Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/DMRmeoFeVUg We know all about the dangers of second-hand smoke, those clouds of toxic fumes emanating from cigarettes, cigars, and pipe bowls.  Now a study from the University of Cincinatti and the Cincinatti Children’s Hospital hone in on the vapors that waft up from those yellow stains on walls, ceilings, carpets, upholstery and, yes, the fingers of smokers themselves.  We call these third hand smoke. The investigators measured the levels of nicotine on the hands of children exposed to these 3rd hand sources but not to parental smoking directly, and these children had the same levels of nicotine as an indirect measure of all toxic chemicals as those kids directly exposed to cigarette smoke. Also know that these poisonous chemicals accumulate.  The children under 2 years had average hand nicotine levels of 69 ng, and that figure shot up 2.5 times by age 4 years.  The nicotine levels detected were a function of the number of cigarettes smoked by their parents and caregivers.  Even mo

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/fM3zWSu7ZAA Alcohol abuse is rampant in teens and young adults, and hospitals are reporting an epidemic of premature chronic liver disease and failure in millenials.  A new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics now shows that binge drinking prevents development of normal connections in the developing brain’s amygdala.  That’s the region of the brain responsible for emotion, fever, and anxiety. The Chicago research group studied the brains of drinkers who began binge drinking before they reached 21 years.  They compared them to drinkers who started after 21 and to non-drinkers.  All subjects died in their mid to late fifties.   The early onset drinkers had a 30 to 40% deficit of the molecule BDNF in their amygdalas, and without this chemical normal brain connections fail to form leading to increased anxiety and then  likely to more drinking through life. With each new study, we learn how important health behaviors during our chil

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/0CezKXdha_o Electronic cigarette use is on the upswing, and their makers trumpet the latest studies showing that e-cigs help current tobacco smokers kick the habit.  In actuality, as older smokers quit more teens use e-cigs and move on to the nasty and dangerous habit that is tobacco cigarette smoking. Besides the addicting nicotine, the e-cigs vaporize and spew a raft of of chemicals into the lungs including heavy metals, propylene glycol or anti-freeze, and formaldehyde.  The latest study from Harvard’s School of Public Health focuses on the toxicity of the chemicals used for flavoring the vapors. Those ingredients are diacetyl and pentandione, and they create a buttery aroma.  You’ve definitely smelled it at the movie theater, and repeatedly inhaling the vapor leads to chronic irreversible lung damage and a disease appropriately named “popcorn lung.” The Harvard team conclusively showed that these flavoring chemicals interfere with the genes that control development of normally fu

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/VyMYFtxNodM First we had tennis elbow, more recently football CTE dementia, and now we have golfer’s wrenched back.  The latest study in the Joural of Neurosurgery:Spine sounds an alarm for golfers to ease up on their swings a bit. Over the past 40 years, competitive pressure has driven the golf swing to become more and more powerful.  Golfers now seek strength training to turbocharge their swings, but they should also be seeking defensive coaching to prevent their swings from crippling them. During a powerful downswing, dangerous compressive forces target the spinal discs and verterbal joints.  Since a golfer swings those clubs more than 300 times during an average round, repeated micro trauma to spine structures leads to repetitive traumatic discopathy or RTD, likely the injury suffered by Tiger Woods. If you golf, do seek a professional analysis of your swing.  With proper training, you can play low handicap golf without breaking your back by developing RTD. #golf #discopathy #spi

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Q0cF8rNJvN0 Those compounded creams and gels you buy to rub on your aching muscles and joints may be worthless to you for relieving pain.  They are worth gold to the hucksters who manufacture and market them to the tune of at least 6 million dollars a day. Pain specialists at Johns Hopkins and the Walter Reed Hospital studied nearly 400 subjects with 3 types of pain: 1. neurogenic pain such as that due to diabetes or shingles; 2. nociceptive pain due to tissue injuries or burns, or 3. mixed pain.  Half the patients in each pain category received a topical product with active ingredients tailored to the type of pain under treatment including anesthetics, NSAID analgesics, sedatives, antidepressants, anti-seizure meds, and muscle relaxers.  The others were given a mediction-free placebo.  Neither the scientists nor the subjects knew which agent they were rubbing in. Each subject dutifully rubbed on the products 3 times a day for 6 months.  When the code was broken, the expensive topica

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/anJEys3Soc8 I’ve presented many studies proving that fruits and vegetables in your diet will keep you strong, fit, and physically healthy.  Now, new data from Great Britain’s University of Leeds shows that these key dietary components also boost your mental capacities. The researchers studied some 40,000 persons and report that those consuming more fruits and vegetables report better mental health and higher life satisfaction than matched controls.  They also lament that the majority of UK citizens still fail to eat at least 5 portions of fruits and veggies a day.  I’d hasten to say that most Americans don’t hit that target either.  If you do want to feel wonderful in mind as well as in body, fill your meals with fruit and vegetables. #mind #body #fruits #vegetables #goodfeelings #healthnews #healthtips Neel Ocean, Peter Howley, Jonathan Ensor. Lettuce be happy: A longitudinal UK study on the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and well-being. Social Science & Me

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/CA0GVw_xvUI No one likes the prospect of surgery.  If you’ve been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and your doctors have recommended removal, a new study suggests that an operation may not be necessary for every cyst. Ovarian cysts are little balloon-like bumps that arise on the surface of the ovaries.  They are discovered with ultrasound scans when abdominal pain or bloating occurs.  The ultrasounds can determine if the cysts appear harmless or likely cancerous. Many doctors recommend that any ovarian cyst be removed due to a risk of cancer developing or the cyst causing an ovary to twist.  A new multi-national study just published in The Lancet Oncology instead recommends watchful waiting and regular ultrasound imaging for those cysts that do appear benign. Their study of almost 2,000 women with cysts suggests that surgery for every cyst may have more risks than benefits.  Twenty percent of ovarian cysts disappear on their own and cancer or ovarian twisting only occurred in less than

Howard G. Smith, MD, PENTA Medical Network, reports from NYC with the Health News Roundup for the SECOND week of FEBRUARY, 2019. Vidcast: https://youtu.be/BMHHclF3DPo This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries that you can use in a practical way to keep yourself and your family healthy. Besides that, there are two stories about Health Crap You Should Scrap: some non-prescription meds that you should avoid. There is no solid evidence that they work, and they can be harmful. Here are the headlines: Ovarian Cysts Need Not Be Removed Fruits and Veggies Buff Your Mind As Well As Your Muscles HEALTH CRAP: Pain Creams Are a Waste of Money Your Golf Swing May Kill Your Back E-Cigarette Flavorings Are Toxic Teen Boozing Can Drive Brain Damage Third-Hand Smoke Chemicals Stick To Your Kids Desserts Can Help You Eat Healthy Smaller Take Out Boxes Will Right-Size Fast Food Meals HEALTH CRAP: L-Norvaline May Be Bodybuilders’ Enemy Tonsils and Adenoids Don’t Shrink With Age Don’t Clamp That Umbilical

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/_dGkTXmj3Y0 Good news is good for your soul, and here’s a feel-good saga from my favorite good news website, goodnewsnetwork.org.   Twelve years ago during cool weather John Sumner, saw a pathetic seagull with an obviously broken leg attempting to land and get food.  He and his dog had come to the beach for a walk, and John offered the seagull some of his pet’s dog biscuits. When John and his dog returned to the beach for their daily walk, and the seagull that he named Chirpy began to seek them out and continued to enjoy the dog biscuits as his leg healed. Over the past 12 years, with the onset of cooler weather in September, Chirpy the seagull returns from nesting to visit John on the beach every day.  The bird, thought to be about 20 years old now and easily spotted due to his crooked leg, immediately flies over to John and only to John as soon as the man appears on the beach.  And yes, John continues to feed Chirpy his favorite snack, those dog biscuits. https://www.goodnewsnetwo

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/X6ZxecLbkxI Medical marijuana is now legal in 33 of 50 states, and most users look to weed as medicine in order to relieve chronic pain.  Investigators from the University of Michigan reviewed data from state registries and found that more than 800,000 persons are licensed medical cannabis users.  This number likely underestimates the actual number of users. Cannabis is accepted therapy for chronic pain, nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy, and Muscular Sclerosis spasticity.  The available data shows, though, that almost two-thirds of those seeking medical marijuana licenses do so for chronic pain. Due to federal foot-dragging, cannibis remains classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.  It continues to be erroneously labeled as as a drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.  In theory, but usually not in practice, you could be prosecuted for its possession and use. If you feel that cannabis might help you and you’re in a state wher

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/zOaEiNnJBCY Driven entrepreneurs and students often steal needed hours of sleep to find extra time.  A collaborative study by business researchers coordinated by Oregon State University shows that, when sleep is limited, mindfulness can come to the rescue and turbocharge your ailing brain.   Studying more than sleep-deprived 400 entrepreneurs across the US, the researchers report that as little as 10 minutes of mindfulness practice a day on a sustained basis can provide the same mental clarification benefits as an extra 44 minutes of sleep. If you’re expecting a stretch of intense work, train your body and mind by developing expertise in mindfulness meditation.  Planning ahead to minimize those all-nighters won’t hurt either. #mindfulness #sleepdeprivation #entrepreneurs #healthnews #healthtips Charles Y. Murnieks, Jonathan D. Arthurs, Melissa S. Cardon, Nusrat Farah, Jason Stornelli, J. Michael Haynie. Close your eyes or open your mind: Effects of sleep and mindfulness exercises on

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/cpb2nP4vYF0 An unexpected observation during a patient’s awake neurosurgery confirms that laughter leads to a sense of calm and happiness.  Surgeons at Emory University in Atlanta relate this fascinating, whimsical tale. A young patient with difficult to control epilepsy was undergoing awake neurosurgery to pinpoint the seizure focus.  During the surgery, the surgeons inadventantly stimulated  a pathway called the cingulum bundle, and the patient immediately began to smile, laugh, joke, and report an extremely calming and mood elevating experience that seemed to neutralize not only pain but also any scary thoughts.   The neuroscientists repeated this same cingulum bundle stimulation in two other seizure patients to confirm their initial observation.  They plan to use this stimulation technique in the future to calm nervous surgical patients and possibly to help treat depression. The good news is that you can trigger laughter and its calming and pain-neutralizing aftermath with a funn

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/3vsdF9Re_g8 Another thumbs up for aerobic exercise comes from the University of Buffalo’s Concussion Management Clinic.  They check in with the first randomized study of recovery from adolescent sport-related concussions comparing carefully calibrated exercise with the usually recommended near total rest or slow stretching. The investigators studied 103 athletes, 13 to 18 years of age with equal numbers of girls and boys, who were seen within 10 days of their sport-sustained concussions.  Those who followed the supervised aerobic exercise program recovered 4 days faster than controls and more likely to enjoy a full recovery by 4 weeks post-injury. To determine just the right intensity of exercise, the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test pinpointed the level at which post-concussion patients just begin to experience headache.  Over time, the subjects could tolerate more intensity and were allowed to exercise more vigorously. This method will likely spread to other cities and medical cen

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/0e6_N7YbgPg Thousands of young women are having unnecessary radiation exposure via mammograms prior to surgery to right-size their breasts.  A just published University of Michigan study of more than 52,000 women candidates for this surgery shows that one-third of them had mammography prior to the procedure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated 5 years ago that such routine pre-op imaging should be stopped.  Such procedures in women who otherwise have no indications for breast imaging are economically wasteful and unnecessarily expose patients to radiation. If your surgeon is recommending this preop imaging, pass on the reference I’m providing and challenge the suggestion.  It’s always good to speak up and take a role in planning your healthcare. #breast reduction #mammography #preoperative imaging #health news #health tips Erika D. Sears, Yu-Ting Lu, Peter R. Swiatek, Ting-Ting Chung, Eve A. Kerr, Kevin C. Chung. Use of Preoperative Mammography During Evaluation for Nonon

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/z_dp6Ogts8c An effective but reversible male contraceptive has been an elusive goal for the past century since Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger coined the term “birth control.”  Chinese bioengineers using the latest nanotechnology report a unique sperm tube blocking parfait that may just do the trick.  They tested the concept in a rat model. To prevent sperm from traveling down from the testes, the researchers injected four layers into the vas deferens, the sperm tube.  A layer of hydrogel formed a barrier to sperm travel, a layer of gold nanoparticles which heat up and will dissolve the hydrogel when exposed to near infrared light, EDTA, a chemical that helps to break down the hydrogel but also kills sperm, and finally another layer of gold nanoparticles. This blocking parfait prevented sperm passage for about 2 months, but application of near infrared light can immediately opened the vas deferens tubes to permit sperm flow when desired.  More work will need to be done bef

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/gnwupAEH4h8   A new Brazilian study shows that Vitamin D is key in promoting insulin sensitivity and lowering blood glucose.  Normal blood sugar levels prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, the type controllable by diet and medication rather than insulin.   Now here’s the “rest of the story” as the great Paul Harvey once intoned.  Although the US Preventive Services counsels against routine Vitamin D testing, a review from the University of Michigan published this year shows that Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are epidemic in the US population.     The latest estimate reveals that at least 30% of Americans have an outright Vitamin D deficiency while 40% have a vitamin D insufficiency.  Vitamin D deficiency is brought on by: eating few fruits and veggies; bowel diseases including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease; physical inactivity; excessive alcohol consumption; lack of dairy product ingestion; and, most importantly, by lack of sun exposure.   If you f

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/OPm5-Fb5wRU 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 cognitive exams.  One group started regular aerobic exercise while the other group pursued non-strenuous stretching and toning. The subjects who were aerobically exercising by either treadmill walking, stationery cycling, or using an ellipical machine scored twice as high on problem-solving tests as those only stretching.  Those aerobic exercisers who were middle-aged tested as though they had the executive brain powers of those 10 years younger while elder exercisers performed as though they were a whopping 20 years younger. Aerobic exercise is good at any age, but it really pays off as you get older. #aerobics #executivefunction

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/V0dPokY1Bxs If you get a rotten night’s sleep, your brain will be primed for a painful day after.  Neuroscientists from UC-Berkeley now prove this fact with two studies: one in the laboratory with sophisticated studies of the next day’s brain electrical activity and the other via crowdsourcing with subjects reporting their feelings after a restless night. In the first study, the young adults kept awake in the lab showed greater than normal brainwave activity in the somatosensory pain-sensing part of the brain while experiencing a painful stimulus.  In the second experiment, the online crowdsource participants rated their pain significantly greater after each had a terrible night’s sleep. Knowing this fact can help you, a work-obsessed student or a young professional swamped with projects, prepare for the day after an all-nighter.  To those of us in the healthcare professions, it’s also a call to keep hospital rooms quiet and to minimize patient’ sleep interruptions.  After all, a goo

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/3nvp1LiIzso Looking for a little warmth this winter.  Finnish and British scientists urge you to spend some time in the sauna and not only warm up but enjoy substantial health benefits. Their report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings demonstrates that regular sauna use reduces your blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, improves lung function, energizes your immune system, helps control skin problems and arthritis, reduces headache, relaxes you, and improves your overall quality of life. During these dark days of winter, seek out a nice cozy sauna, and visit it often.  A surprisingly large number of health clubs have them. #sauna #warmth #heartdisease #highbloodpressure #immunity #lungfunction #arthritis #headache #relaxation #healthnews #healthtips Jari A. Laukkanen, Tanjaniina Laukkanen, Setor K. Kunutsor. Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018; 93 (8): 1111 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.008

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/KU4orDr9WjM The time is here when many are toning their bodies looking ahead to those warm summer days on the beach. When you join a group to lose weight, know that the information you receive about how your group is doing can encourage or discourage your efforts. Yale and McGill University psychologists studied data from an anonymous US-based weight loss company with close to 2 million clients.  I think we can guess which one.  The company’s program is based on a daily calorie budget system. The researchers conclude that group leaders announcing only the weight lost by top performers inspires others in the group to keep trying harder.  Announcing the average weight lost by the group, definitely a lower number, tends to be discouraging. If you’re in one of these “buddy” weight loss program, ask your leaders to announce only info from the Biggest Losers.  That way, more of your group will be winners. #dieting #weightloss #buddysystem #biggestloser #healthnews #healthtips Kosuke Uetake