux4fxtl9s/ Dr. Smith speaks with a male caller with a unilateral throat tickle.  They discuss the fact that a tickle is the mildest form of pain.  Dr. Smith also cautions about the danger of one-sided throat pain. https://www.healthline.com/health/sore-throat-on-one-side#swollen-lymph-nodes #throatpain #unilateral #tonsillitis #peritonsillarabscess #neckabsc...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cruw-_FNaY1/ Exercising regularly not only tones your muscles but also the executive control center in your brain.  This is the conclusion of a study by Columbia University neurologists. They studied 132 couch potatos of all ages and split them into two groups each with an identical age profile, gender distribution, educational background, and test scores on c...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cruv-nQr_q3/ Contrary to urban legend, the best-liked kids are not always the best-looking, athletic, or smartest.  They are the most fun!  Psychologists at the Florida Atlantic University and Montreal’s Concordia University performed a longitudinal study on 1273 pre-teens 9-12 years of age. The data reveal that being fun, stimulating other kids with upbeat cr...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CruvLBYOSKW/ Consistent consumption of mushrooms may reduce your risk of cancer by as much as 34%.  Penn State public health and food scientists report this observation after their meta-analysis of 17 observational studies published between 1966 and 2020 with data for more than 19,500 cancer patients. The beneficial effect of mushrooms was particularly strong...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CruuNGOPgQB/ Drinking a flavanol-enriched cocoa beverage can protect your blood vessels during times of mental stress.  This the conclusion of a tightly controlled British study involving 30 male subjects from the University of Birmingham. Each subject’s arm blood flow and a full battery of cardiovascular tests were performed at baseline and after drinking dif...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CrutXOxNY9b/ Taking extra testosterone can double a man’s risk of dangerous leg blood clots, and that risk is tripled if he is younger than 65.  A study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine studied use of the supplement in nearly 40,000 men over a 7 year period. Leg blood clots can travel up into the lungs and trigger a pulmonary embolism.  This blockage o...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CrusmYdPV_s/ Forty-one weeks of gestation appears to be the safe upper limit for pregnancies.  This the conclusion of a Swedish multisite study of more than 2700 women with post-mature babies. Half the group were randomized to be induced at 41 weeks,  The remainder were followed for up to another 7 days with mandatory induction at 42 weeks.  The study was abru...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Crurw7iPl1b/ Fruit-flavored gummy candies containing nicotine, marketing to help smokers kick the habit, pose a danger to young children and teenagers.  The FDA has sent a warning letter to VPR Brands, the marketer of these nicotine candies, giving the company 15 days to remove the product or prevent its distribution to younger Americans.  These gummy cubes, n...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CruqxpotqvA/ Those wearing reusable contact lenses were nearly 4 times more likely to develop microbial keratitis, a corneal infection, in comparison to those using disposable lenses.  Ophthalmologists at University College London reviewed the cases of 205 contact lens wearers. Compared with those using disposable lenses, the risk of amoeba-driven keratitis wa...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Crup2lUMqfO/ Consuming a so-called green Mediterranean diet enriched with plant-based polyphenols and reduced red and processed meats more than triples the loss of intra-abdominal, visceral adipose tissue compared with merely following health dietary guidelines.  The green Med diet doubles the belly fat loss compared with a standard Mediterranean diet. These f...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cruood_P6zH/ By 8 years after adolescents undergo bariatric, weight loss, surgery, half of them have alcohol use disorders. Surgical investigators at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital led a multi-center study of 217 subjects ages 13 through 19 years.  Their data shows that, on average, these surgical patients develop an 8-fold increase in hazardous alcohol c...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Crun3B6vKnm/ Eating those fries and donuts modifies your brain cells and they begin to whisper, “eat more and more.”  Penn State neuroscience and behavioral scientists now report their mouse model studies demonstrating that a high-fat diet continuing even 3 to 5 days desensitizes the brain astrocytes.   Astrocytes normally react to circulating fat and trigger...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CrunDfYPiM2/ Smoking before and during a pregnancy increases by 5 fold the risk that an infant will die suddenly over the months following birth.  Rutgers University’s SIDS Center of New Jersey studied over one-half million white mother-child pairs and over 83,000 black mother-child pairs cataloging maternal smoking stats and the incidence of SIDS. The data sh...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraLaVer1e6/ Dr. Smith and Mark Linzer MD, director of the New England Medical Center’s Syncope Evaluation Center.  Why fainting occurs.  Evaluation of fainting. #fainting #syncope #bathroom #wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraKTy_uKS8/ Dr. Smith takes a call from a listener wondering about the safety of heated waterbeds. #electromagnetic #radiation #waterbeds #electricblankets #Pregnancy #wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraJSoLtos-/ Dr. Smith interviews pediatrician Betsy Busch MD, Clinical Director for Boston Floating Hospital’s Center for Children with Special Needs.   They discuss the fact that attention deficit hyperactivity disorders are likely inherited.  They mention the presenting symptoms of these disorders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6477889/ #atte...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraIdNbPkSe/ The scoop on lies comes to us from a British study published earlier this month.  Investigators surveyed 194 men and women, average age 39, about the lies they tell and hear. The results: Men consider themselves good liars twice as often as women. Liars lie face-to-face followed by texts, phone calls, email, and social media. A few liars are respo...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraHnBrJYYi/ Neurobiologists and dermatologists at the University of Miami and Harvard warn that scratching to relieve an itch may be overkill.  They base that recommendation on their analyses of mice with skin itching triggered by injection of chemicals including capsaicin and chloroquine. The data demonstrate that rubbing and stroking initially increase acti...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraGPqWJj0W/ The FDA warns all pregnant women that use of Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Naprosyn and their generic versions ibuprofen, naproxen and even aspirin after the halfway mark of their gestations can trigger serious fetal kidney disease. NSAIDs were already a no-no during the last trimester, but that prohibition now begins 3 months earlier. Other medications s...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraFbHRNQKs/ Consistently satisfying sleep may reduce your chances of dying from a worn out heart by 42%.  Epidemiologists at Tulane University followed a huge UK population of 408,802 patients over a 10 year period looking for correlations between sleep patterns and the development of congestive heart failure. Over those 10 years, 5221 developed heart failure...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraErCAOsk9/ Downing cheese and red wine will keep you sharp as you go through life.  Food scientists from Iowa State University report these findings after analyzing data from 12,787 Brits 46 to 77 years of age. Participants completed Food Frequency Questionnaires and underwent testing of their ability to think on the spot using he Fluid Intelligence test.  C...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraD3wav3Gf/ Drinking a 6 ounce cup of coffee during the first trimester will not increase a woman’s risk of gestational diabetes and drinking that same amount during the second trimester actually seems protective lowering the risk of diabetes by 47%.  University of Pennsylvania and NIH epidemiologists just published these conclusions following their study of...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CraC9W2MpZ2/ Ever more frequent heat waves promise deadly heart strain and an epidemic of heart failure.  These warnings come from a  Montreal Heart Institute review of the consequences of extreme heat events. Even beyond heat stroke with its dangerously high body temperatures, confusion, nausea and vomiting, environmental temperatures in the 100’s put a dange...