Medically Reviewed by Dr Samuel Lee MD
This approach opens the door to a wider range of treatment options than is typically found in rehab programs.
This approach opens the door to a wider range of treatment options than is typically found in rehab programs.
Environmental medicine examines the effect of air pollutants, heavy metals, toxins, pesticides, and other environmental factors. This approach to medicine explores interactions between the environment and health, that may be contributing to mental health symptoms, disease and even addiction issues.
At Alternative to Meds Center, we have found that many of our residents are drastically impacted by things in their environment, such as heavy metals. Many individuals come to us symptomatic, and upset that traditional medicine has been unable to find the underlying causes of their problems. Our program includes comprehensive lab tests to identify the level of toxic burden in a person’s body. According to lab test results as well as medical assessments, we implement heavy metal cleansing, neurotoxin removal, elimination of possible pollutants, and work to stabilize the neurochemistry and therefore improve mental health.
Environmental medicine is particularly applicable to both mental health and addiction. The brain is a biochemical organ and is therefore very sensitive to chemical change. Certain poisons can debilitate the way in which the brain’s neurochemicals are expressed. Alterations in these neurochemicals can result in anxiety by throwing the excitatory aspects of the nervous system into overdrive.
This is a mechanism by which a pesticide kills a pest, by overstimulating it, and we humans get the same effect with long term consumption. Conversely, accumulated lead or arsenic for instance can debilitate the way that energy is metabolized, resulting in chronic fatigue. These over excited states, or conversely low energy states can precipitate medication and drug use and other symptoms. There are thousands of such chemicals that we are exposed to, and the majority of them are fat soluble, meaning that they will accumulate in the body and cause cumulative effects.
Our program is designed to strategically eliminate these toxins and to restore proper physiological function.
Originally Published Sep 13, 2018 by Lyle Murphy
Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in a spiritually-based mental health discipline and integrative approaches. He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente. He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Religion from Pacific Union College. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.