How the Pollution All Around You Impacts Your Health by Claire Arcidiacono, ND

Winter 2019 Catalog

How the Pollution All Around You Impacts Your Health

Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND

The headlines are astounding and sadly, true;

• "Even low pollution levels can pose a health risk."

• "Air pollution contributes significantly to diabetes globally."

• "Lifelong air pollution exposure raises Alzheimer’s risk."

• "Short-term exposure to low levels of air pollution very dangerous for seniors."

The most common and scary health impact of pollution is a heart attack. This from the tiny particulate pollution expelled from cars, trucks, and boilers. Exposure is worse in some countries such as China and India, however, living in an American city, near a busy road, or close to a gas station increases our exposure.

The problem are the tiny particles suspended in air called fine particulate matter. Because they are so very-very small, when inhaled, they easily dissolve into our bloodstream and are carried throughout our body. Science already shows they damage our kidney function, contribute to fatty liver, inflame our lungs, brain, and heart, and can contribute to cancer risk, as well as diabetes.

Cocoa for Inflammation

A study in children living in Mexico City shows that those exposed to vehicular pollution, in contrast to those living in more pristine country regions, have inflammation in their hearts and are developing plaques in their brain similar to that found in the brains of elderly people with Alzheimer’s dementia. The researchers from the University of Montana, Missoula (who initially worked with a team from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta) found that as short as within nine days, supplementing the children with real cocoa reduced the inflammation in their heart and improved results on short term memory tasks.†

NAC for Liver and Lung Health

NAC, short for N Acetyl-L-Cysteine is also helpful. Well known for its beneficial effects on liver health, NAC is the precursor to Glutathione; an antioxidant enzyme system called the “Mother of all Antioxidants” by our good friend Dr. Alan Pressman. NAC can directly attach to several heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, and remove them from the body. Additionally, by easily converting to Glutathione, NAC stimulates a host of different detoxification pathways that remove pollutants, drug metabolites, and toxins from the body through processes in both the liver and kidneys; these are our master organs of detoxification. Magnificently, while improving the removal of toxins, NAC serves a dual purpose of safeguarding the health of the liver and kidneys by acting as a very powerful antioxidant.†

NAC has a known impact on lung health in humans and in animal studies. NAC strongly protects the health of the lungs from highly concentrated exposures to auto exhaust. As a supplement always take NAC with food.†