Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/fCEfcgUYoww

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

#Highereducation #college #trades #alcoholism

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Xf9BlYSw2zM

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

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/m6M2lU9hcs8

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/gFWiaBxLy2k

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/lBODKtNNKqM

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/41B3FV_b1V4

Competitive electronic gamers risk eye, neck and back, wrist, and hand overuse disorders.  E-Sports medicine investigators at the New York Institute of Technology review current knowledge about the risks.

Esport athletes practice upwards of 10 hours a day.  Their eyes and hands make more than 10 moves a second.  

Some 56% of gamers develop blurry vision, low back pain, and muscle tension headaches.  Pain in the hand and wrist due to carpal tunnel inflammation and tendinitis develop in 30% of pro players.

Professional gaming and the devices used for practice and play must limit the frequency and duration of sitting, gazing, and hand motions.  Otherwise, players will face disability retirements at very young ages.

Hallie Zwibel, Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue, Amanda DeFeo, Sheldon Yao. An Osteopathic Physician's Approach to the Esports Athlete. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2019; 119 (11): 756 DOI: 10.7556/jaoa.2019.125

#Egaming #blurryvision #backpain #headaches

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Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/NSuMJlOl42A

You’ll make poor choices and turn in awful intellectual performances on an empty stomach.  Psychologists at Scotland’s University of Dundee put 50 participants to the test either 2 hours after eating or following a 10 hour fast.

Test results revealed that hunger triggers impatience, impulsivity, and a need for immediate gratification .  The well-fed were willing to wait over a month for a substantial reward while the hungry could only manage 3 days.

If you want and need consistent mental performance, start with a good breakfast and eat regularly.  The researchers add, of course, that you shouldn’t food shop when you’re hungry.

Jordan Skrynka, Benjamin T. Vincent. Hunger increases delay discounting of food and non-food rewards. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2019; DOI: 10.3758/s13423-019-01655-0

#Hunger #impulsivity #impatience

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/xidm260T2Qc

Overdoing your training for an endurance sport can leave you mentally fatigued.  A French investigation, just published in the journal Current Biology, studied 37 thirty something male athletes during a 9 week training program.

Over-training led to feelings of mental exhaustion but also increased impulsivity with a preference for immediate rather than gratification.  Brain imaging tests confirmed that the altered decision-making was due to diminished prefrontal cortical activation.

This study once again emphasizes that our bodies work best when we moderate our activities.  If you are forced to overindulge, know that you shouldn’t be making any momentous decisions afterwards.

Blain et al. Neuro-computational impact of physical training overload on economic decision-making. Current Biology, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.054

#Endurancetraining #exercise #exhaustion, decisionmaking

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/QetW5Xs_9Uk

Our cells and bodies work on internal biological clocks which are lubricated for better efficiency by good old fashioned stress.  University of Minnesota biologists now report  this phenomenon in the journal Neuron.

Using a mouse model and tissue cultures of cells, the scientists unraveled the complex blend of signaling proteins that control the clock. They found that stress accelerates the speed of signal processing and improves the robust nature of cellular biologic clocks.

The bottom line is that some stress may well be good for you.  It literally keeps your system on its toes and speeds your reaction time.

Salil Saurav Pathak, Dong Liu, Tianbao Li, Nuria de Zavalia, Lei Zhu, Jin Li, Ramanujam Karthikeyan, Tommy Alain, Andrew C. Liu, Kai-Florian Storch, Randal J. Kaufman, Victor X. Jin, Shimon Amir, Nahum Sonenberg, Ruifeng Cao. The eIF2α Kinase GCN2 Modulates Period and Rhythmicity of the Circadian Clock by Translational Control of Atf4. Neuron, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.007

#Biologicalclocks #stress

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZYkfn_mauO8

The common child discipline, the good old time out, is safe and effective.  University of Michigan pediatric psychologists report this conclusion after studying a large group of children in Early Had State Research study at 3 points in their early development: around 3, 4 and 10 years of age.

Despite the statements found on 30% of parental advice websites, time outs are recommended by the Academy of Pediatrics and not associated with anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, or loss of self-control.  

Time outs are part of my 4 commandments of good parenting that I’ll review in another report.

Rachel M. Knight, Jeremy Albright, Lindsay Deling, Dawn Dore-Stites, Amy K. Drayton. Longitudinal Relationship Between Time-Out and Child Emotional and Behavioral Functioning. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000725

#Timeouts #parenting #discipline