Howard G. Smith, MD, AM
PENTA Medical Network
+1-617-488-9699
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Best of 3rd Week Jan 2026
Best of: Foods Can Conquer Acid Indigestion
From March 2024
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT5_FagjbAj/
Heartburn is common. At least 1 in every 4 persons in North America have it, and
it seems that nearly everyone you know is on some type of acid-suppressing
medicine, prescription or over-the-counter or both. With the trend toward using
food as medicine, let’s look at the foods that can help you control gastric acid and
heartburn.
Melons including cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and bananas. Melons have
low acid content so they don’t add to the acid your stomach produces. Same is
true for bananas.
Green vegetables including broccoli, asparagus, green beans, celery, and
cauliflower are low acid and healthy.
Fish don’t contribute to acid problems. Grill, bake or poach it. No frying.
Lean chicken, turkey, and beef are low acid. Don’t fry or eat the skin. Fatty
versions will trigger heartburn.
Egg whites have good protein and are low acid.
Then the carbs:
Oatmeal has fiber which helps your gi system keep moving.Whole-grain bread has lots of vitamins, minerals, but isn’t acidic.
Rice is another healthy carb without acid but plenty of fiber.
Root vegetables and Potatoes including sweet ones, beets, turnips, and carrots.
No onions. Other root vegetables are specifically anti-acid: ginger, fennel, parsley.
Eat healthy and put out that fire in your chest.
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/foods-that-fight-heartburn
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8966100/
#heartburn #reflux
heartburn, reflux
Best of: Anorexia Endangers Teen Boys More Than Girls
From Feb 2024
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT5_p-MDf-o/
Boys as well as girls do starve themselves to death. In fact, the mortality rate of anorexia nervosa is 1.5 to 6 times higher for males than females.
The guys most at risk for developing anorexia are those engaged in so-called strength focused sports including cycling, running, and wrestling. The male groups who most often suffer anorexia include those that are racially diverse, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. Those in these groups tend to fast, purge, excessively exercise, and use body building drugs such as anabolic steroids.
Anorexia is associated with significant disruptions in metabolism including electrolytes, lipids, and bone nutrition. It upsets both cardiovascular and. gastrointestinal functionality.
Of most importance, this disease is life-threatening. Karen Carpenter succumbed to it and her beautiful singing voice was silenced by a heart attack at age 32. Anorexia’s standardized mortality rate has been reported to be as high as 16%. The reported rate for females with anorexia is 5-fold higher than than for the general population. For males, it could be as much as 30-fold higher.
If your son or grandson is engaged in activities or is a member of a vulnerable group, do all you can to help him seek an evaluation and care. Don’t look back later and regret that you didn’t do more.
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/196/6/E191.full.pdf
#anorexia #males #females #teens #death
anorexia, males, females, teens, death
Best of: Learn To Use An AED—Save Lives
From Jan 2024
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6AdpPjloq/
When most people encounter someone half conscious on the street, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans know how to use the automated external defibrillators placed in strategic public locations. It’s a shame since half of those suffering a cardiac arrest outside a hospital will be brought back to life with a timely shock. That’s the tragedy documented by University of Texas Southwestern cardiologists who reviewed some 10,000 patients with cardiac standstill.
These AED devices are lifesaving if you know how to use them and have the guts to pull them off the wall and deploy them. To give you the confidence to save lives of friends, neighbors, strangers, and, maybe your family, I want you to watch this excellent video by the Washington Post featuring Dr. Landon Mueller of MedStar Health.
(Video)
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2813619
#AED #automatedexternaldefibrillator #cardiacarrest
AED, automatedexternaldefibrillator, cardiacarrest
Best of: Drinking and Smoking During Pregnancy Impacts Kids Brains
From Jan 2024
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6A_3Ejv-N/
Even minimal alcohol and tobacco use by pregnant women affects their child’s brain performance later. This the conclusion of a multisite, collaborative study helmed by Columbia University psychiatrists. The researchers reviewed the brain wave studies of 649 children at various ages from 5 to 11 years looking at abnormalities as a function of maternal exposures to alcohol and/or tobacco.
The good news is that 52% of the children’s mothers used NO alcohol and 87% did NOT smoke tobacco. The remainder of children demonstrated significant brain wave aberrations in association with their mothers’ exposures. Looking at alcohol exposures, children who mothers continued drinking through pregnancy evidenced double the EEG abnormalities compared with those who mothers discontinued drinking after the first trimester. Tobacco smoking during pregnancy led to significant EEG changes in the young offspring, but, interestingly enough, more so in young boys.
Other studies have shown that maternal alcohol and tobacco abuse are associated with childhood hyperactivity, cognitive malfunctions, memory issues, and impaired learning. This study, the first to look at mild to moderate drinking and smoking during pregnancy, confirms that ANY alcohol and/or tobacco consumption has long-term consequences for a growing child. There is no safe amount of smoking or drinking that won’t affect your child’s developing brain just as there is no such thing as a “touch of pregnancy!”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2813608
#alcohol #tobacco #EEG #hyperactivity #cognitive #memory
alcohol, tobacco, EEG, hyperactivity, cognitive, memory
Best of: Your Favorite Music Deadens Your Pain
From Feb 2023
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6DQatDCuV/
Listening to music you love lowers your pain threshold. Dutch anesthesia-pain researchers studied the perception of pressure- and electrically-induced pain in 415 subjects. Tolerance for both types of pain was better for those listening to their preferred brands of music rather than music they found annoying. One odd finding: listening to music you hate prior to that you love improved its pain-reducing effect.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0280036
#pain #music #preferred #disliked
pain, music, preferred, disliked
Best of: Limp Handshakes Associated With Depression
From Jan 2023
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6DzIGDiPW/
Those with a strong handgrip have a 26% lower risk of depression as years go by. This the conclusion after a study of 115,600 older Europeans living in 24 different countries over a 7 year period.
The investigators found a dose-response relationship between handgrip power and risk of depression for both men and women. The association seemed somewhat stronger for women than for men.
The association may be due to the fact that physical strength is an indicator of an overall level of health and well-being. Then too, those who firmly grip the hands of those they meet is an indication of a positivity that cascades through through their social and work lives.
#handgrip #strength #depression #positivity
handgrip, strength, depression, positivity
Best of: Walk Your Baby To Sleep
From Sept 2022
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6FxxngCbU/
Walking with your crying baby will induce calm and promote sleep better than merely sitting and holding the child. Japanese social scientists report this conclusion after studying the responses of 21 infants as their moms tried to calm them and induce their sleep by either walking them, sitting with them, or placing them in a crib with or without rocking.
Walking the babies calmed them and induced slower heart rates within 30 seconds, and the effects worked best when the holding and walking continued for 5 minutes. Almost half the babies fell asleep. Problem is, if the baby is laid down in the crib or bassinet after the 5 minutes, one-third awaken. By holding the babe for another 8 minutes after the 5 minute walk, they will fall asleep and stay that way.
#infants #sleep #parenting #walking #5to8
infants, sleep, parenting, walking, 5to8
Best of: Healthier Diet Beats 20Somethings Male Depression
From May 2022
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6GJZ-kffh/
Consuming a Mediterranean Diet for 3 months significantly lifted the spirits of young men 18 - 25 years. Australian public health researchers studied 72 test subjects in a parallel group, non-blinded, randomized study.
At the end of 12 weeks, those adhering to the Mediterranean diet compared with controls showed significantly improved scores on both the Beck Depression Inventory Scale and the Quality of Life score.
So guys, if you want a non-medicinal pick me up, chuck those greasy red meat burgers and fries in favor of more beans, nuts, grains, fruits, and veggies. Forego the gobs of butter and use olive oil.
#menshealth #twentysomethings #depression #mediterraneandiet
menshealth, twentysomethings, depression, mediterraneandiet
Best of: Intense Exercise Triggers Early Miscarriage In High Risk Would-Be Mothers
From May 2020
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6GsiJDhL-/
Women with a miscarriage history attempting to get pregnant may lose the fetus to aggressive exercising even before they know they are pregnant. Epidemiologists at UMass-Amherst studied 785 high risk pregnancies in young women with one or two previous miscarriages.
Seven percent of the women suffered yet another miscarriage just as their pregnancy was establishing. Those who lost their fetus at the time it would be implanting, the risk of loss was two-fold greater in those women pursuing moderate or intense exercise regimens.
If you have a history of miscarriage, avoid any excessive exercise during the first month even before you know you are pregnant.
https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(19)32497-5/fulltext
#pregnancy #miscarriage #miscarriage
pregnancy, miscarriage, miscarriage
Best of: Tricks To Improve Your Mood
From May 2020
Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT6HO5kjrwe/
As our house arrest continues, we all yearn for anything to improve our outlooks on life. Researchers at Iowa State University studied 423 young adults 20 to 35 years of age surveying their moods and quantitating their physical activities over 10 days using wearable sensors.
Almost anything is better than sitting around. Replacing prolonged sedentary time with light physical activity, moderate physical activity, or even sleep leads to mood elevation. Stimulating your mind and body, even with subconscious activity and dreams, will reset and refresh your brain.
If you find yourself sitting around for more than 30 minutes, get up and get physical. Light physical activities include walking around your home cleaning, washing dishes, or cooking.
https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(20)30136-7/pdf
#pandemic #quarantine #sedentary #sleep #cleaning
pandemic, quarantine, sedentary, sleep, cleaning