Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a former radio medical editor and talk show host in the Boston Metro area. His "Medical Minute" of health and wellness news and commentary was a regular weekday feature on WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM. His popular two-way talk show, Dr. Howard Smith OnCall, was regularly heard Sunday morning and middays on WBZ.

Dr. Smith has adopted audio and video podcasting as conduits for HEALTH NEWS YOU SHOULD USE. Based on the latest medical, health, and wellness literature these reports provide practical information you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Many reports have video versions, and Dr. Smith’s YouTube Channel may be found at: http://bit.ly/2rNw6XQ

Trained at Harvard Medical School and a long-time faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, he practiced Pediatric Otolaryngology for 40 years in Boston, Southern California, and in central Connecticut.  He is now based in New York City.

If you have questions or suggestions about this content, please email the doctor at drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com or leave him a message at 516-778-8864.  His website is: www.drhowardsmith.com.

Please note that the news, views, commentary, and opinions that Dr. Smith provides are for informational purposes only. Any changes that you or members of your family contemplate making to lifestyle, diet, medications, or medical therapy should always be discussed beforehand with personal physicians who have been supervising your care.

Dec 31, 2019

 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZuqDeXVraTM

 

Keeping your gums healthy may help you maintain a sharp mind as well as a full set of teeth throughout your life.  A study from the University of Louisville’s dental school shows that a bacterium that frequently causes gingivitis and periodontitis can travel to your brain and help to trigger your mental decline.

 

The nasty bug in question is Porphyromonas gingivalis.  The researchers demonstrated the genetic fingerprints of the bacterium and its characteristic toxin in the brains of deceased Alzheimer’s patients.  In a parallel mouse experiment, they showed that migration of this bacterium from gum to brain can be halted with agents that block the bacterium’s toxins.   When this blockage is successful, the rodents fail to develop mental deterioration.

 

The investigators start that studies are now underway to test such blocking drugs in Alzheimer’s patients to see if their disease progression may be stopped or slowed.  Even before such a drug is available, you can help yourself now by eliminating the P. Gingivalis bacteria from your gums.  

 

That task is as simple as brushing, flossing, or water flossing regularly and by having professional dental cleanings once or twice a year.

 

Experimental Biology. "Gum bacteria implicated in Alzheimer's and other diseases: Scientists trace path of bacterial toxins from the mouth to the brain and other tissues." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 April 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190407144231.htm.

 

#gingivitis #periodontitis #dementia #alzheimers