In 1996, the question originated from Dr. Eli A Friedman’s article, “can the Bowel act as a kidney substitute in advance renal failure?” prior to the discovery of the gut microbiome. The bowel was recognized as an organ in 2004 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Advances in bioinformatics led to further understanding of the human gut microbiome. Exponential advances in technology led to a greater knowledge and understanding of the gut microbiomes’ role in health, and disease. The knowledge gained, lead to further understanding of the term dysbiosis (an imbalance of pathogenic gut bacteria). Now, dysbiosis is universally documented as the prime cause for various diseases. The connection between the gut and CKD became evident with the cover article in the Sept/2012 issue of Kidney International. Followed by, the publication of a similar article in Clinical Kidney Journal in 2015. In 1997 Enteric Dialysis® was transformed from a concept into a reality, by Dr. Ranganathan and his research team at Kibow Biotech Inc. After 20 years of R&D, Kibow has used clinical findings of pro/prebiotics to modulate the gut microbiome to improve clinical outcomes in CKD patients worldwide.

Content Access

Culinary Herbs & Spices as Food and Medicine

Content Access

Presented by: David Bouley; Carl Germano, CNS, CDN; Marc Grossman, OD, LAc; Mimi Guarneri, MD, FACC, ABOIM; David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM; and Robert Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP 

As practitioners, we all have different approaches to achieving optimal health, but we have a commonality in the human body. This panel of well-known experts will discuss how the silo walls of specialization can be broken down. To provide effective treatment, practitioners must see patients as the whole human body, not as cases involving only a single system. The panel will share their current thinking about how they see the human body holistically and how they search for root causes and resolutions to achieve better outcomes. This discussion will demonstrate how to get past the perceptual limits of silos and specialties and see patients as individuals, not cases.

Content Access

Presented by: Yehuda Shoenfeld, MD, FRCP, MAACR

Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which the immune system damages normal components of the individual. Thus, autoantibodies productions were found to be multifactorial in their etiology. For practical reasons these factors are classified into four categories: genetic, immune deficiencies, hormonal state, and environmental causes.

Content Access

This issue highlights advances in integrative healthcare practice, including new discoveries and collaborations across medical fields. 

Content Access

Presented by:
Andrew Weil, MD

Modern scientific medicine has advanced rapidly, but those advances have not resulted in better health or healthcare. Ignoring the healing power of nature and the organism's intrinsic mechanisms of healing have made us dependent on therapeutic interventions requiring technology that is very expensive. The future of medicine is integrative – that is, in the thoughtful combination of conventional and alternative ideas and practices. Integrative medicine takes advantage of natural healing, treats whole persons (bodies, minds, spirits), considers all aspects of lifestyle in matters of health and illness, honors and supports the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, and makes use of all appropriate therapies, using simpler, low-tech methods when possible.

This presentation was recorded at the 2022 Integrative Healthcare Symposium Annual Conference.

Content Access

Presented by: Hyla Cass, MD

This session will describe the functions of the endocannbinoid system and demonstrate ways to wean patients off opiates and psychiatric medications using cannabidiol (CBD), and identify ways to select CBD products.

Content Access

We’re in the midst of a growing epidemic of dementia and Alzheimer’s in the ageing population. A growing body of research is highlighting these conditions have a strong association with high blood sugar levels and pre-diabetes, which alarmingly is now seen in almost half of the American population.

Content Access

Presented by: Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee

Yoga practice has steadily grown in the U.S. by over 50 percent in adults and more than doubled in children from 2012 to 2017. It is primarily practiced for general wellness and disease prevention or to improve energy. A growing body of high-quality research continues to validate its efficacy for a wide variety of health conditions including major depression, anxiety, supportive cancer care, hypertension, cardiovascular disease risk, diabetes, pain conditions, improved cognition, and much more. Research on neuroanatomy and nervous system activity are identifying the underlying biological mechanisms that elucidate yoga’s role in health and wellness.

Content Access

Presented by: Mary Beth Augustine, RDN, CDN, FAND and Kathie Swift, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND

Test, don’t guess! Skip the polarizing diet and nutrition debates, bridge theory and practice, and take your nutrition assessment game to the next level with organ systems specific integrative and functional nutrition lab assessment.

Content Access