Attendees will be guided through the writing and publication process of case reports, case series, and/or retrospective chart reviews. The presenter will offer special considerations about data collection, research reporting guidelines, journal selection, and provide examples of different publications. This workshop will increase your confidence to publish your own work. Come with patient cases you would like to publish!

As naturopathic physicians and integrative providers, we understand the deep role that nutrition and diet play in human health. Unfortunately working with patient’s food choices is a ripe opportunity for unconcious bias to sneak in, and actually start to cause harm. This lecture will cover many interconnected topics including anti-fat bias, the harms of diet culture, and recognitizing how our language and recommendations can tilt the scales towards harm. 

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is an enzyme that regulates the expression of the LDL receptor, thereby affecting circulating LDL concentration. PCSK-9 inhibition is the target of a relatively new class of injectable, antibody-based LDL-lowering drugs, that lower LDL well below what is possible from statin therapy alone. These drugs prevent cardiovascular events and reduce cardiovascular death. However, the endogenous regulation of PCSK-9 isn’t often discussed and involves and interaction between the gut microbiota, liver function, and gut permeability. This presentation will review the pharmacology of PCSK-9 inhibitors including recent clinical trials, highlight a conceptual model of PCSK-9 inhibition via altering the microbiota and gut permeability, and highlight emerging evidence on natural PCSK-9 inhibitors.

Commercial tobacco use remains the leading cause of avoidable premature disease, disability and death. Menthol in tobacco products is documented to increase initiation, increase addiction and decrease quitting collectively leading to increased health disparities. Menthol tobacco products are disproportionately marketed by the tobacco industry to marginalized BIPOC communities and thus have higher rates of use relative to other populations. Stress promotes melanogenesis and nicotine has a stronger affinity for tissues containing melanin creating the perfect storm for greater dependence that is being exploited by the systematic targeting of big tobacco. The commercial tobacco endgame is now a public health and social justice crisis.

.5 Credits General

Almost 53 million Americans have osteoporosis are at risk due to low bone mineral density (BMD). Too often people focus solely on their bone density. They falsely believe that treating this test number adequately protects them. Learn about the benefits and risk of this flawed approach, how you can use bone density tests and the myths surrounding them to open conversation with your patients, empower them to take more responsibility for their health and reduce fracture risk. During his talk, you’ll also learn how a toothbrush, a stork and four minutes a day may just save your patient’s life.

Physician burnout is one of the biggest problems our medical providers are facing today. We all know to take more rest, work less hours, and that our medical system needs to be improved in many ways. At HDT this year, I will share with you how I have seen community engagement reduce professional burnout for Naturopathic Doctors including myself and other integrative health professionals by offering connection, inspiration, and a sense of giving back to the community.

Learn the details of how to use helminthic therapy for patients with hyperinflammatory conditions, including the logistics of ordering, dose & organism selection, indications and adverse events

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is found on the outer shell of gram-negative bacteria and is a potent endotoxin contributing to various diseases. LPS initiates a potent cytokine response, resulting in inflammation through binding of toll-like receptors (TLRs) and direct binding. Even small amounts of LPS due to bacterial infection are sufficient to elicit an inflammatory response. Inflammation resulting from LPS in the lumen of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract creates damage to the mucosa and the tight junctions of the gut, leading to increased intestinal permeability, allowing translocation of bacterial metabolites into the adjacent lymphatics and blood flow where it travels via the portal vein and must be cleared by the cells in the liver. Whatever the liver fails to clear enters systemic circulation. When gram-negative bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis produce toxic metabolites in the mouth, it results in the direct translocation to adjacent blood flow and lymphatics. Oral dysbiosis and its resultant upregulation of inflammatory pathways is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s dementia, respiratory diseases, and more.

This presentation will discuss 3 common neurodiverse diagnoses; ASD, NVLD, and ADHD. One out of 44 children is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States alone. Nonverbal Learning Disorders are becoming as prevalent as Dyslexia. The diagnosis and treatment of ADHD has been a controversial topic for decades now, the adult rate has doubled in the past decade. Due to these statistics and high prevalence of these disorders, they are becoming regarded as normal brain variations and a part of the neurodiversity of brains. Recognizing the common presentation, complex management, and integrative treatment of people with neurodiversity has become a necessary cornerstone to mental health practices. In this presentation, Britta Zimmer, ND and Camille Bourcier, LCSW will describe, via case vignettes, how they approach the commonalities as well as the differentiation of these neurodiverse presentations in their patient population. Their therapeutic, psychodynamic, nutritional, and pharmaceutical approach will be discussed in the context of these neurodiverse diagnoses.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in adults in the united states. It is often physicians who hear of suicidal ideation in their patients, particularly now with the new requirements of assessment for depression at each visit. The purpose of this Doc Talk is to teach the Assessment of the seriousness of these thoughts or statements, the series of questions to ask as follow up, and a path of decision making around the risk of suicidality as well as delineating the spectrum of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Learn from an experienced physicians how to apply Naturopathic principles to daily primary care practice. This talk will be full of tips and guidelines.

Western institutions are built upon the backbone of colonialism, which has either subtly or overtly informed the language and ideological approach of those systems. The medical system is no exception. Western medicine, from bench to bedside, often relies on violent or military based terms to talk about health and disease. We will explore how and why the immune system first came to be understood using direct military analogies, and start to understand the limitations of this view. We will also discuss common military terms that are used ubiquitously in the general practice of medicine, and possible impacts on our health as providers and that of our patients.