If anyone tells you that what your child breathes in every day does not matter, besides unfriending them on Facebook, hand them this article first. If the myriad studies on the effects of cigarette smoke is not enough, this article examines the potential link between particulate matter in the air and the development of working memory in young children.
Working memory serves us in the present moment by holding information for later uses. Without out, learning and problem solving are hindered. In this study the exposure to such fine airborne particulates began with pregnancy. The children were evaluated for cognitive changes between ages 7 and 10. The effects were more prominent in boys for unknown reason.
I will keep this short and sweet in summarizing: we are poisoning ourselves and our children with what we put into our environment. If we want to not only help individual patients live healthier more abundant lives, but also our communities and societies to avoid unnecessary illness or limitations on health, we must take these studies seriously. Our next generation deserves better.
REFERENCES:
Ioar Rivas, Xavier Basagaña, Marta Cirach, Mónica López-Vicente, Elisabet Suades-González, Raquel Garcia-Esteban, Mar Álvarez-Pedrerol, Payam Dadvand, Jordi Sunyer. Association between Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution and Working Memory and Attention. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2019; 127 (5): 057002 DOI: 10.1289/EHP3169
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
