Environmental Medicine

Autoimmune disorders are idiopathic and there are more than 80 kinds which often makes them difficult for healthcare providers to pin point. Autoimmune disorders are caused by inflammation when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. For those with Celiac, when the body registers the presence of gluten, it responds with an immune attack at the small intestines.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord – which collectively comprise the central nervous system. The disease occurs when the immune system attacks nerve fibers and the fatty sheathing which surrounds and insulates healthy nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. This attack causes inflammation, altering electrical messages in the brain. MS is erratic and the effect on individual patients may range from mild to the total loss of ability to write, speak or walk.

An idiopathic oversensitivity to very low levels of chemicals in the environment, multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome can include a wide variety of symptoms linked to the environment. Common symptoms are mood changes, memory issues and confusion, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, congestion, itching, sneezing, sore throat, chest pain, irratic heart rhythm, respiratory problems, muscle pain or stiffness, skin rashes, diarrhea, bloating and gas, and trouble concentrating.

Lead poisoning is a kind of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body to which the brain is highly sensitive. Symptoms can be abdominal pain, gastrointestinal distress, headaches, irritability, confusion and memory problems, sterility, and tingling in the hands and feet. Exposure is possible through consumer products like paint, contaminated air, water, and food.

Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous as it is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas in fumes of fuels that contain carbon, including gasoline, wood and coal. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a potentially fatal illness that occurs when people breathe in carbon monoxide especially in an area with poor ventilation. Once inhaled, carbon monoxide travels from the lungs into the bloodstream and affixes to the molecules that carry oxygen. Oxygen is unable to carry oxygen on a molecule that already contains carbon monoxide. Without enough oxygen, individual cells suffocate and die, especially in vital organs such as the brain and heart. Symptoms may be headache, respiratory distress, mood changes, nausea and dizziness, imbalance, and chest pains.