Vidcast: https://youtu.be/YBZgDChW8Xg

Smartphones and tablets have not reduced the 90 minutes a day that children and teens traditionally spend with other family members.  Sociologists at the British Universities of Oxford and Warwick reviewed journals from nearly 2500 children 8 to 16 years of age and journals from their parents as well.   

The data shows that personal electronics actually added about 30 minutes to the amount of time the kids spent at home. This extra time, though, was not social time but rather what the scientists referred to as “alone-together” time.  You know what that is: the child is physically present but the mind is in some other galaxy or medieval castle. 

So there is good and bad news from this study.  It’s good that true family time remains during meals, shared discussions, and communal TV time as long as the devices are not in everyone’s hands.  The news is bad as the the extra 30 minutes at home may be robbing our kids of true social interactions with their peers.  

While some of that 30 minutes may involve texting to friends, the incessant LOLs and OMGs are not as satisfying and emotionally valuable as face-to-face communications.  It’s no wonder that many 20 and 30 somethings seem to lack effective interpersonal skills.

Killian Mullan, Stella Chatzitheochari. Changing Times Together? A Time-Diary Analysis of Family Time in the Digital Age in the United Kingdom. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2019; DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12564

#family #friends #smartphones #tablets #meals #texting

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/9mnVzvXuIoo

Wiping a memory away requires more brain resources than retaining that thought.  Neuroscientists from the University of Texas at Austin report these findings after studying a group of adult subjects using functional MRI brain imaging to determine the levels of brain activity while attempting to either remember or forget images of people or scenes.

The brain is far more active as you try to forget a memory than if you are attempting to retain it.  The act of forgetting requires your brain to very actively engage with that memory as shown by MRI activity in the prefrontal cortex control center, the ventral temporal cortex, and in the hippocampus memory bank.

It is far easier to forget a scene than to wipe the memory of faces.  Images of people carry far more emotional energy.  To forget either, you shouldn’t try too hard since the studies revealed that too much attention or too little attention to the item failed to erase it. Our brains are constantly curating and prioritizing memories erasing some in order to make room for the next crop.

To forget a disturbing memory, actively try to associate less emotional energy with it.  If you just experienced a crisis at home or at work, think of the setting and not the faces you saw during the event.  It might also help to associate that place with your positive memories of it.

Tracy H. Wang, Katerina Placek, Jarrod A. Lewis-Peacock. More is less: increased processing of unwanted memories facilitates forgetting. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2019; 2033-18 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2033-18.2019

#memory #remembering #forgetting #PTSD

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/oHVdoCrx_4c

The poor ole egg is again under attack again.  Numerous studies over the past 30 years have declared the egg to be innocent of being an accessory before the fact when it comes to driving artery hardening, heart attacks, and strokes.  Many nutrition experts have stated that the majority of the cholesterol in our body is synthesized in the liver from the fats that we ingest.  They state that limiting your intake of saturated and trans- fats will keep your cholesterol and other lipids in control.

Now a study from Northwestern University suggests that a higher cholesterol intake, 300 mg or more per day, is associated with a 17% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18% higher risk of death from all causes.  The cholesterol comes in egg yolks, red meat, and high fat dairy products such as cream, cheese, and butter.  

The study was a meta-analysis of 6 other studies covering nearly 30,000 adults with nearly 18 years of followup on average.  Experts reviewing the data and the study methodology have concerns about blaming the egg.  The study only surveyed the dietary habits of subjects as they entered the study and not again during the followup period.  The subjects were also consuming large amounts of red and processed meats that could confuse the results.

I wouldn’t totally ignore the study.  The best rule in nutrition, as in everything else, is moderation.   An egg breakfast everyday is a bad idea, but that omelet during any weekend brunch definitely won’t kill you.  If you do have the eggs, don’t overload them with bacon, eggs, or steak.

Victor W. Zhong et al. Associations of Dietary Cholesterol or Egg Consumption With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality. JAMA, 2019 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2019.1572

https://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/top-medical-news/article/2019/03/18/7561000/

#eggs #cholesterol #redmeat #processedmeat #heartattack #stroke

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/XiP1t2R8KdA

I’m Dr. Howard Smith, PENTA Medical Network,  reporting from NYC with the Health News Roundup for the 3rd week of MARCH, 2019.  This is 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 this week’s headlines:

Eggs or No Eggs: Can You Eat Them Safely?

It’s Easier For Your Brain To Remember Than Forget 

Digital Devices Do Not Reduce Family Time

The Sleepier You Are, The More You Tend to Buy

Teen Binge Drinking Permanently Damages The Brain

Smoking Drives Up Risks of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death

Statins Do Prevent Heart Attacks.....If You Take Them

Fertility App DOT Works As Well As The Pill

Virtual Reality Helps Fine Tune Your Balance

An Antibiotic Wrapper Prevents Pacemaker Infections

Are Sit-Stand Desks Really Good For You?

Mushrooms May Help Prevent Those Senior Moments

FDA Warns That Thermography Is Not Effective Breast Cancer Screening 

You May Be Allergic To Your Pills

Diabetes Drug Fights Congestive Heart Failure

Heart Attacks And Cardiac Deaths Are At Historic Lows

#Eggs #cholesterol #memory #digitaldevices #familytime #sleep #consumption #teen #bingeing #alcohol #dementia #smoking #SUID #SIDS #InfantDeath #statins #heartattack #contraception #app #VR #balance #rehabilitation #envelope #antibiotic #pacemaker #defibrillator #sitstanddesks #mushrooms #thermography #mammography #inactiveingredients #diabetes #congestiveheartfailure #heartfailure

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/mar-2019-3rd-week-health-news

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/q71bhoFuam4

Here are the headlines for this weeks stories:

Toxins At Home And In Food Can Make You Sterile

Raw Dog Food Contains Dangerous Bacteria

Mediterranean Diet Turbocharges You In Just Days

Young Women Need Better Lipid Screening

Childbirth In the 50s Can Be As Safe As In The 40s

Pregnancy Infections May Trigger Autism and Depression

Vaping Triggers Heart Attacks and Strokes

Bosses Who Bully Kill Their Own Bottom Lines

Environmental Music Synchronizes Everyone’s Brainwaves

New Immunotherapy For Advanced Breast Cancer

Snoring And Sleep Apnea Linked to Young Athletes’ Sudden Death

Napping Controls Blood Pressure

Infants Distinguish Family From Strangers By Laughter

Hookah Smoking Is Even More Dangerous Than Cigarettes

TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS: Checkout Guy Fulfills Special Needs Child’s Dream

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/mar-2019-1st-week-health-news

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/E40hnE1C8yA

Nine year old Lilly has special needs.  She is intrigued by bagging at the grocery store and loves seeing how the various packages fit together in any given bag just like a puzzle.

On a recent trip to the market with her mom, she was eyeing the bags when cashier Isaac Witte asked her if she would like to help him bag.  She was delighted and did a magnificent job not just helping but literally bagging all the groceries.  Her mom videoed the entire episode.

When Lilly finished, she gazed back at Isaac smiling and gushed “I love you.”  Later, she and mom returned to the store to give Isaac a handmade thank you card.  While there, the store manager added to the magic by telling Lilly that once she turned 16, she would have a job at the store.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/social-media-is-melting-over-cashiers-kindness-towards-special-needs-girl-at-the-supermarket-watch/

#Kindness #specialneeds

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/m3yHMVTJ3zw

Hookah smoking is considered safe and fun.  It attracts teens and young adults by the droves.   This cavalier attitude is drawing alarm from the American Heart Association, and it is time to set the record straight.

Water pipe smoking is industrial strength tobacco smoking.  A one hour hookah session exposes the smoker to the nicotine and tar equivalent of 100 cigarettes.

Then consider the additional dangers.  The flavoring chemicals added to the tobacco mix themselves have toxicity.  Then we have the charcoal that is used to burn the flavored tobacco that adds its own carcinogens and carbon monoxide.   Beyond that, you can contract a nasty infection from the shared mouthpiece.

Here’s the hooker: the water through which the smoke bubbles cools the smoke but does not filter the toxic chemicals.

Hookah smoking is popular because it is a social activity and seems cool.  Pass on this information to your teens so that they understand the risks to the heart and lungs from hookah as well as e-cigarette vaping and tobacco smoking.

#Hookah #tobacco #nicotine #charcoal #carbonmonoxide #carcinogens

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000671

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ujmnLUq7wdk

Young infants use the quality of laughter they hear to help them separate family and friend from stranger danger.  A joint study by communication psychologists at New York University and UCLA concludes that babies as young as 5 months of age can detect social relationships by decoding the sounds of laughter.

Using both audio and video experiments, the investigators showed that these infants could distinguish between the laughter of friends and strangers with visual or with only audio cues.  The babies definitely preferred listening to the laughter of friends.

When the sounds did not match the video as would be case when the the infants heard friend laughter but saw strangers, the babies acted somewhat puzzled and continued listening to decode the situation.

This research once again shows just how perceptive young infants can be.  As parents, we need to be sensitive to their skills and needs by populating their world with consistent happiness and security.

#Laughter #friends #strangers #colaughter #infants

Athena Vouloumanos, Gregory A. Bryant. Five-month-old infants detect affiliation in colaughter. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38954-4

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/08vDhmJzUMc

A one-hour midday nap can help you control your blood pressure as well as taking medications or changing your diet.  Greek cardiologists will be presenting their data demonstrating this effect next week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions.

The researchers studied more than 200 middle aged subjects comparing the blood pressures of those who napped with those who did not.  The napping group enjoyed an average of 5 mmHg lower systolic pressure and an average of 3 mmHg lower diastolic pressure.  These numbers don’t sound impressive but they are.

A midday napping “reset” relaxes both the cardiovascular system and the brain.  A regular nap certainly beat popping blood pressure pills or disgusting, restrictive diets.

#Napping #hypertension #diet #stress

American College of Cardiology. "A nap a day keeps high blood pressure at bay: Catching some midday shut-eye linked to similar drops in blood pressure seen with other lifestyle changes, some medications." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190307081029.htm.

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/U077ZmTUQiE

Stocky, young athletes often experience disordered sleep snd breathing patterns that could predispose them to heart attack and sudden death.  Exercise scientists from Japan’s Showa University explored this situation by studying 42 male rugby players 18-19 years of age.

After formal sleep studies were completed, 43% of the players experienced significant sleep disordered breathing with snoring, dangerous pauses in their breathing, higher than normal heart rates, and lower than normal oxygen levels.  Further studies of these athletes’ hearts revealed rhythm abnormalities suggesting they had potentially lethal cardiac damage already.

If you have a teen or a spouse, male or female,  “sawing wood at night,” don’t ignore it.  Push for a formal sleep study to determine if the noisy breathing is accompanied by dangerous oxygen level dips and heart rate abnormalities.

#Snoring #apnea #hypoxia #sleepdisorderedbreathing #teens #athletes

Yoshitaka Iso, Hitomi Kitai, Etsushi Kyuno, Fumiyoshi Tsunoda, Naoya Nishinaka, Masahiko Funato, Eiichi Nishimura, Shuichi Akihiro, Hiroyuki Tanuma, Toru Yonechi, Eiichi Geshi, Takeyuki Sambe, Hiroshi Suzuki. Prevalence and significance of sleep disordered breathing in adolescent athletes. ERJ Open Research, 2019; 5 (1): 00029-2019 DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00029-2019