Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/2qepToTtCWM

Our shoulders take a lot of abuse, and the latest statistics reveal a 6-fold increase in shoulder replacement surgery over the past 20 years.  You’re probably thinking...so what.  We can replace any joint at will, and there is already a good track record for hip and knee replacements.

The problem is that joint replacements don’t last.  They wear out, like any mechanical device.

The latest study from the University of Oxford’s orthopedic surgeons reveals that nearly one in four young men will require ultimately a revision of their shoulder surgery, and the artificial shoulders fail most often during the first 5 years after placement.  Trying to revise shoulder replacements can be complicated and risky.  Living bone and metal replacement parts don’t always play nice with each other.

Shoulder replacements aren’t the only artificial joints that fail or wear out.  Hip and knee replacements each only last about 10-20 years.  

The overwhelming driver of replacement joint failure is being overweight or obese, and the extra pressures on the prosthesis cause the bone around it to break down.  Once that occurs, repair is difficult if not impossible.

Since replacement joints will not carry you through a long life, protect your own joints while you are younger.  Avoid excess weight-bearing exercise such as stair climbing or jogging on hard surfaces without protective footgear.  The best way to keep your joints in tip top shape at any age is by controlling your weight.

#shoulderreplacement #revisionsurgery #obesity #healthnews

Craig, RS, Lane, JCE, Carr, AJ, teal.  Serious adverse events and lifetime risk of reoperation after elective shoulder replacement: population based cohort study using hospital episode statistics for England.  BMJ 2019; 364: 1298 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l298

https://national-implantregistries.kaiserpermanente.org/Media/Default/documents/RevRISKcalc-handout-6-11-1.pdf

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/2qepToTtCWM

Our shoulders take a lot of abuse, and the latest statistics reveal a 6-fold increase in shoulder replacement surgery over the past 20 years.  You’re probably thinking...so what.  We can replace any joint at will, and there is already a good track record for hip and knee replacements.

The problem is that joint replacements don’t last.  They wear out, like any mechanical device.

The latest study from the University of Oxford’s orthopedic surgeons reveals that nearly one in four young men will require ultimately a revision of their shoulder surgery, and the artificial shoulders fail most often during the first 5 years after placement.  Trying to revise shoulder replacements can be complicated and risky.  Living bone and metal replacement parts don’t always play nice with each other.

Shoulder replacements aren’t the only artificial joints that fail or wear out.  Hip and knee replacements each only last about 10-20 years.  

The overwhelming driver of replacement joint failure is being overweight or obese, and the extra pressures on the prosthesis cause the bone around it to break down.  Once that occurs, repair is difficult if not impossible.

Since replacement joints will not carry you through a long life, protect your own joints while you are younger.  Avoid excess weight-bearing exercise such as stair climbing or jogging on hard surfaces without protective footgear.  The best way to keep your joints in tip top shape at any age is by controlling your weight.

#shoulderreplacement #revisionsurgery #obesity #healthnews

Craig, RS, Lane, JCE, Carr, AJ, teal.  Serious adverse events and lifetime risk of reoperation after elective shoulder replacement: population based cohort study using hospital episode statistics for England.  BMJ 2019; 364: 1298 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l298

https://national-implantregistries.kaiserpermanente.org/Media/Default/documents/RevRISKcalc-handout-6-11-1.pdf

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

Here are the headlines:

Shoulder Replacement Surgery Needs Repeating

Exercise Helps Your Body Take Out The Trash

You May Be Throwing Away Good Food

Salty Food May Trigger Allergy

Common Over-The-Counter Antibacterial Deactivates Antibiotics

Junk Food Will Drive You Crazy

US Drug Overdoses Higher Than Other Wealthy Nations

Parental and Child Illegal Drug Use Linked

An Urban Park Will Lift Your Spirits

More Hearts For Transplantation

Stool Testing Can Replace Colonoscopy

Teen High Blood Pressure Leads To Later Kidney Failure

Middle Age Activity Reduces Later Dementia Risk

Birth Complications Higher Nights, Weekends, and Holidays

TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS: Savor Throughout Life

For more information, you’ll find all the references for the stories and a copy of show notes on my website at: 

https://www.drhowardsmith.com/feb-2019-4th-week-health-news

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

Here are the headlines:

Shoulder Replacement Surgery Needs Repeating

Exercise Helps Your Body Take Out The Trash

You May Be Throwing Away Good Food

Salty Food May Trigger Allergy

Common Over-The-Counter Antibacterial Deactivates Antibiotics

Junk Food Will Drive You Crazy

US Drug Overdoses Higher Than Other Wealthy Nations

Parental and Child Illegal Drug Use Linked

An Urban Park Will Lift Your Spirits

More Hearts For Transplantation

Stool Testing Can Replace Colonoscopy

Teen High Blood Pressure Leads To Later Kidney Failure

Middle Age Activity Reduces Later Dementia Risk

Birth Complications Higher Nights, Weekends, and Holidays

TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS: Savor Throughout Life

For more information, you’ll find all the references for the stories and a copy of show notes on my website at: 

https://www.drhowardsmith.com/feb-2019-4th-week-health-news

Vidcast:https://youtu.be/6c2OtDkNREE

Exposing autistic children to situations they instinctively avoid in a safe, virtual environment permits at least 45% of them to conquer their fears and phobias.  A study from Newcastle University just published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders utilizes an immersive projection video environment called the Blue Room with images the kids themselves can control.

The study tested 32 autistic children from 8 to 14 years of age with various fears including fears of buses, airplanes, and even dogs.  A total of 40% of children showed improvement after two weeks and 45% of them did well after 6 months of treatment with personalized video scenarios.  

One dramatic story involves an 8 year old named Harry.  His fear of dogs was so severe that he would hysterically run across a road to avoid one, and he was oblivious to traffic.  

After a total of 4 sessions, Harry became so comfortable with dogs that his family bought him his own.  The his fear of canines never returned after spending time in the Blue Room.

#autism #phobias #virtualreality #immersion #healthnew #healthtips

Morag Maskey, Jacqui Rodgers, Victoria Grahame, Magdalena Glod, Emma Honey, Julia Kinnear, Marie Labus, Jenny Milne, Dimitrios Minos, Helen McConachie, Jeremy R. Parr. A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial of Immersive Virtual Reality Treatment with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Specific Phobias in Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3861-x

Vidcast:https://youtu.be/6c2OtDkNREE

Exposing autistic children to situations they instinctively avoid in a safe, virtual environment permits at least 45% of them to conquer their fears and phobias.  A study from Newcastle University just published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders utilizes an immersive projection video environment called the Blue Room with images the kids themselves can control.

The study tested 32 autistic children from 8 to 14 years of age with various fears including fears of buses, airplanes, and even dogs.  A total of 40% of children showed improvement after two weeks and 45% of them did well after 6 months of treatment with personalized video scenarios.  

One dramatic story involves an 8 year old named Harry.  His fear of dogs was so severe that he would hysterically run across a road to avoid one, and he was oblivious to traffic.  

After a total of 4 sessions, Harry became so comfortable with dogs that his family bought him his own.  The his fear of canines never returned after spending time in the Blue Room.

#autism #phobias #virtualreality #immersion #healthnew #healthtips

Morag Maskey, Jacqui Rodgers, Victoria Grahame, Magdalena Glod, Emma Honey, Julia Kinnear, Marie Labus, Jenny Milne, Dimitrios Minos, Helen McConachie, Jeremy R. Parr. A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial of Immersive Virtual Reality Treatment with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Specific Phobias in Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3861-x

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/OeVhgDxUB-g

Vaginal yeast infections are all too common and during pregnancy are frequently treated with oral fluconazole or the branded Diflucan.  New data from over 400,000 pregnancies in Quebec reviewed at the University of Montreal shows that any dose of oral fluconazole is associated with a higher incidence of miscarriage.

Fluconazole is known for its induction of lethal genetic defects including heart defects as well as miscarriage, but most warnings about the drug mention doses of the drug higher than 400-800 mg per day.  The current study shows that congenital cardiac defects arose after exposures to 150 mg per day or above during early pregnancy, and, let me repeat, any dose of oral fluconazole is associated with a higher incidence of miscarriage.

Once again, the byword is that any oral medications during pregnancy should be avoided.

#yeast #vaginitis #fluconazole #diflucan #miscarriage #cardiacdefects #healthnews #healthtips

Anick Bérard, Odile Sheehy, Jin-Ping Zhao, Jessica Gorgui, Sasha Bernatsky, Cristiano Soares de Moura, Michal Abrahamowicz. Associations between low- and high-dose oral fluconazole and pregnancy outcomes: 3 nested case–control studies. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2019; 191 (7): E179 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.180963

Vanessa Cristine Paquette, Chelsea Elwood. The safety of oral fluconazole therapy in pregnancy. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2019; 191 (7): E177 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.190079

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/OeVhgDxUB-g

Vaginal yeast infections are all too common and during pregnancy are frequently treated with oral fluconazole or the branded Diflucan.  New data from over 400,000 pregnancies in Quebec reviewed at the University of Montreal shows that any dose of oral fluconazole is associated with a higher incidence of miscarriage.

Fluconazole is known for its induction of lethal genetic defects including heart defects as well as miscarriage, but most warnings about the drug mention doses of the drug higher than 400-800 mg per day.  The current study shows that congenital cardiac defects arose after exposures to 150 mg per day or above during early pregnancy, and, let me repeat, any dose of oral fluconazole is associated with a higher incidence of miscarriage.

Once again, the byword is that any oral medications during pregnancy should be avoided.

#yeast #vaginitis #fluconazole #diflucan #miscarriage #cardiacdefects #healthnews #healthtips

Anick Bérard, Odile Sheehy, Jin-Ping Zhao, Jessica Gorgui, Sasha Bernatsky, Cristiano Soares de Moura, Michal Abrahamowicz. Associations between low- and high-dose oral fluconazole and pregnancy outcomes: 3 nested case–control studies. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2019; 191 (7): E179 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.180963

Vanessa Cristine Paquette, Chelsea Elwood. The safety of oral fluconazole therapy in pregnancy. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2019; 191 (7): E177 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.190079

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/3byI8yHsefY

From the “you can’t legislate common sense or morality” department, a study just published in the International Journal of Drug Policy reveals no reduced consumption of marijuana in countries where cannabis use is illegal.  The investigators tabulated World Health Organization data covering more than 100,000 teens living in 38 countries including the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Russia.

Those countries with more liberal marijuana policies did not experience higher rates of use.  This study was completed to check the conclusions of a 2015 study that predicted a rise in teen cannabis use with a drop in legal restraints.

Marijuana is not innocuous.  If used and overused, it drives cognitive and productivity declines.  This week, other stories demonstrate its negative and lasting effect on the brain and its role in triggering heart attack.  

Education and not legislation is the key to insuring responsible drug use.

#cannabis #marijuanalegalization #education #healthnews #healthtips

Alex Stevens. Is policy ‘liberalization’ associated with higher odds of adolescent cannabis use? A re-analysis of data from 38 countries. International Journal of Drug Policy, 2019; 66: 94 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.01.013

Shi Y, Lenzi M, An R (2015) Cannabis Liberalization and Adolescent Cannabis Use: A Cross-National Study in 38 Countries. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0143562. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0143562

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/3byI8yHsefY

From the “you can’t legislate common sense or morality” department, a study just published in the International Journal of Drug Policy reveals no reduced consumption of marijuana in countries where cannabis use is illegal.  The investigators tabulated World Health Organization data covering more than 100,000 teens living in 38 countries including the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Russia.

Those countries with more liberal marijuana policies did not experience higher rates of use.  This study was completed to check the conclusions of a 2015 study that predicted a rise in teen cannabis use with a drop in legal restraints.

Marijuana is not innocuous.  If used and overused, it drives cognitive and productivity declines.  This week, other stories demonstrate its negative and lasting effect on the brain and its role in triggering heart attack.  

Education and not legislation is the key to insuring responsible drug use.

#cannabis #marijuanalegalization #education #healthnews #healthtips

Alex Stevens. Is policy ‘liberalization’ associated with higher odds of adolescent cannabis use? A re-analysis of data from 38 countries. International Journal of Drug Policy, 2019; 66: 94 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.01.013

Shi Y, Lenzi M, An R (2015) Cannabis Liberalization and Adolescent Cannabis Use: A Cross-National Study in 38 Countries. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0143562. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0143562