About the Society

The principal aim of the Society is to promote, for the benefit of the public, the study of allergy, environmental and nutritional medicine.

The Society

• Provides support and contact for medical and other health professionals working in this field.
• Organises scientific meetings at both national and international level.
• Points doctors to sources of information in the form of books, clinical papers etc.
• Prepares submissions for government on relevant issues, as appropriate.
• Supports the publication of the quarterly Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine.
• Publishes a regular members' newsletter for the exchange of ideas and information.
• Contributes to the teaching of these subjects at post-graduate level.
• Is pressing for these topics to be included in the undergraduate curriculum.
• Is negotiating for a specialist qualification in this field.

The British Society for Allergy and Environmental Medicine was founded in 1983 to provide a forum for doctors interested in the role of allergy and environmental factors in chronic illness.

The British Society for Nutritional Medicine was founded the following year to promote the use and understanding of nutrition within the context of clinical medicine.

As the two societies evolved, it became clear that the aims of the societies overlapped, and in 1993 the two societies merged.

Environmental medicine addresses a wide range of adverse responses to environmental factors, from atopic allergy to chronic toxicity. Between these extremes are a group of responses which contribute to many common chronic disorders such as migraine and irritable bowel syndrome and often affect more than one organ system.

The mechanisms have not been established but often the pattern of response is compatible with non-IgE-mediated allergic mechanisms. Environmental management is effective in most cases; the need for medication is reduced or even eliminated and well-being improves.

The BSAENM has published a booklet on standards of care and management of the allergic patient.

The assumption that patients who eat "a good mixed diet" will be well nourished has been disproved by many published papers - and individual requirements for nutrients vary widely. Biochemical dysfunctions resulting from deficiencies are common; they may cause illness, or arise as a consequence of illness, or as a side effect of medication.

Nutritional Medicine focusses on the importance of all nutrients for health, and on diet, digestion and nutrient-toxin and host-microbe interactions. Nutritional intervention tailored to the individual can yield dramatic clinical benefit.

The BSAENM has published a booklet on the application of nutrition to major health problems.

These interconnected disciplines offer an approach to diagnosis and to non-toxic treatment which is relevant to all medical practice, and has proved useful in patients with a range of intractable problems.

We are negotiating with a diploma-awarding authority to establish a diploma in Environmental Medicine to cover the whole field.

Full membership is open to registered medical practitioners.
Subscription £65 p.a. (including the Journal).

Scientific membership is open to non-medically qualified scientists who have made a contribution to the fields covered by the society.
Subscription £65 p.a. (including the Journal).

Associate membership is open to suitably qualified persons in professions related to Medicine.
Subscription £25 p.a. (including the Journal).

Student membership is open to medical students.
Subscription £10 p.a. (Journal £25).

CONTACT:

BSAENM, P.O. box 7, Knighton, Powys LD & 2WF, U.K.
Telephone: 01547 550380 (+44 1547 550380)