AIMA Newsletter - February 2022

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In this issue: Join AIMA | E vents | Jobs | Latest research | Buy us a coffee

FEBRUARY 2022
President's Report

Dear

<<First Name>>,

I hope you all had a wonderful break over Christmas and New Year and are back embracing 2022 and the (no doubt) many twists and turns this year will bring.

Just before Christmas the Australian Federal Government’s National Covid-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce released guidelines for doctors on the ‘management of adults with mild Covid-19’. These guidelines contained a list of ‘disease modifying treatments’ which should not be used ‘outside of randomised trials with appropriate ethical approval’.

Included in this list were:

Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Zinc
N-acetylcysteine

It was extremely disappointing to see this advice being given to doctors, particularly as we know these four supplements are, when used according to clinical guidelines, extremely safe, effective treatments to enhance patient immunity. Two years into the pandemic there is also a growing evidence base for the use of C, D and Zinc in treating patients with Covid-19.

While not all doctors and researchers are agreed on the efficacy or action of these treatments, and not all published articles support their use we need to remember the evidence-based medicine triangle – patient desire, practitioner knowledge/experience and published evidence – when recommending treatments to our patients.

For any doctors who are concerned about recommending these treatments to their patients following this government advice we have collated a resource of peer-reviewed, published papers on these treatments with particular focus on acute viral respiratory infections. You can access these resources here. This is by no means a complete resource but may be of interest and even assistance to you in making clinical decisions with your patients. If you have additional papers feel free to send them our way to add our resources.

Call out for NZ Committee members

As many of you know AIMA has an active membership and community in NZ. We currently have two have two NZ board members – our Vice President, Dr Tim Ewer and one of our newest board members Dr Kate Armstrong. And we have our wonderful NZ Manager, Jo Ewer to support our work. To ensure that we hear a diversity of voices from NZ we also have a NZ committee who report to the AIMA board, help manage our conference and run our Auckland monthly meetings. We are looking for enthusiastic, skilled doctors, practitioners and students to join this committee. If you live in NZ and would like to advance integrative medicine in New Zealand (and Australia!) we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at newzealand@aima.net.au.

Warmly

Dr Penny Caldicott
AIMA President

Integrative Mental Health
Special Interest Group

ONLINE MEETING SERIES

AIMA invites all health practitioners interested in integrative mental health care approaches to join our next online Integrative Mental Health Special Interest Group Meeting.

These regular meetings have been set up to help build community and collegiality for integrative medicine mental health doctors and practitioners and provide the opportunity to learn from peers and investigate integrative approaches to care.

Wednesday 16^th February 2022 7-8pm AEDT, 9-10pm NZDT

Topic: Research updates

Our meeting in February is an opportunity for attendees to present a research update to the group. This may be research you are conducting, or it may be an interesting article you've read and want to share. We encourage you all to bring something to share with the group to spark lively discussion. We particularly encourage any researchers into integrative mental health to present to the meeting.

We will also be calling for ideas and presenters for future meetings.

Register: This is a free event. Registration is essential. Click here to register for the zoom meeting.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

Last month, we reached out to ask those of you who aren't members, to join AIMA and help us to push integrative medicine forward.

Thanks to all of our current members and to those of you who have joined up or renewed your subscriptions!

We rely on memberships to survive and to support our goals, which are to:

bring integrative medicine into the mainstream
foster true collaborations between doctors and practitioners
build a lively and engaged integrative medicine community
support and advocate for integrative practitioners and integrative medicine through the power of a collective voice.

With your support, we can build a strong integrative medicine community that is united, recognised, supported, and informed.

To those of you who aren't members yet, what are you waiting for? AIMA Membership provides a raft of benefits including:

Free subscription to our Monthly AIMA e-Newsletter
Discounted tickets to informative, fun, and inspiring AIMA Events
Certificate of Membership (on request)
One year subscription to Advances in Integrative Medicine (AIMED) - our international peer-reviewed, evidence-based research and review journal
Having your say to help shape the future of integrative medicine
Access to education and professional development
Benefitting from the power of a collective voice advocating the goals of integrative medicine
Networking and support

JOIN NOW AND HELP INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE THRIVE!

JOIN AIMA

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EVENTS

Understanding the Body’s Longevity Biochemistry and How to Supplement for Age Optimization - Practitioner only event

Wednesday 9th February 2022, 12 pm

In this 1hr webinar, Dr Shade of Quicksilver Scientific will introduce the Longevity Wheel, a comprehensive age management model highlighting several longevity biochemical pathways.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the key biochemical pathways, molecules, and mechanisms that impact ageing
Introduce the Longevity Wheel, a comprehensive age management model
Explain the key plant compounds and nutrients needed to successfully target each spoke of the wheel
How to activate each spoke of the wheel through supplementation
Solving the problem of bioavailability through nanoparticle delivery systems

To view the flyer, click here, and to register click here.

Life After SIBO

Uncover the different drivers that cause relapsing and chronic SIBO
Explore clinically validated testing methods that can aid in diagnosis and patient management
Identify patients at risk of relapse
Learn appropriate treatment considerations for different SIBO causes.

Session 1: Clinical Masterclass
SIBO: Understanding Causes to Prevent Relapse
Wed 9 Mar 2022. 7.30 – 8.30pm AEDT
Presented by Dr Nirala Jacobi

In addition to her clinical work, Nirala is also the creator of the SIBO Biphasic Diet, a resource that has helped tens of thousands of SIBO sufferers around the world and Dr Jacobi is the host of “The SIBO Doctor” podcast.

Session 2: Clinical Solutions
Patient Management Strategies to Prevent SIBO Relapse
Wed 16 Mar 2022. 7.30 – 8.30pm AEDT
Presented by Victoria Caswell

Both sessions are live and online and will feature 15 mins Q+A to help you shape treatment recommendations into practical management ideas for patients in your clinic.

One ticket gets you access to both sessions. Book your ticket today at www.bioceuticals.com.au/clinical-mastery

JOBS

Room Rental for Integrative Practitioners - Lane Cove, Sydney

Looking for an Integrative Practitioner to join our clinic alongside psychologists, chiropractors, and integrative massage professionals. Lane Cove is a family area that includes 6 schools, and an 82 apartment retirement village is in development stages across the road from us. Parking is unrestricted and there is easy access into the building. There is a large room available for daily or a few days a week rental, with an option for further days. Please contact catherine@lrcc.com.au for details.

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RESEARCH SNIPPETS

Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology. A recent study tested the hypothesis that MS is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a cohort comprising more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the US military, 955 of whom were diagnosed with MS during their period of service. Risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV but was not increased after infection with other viruses, including the similarly transmitted cytomegalovirus. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of neuroaxonal degeneration, increased only after EBV seroconversion. These findings cannot be explained by any known risk factor for MS and suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.

To view the study in full, click here.

Microplastics may be linked to inflammatory bowel disease

People with inflammatory bowel disease have 50% more microplastics in their faeces, a study has revealed.
Previous research has shown that microplastics can cause intestinal inflammation and other gut problems in laboratory animals, but the research is the first to investigate potential effects on humans. The scientists found 42 microplastic pieces per gram in dried samples from people with IBD and 28 pieces in those from healthy people.
The concentration of microplastics was also higher for those with more severe IBD, suggesting a connection between the two. However, the study does not prove a causal link, and the scientists said further research must be done. It may be that IBD causes people to retain more microplastics in their guts, for example.

To read more in an article in The Guardian by Damian Carrington, click here. To view the study, click here.

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Do you want to support integrative medicine but can't commit too much right now?

Making a donation e.g. "buying us a coffee" is a fun and easy way to support AIMA and will directly help us to realise our aims of bringing integrative medicine to the mainstream, fostering true collaborations between doctors and practitioners, building a vibrant integrative medicine community and supporting and advocating for integrative practitioners and integrative medicine through the power of a collective voice.

By donating, you will join our community of supporters who believe in creating a society where everyone can experience their optimal health and wellbeing through integrative medicine and its sustainable model of healthcare.

Every little bit helps!

Thank you for your support, in advance - and thanks for the coffee!

BUY ME A COFFEE

Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is intended to provide accurate and helpful health information for the general public. The information should not be considered complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions and/or their treatment. It should not be used in place of a call or visit to a medical, health or other competent professional, who should be consulted before adopting any of the suggestions in this newsletter or drawing inferences from it. Please note that the views expressed within are the presenters own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association.