Clinical ecology was the name given by proponents in the 1960s to a claim that exposure to low levels of certain chemical agents harm susceptible people, causing
multiple chemical sensitivity
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), also known as idiopathic environmental intolerances (IEI), is an unrecognized and controversial diagnosis characterized by chronic symptoms attributed to exposure to low levels of commonly used chemicals. Symp ...
and other disorders. Clinical ecologists are people that support and promote this offshoot of conventional medicine.
They often have a background in the field of
allergy
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...
or
otorhinolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
, and the theoretical approach is derived in part from classic concepts of allergic responses, first articulated by
Theron Randolph
Theron Grant Randolph (July 7, 1906 – September 29, 1995) was a physician, allergist, and researcher from the United States of America, United States. He studied food allergies, chemical sensitivities, and preventive care. Randolph, along with s ...
and developed by
Richard Mackarness
Guy Richard Godfrey Mackarness (17 August 1916 – 18 March 1996)Hill, Ronald. (1996) ''The Independent''. Retrieved 28 March 2019. was a British psychiatrist and low-carbohydrate diet writer. He is best known for his book ''Eat Fat and Grow Sl ...
.
Clinical ecologists support a cause-and-effect relationships for
non-specific symptoms reported by some people after low-dose exposure to chemical, biologic, or physical agents. This pattern of low-dose reaction is not generally accepted by toxicologists.
Although some of the mainstream medical community continue to reject these claims, the concept is gaining some recognition under the modern and more clearly articulated classification of
environmental medicine
Environmental medicine is a multidisciplinary field involving medicine, environmental science, chemistry and others, overlapping with environmental pathology. It can be viewed as the medical branch of the broader field of environmental health. Th ...
.
Training and qualifications
"Clinical Ecologist" is an environmental approach that is consistent with the practice of holistic medicine. Practitioners with this orientation do not use the term "Clinical Ecologist," although those opposed to this complementary medicine approach to illness often still do. Unlike terms such as ''physician'' or ''nurse'', the term ''clinical ecologist'' is not legally regulated in any jurisdiction, which means that any person may legally claim to be a clinical ecologist. If wanted, they may obtain an