FAQ

Members: Also reference the FAQ in the “MEMBERS” navigation menu.

ISEAI is a thriving, respectful, and collaborative community of medical professionals, researchers, students, and indoor environmental professionals with an interest in environmentally acquired illness (EAI). Non-Professional Supporting membership is extended to the interested public.

Our mission is to restore health to individuals with environmentally acquired illnesses through clinical practice, education, and research. We will accomplish this by raising awareness of environmental causes of inflammatory illnesses and supporting the optimal health of individuals affected by these illnesses.

If you are interested in joining us, Apply Here. Membership offers many benefits and members have access to various website features. These include leading edge information on how environmental exposures cause health problems, and what can be done to solve them. 

In addition to the benefits and access to the website features listed on the Join page, members can also submit content for posting on our ISEAI.org Website, Facebook Page, and other social media

Yes, but to be accepted for membership you must meet the requirements of the appropriate Membership category.

Our Membership categories offer varying levels of benefits and access to website features, and have different membership dues. The categories are based on varied levels of experience, expertise, and interest in environmentally acquired illness (EAI).

Yes! While ISEAI has professional categories of membership, anyone with a special interest in environmentally acquired illness (EAI) can Join as a Non-Professional Supporing Member.

Also, visit our Patient Resources page.

We do have a general Facebook page to keep you up-to-date on what’s new in EAI. Please like us: ISEAI Facebook Page

Non-Professional Supporting members have access to a private Facebook group.

Also, visit our Patient Resources page.

ISEAI raises awareness about environmentally acquired illness (EAI) and provides education for health professionals interested in the evaluation and management of various forms of EAI.

EAIs are environmentally acquired illnesses and refer to the many conditions acquired as a result of exposure to environmental triggers. To read more, click on About EAI.

The term, “environmental illness” is often used to describe multiple chemical sensitivities. We are concerned with all indoor and outdoor environmental exposures capable of causing, aggravating, or perpetuating chronic illness.

CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) refers to a specific set of symptoms and biomarkers found in patients exposed to water-damaged buildings and excludes consideration of many of the other environmental exposures that can lead to illness. The diagnosis of CIRS also excludes many common symptoms and additional tests relevant to individuals affected by environmental exposures.  

Living systems are nonlinear, self organizing and irreducible. In the same way that you can’t understand the nature of time by taking apart a watch, you can’t bring a person back to wellness by treating one problem in isolation from its whole.  In allopathic medicine we see this mistake made in multiple ways. One example is repeatedly treating a child’s ear infections with antibiotics.  This short sighted approach can lead  to multiple GI and metabolic issues later in life for the child, as well as growth of superbugs in the community which are resistant to all antibiotics.

Diplomates of ISEAI are medical professionals who have had training in EAI, have at least 5 years of experience treating individuals with EAI, and are the leaders in this field. Members of ISEAI are medical professionals and indoor environmental professionals with experience and/or interest in EAI. Both Diplomates and Members are listed on Get Help.

The choice of appropriate tests is best determined in consultation with a provider who can conduct a comprehensive clinical evaluation, using a systems biology approach to care. To find a medical health professional, go to Get Help. If you are a health care professional interested in developing expertise in the clinical evaluation of EAI, please consider Membership in ISEAI in order to participate in our thriving professional community and comprehensive education programs.

Commonly used acronyms

Organizations:

AAEM: American Academy of Environmental Medicine

ABIHM: American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine

ACAM: American College for Advancement in Medicine

ACIIDS: Australian Chronic Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Society

GIHN: Global Indoor Health Network

IFM: Institute for Functional Medicine

ILADS: International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society

ISEAI: International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness

TFIM: The Forum for Integrative Medicine

Medical:

ACA: Anti-cardiolipin antibodies

ACTH: Adrenal corticotrophic hormone

AD: Alzheimer’s disease

ADH: Anti-diuretic hormone

AGA: Anti-gliadin antibodies

ApoE: A lipoprotein that increases one’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease

ASD: Autism spectrum disorders

AVP: Arginine vasopressin (another name for anti-diuretic hormone)

BBB: Blood-brain barrier

BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

C3a: Complement protein 3-activated

C4a: Complement protein 4-activated

CD57: Refers to natural killer cells

CIRS: Chronic inflammatory response syndrome

CIRS-WDB: CIRS acquired by exposure to water-damaged buildings

CNS: Central nervous system

COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

CPET: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing

CRP: C-reactive protein

CSB: Clinical systems biology

D/LGS: Dysbiosis/Leaky gut syndrome

CVID: Common variable immune-deficiency

EAI: Environmentally acquired illness

EAI-WDB: EAI acquired by exposure to water-damaged buildings

EDS: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

GSH: Glutathione

MCAS: Mast cell activation syndrome

MCI: Mild cognitive decline

MCS: Multiple chemical sensitivities

CFS: Chronic fatigue syndrome

MMP-9:  Matrix metalloproteinase-9

MRCoNS: Multiply resistant coagulase-negative staph

MSH: Melanocyte stimulating hormone

NGF: Nerve growth factor

NQ: NeuroQuant, a brain volumetric study

PAI-1: Plasminogen activator-inhibitor-1

PANDAS: Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections

PANS: Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome

PD: Parkinson’s disease

POPs: Persistent organic pollutants

POTS: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome

ROS: Reactive oxygen species

SCI: Subjective cognitive decline

TBI:  Traumatic brain injury

SIBO: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

TGFb-1: Transforming growth factor beta-1

VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor

VIP: Vasoactive intestinal peptide

vWP: von Willebrand profile

You can make a donation here.

You can also support ISEAI with your Fry’s rewards account: Visit frysfood.com. Once logged into your Fry’s account you can search for “Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness” either by name or LP880 and then click Enroll. 

Non-Professional Supporting members have access to a private Facebook group.