Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/v4isj4Cm3Tk The acetaminophen you take for a headache or toothache may inadvertently drive you to tell your boss off or to drive less defensively.  Ohio State psychologists studied a total of 542 undergrads in 3 randomized controlled studies. Those students taking acetaminophen demonstrated twice as much risky behavior on a virtual ballon inflation game compared with tho...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/-7MD_um-Wug 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.  Cheese topped...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/CegB9XMwPrQ If you rarely exercise your body, you run the risk of itchy, scaly skin as you age.  This the conclusion of a just-published Swedish study that followed nearly 1.2 million men over a 31 year average followup period. The men were divided into 3 groups according to their levels of cardiovascular fitness.  The data showed that those with the highest level of fit...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Knip3Vws2AY North Carolina oncologists report that former or current cigarette smokers are significantly more likely to suffer breast cancer lung metastases compared with non-smokers.  To find out why, they went into the lab and found, in a mouse model, that nicotine is the culprit. In their human study group of 1077 breast cancer patients, the group of tobacco smokers h...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VKUrmJx-New Using anabolic steroids to bulk up is associated with accelerated brain aging as seen on magnetic resonance imaging.  Norwegian neuroscientists just published their study comparing the brains of 130 weightlifting men who consistently ingested anabolic steroids with 99 non-using lifters. The investigators used machine learning protocols on brain images of 1838...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nYCAsissutU If you’re a woman worried about post-menopausal bone loss, you may just want to stock up on boxes of prunes.  Penn State nutritionists now publish a meta-analysis of clinical and laboratory studies that demonstrate and explain the bone-sparing powers of the lowly prune. Sixteen pre-clinical studies in rodents demonstrate that prunes and the polyphenols they c...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/KXsiMSMX8yo Increased exposure to the forever chemicals PFAS and phthalates leads to significant weakening of long bones in adolescent boys.  Epidemiologists at the Maine Medical Center studied the blood, urine, and bone X-rays of 453 boys and 395 girls 12 to 19 years of age. The overall concentrations of PFAS in the blood and phthalate metabolites in the urine were asso...

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/SYzXyGpqzcI Morning exercise is best for women and evening exercise works best for men.  These the conclusions of collaborative studies by exercise physiologists at New York’s Skidmore College, the Arizona State University, and the California State University. The researchers analyzed 30 women and 20 men in their early to mid-forties over a 12 week period.  The data gath...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Fikwz4LNtws Vigorous exercise can block the aging cycle. This according to a British study comparing those who regularly ride bicycles compared with a matched group of couch potatoes and another control group of healthy young adults in 20s and 30s. The cyclists maintain the immunity, muscle strength, metabolism, and, in males, testosterone levels of young adults. #aging #...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/K08I_8uEhpc Lead-in by the late and great Gary LaPierre Jogging with babies in infant carrier-back packs can lead to dangerous shaking, neck and back injuries, and undue bouncing of the babies brain within the skull leading to concussion-type injury. The best way to jog with your baby is to have them come along in a jogging stroller. Keep in mind though, when you have the...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/NfXKa2CRvIE Lead-in by the late and great Gary LaPierre Many turn to AlkaSeltzer for gastrointestinal distress. Problem is that AlkaSelzer contains aspirin in addition to an antacid sodium bicarbonate. Aspirin can irritate stomach linings but can also induce gastrointestinal bleeding due to its interference with platelets leading to blood thinning or anticoagulation. Know...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/PBh_bf3DFUg Lead-in by Diane Stern Headaches after anesthesia may be due to caffeine withdrawal according to a New Zealand study. Ingesting more than 200 mg of caffeine a day(3 cups of coffee or 4 cups of tea) increases likelihood of a post-anesthesia headache. #anesthesia #caffeinewithdrawal #coffee #tea #wbznewsradio

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ZoHVWd1zkKY Parents looking for early warning signs of serious and sometimes life-threatening teen problems can now add back pain to that age-old upset stomach. The Journal of Public Health now publishes an Australian study of nearly 6400 teens that reveals back pain in these 14 to 16 year olds is consistently associated with smoking, drinking, depression, and missed scho...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1XkO78Dz5Mc It’s healthier to maintain weight at a given level than have your weight bounce up and down. Korean study shows that those with unstable weight are 127% more likely to die prematurely, 43% more likely to experience a heart attack, and 41% more likely to experience a stroke. More than a 5% flux in weight has adverse health consequences. #obesity #overweight #we...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/HezG9Kjgt00 At least one in 5 new mothers experience postpartum depression, but, wait, new fathers may experience it too. A study from University of Cambridge sampling more than 3000 British families just published in JAMA Psychiatry shows that one in 20 fathers may suffer from it too. Most interesting was the finding that 18 year old girls whose father did have confirmed...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/jK4ZBqyHOWU Women over 30 with an interest in motherhood constantly have an eye on that ticking biological clock. The latest study from Rutgers University suggests that men also need to pay attention to old Father Time if they want to produce healthy offspring. The study reviewed nearly half a century of research on fertility and healthy reproduction. Men 45 years or olde...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/oZnv44nuUNs Premature infants who listen to music enjoy enhanced neural development. Swiss neuroscientists at the University of Geneva report the positive effects of specially composed and performed music on developing neural networks of premies. The musical selections varied with time of day and were designed to lend an auditory structure to the infant’s first days out o...

Chocolate Packaging Influences Its Flavor: Best Of: Jun, 2019 Vidcast: https://youtu.be/q2aUF3MNWds When you chomp down on a chocolate bar or daintily take a bite of that truffle, the package that tasty tidbit came in has much to do with its perceived flavor. Aussies at the University of Melbourne’s School of Agriculture and Food presented 75 study subjects with the same piece of chocolate wrapped...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/6q6ccwVjmIw Learning comprehension and retention are unaffected by watching an instructional video at up to twice the speed. Educational psychologists at UCLA studied this phenomenon in 231 of their undergrads by having them watch two 15 minute videos including one about the Roman Empire and the other about real estate appraisals. Groups screened the videos at either norm...

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/n1M_tcv0xcY More than 75% of patients expect to be contacted with abnormal test results within 24 hours. Only 9% of clinicians agreed. This disturbing non-connect is now reported by surgical investigators at the University of Colorado after surveying 57 patients and 69 clinicians. Some 89.7% of patients and 80.6% of clinicians agree with the premise that patients s...

Kids Riding In Bike Trailers Inhale Excess Pollutants: Best Of: Feb, 2022 Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1eRPln4QaDo Parents who reduce their carbon footprints by cycling rather than car riding their children to preschools and elementary schools in bicycle trailers may be exposing the young ones to undue levels of pollutants. The same goes for parents who take their children along in these trailers as...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/CPcthyRkfq8 Individuals with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at least 6 times more likely to evidence a hoarding disorder (HD) that significantly interferes with the conduct of their lives. So say psychologists at the UK’s Anglia Ruskin University following their study of 88 patients in an ADHD clinic, a matched control group of 90 persons, and an onli...

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/1Yo45wdXcJw This set of reports mark the last that I am broadcasting from New York City. In a few weeks, I will be moving from the Big Apple back to the medical and healthcare capital of the world, Boston. Wish it were as easy as pressing a button. Once I’ve settled into my new studios, I’ll resume health and recall reports. That will be sometime over this coming summer....

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/0BEGVu7AAt4 The FDA and Stratford Care USA are recalling multiple brands of dog and cat omega3 soft gel supplements. All of them contain dangerously high levels of Vitamin A. The supplements were sold nationwide at Veterinary Clinics, Distribution Centers, Retail Stores, and Online Market Places such as Amazon and Chewy. The affected lots and expiration dates are: lot 311...

Yeti Coolers and Gear Cases Spew Dangerous Magnets Vidcast: https://youtu.be/zOAiSYOP6sc The CPSC and YETI are recalling YETI Soft Backpack Coolers, Soft Coolers, and Sidekick Dry Gear Cases. The magnets in the magnet-lined closures may detach and be swallowed by young children. These high powered magnets may attract each other while in the gastrointestinal tract leading to perforations, gut torsi...