Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cta3IABOQ7o/ Recall By: CPSC; Allied Air Enterprises Problem: A component inside the furnace was improperly assembled, causing the furnace to produce high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) under certain operating conditions, which poses a risk of CO poisoning to the consumer. Sold: About 9,255 sold at ARMSTRONG and AIREASE authorized HVAC dealers nationwide. Acti...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cta2Lxot9ao/ Recall by:  CPSC; John Deere Problem: Fuel can leak from under the fuel cap, posing a fire hazard. Sold: About 1,600 in the US and about 60 in Canada. Actions: Consumers should stop using the recalled XUV590 Gator utility vehicles immediately and contact an authorized John Deere dealer at (800) 537-8233 for a free inspection, and if necessary, fre...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cta2Lxot9ao/ The FDA has just approved Nalmefene, branded as Opvee, an opioid-antagonist with a 5 fold longer half life, 11 vs. 2 hours,  compared with the standard product naloxone.   This nasal spray, an Opiant  Pharmaceutical product, will be available for use in children and adults 12 yrs and older. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2805739...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtVkao6LrCL/ Newly approved is a fully automatic Bionic Pancreas developed by the Beta Bionics company for use by insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetics 6 years and older.  Unlike already available insulin pumps, the iLet Bionic Pancreas control software requires only the input of a patient’s weight and an estimate of carbohydrate meal contents as low, medium, or...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtViqHetMQv/ The FDA ha just approved a Pfizer RSV vaccine.  Branded Abrysvo, it joins The GlaxoSmithKline’s Arexvy vaccine.  Both are indicated for use in those over 60 yrs.  Someday, though, they may be given to pregnant women and babies.  The CDC will meet in June to draw up specific recommendations governing use of these vaccines. https://medicalxpress.com...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtVhwZbLy_N/ Canadian biochemical engineers have developed a biopolymer wound dressing that may be shaped using 3D printers to conform to a burn victim’s face or other body parts.  The hydrogel material combines a seaweed-based biopolymer, a heat-sensitive polymer, and cellulose crystals.  The dressing will not only provide protective coverage for burned skin...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU3icjNLuz/ Those who have lost a hand or foot can now sense temperature changes on surfaces they touch with their prosthetic replacements.  Swiss bioengineers have developed a temperature sensor that, when attached to say a prosthetic finger, transmits signals to thermal electrodes attached to the healthy arm or forearm.  Touching a hot or cold surface immed...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU2u4WLUWk/ Any of us can snap home expert-quality ultrasound images using a handheld device attached to an iPad.  So say Harvard Brigham and Women’s radiologists after comparing lung ultrasounds captured by 30 volunteers following short training sessions with those images captured by expert sonographers.  The quality and interpretability of ultrasound images...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU1_8JuYaA/ Sucralose, marketed as Splenda, triggers production of a DNA-toxic chemical.  A North Carolina State University study not only points out that Splenda can trigger the generation of the toxic sucralose-6-acetate after ingestion but also finds small quantities of the toxin already present as impurities in sucralose-containing products on your shelf....

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU1FQ6L-v7/ After administering nearly a quarter million doses of bivalent CoVid mRNA vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer to babies as young as 6 months, not one case of the cardiac complications myocarditis or pericarditis occurred.  This the conclusion by Kaiser-Permanente researchers who vaccinated and monitored more than a half million children wi...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU0Rljs7PJ/ Babies breastfed for at least 4 months perform significantly better on their English and Math achievement tests at age 16 than those never breastfed.  This from a British study of 5000 kids born between 2000 and 2002. Tabulating the teen’s scores on the British General Certificate of Secondary Education or GCSE tests, those breastfed for 4-6 month...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtUzjZeJKyl/ With CoVid waning, we now have another respiratory virus on the rise.  The RNA paramyxovirus, named human metapneumovirus or hMPV, produces cold-like symptoms.  Like colds, it can lead to secondary bronchitis and pneumonia.   There or no drugs to treat it or vaccines to prevent it.  The very young, elders, and those with immune issues best avoid g...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CtUyWBltdN9/ Diet drugs containing semaglutide are in great demand but….short supply.  The FDA is now warning that the approved products including Rybelsus tablets, Ozempic injection, and Wegovy injection are being improperly spoofed, that is mimicked, by compounding pharmacies.  The problem seems to be that some pharmacies are using salt forms of semaglutide...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8UPsJNAYw/ Dr. Smith and hypnotherapist Barry Beder, MSW, LICSW discuss the effects that hypnosis can have on the body https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22676-hypnosis #hypnosis #healing #mindbody #hypnotherapy #pain #bleeding #wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8S-f_RYQl/ Dr. Smith and hypnotherapist Barry Beder, MSW, LICSW discuss the history of hypnosis. https://hypnosis.edu/history/ancient-hypnosis #hypnosis #magic #benfranklin #hypnotherapy #wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8R2ENsMF1/ Dr. Smith and the late Robert Osteen, MD of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital briefly speak about male breast cancer. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-breast-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374740 #breastcancer #men #nippledischarge #wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8Q8VILmq-/ Dr. Smith asks Mark Linzer, MD, Director, Syncope Center, New England Medical Center, about the evaluation for fainting which is technically called syncope. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2017/0301/p303.html #fainting #syncope #arrhythmia #holtermonitoring #wbznewsradio fainting, syncope, arrhythmia, holtermonitoring, wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8PkFXOK7B/ Dr. Smith discusses hairline foot fractures with a WBZ Radio caller. https://www.healthline.com/health/hairline-fracture #hairline #fracture #foot #nonunion #orthopedics #wbznewsradio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8OjY8umtg/ If you’re struggling with balance problems due to an accident, an injury, or advancing age, that VR headset laying around the house or on the store shelf may just be the key to your recovery.  Balance specialists and physiotherapists at Sweden’s Lund University now report their results using a virtual reality environment to help subjects train the...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8NqbwvXlU/ Accumulations of belly fat and love handles are associated with a reduction in our problem-solving powers.  This from an Iowa State University study of more than 4400 middle-aged men and women. The researchers measured both belly and waist fat as well as lean muscle mass.  Participants with belly fat accumulations were the worst problem solvers fo...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8MzMuuH6b/ A Danish study just published in the British Medical Journal shows that cardiac patients who describe themselves as lonely are 3 times more likely to die from any cause.  Lonely men were 40% more likely to experience a repeat cardiac illness within one year after an initial evetn. The researchers studied more than 13,400 subjects with coronary dis...

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8LlU7vwGD/ Just four hours of weekly exercise, any exercise, will reduce your chances of a depression episode by 17% even if you are genetically predisposed.  Harvard researchers now publish this result after studying 8,000 participants in a Boston database for whom they calculated a depression risk score based on family history and mood assessment by questionnaire. T...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8KYHFNQFL/ Children without siblings are nearly 5 times more likely to demonstrate unhealthy eating patterns compared with those having brothers and sisters.  University of Oklahoma nutritionists reviewed food consumption diaries from 67 families to determine a Healthy Eating Index for each. Healthy eating habits are not diminished by time away from home in...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8JggNP3BM/ The Mediterranean diet, rich in healthy fats and anti-inflammatory nutrients but devoid of red and processed meats fights the inflammation that degrades menstrual regularity, embryo implantation, and sperm quality.   Australian public health researchers extoll the virtues of the Med diet in an excellent review appearing in the journal Nutrients. ...

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8IuIPtzPg/ Do you develop headaches, become anxious, and feel depressed as you watch the news and digest the political commentary on cable channels?  You’re not alone. Psychologists from the University of Toronto in collaboration with NYU epidemiologists studied 3,208 Americans in 4 different studies as they observed US politics on broadcast and social media...