American Academy of Environmental Medicine

Environmental Awareness: Eradicating Disease by Treating the Cause Is the Key to the American Academy of Environmental Medicine's Mission.

The environmental medicine approach to health problems is based on "the simple concept that there are causes for all illnesses and the obvious, but not well accepted fact that what we eat or are exposed to in our environment has a direct effect upon our health."

The founders and members of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine are recognized as the first organization to describe or acknowledge:
• Serial dilution endpoint titration
• Sublingual immunotherapy
• Optimal dose immunotherapy
• Food allergy/addiction
• Provocation/neutralization
• Avoidance/reintroduction challenge testing
• Rotary diversified diet
• Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS)
• Total load phenomenon
• Environmental control in the home, workplace, and hospital
• Chemically less-contaminated foods
• Sauna depuration
• Hepatic detoxification enhancement
• Gulf War syndrome
• Endocrine mimicry disorders
• The role of mold in the development of systemic illness
• Yeast syndrome

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that more than 2.5 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released to the environment in the United States each year. More than 80,000 new chemical compounds have been developed since World War II, and of those 3,000 are high-volume chemicals. Annual production exceeds one million pounds. These chemicals are released into the air, water, soil, and waste sites and permeate communities, schools, and homes. Manmade and naturally occurring chemicals contribute to the chemical agents we encounter daily. During the past several decades, along with the increase of chemical toxicity in the environment, incidence of chronic diseases has increased. We are constantly adapting to environmental changes, but exposure to toxins can break down our systems and cause disease.

One branch of medicine that deals with the impact of environmental toxins on health is environmental medicine, and one of the foremost organizations representing the discipline is the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM). Founded in 1965 by a group of clinicians from varied specialties and backgrounds, AAEM is an international association of physicians and other professionals concerned with the interaction between humans and the environment, and how this is reflected in total health. AAEM is focused on research and education surrounding the treatment of illnesses caused by exposure to environmental toxins, such as biological and chemical agents found in food, water, and air. Concerned not only with effective treatment of these illnesses, AAEM also promotes wellness through prevention and education about the effects of environmental factors that cause disease.

Numerous exposures to environmental toxins over prolonged periods of time contribute to illness. Individual characteristics such as genetic predisposition, gender, nutritional status, infectious processes, and emotional and physical stress can affect our levels of susceptibility to environmental agents.

Because of the large number of chemicals being released into our environment and the complexity of circumstances that makes certain individuals more susceptible than others to chemicals in our surroundings, understanding how environmental factors contribute to the breakdown of our wellbeing is at the forefront of AAEM's goals. According to Public Relations Chairperson Ty Vincent, MD, "AAEM has always been interested in not just identifying and treating chemical illness, but in how the human body reacts to the environment. This involves hormones, nutritional factors, genetics, chronic infections, and internal medicine problems."

Many of the patients who are seen by physician members of AAEM have sought treatment through traditional medicine, which has failed at curing their illnesses. "[Environmental medicine] gives patients another option from traditional medicine, instead of just giving up and not getting any better," explains AAEM President Charles Crist, MD. Many complicated illnesses that are ineffectively treated by traditional medicine (eg, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome) can be treated successfully with environmental medicine and an integrative health approach. The focus for doctors at AAEM is not just managing the patient's symptoms, but treating the underlying cause of the illness.