Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/9cFQ6A3girI   Regular exercise helps prevent most women’s cancers and many gastrointestinal malignancies.   It improves the results of all forms of treatment for these dread diseases and also for prostate cancer.  Problem is that fewer than half of cancer patients exercise.   Why?  Studies say it’s lack of encouragement by doctors and nurses.  Currently only 21% of oncologists and 9% of nurses cajole their patients to pursue the 3 times weekly aerobic and/or resistance workouts that will turbocharge their systems to eradicate cancer cells and lift their spirits.   If you are a cancer patient or don’t want to be one, pound on your docs and nurses to suggest or approve exercise tailored to your body’s needs.     Kathryn H. Schmitz, Anna M. Campbell, Martijn M. Stuiver, etal.  Exercise is medicine in oncology: Engaging clinicians to help patients move through cancer.  CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.  https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21579.   #Exercise #cancer #PT #mood

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/eErkpq7PXEg   A happy tune is THE secret to unmasking solutions to your dilemmas as you get some ZZZs.  This remarkable discovery comes to us from Northwestern University psychologists.   Investigators tested 57 subjects presenting them with tricky puzzles the evening before sleep. Each puzzle was accompanied by a unique sound.  Then, as they slept, they heard the unique sounds of half the brain teasers.  The next morning, the participants were able to solve those puzzles whose sounds they heard while sleeping some 55% more efficiently.   If you have an nagging issue, try associating a tune with it.  Then play the song at low levels as you sleep.  You might just wake up with a brighter idea.   Kristin E. G. Sanders, Samuel Osburn, Ken A. Paller, etal.  Targeted Memory Reactivation During Sleep Improves Next-Day Problem Solving.  Psychological Science, 10/19; https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619873344   #Sleep #problemsolving #creativity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/AHxyX4NwegA   Parents who used marijuana only in their teens give birth to kids who, as teens themselves, are 2.5 times more likely to overuse weed and nearly twice as likely to overuse alcohol.  These findings come from a University of Washington study of 380 families over the past 30 years.   Parents who are lifelong marijuana users have children 4.5 times more likely to use weed and 2.8 times more likely to use alcohol.  Teen users have poorer high school academic performances and a lower economic status as adults.   With weed ever more available, parents must instill the dual themes of moderation and self-control in their children from an early age.   Marina Epstein, Jennifer A. Bailey, Madeline Furlong, Christine M. Steeger, Karl G. Hill. An intergenerational investigation of the associations between parental marijuana use trajectories and child functioning.. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2019; DOI: 10.1037/adb0000510 #Marijuana #alcohol #teens

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/P6q74WG7d0I   Adding just one hour of TV or cell use each day bumps teen sugar and caffeine intake beyond World Health Organization guidelines.  Pediatricians at Canada’s McMaster University studied more than 32,000 US students from 8th through 10th grade.   The additional hour of TV bumped the risk of exceeding WHO sugar guidelines by 32% and caffeine guidelines by 28%.  The hour of cell use raised the risk of exceeding both sugar and caffeine limits by 14%.   Watching TV or talking on the cell distracts teens from what they put into their mouths.  Replace the soda and snacks on the side table with abundant ice cold water and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.   Kelly M. Bradbury, Ofir Turel, Katherine M. Morrison. Electronic device use and beverage related sugar and caffeine intake in US adolescents. PLOS ONE, 2019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223912   #TV #cellphone #snacks #sugar #caffeine

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VIdlb5NYSdg   Consuming abundant fiber and yogurt cuts your risk of lung cancer by as much as 33%.  So say Vanderbilt University researchers who studied 1.4 million US, European, and Asian subjects.   This benefit held for men, women, and non-smokers.  Smokers, past or present, derived about a 20% reduction in lung cancer incidence.    The investigators suggest that fiber and yogurt exert their influence by promoting growth of bacterial populations in the gut capable of enhancing the body’s immune response.  The two foods appear to work together to achieve the benefit.   Fiber and yogurt are already known to reduce heart and gastrointestinal cancer.  Protecting yourself against lung cancer is yet another reason to eat both of them regularly.   Jae Jeong Yang, Danxia Yu, Yong-Bing Xiang, William Blot, Emily White, Kim Robien, Rashmi Sinha, Yikyung Park, Yumie Takata, DeAnn Lazovich, Yu-Tang Gao, Xuehong Zhang, Qing Lan, Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, Ingegerd Johansson, Rosario Tumino, Elio

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wgBg2CkXW0o   A full 80% of child and family social workers would consider it parental neglect if a child under the age of 10 is left home alone.   Most considered it criminal neglect if a child under 12 left alone becomes injured.     University of Iowa researchers report this conclusion after polling 485 pediatric social workers.  They remind us that more than 40% of pediatric injury-driven deaths are due to lack of adult supervision   Given these standards, the “Home Alone” parents would likely face criminal charges for accidentally leaving little Kevin behind.  He might even end up in a foster home if the relentless but inept home invaders actually harmed him.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191025075904.htm   #Homealone #parenting  #neglect

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kUd4ZGD1awU   Breast milk is the best milk for your baby.  If you supplement your own with some from a friend, neighbor, or a co-op, you could be dangerously exposing your child to viruses, disease, dangerous drugs, or inappropriate medications.   Researchers at New York’s Northwell Children’s Medical Center surveyed 650 mothers.  Half of them had no concerns about the safety of informally donated breast milk, and 80% of those who did give it to their babies never medically screened the donors.   Mothers needing supplemental breast milk can obtain it from registered milk banks that do screen donors carefully. Failing that, formula is second best, but using it will not sicken or poison your infant.   https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/Informal-Sharing-of-Breast-Milk-Gains-Popularity-Among-Women-Despite-Safety-Risks.aspx    https://www.northwell.edu/news/banking-the-benefits-of-breast-milk   #$Breastfeeding #milkbanks #breastmilk #crowdsourcing  

Swimming Too Hard Triggers “Swimmer’s Shoulder”Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/blWE7iLH_Mc   Overzealous coaches and a winning obsession may be damaging high school swimmers’ shoulders.  Data from 150 such athletes was just presented to the American Academy of Pediatrics.   Nearly 77% report pain, 66% just suck it up hoping to become better swimmers, and 51% know a peer regularly using pain medicine.  Pain with possible joint damage is related to practice intensity: little or no pain from swimming 1600-3500 yards but definite pain swimming 2,000 to 6300 yards.   Swimming is a terrific sport, but developing bodies are vulnerable to repetitive trauma and overuse damage.  If your kid is a swimmer complaining of shoulder pain after and between practices, have a word with the coach.   American Academy of Pediatrics. "'Swimmer's shoulder,' common in more than three-quarters of swimmers: Research shows that painful swimmer's shoulder may be due to heavy training load and a 'no pain, no gain' work ethic." ScienceDaily. Sc

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/h0U1Gf37Yl0   Nearly 4 extra years of education cuts a risk of alcohol dependence by 50%.  National Institutes of Health investigators draw this conclusion from their study of 780,000 participants.   The genetic markers linked to more education were not associated with less alcohol consumption but rather with less binge drinking, fewer memory gaps due to drinking, fewer drinks on average per drinking day, and a lower weekly intake of beer or hard cider.  Added education did link to more alcohol with meals and more wine consumption.   Our politicians now talk about extending public education to include 4 years of college or vocational training.  One benefit of these additional years after high school may be fewer Americans with alcohol addiction.   Rosoff et al. Educational attainment impacts drinking behaviors and risk for alcohol dependence: results from a two-sample Mendelian randomization study with ~780,000 participants. Molecular Psychiatry, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0535-9

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/BvpOnQHfbeg   If you are having a baby, try to do it during the day on a weekday.  A new study from the Colorado State University reviews data from more than 2 million Texas births over a 5 year period and pinpoints the riskiest times to give birth.   Obstetric complications are nearly 30% higher on holidays, about 20% higher during night shifts,  and 9% higher on weekends.  If you deliver in a teaching hospital in July when the new residents first arrive, the complication risk is an average of 28% higher.    Hospitals are sites where medical miracles occur, but, given the nature of human frailty and exhaustion, so too can medical mishaps.  When you or a family member is hospitalized, keep your eyes open and advocate for your own best interests in a friendly way.  Then, if you can, try to avoid those holidays, nights, and weekends.   Sammy Zahran, David Mushinski, Hsueh-Hsiang Li, Ian Breunig, Sophie Mckee. Clinical Capital and the Risk of Maternal Labor and Delivery Complications:

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3lQomJHLMWE   Soccer playing seems to increase the risk of developing ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This is the conclusion of an Italian study that reviewed the medical records of all professional soccer players in the Italian leagues between 1959 and 2000.   Players were followed for at least 16 years after their playing days ended.   The data showed that nearly twice as many soccer players as expected  developed ALS, and nearly 5 times as many younger players 45 years or less fell ill.  The average age at ALS diagnosis in the general population is just over 62 years but the average age at which soccer players developed the disease is age 40.   Since ALS development is associated with a history of head injury, soccer heading is the likely culprit.  Parents, please listen up!  If your child is playing soccer at any age, insist that they not do any heading.  Ask their coaches to enforce a strict no-heading rule.     Soccer is called football in Europe and for good reason.  Ba

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/V_o6df79H60   Teen hypertension doubles the risk of end stage renal failure later in life.  A study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at more than 1.5 million candidates for Israeli military service.  Of this group, nearly 8000 were found to have elevated blood pressures.   Those with hypertension were predominately male and half were overweight or obese.  They were followed for nearly 20 years.  Teen hypertension doubled the risk of eventual kidney failure, a need for dialysis, and a possible kidney transplant even for those who were not overweight.   Elevated blood pressures in children have become more common as the rate of childhood and adolescent obesity skyrockets.  Pediatricians now recommend that every child over the age of 3 years should have their blood pressures checked annually.     If their pressures are elevated, they should be measured at every visit and treated aggressively initially with lifestyle changes such as weight reduction, dietary modification,

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/zYZvlJq3Il4   Want a mental boost in 20 short minutes?  It’s a simple as getting off your couch and visiting a nearby park.  If you prefer, you don’t even need to exercise to get the benefit.   Researchers at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Department of Occupational Therapy document a significant improvement in emotional well-being for those who choose to visit one of three local parks.  They tabulated the results and found that the benefits would accrue even to those unable to pursue physical activities due to disability.   If you think about it, you’ll be surprised to find just how close a green space is to your home or work.  Get over there, clear your mind, and take a 20 minute or longer mental vacation.   Hon K. Yuen, Gavin R. Jenkins. Factors associated with changes in subjective well-being immediately after urban park visit. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2019.1577368   #greenspace #urbanpark #relaxation

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/85jJpOtXbxQ   Food with lots of sugar and fat is associated with significant psychologic distress.  This conclusion comes from a study of nearly quarter million Californians participating in the California Health Interview Survey.   The study showed that nearly 17 percent of Californians had psychological distress associated with frequently consuming unhealthy foods.  Other factors such as gender, age, and socioeconomic status were less important.   This represents more proof that “you are what you eat.”  To maintain your weight and your health, stick with clean foods: fruits and vegetables with the addition of chicken and fish as protein sources.   Jim E. Banta, Gina Segovia-Siapco, Christine Betty Crocker, Danielle Montoya, Noara Alhusseini. Mental health status and dietary intake among California adults: a population-based survey. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/09637486.2019.1570085   #junkfood #fats #sugars #neurosis #psychologicdistre

xvid https://youtu.be/ToiYYvmAGmQ   Our cells, like our homes, fill up with garbage very fast.  The latest research from Harvard Medical School reveals that vigorous exercise and even some fasting will help our cells with their housekeeping duties of removing damaged, toxic, and unnecessary proteins.   Previous studies have shown that the signal for flushing your cells is the messenger molecule cyclic-AMP.  This new discovery that exercise triggers the dumping junk proteins from the cell is almost certainly explained by that fact that exercise bumps up your adrenalin and that, in turn, triggers a burst of cyclic-AMP.   Since cell garbage plays a key role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well as storage diseases like amyloidosis, it may well be that prevention of these dread diseases can be added to the list of exercise’s benefits.   #exercise #cellcleansing #cAMP #Alzheimers #Parkinsons   Jordan J. S. VerPlank, Sudarsanareddy Lokireddy, Jinghui Zhao, Alfred L. Goldberg. 26S

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/5C8p2QDuUm4   Our shoulders take a lot of abuse, and the latest statistics reveal a 6-fold increase in shoulder replacement surgery over the past 20 years.  You’re probably thinking...so what.  We can replace any joint at will, and there is already a good track record for hip and knee replacements.   The problem is that joint replacements don’t last.  They wear out, like any mechanical device.   The latest study from the University of Oxford’s orthopedic surgeons reveals that nearly one in four young men will require ultimately a revision of their shoulder surgery, and the artificial shoulders fail most often during the first 5 years after placement.  Trying to revise shoulder replacements can be complicated and risky.  Living bone and metal replacement parts don’t always play nice with each other.   Shoulder replacements aren’t the only artificial joints that fail or wear out.  Hip and knee replacements each only last about 10-20 years.     The overwhelming driver of replacement jo

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XaMm0m4v-NQ   Regularly smoking more than one pack a day may reduce your ability to see colors.  A study from New Jersey’s Rutgers University compared the visual prowess of more than 60 regular smokers with a similar number of controls who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes in their whole lives.   Those smoking 20 plus cigarettes a day, every day, reported significant degradation in their red-green and blue-yellow color vision and could not easily see contrasting images.  The researchers have not yet pinpointed which chemical toxins in cigarettes damage the retina, but they also point out that a cigarette smoking habit yellows your eye lenses and doubles the risk of age-related macular degeneration.   Here is yet more proof that smoking is bad for your body.  If it doesn’t kill you, and it will, it may suffocate and blind you.   Thiago P. Fernandes, Steven M. Silverstein, Natalia L. Almeida, Natanael A. Santos. Visual impairments in tobacco use disorder. Psychiatry Research, 2019; 271:

https://youtu.be/jO3AfALckJE A Danish study published in BMJ Open reports that short, standard acupuncture sessions will significantly reduce moderate to severe menopausal symptoms.   Investigators at the University of Copenhagen using a crossover protocol administered weekly acupuncture therapy for 5 consecutive weeks to a treatment group while the controls received no treatment.  Then, the controls received the acupuncture and the initially treated subjects were merely observed.     The assessors who questioned participants about their symptoms were unaware of the treatment received.  The tabulated results showed that the acupuncture therapy significantly diminished hot flashes, sweats day and night, sleep issues, emotional symptoms, skin, and hair complaints.   If you are suffering from menopause-related symptoms and are unable to get relief from conventional Western medicine, do seek out a qualified acupuncture specialist.  Complementary and alternative therapy can be very effective.   Lund KS, Siersma V,

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VgrYfoKJD6I   As our families add children, we parents turn to our older children and encourage them to be the new arrival’s big brother or sister.  The latest intelligence from psychologists at Britain’s University of Warwick reveals the worrisome intelligence that the older siblings instead tend to bully the younger ones.   The researchers tabulated data from nearly 6900 British children who were studied at ages 5, 7 and 12 years.  A total of 28% of the children were involved in sibling bullying, and many were both bullies and victims.  Bullying occurred more often in families with 3 or more children, and the eldest child or older brothers were most often the bullies.   Bullying tends to be rampant in any situation where humans live in close proximity, know which buttons to push, and compete for parental attention and other limited resources.  Older children often resent the younger ones who came along to rob them of their only child privilege.     Parents must guard against sibli

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3V6fqO7M0sg   Capuchin and Rhesus monkeys think outside the box better than people when it comes to problem solving.  Psychologists at Georgia State University pitted 29 monkeys against 60 college students in a computer game contest.   The monkeys figured out shortcuts to victory faster and used them more often than the students.  Other experiments show that chimpanzees and baboons also perform better than humans, who tend to rely more on familiar strategies demonstrating less so-called cognitive flexibility.   We humans are often victims of our learned biases about vaccines, climate change, race, and politics.  Be a monkey’s uncle, and make the most of your innate brainpower by opening your mind and unleashing your imagination.   Julia Watzek, Sarah M. Pope, Sarah F. Brosnan. Capuchin and rhesus monkeys but not humans show cognitive flexibility in an optional-switch task. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49658-0   Monkeys, problemsolving, creativity