Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mr_Zu297u7g

Forty-one weeks of gestation appears to be the safe upper limit for pregnancies.  This the conclusion of a Swedish multisite study of more than 2700 women with post-mature babies.

Half the group were randomized to be induced at 41 weeks,  The remainder were followed for up to another 7 days with mandatory induction at 42 weeks.  The study was abruptly ended when six babies in the watch and wait group died versus none in the 41 week-induced group.

A pregnancy is conventionally considered safe up to 42 weeks.  If you or a loved one is pregnant, insist on delivery by 41 weeks if the baby is large enough by ultrasound.

A.M. Jukic, D.D. Baird, C.R. Weinberg, D.R. McConnaughey, A.J. Wilcox. Length of human pregnancy and contributors to its natural variation. Human Reproduction, 2013 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/det297

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991404/

#Pregnancy #postterm #induction #csection

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mr_Zu297u7g

Forty-one weeks of gestation appears to be the safe upper limit for pregnancies.  This the conclusion of a Swedish multisite study of more than 2700 women with post-mature babies.

Half the group were randomized to be induced at 41 weeks,  The remainder were followed for up to another 7 days with mandatory induction at 42 weeks.  The study was abruptly ended when six babies in the watch and wait group died versus none in the 41 week-induced group.

A pregnancy is conventionally considered safe up to 42 weeks.  If you or a loved one is pregnant, insist on delivery by 41 weeks if the baby is large enough by ultrasound.

A.M. Jukic, D.D. Baird, C.R. Weinberg, D.R. McConnaughey, A.J. Wilcox. Length of human pregnancy and contributors to its natural variation. Human Reproduction, 2013 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/det297

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991404/

#Pregnancy #postterm #induction #csection

Vidcast:  ttps://youtu.be/r3cfXswib-I

Yoga instruction or individual physical therapy, PT, over a 12 week period leads to better sleep for those plagued by low back pain.  Boston University investigators report this conclusion following their study of  320 adults with back pain.

Those using yoga enjoyed a 12% improvement in sleep while those having physical therapy noted  9% better sleep.  The best news is that this sleep improvement is sustained for at least a year.

Previous work credits both yoga and PT with improving low back pain.  Now we know that yoga and PT can also help the nearly 60% of those with low back pain that also have sleep problems.

Eric J. Roseen, Hanna Gerlovin, Alexandra Femia, Jae Cho, Suzanne Bertisch, Susan Redline, Karen J. Sherman, Robert Saper. Yoga, Physical Therapy, and Back Pain Education for Sleep Quality in Low-Income Racially Diverse Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain: a Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-019-05329-4

#sleep #lowbackpain #yoga #physicaltherapy

Vidcast:  ttps://youtu.be/r3cfXswib-I

Yoga instruction or individual physical therapy, PT, over a 12 week period leads to better sleep for those plagued by low back pain.  Boston University investigators report this conclusion following their study of  320 adults with back pain.

Those using yoga enjoyed a 12% improvement in sleep while those having physical therapy noted  9% better sleep.  The best news is that this sleep improvement is sustained for at least a year.

Previous work credits both yoga and PT with improving low back pain.  Now we know that yoga and PT can also help the nearly 60% of those with low back pain that also have sleep problems.

Eric J. Roseen, Hanna Gerlovin, Alexandra Femia, Jae Cho, Suzanne Bertisch, Susan Redline, Karen J. Sherman, Robert Saper. Yoga, Physical Therapy, and Back Pain Education for Sleep Quality in Low-Income Racially Diverse Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain: a Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-019-05329-4

#sleep #lowbackpain #yoga #physicaltherapy

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/lSGFWPkOSJY

American men in a hetero relationship experience the lowest level of stress and anxiety when their female partners contribute 40% to the couple’s combined income.  British psychologists report this finding from their study of just over 6,000 US households.

Male stress peaks when he is the sole income earner, it dips as his partner contributes up to 40%, and then increases again as the woman’s contribution becomes predominant.  In comparison, women experience the least stress when she earns the same as her partner.  The male stress pattern disappeared if the woman clearly earned more before the marriage.

Men can reduce their stress level by welcoming, not fearing, financial contributions from their wives. 

Joanna Syrda. Spousal Relative Income and Male Psychological Distress. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2019; 014616721988361 DOI: 10.1177/0146167219883611

#marriage #gender, #stress #income

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/lSGFWPkOSJY

American men in a hetero relationship experience the lowest level of stress and anxiety when their female partners contribute 40% to the couple’s combined income.  British psychologists report this finding from their study of just over 6,000 US households.

Male stress peaks when he is the sole income earner, it dips as his partner contributes up to 40%, and then increases again as the woman’s contribution becomes predominant.  In comparison, women experience the least stress when she earns the same as her partner.  The male stress pattern disappeared if the woman clearly earned more before the marriage.

Men can reduce their stress level by welcoming, not fearing, financial contributions from their wives. 

Joanna Syrda. Spousal Relative Income and Male Psychological Distress. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2019; 014616721988361 DOI: 10.1177/0146167219883611

#marriage #gender, #stress #income

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kwJ05jen3Wc

Eating fruits and veggies and foregoing fatty, sugary foods will reduce chances of hearing loss by up to 30%.  Harvard investigators managing the Nurses’ Health Study looked more than 3100 womens’ hearing as a function of diet over a 20 year period.

Women closely following healthy diets including the DASH, the Mediterranean, and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index eating plans had a 29% lower risk of mid-frequency hearing loss.  Their high frequency loss risk also dropped by 25%.

Our world is louder, and our hearing abilities will crash even sooner than in the past.  Vegetables, fruit, lean meat, and fish can help maintain your hearing fidelity.  Noise cancelling earplugs and earphones also help.

Sharon G Curhan, Christopher Halpin, Molin Wang, Roland D Eavey, Gary C Curhan. Prospective Study of Dietary Patterns and Hearing Threshold Decline. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz223

#diet #hearing #noise

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/kwJ05jen3Wc

Eating fruits and veggies and foregoing fatty, sugary foods will reduce chances of hearing loss by up to 30%.  Harvard investigators managing the Nurses’ Health Study looked more than 3100 womens’ hearing as a function of diet over a 20 year period.

Women closely following healthy diets including the DASH, the Mediterranean, and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index eating plans had a 29% lower risk of mid-frequency hearing loss.  Their high frequency loss risk also dropped by 25%.

Our world is louder, and our hearing abilities will crash even sooner than in the past.  Vegetables, fruit, lean meat, and fish can help maintain your hearing fidelity.  Noise cancelling earplugs and earphones also help.

Sharon G Curhan, Christopher Halpin, Molin Wang, Roland D Eavey, Gary C Curhan. Prospective Study of Dietary Patterns and Hearing Threshold Decline. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz223

#diet #hearing #noise

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/YH4G3xa8_sM

Patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and surgery face stresses similar to astronauts blasted into deep space.  Exercise physiologists at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center now propose NASA-like physical counter measure programs (CMPs).

Cancer patients and astronauts both suffer decreases in muscle mass, cardiac functional changes, cognitive shifts, and bone demineralization during their respective journeys.  Many of the training programs used prior to space flights are now being adapted for patient use.

Exercise improves brain, cardiac, and bowel function, enhances the immune response, and strengthens bones.  Expect to see the lessons of space medicine applied as CMPs to help all of us through medical and surgical therapy for cancer and more.

Jessica M. Scott, Lianne B. Dolan, Larry Norton, John B. Charles, Lee W. Jones. Multisystem Toxicity in Cancer: Lessons from NASA’s Countermeasures Program. Cell, 2019; 179 (5): 1003 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.024

#Cancer #NASA #countermeasureprograms #astronauts

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/YH4G3xa8_sM

Patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and surgery face stresses similar to astronauts blasted into deep space.  Exercise physiologists at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center now propose NASA-like physical counter measure programs (CMPs).

Cancer patients and astronauts both suffer decreases in muscle mass, cardiac functional changes, cognitive shifts, and bone demineralization during their respective journeys.  Many of the training programs used prior to space flights are now being adapted for patient use.

Exercise improves brain, cardiac, and bowel function, enhances the immune response, and strengthens bones.  Expect to see the lessons of space medicine applied as CMPs to help all of us through medical and surgical therapy for cancer and more.

Jessica M. Scott, Lianne B. Dolan, Larry Norton, John B. Charles, Lee W. Jones. Multisystem Toxicity in Cancer: Lessons from NASA’s Countermeasures Program. Cell, 2019; 179 (5): 1003 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.024

#Cancer #NASA #countermeasureprograms #astronauts