Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CwcGpwORwyz/ Taking the over-the-counter contraceptive levonorgestrel with the anti-inflammatory arthritis NSAID drug piroxicam improves the chances of preventing pregnancy by 49%.  Hong Kong reproductive investigators report this finding after studying 860 women half of whom received the prescription NSAID piroxicam 40 mg along with the 1.5 mg dose of levonor...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CwcEazygKFZ/ Getting vaccinated against shingles, pneumonia, tetanus, diphtheria, and even the flu is associated with a 25-30% up to a 40% lower risk of developing the dementia of Alzheimer’s Disease.  Biomedical informatics researchers at the University of Texas followed about 1,652,000 initially dementia-free subjects over an 8 year period. The numbers revea...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwcCbHcPVVs/ Cases of CoVid are again on the rise, and many of them are driven by the Omicron subvariant labeled EG.5 and known by the nickname Eris.  EG.5 is EG.5 is $ descended from the XBB.1.9.2 and has what has been described as a moderate growth advantage over the currently predominating subvariants XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.5.  The global prevalence of Eris has doubled o...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjgSxPp2lJ/ Recall By: FDA and MilMar Food Group LLC. Problem:  These frozen blintzes contain undeclared milk. Sold: Retail outlets in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida. Action: Those with milk allergies should return this product to the place of purchase.  For more information, call MilMar at 1-845-294-5400. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjfmBTuH2m/ Recall By: FDA and Betty Lou’s Inc. Problem: Betty Lou’s Brand Paleo Java Nuts About Energy Balls with Cacao, Coffee & Pumpkin Seeds contain undeclared sesame allergen that could trigger a serious reaction in sesame-allergic persons.  The involved product has a Best By date of May 8, 2024. Sold: Retail stores in AL, AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, MI, MO,...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvje484MXDX/ Recalled By: FDA and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Co. Problem:  Six count packages of Outshine No Sugar Added Strawberry Fruit Bars with batch numbers LLA317822 and LLA317922 contain undeclared milk. Sold: Kroger in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky; Shoprite in Maryland Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey; and Walmart in Arizon...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjePQ0OwD5/ Recall By: FDA and ONO LLC. Problem:  These packages of blueberry muffin flavored oats contain undeclared milk.  The affected lot is #11923. Sold: Nationwide at Target, Vitamin Shoppe stores and online at eatovernightoats.com. Actions: Do not consume these oats if you have a milk allergy.  Return the product to the place of purchase for a refund. ...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvjdi8Uu-Fm/ Recall By: FDA and Cooperstown. Cheese Company of Milford NY. Problem:  This company’s cheese products are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes that causes serious disease in the very young, older, frail persons, and in those with weak immune systems.  Involved cheeses are labeled Jersey Girl, Toma Celena, Roma Torino, Abbie, SK, Jersey Gold,...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvjc2goLH8P/ Recall By: FDA and Rich Products Problem:  These mozzarella sticks contain undeclared egg or soy.  Affected are those lots with a Best If Used By date of 12/28/2024. Sold: At Sam’s Club stores in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Actions:  Don’t consume these mozzarella stick if you have egg or soy allergies and return them...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjcHABAjfI/ Recall By: FDA and Frito-Lay. Problem:    About 7,000 bags of Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips contain some spicy sweet chili tortilla chips containing soy and wheat.  These were chiefly sold in Pennsylvania. Action:  If you or family members have a soy or wheat allergy, return these Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips to the place of purchase...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjbTPyMy3r/ Recall By: FDA ands Ozona Organics Problem: Ozona Probiotics and GoHealth Probiotics for children and adults as well as Ozona Organics Probiotics for Dogs, Cats, Horses and Pigs may be contaminated with bacterial growth. Sold: Online via gohealthy.us, amazon.com, and at Walmart stores. Action: Do not consume these products or feed them to your chi...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvjam7TOG2-/ Recall By: CPSC and room Bikes. Problem:  The handlebar and its stem tend to detach from the frame leading to loss of control, falls, and injuries. Sold: About 84,000 bikes were sold in the US and about 533 were sold in Canada at local bicycle stores and online at room.com and Amazon.com. Action:  Stop using these bikes and contact woom by phone a...

Yama Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjZqolslyS/ Recall By: CPSC and Yamaha Problem:  The accelerator pedal spring dislodges failing to return the pedal to its resting position leading to continued acceleration and a runaway vehicle with crash and injury hazards. Sold: About 11,000 of these 2023 Yamaha vehicles were sold in the US and about 2200 were sold in Canada. Action: Immediately stop...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjY4HtvANv/ Recall by: CPSC and Electrolux Home Products Problem: The felt dryer seal tends to fold inward with lint accumulation, ignition, fire, and burn hazards.  Sold: About 13,600 of these laundry centers were sold at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and other independent appliance stores. Action: Stop using the dryer on these recalled laundry centers.  Contact the E...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjYK2wRPbz/ Recall By: CPSC and ECR International Problem:  These recalled boilers are missing the flue inspection cover plates leading to leakage of combustion flue gasses including poisonous carbon monoxide. Sold: 1745 Dunkirk boilers were sold in the Northeast and Midwest. Action:  Stop using these recalled gas-fired hot water residential boilers and conta...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjXi4muIo6/ Recall By: CPSC and Soojimus LLC Problem:  These stainless steel cups contain levels of lead above those permitted by federal regulations.  Lead is toxic to the neurologic systems of developing children. Sold: 346,000 cups were sold online at amazon.com and at cupkin.com. Action:  Stop using these cups and contact Soojimus at 1-888-721-0096 or via...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjW33HOk6D/ Recall By: CPSC and Soft play Problem:  The sky Wheels detach from the overhead rails leading to falls and injuries to children using these playsets.   Sold to: McDonalds, YMCAs, Lifetime Fitness gyms, Burger Kings, Crunch Fitness locations, LTF Club Organizations and other fitness and recreational play sites. Actions: Don’t let your children use...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CvjVwyBvce6/ Recall By: CPSC and GAF Energy Problem: The electrical circuitry in these shingles malfunctions leading to overheating, fires, and burns. Sold: 2100 units through contractors nationwide. Action: GAF is remotely shutting off systems with these recalled shingles until each shingle has jumper modules replaced and electrical components checked.  For m...

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CviHuxTL89c/ Good news for parents of kids with severe food allergies and asthma.  ARS Pharmaceuticals has developed a system for delivery of lifesaving doses of epinephrine via a nasal spray.  Named Neffy, the spray delivers a 2 mg dose of epinephrine to nasal linings where the drug is quickly and efficiently absorbed into the systemic circulation.  The compan...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CviHAg1NVtH/ UC-San Diego bioengineers have created a 3D printed fingertip blood pressure monitoring device that attaches to your smartphone’s camera and flash.  As you press your finger against the clip-on device with an internal spring and a pinhole, it creates a red dot with a size proportional to press on the clip and the intensity proportional to blood fl...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CviGE8nNtaH/ Patients report pain, often severe and chronic, but until now, we haven’t had objective tests that correlate with that pain.  In a search for just that type of test, neuroscientists at UC-San Francisco reports their studies on 4 subjects with chronic pain poorly treated with conventional therapy.  Each had electrodes implanted in 2 regions of thei...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CviFMJ5LBTc/ From MIT in Boston comes a miniature ultrasonic scanner that may attach to a woman’s bra and help to detect breast cancers when they are smaller and more treatable.  The patch, composed of special piezoelectric material, is created using 3D printing technology.  It rests on a framework that permits its movement to 6 different positions allowing th...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CviEXehrgGu/ Testing for circulating troponin is a mainstay of a heart attack workup.  Troponin is a cardiac protein that is released into the bloodstream by damaged heart muscle.   To investigate whether more routine troponin level testing might be of predictive value, University of Edinburgh researchers drew troponin levels on 4240 subjects with a history of...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CviDmlOrxL4/ Scrambler therapy is a technique for eliminating chronic pain by applying  electrical stimulation to the skin around the site of that pain.  The news is that it yields significant pain relief for 80-90% of patients who receive it.  From Johns Hopkins comes a New England Journal of Medicine review of both this scrambler technique and the more tradi...

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/CviC1t9rXQ0/ When you microwave a plastic baby food jar or pouch, you release tens of billions of nanoplastic particles and tens of millions of microplastic particles.  This startling and troubling fact from environmental engineers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The researchers filled multiple polypropylene jars and pouches of the sort regularly sold ac...