Jenni Gilbert There are a few dates on the calendar that Team SPA+CLINIC regards as not-to-be-missed events; one of them the annual A5M Healthy Ageing and Aesthetic Medicine Conference.
In the last couple of years, “integrative health/medicine” has finally been catching on as a mainstream concept, at all levels of the medi-cosmetic, aesthetic and wellness industries (better late than never!).
The thrust of this newfound awareness (the basis of such practices such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, that had it all worked out some 5,000 years ago!) has been gut health.
As integrative health becomes ever-more crucial to aesthetic medicine, the annual A5M gathering is the premier educational and networking event for Australia’s preventative, personalised and aesthetic medical professionals.
Whether you are a doctor or dermal therapist, wellness professional or aesthetic surgeon, there is something for everyone (including your team members) interested in anti-ageing and/or integrative medicine, with speakers and workshops on topics across the spectrum.
A5M has been leading the charge here for many years about the importance of personalised, preventative, integrative health measures which, in the most rudimentary of terms, translates as enabling people to look and feel their utmost best. This being the core of our industry.
This theme – specifically Gut Health: The Cornerstone of Wellbeing – will be front and centre again at the 2017 A5M conference, to be held the weekend of August 5-6 at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, with pre-conference workshops on Friday, August 4. Early bird registration closes June 15.
“Gut health has an enormous impact on all aspects of everyday life, including body, mind, work, family, how we look and ageing,” says Helen Anton, director of A5M.
“The conference this year will focus on the role of gut microbiota in health, disease and our physical appearance.
“Conference sessions will focus on this rapidly advancing field with extensive research on the microbiome and its relationship to genes, nutrition related disorders, obesity, metabolic syndrome, food intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel disease (IBS), the gut brain pathways, mental health and the most recent research into healthy ageing, lifestyle interventions for the management of chronic diseases, and patient-centred aesthetic medical care in clinical practice.”
The A5M Annual Conference is the premier educational and networking event for Australia’s preventative, personalised and aesthetic medical and allied professionals to access insights, tools and knowledge to help you achieve your career and practice goals.
The two-day event provides access to the latest research and insights from international and Australian experts, cutting-edge industry updates and great networking opportunities.
The dedicated exhibition showcases the latest industry products and services to support your medical and/or aesthetic practice.
“Promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle with a focus on preventative and functional techniques across the beauty, wellness and medical fields, A5M endorses and provides professional training across the five core pillars of healthy ageing: exercise, diet and nutrition, lifestyle and relaxation, supplementation and hormonal balance,” says Helen.
“Connecting experts from different fields is key to transforming personal health, beauty and wellbeing.
“Skin health and overall wellness are so closely intertwined; one’s overall physical and mental health is a reflection of an individual’s lifestyle and genetic factors.
“As people today become ever more informed and educated on health and the impacts of modern lifestyle, they are looking for longterm solutions that not only tackle the symptoms but also treat the underlying cause.
“To effectively treat skin conditions we need to fully understand the cause of the symptoms. Whether it is acne, rosacea or decreased skin elasticity, beauticians and aesthetic practitioners need to look beyond external treatments to discover the cause of the irritation, whether it be diet, stress or anxiety.
“A5M is passionate that prevention is better than a cure, we educate and connect like-minded professionals from a wide range of industries and fields – all who are ardent about personalised treatment for better patient outcomes.
“The 2017 conference program features a series of dynamic, innovate key opinion leaders who have played a significant role in shaping the direction of the industry and pioneering the anti-ageing and personalised medicine movement,” says Helen.
“The links between healthy lifestyle and healthy ageing, as well as internal and external health, are well established and increasingly researched in the scientific world.
“With Australia’s ageing population progressively focused on feeling and looking better, it’s more vital than ever that health and aesthetics professionals remain at the forefront of preventative, integrative and anti-ageing medicine.
“Skin health and appearance medicine, including the latest research into theories of ageing such as methylation, glycation, inflammation, the role of detoxification and nutrition, are core considerations for all practitioners concerned with the practice of healthy ageing.”
Keynote speakers announced so far include:
Dr Thomas Guilliams (US): Fundamentals of Gut Barrier Support
While there is much discussion about “leaky gut syndrome” within the integrative medical community, there is less knowledge about the fundamentals of the gut barrier and how the microbiome and immune system function to maintain that barrier.
This presentation will bring clinicians up to speed on the fundamentals of gut barrier physiology, discuss the primary ways that it fails (and how to test for this) and review the evidence for non-pharmacological therapies that can improve gut barrier function.
Dr Sandeep Gupta (Australia): Bringing Heart Back to the Integrative Medicine Movement
Dr Gupta is a GP who runs a solo integrative medicine clinic on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. His main passion relates to finding the underlying causes of illness.
His training has included the Fellowship program in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine through ACNEM, and recently the Shoemaker physician training for assessment and treatment of biotoxin related illness.
Dr Peter Fields (US): Advances in the use of Stem Cells and PRP in Regenerative Medicine
Dr Fields, The Athletic Doc®, is an international expert in the field of Regenerative Orthopaedics (non-surgical joint and spine repair) and Director of the OrthoRegen in California, a practice dedicated solely to Regenerative Orthopaedics.
His broad area of knowledge and expertise benefits his many local and international patients; from non-athletes, weekend warriors, to competitive and professional athletes.
Dr Fields helps people avoid unnecessary orthopedic surgeries and is a leading expert in using stem cell treatments to help people avoid full joint replacement.
Dr Debby Hamilton (US): Improving Brain Function With Bacteria
Following her practice in primary care, Dr Hamilton – a paediatrician, integrative medicine practitioner and nutritionist – attained additional fellowship training in nutrition by completing her Masters of Science in Public Health.
Her research for this degree was funded through a National Institute of Health (NIH) Nutrition Research Training Grant to study nutrient intake from complementary foods in infants fed beef as the first weaning food compared to those fed infant cereal.
Her practice uses an integrative focus to treat chronic diseases such as autism and ADHD, and by using functional medical testing, she could evaluate the underlying mechanisms involved in chronic diseases such as inflammation, immune deficiencies and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Dr Mark Donohoe (Australia): 2017 Conference Facilitator.
Sydney-based Dr Donohoe is one of Australia’s most experienced and best known medical practitioners in the fields of nutritional and environmental medicine, with a long history working in the field of integrative medicine. He continues to bring orthodox and complementary medicine together in his practice.
