Lifestyle Medicine Summit
Knowledge in Nashville: by Patty
Metagenics, Inc. hosted its third annual Lifestyle Medicine Summit, held on September 26-28 in Nashville, TN... and I'm so glad I was part of it!
The event drew more than 600 attendees and included workshops and lectures from a large group of respected leaders in the functional medicine field - many of whom have made significant contributions to transforming patient care--shifting the focus away from symptom control toward seeking and treating underlying causes of illness.
Through their individual efforts, and by educating and empowering other practitioners, these leaders seek to effect positive global change in healthcare costs, the food and pharmaceutical industries, and ultimately for our children and their futures as they inherit the systems we have created. It was a truly inspiring weekend!
And, yes, Naomi Judd was there! She shared her very personal story of using multiple functional medicine modalities as she navigated her recovery from Hepatitis C. She attended sessions on both days of the summit - asking intelligent and insightful questions. She related how good nutrition, exercise, counseling/stress reduction, connecting to nature and family were a complete cure for a disease she was told was terminal. Now in her late 60’s she feels it is her mission to tell her story and educate others on the curative powers of lifestyle medicine.
What I Learned...
There is no way to relay all I learned in Nashville, but here’s a little sampling of my take away's:
10% of the carbohydrates in breast milk are not digestible or absorbable because they are meant as food for friendly microbes.
Probiotics taken prior to flu vaccines have been shown to enhance the antibody response without any changes in inflammation.
The states with the highest antibiotic use also have the highest incidence of obesity.
Children receiving antibiotics in their first year of life are more likely to be overweight when they reach kindergarten.
Mark Houston, a leading, world-renowned integrative cardiologist, reviewed current research on assessing cardiovascular risk. He reminded us that about 50% of those who have a myocardial infarction have NORMAL LDL and total cholesterol, so looking at particle sizes is much more predictive of cardiovascular risk. We've been looking at particle sizes of cholesterol for risk assessment at Leaves of Life for years. In fact - we even offer a lab test for it.
Michael Nova, CMO of Pathway Genomics talked about how the new science of epigenetics is beginning to help reveal how the choices we make can change our genes as well as those of our children. In the next few years, this will be increasingly possible since approximately 1,000 human genetic trials are published EVERY MONTH. At Leaves of Life, we are currently utilizing multiple genetic tests to help us individualize patient care.
Mark Hyman, MD, chairman of the Institute For Functional Medicine and a bestselling author of several books, made the following excellent points:
You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet
Many Americans are spending more time watching cooking on TV than cooking themselves
On average, Americans consume 146 pounds of flour and 153 pounds of sugar yearly
Children consume an average of 34 tsp of sugar daily
Obesity risk increases by 60% in children who drink 1 pop daily
Many of the drugs that treat heart disease cause or worsen diabetes and many of the drugs that treat diabetes cause or worsen heart disease. Dr. Hyman coined a term for these types of drug/disease relationships: Pharmageddon
People have more control over what they eat than how much they eat, based on brain chemistry
The only bread Dr. Hyman approves of is one you can stand on without squishing it
Dr. David Katz, MD is director and co-founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center and principal inventor of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index. This index is used by a growing number of grocery stores to rate food by its overall protein/carb/fat ratio, types of fat, vitamin and mineral content, fiber, glycemic index and more. If it's not at your grocery store, ask! See http://www.nuval.com/ for more information.