Dr. Howard Smith Reports

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/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/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/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 Riboli, Anne Tjønneland, Guri Skeie, J. Ramón Quirós, Mattias Johansson, Stephanie A. Smith-Warner, Wei Zheng, Xiao-Ou Shu. Association of Dietary Fiber and Yogurt Consumption With Lung Cancer Risk. JAMA Oncology, 2019; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.4107

#Fiber #yogurt #lungcancer #microbiome

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 Riboli, Anne Tjønneland, Guri Skeie, J. Ramón Quirós, Mattias Johansson, Stephanie A. Smith-Warner, Wei Zheng, Xiao-Ou Shu. Association of Dietary Fiber and Yogurt Consumption With Lung Cancer Risk. JAMA Oncology, 2019; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.4107

#Fiber #yogurt #lungcancer #microbiome

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/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