WHAT ARE WE MISSING? The Enigma of Holistic Diet Recommendations with Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DABCN, CIFM from the NANP 2024 HEALCon. Take this quiz to earn 1.5 CECs.

Dr. Tom O’Bryan is a recognized world expert on gluten and its impact on health. He is an internationally recognized and sought-after speaker and workshop leader specializing in the complications of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, Celiac Disease, and the development of Autoimmune Diseases, as they occur inside and outside the intestines.

Dr. O’Bryan is considered the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ of chronic disease and metabolic disorders. He is a clinician par excellence in treating these disorders from a Functional Medicine Perspective.

He holds teaching Faculty positions with the Institute for Functional Medicine and the National University of Health Sciences. He has trained and certified tens of thousands of practitioners around the world with an advanced understanding of the impact of wheat sensitivity and the development of individual autoimmune diseases.

Holistic-oriented dietary recommendations often bring quick results. But short-term benefits do not equate with long-term Quality of Life. For example, how is it possible that the higher the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, the higher the risk of failed implantation and increased miscarriages? What? Increasing fruits and vegetables reduces fertility and increases miscarriages. Yes. That’s an enigma. It’s difficult to understand how we would avoid this conversation with every man and woman of childbearing age.

We know that a high-fat diet (such as Ketogenic, paleo, Adkins, etc.), with all of its benefits, is rich in choline and L-carnitine and can induce long-term decreases in cardiac function, systemic endotoxemia, and inflammation with an increase in cardiac fibrosis and cardiac remodeling. Short-term benefits do not equate with long-term thriving.

The ketogenic diet (KD) has shown significant success and gained favorable attention due to its antitumor benefits and its potential to reduce (epileptic) seizures. But it has also been shown to increase cognitive impairment, disturb hippocampal physiology, promote higher inflammation, higher intestinal barrier
dysfunction, and higher bile acid dysmetabolism, leading to higher glucose dysmetabolism and hepatic steatosis. Short-term benefits do not equate with long-term thriving.

The number of Clients presenting with Wheat-Related Disorders (WRD) is rising exponentially. A gluten-free diet (GFD) is often the cornerstone of many of our recommendations. We’ve all heard of its potential value and necessity. And how quickly people ‘feel better’ on a GFD. However, numerous studies tell us mortality is increased after diagnosis of CD.vi vii. Short-term benefits do not equate with long-term thriving.

The good news is that with proper monitoring, these diets not only eliminate unwanted health dangers but can also be used as the cornerstone guiding our patients into a balanced lifestyle that enhances health, reduces inflammation, and increases the quality of life.