Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE5kUccO90q/ Dierbergs Markets is recalling their Premium Home-Style Mashed Potatoes in16-ounce packages with a Sell By Date of January 9, 2025.  These mashed  potatoes contain undeclared wheat creating a risk for those with wheat allergies, gluten sensitivities, and celiac disease. These mashed potatoes were sold at Dierbergs Markets in Missouri and Illinois. Stop using the product and return unopened packages to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For more info, contact Dierbergs Markets at 1-636-532-8884.  https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/dierbregs-markets-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-wheat-product #dierbergs #mashedpotatoes #wheat #allergy #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE5j3SUOaSE/ Lifestyle Evolution now recalls NuGo Dark Chocolate Chip Nutrition Bars and NuGo Dark Pretzel Nutrition Bars, Best By dates of December 14-23, 2025.  Specific lots contain undeclared milk, a risk for those with milk allergies. These bars were sold nationwide at retail locations and online by Amazon, Costco, Wegmans, Giant Eagle, and other outlets. Immediately stop using these recalled products and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For additional information or assistance, contact Lifestyle Evolution at 1-888-421-2032 or email the company at contact@nugonutrition.com. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/lifestyle-evolution-voluntarily-recalls-nugo-dark-chocolate-chip-and-nugo-dark-pretzel-due #nugo #nutrition #bars #milk #allergy #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE5jQD8pFoy/ The Mochi Ice Cream Company LLC is recalling My Mochi Peach Mango Sorbet, lots 337-24 and 341-24. This sorbet contains undeclared pasteurized cooked egg white, a risk for those with egg allergies. About 1,350 cases of the affected sorbet were sold nationwide. If you have any of this My Mochi Peach Mango Sorbet in your freezer, immediately stop consuming the product and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For questions or concerns about this recall, contact The Mochi Ice Cream Company at 1-844-696-6244. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/mochi-ice-cream-company-llc-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-egg-peach-mango-sorbet #mymochi #peachmango #sorbet #egg #allergy #recall

x Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE3OvznPqGz/ Sig Sauer is recalling its SIG SAUER ROMEO5 Red Dot Sights, Models SOR52001 and 7400579, and those bundled with Model SORJ53101. These products violate federal safety regulations for button cell batteries. The batteries included with the sights are not in child-resistant packaging, lack required warnings, and can be easily accessed, posing a serious ingestion hazard to children. About 230,000 units were sold nationwide at stores including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Academy Sports, Scheels, and other local firearms and equipment retailers. The signs were sold online at Sigsauer.com, Amazon.com, Opticsplanet.com, and other websites. All sales occurred from February 2023 through December 2024. Don’t unpack the recalled sights and contact SIG SAUER for a free recall kit with a child-safe new battery compartment cap, proper labeling,  and an updated instruction manual.  For additional information, contact SIG SAUER at 1-603-610-3000 o

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE3M7aesRgO/ Wemfg now recalls Wemfg Children’s Multi-Purpose Bike Helmets, Model MD-710-S. These helmets fail to meet federal safety regulations for positional stability, impact labeling, and certification.  About 6,500 units were sold exclusively on Amazon.com between April and July 2024. Immediately stop allowing your children to wear these helmets.  Contact Wemfg to arrange a full refund by cutting off the straps, taking a photo of the detached straps, and email the image along with your Amazon order number to 961837339@qq.com. Dispose of the helmet after submitting proof of destruction. For more information, email Wemfg at 961837339@qq.com or visit the Wemfg Storefront on Amazon.com. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Multi-Purpose-Childrens-Helmets-Recalled-Due-to-Risk-of-Head-Injury-Violation-of-Federal-Regulations-for-Bicycle-Helmets-Sold-Exclusively-on-Amazon-com-Imported-by-Wemfg #wemfg #childrens #bicycle #helmets #unsafe #recall

Your Food May Be Aging You Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE3FugURhQi/ Ultra-processed foods, UPFs, yes those sugary drinks, colorful cereals, cookies, instant noodles, and cakes, pound on your body’s cells to the extent that it makes your body older than your actual chronologic age.  Nutritionists from Australia’s Monash University studied 16,055 subjects 20 to 79 years of age.  Tabulating their biological age markers and diet, they found that every 10% increase in ultra processed food drove a 2 month increase in cellular aging. Those eating the most UPFs had bodies a year older than their chronological ages. You won’t wonder why when you read the long list of unnatural ingredients in these products.  The emulsifiers, hydrogenated oils, and unmentionable preservatives drown out any real nutrients that manage to find their way into the packaging. Aging isn’t the only negative triggered by ultraprocessed foods.  The Harvard Nurses Health and Health Professionals Studies, analyzing some 3.6 millio

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE3EziwuRqe/ Grapefruit interacts with various enzymes and transporters in the body.  When it does, it tends to make some prescription medications either less or more effective.  An excellent article on health.com lists all of the prescription drugs that grapefruit effects.  Let’s run through them so you’re in the know. • Statins: Used to lower cholesterol; grapefruit can elevate their levels and increases a risk of muscle damage. • Calcium Channel Blockers: high blood pressure medications; grapefruit may enhance their effects and may crash your blood pressure. • Estrogen-containing Medications: Most common are birth control pills; grapefruit raises estrogen levels with a greater risk of side effects. • Immunosuppressants: Taken to prevent transplanted organ rejection; grapefruit increases drug levels with a risk of kidney toxicity. • Benzodiazepines: Anti-anxiety drugs; grapefruit boosts their sedative effects producing excess drowsiness.

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE3ESW9t2ue/ The US Environmental Protection Agency now bans trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (Perc).  TCE damages the immune as well as the nervous system and has been implicated in liver and kidney cancers as well as non-hodgekins lymphoma.  Perc is associated with  liver, kidney, brain, and testicular cancers. TCE is a common ingredient in carpet cleaners, spot removers, glues and adhesives, paint removers and strippers, auto brake cleaners and engine degreasers.  Perc is found in dry cleaning chemicals, spot and stain removers, degreasers, aerosol shoe polishes and lubricants, engine degreasers and brake cleaners, and paint/varnish removers. Check your shelves at home and work for these products and check the ingredient lists.  If you must work around these chemicals, do so with adequate ventilation and high filtration masks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-epa-solvents-linked-cancer.html #epa #trichloroethylene #perchloroethylene #cancer

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE3DnANgEvw/ Bioengineers at New York University have perfected microchip-mounted bundles of field-effect transistors capable of detecting and precisely identifying pathogenic bacteria and viruses from samples of air.  Employing nanotechnology using graphene and microlithography, these chips can detect multiple microorganisms simultaneously.  They have successfully identified tiny deposits of the CoVid and influenza A viruses.  Besides incorporation into medical devices, these chips may be installed in building materials to make our homes and workplaces safer…..someday soon. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241216184736.htm#google_vignette #microchips #nyu #fet #fieldeffecttransistors #pathogens

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE3B6xxvUxr/ Wish you could eat those burgers and fries without breaking your bathroom scale?  Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder may be able to make your dream come true.  Their pre-clinical study exposed mice to a typical high fat, high sugar western diet.   Those animals receiving weekly injections of heat-killed Mycobacterium vaccae, a bacterium that fights inflammation and is found in cow’s milk, avoided weight gains, fat accumulations, and brain tissue inflammation. A vaccine against weight gain is far off as this principle is as yet untested in human subjects.  On the other hand, this study suggests the possibility that you could be immunized against your guilty dietary pleasures…..someday soon. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S088915912400758X #westerndiet #obesity #sugar #fat #vaccine #mycobacteriumvaccae

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE3BTQTtVlh/ Without oxygen we die.  In some cases, it is impossible to establish a pathway into the lungs and sometime the lungs are unable to transmit oxygen into the bloodstream.  One solution to such problems has been ECMO or extra-corporeal membrane oxygenators or mechanical lungs that facilitate direct oxygen passage into red blood cells.  Problem is that ECMO machines aren’t portable and require surgical connections to a patient’s bloodstream. Bioengineers at Boston Children's Hospital now have a more portable approach for directly delivering lifesaving oxygen into a patient’s bloodstream.  Fifteen years of scientific work have led to the development of lipid-coated polymer oxygen microbubbles or LOMs.  Injected directly into the bloodstream, these micro-carriers rapidly dissolve and release microbubbles of oxygen that can be safely absorbed by red cells.  Ample quantities of these LOMs can be stored for emergency use. Following this suc

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE3AcxusITU/ Infants and toddlers glued to the TV or tablet for 14 hours or more a week had a 79% higher risk of an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis by age 12.  Pediatric investigators now report this link in the journal JAMA Pediatrics following their study of 5107 Australian children.  More screen time also occurred in families with greater economic challenges. The researchers emphasize that their study does not prove that excess screen time is a cause of autism.  Rather, autism spectrum disorders seem to arise in family settings where parents are less available to nurture their children. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2825501 #screentime #autism #asd #socioeconomics

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE2_4R0O5BN/ Even occasional drinkers raise their risk of cancer.  From Boston’s famed Dana-Farber Cancer Institute come details on why that is true. Alcohol damages the tissues it touches all along your gastrointestinal tract creating oxidative stress in cells. When your cells try to repair themselves, DNA changes, that is mutations, occur and some lead to cancer.  Then too, alcohol is metabolized in your body to the carcinogen acetaldehyde.  Alcohol directly inflames and damages your liver leading to cancer.  It triggers increases in your body’s estrogen levels.  For women, that can facilitate breast cancer development and studies show 15% of these cancers are alcohol-related.  Finally, alcohol is a carb and puts pounds on you, a known cancer risk. Dana-Farber nutritionists recommend reserving any drinking only for special occasions.  That doesn’t mean TGIF. https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2023/09/what-you-should-know-about-alcohol-cons

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE2_QIcPOUP/ Using an artificial intelligence-enhanced electrocardiogram model developed at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, British cardiologists at Imperial College London have been able to pinpoint specific cardiac functional problems such as heart chamber malfunctions.  The EKG-AI analysis is even able to predict, besides heart pumping malfunctions, the likelihood of future hypertension, stroke, kidney failure, and death even in patients with apparently normal cardiograms and blood pressures.  The best news is that this this AI powered EKG model boosts 44% more accuracy than current, traditional, clinical approaches. https://academic.oup.com/ehjdh/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ehjdh/ztae090/7903004?login=false #EKG #AI #hypertension #heartfailure #kidneyfailure #stroke

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DE2-q55uiOm/ Ingesting calcium reduces a woman’s risk of colorectal cancer by some 17%.  This the report from the UK’s University of Oxford.  Epidemiologists there analyzed data from more than half million (542,778) women with a mean age of 60 years followed over 16 years.   Other foods besides those containing calcium also appeared to be protective though to a less significant degree.  Fruit and cereal reduced the risk by about 8%. The study’s findings were not all good news.  Alcohol boosts a woman’s risk of bowel cancer by 15% and red meat bumps it up by 9-10%. If you’re a woman with a family history of colorectal cancer, you should take this data to heart. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55219-5 #women #colorectalcancer #calcium #alcohol #fruit #cereal

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEnkpCSP6Ht/ Costco and LNK International Inc. are recalling Kirkland Signature Severe Cold & Flu Plus Congestion, Lot Number P140082. This product has unspecified foreign bodies contaminating it. About 25,000 units of this cold medicine were sold nationwide at Costco locations including Massachusetts, New York, California, Florida, Texas, and other states, between October 30, 2024, and November 30, 2024. Do not to use this over-the-counter medication.  Return any remaining product to your local Costco warehouse for a full refund.  For more information, contact LNK International Inc. at 1-800-426-9391 or via email at complaints-inquiries@lnkintl.com. https://cdn.bfldr.com/U447IH35/as/mv4ttph69gfccfc53qg32r/KS_Cold_And_Flu_Member_Letter_123124 #costco #kirkland #lnk #cold #over-the-counter #foreignbodies #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DEnj8tiNQle/ Gardners Candies, Inc.has recalled its Cappuccino Meltaway® Bars, Lot Number 082725, and Gardners Meltaway Treat Boxes containing the Cappuccino Meltaway Bars, Lot Numbers 101625 and 112525. These products contain undeclared tree nuts (cashews) that create a risk of a serious allergic reaction for individuals with tree nut allergies. These candies recalled products were sold nationwide starting September 1, 2024, through retail stores and online via GardnersCandies.com. Do not consume these candies. Contact Gardners Candies for more information and replacement product by calling 1-800-242-2639. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/gardners-candies-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-tree-nuts-cappuccino-meltawayr-bars-and-gardners #gardners #candies #meltaway #treenuts #cashews #allergy #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEnjakrMEhm/ Braga Fresh has recalled its Marketside Broccoli Florets, Lot Code BFFG327A6., Best if Used by Date” of December 10, 2024.  This product has listeria contamination.. This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.  Listeria can also trigger miscarriages and stillbirths. . This broccoli product was sold at Walmart stores in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington state, and Wyoming. Check your freezer for this recalled product and discard it immediately. For more information, call Braga Fresh at 1-877-456-7445 or email the company at WeCare@bragafresh.com. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/braga-fresh-issues-voluntary-and-precautionary-advisory-due-possible-health-risk #marketside #br

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/drhowardsmithreports/reel/DEni3I7PO-X/ Blue Ridge Beef now recalls its Kitten Mix   This pet food has salmonella contamination.   This bacterium can cause serious and sometimes fatal gastrointestinal and systemic infections in young children, elderly persons, and others with weakened immune systems. Affected is lot number N25-0716.. About 1,350 pounds of this product were sold in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. between July 18 and July 26, 2024. Stop feeding this mix to your cats.  Immediately dispose of it safely to prevent poisoning of children, pets, or wildlife. To prevent your or your cat from developing a salmonella infection, wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Carefully wash and sanitize your hands after handling this recalled food or any utensils that come in contact with it. To obtain a full refund, email Blue Ridge Beef at blueridgebeefnc@yahoo.com or call 1-704-873-2072. https://www.fda

xContamination Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEniRRgOYwA/ Abbey Specialty Foods now recalls its Wicklow Gold Cheddar Nettle & Chive and Wicklow Gold Cheddar Tomato & Herb cheeses.  Both have contamination with listeria monocytogenes. listeria monocytogenes.  This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.  Affected are lot numbers 1113880 and 1113881 with sell-by dates of June 2, 2025. About 6,900 units of these cheeses were sold in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Colorado. Don’t consume these recalled cheeses, return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.  More information is available at Abbey Specialty Foods by calling  1-862-210-8150 or emailing info@abbeyspecialty.com. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/abbey-specialty-foods-recalls-wicklow-gold-cheddar-nettle-chive-52-oz-and-wicklow-gold-cheddar #abbey #cheese #listeri