Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Snoring And Sleep Apnea May Lead to Young Athletes’ Sudden Death

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Y_MjSC0RSQk

Stocky, young athletes often experience disordered sleep snd breathing patterns that could predispose them to heart attack and sudden death.  Exercise scientists from Japan’s Showa University explored this situation by studying 42 male rugby players 18-19 years of age.

After formal sleep studies were completed, 43% of the players experienced significant sleep disordered breathing with snoring, dangerous pauses in their breathing, higher than normal heart rates, and lower than normal oxygen levels.  Further studies of these athletes’ hearts revealed rhythm abnormalities suggesting they had potentially lethal cardiac damage already.

If you have a teen or a spouse, male or female,  “sawing wood at night,” don’t ignore it.  Push for a formal sleep study to determine if the noisy breathing is accompanied by dangerous oxygen level dips and heart rate abnormalities.

Yoshitaka Iso, Hitomi Kitai, Etsushi Kyuno, Fumiyoshi Tsunoda, Naoya Nishinaka, Masahiko Funato, Eiichi Nishimura, Shuichi Akihiro, Hiroyuki Tanuma, Toru Yonechi, Eiichi Geshi, Takeyuki Sambe, Hiroshi Suzuki. Prevalence and significance of sleep disordered breathing in adolescent athletes. ERJ Open Research, 2019; 5 (1): 00029-2019 DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00029-2019

#Snoring #apnea #hypoxia #sleepdisorderedbreathing #teens #athletes

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kb0cdrP9csU

A one-hour midday nap can help you control your blood pressure as well as taking medications or changing your diet.  Greek cardiologists will be presenting their data demonstrating this effect next week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions.

The researchers studied more than 200 middle aged subjects comparing the blood pressures of those who napped with those who did not.  The napping group enjoyed an average of 5 mmHg lower systolic pressure and an average of 3 mmHg lower diastolic pressure.  These numbers don’t sound impressive but they are.

A midday napping “reset” relaxes both the cardiovascular system and the brain.  A regular nap certainly beat popping blood pressure pills or disgusting, restrictive diets.

American College of Cardiology. "A nap a day keeps high blood pressure at bay: Catching some midday shut-eye linked to similar drops in blood pressure seen with other lifestyle changes, some medications." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307081029.htm.

#Napping #hypertension #diet #stress

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/5R8o82HKzOo

Music can keep groups of people engaged by synchronizing and pacing their brainwaves, but not all types of music have this effect.  Engineers at the City College of New York studied the neural responses of audiences in response to various forms of music.

Their research shows that unfamiliar scores synchronize communal brains most effectively, and the positive effects recur even with repetition.  On the other hand, familiar pieces failed to drive audience brain synch even with repetition.   Music-induced brain synch does work best for those audiences with some pre-formed appreciation for music.

Speaking as a surgeon, I’ve always found that music in the operating room helped to establish an efficient yet safe work pace.   Relying on my team to help choose the music reduced stress and optimized group satisfaction.

Jens Madsen, Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, Rhimmon Simchy-Gross, Lucas C. Parra. Music synchronizes brainwaves across listeners with strong effects of repetition, familiarity and training. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40254-w

#Music #audiences #engagement #brainsynchronization #musicappreciation

Music, audiences, engagement, brainsynchronization, musicappreciation

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/X86AIAevYRc

Abusive bosses who rule with a heavy hand are managing their own failure.  This is the conclusion of a 427 study meta-analysis completed by researchers at Portland State University and published in the Journal of Management.

Managers perceived as unfair, unhelpful, and impersonal trigger counterproductive and passive-aggressive work behaviors including work slow-downs, delayed arrivals in the morning,  extended breaks during the work day, calling-in sick, and frank workplace sabotage.  Obnoxious leaders create a toxic work environment, staff stress, and departures of valuable team members.

The most successful managers walk around the workplaces to kindle personal work relationships with their staff.  Once bosses know their subordinates as people, they can better function as facilitators to help everyone on the team shine and in so doing burnish their own reputations.

Yucheng Zhang, Xin Liu, Shan Xu, Liu-Qin Yang, Timothy C. Bednall. Why Abusive Supervision Impacts Employee OCB and CWB: A Meta-Analytic Review of Competing Mediating Mechanisms. Journal of Management, 2019; 014920631882393 DOI: 10.1177/0149206318823935

#Managers #bullies #sabotage #toxicenvoronment #work #bosses

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/X86AIAevYRc

Abusive bosses who rule with a heavy hand are managing their own failure.  This is the conclusion of a 427 study meta-analysis completed by researchers at Portland State University and published in the Journal of Management.

Managers perceived as unfair, unhelpful, and impersonal trigger counterproductive and passive-aggressive work behaviors including work slow-downs, delayed arrivals in the morning,  extended breaks during the work day, calling-in sick, and frank workplace sabotage.  Obnoxious leaders create a toxic work environment, staff stress, and departures of valuable team members.

The most successful managers walk around the workplaces to kindle personal work relationships with their staff.  Once bosses know their subordinates as people, they can better function as facilitators to help everyone on the team shine and in so doing burnish their own reputations.

Yucheng Zhang, Xin Liu, Shan Xu, Liu-Qin Yang, Timothy C. Bednall. Why Abusive Supervision Impacts Employee OCB and CWB: A Meta-Analytic Review of Competing Mediating Mechanisms. Journal of Management, 2019; 014920631882393 DOI: 10.1177/0149206318823935

#Managers #bullies #sabotage #toxicenvoronment #work #bosses

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/5R8o82HKzOo

Music can keep groups of people engaged by synchronizing and pacing their brainwaves, but not all types of music have this effect.  Engineers at the City College of New York studied the neural responses of audiences in response to various forms of music.

Their research shows that unfamiliar scores synchronize communal brains most effectively, and the positive effects recur even with repetition.  On the other hand, familiar pieces failed to drive audience brain synch even with repetition.   Music-induced brain synch does work best for those audiences with some pre-formed appreciation for music.

Speaking as a surgeon, I’ve always found that music in the operating room helped to establish an efficient yet safe work pace.   Relying on my team to help choose the music reduced stress and optimized group satisfaction.

Jens Madsen, Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, Rhimmon Simchy-Gross, Lucas C. Parra. Music synchronizes brainwaves across listeners with strong effects of repetition, familiarity and training. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40254-w

#Music #audiences #engagement #brainsynchronization #musicappreciation

Music, audiences, engagement, brainsynchronization, musicappreciation

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/6YkO3qoOn-M

Obstetricians at Israel’s Ben Gurion University now proclaim that “50 is the new 40 when it comes to childbirth!”  They studied more than 8,000 pregnant women 40 years and above.

The data revealed that complications such as premature birth, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and a need for c-section were no higher for those in their 50s compared with mothers in their 40s.  They do however consider all pregnancies in women 40 or older to be high risk with a need for careful followup of blood sugars and blood pressures.

This is all well and good, but just because it’s possible for parents to have a child when they are over 50 doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea.  Raising children requires lots of energy and lots of money.  

Couples in their 50s may have both, but they don’t have the 30 to 40 years that couples in their 20s and 30s have before they reach an age when their bodies and minds are entering the relaxation mode.  

Children need guidance throughout their and their parents’ lives.  Parents should begin that journey at a time that permits full participation in their lives for as long as possible.

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. "50 is the new 40 for safe childbirth?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307131436.htm.

#50s #40s #childbirth #olderparenting #pregnancy

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/NGDyl9OUX7k

E-cigarettes, touted as being safer than tobacco cigarettes, seem to trigger heart attacks and strokes.  This is the conclusion of research from the University of Kansas that studied nearly 100,000 Americans.  It was presented recently at this year’s meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

Those who vape are 56% more likely to suffer a heart attack, 30% more likely to have a stroke, and 55% more likely to be depressed or at least anxious.   E-cigarettes also expose users to as much or more of the highly addictive drug nicotine compared with conventional cigarettes.

Proponents of vaping claim that e-cigarette users can avoid tobacco’s carcinogenic tars.  Studies are now showing that the flavorings added to the liquid nicotine are themselves toxic and carcinogenic.  

Worse yet, manufacturers of the nearly 500 brands of e-cigarettes are following the tobacco companies’ evil playbook and marketing these devices to children and adolescents.  The bottom line is that anything you put in your mouth that has fumes coming from it is dangerous.

American College of Cardiology. "E-cigarettes linked to heart attacks, coronary artery disease and depression: Data reveal toll of vaping; researchers say switching to e-cigarettes doesn't eliminate health risks." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307103111.htm.

#Vaping #heartattack #stroke #depression #ecigarettes #nicotine

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/6YkO3qoOn-M

Obstetricians at Israel’s Ben Gurion University now proclaim that “50 is the new 40 when it comes to childbirth!”  They studied more than 8,000 pregnant women 40 years and above.

The data revealed that complications such as premature birth, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and a need for c-section were no higher for those in their 50s compared with mothers in their 40s.  They do however consider all pregnancies in women 40 or older to be high risk with a need for careful followup of blood sugars and blood pressures.

This is all well and good, but just because it’s possible for parents to have a child when they are over 50 doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea.  Raising children requires lots of energy and lots of money.  

Couples in their 50s may have both, but they don’t have the 30 to 40 years that couples in their 20s and 30s have before they reach an age when their bodies and minds are entering the relaxation mode.  

Children need guidance throughout their and their parents’ lives.  Parents should begin that journey at a time that permits full participation in their lives for as long as possible.

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. "50 is the new 40 for safe childbirth?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307131436.htm.

#50s #40s #childbirth #olderparenting #pregnancy

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/NGDyl9OUX7k

E-cigarettes, touted as being safer than tobacco cigarettes, seem to trigger heart attacks and strokes.  This is the conclusion of research from the University of Kansas that studied nearly 100,000 Americans.  It was presented recently at this year’s meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

Those who vape are 56% more likely to suffer a heart attack, 30% more likely to have a stroke, and 55% more likely to be depressed or at least anxious.   E-cigarettes also expose users to as much or more of the highly addictive drug nicotine compared with conventional cigarettes.

Proponents of vaping claim that e-cigarette users can avoid tobacco’s carcinogenic tars.  Studies are now showing that the flavorings added to the liquid nicotine are themselves toxic and carcinogenic.  

Worse yet, manufacturers of the nearly 500 brands of e-cigarettes are following the tobacco companies’ evil playbook and marketing these devices to children and adolescents.  The bottom line is that anything you put in your mouth that has fumes coming from it is dangerous.

American College of Cardiology. "E-cigarettes linked to heart attacks, coronary artery disease and depression: Data reveal toll of vaping; researchers say switching to e-cigarettes doesn't eliminate health risks." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307103111.htm.

#Vaping #heartattack #stroke #depression #ecigarettes #nicotine