Environmental Medicine Addresses Exposure to Toxins
Environmental medicine studies the following exposures:
- Exposure to pollutants in the home such as cleaning products, off-gassing carpets or furniture, mold spores, poor water quality
- Mercury poisoning, often due to diet, dentistry, or medications
- Lead exposure and poisoning from environmental exposure, including paint, gas, and more
- Chemical contaminants, including dioxins, PFAs (forever chemicals), etc.
- Exposure to pesticides in foods and soils
- EMF and similar exposure risks
The brain is a biochemical organ that is physically protected by the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). The interior nervous tissue is extremely vulnerable to chemicals and other environmental toxins if they can bypass the BBB. There is a vast array of chemicals and toxins you encounter every day, including incidental contact with toxins in the air, water, and food supply, as well as toxins ingested as part of a medication regimen. Toxins are typically fat-soluble. A large percentage of brain matter is made of fat. This is where toxins will be stored. 6,7,14
Toxins can and will hinder the brain’s ability to operate normally by interfering with the normal biochemical signaling it must undertake every day. Neurotoxin exposures can poison the neurons, send brain signaling into overdrive, or hinder its functioning in other ways. This dysfunction is what can begin sending an individual into anxiety, depression, brain fog, insomnia, and many other mental health symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as mental disorders.1-6,8-16
Environmental Medicine at Alternative to Meds Center
For many years, the focus of physical and mental health providers, as well as addiction treatment centers, has been on treating the patient’s symptoms and not the patient as a whole. The trouble with this approach is that environmental factors that may be contributing to the patient’s condition are often missed. This can cause issues with physical, mental, and behavioral health.
Research shows a wide variety of toxins can drive hyperactivity, depression, and anxiety.1,5,13,15,16 Our environmental medicine services in AZ not only consider environmental factors that may otherwise be overlooked but also strive to address them and resolve adverse conditions that can be ruinous to mental health. Transformative cleansing measures are in place at Alternative to Meds Center to purge accumulated neurotoxins from the body for relief.
Exposure to toxins and pollutants at work and during the normal activities of daily life can be among the most dangerous. Because these exposures are so unobtrusive and occur so regularly, it’s easy to assume the resulting symptoms, including anxiety, exhaustion, hyperactivity, insomnia, lowered cognition, and depression, are just a normal part of life. Many people are then prescribed pharmaceuticals to numb the symptoms rather than addressing their source.14
Treating and eliminating environmental toxin exposure is crucial to restoring neurochemical function and can be instrumental when addressing issues at the root of failed drug treatments, developed dependence on prescription drugs, and related maladies. Over time, the body and brain store fat-soluble toxins, which can debilitate cognition, impair balance, interfere with impulse control, and even dysregulate one’s metabolism. These effects can lead to chronic fatigue, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, mood swings, insomnia, and more.2,7 At Alternative to Meds Center, we use testing to fully understand the multitude of ways exposure to toxins in the environment can impact our mental health. With the application of environmental medicine, we can treat patients effectively by neurotoxin removal, and providing correct nutrition to rebuild and rehabilitate one’s neurochemistry naturally.
Can Air Pollutants Influence Mental Health?
Air pollutants are of particular concern here at Alternative to Meds Center. Toxins in the air can affect how mental illnesses manifest, as well as their severity. A recent study revealed a 33% increase in psychotic events and a 39% increase in the occurrence of mental health disorders in urban areas with a high concentration of air pollutants.
This study suggests that incidences of anxiety and depression, already common in the US and a major underlying factor for conditions like substance use disorder, can increase because of air pollutants and toxins within the environment. Worse, if these issues are preexisting, they may worsen with the introduction of environmental toxins in the air. Attention to air pollution, both as a preventative step and during environmental medicine treatment, can change the lives of those affected.3
Medication Dependence, Substance Use Disorder, Co-Occurring Disorders, and Environmental Medicine
Medication dependence, and substance use disorder rarely present alone. The person who attempts to dampen mental health issues with medication or recreational drugs may fall into a dysregulated state. Where toxins are present in the body, psychological and even nutritional therapy will be severely impeded.17
Addressing neurotoxicity essentially enables us to treat a wide range of mental health issues more effectively. Applying environmental medicine can greatly benefit tackling these co-occurring conditions for success.
Lab Testing for Environmental Toxins
The problem with traditional approaches to substance use disorder treatment is that they focus on the symptoms rather than the contributing factors to this disease. At Alternative to Meds Center, we’ve found that many of the patients we treat are affected by heavy metals from environmental exposures. We explore the interactions between patient health and toxins in the environment to discover the external influences that could be contributing to mental health conditions as well as impeding recovery from medication dependence and substance use disorder. To do so, we run comprehensive lab testing to assess the toxic burden placed upon our patients by environmental toxins that have accumulated in the body.
After determining toxin load and the effects it is having on a patient, we’ll work to detoxify the body of heavy metals, neurotoxins, and related nutritional deficiencies. In these ways, we can help patients stabilize neurochemistry, improve mental health, and make real progress toward recovery from ongoing symptoms related to medication use, or over use, dependence, and addiction. Our goal is to eliminate unnecessary chemical influences and comprehensively address each and every component of the patient’s wellness.
Environmental Medicine in Sedona, AZ
At Alternative to Meds Center, environmental medicine is the foundation of a holistic and authentic approach to recovery. This frequently involves addressing multiple environmental factors, addictive substances, medication tapering, and nutritional deficiencies. Neurotoxin removal is a specialty at Alternative to Meds Center.
If you suspect that toxins have influenced your ability to lead a healthy life and are contributing to your mental health and medication dependence and related issues, it’s important to reach out as soon as possible. Our friendly staff is here to help you learn more about the services we offer. When you’re ready, contact us to get your questions answered and discover the next steps to a healthy life.
Fact Checked Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
