AHS19: Full Schedule

8:00am PDT

Registration and Badge Pick-Up

Thursday August 8, 2019 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
West Ballroom A

Registration

8:45am PDT

Opening Remarks

Thursday August 8, 2019 8:45am - 8:55am PDT
West Ballroom B

Opening Remarks

8:55am PDT

Poster Previews

Poster presenters will each give a brief description of the topic of their poster. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more by visiting the poster sessions on Friday afternoon.

Thursday August 8, 2019 8:55am - 9:10am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

9:10am PDT

Feeding the World a Healthy and Sustainable Diet? How EAT Lancet Gets it Wrong

This year, a group in Sweden proposed the first ever global dietary plan intended to save our health and the planet. Their recommendations include less than half an ounce of red meat per day, only 1/4 of an egg a day, yet 8 tsp of white sugar is allowed. The diet also calls for the elimination of processed foods, but “unsaturated oils” are the main source of fats. And in an effort to also address emissions, red meat has been targeted as the worst possible food. But did the researchers even actually consult with any environmental experts, and how can this diet work for those who live in areas that don’t support grain production and already face malnutrition? Diana Rodgers, registered dietitian and sustainability advocate breaks down how misguided the EAT Lancet recommendations really are.

Speakers

Diana Rodgers

RD, LDN

Diana Rodgers, RD, LDN, is a “real food” nutritionist living on a working organic farm near Boston, Massachusetts that runs a vegetable and meat CSA. She is the author of two bestselling cookbooks and runs a clinical nutrition practice. Diana writes and speaks about the intersection... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 9:10am - 9:50am PDT
West Theater

Talk

9:10am PDT

How to optimize light in the modern world

In our ancient past, our internal biological clock - or circadian clock - was predominantly set by fluctuations in light across the solar day. Now, however, things are quite different. Technological advances over the past century, starting with the invention of the lightbulb, have dramatically changed our patterns of daily light and darkness exposure. Today, our cities and homes can be illuminated all the time, regardless of season or time of day. In addition, Americans on average spend about 90% of their time indoors (Klepeis et al., 2001), and are able to extend periods of light exposure well into the evening with artificial lighting. But do these changes matter for our health and if so, what are different strategies one can use to affect their daily light exposure so that it's closer to a natural rhythm? This talk will explore these ideas and questions.

Speakers

Dan Pardi

PhD

Dan's life's work centers on how to help people live healthfully. He is the CEO of humanOS.me which leverages a novel behavior model to promote health fluency, skill development, and lifestyle insights to help people master their health practice. He does research with the Psychiatry... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 9:10am - 9:50am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

9:50am PDT

Break: 5 minutes

Thursday August 8, 2019 9:50am - 9:55am PDT
TBA

Break

9:55am PDT

Keto Panel

Protein consumption applied to different contexts .

Keto for different context and outcomes.

Additional Q&A.

Speakers

Luis Villaseñor

Ketogains Founder & International Speaker.Personal Trainer, Bootcamp Coach (English & Spanish)Luis has always been passionate about fitness due to a personal interest in improving his own physique. Always curious in learning the “whys and how’s” of how it all works, he has been... Read More →

Tyler Cartwright

Coach / Personal Trainer Language: EnglishTyler, in addition to being a success story of the ketogenic diet, is a founding member of ketogains. He started his body recomposition more than 11 years ago weighing 505 pounds, today he has reduced his weight to 205 pounds. His experience... Read More →

Mike T Nelson

CISSN, PhD

Mike T. Nelson, PhD, MSME, CSCS, CISSN, is a research fanatic who specializes in metabolic flexibility and heart rate variability, as well as an online trainer, adjunct professor, faculty member at the Carrick Institute, presenter, creator of the Flex Diet Cert, kiteboarder, and (somewhat... Read More →

L. Amber O'Hearn

M.Sc.

Amber O'Hearn has a diverse scientific background with publications in mathematics, theoretical computer science, linguistics, psychology, and more recently nutrition. Her current focus of study revolves around the role of nutrition in the development of the human brain.

Guillermo Ruiz

NMD

Dr. Guillermo Ruiz has a deep love for botanical medicine and has presented nationally and internationally on to the topic. He currently holds a position as a research assistant at SCNM and works part time as a researcher at the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute. His research... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 9:55am - 10:35am PDT
West Ballroom B

Panel

10:40am PDT

CBD and Cannabinoids: Beneficial Plant compounds or all hype?

Is there a real benefit to CBD and cannabinoids or is it all hype? Join me on a journey to use research to investage their use in s range of use such as recovery from exercise to pathologies such as traumatic brain injury.

Speakers

Mike T Nelson

CISSN, PhD

Thursday August 8, 2019 10:40am - 11:20am PDT
West Theater

Talk

10:40am PDT

Omega-6 Apocalypse: From Heart Disease to Cancer and Macular Degeneration, Are Seed Oil Excesses the Unifying Mechanism?

Over the past two hundred years, we’ve witnessed the evolution of pandemics of chronic
degenerative, metabolic, and noncommunicable disease (NCD). Ample evidence supports the
conclusion that coronary heart disease, cancers, type 2 diabetes, obesity, age-related macular
degeneration (AMD), and metabolic syndrome, among other chronic diseases, have risen from
medical rarities to the most common causes of chronic disease and causes of death. Whereas
the top three causes of death in the year 1900 were all infectious, by year 2000, seven of the
top ten causes of death were secondary to chronic NCD. During the same time frame, we’ve
witnessed industrially produced seed oils, rich in omega-6 fatty acids, elevate to occupy up to a
third of human consumption, or more. Such oils rarely existed anywhere prior to the American
Civil War, globally. Virtually all chronic degenerative diseases of civilization have in common
one primary metabolic defect, namely, mitochondrial dysfunction. Could omega-6 rich seed
oils, consumed to excess, be the common precipitating factor through multiple mechanisms,
including prooxidative and proinflammatory pathways, cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and
genotoxicity? The evidence is compelling.

Speakers

Chris A. Knobbe

M.D.

Chris Knobbe, MD is an ophthalmologist and Associate Clinical Professor Emeritus, formerly ofthe University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Knobbe has a deepinterest in general nutrition, particularly as it relates to chronic degenerative disease, thoughhis... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 10:40am - 11:20am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

11:20am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Thursday August 8, 2019 11:20am - 11:30am PDT
TBA

Break

11:30am PDT

Building Your Baby From the Ground Up (Part 2) - In Defense of Baby-Led Movements

After our poster presentation at the 2018 Ancestral Health Symposium, our poster and images went viral on social media, being shared 10,000 times by users all over the world within just a few days of the conference. Since then, we have created a new brand in order to sell posters and educational materials throughout the world. (brand website going live Late-February 2019)

Part One (AHS ‘18) was to discourage the use of Infant Orthotic Devices.

Part Two (Proposed AHS ‘19) is to educate clinicians, caretakers, and parents on the importance of baby-led movements and to discourage them from “helping” children in many of the ways that I see in clinical practice and in cultural norms.

Speakers

Christopher LoRang

Chris LoRang is a Chiropractic Physician and Co-Founder of Building Your Baby From The Ground Up, an evidence-informed educational platform designed to empower parents, caretakers, daycare providers, and clinicians with steps to help infants move and develop naturally. Dr. LoRang... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 11:30am - 12:10pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

11:30am PDT

Potential anti-aging effects of a Paleo diet

Paleo diets, which may be low in dietary acids such as phosphate and high in base precursors such as citrate and malate, may help slow metabolic processes associated with aging. These include:
1) slowing progressive acid-induced damage to the kidneys, which would help preserve the kidneys ability to excrete acid and minimize systemic acidosis;
2) avoiding the downregulation of klotho, a membrane and soluble factor associated with aging that decreases with constant high dietary phosphate intake and FGF-23 production; and
3) potentially improving telomerase activity to help maintain telomere length, another factor associated with longer lifespan.
Although the present data is mainly from studies in invertebrate and small animal models, extrapolation of these results, as well as some associated results in human studies, suggests that low acid diets (which includes some Paleo diets) may be a factor in living longer.

Speakers

Lynda Frassetto

Lynda Frassetto, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of California, San Francisco (USCF). She teaches and supervises both inpatient and outpatient nephrology at the University and the Veteran’s Administration hospitals. She has been doing... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 11:30am - 12:10pm PDT
West Theater

Talk

12:10pm PDT

Lunch (1.5hr)

Thursday August 8, 2019 12:10pm - 1:40pm PDT
Break

Lunch

1:40pm PDT

How Women Can Use The Core 4 to Embrace Their Bodies & Own Their Power (No Guilt and Shame Required)

In a world full of a cacophony of messages about how to eat, think, and move your body, it’s no wonder that women are more confused than ever. Add impossible-to-meet beauty and body ideals, and a perfect storm of unhealthy nutrition and exercise practices, self-doubt, and mistrusting our intuition ensues. How do we heal from this while respecting our health? By adopting The Core 4 philosophy: Eat Nourishing Foods, Move With Intention, Recharge Your Energy, and Empower Your Mind. With tools from each pillar and a radical shift in perspective, women begin embracing their bodies, owning our innate power, and reaching our full potential. This talk delves into practical ways to use The Core 4 pillars in your life.

Speakers

Steph Gaudreau

Steph Gaudreau’s mission is to help women create bigger, bolder, fiercer lives — by building health from the inside out. She's a Nutritional Therapy Consultant, author, blogger, coach, podcaster, and the creator of the former Stupid Easy Paleo. Steph’s latest book The Cor... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 1:40pm - 2:20pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

1:40pm PDT

Lies, Damn Lies, and genetics

Nothing in biology is certain, and the nature of statistics means we can only think about the probabilities. The same is true of genetics; your genes alter the probabilities, but they do not determine the outcome. While we are increasingly obsessed with our genome, and can measure tens of thousands of changes in our individual “code”, we forget that almost no intervention has been truly tested based on common genetic differences. And those that have often prove unsuccessful. In fact, multiple studies now show that simply thinking you have a certain genetic polymorphism has a greater effect on your physiology than the polymorphism itself. This is particularly concerning considering that direct-to-consumer genetic testing is often not accurate. This talk will cover why genetics are just probabilities that should never be our main focus, and why the environment will always triumph when it comes to your health.

Speakers

Tommy Wood

MD, PhD

Dr. Tommy Wood is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. He studied biochemistry at Cambridge, received a medical degree from Oxford, and has a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo. He is the President of Physicians for Ancestral... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 1:40pm - 2:20pm PDT
West Theater

Talk

2:20pm PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Thursday August 8, 2019 2:20pm - 2:30pm PDT
TBA

Break

2:30pm PDT

Nutrigenetics: Using genetics to optimize evolution-based nutrition.

The purpose of this presentation is to examine genomic sequencing and its’ effects on identifying and understanding molecular-level interactions between nutrients and their subsequent bio-actives on health and recovery. To provide an enhanced scientific and rational means to optimize nutrition with respect to an individual’s genotype as the evolution of nutrition could have an effect on gene expression.

As our nutrition evolves, our SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that occurs at a specific position in the genome, can lead to appreciable differences in enzyme or protein function. Clinically noted, microbiome efficiency as well as autophagy, detoxification, methylation, mitochondria, histamine, neurotransmitter, and immune/inflammatory response increased by genetic predisposition and triggering events leads to a propagation of disorder: inability to resolve the metabolic deficiency/inflammatory state.

To overcome genetic weakness, we must take into careful consideration the evolution of our nutrition.

Speakers

Jen Myers

DNM, DACM, FMP, CCN, L.A.c

Dr. Jen Myers, DNM, DACM, FMP, CCN, L.A.c Certified Genomix/Nutrigenetic Specialist Dr. Jen specializes in Nutrigenetic Medicine, testing individual SNPs based on the most important nutritional pathways to help support optimal health and wellness. Dr. Jen has also formulated nutritional... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 2:30pm - 3:10pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

2:30pm PDT

Was Otto Warburg wrong?

Nearly a century ago Otto Warburg emphasized that, though typically an anaerobic activity, cancer primarily and uniquely used glycolysis to fuel itself even in the presence of oxygen. This is known as aerobic glycolysis and now the "Warburg effect”. He maintained that cancer must do so because of mitochondrial damage and insisted that was the cause of cancer. His theory was soon mostly forgotten amidst the excitement over genetic discoveries and particularly oncogenes half a century ago, as the genetic mutational cause of cancer became the paradigm in the "war on cancer" to the present day. Millions of dollars, and far more importantly millions of lives were lost as research barked up this wrong tree. However, as the genetic mutational theory of cancer is now being rightfully challenged, Warburg's 'cancer as a metabolic mitochondrial disease' theory is being resurrected by current proponents. I will show that once more the wrong suspect is being found guilty as untold lives are again at stake. The real answer to cancer is embedded deep within the evolution of life.

Speakers

Ron Rosedale

Ron Rosedale is an internationally known expert in nutritional and metabolic medicine and, as one of the founders of the "low-carb" movement two decades ago, was perhaps the first to advocate a high fat rather than high protein "ketogenic" diet. He has been a pioneer in applying concepts... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 2:30pm - 3:10pm PDT
West Theater

Talk

3:10pm PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Thursday August 8, 2019 3:10pm - 3:20pm PDT
TBA

Break

3:20pm PDT

Beyond Probiotics: Digging Deeper into Digestive Healing

There is an evolutionary mismatch between our modern lifestyle and that of our ancestors, which is showing up in an overwhelming number of digestive disorders. Much of the focus for healing these is put on the microbiome, with an emphasis on taking probiotics or eating probiotic-rich foods, but this is only part of the picture. While elimination diets and probiotic supplementation can be beneficial, there is more intervention needed to provide healing in the gut. This talk will outline 5 areas of ancestral-based wellness to help improve the digestion and absorption of our food going beyond the basic “take your probiotics” to help achieve the robust digestive and overall health we have evolved to enjoy. Given from a health care practitioner point of view, focusing on practical steps and what I’ve seen work for people in my practice.

Speakers

Laura Poe

Laura is a registered dietitian in private practice in Southwest Wisconsin. She focuses on individualized healing adding in traditional, whole foods, with emphases on digestion and mental health. She is a blogger, writer, and speaker on health and traditional cooking techniques, such... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 3:20pm - 4:00pm PDT
West Theater

Talk

3:20pm PDT

What does an evolutionary perspective of diet actually tell us about promoting health today?

Many believe the paleo diet is what an evolutionary perspective on diet suggest we follow to address the evolutionary mismatch between our nutritional environment and genome. Critiques of the paleo diet been presented in three disciplines: anthropology, evolutionary biology, and nutrition and dietetics. Since a diet can be analyzed from three perspectives—food groups, nutrients, and diet quality—disentangling the complexity of how diet actually links to modern health becomes more difficult. In this talk, we will review literature from across disciplines to answer the question of what an evolutionary perspective on diet can tell us about promoting health today. Specifically, clinical literature to be used to determine which dietary perspective is key to promoting health.

Speakers

Anthony Basile

MS, NDTR

Anthony J. Basile is a second-year graduate student in the Evolutionary Biology PhD program at Arizona State University, where he currently studies evolutionary medicine. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics, Food, and Nutrition from City University of New York, Lehman College... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 3:20pm - 4:00pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

4:00pm PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Thursday August 8, 2019 4:00pm - 4:10pm PDT
TBA

Break

4:10pm PDT

How to Do Grassroots Research: A Pilot Study Examining the Efficacy of the Autoimmune Paleo Diet and Community-Based Health Coaching for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

In an age where performing rigorous research is expensive, time consuming and motivated by financial conflicts of interest, it can be difficult to see as an engaged citizen scientist or an aspiring researcher how to successfully support or conduct clinically relevant experiments that is in alignment with your values and the needs of our larger communities. In this talk, physician Rob Abbott, MD will talk alongside health coach, Angie Alt, NTC and Mickey Trescott, NTP about the process of designing, organizing, funding and performing a pilot study assessing the efficacy of online, community based health coaching and the autoimmune paleo diet for autoimmune thyroid disease. In addition, Angie and Dr. Abbott will present findings from the study outlining the changes seen with regards to quality of life, symptom burden, thyroid function, inflammation, nutrient status and gut health.

Speakers

Mickey Trescott

NTP

Mickey Trescott is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. She and Angie Alt run Autoimmune Wellness, a website, podcast, and associated social platforms dedicated to seeking wellness and building community for those with autoimmune disease.

Angie Alt

NTC, CHC

Angie Alt is a Certified Health Coach and Nutritional Therapy Consultant. She and Mickey Trescott run Autoimmune Wellness, a website, podcast, and associated social platforms dedicated to seeking wellness and building community for those with autoimmune disease.

Robert Abbott

Rob Abbott, MD is medical director of Resilient Roots: Functional Medicine and Evolutionary Medicine in Charlottesville, VA. He completed his family medicine internship with VCU-Shenandoah Valley and is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He has completed... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 4:10pm - 5:00pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

4:10pm PDT

Why conventional medicine does not want to hear this message and how to change this?

Evolutionary medicine is not new, most of it is common sense and has the potential to revolutionise health care. So why isn't it? Why is the uptake rate painfully slow and nearly always patient driven?

Using the example of Craniofacial Dystrophy (CFD) as an example Dr Mew will explain how he has faced losing his licence to practice (his livelihood) for no more than voicing his opinions and concerns. And he is not the only one. Why does the truth face such stiff opposition and what can we do about this?

He will lightly cover CFD (and the lastest results on young adults), before explaining how and why this area of modern medicine is doing everything that it can to prevent change. When you are persecuted for following the scientific process what do you do and how do you win. For a win in one area of our cause a domino effect and change the position for the whole community.

Speakers

Mike Mew

BDS, MSc

I'm an orthodontist practicing in south London, asking difficult questions and trying to understand why and how people have crooked teeth. I believe that this quest has opened a pandora's box, which will precipitate change in a section of medicine and has unleashed an adverse reaction... Read More →

Thursday August 8, 2019 4:10pm - 5:00pm PDT
West Theater

Talk

5:00pm PDT

Primal Play

Speakers

Darryl Edwards

MSc

Darryl Edwards is a movement coach, TEDx speaker and thought leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health.

Thursday August 8, 2019 5:00pm - Friday August 9, 2019 6:00pm PDT
Meet at Registration

Movement

9:00am PDT

The Testosterone Epidemic: How Endocrine Disruptors are Crushing Men

At a population level, male testosterone levels and reproductive health are plummeting at a precipitous rate. These changes cannot be accounted for solely by comorbid conditions such as metabolic syndrome.

There appears to be other influencing factors, one of which is likely the dramatic, damaging effect of endocrine disruptors. Toxins such as phthalates, BPA, atrazine, phytoestrogens, and birth control have polluted our food, water supply, personal care products and everyday household products. Literature has demonstrated a clear association between exposure to endocrine disruptors and hypogonadism and infertility. Extensive published studies have also shown the direct epigenetic effects of exposure, confirming a likely causative effect.

The keys to mitigating the harmful effects of endocrine disruptors include limiting exposure and upregulating detox pathways through personalized epigenetic lifestyle intervention.

Speakers

Tracy Gapin

MD, FACS

Dr. Tracy Gapin is a board-certified urologist and men's health expert focused on providing men a personalized path to optimizing health and performance. He offers epigenetic coaching including state-of-the-art biometric monitoring, nutrition and lifestyle intervention and bio-individualized... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 9:00am - 9:40am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

9:00am PDT

Modulating the gut microbiome for health: evidence-based testing and therapeutic strategies.

Our gut is home to trillions of microbes, collectively called the gut microbiome, that play essential roles in our health. In recent years, there has been great interest in how we can modulate the gut microbiome to improve health and prevent or even reverse chronic disease. You can now purchase at-home microbiome tests and find hundreds of different products online that claim to benefit the gut. But are these tests accurate, and do these interventions actually work? In this talk, I will provide an evidence-based discussion of commercial microbiome testing options and an overview of current knowledge regarding the efficacy of diet, exercise, probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplants in modulating gut microbial communities to improve health.

Speakers

Lucy Mailing

Ph.D.

Lucy Mailing is a fourth-year MD-PhD student in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois and was recently named an Emerging Leader in Nutrition Science by the American Society for Nutrition. Her laboratory research focuses on understanding how diet and exercise can beneficially... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 9:00am - 9:40am PDT
West Theater

Talk (theater)

9:40am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Friday August 9, 2019 9:40am - 9:50am PDT
TBA

Break

9:50am PDT

Epigenetic Contributions to Beauty and Wellness: How to program your DNA

The advancement of diet and lifestyle as epigenetic factors involved in skin aging opens up avenues for non-invasive treatment protocols for our patients who are living longer, healthier lives, but wish to look as young as they feel. Epigenetics speaks to the very underpinnings of the “Beauty from Within” trend, and holds the potential to define the influences of our environment not only on our skin, but on our entire aging process as well. This is the future of not only skin care but also of medicine! We now know that our epigenome is able to modulate gene expression and play important roles in stem cell differentiation, hair growth and rates of graying, wound healing, inflammation, hyper- and hypopigmentation, DNA repair, aging, cell longevity, and skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo. Dr. Fine synthesizes the current research on skin aging, gene-environment interaction and environmental medicine to demonstrate that diet and lifestyle factors can slow down and even reverse the aging process.

Learning objectives:
• To foster awareness of extrinsic and intrinsic forces that lead to aging of the skin
• Participants will be able to recommend certain lifestyle changes that reduce expression of genes involved in aging such as NF-kappaB and increase certain favorable genes such as the ARE-containing genes that boost Nrf-2 activity
• Participants will be able to integrate skin nutrition and lifestyle therapies into their treatment plans
• Participants will be able to position themselves as experts in the emerging field of epigenetics

Speakers

Dr Anne Marie Fine

N.M.D.

Anne Marie Fine, NMD is a practicing doctor focused on environmental medicine who is based in Newport Beach, CA. She currently serves as the Director of Education for the Naturopathic Academy of Environmental Medicine, teaching healthcare providers this emerging specialty. As well... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 9:50am - 10:30am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

9:50am PDT

The most precious human food: animal fat

For the last 50 years animal fat has been demonized as the main cause of the myriad maladies suffered by modernized humans. Efforts to reduce this component of our diets have correlated with nothing but worsening of obesity, metabolic syndrome and associated diseases, however. This will come as no surprise to those who consider the vital role that animal fats have played in human evolution and survival throughout our existence. This presentation will examine the often overlooked nutrients present in animal fats, and emphasize the vital importance of this food source in the diet of anyone looking to improve health, longevity and performance. There will also be a challenge to share your #steakdance as part of this talk- anyone who wants show the world how happy eating animal foods makes them by showing off their moves should definitely attend.

Speakers

Paul Saladino

Throughout the course of his life Paul, has embarked on many adventures that have shaped his personal interests - including his unique, individualized approach to medicine. After studying chemistry at the College of William and Mary, he spent 6 years traveling and exploring. Highlights... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 9:50am - 10:30am PDT
West Theater

Talk (theater)

10:30am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Friday August 9, 2019 10:30am - 10:40am PDT
TBA

Break

10:40am PDT

My case against uricase: a critical examination of hypotheses

Humans, along with other apes, evolved a series of mutations preventing uricase activity. Uricase breaks down uric acid (UA), and so apes, especially humans, have higher levels of UA than other mammals. There are many hypotheses about the selective advantage of these mutations, including benefits for the brain. However, higher UA levels make us more susceptible to fructose-induced metabolic syndrome, common in the modern food environment, which in turn can cause UA levels to rise pathologically. This is associated with cognitive and psychiatric detriments. Nonetheless, UA levels transiently increase in response to a ketogenic diet, without apparent detriment. Experts differ in their interpretations of this phenomenon. In this presentation, I will review evolutionary theories about uricase, and the interplay between UA, carbohydrate metabolism, and other dietary factors. In addition, I will attempt to disentangle negative effects of UA associated with metabolic syndrome from neuroprotective and cognitive benefits.

Speakers

L. Amber O'Hearn

M.Sc.

Friday August 9, 2019 10:40am - 11:20am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

10:40am PDT

Being a kid in the Stone Age

Stone Age humans were not malnourished or disease-ridden, but well adapted to their environment. A pregnant woman was healthier than a modern one and her child benefited as a result. All infants were breastfed; none had been exposed to sexually-transmitted disease, alcohol, nicotine or drugs in the womb. Passage through the birth canal provided protective bacteria. They acquired immune substances in the womb and in breastmilk. Daily exposure to harmless microbes in their environment would prime their immune systems to repel dangerous ones. There were no epidemic diseases among the small, isolated bands who lived 50,000 years ago. Intense physical activity would enable them to develop muscles matching those of modern athletes and thick bones that would never succumb to osteoporosis. Early play prepared boys for hunting and battle; girls learned how to gather as toddlers.

Speakers

Philip Goscienski

Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is a pediatric infectious disease specialist, a retired Navy captain and a retired clinical professor of pediatrics. He has written more than 700 newspaper and magazine articles, including the Saturday Evening Post and the American Heart Association Newsletter... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 10:40am - 11:20am PDT
West Theater

Talk (theater)

11:20am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Friday August 9, 2019 11:20am - 11:30am PDT
TBA

Break

11:30am PDT

Systemic lupus erythematosus: a story of origins, plasmodium and plaquenil

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype systemic autoimmune disease with nonspecific, unpredictable, multiorgan involvement. The rheumatology community posits that the cause of SLE is a complex meshing of genetic and environmental factors. The origins of the SLE predisposition may involve a component of absence. Evidence from animal models, epidemiology, and translational research suggest that the SLE genotype may have originated from the sustained pressure of plasmodium infection. This hypothesis may explain the differences in incidence across different ethnicities, the observed responses to disease modifying antirheumatic agents including plaquenil, and the generally adverse response to tumor necrosis factor antagonizing agents.

Speakers

William Mitchell

William Mitchell is a naturopathic physician practicing rheumatology in Gilbert, Arizona. His special interests include systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathy.

Friday August 9, 2019 11:30am - 12:10pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

11:30am PDT

Stacksitting: the ancestral way of healthy sitting.

Come learn how to sit like your ancestors did! Sitting posture in ancestral populations shows substantial differences from sitting in modern populations. The Gokhale Method uses the term "stacksitting" to describe one common ancestral sitting form that allows for a healthy alignment of vertebrae and reduced pressure on spinal discs. Join Esther Gokhale, creator of the Gokhale Method, to experience this practical technique and the traditional wisdom behind it, confirmed by scientific research.

We examined three types of sitting using the SpineTracker™ wearable device to measure spine shape and sEMG to measure electrical activity in the upper trapezius and mid-back muscles. Based on measured sEMG activity, all positions were equivalent regarding muscular activity in the trapezius. In the mid-back, arched sitting recruited substantially more muscular activity than slouched sitting and stacksitting. Based on SpineTracker measurement, stacksitting results in a significantly straighter shape in the lumbar spine than do arched and slouched sitting. We conclude that arching tenses back muscles and loads spinal discs, slumping provides beneficial muscular relaxation, while stacksitting provides both muscular relaxation and reduced loading on the spinal discs.

Learn how to use ancestral wisdom to spare your back and improve your long-term health and functionality!

Speakers

Esther Gokhale

LAc.

Esther Gokhale is the creator and founder of the Gokhale Method, an ecosystem of posture education, products, and community to help people recover a pain-free life. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 11:30am - 12:10pm PDT
West Theater

Talk (theater)

12:10pm PDT

Lunch (1hr40)

Friday August 9, 2019 12:10pm - 1:50pm PDT
Break

Lunch

1:50pm PDT

Evolutionary Perspectives on Thyroid Disease

Thyroid disease affects millions of people around the world. During this presentation we will delve into the evolutionary adaptations that promote the disease state. From oxidative stress, lack of microbial pressure and energy conservation and chronic infections, the human body adapts to the environment to downregulate (or upregulate) thyroid output. Correcting the environment that causes these adaptations would resolve the problems associated with the hormonal output of the thyroid.

Speakers

Guillermo Ruiz

NMD

Friday August 9, 2019 1:50pm - 2:30pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

1:50pm PDT

The hidden intelligence of hormones: How they drive desire, shape relationships, influence our choices, and make us wiser

Women’s fertility is fleeting, spanning just a few days each month. Because sex can only lead to conception on these few fertile days, it is likely that important adaptations affecting women’s health and well-being are sensitive to information about fertility within the ovulatory cycle. In this talk, I synthesize findings concerning these hormonal shifts. I argue that women, like our animal cousins, possess an estrous-like state, though it has unique human features. I address recent controversies, including a concern that there is a “false-positive problem” in these literatures. I also argue that filling gaps in our knowledge of hormone-behavior links will benefit women and inform crucial theoretical questions about the understudied nature of women’s sexuality and its consequences for health and well-being.

Speakers

Martie Haselton

PhD

Martie Haselton is the world's leading researcher on how ovulatory cycles influence women's sexuality. She is a professor of psychology and communication studies at the Institute for Society and Genetics and UCLA. She has taught many courses on evolutionary psychology, communication... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 1:50pm - 2:30pm PDT
West Theater

Talk (theater)

2:29pm PDT

Posters (sessions below in purple) 2:30-4:30

Friday August 9, 2019 2:29pm - 4:30pm PDT

Poster

2:30pm PDT

Becoming PrimalFit

Exhibitors

Dr. Joey Cadena

Primal Flow

Friday August 9, 2019 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
Meet at Registration

Movement

2:30pm PDT

Conquering Chronic Illness with Psychedelics

After spending nearly 15 years battling chronic illness and making significant progress using ancestral health principles, I had reached a plateau and it seemed I could go no farther. Depressed and at a crossroads in my life, I went to the Amazon with the intention of conquering my illness or not coming back.

Speakers

Daniel Cortez

J.D.

Daniel Cortez spent the last 15 years learning about the body and mind and re-examining everything he thought he knew about health, wellness, and performance. While ill, Daniel realized that the answers to most modern problems arise from "evolutionary mismatch", including his own... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

2:30pm PDT

Efficacy of the Autoimmune Paleo Diet for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

This study examined the benefits, with regards to health related quality of life (HRQL), symptom burden and thyroid function, of the autoimmune paleo diet (AIP) following its implementation as part of a 10 week online health coaching program in 17 individuals with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) There was a significant (p< 0.05) improvement in HRQL as measured by all 8 subscales of the SF-36 (n-16). Clinical symptom burden as measured by the MSQ decreased significantly from an average of 92 ± 25 (n=16) prior to the program to 29 ± 20 after the program. There were no statistically significant changes noted in any of the measures of thyroid function including TSH, Free and Total T4, Free and Total T3 or thyroid antibodies. AIP may be a useful dietary strategy in order to address impaired quality of life and symptom burden in middle aged women with HT.

Speakers

Robert Abbott

Friday August 9, 2019 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

2:30pm PDT

Re-establishing Gender Bias For Women’s Health & Performance Programming

Conventional approaches for women in the health and fitness industries have long seen a trend of equalizing them to their male counterparts as the standard practice. Though studies consistently reflect reflect vast gender differentiations in physiology, musculoskeletal constructruction and performance, biochemistry, and mechanics, the generalized focus of training professionals continues to fit both genders in one container.

The results have coaches training women without regard to greater joint laxity and assessing them for hypermobility to prevent injury, for example. They are educated to believe all clients must perform a squat with feet shoulder-width apart without regard to a woman’s wider q-angle and tendency to pronate the knees and feet. There is little, if any, training and education for female specific conditioning and strength training when we are addressing performance related to a woman’s menstrual cycle and each of its phases.

What we are witnessing is a rapid growing trend of female athletes who do not get their period, women suffering infertility, autoimmune disease and thyroid disorders. We are observing the continued and increasing popularity of bioidentical hormones, herbal supplement brands, hundreds of new diet and fitness publications each year, rising trends of online programs, as well as the steady climb in the health and fitness coaching profession. Simultaneously we have seen industries across the board working hard to keep up with the notable shifts and issues addressing women’s equality since the #MeToo movement which seems to deliver the ongoing promotions and ideas that women are equal based on the fear of generating any gender bias towards women at all. This is a dangerous and slippery slope.

Speakers

Sara Gustafson

CEC, CHN

Visionary thought leader, authenticity expert, and truth seeking provocateur Sara Gustafson sparks healing + transformation through her powerful life coaching and holistic wellness programs. A champion for radical self-care who has embraced the empowered divine feminine within, Sara... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

2:30pm PDT

Reducing the Risk of Lynch Syndrome Cancer with Nutritional Nrf2 Activators

Lynch syndrome (LS) is an autosomal dominant disorder which predisposes patients to specific types of cancer and is caused by mutations of four mismatch repair (MMR) genes. LS mutations reduce MMR activity, increasing the likelihood of DNA mutations; and thus, the risk of cancer. Due to reduced MMR function, LS patients have a reduced ability to manage DNA damage caused by OS and inflammation; therefore, maintaining OS at a manageable level may reduce the risk of cancer in LS patients.

Nrf2 is a master regulator of the endogenous antioxidant system and nutritional activators of this pathway have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer in the general population through modulation of OS. Since LS patients are more susceptible to cancer caused by OS, nutritional Nrf2 activators have the potential to reduce the risk of cancer in those with LS by modulating OS and inflammation.

Speakers

Andrew Aussem

MSc

Andrew Aussem holds a Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition and an Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology. A personal change in his lifestyle 7 years ago led Andrew to pursue further education in holistic nutrition and as a recent graduate, he looks forward to starting his own practice... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

3:30pm PDT

Advices on the Vices of Devices: a Clinical Psychologist's view

Today’s screen-based devices present unprecedented challenges to our psychological health and personal fulfilment. For as we are coming to understand, our ancestral brains can all too easily be seduced by false promises of virtual environments that drain our attention and energy away from what really matters to us. Why do these new technologies exert such a persuasive influence over our choices? How can this influence unwittingly contribute to mental health problems that lead people to seek psychological therapy? And what can we do as individuals to rein in the power of our own devices while using them to enhance our lives? To address these questions, in this poster presentation I will outline key insights we can take away from psychological research and clinical experience. For us biological inheritors of pre-Screen-Era brains, mastering this new double-edged tool is a crucial competency of daily living – to this end we surely have much to learn from each other’s experiences.

Speakers

Russell Downham

Ph.D.

Dr Russell Downham is an Australian Psychologist with a PhD in Philosophy. Through his online videoconferencing practice, Wiser Self Psychology, Russell helps individuals around the world to overcome adversity and make their lives matter more. Tireless in the pursuit of human understanding... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 3:30pm - 4:10pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

3:30pm PDT

Innate Metabolic Flavor Responses? Flavor-Calorie Associations and Their Effect on Weight Gain and Food Consumption

Since Pavlov, those interested in learning processes have oft explored how such processes affect a wide variety of eating phenomena. For instance, novel flavors can be made appetitive or aversive depending on if they are followed by calories or sickness. This relationship between flavors and caloric outcomes has been investigated by a number of theorists. Seth Robert’s suggested that learning such relationships can increase feeding after detection of a flavor that reliably signals caloric intake, presumably because it signals to the organism that high quality food is currently available and should be consumed. We directly tested this theoretical construct and a dieting intervention suggested by Roberts, by having rats consume a novel liquid that differed in its flavor and/or its caloric density and measuring subsequent weight gain and consumption. Our data does not support Robert’s account and instead points to innate metabolic responses to flavors regardless of their caloric density.

Speakers

Jocelyn Dao

Jocelyn Dao is a third-year student at UCLA and is pursuing a degree in Biology (BS). Her research interests include animal medicine, animal behavior, and wildlife conservation and she has pursued some of these interests while working in Dr. Aaron Blaisdell's lab. Upon completing... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 3:30pm - 4:10pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

3:30pm PDT

Paradigm of Practice: Transforming the How of Healthcare

Paradigm of Practice is a three part examination of how we practice, receive, and become informed about healthcare.
Paradigm is a model, a pattern, a template. A standard way of doing things.
Practice is the practice of healthcare, and this encompasses doctors practicing medicine with their patients, nutritionists practicing nutrition with clients – all healthcare providers who practice their craft.
The old paradigm – one based on ego, competition, overwork, proprietary information, fear, and judgement – is an unfit culture to place anything having to do with health or healing. Those qualities are innately un-healing, but they are what currently informs our conventional model.
Through examination of the practitioner, the patient, and the information we can transform the how of healthcare.

Speakers

Victoria LaFont

After growing up on a rural Kentucky diet of Crisco and white flour, Victoria LaFont ventured out to see the world and find some real answers regarding her poor health. Sixteen years ago she left the world of opera singing and hitchhiked to her salvation by serendipitously finding... Read More →

Friday August 9, 2019 3:30pm - 4:10pm PDT
West Ballroom A

Poster

3:30pm PDT

Book Signings

Speakers

Darryl Edwards

MSc

Darryl Edwards is a movement coach, TEDx speaker and thought leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health.

Esther Gokhale

LAc.

Friday August 9, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT

Book Signing

4:10pm PDT

Breathwork Session

Speakers

Daniel Cortez

J.D.

Friday August 9, 2019 4:10pm - 4:40pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Movement

5:00pm PDT

Primal Play

Speakers

Darryl Edwards

MSc

Darryl Edwards is a movement coach, TEDx speaker and thought leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health.

Friday August 9, 2019 5:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Meet at Registration

Workshop

8:15am PDT

Animal Moves

Speakers

Darryl Edwards

MSc

Darryl Edwards is a movement coach, TEDx speaker and thought leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health.

Saturday August 10, 2019 8:15am - 8:50am PDT
Meet at Registration

Movement

8:15am PDT

FMD or FML: My experiences with the Fasting Mimicking Diet

Dr. Valter Longo's Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) works to bridge the gap between our genetics and environment to help us live longer healthier lives, while reducing cancer and autoimmune risk. I have done several cycles of FMD and I want to share my experiences and tips including:

1. Defining FMD, embracing both official and homemade versions including the benefits and challenges of each. I will also define who is not a good candidate for FMD.
2. What can people typically expect on FMD and what were my results?
3. What should you expect when you talk to your doctor about FMD?

Speakers

Anne Dann

Anne has overcome countless challenges. As a military wife, she moved 11 times in 16 years. As a patient, she won a federal appeal and used ancestral principles to persevere through her health challenges. In the past, she taught history. Today, Anne works with high school students... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 8:15am - 9:00am PDT
West Ballroom B

Workshop

9:00am PDT

Using Evolution in the Cancer Clinic

For most common advanced cancers in adults, why do cancer treatments always "stop working"? Because current treatment protocols ignore the evolutionary principles driving the progression of all cancers. This lecture will discuss new research evaluating advances in drug scheduling, fasting, and diet combinations that may circumvent tumor treatment resistance and prolong life.

Speakers

Dawn Lemanne

Dawn Lemanne, MD, is a medical oncologist who uses evolutionary principles in cancer treatment, such as aggressive fasting and other dietary and lifestyle maneuvers. Having trained at numerous elite institutions, including UC Berkeley, UCSF, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins, she was the... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 9:00am - 9:40am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

9:00am PDT

How Compatible are Hormone Replacement Therapies with Living Ancestrally?

Hormone replacement therapies have massively increased in popularity in recent years, and are recommended by paleo proponents, self-hackers, sex educators, and prescribed by doctors, psychiatrists and gynecologists. But scientific research on HRT remains divided on the question of its potential health risks, while ideal ‘normal’ hormone levels assumed in the notion of it as ‘therapeutic’ remain dubious. From a historical perspective, such therapies represent a far more aggressive manipulation of the endocrine system than the botanical agents used across time and place to support vigor, cognition, athleticism or libido. But equally historically novel is the hormonal soup in which we all live today as a result of the exogenous hormones and endocrine-disruptive petrochemicals that have become a ubiquitous part of modern life. This paper will not argue for or against HRT but instead will map a wide set of biomedical and historical considerations for an informed decision about it.

Speakers

Alison M. Moore

PhD

Alison M. Moore is a historian of medicine, health and sexuality at Western Sydney Univerisity. She is author of Sexual Myths of Modernity (Lexington 2015), and co-author of Frigidity, an Intellectual History (Palgrave 2011). She is co-editor of Gut Feeling and Digestive Health in... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 9:00am - 9:40am PDT
Theater

Talk (theater)

9:40am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Saturday August 10, 2019 9:40am - 9:50am PDT
TBA

Break

9:50am PDT

Physiological Basis of the Endocannabinoid System, and Phytocannabinoids.

The purpose of this talk is to provide a physiological basis for understanding the function of the ECS and how genetics and diet influence endocannabinoid tone. From the physiological basis of the ECS this presentation will build upon the pharmacology and pharmacogenomics to provide rationale for determining the most effective clinical approach to endocannabinoid therapies. Polymorphisms in the genes for the component enzymes and receptors of the ECS can influence the clinical outcome of cannabinoid therapies. One poignant example of this are ultra-fast variants of CYP2C9 are poor candidates for oral consumption of Delta-9-THC due to the rapid conversion of Delta-9-THC into 11-OH-THC. 11-OH-THC is poorly tolerated due to intensity of euphoric effect and long terminal plasma half-life (up to 72 hours).

Speakers

Steve Ottersberg

M.S.

Education: B.S. Biochemistry, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO. Undergraduate research focus on insect pheromone analog design and synthesis. Natural products chemistry was at the top of academic interests, so terpenoids and cannabinoids were part of research. M.S. (ABD) in Biochemistry... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 9:50am - 10:30am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

9:50am PDT

Paleo Then and Now: A Five-Year Follow-up Survey of the Ancestral Health Community

Five years after publishing the first academic survey of the ancestral health (“paleo”) community, we recently completed a new online follow-up survey (n=1,508) to determine what has changed and what has stayed the same. We collected demographic information, and data on nutritional, exercise, and lifestyle practices. We then compared his new data with the data from five years ago (2013). Our main hypothesis is that the responses from this new survey will be different from our original survey from five years ago. Those differences will include: a different number of respondents to the survey (fewer), a different level of adherence to nutritional practices (lower), and a different length of time living a paleo lifestyle (longer). However, we also hypothesize that the basic demographic characteristics (age, gender, race, etc.) between the two data sets will remain largely the same. Please note: the results of our original 2013 survey can be found here: https://jevohealth.com/journal/vol1/iss1/3/

Speakers

Hamilton Stapell

Ph.D.

Hamilton M. Stapell, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of History at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz. Professor Stapell has been a member of the Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) Board there since 2010, and is an associate editor at the Journal of Evolution and Health... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 9:50am - 10:30am PDT
Theater

Talk (theater)

10:30am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Saturday August 10, 2019 10:30am - 10:40am PDT
TBA

Break

10:40am PDT

Virta Health 2 Year Clinical Trial Results

Virta Health delivers a clinically-proven treatment to safely and sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic diseases without the use of medications or surgery. Among the 74% of patients completing two year of the clinical trial, over 53% of patients achieved diabetes reversal and over 91% of insulin users reduced or eliminated usage. Results extended beyond diabetes reversal with sustained improvements in blood pressure, inflammation, cardiovascular markers, insulin resistance, and weight loss. We’ve reinvented the diabetes care model to provide continuous remote care via the Virta Clinic - individualized, on-demand access to a health coach and physician anytime, anywhere nationwide. Today we will explore the trial results and highlight key mental skills for long-term success.

Speakers

Douglas Hilbert

Douglas is a Clinical Specialist at Virta Health with 19 years of experience coaching across multiple disciplines and populations. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and their 4 children where he also volunteers to coach high school soccer and track & field. Along with nutrition... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 10:40am - 11:20am PDT
Theater

Talk (theater)

10:40am PDT

Leveraging Longevity: Strategies to Increase the Quality and Quantity of Your Personal Shelf Life

Longevity may refer to life expectancy but for many, the quality of those years is paramount. We have learned much from “Blue Zones”, the demographic regions of the world where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years. Many give credence to the marvels of modern medicine though studies suggest otherwise, that diet and lifestyle and human connection far outweigh medical interventions when it comes to our personal shelf life.

This will be a lively discussion on emerging research on strategies to enhance quality and quantity of our precious time. By analyzing individual data (labs, epigenetics, location, support, motivation) and to help one overcome the road blocks that might prevent optimal health, we will wade through the volumes of misinformation and hype that plague the internet and help discern fact from fiction with regards to best supportive strategies.

Speakers

Nasha Winters

ND, FABNO

Dr. Nasha Winters is a sought-after luminary and a global healthcare authority in integrative cancer research and consults with physicians around the world bridging ancient therapies with advancements in modern medicine in the digital era. A personal journey with cancer and a medical... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 10:40am - 11:30am PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

11:20am PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Saturday August 10, 2019 11:20am - 11:30am PDT
TBA

Break

11:30am PDT

The Tinbergen Legacy in Ancestral Health: Why Medicine Needs the Ultimate Level of Analysis

In 1973 Nikolaas Tinbergen was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his contributions to the discipline of animal behavior. Tinbergen’s contributions were especially profound and lasting because in addition to experimental work in behavior, he—echoing Aristotle’s Four Causes—outlined the so-called “Four Questions” approach to understanding why living things exist. Two of the Four Questions involve “how” organisms come into existence, and most current biomedical understanding involves how questions: genetics, gene expression, metabolic pathways, signaling systems, physiology, etc.

What is often missing in biomedical science, however, are the “why” questions—why is the organism exhibiting this trait?; is this part of normal, though sub-optimal, functionality?; is this symptom an adaptation, or a byproduct?; is this disease due to faulty mechanisms, or are the mechanisms operating outside the evolutionary norm, and thus due to mismatch?

This talk will argue that a Four Questions approach can improve medical understanding.

Speakers

J. Brett Smith

Ph.D. Student

With degrees in biology and philosophy from the University of Alabama, Brett worked for a decade as an aquatic biologist with the Geological Survey of Alabama. While working long but enjoyable hours in the field, Brett maintained an interest in personal health and kept abreast of... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 11:30am - 12:10pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

11:30am PDT

Exploring Biological Significance in Human Memory and a Bias Towards Remembering Eating Events

The human memory system is the product of millions of years of selective pressures and such pressures can be revealed in the form of memory biases towards fitness relevant information. Even neutral information, when processed in a manner that makes it fitness relevant, is better recalled than that same information processed in a non-fitness relevant way. Empirical demonstrations of these imagined processing scenarios that enhance memory due to their fitness relevant nature are discussed as are their theoretical relevance to a larger adaptive memory framework. This framework informs a number of studies we have conducted that explore the accuracy of how eating events are remembered. Overall, we observe a bias towards better remembering a number of aspects of eating events compared to similar procedural tasks. Proximate and ultimate explanations of this phenomena are considered as well as the practical health implications of these findings.

Speakers

Benjamin Seitz

M.A.

Ben is a 2nd year PhD student at UCLA where he works under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Blaisdell and Dr. Janet Tomiyama. His research is primarily concerned with understanding how learning and memory processes affect eating behaviors and, conversely, how eating events are learned... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 11:30am - 12:10pm PDT
Theater

Talk (theater)

12:10pm PDT

Align Method

Speakers

Aaron Alexander

Aaron Alexander is a manual therapist and movement coach who has helped the world's best athletes, celebrities and every one in between to relieve pain, increase strength and optimize their movement. In addition, he hosts the top-rated Align Podcast which features the world's thought... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 12:10pm - 12:50pm PDT
Meet at Registration

Movement

12:10pm PDT

Lunch (1hr20)

Saturday August 10, 2019 12:10pm - 1:30pm PDT
Break

Lunch

1:30pm PDT

How To Win At Angry Birds: The Ancestral Therapeutic Paradigm for Modern Disease

In recent decades, modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry has failed to find effective new treatments for virtually all chronic diseases.

This comes in spite of incredible investments of time, energy, and capital, and stands in stark contrast to the technological transformations that have occurred in other areas of human life over the same time frame.

This failure is best explained as a fatal flaw in the central therapeutic paradigm, which seeks to find treatments that intervene at the “source code” level.

Proponents of ancestral health have adopted a new therapeutic paradigm, one that recognizes that holistic, systems-based, “game level” interventions are best suited to the effective treatment and prevention of chronic disease. Yet, practitioners of Ancestral Health lack a cohesive, therapeutic framework for selecting, evaluating, and refining “game level” interventions.

Here, a 4-quadrant model is proposed that formalizes the ancestral approach to treatment and prevention of chronic disease.

Speakers

Josh Turknett

M.D.

Josh Turknett, MD is a Board-Certified neurologist turned western medicine gadfly. After discovering the world of ancestral health almost a decade ago, he subsequently re-dedicated his professional life to the relentless spread of its principles to the medical community and public... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 1:30pm - 2:10pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

1:30pm PDT

Retraining the limbic brain to reverse obesity and addictions

Modern maladies such as obesity and addiction have neural correlates in two ancients parts of the brain: the hypothalamus and the amygdala. Research has elucidated the particular neuronal structures and pathways that underlie the development of these conditions. Some have argued that the epidemics of obesity and addiction have their roots in the contemporary environment of hyperpalatable food and other supernormal addictive stimuli that hijack and dysregulate homeostatic control by the hypothalamus.

This talk considers whether food and other stimuli are inherently addictive, or only become that way through conditioning. Insufficient attention has been paid to the role of the amygdala and learning processes in mediating the sensory, emotional and social inputs that can modulate hypothalamic drives for better or worse. I will outline ways that appetite and other drives can be usefully retrained, often with surprising effectiveness for losing weight and overcoming addictions.

Speakers

Todd Becker

Todd Becker writes the blog Getting Stronger, exploring a wide range of health topics from the perspective of hormesis -- our innate adaptive ability to become more resilient, physically and psychologically, by judicious exposure to beneficial stress. He combs the scientific literature... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 1:30pm - 2:10pm PDT
Theater

Talk (theater)

2:10pm PDT

Dentistry Panel

Dental Panel

Speakers

J. Brett Smith

Ph.D. Student

Kevin Boyd

DDS, MSc

DDS (Pediatric Dentist), MSc (Human Nutrition and Dietetics)Dr. Kevin Boyd is a board certified Pediatric Dentist in Chicago. He teaches in the Pediatric Dentistry residency program at Lurie Children's Hospital and serves as a dental consultant to their sleep medicine clinic. Dr... Read More →

Scott Solomons

DDS

Dr. Scott Solomons has practiced General Dentistry at Dental Associates of Connecticut since 1989, recently adding functional medicine to his practice. This is a new paradigm that ultimately enables the patient to heal by combining testing, modern dentistry, nutrition, and general... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 2:10pm - 3:10pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Panel

3:10pm PDT

Break: 5 minutes

Saturday August 10, 2019 3:10pm - 3:15pm PDT
TBA

Break

3:15pm PDT

Practical suggestions to incorporate movement and play toward a happier and healthier office environment.

The mismatch between modern office environment and human biology is detrimental to our health. This presentation is designed to offer practical solutions to decrease this mismatch to lessen the impact. Physical activity is one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Many people, however, are sedentary at work. We will discuss how to stay active 9-5 for personal well-being. Also, engaging with co-workers in playful, fun physical activity as a part of team-building, will create a positive and healthy work environment and possibly change culture of the whole organization. Thus, benefits are tremendous for individuals and practice as a whole.

Speakers

Polina Sayess

MD, FAAFP

Polina Sayess is a Board Certified Family Medicine physician. She works at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and is an Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine. She feels passionate about incorporating healthy lifestyle into... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 3:15pm - 4:00pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Movement

3:15pm PDT

A Legal Path Toward Warning Labels on Sugar

Can warning labels be required on sugary foods? California's Proposition 65 provides a legal pathway for cancer warnings to be placed on various chemicals in the environment, and emerging research shows that sugar may well be carcinogenic. In this presentation/workshop, the attorney will present a case for the inclusion of sugar into the Prop. 65 list of chemicals that may cause cancer or reproductive harm. We will cover an overview of Prop. 65, the research available vs. the standard of proof, and potential public health benefits as well as practical difficulties in making the case for enforcement.

Speakers

Benjamin Kuo

Esq.

Benjamin Kuo is a patent attorney and former engineer with a solo IP practice based in Los Angeles. Before forming his own practice, he was a patent examiner for the USPTO whose experience is at the juxtaposition between science and law. He also practiced at various law firms in a... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 3:15pm - 4:00pm PDT
West Theater

Workshop

4:00pm PDT

Break: 10 minutes

Saturday August 10, 2019 4:00pm - 4:10pm PDT
TBA

Break

4:10pm PDT

Tribal Living: How Might an Ancestrally Inspired, Gender-Segregated Housing Model Outperform the Nuclear Family as the Basic Domestic Unit of Society?

Why is the nuclear family failing, and what can an ancestral perspective teach us about it? We might consider that ancient nomadic tribes did not live in houses. Permanent structures only became possible when agriculture permitted staying in one place long term. Without houses, tribes were not organized by nuclear family units, but rather communal kin-based groups of up to about 150 members. Children were raised collectively rather than by monogamous parental pairs. The nuclear family, which developed only after permanent housing allowed people to segregate themselves by parentage, has attempted to replace community living but has fallen short on many counts. By examining the health, social, and growth-oriented criteria that a domestic environment seeks to fulfill, we can evaluate the ways in which an ancestrally inspired, gender-segregated housing model suggested here might outperform the nuclear family domestic model as a basic unit of family and society.

Speakers

Stephanie Welch

BA, MA, LMT

Stephanie Welch has been an ancestral health advocate since 2010. Her penchant for disruptive anthropology has led her to investigate and challenge many commonly held beliefs and taboos about being a modern human. In addition to the original paleo focus on how to determine what constitutes... Read More →

Saturday August 10, 2019 4:10pm - 4:50pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Talk

4:10pm PDT

Active Play: what role did it have in our evolutionary past and how vital is it for our future?

There exists a body of evidence that active play was an essential part of our survival as a species. It bonded us together and helped us to be better at social tasks like hunting, rearing young and building shelters.

It will be proposed that although most of us are aware that play is important for children, we are less familiar with the underlying evolutionary mechanisms that make it useful for mind and body in the present.

Speakers

Darryl Edwards

MSc

Darryl Edwards is a movement coach, TEDx speaker and thought leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health.

Saturday August 10, 2019 4:10pm - 4:50pm PDT
West Theater

Talk (theater)

4:50pm PDT

Closing Remarks

Saturday August 10, 2019 4:50pm - 5:00pm PDT
West Ballroom B

Closing Remarks