Fx Medicine Podcast Central

Pete Evans has become the iconic face of the Australian Paleo movement and has changed countless lives by inspiring people to adopt healthier eating practices. Beneath all the media hype, Pete Evans is passionate about feeling good through health and cooking. His craft is making flavourful, nutrient-dense food with fresh, natural ingredients using the advice and principles of some of the world's leading nutrition experts. In today's podcast Andrew talks to Pete about why he became a chef and his journey into the world of Paleolithic food preparation.

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.

Ligands are ions, molecules or a molecular group that bind to another chemical entity to form a larger complex. In this episode we're exploring the world of mineral ligands, the combinations of mineral complexes commonly found in nutritional supplementation and the many myths and misnomers perpetuated largely by marketing and hype. But what are the facts? What is the clinical opportunity or drawback to using say Calcium Sulphate vs. Citrate, or Magnesium Oxide vs. Magnesium Aspartate?. What is the evidence for amino-acid chelates and how they work in the body? How can you choose the right combination to yield the highest bioavailability or the best clinical outcome? Today we welcome back Dr Bob Buist arguably one of Australia's foremost leading experts in the field of nutritional biochemistry to dispel some myths and deliver some clinical pearls of wisdom about selecting the right combinations.

Dr Deanna Minich is a leading expert on nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition with a special interest in emotional eating; or the "food-mood connection". Dr Minich's true ambition for functional nutrition only presented itself when she was feeling unfulfilled as a pre-med student and decided to switch to a Masters Degree in Nutritional Biochemistry followed by a PhD in Nutrition. She professes to be "Switzerland" when it comes to diets, instead she takes a whole-self approach to nourishment.

Dr Robert Buist is a respected authority on whey, having extensively researched, formulated and used whey both commercially and clinically. He is a firm advocate of using whey to improve patient health. In this podcast, "Doctor Bob" will take us through the biochemistry of whey and how it exerts positive benefits at a cellular level. Learn from Dr Bob's decades of expertise on how the various constituents of whey can help manage conditions such as blood pressure, kidney disease and triglycerides, as well as helping to reduce hunger, lose weight and maintain muscle mass.

So you've tested a patient for MTHFR SNPs and for Mauve Factor/Kryptopyrroles. What now? Methylation and Pyrroles are hot topics in integrative medicine, yet controversy surrounds both their clinical significance and the best way to treat patients who have demonstrated aberrant biochemical results. In today's podcast, Belinda Reynolds takes us through the complexities, the realities and the traps which practitioners sometimes find themselves in when oversimplifying these seemingly simple biochemical "wheels"

Dr David Perlmutter is now a well-recognised champion of integrative medicine, being a board certified neurologist who embraces evidence-based natural therapies and the international best-selling author of Grain Brain. Dr Perlmutter's journey to integrative medicine started from a simple desire to seek for "MORE!" for his patients' health. This led to him exploring the dietary, lifestyle and supplementary regimes which importantly MODULATE (not block) inflammation which we know is a key driver in not just neurological disease, but is implicated in most modern diseases. Dr Perlmutter also describes his revelation of how many patients simply felt better when they eradicated gluten from their diet, whether they were diagnosed with Coeliac Disease or not.

Beth Bundy uses the analogy "The Three Legged Stool" to represent the triad of the adrenal, thyroid and sex hormones and their interplay. In this follow up podcast we dive deeper into appropriate & necessary use of functional pathology testing of the thyroid, adrenals and sex hormones . Beth expertly draws from her experience to paint a picture of the complex presentations patient's walk in with when one or all of these areas of their health are depleted.

In this podcast Dr Mark Donohoe shares his vast clinical knowledge of the functional aspects of low thyroid function. He coins the phrase a "hibernating thyroid" to explain why we shouldn't be so quick to stimulate the thyroid in those presenting with low metabolism, but rather seek to uncover the true cause of WHY thyroid levels plummet in patients. We explore the usefulness, cautions and paranoia of using such nutrients as iodine, selenium, tyrosine, and vitamin A in nourishing (rather than stimulating) the thyroid gland, as well as supporting both the adrenal glands and liver function to rejuvenate patients back to a normal metabolic rate.

Dr Lise Alschuler is best known for her expertise in supporting cancer patients on their journey through their therapy and how to thrive in their life afterwards. A core element in oncological care is supporting mental health, thus Dr Alschuler has amassed an impressive level of expertise in this area.In this podcast, Dr Alschuler will explore her evidence-based approaches to anxiety. She also takes an in depth look at some excellent integrative medicine interventions including phosphatidylserine, kava, lemon balm, magnesium and a specific phytopharmaceutical lavender product which is clinic-changing in its effectiveness.

Decades ago, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) was a rarely discussed condition. Now we know that 15-18% of women of reproductive age suffer from this condition, which carries its own infertility issues, plus increased risks to both mother and child, even upon successful pregnancy.In this podcast, Stacey (The BabyMaker) Roberts, takes us through the dysfunctional effects of excess and androgenised hormones upon fertility, and discusses the various options by which women with PCOS may emerge victorious using evidence-based natural therapies either alone or indeed in concert with drug therapy to maximise pharmaceutical management of fertility issues surrounding PCOS.