Environmental Medicine

Environmental Medicine Chair:  Mary Reker, 3rd year student at SCNM
Contact:  environmentalmed@naturopathicstudent.org


What is Environmental Medicine?
Environmental Medicine studies the interactions between the world we live in and our health. Many different health conditions can be caused or exacerbated by environmental factors:

  • cancers
  • reproductive disorders
  • endocrine disorders
  • birth defects
  • learning and developmental disabilities
  • immune disorders

What are the Issues?
The issues include both the effects of pollution on human health, as well as the effects on the environment from human and industrial practices.

  • Water Pollution
    Plastic water bottle waste, contaminants in drinking water (including chlorinated organic compounds, nitrates, fluoride, heavy metals, etc), water pollution from concentrated animal feed lots, oil spills, increasing salt load in natural waterways due to water softeners
  • Air Pollution
    Indoor air pollution - cigarette/tobacco smoke, off-gassing from building materials (carpets, paints, treated woods), air fresheners, candles, mold, pesticides, scented soaps, fabric softeners, potpourri, perfumes, acrylic nail salons, dry cleaning, fumes from attached garages, natural gas stoves

    • Outdoor air pollution - vehicle exhaust, dust, industrial manufacturing plants, power generation plants, pesticides applied to golf courses and sports fields

  • Food pollution
    Pesticides, hormones and antibiotics in meats, genetically-modified foods,heavy metals and fungus in fish, PCBs in animal fats and dairy, prescription and over-the-counter drugs

What is your body burden of pollutants?

  • Common genetic polymorphisms lead to decreased ability of the body to detoxify from solvents, heavy metals, and other xenobiotics
  • Acute and chronic exposures to chlorinated compounds, heavy metals, solvents, etc

 

Articles


 

Websites for Environmental Medicine ND's

  • Dr. Marchese, author of "8 Weeks to Women's Wellness' - click to access


 Online resources - click on name to access