Swedish Doctors for the Environment (LfM)

I would like to take the opportunity to write a post about LfM and their work. As I am going to write a lot about their material in this blog, I wanted to post the information about what they do and how the organisation is constituted. The following text can be found at their website Swedish Doctors for the Environment (LfM):

"Swedish Doctors for the Environment (LfM) is a non governmental non political organisation. It was founded in 1991 and is open to medical doctors, medical students and scientists within the medical field. Others can be associated members. LfM now has around 300 members from all medical specialities.

The purpose of LfM is to promote a development of society that leads to good living conditions and health for today's and tomorrow's generations, nationally as well as globally.

LfM wants to quicken the development towards a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable society. We want to support this development through- bringing forward scientifically founded principles and knowledge about connections between environmental factors and health;- bringing forward that the human being, being a part of nature, is dependant of healthy eco systems that can provide us with air, water and food of sufficient amount and quality.

LfM has, together with Engineers and Economists for the Environment (IfM and EfM) formed the umbrella organisation The Natural Step's Professional Network (DNSy) www.dnsy.se.

LfM is associated to two international organisations:- ISDE, International Society of Doctors for the Environment http://www.isde.org/. - HCWH, Health Care Without Harm www.noharm.org.

We agree with the four system conditions, developed by The Natural Step Foundation www.detnaturligasteget.se:
System condition 1 In a sustainable society the functions and diversity of nature are not destroyed by a systematical increase of concentrations of substances from the bedrock.
System condition 2 In a sustainable society the functions and diversity of nature is not depleted by a systematical increase of concentrations of substances from society´s production.
System condition 3 In a sustainable society the functions and diversity of nature is not depleted through overuse, repression and manipulation.
System condition 4 In a sustainable society the thrift with resources is efficient and just so that human needs can be satisfied everywhere.

We think globally:
- Chemicals and health
- Traffic and health
- Climate changes and health
- Energy issues and health
- Food and health

We consider the responsibilities of the profession:
- Medicines, health and environment
- Life style, health and environment

We have arranged seminars on "Medicines, Health and Environment" in 2004 and 2005. Coming is "Food for life" February 16, 2006.

We publish four issues yearly of our Newsletter. No 3-4/2005 dealt with nuclear power for energy.The address is LfM, Box 2277, S-103 17 Stockholm, Sweden".

Twenty Five Short Insights On Food, Health and the Environment

These short points can be found in the newsletter "Swedish Doctors for the Environment (LfM)" nr. 2-3 2006 and are comprehensive for what was said during a lecture on toxics in our food.

Consumers

• It was members of the consumer's co-operative society who pushed the ecological trade forward.

Society

• It was those cultures who chose agriculture which have moved on towards the modern civilisation with its culture and technology. Everyone did not have to be involved in finding food for the day, some could be creative in other fields.

• Princes had it easier to rule if they controlled corn stock instead of root vegetable stock.

Substances

• We (Swedes) had a widespread lack of nourishment during the later part of the 18th century. There was especially less iron and vitamin c in Norrland.

• We have forgotten about the berries and their valuable contents.

• We have methods such as preservation which makes it possible to get a hold of locally produced vegetables and fruit all year round.

• When we start to cultivate wild variations of vegetables and berries they will lose parts of their valuable content, which normally can be found in the wild kinds.

• We do not know enough about the valuable content of fruit and vegetables.

Energy

• We can be net producers of energy once again, like the agriculture was before the oil period.

• Physical activity is very important for our health. It is good that we have to use more physical activity during the production of provisions.

Areas

• Grazing-grounds, pastures or rice constitutes more than ninety percent of the production in the world.

• When eat S.M.A.R.T. was used as a platform to calculate how much area it takes to produced food and oil for one person, it amounted to about 1250 M2.

• If you eat ecologically produced meat then it takes larger areas due to the forage, but parts do come from pastures which otherwise would not be used. It takes far less areas if you eat less meat and that the meat is ecological.

Livestock

• The animals are an ecological resource which maintains the ecological balance.

• Lacto-vegetarians live in symbiosis with the meat eaters.

• The animals give warmth which can be good during oil shortage.

Toxics

• To develop variations which are more resistant to diseases means that one develops variations with a higher concentration of toxics.

• When we look the use of chemicals we do not think about the non active substances in a product.

• A Danish study showed that better sperm quality could be linked to ecological farmers rather than traditional farmers.

• We are dependent of the long fatty acids in fish. However, we have polluted fish with chemical toxics.

Local Production

• It is not entirely accurate that food that has been shipped from far away has contributed to more carbon dioxide than locally produced food from greenhouses.

• Locally produced food is the way to go. But we have to gain knowledge how we can adapt to our variable climate.

• Social relations and to feel part of something benefit from the responsibility within the local ecological community.

Conclusions

• Eat S.M.A.R.T. is a good start when discussing eating habits from a global and health perspective.

• We have to change our agriculture to ecocycle agriculture.