FX Medicine Podcast Central

Today's podcast explores the many facets of healthy ageing. The medical term for age-related decline in health is  “Sarcopoenia”. It is characterised by a progressive and generalised loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength which can result in adverse outcomes such as physical disability, poor quality of life and death. Chris Oliver is an expert in the area of nutrition, body composition and healthy aging and delivers an engaging discussion on the many modifiable factors of optimal ageing.

As an international best-selling author, Dr David Perlmutter needs little introduction. He is a leading expert in integrative neurology and a serial educator on the perils on grains in the modern diet. In today's podcast, recorded at the 4th Annual BioCeuticals Research Symposium in Sydney; Dr Perlmutter shares his expertise on the issues with the modern diet, our heavy reliance on grains and the disturbance these are having on gut, cognitive and behavioural function. Dr Perlmutter's passions also extends to grain agriculture including genetic modification and the use of glyphosate.

The role of diet in the management and prevention of chronic disease is a widely accepted notion, particularly amongst those who are already health conscious.  What is perhaps lesser considered, is the relationship between diet and the acute immune system. As we enter into cold and flu season, we explore how what we eat may affect our ability to resist infection. In this week's podcast, Andrew and Dr Mark Donohoe navigate an interesting discussion on the role of diet in immunity, including sugar consumption, eating seasonally and making appropriate fresh food selections.

Mike Ash has spent the last two decades deeply immersed in the ever-changing landscape of integrative immunology. He has amassed an impressive reading, writing and publishing repertoire in his career and yet he applies his knowledge in a wholistic and considered way both through clinical practice and in educational capacities to his peers. Today on FX Medicine Mike speaks to Andrew about the pathological and positive immunological paradigms of parasitic infection and parasite therapy. This emerging area of immunology has some fascinating possibilities for the future of medicine.

In pursuit of a new drug therapy to treat cholera, Dr Alessio Fasano made a discovery that would inadvertently change the landscape of gastrointestinal disease in modern medicine. In 2000, Dr Fasano uncovered the protein zonulin as a mechanism which negatively influences the regulation of the intestinal tight gap junctions, and thus provided credence to the notion of a "leaky gut".  In this podcast, Dr Fasano reveals the widespread clinical significance of zonulin, Coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity, as well as a myriad of disorders related to the ubiquitous nature of the zonulin protein, not just in the gut, but in diverse tissues throughout the body.

Dr Mark Donohoe is, without question, an expert at disentangling complex health conditions. In this episode Andrew and Dr Donohoe delve into the complexities of supporting, improving and/or treating pathological gut issues. Their comprehensive discussion touches on numerous wholistic and integrative methods of improving gut health and, by extension, overall wellbeing. From the bacterial, fungal and viral organisms living within and on our bodies, to the effect of targeted dietary and lifestyle modifications, join Dr Donohoe and Andrew as they explore digestion, biodiversity and wellbeing.

In this podcast we speak with Prof Marc Cohen about his work helping students conduct research, his passion for uncovering the evidence for complementary therapies and being the bridge between orthodox and integrative medicine. One herb Prof Cohen is most interested in is Holy Basil which he describes as the ultimate adaptogen. Prof Cohen will lead us through some of this herb's historical and clinical benefits. Prof Cohen's inclusive approach to wellbeing is a key reason as to why he is both a balanced industry ambassador and a true pioneer of the wellness industry.

Megan Bowness is full of life and she has good reason to be. She almost lost her life to Crohn's disease when a vital operation left her with a constantly draining fistula. In today's podcast, Megan takes us through her courageous journey and the role that complementary and integrative medicine has had in the successful management of her disease. Megan also talks about the joy she has gotten from giving back through her charity dedicated to helping seriously sick kids to get their very own personalised pair of "Dream Kicks"

Innovation is often borne out of necessity and Victus Health is no exception. Pauline O'Sullivan’s personal experience implementing elimination diets to identify and manage her daughter’s multiple food intolerances, gave her the idea for the Victus Health software. Teaming up with Michelle Ridgeway and capitalising on her IT expertise, Victus Health was born. Victus Health is a practical platform which aids practitioners to implement personalised nutrition plans. It bridges the gap between a practitioner identifying what you cant eat, and a patient implementing these dietary changes with a recipe system that can filter out key dietary concerns.

When it comes to media coverage of nutritional supplements and herbal medicines there is often a tendency towards sensationalism and a bias for negative outcomes. This distorted approach to health journalism is not only unnecessarily alarming and confusing to the public, it also unfairly damages our trust in complementary health care and can cloud our clinical judgement. In this podcast Andrew Whitfield-Cook and Dr Mark Donohoe discuss several papers covering a diverse range of clinical areas, including: the Low FODMAP diet in IBS, vitamin K2 and warfarin stability, the impact of food and exercise on the gut microbiome, as well as the CARET and ATBC trials which led to beta-carotene gaining a bad reputation.