Environmental Medicine
Environmental medicine is an evolving field of medicine in which MDs and NDs diagnose and treat illness that is a result of a toxic exposure.
“Transcending all boundaries of race, faith, income, and geography, this is the pollution that is in all of us and in our families; it speaks powerfully to our need to understand the risks of exposure to these chemicals and to protect those most vulnerable among us, including children who are exposed even before the moment of birth.”
From the moment of conception onward, our bodies host myriad industrial chemicals that enter our bloodstream through our skin, gastrointestinal system or lungs. They are ingredients in consumer products (e.g. cosmetics, deoderant), or pollutants in air, water and food. They are the fire retardants, grease-proof coatings, plasticizers, and solvents that are found throughout our homes and work environments. They are our personal body burden of pollution.
Research
In 2000, a group of scientists in Washington DC at the Environmental Working Group, spearheaded a series of groundbreaking investigations on the pollution in people, from newborns and grandparents to mothers and teens. They’ve found pollutants in everyone. And they’ve found hundreds altogether, in combinations that have never been tested for safety. The toxins many people have in their bodies revealed by these studies exposes alarming gaps in the scientific understanding of our exposures and in our system of public health protection. In one study conducted they discovered that 457 of 538 chemicals tested were found in the blood, urine, umbilical cord blood of infants, and breast milk from a sample of 94 people.
Are these chemicals and toxic metals related to disease?
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment is a diverse network of over 2600 healthcare providers and academic researchers in over 40 countries, working collectively to advance knowledge and effective action to address growing concerns about the links between human health and environmental factors. They have developed a database that helps us understand the links between our exposures and the ensuing health problems.
How are environmental exposures diagnosed?
If there are aspects of your case that may indicate some kind of toxic exposure, Dr. Smith takes a thorough environmental exposure history regarding residential, occupational, medical and dental exposures. She then uses urine and blood tests to identify the presence of heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals that are stored in the body to show evidence of toxic exposures.
What kind of training does Dr. Smith have?
Dr. Smith completed a postgraduate training program for NDs and MDs taught by the following international experts: William J Rea MD, David Quig PhD, Aristo Vojdani PhD, Lyn Patrick ND, Soram Khalsa MD, & Mary Cordaro.
