These serious chronic diseases very often have a common background: exposure to harmful substances or parasites, and thus a chronic inflammatory reaction in the body. These pressures come from the environment (partly of natural origin, partly of civilizational origin), are due to housing conditions, result from dietary conditions, are constitutional or iatrogenic.

In order to provide assistance to chronically ill patients in Luxembourg, we have decided to structure a contact point that can provide technical and scientific answers and is networked across disciplines: “SCENTE”. SCENTE also has an educational and informational task, on the one hand via its website and on the other hand through conferences, information events and interactive case presentations.

The increase in knowledge clocked by dynamic research makes a structured circle of experienced experts essential to enable the exchange of information and experience, to look after patients, to inform interested parties and, if necessary, to advise politicians.

The often multi-causal backgrounds inevitably call for such an interdisciplinary approach, which then makes it possible to do justice to the patient and his complaints. Important specialist areas are dentistry, building biology, ecotrophology/nutritional medicine, physiotherapy and osteopathy, pharmacology and toxicology, as well as adapted, specific laboratory medicine and psychology.

In addition to a therapeutic function, the clinical environmental medicine doctor or causally thinking doctor assumes an advisory and coordinating function and thus tries to make the diagnosis as complete as necessary or possible.

Medically, after the complex anamnesis and assessment of findings, various diagnostic options are available to the clinical environmental physician (examinations of blood, urine, sputum, stool, hair, ECG, lung function analysis, analysis of the vegetative nervous system, diagnostic discharge, …). In addition, there are imaging procedures and the possibilities of the colleagues: examinations and treatments in the field of dentistry, building biology examinations, psychological support and complementary procedures.

The therapeutic options include exposure reduction (by adapting the living situation and/or workplace, detoxification, …), functional improvement (by treating oxidative and nitrosative stress, infections and the intestine, adequate supply of nutrients, …) and the Consideration of the environment (family, psychosocial stress, administrative structures,…).