Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mBkTDPeg6lI

Throughout life, we accumulate brainpower, known technically as Cognitive Reserve (CR), by participating in formal education, reading, writing, gaming, and having social interactions.  A new study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute’s Neurobiology Department and Chicago’s Rush University Alzheimer’s Research Center tells us that this extra Cognitive Reserve may protect us from from developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias as we age.

The study group of some 1600 healthy older adults was followed for 20 years and their CRs tabulated.  Those with the highest CR scores were nearly 40% less likely to develop dementia., though about one-quarter of the group eventually developed Alzheimer’s.  

If you want to enjoy a long life in full possession of your brainpower, commit to making regular deposits to your mind’s Cognitive Reserve by learning, reading, problem-solving, and socializing now and always.

Xu H, Yang R, Qi X, et al. Association of Lifespan Cognitive Reserve Indicator With Dementia Risk in the Presence of Brain Pathologies. JAMA Neurol. Published online July 14, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.2455

#CognitiveReserve #dementia #Alzheimers #education #socialization

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mBkTDPeg6lI

Throughout life, we accumulate brainpower, known technically as Cognitive Reserve (CR), by participating in formal education, reading, writing, gaming, and having social interactions.  A new study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute’s Neurobiology Department and Chicago’s Rush University Alzheimer’s Research Center tells us that this extra Cognitive Reserve may protect us from from developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias as we age.

The study group of some 1600 healthy older adults was followed for 20 years and their CRs tabulated.  Those with the highest CR scores were nearly 40% less likely to develop dementia., though about one-quarter of the group eventually developed Alzheimer’s.  

If you want to enjoy a long life in full possession of your brainpower, commit to making regular deposits to your mind’s Cognitive Reserve by learning, reading, problem-solving, and socializing now and always.

Xu H, Yang R, Qi X, et al. Association of Lifespan Cognitive Reserve Indicator With Dementia Risk in the Presence of Brain Pathologies. JAMA Neurol. Published online July 14, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.2455

#CognitiveReserve #dementia #Alzheimers #education #socialization

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/mLKKARFLkTM

 This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries and commonsense advice that you can use in a practical way to keep yourself and your family healthy.  

Here are this weeks stories :

Warmer Screens At Night May Curb Your Appetite

Odd Eating Indicates Autism

Exercise Fuels Better Thinking For the Overweight

Lassie May Prevent Childhood Allergies

Mind Clearing Helps You Resist Temptations

Larger Screens Deliver Video News More Powerfully

Minecraft Play Increases Creativity

Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients Over-treated With Antibiotics

Exercise Is Better The Same Time Each Day

Triclosan Weakens Womens’ Bones

Will Sugary Drinks Give You Cancer?

Toddlers Word Learning Soars In Daycare

Maternal Obesity Triggers Childhood Leukemia

Marijuana For Chronic Pain

A High Tech Vaccine For Fake News

For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/july-2019-2nd-week-health-news

#Bluelight #sugar #obesity #warmlight #Autism #eatingdisorders #earlyintervention #ASD #Exercise #obesity #insulinsensitivity #cognition #Dogs #allergy #wheezing #atopicdermatitis #Alcohol #obesity #addiction #stress #memory #fatigue #News #smartphone #laptop #Minecraft #creativity #education #Supplements #Antibiotics #pneumonia #overtreatment #Obesity #cancer #smoking #Exercise #temporalconsistency #dieting #Triclosan #osteoporosis #demineralization #Pregnancy #obesity #cancer #leukemia #Cannabis #pain #opioids #NSAIDS #women #postmenopausal #Sugarydrinks #cancer #dietdrinks #artificialsweetening #breastcancer #Toddlers #language #daycare #parenting

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/mLKKARFLkTM

 This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries and commonsense advice that you can use in a practical way to keep yourself and your family healthy.  

Here are this weeks stories :

Warmer Screens At Night May Curb Your Appetite

Odd Eating Indicates Autism

Exercise Fuels Better Thinking For the Overweight

Lassie May Prevent Childhood Allergies

Mind Clearing Helps You Resist Temptations

Larger Screens Deliver Video News More Powerfully

Minecraft Play Increases Creativity

Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients Over-treated With Antibiotics

Exercise Is Better The Same Time Each Day

Triclosan Weakens Womens’ Bones

Will Sugary Drinks Give You Cancer?

Toddlers Word Learning Soars In Daycare

Maternal Obesity Triggers Childhood Leukemia

Marijuana For Chronic Pain

A High Tech Vaccine For Fake News

For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/july-2019-2nd-week-health-news

#Bluelight #sugar #obesity #warmlight #Autism #eatingdisorders #earlyintervention #ASD #Exercise #obesity #insulinsensitivity #cognition #Dogs #allergy #wheezing #atopicdermatitis #Alcohol #obesity #addiction #stress #memory #fatigue #News #smartphone #laptop #Minecraft #creativity #education #Supplements #Antibiotics #pneumonia #overtreatment #Obesity #cancer #smoking #Exercise #temporalconsistency #dieting #Triclosan #osteoporosis #demineralization #Pregnancy #obesity #cancer #leukemia #Cannabis #pain #opioids #NSAIDS #women #postmenopausal #Sugarydrinks #cancer #dietdrinks #artificialsweetening #breastcancer #Toddlers #language #daycare #parenting

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/F2wbdM4T7EA

There is an epidemic of lies on the internet, and we are all confronted daily with so-called news that is, in fact propaganda.  Just as your brain can be conned, it is possible to train it to withstand these attacks with an electronic from of BS repellent.

The UK’s University of Cambridge and its Social Decision-Making Lab have developed a browser game called Bad News that can help your brain withstand the assault of half-truths and frank lies.  A group of 15,000 test subjects played the game for only 15 minutes yet afterward were 24% more likely to dismiss fake headlines and tweets, 20% less likely to fall for a false conspiracy, and 19% more likely to believe a legitimate new source that was being smeared and trolled online.

You can and should try the game yourself at getbadnews.com. With the upcoming, critical elections, we all must be more sophisticated and discerning consumers of the news.  And a can of BS repellent on your phone won’’t hurt either!

Jon Roozenbeek & Sander van der Linden. Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation. Palgrave Communications, 2019 DOI: 10.1057/s41599-019-0279-9

https://getbadnews.com

#Fakenews #lies #conspiracies #trolling

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/F2wbdM4T7EA

There is an epidemic of lies on the internet, and we are all confronted daily with so-called news that is, in fact propaganda.  Just as your brain can be conned, it is possible to train it to withstand these attacks with an electronic from of BS repellent.

The UK’s University of Cambridge and its Social Decision-Making Lab have developed a browser game called Bad News that can help your brain withstand the assault of half-truths and frank lies.  A group of 15,000 test subjects played the game for only 15 minutes yet afterward were 24% more likely to dismiss fake headlines and tweets, 20% less likely to fall for a false conspiracy, and 19% more likely to believe a legitimate new source that was being smeared and trolled online.

You can and should try the game yourself at getbadnews.com. With the upcoming, critical elections, we all must be more sophisticated and discerning consumers of the news.  And a can of BS repellent on your phone won’’t hurt either!

Jon Roozenbeek & Sander van der Linden. Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation. Palgrave Communications, 2019 DOI: 10.1057/s41599-019-0279-9

https://getbadnews.com

#Fakenews #lies #conspiracies #trolling

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Mmr5bCArcSU

Cannabis in its various forms does curb pain.  This is the conclusion of study from New York’s Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Miami just published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

The investigators studied 1000 user-customers of a Colorado dispensary with most being under the age of 50.  Nearly two-thirds of the group reported using cannabis for pain relief, and almost three-quarters of pain sufferers used it daily.  

Eighty percent reported that marijuana was extremely or very helpful for controlling their pain.  Eighty-two percent stopped or reduced use of over-the-counter pain meds, and a full 88% stopped or reduced use of opioids.

Given our current opioid crisis, this news is good news indeed.  If you suffer from chronic pain, you should receive care from pain specialists who can offer you cannabis as yet one more option.

Marcus Bachhuber, Julia H. Arnsten, Gwen Wurm. Use of Cannabis to Relieve Pain and Promote Sleep by Customers at an Adult Use Dispensary. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019; DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2019.1626953

#Cannabis #pain #opioids #NSAIDS

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Mmr5bCArcSU

Cannabis in its various forms does curb pain.  This is the conclusion of study from New York’s Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Miami just published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

The investigators studied 1000 user-customers of a Colorado dispensary with most being under the age of 50.  Nearly two-thirds of the group reported using cannabis for pain relief, and almost three-quarters of pain sufferers used it daily.  

Eighty percent reported that marijuana was extremely or very helpful for controlling their pain.  Eighty-two percent stopped or reduced use of over-the-counter pain meds, and a full 88% stopped or reduced use of opioids.

Given our current opioid crisis, this news is good news indeed.  If you suffer from chronic pain, you should receive care from pain specialists who can offer you cannabis as yet one more option.

Marcus Bachhuber, Julia H. Arnsten, Gwen Wurm. Use of Cannabis to Relieve Pain and Promote Sleep by Customers at an Adult Use Dispensary. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019; DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2019.1626953

#Cannabis #pain #opioids #NSAIDS

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pKHclU_qRSA

Summer is a prime time for baby-making.  Before you take that plunge, you prospective moms, make sure your weight is under control.  

A just released, frightening study from the University of Pittsburgh shows that children of women obese at the time of pregnancy were 57% more likely to develop leukemia before the age of 5.  The Pitt epidemiologists analyzed almost 2 million birth records and 3,000 pediatric cancer cases in Pennsylvania.

The good news, if there is any, is that that awful statistic applies to the severely obese women with BMIs, body mass indices, above 40.  That’s equivalent to a weight of 235 pounds for a woman who is 5 ft 4 inches tall.  

The risk of cancer does diminish with the BMI, so it pays to lose those pounds and approach an ideal weight before conceiving and embarking on parenthood.

Shaina L Stacy, Jeanine M Buchanich, Zhen-qiang Ma, Christina Mair, Linda Robertson, Ravi K Sharma, Evelyn O Talbott, Jian-Min Yuan. Maternal Obesity, Birth Size, and Risk of Childhood Cancer Development. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz118

#Pregnancy #obesity #cancer #leukemia

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pKHclU_qRSA

Summer is a prime time for baby-making.  Before you take that plunge, you prospective moms, make sure your weight is under control.  

A just released, frightening study from the University of Pittsburgh shows that children of women obese at the time of pregnancy were 57% more likely to develop leukemia before the age of 5.  The Pitt epidemiologists analyzed almost 2 million birth records and 3,000 pediatric cancer cases in Pennsylvania.

The good news, if there is any, is that that awful statistic applies to the severely obese women with BMIs, body mass indices, above 40.  That’s equivalent to a weight of 235 pounds for a woman who is 5 ft 4 inches tall.  

The risk of cancer does diminish with the BMI, so it pays to lose those pounds and approach an ideal weight before conceiving and embarking on parenthood.

Shaina L Stacy, Jeanine M Buchanich, Zhen-qiang Ma, Christina Mair, Linda Robertson, Ravi K Sharma, Evelyn O Talbott, Jian-Min Yuan. Maternal Obesity, Birth Size, and Risk of Childhood Cancer Development. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz118

#Pregnancy #obesity #cancer #leukemia