Precision Nutrition - Recent Advances and Controversies in Genetic Testing

Ahmed El-Sohemy, PhD

There is increasing awareness among researchers, educators, healthcare professionals and consumers that the one-size-fits-all, population-based approach to nutritional guidance is inefficient and sometimes ineffective. Genetic differences can explain individual differences in response to various dietary factors and randomized controlled trials show that DNA-based dietary recommendations can improve compliance. With increasing awareness and demand for genetic testing, there is a need for healthcare professionals to have sufficient knowledge to understand and determine the benefits and limitations of the science and testing.

New Insights into the Microbiome

Kristine L Gedroic, MD

The gut microbiome is becoming an especially important system in the human body. The gut influences multiple other vital organs in the human body. The most looked at is the gut-brain axis. The gut microbiome is highly diverse and has a variety of bacterial and fungal species that vary throughout the digestive tract. We will be discussing what is the definition of a healthy microbiome, which microbiota signatures are of significance, and how to successfully manipulate the microbiome to become healthy. There are multiple avenues that can affect the microbiome and in turn the other organs. Depending on which microbes are or are not present, can affect what is and how much is absorbed into the blood stream and effects will be seen downstream and which mainstream science and doctors will treat. We will be discussing different ratios and keystone strains that are important to understanding how nutrition and Western diets affect the gut microbiome diversity. The gut microbiome can be manipulated with the changing of an individual’s diet but also with the use of probiotics, prebiotics, and symbiotics. We will also cover some case studies to show how to utilize diet, probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, and other treatments to change a patient's chronic conditions.

Addressing the Mental Health Crisis with Nutrition and Herbs

Sarah Hung, ND, MSOM, LAc

The presentation will cover the U.S. mental health crisis and how neurotransmitter production can play a role. The various factors that can influence neurotransmitter production that include intestinal health, nutritional cofactors and environmental exposures will be discussed. Finally, the presenter will introduce various nutritional and herbal interventions and their impact on Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA and Norepinephrine.  This presentation is sponsored by Protocol for Life Balance.

Optimizing Detox-How Supporting the Body’s Natural Elimination Pathways Can Reverse Chronic Disease

Mark Iwanicki ND, LAc

Toxicity is one of the most important drivers of chronic disease in our modern world. Over the last
50 years as the amount of toxicants in our environment has gone up there has been an exponential
increase in chronic disease in our world. The link between many chronic diseases such as Diabetes,
Obesity, Neurological conditions, Autoimmune disease and most cancers and various toxic
exposures is well documented. By supporting the body’s natural ability to remove and eliminate
toxins from the body we can address this key root cause of chronic disease. I refer to the ways in
which we can support our natural detoxification pathways as the 9 pillars of natural detoxification
and in this presentation I will share those 9 pillars and ways in which we can optimize them.

Cognitive Health: Mental deterioration or just brain fog: a naturopathic and genetics-based approach to diagnosis and management

Penny Kendall-Reed,  BSC, ND

Poor memory and decreased mental ability increasingly affect our aging population. But when is it a concern? Inflammation, chronic stress and poor toxin clearance result in cognitive impairment similar to that of neurodegenerative dementia. This lecture will review differentiation between mental clouding and cognitive decline, examine variables that affect memory, concentration and processing and by looking at genes controlling sensitivity to intrinsic and extrinsic factors demonstrate how SNP analysis can improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment. I will discuss how to mitigate causative variables, maximize brain health and slow the aging of neural pathways through diet, natural supplementation and lifestyle changes.

Assessing and Remediating Nutrition in Primary Care Is Fundamental to Moving From Sick Care to Health Care

Ramona Wallace, DO,  and Janet Mindes, PhD

The presenter, a DO, created the first Functional Medicine residency track at Western Michigan University Stryker School of Medicine (WMed). In 2018 she created a database to capture patients’ micronutrient deficiencies and related variables, comprising 1200 records to date. These data document malnutrition in a community like many in the US, and guide successful focal micronutrient interventions, resolving conditions for which medications typically are prescribed, when improved nutrition also should be included. Functional medicine training, similar to naturopathic training, equips residents to evaluate and remediate nutrient status for improved health and elimination of often unnecessary tests and medications.

Lessons From the Other Side of Stress

Doni Wilson, ND, CPM, CNS

All humans experience stress, and I'm no different. I've been to burnout and back again, many times. I was forced to figure out how to solve it, when all other models (that we all learned) didn't work. The human nervous system and HPA axis are built to respond to stress. And yet stress is what triggers gene expression, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, and nutrient deficiencies. How do we, as practitioners, help our patients recover, let alone increase longevity, while living under severe stress?
According to the World Health Organization, stress has been identified as the health epidemic
of the 21st century. Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide are increasing, and the standard
medical approach of psychotropic and pain medications is only adding to the problem. More and more people are realizing that they do not want to be dependent on medications; Instead, they want to heal. And as naturopathic doctors and functional practitioners, we have life-changing healing modalities we can offer however we need to be precise and individualized in our approach. Stress is not one-size-fits-all.
In this presentation I’ll teach you the protocol I discovered while healing myself. I will redefine
adrenal dysfunction and describe the three-phase approach I use to guide thousands of
patients to recover successfully, even while still under stress. In this presentation I will also discuss psychedelic medicines, including ayahuasca and psilocybin, and the research, as well as my experience, showing how they help humans recover from stress and trauma.

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