Howard G. Smith, MD, AM
PENTA Medical Network
617-488-9699
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Best Of - 4th - Week of Mar 2023
The Optimal Time of Day For Exercising: Best Of: 6/2022
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/SYzXyGpqzcI
Morning exercise is best for women and evening exercise works best for men. These the conclusions of collaborative studies by exercise physiologists at New York’s Skidmore College, the Arizona State University, and the California State University.
The researchers analyzed 30 women and 20 men in their early to mid-forties over a 12 week period. The data gathered included body fat, abdominal fat, blood pressure, respiratory exchange, muscle strength, endurance, and exercise time of day.
For women, morning exercise reduced both abdominal fat and blood pressure. For men, it was the evening exercise that powered desirable fat oxidation and blood pressure reduction. For those women focused on improving their strength, exercising in the evening proved best.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.893783/full
#gender #exercise #abdominalfat #bloodpressure #strength
gender, exercise, abdominalfat, bloodpressure, strength
Forever Chemicals Weaken Teen Boys Bones: Best Of: 5/2022
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/KXsiMSMX8yo
Increased exposure to the forever chemicals PFAS and phthalates leads to significant weakening of long bones in adolescent boys. Epidemiologists at the Maine Medical Center studied the blood, urine, and bone X-rays of 453 boys and 395 girls 12 to 19 years of age.
The overall concentrations of PFAS in the blood and phthalate metabolites in the urine were associated with a significant drop in bone density but only in the boys. No such association was seen in the teen girls.
Now that I have your attention, lets talk more about PFAS and phthalates. They are called forever and hormone disrupting chemicals because, once in the body, they are not destroyed by our traditional human detoxification in the liver or excretion in the urine. These chemicals are now ubiquitious with PFAS, short for perfluroalkyl and polyfluroalkyl substances, getting into our bodies from plasticized fast food, popcorn, and pizza boxes. Phthalates invade us due to their presence in cosmetics, adhesives, upholstery, shower curtains, rainwear, shoes, and toys.
Best advice: keep your food and drink away from plastics. Use glass or metal storage containers. If you frequent fast food outlets, get your food out of the containers AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747651/
#PFAS #phthalates #bone #children #osteoporosis #plastics
PFAS, phthalates, bone, children, osteoporosis, plastics
Prunes Keep Your Bones From Crumbling: Best Of: 4/2022
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/nYCAsissutU
If you’re a woman worried about post-menopausal bone loss, you may just want to stock up on boxes of prunes. Penn State nutritionists now publish a meta-analysis of clinical and laboratory studies that demonstrate and explain the bone-sparing powers of the lowly prune.
Sixteen pre-clinical studies in rodents demonstrate that prunes and the polyphenols they contain inhibit the bone-dissolving effects of osteoclasts while also demonstrating potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Several clinical trials show wolfing down 6 to 12 prunes a day for at least 6-12 months will halt bone absorption while increasing bone density in post-menopausal women.
More studies are underway. Meanwhile, dried plums, aka prunes, could help prevent women and men from shrinking as they age and make fractures less likely. One other bonus: they will keep you regular.
#prunes #osteoporosis #menopause #women #polyphenols
prunes, osteoporosis, menopause, women, polyphenols
Body Building Steroids Age Your Brain Faster: Best Of: 3/2021
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/VKUrmJx-New
Using anabolic steroids to bulk up is associated with accelerated brain aging as seen on magnetic resonance imaging. Norwegian neuroscientists just published their study comparing the brains of 130 weightlifting men who consistently ingested anabolic steroids with 99 non-using lifters.
The investigators used machine learning protocols on brain images of 1838 healthy men to set age-dependent brain appearance standards. Applying this model to images from using and non-using lifters, they found that anabolic steroid consumption was associated with older looking brains. Inordinate aging in all brain regions was most marked in those with greater than 10 years of drug use.
Anabolic steroids are dangerously toxic.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451902221000197?via%3Dihub
#bodybuilding #steroids #aging #dementia
bodybuilding, steroids, aging, dementia
Nicotine Associated with Breast Cancer Spread: Best Of: 1/2021
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Knip3Vws2AY
North Carolina oncologists report that former or current cigarette smokers are significantly more likely to suffer breast cancer lung metastases compared with non-smokers. To find out why, they went into the lab and found, in a mouse model, that nicotine is the culprit.
In their human study group of 1077 breast cancer patients, the group of tobacco smokers had a 13% higher incidence of metastases. To study the role of nicotine, they injected nicotine into mice previously given a mouse breast cancer.
The result: the nicotine injections increased the animals’ metastatic burden 100-fold. The reason: nicotine triggers pro-tumor white cell activity that allows tumor cells to colonize distant tissues.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20733-9
#breastcancer #metastasis #nicotine
breastcancer, metastasis, nicotine
Couch Potatoes Risk Later Psoriasis: Best Of: 1/2021
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/CegB9XMwPrQ
If you rarely exercise your body, you run the risk of itchy, scaly skin as you age. This the conclusion of a just-published Swedish study that followed nearly 1.2 million men over a 31 year average followup period.
The men were divided into 3 groups according to their levels of cardiovascular fitness. The data showed that those with the highest level of fitness have a 55% lower risk of developing psoriasis and a 63% lower risk of developing psoriatic arthritis.
Study after study shows the benefits of regular exercise to hone your cardiovascular fitness. The pandemic makes it more challenging to exercise, but do use your ingenuity to get your body moving.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243348
exercise, fitness, psoriasis
Happy Hour Preserves Brain Power: Best Of: 12/2021
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/-7MD_um-Wug
Downing cheese and red wine will keep you sharp as you go through life. Food scientists from Iowa State University report these findings after analyzing data from 12,787 Brits 46 to 77 years of age.
Participants completed Food Frequency Questionnaires and underwent testing of their ability to think on the spot using he Fluid Intelligence test. Cheese topped the list of “smarts-preserving” foods followed by red wine and lamb but not other red meats. On the other hand, added salt was counterproductive.
So during the pandemic, arrange virtual happy hours replete with that cheese board and wine carafe. The food and drink AND the pleasant company will help you fight off those pandemic blues.
https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad201058
#covid #brain #intelligence #cheese #wine
covid, brain, intelligence, cheese, wine
Tylenol Makes You More Daring: Best Of: 9/2020
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/v4isj4Cm3Tk
The acetaminophen you take for a headache or toothache may inadvertently drive you to tell your boss off or to drive less defensively. Ohio State psychologists studied a total of 542 undergrads in 3 randomized controlled studies.
Those students taking acetaminophen demonstrated twice as much risky behavior on a virtual ballon inflation game compared with those on placebo. They inflated the balloons with abandon bursting them.
Normally nearly one in every 4 Americans takes acetaminophen on a regular basis. During our current pandemic, use is skyrocketing and that threatens an epidemic of bad judgment.
https://academic.oup.com/scan/advance-article/doi/10.1093/scan/nsaa108/5897711
#tylenol #acetaminophen #risk
tylenol, acetaminophen, risk
How To Charm Your Baby: Best Of: 5/2020
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/YRhzpHLgygE
Imitate your infant, and she or he will love you for it. Swedish philosophers at Lund University report this conclusion following their observations of sixteen 6 month old infants.
Even very young children recognize when an adult is imitating their behaviors. The babies focus attention longer and more consistently on those imitating them. Their smiles indicate that they relish being imitated and feel a close bond with those imitating them.
Since infants feel your imitation of their actions and motions signals your approval and friendliness, you can effectively us this strategy to motivate positive behaviors and inhibit negative ones. These studies once again prove that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0232717
#infant #imitation #parenting
infant, imitation, parenting
Bosses Who Bully Kill Their Own Bottom Lines: Best Of: 3/2019
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/i48cXALBTQY
Abusive bosses who rule with a heavy hand are managing their own failure. This is the conclusion of a 427 study meta-analysis completed by researchers at Portland State University and published in the Journal of Management.
Managers perceived as unfair, unhelpful, and impersonal trigger counterproductive and passive-aggressive work behaviors including work slow-downs, delayed arrivals in the morning, extended breaks during the work day, calling-in sick, and frank workplace sabotage. Obnoxious leaders create a toxic work environment, staff stress, and departures of valuable team members.
The most successful managers walk around the workplaces to kindle personal work relationships with their staff. Once bosses know their subordinates as people, they can better function as facilitators to help everyone on the team shine and in so doing burnish their own reputations.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0149206318823935
#bosses #bully #management #profits #sabotage
bosses, bully, management, profits, sabotage
It’s Karma: School Bullies Sustain More Injury Than Victims: Best Of: 1/2019
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/gNxPgn0MnV4
School violence is on the rise but, surprise, it’s the bullies themselves who are most likely to be seriously injured. This the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Texas-Houston who studied of some 4300 5th, 7th, and 10th graders in Houston, LA, and Birmingham, Alabama.
In 5th grade, 17% of children sustained at least one violent injury with a gun or knife, but that percentage rose to 33% by10th grade with gunshot injuries predominating. Bullies themselves were 41% more likely to be violently injured compared with other children because they engage in more risky and violent activities.
If you are the parent of a bully, don’t think that encouraging your child to “feel his/her oats” will end well. Aggressively stop this behavior and redirect your child’s energies in more positive directions.
Katelyn K. Jetelina, Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, Mark A. Schuster, etal. Mechanisms and Frequency of Violent Injuries Among Victims and Perpetrators of Bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.10.295
#schoolviolence #bullying #children #parenting #guns #weapons
schoolviolence, bullying, children, parenting, guns, weapons
Young Smokers Are Suffocating: Best Of: WBZ Radio: 1/1990
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Hy_UcuxOiAY
Lead-in by WBZ’s Gary LaPierre—-
Relatively young men and women are falling victim to chronic obstructive lung disease or COPD. An NIH study of more than 5,800 young smokers with smoking-related lung problems shows that about 40% of them are younger than 45 years and more than 40% of them are women. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are generally thought to be diseases of older men. The good news: repeated lung function studies and close medical supervision drove 41% to stop smoking. Compare that to only 5% successfully quitting while in non-medical stop smoking programs.
#smoking #twentysomethings #copd #emphysema #pulmonaryfunctiontesting #stopsmoking #WBZNewsRadio
smoking, twentysomethings, copd, emphysema, pulmonaryfunctiontesting, stopsmoking, WBZNewsRadio
Magic Psoriasis Therapy - Part 1: Best Of: WBZ Radio: 1/1990
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/nK1WSlxwud0
A young couple travel abroad for unique psoriasis therapy. References after Part 2.
#psoriasis #travel #WBZNewsRadio #drfish
Psoriasis, travel, WBZNewsRadio, drfish
Magic Psoriasis Therapy - Part 2: Best Of: WBZ Radio: 1/1990
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/XA1MDUI--vo
A young couple travel abroad for unique psoriasis therapy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1697753/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1697753/
#psoriasis #travel #turkey #kangal #drfish #WBZNewsRadio
Psoriasis, travel, turkey, kangal, drfish, WBZNewsRadio