Fx Medicine Podcast Central

In this episode Mark Donohoe reviews key, evidence-based probiotic and nutritional therapies for the management of irritable bowel syndrome, Helicobacter pylori infection, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. He also explores the latest developments in faecal transplantation for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection and inflammatory bowel disease.

The number of bacteria living on and in the body of the average healthy adult human are estimated to outnumber human cells by a ratio of anywhere from 3:1 to 100:1. Commensal bacteria provide numerous benefits to their host including production of vitamins and antimicrobial substances that are essential in maintaining the delicate balance between helpful colonies and pathogenic overgrowth. There is a school of thought that posits lactate-producing bacterial species will cause ill-health rather than promote health, particularly for patients suffering Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Short Bowel Syndrome. Today Belinda Reynolds explores the pathogenesis of D-Lactate and reveals it may not be the culprit first thought, but rather a victim of circumstance.

In today's podcast we capitalise on over two decades of Dr Mark Donohoe's experience and observation of patients undergoing detoxification programs. Dr Donohoe takes us through how detoxification approaches have changed and continue to change, as new information and research emerges. Dr Donohoe has a long history of helping patients with confounding presentations and he has a knack for helping those patients who fall outside medical diagnosis, but who are obviously unable to function because of fatigue, pain, mood disorders and immune dysfunction.

Justin Sinclair is a herbalist, pharmacognosist and educator with a true passion for caring for patients in severe need. In this podcast he discusses the therapeutic potential of one of the most important medicinal herbs, Cannabis. This 2-part series sees Justin delve into the history and extensive health benefits of medical marijuana as he dispels the many myths surrounding this controversial plant. Justin's extensive knowledge of phytochemistry and pharmacognosy informs the listener of the wide medical potential Cannabis has for treating many chronic illnesses, offering hope for patients whose current medical therapies have little to offer.

Today Beth will cover the importance of the liver in detoxification and how clinicians can effectively utilise functional pathology to assess liver function. Drawing on her vast experience in functional pathology and clinical practice, Beth takes us through the functional liver detoxification profile. Beth will also share some insightful practice points for managing imbalances in detoxification systems without causing unwanted side-effects in your patients.

Today we are joined by Belinda Reynolds to explore the many factors which may trigger autoimmunity, and explore the evidence behind the naturopathic tenet of treating the gut to restore normal function to seemingly disparate tissues. Supporting autoimmunity in those on medications can be done safely with natural approaches which balance, rather than block the immune system. Belinda expertly discusses the herbs, nutrients and lifestyle changes which have been shown to help manage autoimmune conditions.

The existence of Lyme-like disease is hotly debated in Australia, with many doctors being ostracised by their colleagues for even mentioning the four letter word. Today, we are joined by Jennie Burke of Australian Biologics, who is no stranger to the controversy surrounding the existence of Borrelia species in Australia. She shares with us her experience, the challenges with adequate testing, and the politics of this emerging Borrelia, or "Borrelia-like" infection - which may or may not be the classical tick-borne disease found in every other continent bar Antarctica.

Dr Chris Shade's background as a pharmacist, environmental chemist and organic farmer eventually led him down an interesting path, doing clinical mercury research. In today's podcast Dr Shade takes us through the various species of mercury and the synergistic layering that can occur with heavy metals, toxins and other environmental pollutants to the detriment of human health. Dr Shade has developed comprehensive detoxification systems designed to help peel away the layers of overlapping dysfunction using innovative liposomal technology that revolutionises nutrient delivery for healing.

There are far more people abusing legal drugs than there is illicit drugs, it's a much bigger problem! Some prescription drug classes cause major social issues with addiction or dependence with subsequent deleterious effects on personal health and family welfare. Following on from our previous podcast on the detoxification/withdrawal of illicit drugs, today Pharmacist and Integrative Medicine Practitioner Greg Mapp takes us through the safe and responsible detoxification of several classes of pharmaceutical drugs and instructs practitioners on the practical aspects of supporting patients through prescription drug detox.

The humble cup of tea has long been associated with inducing a "sense of calm”. As it turns out, tea is a key source of the non-protein amino acid, L-theanine, which has some profound calming effects within the brain and nervous system. In this episode, Andrew and Belinda expertly takes us through the mechanisms of action of this exciting new nutraceutical and how it can benefit adults and children in coping with the increasing demands of life.

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) has been used in the medical arena for decades as a rescue for paracetamol overdose and as a mucolytic in Cystic Fibrosis, but newer research leans towards possible uses in Psychiatry. Although too early to provide guidelines, Professor Michael Berk takes us through the exciting possible future uses of this precursor to glutathione production. Professor Berk explains some of the more recent trials, where the link to Psychiatric benefit came from and where future research into NAC in mental health needs to head.

Growing up in rural New South Wales gave Sarah Lantz a grounded appreciation of food. A connection to food origins is something most of society has now lost, but its an area Sarah is passionate about. Her love for nutritious, local, wholesome food combined with her formal qualifications as a Nutritionist, and her concerns about the abundant and unregulated use of chemicals during food production gave her the perfect springboard to research the toxins transmitted between mother and baby. Suffice to say, analysis of cord blood led to some startling revelations! Today Dr Lantz takes us through her research and also reveals her journey into the world of fermented foods, which led to her latest venture "Buchi Kombucha", a traditional fermented tea company that is now teaching this lost art to the public.

Beth Bundy is a Melbourne based naturopath with a strong focus on the interplay of the thyroid, adrenals and sex organs. In this interview, she reveals the benefits of functional pathology as an objective measurement to show patient benefits of treatment over time. Beth takes our listeners through the differences in functional testing as opposed to standard pathology testing, and shows the practitioner some of the commonly useful tests to determine or confirm clinical suspicions of what's going on inside the patient's body.

Greg Mapp's history as an integrative pharmacist includes setting up a truly revolutionary drug detox centre for both illicit and prescription drugs on Queensland's Gold Coast. In Part one of a two part series Greg takes us through the history of the clinic and how medical care of illicit drug detox commonly involves integrative therapies and judicial supplementation to manage symptoms experienced by patients.

In today's podcast, Andrew discusses gut repair with Amie Skilton. As a naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist with 13 years experience, Amie takes us through some core Naturopathic Principles that form the vital components of a successful, and wholistic gut repair program. Drawing on her clinical expertise, Amie shares how she guides her patients through the practicalities of healing digestion, by teaching them how, what, when and why to eat, as well as herbal and nutritional supplements that she recommends with great success.

In the 1960s Denham Harman hypothesised the free radical theory of ageing, but was himself frustrated by his inability to prove it. Fifty years later the theory still remains unproven. Having recently won a prize for her presentation on this topic at the 2015 National Herbalists Association of Australasia (NHAA) Conference, Dr Janet Schloss takes us through why the molecules known as "antioxidants" do not actually operate as "free radical trappers" but instead function as chemical messengers to normalise DNA and other chemical signals in our body.

Not too long ago, beneficial bacteria was only thought about in relation to the gastrointestinal ecology. However in recent years we have discovered that the body plays host to a myriad of distinct bacterial colonies that play a vital role in health and disease. In this episode Andrew and Mark discuss the microbiome beyond the gut with a focus on the reproductive system. As well as offering up some diet and lifestyle interventions that we as hosts can use to ensure the health of our resident bugs.

Athletes are always looking for ways to improve performance and one of those ways is to reduce recovery time. In this podcast, Exercise Physiologist, Nick Morgan explores the research into SKINS compression wear and their influence on performance and recovery.

In today’s podcast Andrew is joined by dietitian Belinda Reynolds. Belinda has over 15 years experience in integrative medicine and has a true gift for pulling clinically relevant information from research. Today she takes us through extemporaneous dispensing of calcium-D-glucarate. Calcium-D-glucarate has some great clinical applications for gut and liver health, and plays an important role in preventing recirculation of toxins in the detoxification process.

Dr Lise Alschuler has just finished her Australia-wide Workshop Tour, and this week’s podcast gives us greater insight into both Lise’s personal and professional experiences with cancer diagnosis.Lise explores the emotional impact which patients have to endure when faced with a cancer diagnosis and the strategies to maintain optimism, she reveals some of the newer diagnostic criteria and tumour-activity markers, and discusses the place of safe, supportive care in cancer patients to aid in the orthodox treatment, including exercise, stress management, sleep and healthy, vegetable-based diet.