Multimillion dollar national programs have been run to reduce exposures to mind altering drugs, but when will we see the same effort towards limiting the amount of environmental toxins our children are exposed to? Researchers at the Institute for Glial Sciences at the School of Medicine provide startling proof that chemicals from daily consumer products are contributing to the health decline of millions.
Publishing in Nature Neuroscience, a prestigious journal, they reported on the effects of such chemicals on the oligodendrocytes in mice and on simulated brain cells. These oligodendrocytes play a role in diseases like multiple sclerosis as they wrap nerve fibers in insulation sheaths that allow the nerves to relay information throughout the brain. Damage to these cells clearly plays a role in various other brain diseases including autism.
The researchers started by looking at 1800 different household chemicals to see which would harm oligodendrocytes. The majority of the harmful chemicals which they found belonged to two specific classes: organophosphate flame retardants and quaternary ammonium compounds. The flame retardants are found in many places such as electronics and in furniture. The quaternary ammonium compounds are found in numerous products as a disinfectant, not just cleaning products, but many products to prevent microbial growth on the shelf.
While most of us spend little time worrying about the effects of such chemicals on mice brains, we should be concerned with the further epidemiological research done which linked one of the chemicals with poor neurological outcomes in children nationally. There are definite effects of the widespread use of these chemicals on children’s health.
In the clinic, we address children’s neurological health on a daily basis as more and more parents are searching for answers to their children’s neuropsychiatric symptoms. Most are aware of the growing incidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, but few in conventional medicine have answers for the growing epidemic. In functional medicine, we simply take seriously studies like these and countless others that demonstrate the adverse effects of toxin exposures on young children’s developing brains.
Sure, some children have great genetics and can handle 1 or 2 toxic exposures without any obvious symptoms. For others, a combination of less-than-ideal detox genetic pathways plus a few insufficient nutrients from a standard American diet can leave them vulnerable to incoming toxins. The problem amplifies when children are exposed to multiple toxins as is common today. Mixing a little flame retardant with a synthetic food additive and a phthalate from other products can turn into a toxic soup for kid’s brains.
Functional medicine seeks to help these children live healthier, more abundant lives even when conventional medicine won’t recognize the cause of their illness. Identifying the toxin, eliminating its sources, and optimizing detox pathways means children and adults can live optimally rather than suffer needlessly.
Original Article:
Erin F. Cohn, Benjamin L. L. Clayton, Mayur Madhavan, Kristin A. Lee, Sara Yacoub, Yuriy Fedorov, Marissa A. Scavuzzo, Katie Paul Friedman, Timothy J. Shafer, Paul J. Tesar. Pervasive environmental chemicals impair oligodendrocyte development. Nature Neuroscience, 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01599-2
Thanks to Science Daily:
Case Western Reserve University. “Common household chemicals pose new threat to brain health, study finds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 March 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240325135708.htm>.
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.
