Environmental Medicine

Environmental Medicine is a transversal discipline recognized by the Council of Europe since 2009 that diagnoses and treats diseases related to exposure to environmental toxins that contaminate water, air, food, and are found in numerous industrial products.

• They are many compounds that contaminate air, water, food, and are used in numerous products such as solvents, preservatives, colorants, flavorings, flame retardants, biocides, odor fixers, plastics, etc., which are harmful to health.

• Heavy metals, mycotoxins produced by molds in damp homes and offices, or electromagnetic waves generated by electronic devices, mobile devices, wifi, repeater antennas, etc. are also environmental toxins.

• Many act as endocrine disruptors generating hormonal alterations (bisphenols, parabens, phthalates, organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethrins, polybrominated, perfluorinated).

• It has been shown that numerous common chemicals in our environment trigger or aggravate endocrine, reproductive, respiratory, neurological pathologies, etc.

It is a chemical substance capable of mimicking the action of hormones or blocking the hormone receptors of cells, preventing the normal action of hormones and therefore, as a consequence, producing hormonal alterations. They can enter the body through direct contact with the skin, food, or air, and at low doses can interfere with the functioning of the endocrine system.

There are more than a thousand substances identified with this disruptive capacity.

• Exposure to environmental toxins is associated with a group of diseases called central sensitization such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or Electrohypersensitivity.

• Exposure to toxins is also related to many other diseases: endocrine alterations, neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory pathologies, cardiovascular problems, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, oncological diseases, dermatological conditions, sleep disorders, autism spectrum disorders.

Actually, all people, regardless of their state of health or disease, benefit from Environmental Medicine:

• People with central sensitization diseases: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Electrohypersensitivity.

• People with other diseases that are related to environmental contaminants: Intestinal Dysbiosis, Lyme Disease, Endocrine Alterations, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Respiratory Pathologies, Cardiovascular Problems, Autoimmune Diseases, Inflammatory Diseases, Oncological Diseases, Dermatological Conditions, Sleep Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders.

• People who want to prevent these diseases and optimize their health status. Environmental Medicine helps reduce the risk of developing many other diseases that are also related to exposure to environmental toxins or where toxins are one of the associated factors.

• People who want to improve their physical and mental performance.

• It encompasses a set of symptoms and signs of multifactorial etiology associated with exposure to substances found in the environment.

• It is a multisystemic pathology, of chronic course, with an inflammatory and degenerative basis.

• The most characteristic signs and symptoms are gastrointestinal, food intolerances, dermatological, rheumatological, endocrinological, cardiovascular, and neurological.

• MCS usually appears along with a series of comorbidities such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Electrohypersensitivity, which worsen the degree of functionality and prognosis of the disease.

• Patients present hyperosmia (increased sensitivity to odors) with reactions that can range from mild to very severe.

• Many patients are unable to lead a normal life and experience considerable improvement by avoiding or reducing their exposure to harmful agents in their environment and with appropriate treatment.

The symptomatology is characterized by a wide heterogeneity in its severity and evolutionary course. The symptoms that usually appear are:

• Fatigue that can become extreme.

• Pain, especially headache, muscle, and joint pain.

• Gastrointestinal problems.

• Confusion, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, vertigo.

• Sleep disturbance, cognitive problems.

• Asthma-like symptoms, rhinitis.

• Anxiety and depression.

• There has been an exponential increase in the number of cases due to the increase in exposure to toxins for several decades due to the use of numerous industrial chemicals in agriculture, food, construction, cleaning, hygiene and cosmetics, the massive use of plastics and other petroleum derivatives, and mobile telephony.

• The estimated prevalence of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Spain according to the Ministry of Health consensus document of 2015 and pending update is 0.04% in the general population.

• Studies conducted in other countries show higher prevalence data: 3.6% of the population (Sweden), 6.5% (Australia), 6.6% (UK), 12.8% (USA) (Studies conducted by Steinemann).

• The Alborada Foundation and CONFESQ have requested that Multiple Chemical Sensitivity be included in the WHO ICD-11 with its own code in order to facilitate its recognition, and consequently, its diagnosis.

The clinical diagnosis is based on:

• The presence of symptoms and signs, through the elaboration of a clinical history that includes the study of environmental exposure in the home, workplace, vacation and leisure places, etc.

• One of the tools to make the diagnosis is the QEESI questionnaire, endorsed by the Ministry of Health.

• It may also be necessary to perform analytical tests to detect levels of contaminants in the body, assess the state of the digestive system and immune system, the presence of certain coinfections, etc.