As the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine (AARM) gears up for its 12th annual conference this fall in Santa Fe, HPC caught up with AARM conference founder & director, Michael Friedman, ND, for a preview of what’s on offer at this year’s gathering.
HPC: Michael, are you most excited about in this year’s AARM program?
MF: One of the key themes this year is gastrointestinal balance to mitigate GI and related diseases. Guiding a patient toward GI balance can often be an elusive and daunting task, with variable success rate. This conference will highlight new, cutting edge approaches that will finally offer solutions.
Dr. Jorge Flechas and Nathan Brya will be talking about the critical role of nitric oxide (NO) related to GI dysfunction. NO is a fundamental cell-signalling molecule involved in BP regulation, immune function and neurotransmission in the central nervous system and GI tract. NO levels are often overlooked despite being a major contributor to chronic disease. New research reveals that hormone balancing, nutrition and lifestyle strategies can significantly enhance NO production.
Another key aspect of GI health is the intestinal epithelial barrier. When compromised, leaky gut ensues, and that can lead to a sequence of autoimmune, inflammatory, and neopllastic disorders. Recent research has established that Zonulin is the main physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions involved in trafficking of macromolecules and, therefore, tolerance and immune response balance. When elevated, Zonulin causes excess permeability. Dr. Eugene Zampieron will be sharing all the latest research on this fascinating topic. He will also be covering the latest on fecal transplant and its rapidly expanding role.
HPC: What’s different about this year’s conference program compared with previous AARMs?
MF: We’re very excited that thyroid expert, Dr. Antonio Bianco, will be joining us this year. He’s Chief of the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism at Rush University. His work is contributing significantly to our evolving understanding of thyroid hormone metabolism, which challenges outdated conventional medical beliefs. He also brings clarity to possible misconceptions about thyroid metabolism within the natural medicine profession.
Overall, this year’s roster draws from a high-quality pool of MDs, PhDs, and NDs who are all experts in their fields, true to the cross-disciplinary nature of our organization. The location—the Eldorado Hotel in enchanted Santa Fe–is exquisite.
HPC: Where does Restorative Medicine fit into the spectrum of healing disciplines and how does it differ from ‘Functional Medicine’ or ‘Integrative Medicine’ ?
MF: Despite the use of different terminology between diverse organizations, i like to believe that we all have more commonalities than differences. Restorative Medicine, like the other disciplines, emphasizes evidence-based treatments rooted in science.
By default, natural medicine tends to attract patients with chronic, difficult-to-diagnose, and difficult-to-treat conditions, which adds extra challenges. That is why we developed a certification program for practitioners to learn how to optimize thyroid function using T3 hormone, nutrients and botanicals.
Because the protocols which were developed by Denis Wilson, MD, have excellent success rates, patients are searching for doctors who know how to provide this type of therapy. The Certification in Restorative Medicine empowers practitioners to use alternate methods for diagnosing hyperthyroidism, which identifies imbalances often missed by standard medical tests.
When patients discover that this is at the root of their illnesses, and they finally get relief, it is a very gratifying feeling.
AARM’s annual conference is from Oct 9-11, at the Eldorado Hotel, Santa Fe, NM.
