Lifestyle medicine rather than lifelong medication: My personal goal

“Low-carb GP” Dr David Unwin, FRCGP, the doctor who is revolutionising the NHS’s treatment of T2 diabetes with nutrition – in many cases reversing the disease – is back by popular demand to share his inspirational experiences at the sharp end of an NHS practice.

Last July Dr Unwin published a paper showing how diet may bring about significant improvements in blood pressure despite ‘deprescribing’ 20% of the antihypertensive drugs his patients were taking. So in his lecture this year he will be adding in details of how diet may help people with essential hypertension as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, central obesity and type 2 diabetes using a better understanding of the physiology of insulin and an ability to explain this model to our patients. In this way rather than simply telling people what a good diet may be, they actually understand why it may be better for them and are in a better position to individualize their dietary choices.

Last year we investigated how to motivate people to improve their lifestyle. This year Dr Unwin plans to explore how to improve clinicians’ ability to maintain approaches that show initial promise including how to reframe failure.

The Endocannabinoid System & Gut-Brain Axis: CBD Support for a Healthy Gut & Mind

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is the missing link in Functional Medicine! As practitioners, we automatically connect and interpret the health and function of the gut-brain axis in conditions ranging from IBS to psychological disorders. But how often do you consider the ECS in cases of anxiety, depression or dysregulated gut microbiome?

The ECS is a complex cell-signalling system identified in the early 1990s and has widespread important modulatory roles throughout the brain, endocrine and immune tissues influencing neuronal networks, homeostasis, immune balance, inflammation and stress recovery.

Dr Elisabeth Philipps will draw on her scientific knowledge and clinical experience to provide information and case studies to enable you to understand and integrate the ECS into your practice; how to modulate this system through diet and food supplements and understanding the practical use of phytonutrients such as cannabidol (CBD) in maintaining balance within the ECS and gut-brain axis.

**In light of recent media attention regarding the use of CBD, Dr Elisabeth Philipps commented:**

The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) recently announced that it has set a deadline of 31st March 2021 for companies selling CBD products to submit a Novel Foods application or risk regulatory scrutiny. Reputable CBD groups have welcomed this statement, as it provides some clarity for regulation within the industry and offers a route towards continuing to provide consumers with safe and tested products, protecting reputable CBD companies and steering a direction for a compliant regulated CBD industry.

There are, however, still many technical questions to be answered, as part of the FSA announcement, and novel food status is not the only option to ensure safety and improve regulation within the industry. As such, a number of options are still being explored, none of which impact the consumer and the sale of reputable safe CBD products currently on the market.

There also continues to be (unwarranted) scaremongering from some parties but the status and availability of CBD products, right now, remains unchanged; as long as the CBD food supplement contains <0.2% THC and is correctly labelled then it can be legally sold, recommended and safely consumed.

If the FSA statement is taken at face value, and if the novel food status is upheld, then the technical aspects of the application will happen in the background and is unlikely to have any impact on reputable companies in the industry thus not impacting on quality products being available for consumers both now and in the future.

How much of a difference do genes make when determining the lifestyle approach for your client?

One big question is “How much of a difference do genes REALLY make when determining the lifestyle approach for your client?”

Answering that one will be our SNPs expert Anne Pemberton, MSc, PGCHE, PGCE (Autism), RGN, DipION, She’ll explore what the evidence tells us about genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the low-carbohydrate approach and diabetes. Do our genes tell us if we will be successful with a low-carb approach? How do we know which clients will benefit more? Do our genes determine or predispose us to NIDDM and obesity?