Well, what can I say that has not already been said by my fellow bloggers, Erika and Melissa, re: the IfHI 2005 conference; everything about the conference was exceptional. The people were truly genuine and I talked with many from all walks of life; lay people, fitness instructors, clinicians, nutritionists, dentists, chiropractors and naturopaths. The food served during the breaks and for lunch and dinner were all excellent…it was all laid out according to blood type and took all the guesswork out re: avoids. We sampled the new Sip Right for your type teas and they were delicious. The accommodations were first class (I particularly liked the water slide and if it wasn’t for Dr D daring me to go down it, I would have missed out on a lot of fun).

As for the speakers, these are the messages that really stuck with me.

Dr Jeffrey Bland (who at 60 years of age can talk faster and clearer than any person I have ever heard speak) started his lecture by saying our nation’s children will most likely lead shorter lives if we keep feeding them the way we do. “Genes in and of themselves do not create disease. Only when they are plunged into a harmful environment unique to the individual do they create the outcome of disease’`. Nutritional genetics will be the central theme of wellness programs. ‘Motivated individuals will adhere to diets and consume particular nutraceuticals based on capability with their genetic profile and history’. Folates are good ie; Folic acid along with B12, B6 and Betaine are good for the brain and prevent neurological disorders like Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease. Chronic Inflammation begins in the gut due to an imbalance of Th1 and Th2 components of the immune system. Message from this is eat right and take probiotics. Lastly, eat beneficial cruciferous organic vegetables (like broccoli)…they are great detoxifiers.

Dr Joseph Pizzorno gave a wonderful talk on the complexity of diagnosing a patient. For example, there are close to 27 different causes of migraine headache. How could any physician possible rule out all 27 different causes? …Answer…Artificial Intelligence. He demonstrated how a Bayesian inference system (the same system that is used to calculate odds at a casino and also used by the Mars lander) could efficiently and more accurately diagnose ailing patients. The AI software would ultimately help the health care provider prescribe a therapy more in line with the individual’s health history and genetics. The health practitioners in the room were practically salivating when he demonstrated it.

Dr Walter Crinnion was by far the most animated speaker with his undulating voice and passionate outcries about the toxic environment we live in. His message was that both you and I are basically walking toxic dumps of pesticides, metals, PCB’s and prescription drugs. We all need to incorporate ways to rid our bodies of these substances in a safe matter (most toxins are fat soluble so we need ways to get them out of the fat and into a water-soluble form so we can excrete them out of our bodies)… Glutathione, Selenium, NAC, Alpha Lopaic Acid and Vitamin C are great for this as well as the B vitamins and maganese. Low carb, low fat, high (organic and toxin free) protein diets according to blood type works best when incorporating a personal (gene specific) detoxification program in clearing toxic substances from our blood and organs like the kidneys and liver. Chelation and Colonics are also worth trying (I booked an appointment for one of these today…more on this later)

Dr Peter D’adamo, unlike the other speakers who hid behind a podium, liked to move around the audience as he was speaking. He gave a very thorough overview of blood antigens and lectins and made use of some very good metaphors to describe the action of lectins and agglutination…’think of a hairy tennis ball as a blood cell and think of a blood specific lectin as Velcro’. Also talked extensively of many disease expressions amongst different blood groups. His talk then moved into the scientific study of fingerprints called dermatoglyphics (skin carving). Like the rings of a tree, dermatoglyphics gives insight into a crucial period of a fetus development (4 weeks to 5 months) and the resulting ridge configurations are genetically determined and influenced by environmental forces. There are assorted associations between the types of patterns on your fingerprints and conditions like ovarian cancer, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Dyslexia and allergies to name a few.

There you have my short synopsis. I honestly don’t know how they are going to top this conference come 2007!

I’ll end this blog though on a sour note. There was one doctor that did not belong within the four walls of the lecture hall. I spotted him soon after we all broke for lunch the first day. He was sitting still on one of the tables in a dark suit with red highlights and he was wearing a red cap. He was motionless and he stood there as a grim reminder of what was still lingering outside this microcosm of good health we were all part of. You might recognize the name…it was Dr Pepper. He didn’t say anything profound but he had a very strong message nonetheless. Hopefully he doesn’t show himself come 2007.