Lectures
Community health, Social Connection & The Impact On Immunological Function
Social isolation has been identified as the number one risk factor for all-cause mortality. As a result, loneliness and isolation are becoming major public health concerns. Isolation and lack of connection has long term impacts on various aspects of our health not the least of which is impaired immune function. It is time we take a deeper look into how social isolation impacts individuals in today’s society as well as its suppressive effects on immunological function and gene expression. Exploring how we as clinicians can empower our patient population to incorporate community and social connection as a means of optimizing health becomes a paramount focus.
Toxic Overload from Within: LPS Endotoxemia is a bigger threat than you think
By: Dr. Jill Carnahan, MDABFM, ABIHM, IFMCP
Sponsored By: Microbiome Labs
Understand how LPS induced endotoxemia can impact health and a wide range of illness, from depression and mood disorders to metabolic syndrome and obesity.
Understanding the Complexity of Estrogen Detoxification: How Genetics, the Liver, and the Microbiome Come Together
Sponsored By: Precision Analytical
Estrogen goes through phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification known collectively as estrogen metabolism. Once water soluble, estrogen must leave the cell and enter phase 3 detoxification. A healthy metabolism shunts estrogen into 2-OH-E1 and then through methylation via COMT into 2-methoxy-E1 for proper disposal from the body. Unfortunately, if the pathway turns towards the unhealthy 4-OH-E1 or does not go through methylation, those estrogens go on to form a quinone that can result in DNA damage and increased cancer risk. Certain enzymes, such as Quinone Reductase and Glutathione-S-Transferase, help prevent or reverse quinone formation and can be optimized with specific dietary changes and natural products. It is also important to evaluate the gut as the microbiome has a huge influence on b-glucuronidase and the resulting clearance or reactivation of estrogen into the system. The purpose of this lecture is to review estrogen metabolism from start to finish, including the genetics involved, the microbiome’s influence and discuss various treatment options to improve both
Got Anxiety? How your HPA Axis, Endocannabinoid System, Neurotransmitters and SNPs are Stressing You Out.
Sponsored By: Precision Analytical
Stress is largely managed by the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis that starts with corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) in the hypothalamus that then tells the pituitary to make ACTH that goes on to tell the adrenals to make cortisol. In the brain, norepinephrine can also be released to prepare for fight or flight however long-term stressors results in these hormones directing resources away from maintenance, regeneration, and reproduction, and toward systems that are required for active movement. These stress hormones can have a long term negative impact on the endocannabinoid system worsening anxiety and panic. This is all worsened in those individuals with COMT, MAO and GAD mutations resulting in heighten symptoms.
This lecture will review the endocannabinoid system and explain the concepts of chronic stress and its long-term effect on the HPA and the amygdala. Treatment options will touch on CBD as well as those that support the HPA axis, norepinephrine, glutamate and GABA to improve clinical outcomes of those with chronic anxiety.
Nutrigenetics: Are We Ready for Personalized Natural Products?
By: Peter Jones, PhD
Sponsored By: NFH
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – A silent epidemic
By: Dr. Barbara Weiss, HBBA, ND
Sponsored By: NFH
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease affecting over 7 million people in Canada and over 100 million in the US. It is the most common liver disease in children, more than doubling in the last 20 years. For most people there are no symptoms and often is an incidental finding during an abdominal ultrasound. Features of metabolic syndrome (MetS) are highly prevalent in patients with NAFLD conversely elements of MetS also increase the risk of developing NAFLD. Left untreated or poorly managed it can progress to Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) increasing the risk for development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Early diagnosis and intervention is critical to reversing the progression to NASH and further complications. The lecture will discuss clinical guidelines in the early diagnosis and management of NAFLD using an integrative approach.
Severe Neurological, Gastrointestinal, and Psychiatric Disorders Caused by Gastrointestinal Overgrowth of Clostridia Bacteria: Mechanism and Treatment
Sponsored By: Great Plains Laboratory Inc
Although dysbiosis or abnormal microbial overgrowth of the gastrointestinal tract has long been suspected of causing psychiatric disorders, the exact mechanism was unknown. For the first time, William Shaw Ph.D. presents convincing evidence that certain Clostridia bacteria produce phenolic metabolites that dramatically alter the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine, leading to profound dopamine excess and severe depletion of norepinephrine and epinephrine in the brain, peripheral sympathetic nervous system, and adrenal glands. Furthermore, the excess dopamine leads to oxidative stress that can result in permanent damage to the brain, sympathetic nervous system, and adrenal glands, if not treated. He will present a variety of case studies of patients with autism, depression, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders showing the usefulness of urine organic acid testing in the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.
Toxic Chemicals and Their Effects on Health
Sponsored By: Great Plains Laboratory Inc
A high percentage of all people are now exposed to a soup of toxic chemicals. Toxic chemical exposure has been implicated as a major factor in impaired learning ability, attention deficit, hyperactivity, pervasive developmental disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Documentation of common chemicals in the environment that cause illnesses and their sources will be presented along with methods to prevent exposure and to remove them when exposure has already occurred. Metals are one of the most common groups of toxic chemicals and the treatment of toxic metal exposure will be examined.
The Genomic Intricacies of Men’s Health and Testosterone
By: Dr. Ralph Esposito, ND, L.Ac
This presentation will take a deeper look into genomic influences on male hormonal health, including testosterone, estrogens, cortisol and the respective metabolites. SNP testing, metabolomic data, and other functional tests allow us to infer the function of our genes and how we can manipulate them to improve men’s hormonal health. This will include topics of hypogonadism, prostate cancer, PSA and male infertility all within the context of optimizing male hormones via a genomic and integrative lens. Therapeutics both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical will be discussed.