Well I guess I was able to get to Day 3 Part 2 after all.
Second presentation was a GI doc, Dr. Nandi from U of P. Good speaking style. His talk was on FMT, otherwise known as Fecal Microbiota Transplantation, aka Poop transplants. Presently they are indicated for Ulcerative Colitis but there is research into using FMT for many other conditions including IBS, side effects of certain chemo treatments and even Fatty Liver.
Dr. Nandi’s best line was how he likes to “re-poop-ulate” the colon with healthier bacteria. I wanted to ask him if his poop transplants would help “rectum-fy” any other GI issues butt ran out of time as they had to empty the room for the next presentation.
I feel bad for the next presenter having to go after such a shitty talk, but you know the saying, “Shit happens - then you wipe.”
It was break time after FMT, so I went to the exhibits to hear about some new treatments and talk to some exhibitors I tend to run into at conference after conference. It’s funny how some smile when I come up to say hello while others quickly avoid eye contact and appear to run the other way. I guess they either don’t like sarcasm or want to avoid some tougher questions that I tend to ask. Their loss!!
I actually got a bit hungry which seems to happen more when I am away, probably the sub-acute stress of not having my own kitchen and food. If anyone complains that it is hard to eat Low Carb while away I think they are just not looking hard enough. I had two containers of tuna from the bistro in the lobby with some cheese we had in the small room fridge. That’s my idea of simple and easy Low Carb on the run.
This was enough to get rid of hunger without the brain fog that accompanied high carb meals I used to eat in the past.
1st After Lunch presentation was from Deanna Minnich who discussed Anti-Nutrients. Anti-Nutrients are compounds that block the absorption and metabolism of other nutrients.
A few pearls and/or questions from this presentation.
“Plants run the show on this planet” as there are many more of them then there are animals. But does that mean that we need to eat them or just co-habitate with them or somewhere in between? I think the answer is different for everyone and probably somewhere in between.
I wanted to ask some questions but I don’t think the room would take my questions how I meant them.
If humans are protein based living beings, how can we get enough protein if we eat mainly plants?
Do we need that much plant phytonutrients to be healthy if we are on a Keto or Carnivore diet?
She then discussed some common Anti-Nutrients and went on to explain both the good and bad of each group. In other words, we need to get away from being Pro or Anti everything as there is probably good and bad in most things. That I agree with.
The more common antinutrients discussed included Lectins, Oxalates, Phytates, Goitrogens, Phyto-Estrogens and Tannins. There was too much in her talk to summarize any further but I believe she does a similar talk at other conferences and webinars and there must be a YouTube or such recording available somewhere if you are interested. Here is a podcast of a similar presentation.
Next presentation was Dr. Roundtree about Calming the Gut on Fire. He discussed mostly Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns. He had some good points and he has been doing this longer than I have. But he was not exactly for using a Carnivore based diet for either illness. I have used Carnivore successfully in quite a few people with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns and more people are telling their own stories about how Carnivore has put their disease into remission. So I think maybe he is missing out here. I believe his interventions work as well, but hey, let’s keep an open mind.
Going off on a tangent here but when I began my official Functional Medicine training about 7 years ago, they were very gung ho on everything plant based. Over the past few years they have embraced lower carb, keto and Intermittent Fasting as well, but they still haven’t quite been as nice when discussing Carnivore as an option. I think it will just take them a bit more time, but they should eventually get there. They can only ignore for so long the many awesome aspects of health improvements seen with a Carnivore based diet, especially with respect to Metabolic, Gut and Immune health.
But again I am not at the conference to pick a fight. I prefer to hear how other treatment protocols have been successful and decide whether to add them into my possible treatment protocols as well.
Dr. Roundtree did have a nice statement near the end of his presentation, more about preventing constipation as constipation can increase the risk of reabsorption of toxins from the stool. We don’t want to reabsorb toxins.
“If Americans had twice as many BM’s, we would have half as many medical issues.”
That would normally be the end of the day but I guess I was a glutton for punishment today, otherwise known as “death by powerpoint”. I went to an extra talk on Immunolin, otherwise known as Serum derived bovine immunoglobulins (SBI’s). These are actually just a type of antibody made by cows that have the ability to do the following:
They bind up Gut toxins from bacteria, fungi and yeast.
They break up Gut biofilms
They help clear up Leaky Gut
They have been used in IBS-D, SIBO, and Leaky Gut. Anecdotally they have been used to bind up Gluten, Mold aflatoxins, Candida and Fungal toxins, C. Diff toxins as well as used swish and swallow for oral/dental inflammation. They are presently being studied to bind up spike protein from COVID.
I have more used Bovine Colostrum over the past 5+ years, which contains SBI’s and other ingredients. SBI’s are a more concentrated subset of Colostrum and can also be useful. I already have many uses in mind so ask me next time you see me in the office if they might be indicated for you
Ended the day at dinner. We went to a Greek restaurant Avra across from Radio City Music Hall, about a 3-4 block walk from our hotel. The meal was very good.
What do you think I had?
It was delicious.
As you can tell, I made all gone!!!
I asked the waiter to pack the leftovers on the plate. He gave me an odd look and then smiled. It takes some people a bit to understand me.
One more day of presentations and then the train home. I am glad I have a day to rest before back in the office on Monday.
I think I came back with more tricks to use to help improve the health of everyone at IMW. While no one treatment works for everyone, what I like about Functional Medicine is how we look more at systems and mechanisms of disease and try to fix it at its root or cause. Medications are not necessarily bad, but they are usually just band aids, and not true cures.
My next substack will probably not be until Sunday or Monday discussing Saturdays Day 4 presentations. I leave right after the conference is over to get home and I prefer not to be typing on the train, so you will just have to be patient to read more.
Til next time.
As always comments and questions are welcome.
This is all very interesting and I thank you for responding so quickly after your probably intense and tiring week.
It’s so interesting how people can often decide to believe what they want to believe for whatever reason (or no reason). Some things we just don’t want to believe, no matter how strong the evidence is to the contrary. It’s human nature, I guess, and often happens when a person has a small nugget of information that suddenly becomes Gospel Truth (not that I follow the gospel but you know what I mean). This has especially been true of the pandemic and I admit to maybe being a little guilty on that front myself. And maybe I don’t even care ! Haha….. thanks for listening ….
oh this is interesting - I seem to be able to comment on my laptop without using a password but cannot do that on my phone! I am wondering about something I read many years ago and I am assuming you disagree with this - which is: I always thought that red meat stayed in the digestive tract longer than other forms of protein and fruits and vegetables. Is that true or not? How do we know how long red meat stays before being excreted? We, of course, want food to pass smoothly and expediently through our digestive tract and IF red meat does stay longer, wouldn't that be harmful to health? Of course, if that assumption is not true, then you are right about the keto-based, high animal protein diet that you love.