Live coverage of the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference 2020

Photo Cred: Kari Shea/Unsplash

By Katherine Shagoury

The 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) Annual International Conference online experience took place June 12-13, 2020. Leaders in functional and integrative medicine gathered virtually to discuss advancements in clinical research and innovative practices in integrative and functional medicine.

Integrative Practitioner reported live from the virtual sessions, bringing you the breaking news and insights from some of the top speakers and exhibitors.

Check out our live coverage. 

Finding opportunity in COVID-19 and beyond

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) provides an opportunity for integrative and functional medicine, said Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, FACB, during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference.

When considering resilience in healthcare, patient practices, in communities, and in the globe at large, Bland said there may be a theme that ties this all together, and the question integrative and functional practitioners should consider is where we might go from here.

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What to eat depends on individual

Nutrition is uniquely positioned for potential confusion, said Chris Gardner, PhD, during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference. There are dozens of dietary patterns that affect health outcomes in different ways, Gardner said, including mortality risk, physiology and metabolism, and risk factors for disease. Nutrition studies are not often end-point studies and highlight one aspect of physiology or metabolism and one molecule or food item. On top of that, there are different doses, sources, and durations, as well as population, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, and health and disease status, that can all impact the results or reactions to different nutrients, molecules, and food groups. In short, nutrition is uniquely complex, he said, and practitioners must embrace that.

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New paradigm of insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is much different than conventionally taught, said Jason Fung, MD, during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference.

There are two phases or disease processes of type 2 diabetes, beta cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. Fung said. Increasing fasting insulin compensates for insulin resistance keeping blood glucose normal, or hyperinsulinemia. However, after prolonged periods of hyperinsulinemia, beta cells burn out, insulin production falls, and blood glucose rises.  

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Practitioners share lessons from front lines of COVID-19

There is a place for functional medicine in the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response, said Patrick Hanaway, MD, who led a panel during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference.

The panel also featured Georgia Tetlow, MD, ABOIM, ABPMR, CWSP, Mylene Huynh, MD, MPH,  Joel Evans, MD, and Kara Parker, MD, who discussed COVID-19, their personal and clinical experiences on the front lines, and how clinical practice for integrative and functional medicine will grow and adapt to a new normal. Each panelist shared their expertise and lessons learned responding to COVID-19.

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A unified theory of disease

Humans are complex, synchronous enzyme machines, said Joseph Pizzorno, ND, during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference.

A 1999 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found a significant decrease of nutrient density in foods. The study did not measure trace minerals. However, a 1991 study published in the journal Nutrition and Health looked at the mineral depletion foods available in the United States, including vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, and fish, due to chemical fertilizers and found every mineral except for phosphorus in fruits and vegetables and sodium and dairy decreased significantly, with trace minerals cut down 77 percent in vegetables.

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Food fix for health, the planet, and community

Healthcare providers need to focus on the food system, Mark Hyman, MD, during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference.

Only 12.2 percent of Americans are considered metabolically healthy. Additionally, mortality from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is virally driven by hyperinflammation.

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Radical redesign of healthcare via whole health model

There has never been a greater need for a radical transformation, said Tracy Gaudet, MD, during the virtual 2020 Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference.

Integrative and functional medicine practitioners are critical, said Gaudet, a former executive director of the Veteran’s Administration (VA), where she created the transformational Whole Health program. Now the executive director of the Whole Health Institute, Gaudet said she hopes to translate and build off of the VA Whole Health model and bring it to communities worldwide.

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