Environmental Medicine (EM) is the study of interactions between the environment and human health, more specifically the role of the environment in causing or mediating disease. We all carry a burden of toxins (heavy metals, industrial chemicals, plastics and pesticides, as well as mental and emotional), the question is what role they are playing in our health. By reducing our load of toxins we free our body to return to the vitality that it was designed to have. For some people this a small part of an overall treatment plan while for others it is the primary focus and crucial to recovery.

EM is a rapidly expanding field- new articles are published daily outlining the effects of toxins and ways to treat them. While it seems like a natural fit for naturopathic medicine, most NDs receive little if any EM training while at school and have to pursue post-graduate training such as Dr. Crinnion’s EM training for physicians. Since completing Dr. Crinnion’s course, I have been seeing the role toxins play in my patients and the results they achieve as they work to reduce the toxins coming in and support their body’s systems for detoxifying and eliminating those toxins.

Since one article can only touch upon any aspect of EM, I will be writing blogs on specific toxins- what they are, how to avoid them and what to do to get rid of them. Be sure to check regularly for blog postings and also visit our facebook page for links to interesting articles.