Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ypwilC6A8ec

A number of studies indict smartphone use for triggering an adolescent mental health decline.  Not so fast say a group of university psychologists in a study just published by the journal Clinical Psychological Science.

The investigators closely followed a group of 388 kids 10-15 years of age, both socioeconomically and racially diverse, who attended North Carolina public schools.  They collected data on mental health symptoms as well as personal tech usage at baseline and over a 2 week period.  Their data set included more than 13,000 total observations over nearly 5300 study days.

The tabulated results demonstrated no short-term correlation between intensity of smartphone use and feelings of isolation or depression.  Even those with a greater risk for mental health issues did not experience them on days of higher phone use.

The psychologists conclude that parents should stop trying to limit smartphone or tablet use and instead support their teens online and offline lives by personally communicating with them more often.

Michaeline Jensen, Madeleine J. George, Michael R. Russell, Candice L. Odgers. Young Adolescents’ Digital Technology Use and Adolescents’ Mental Health Symptoms: Little Evidence of Longitudinal or Daily Linkages. Clinical Psychological Science, 2019; 216770261985933 DOI: 10.1177/2167702619859336

#Smartphone #teen #mentalhealth

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ypwilC6A8ec

A number of studies indict smartphone use for triggering an adolescent mental health decline.  Not so fast say a group of university psychologists in a study just published by the journal Clinical Psychological Science.

The investigators closely followed a group of 388 kids 10-15 years of age, both socioeconomically and racially diverse, who attended North Carolina public schools.  They collected data on mental health symptoms as well as personal tech usage at baseline and over a 2 week period.  Their data set included more than 13,000 total observations over nearly 5300 study days.

The tabulated results demonstrated no short-term correlation between intensity of smartphone use and feelings of isolation or depression.  Even those with a greater risk for mental health issues did not experience them on days of higher phone use.

The psychologists conclude that parents should stop trying to limit smartphone or tablet use and instead support their teens online and offline lives by personally communicating with them more often.

Michaeline Jensen, Madeleine J. George, Michael R. Russell, Candice L. Odgers. Young Adolescents’ Digital Technology Use and Adolescents’ Mental Health Symptoms: Little Evidence of Longitudinal or Daily Linkages. Clinical Psychological Science, 2019; 216770261985933 DOI: 10.1177/2167702619859336

#Smartphone #teen #mentalhealth

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/VT_6z3ohyks

Dog owners are more likely than owners of other pets or non-pet owners to have a healthy heart and to keep it that way.  This conclusion comes from a study just published by the Mayo Clinic’s Division Of Preventive Cardiology.

Looking at nearly 1800 subjects without a history of heart problems, the investigators tabulated their cardiac risk factors including physical activity, body mass index, diet, blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking status.  Those with the best overall cardiovascular health profiles were dog owners though owners of other pets scored higher than non-pet owners.

Dog owners scored highest in large part due to their greater level of physical activity walking and playing with their pets.  The exercise tends to keep their weight and other factors in line.  Other studies have shown that dog ownership is associated with less social isolation and optimal mental health.

So, if you can, add a dog to your life.  That life may just be longer and more fulfilling if you do.

Andrea Maugeri, Jose R. Medina-Inojosa, Sarka Kunzova, Martina Barchitta, Antonella Agodi, Manlio Vinciguerra, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez. Dog Ownership and Cardiovascular Health: Results From the Kardiovize 2030 Project. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 2019; 3 (3): 268 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2019.07.007

#Dogs #heartdisease #exercise

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/VT_6z3ohyks

Dog owners are more likely than owners of other pets or non-pet owners to have a healthy heart and to keep it that way.  This conclusion comes from a study just published by the Mayo Clinic’s Division Of Preventive Cardiology.

Looking at nearly 1800 subjects without a history of heart problems, the investigators tabulated their cardiac risk factors including physical activity, body mass index, diet, blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking status.  Those with the best overall cardiovascular health profiles were dog owners though owners of other pets scored higher than non-pet owners.

Dog owners scored highest in large part due to their greater level of physical activity walking and playing with their pets.  The exercise tends to keep their weight and other factors in line.  Other studies have shown that dog ownership is associated with less social isolation and optimal mental health.

So, if you can, add a dog to your life.  That life may just be longer and more fulfilling if you do.

Andrea Maugeri, Jose R. Medina-Inojosa, Sarka Kunzova, Martina Barchitta, Antonella Agodi, Manlio Vinciguerra, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez. Dog Ownership and Cardiovascular Health: Results From the Kardiovize 2030 Project. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 2019; 3 (3): 268 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2019.07.007

#Dogs #heartdisease #exercise

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nXAsJvs5q4k

You’ll absorb just as much information from listening to a book as reading it.  This is the conclusion from a UC-Berkeley in which researchers used MRI scans of participants to create so-called 3D semantic maps that represented the brain’s processing of word-based information.

When the captured data was decoded, the investigators were surprised to find that the semantic maps of those listening to stories were almost identical to the maps generated by the brains of those reading the same story.  Those of you who love audio books and podcasts will now have some scientific evidence to back up your intuition.

Semantic mapping techniques will soon be used to study those with dyslexia and auditory processing impairment.  Hopefully the data will lead to more effective therapy for these problems as well as for victims of stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Ana F. Palenciano, Carlos González-García, Juan E. Arco, Luiz Pessoa and María Ruz. 

Representational organization of novel task sets during proactive encoding

Journal of Neuroscience 19 August 2019, 0725-19; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0725-19.2019

Reading, listening, comprehension, semanticmaps

#Reading #listening #comprehension #semanticmaps

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nXAsJvs5q4k

You’ll absorb just as much information from listening to a book as reading it.  This is the conclusion from a UC-Berkeley in which researchers used MRI scans of participants to create so-called 3D semantic maps that represented the brain’s processing of word-based information.

When the captured data was decoded, the investigators were surprised to find that the semantic maps of those listening to stories were almost identical to the maps generated by the brains of those reading the same story.  Those of you who love audio books and podcasts will now have some scientific evidence to back up your intuition.

Semantic mapping techniques will soon be used to study those with dyslexia and auditory processing impairment.  Hopefully the data will lead to more effective therapy for these problems as well as for victims of stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Ana F. Palenciano, Carlos González-García, Juan E. Arco, Luiz Pessoa and María Ruz. 

Representational organization of novel task sets during proactive encoding

Journal of Neuroscience 19 August 2019, 0725-19; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0725-19.2019

Reading, listening, comprehension, semanticmaps

#Reading #listening #comprehension #semanticmaps

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Lpgg9Nl5I10

I’m Dr. Howard Smith, PENTA Medical Network, reporting from NYC with the Health News Roundup for the 3rd week of AUGUST, 2019.   This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries that you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy.

Here are this weeks stories :

Medicate Mildly Asthmatic Kids Only When Needed

Those With Sleepless Nights May Suffer Heart Attacks and Strokes

Binge Drinking More Dangerous To Females

A Cellphone Break Is No Break At All

Does Bossing Around Alexa and Siri Makes Us Rude To Each Other?

Virtual Reality Can Curb Pain

American Stroke Care Is Substandard

Nordic Walking Aids Breast Cancer Surgery Rehab

Obesity-Related Cancers Strike Younger People

Marijuana Legalization Drives More Poisonings

Bullying Is Deadly

Surgery May Impair Your Thinking

Half Of Patients Lie To Their Doctors

Kids Having Tonsillectomies Are Prescribed Unnecessary Narcotics

Marijuana Use Contributes To Alcoholism

For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at:

https://www.drhowardsmith.com/aug-2019-3rd-week-health-news

#Asthma #inhalers #steroid #bronchodilator #Insomnia #cardiovasculardisease #stroke #Bingedrinking #female #alcoholliverdisease #Cellphone #mentalrefresh #cognitivepower #Alexa #Siri #rudeness #parenting #VR #virtualreality #pain #Stroke #thrombectomy #Breastcancer #Nordicwalking #lymphedema #rehabilitation #Obesity #cancer #middleage #Cannabis #poisonings #parenting #Suicide, bullying, teens #Surgery #anesthesia #stroke #mentaldecline #Violence #abuse #depression #suicide #HIPAA #Tonsillectomy #analgesics #opioids #Tylenol #NSAIDS #Alcohol #marijuana #alcoholism #substanceabuse

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Lpgg9Nl5I10

I’m Dr. Howard Smith, PENTA Medical Network, reporting from NYC with the Health News Roundup for the 3rd week of AUGUST, 2019.   This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries that you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy.

Here are this weeks stories :

Medicate Mildly Asthmatic Kids Only When Needed

Those With Sleepless Nights May Suffer Heart Attacks and Strokes

Binge Drinking More Dangerous To Females

A Cellphone Break Is No Break At All

Does Bossing Around Alexa and Siri Makes Us Rude To Each Other?

Virtual Reality Can Curb Pain

American Stroke Care Is Substandard

Nordic Walking Aids Breast Cancer Surgery Rehab

Obesity-Related Cancers Strike Younger People

Marijuana Legalization Drives More Poisonings

Bullying Is Deadly

Surgery May Impair Your Thinking

Half Of Patients Lie To Their Doctors

Kids Having Tonsillectomies Are Prescribed Unnecessary Narcotics

Marijuana Use Contributes To Alcoholism

For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at:

https://www.drhowardsmith.com/aug-2019-3rd-week-health-news

#Asthma #inhalers #steroid #bronchodilator #Insomnia #cardiovasculardisease #stroke #Bingedrinking #female #alcoholliverdisease #Cellphone #mentalrefresh #cognitivepower #Alexa #Siri #rudeness #parenting #VR #virtualreality #pain #Stroke #thrombectomy #Breastcancer #Nordicwalking #lymphedema #rehabilitation #Obesity #cancer #middleage #Cannabis #poisonings #parenting #Suicide, bullying, teens #Surgery #anesthesia #stroke #mentaldecline #Violence #abuse #depression #suicide #HIPAA #Tonsillectomy #analgesics #opioids #Tylenol #NSAIDS #Alcohol #marijuana #alcoholism #substanceabuse

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/LNri2WQPAnQ

Cannabis users who also use alcohol are more likely to drink heavily and more frequently.  This is the conclusion from Penn State researchers who surveyed more than 1,000 subjects between the ages of 18 and 25 years about their use of alcohol, marijuana, and the two together.

Those who used the two drugs simultaneously, so-called SAM users, consumed nearly 3.5 times more alcohol, drank 2.4 times more often, drank for 1.7 times more hours, and consumed twice as many drinks on days when they were drinking.  SAM users were predominately younger, male, White, college students past or present, and not living at home.  Nearly two-thirds of SAM users drank and used 2-4 times a week.

One of the chief rationales for legalizing recreational marijuana is that it is safer than alcohol.  It may be safer but not healthier according to some recent studies I’ve reported.  In any event, overusing both together is a recipe for disaster and a premature descent into addictive multi-substance abuse.

Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, Amy L. Stamates, Cathy Lau-Barraco. Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Marijuana: Patterns and Individual Differences. Substance Use & Misuse, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1638407

#Alcohol #marijuana #alcoholism #substanceabuse 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/LNri2WQPAnQ

Cannabis users who also use alcohol are more likely to drink heavily and more frequently.  This is the conclusion from Penn State researchers who surveyed more than 1,000 subjects between the ages of 18 and 25 years about their use of alcohol, marijuana, and the two together.

Those who used the two drugs simultaneously, so-called SAM users, consumed nearly 3.5 times more alcohol, drank 2.4 times more often, drank for 1.7 times more hours, and consumed twice as many drinks on days when they were drinking.  SAM users were predominately younger, male, White, college students past or present, and not living at home.  Nearly two-thirds of SAM users drank and used 2-4 times a week.

One of the chief rationales for legalizing recreational marijuana is that it is safer than alcohol.  It may be safer but not healthier according to some recent studies I’ve reported.  In any event, overusing both together is a recipe for disaster and a premature descent into addictive multi-substance abuse.

Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, Amy L. Stamates, Cathy Lau-Barraco. Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Marijuana: Patterns and Individual Differences. Substance Use & Misuse, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1638407

#Alcohol #marijuana #alcoholism #substanceabuse