Nedley Health Report

Hawthorn extract has a significant benefit for patients with chronic heart failure, according to researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK. The researchers, who reviewed 14 scientific studies comparing Hawthorne to placebo in heart failure patients, found evidence that Hawthorn extract significantly improved the maximal workload and exercise tolerance of heart failure patients. The herb also reduced shortness of breath and fatigue, compared to placebo. Hawthorn extract extended the lives of patients with congestive heart failure by an average of four months, according to another study presented to the American College of Cardiology in 2007. The 2,681 patients, who were already receiving medical treatment, were suffering from advanced congestive heart failure. Patients who received the extract had a 20% reduction in cardiac-related deaths.

Self-medication of chronic heart failure with hawthorn extract is not a good idea, however, because the herb could interact with other medications a person is taking. As a result, individuals with chronic heart failure should consult their physician before taking it. (Source: The Cochrane Library 2008)

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Breathing air polluted by heavy traffic can actually lower your child's IQ, according to a recent study released by Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. The effect on a child's brain of living in an area of heavy traffic is similar to those seen in children who have been exposed to lead, or whose mothers smoked 10 cigarettes per day while pregnant.

The Harvard study involved 202 Boston-area children, ages 8-11, who were participating in a study of maternal smoking. Researchers compared several measures of cognitive function to each child's estimated exposure to black carbon (a toxin emitted in exhaust fumes, particularly diesel fumes).

After adjusting for the affects of parental educational levels, language factors, birth weight and tobacco smoke, researchers found that heavy exposure to black carbon was linked to a 3.4-point average drop in IQ. Children who were heavily exposed to exhaust fumes also scored lower on tests of vocabulary, memory and learning. Of course, there are other respiratory-related dangers of breathing dirty air as well. Researchers in the Harvard study are questioning whether traffic exposure might cause or accelerate brain degeneration in conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Moving into the country, where the air is clean and fresh, is about the only way to protect your children from the effects of breathing polluted air. If you live in the city and are not able to relocate, try to find a house or apartment as far from the busiest streets as possible. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, February 1, 2008)

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Five lifestyle factors can improve the probability that a 70-year-old man will live to be 90 by as more than 12 times, according to a new study by Dr. Laurel B. Yates. The study followed nearly 2400 elderly men who were participating in the Physician's Healthy Study for a period of 25 years.

The 70-somethings who smoked, were obese, had hypertension and diabetes, and led a sedentary lifestyle had just a 4% chance of reaching age 90. In contrast, men who came down on the healthy side of those five lifestyle issues had a 54% chance of living another 20 years. While 41% of the men in the study lived to be age 90 or older, smokers were half as likely as non-smokers to reach their 90^th birthdays. Men who exercised regularly were 28% less likely to die during the study.

The longer-lived men in the study had better physical and mental function as they aged. They also developed heart disease and cancer years later than their shorter-lived peers. This study focused on men, however, it is likely that the same type of results would hold true for women. While lifestyle changes are not always easy to make, this study reinforces that the rewards are well-worth the effort. (Archives of Internal Medicine, February 11, 2008.)

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