integrative dermatology symposium

2023 Integrative Dermatology Symposium

Event Schedule

Reno, Nevada + Virtual | October 27-29, 2023

Immerse yourself in three days of the latest in integrative dermatology, participate in five engaging panel discussions, a cooking demonstration, product theatres, mindfulness activities, and more!

Integrative Dermatology Certificate Program Intensives
PRE-CONFERENCE: OCTOBER 25-26, 2023

2023 IDS Event Schedule

DAY ONE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2023

Faculty: Hadar Lev-Tov, MD MAS & Steven Daveluy, MD

Speaker: Joseph Alban, DAc MS LAc

Description: This talk will introduce participants to the basic concepts of TCM in the context of nutrition. Understanding the nature of the foods can be helpful in understanding why some foods may aggravate skin conditions in certain patients. Nutritional principles, as an extension of herbal medicine, are based upon the foods’ essential taste, temperature, and function. Chinese medicine also incorporates many functional foods and spices that can be added to the diet for overall health or specific skin conditions. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will diagram the concepts of tastes and temperatures of foods.
  2. Participants will identify foods that are helpful and which may aggravate skin conditions. 
  3. Participants will apply functional and antiaging foods into diet plans.

Speaker: Lienna May, MS CNS LDN

Description: Explore the fascinating link between acne and optimal blood sugar levels. Participants will be able to learn the connections between elevated glucose levels and inflammation that contribute to acne development and exacerbation. We’ll explore how cutting-edge continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology serves as a pivotal tool in understanding and managing these dynamics. Join us to learn evidence-based strategies that empower individuals to take charge of their skin health through informed dietary choices and glucose management, ultimately revealing the path to radiant and clear skin.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will examine the connection between glucose levels and acne.
  2. Participants will explore the benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in Acne Management.
  3. Participants will be able to incorporate CGM and its use in designing dietary interventions focusing on optimal blood sugar levels for acne-prone skin.

Faculty: Chef Kimber Dean and Raja Sivamani, MD MS AP

Description: This session will highlight the clinical evidence for the gut and skin benefits of including certain foods in the diet. This session will also feature a chef demonstrating several recipes incorporating these foods during the presentation. 

Learning Objectives: 

Participants will identify the clinical evidence for the inclusion of healthy foods into a diet and how this impacts skin conditions like acne or hidradenitis suppurativa.

Participants will diagram recipes that can be utilized to create practical and great testing options to include healthy foods into the diet.

Moderator: Steven Daveluy, MD

Panelists: Asmi Sanghvi, MD, Joseph Alban, DAc MS LAc

Description: This panel will bring together skin care experts across disciplines to highlight the diverse perspectives regarding the impact of nutrition on the skin and how to coordinate care to provide dermatology patients with nutritional support. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will illustrate care across disciplines to provide nutrition recommendations for patients with skin disease.
  2. Participants will recall their role in providing dermatologic (and nutritional) care on a multidisciplinary team.

Speaker: Jason Hawkes, MD MS FAAD

Description: The complex interplay between the immune response, the gut, and chronic diseases has long fascinated (and perplexed) healthcare providers and scientists. Several immune-related skin diseases have an association with the microbiome and gut-related conditions or symptoms. This association includes psoriatic disease, hidradenitis suppurativa, and atopic dermatitis, which will be discussed in this presentation along with some of the key principles that may explain the link between these conditions, the gut, and aberrant immune response underlying those chronic inflammatory processes.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will identify the influence of the microbiome and immune system on the skin and digestive tract. 
  2. Participants will recall the associations between the gut and chronic immune-mediated skin diseases such as psoriatic disease, hidradenitis suppurativa, and atopic dermatitis. 
  3. Participants will review the evidence and potential impact that biologics and other therapies may have on the regulation or worsening of gut inflammation. 

Speaker: James Song, MD 

Description: Topical corticosteroids have long been the mainstay for the treatment of inflammatory skin disease but is not recommended for continuous usage due to the risk of skin thinning, HPA axis suppression and tachyphylaxis. Current non-steroidal creams are limited by modest efficacy, tolerability, and black box warnings. Therefore, there is a significant unmet need for steroid-free topicals that are effective, safe, and well-tolerated. Herein, we will review the recently approved topical steroid alternatives for treating plaque psoriasis.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will compare the strengths and limitations of our current topical treatments while being able to formulate a personalized treatment plan that addresses the individual patient’s needs.  

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Pfizer.

Speaker: Ammar Ahmed, MD 

Description: Integrative treatment modalities are commonly sought and utilized by individuals dealing with vitiligo.  This session will review the evidence supporting various integrative and alternative treatments for vitiligo.  Topical, oral, and surgical integrative modalities will be covered. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will be able to assess the evidence supporting herbal and dietary supplements in the management of vitiligo.
  2. Participants will be able to describe the synergy of ultraviolet light with topical and oral antioxidant and photosensitizing treatments in eliciting repigmentation.
  3. Participants will be able to define the role of surgical treatments in an integrative approach to vitiligo.

Moderator: Hadar Lev-Tov, MD MAS

Panelists: DeJarra Sims, ND, David Euler, LAp, Jason Hawkes, MD MS FAAD  

Description: In this session, a panel of experts will discuss cases in which integrative approaches are utilized to manage common skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.   

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will be able to demonstrate a clinical approach to including integrative interventions in the management of patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. 
  2. Participants will be able to design a strategy to incorporate integrative practitioners into their practice network.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from UCB and Novartis.

DAY TWO: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2023

Speaker: Michelle Jeffries, DO 

Description: The cells in your body can tell time, including your skin cells, using clock genes. Integrating “the alignment of time” into our skin health recommendations is a key missing piece in skin health. Learn how to optimize your skin health and overall health by aligning your sleep cycle, skin care routine, and cortisol rhythm with your clock genes.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will define three main biological rhythms.
  2. Participants will explain biologic mechanisms of the circadian rhythm & clock genes and how your cells can tell time.
  3. Participants will identify the connections between circadian rhythms and skin health.

Speaker: Jason Hawkes, MD MS FAAD

Description: The role of type 2 inflammation in the pathogenesis of itch, atopic dermatitis, and prurigo nodularis has become a focus of new emerging therapies in the area. The role of type 2 inflammation and the approaches to treatment from an integrative perspective will be reviewed. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will diagram the pathophysiology of type 2 inflammatory pathways.
  2. Participants will identify how type 2 inflammation drives conditions like itch, atopic dermatitis, and prurigo nodularis.
  3. Participants will evaluate the clinical evidence for the use of pharmaceuticals, biologics, and supplements in controlling type 2 inflammation.

Speaker: Raja Sivamani, MD MS AP

Description: The gut is important to general health in many medical perspectives and diseases of the gut are commonly associated with skin diseases. This lecture will explore how the health of the gut can be assessed and how this may impact different interventions to improve gut health. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will list basic clinical applications of taking functional approach to assessing gut health.
  2. Participants will describe common digestive ailments and their root cause to illness including: Gut Inflammation, Dysbiosis, Food Allergy vs. Food Sensitivity, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Metabolic Endotoxemia, SIBO/SIFO.
  3. Participants will identify the 4 R approach to functional medicine to help promote optimized digestive health.
  4. Participants will discuss the pharmacodynamics of and be able to recommend various supplements to improve health outcomes in specific patient populations.

Moderator: Raja Sivamani, MD MS AP

Panelists: Katherine Varman, MD FAAD, Lakshi Alderdge, MSN ANP-BC DCNP FAANP, Michael Traub, ND

Description: This panel will explore several cases where the role of gut testing and management will be considered. The practical use of gut microbiome testing will be discussed in the context of clinical case discussions. The role of short chain fatty acids will be explored in relation to inflammatory skin diseases. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will examine the utility of functional testing of the gut, including gut microbiome testing in the context of dermatology cases.
  2. Participants will apply gut health management as part of an integrative approach to managing dermatological conditions. 
  3. Participants will evaluate the clinical evidence for the use of nutrition and dietary supplements to support gut health and production of short chain fatty acids.

Speaker: Katherine Varman, MD 

Description: Adequate sun exposure is important for human health and wellness, but overexposure contributes to cutaneous carcinogenesis and skin aging. Innate photoprotective mechanisms include quenching free radicals and minimizing oxidative stress, repairing damaged DNA, and preventing photo-induced immunosuppression. People with sun sensitivity or a high risk of skin cancer can benefit from supplementing vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients which enhance these photoprotective mechanisms.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will review photocarcinogenesis and the innate mechanisms of photoprotection.
  2. Participants will summarize our current understanding of the role of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in photoprotection.
  3. Participants will discuss how supplements can be utilized for photoprotection and prevention of photocarcinogenesis in high risk individuals.

Speaker: Steven Daveluy, MD

Description: This session will highlight the impact that diet can have on therapeutic outcomes for dermatologic treatments. This includes isotretinoin for acne, biologics for psoriasis, immunotherapy for melanoma, and more.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will recommend diet and oil supplementation to optimize biologics in psoriasis.
  2. Participants will describe fiber intake to increase the response of melanoma treatment.
  3. Participants will use omega-3 fatty acids while treating acne with isotretinoin.
  4. Participants will formulate an optimized response to field therapy through vitamin D supplementation.

Speaker: Anna Cabeca, DO

Description: Menopause is a natural process that cannot be avoided, but we can improve our experience by making lifestyle changes such as focusing on a healthy diet and exercise. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will describe how a keto green diet and lifestyle can balance your hormones.
  2. Participants will discuss practical modifications to their diet and exercise routines to help alleviate the discomfort and discouragement that often accompany menopause.
  3. Participants will recall the importance of oxytocin, the happy hormone, and how it can positively affect various aspects of our lives.

Moderator: Steven Daveluy, MD

Panelists: Emma Norton, ND, Joseph Alban, DAc MS LAc, Stacy McClure, MD, Valerie Stern, PA

Description: This session will explore how an integrative approach, including nutritional support, can complement medical management of skin disease to provide patients with long-term control of their skin disease, while optimizing their overall health and well-being

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will demonstrate the role for integrative assessment and testing to help patients achieve lasting control of skin disease.
  2. Participants will highlight the opportunities to incorporate integrative approaches, including nutrition and mind-body medicine, at different stages in the management of skin disease.

Speaker: Neal Barnard, MD FACC

Description: Hormonal problems are pervasive in medical practice. Diabetes, hot flashes, menstrual pain, fertility issues, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and many other conditions are driven to a great extent by hormonal issues—hormone levels that are too high, too low, or shifting too much. Surprisingly, studies show that hormones can be altered by simple diet changes, often leading to life-changing benefits. This session will help clinicians put these findings to work and provide the evidence base clinicians need. A case in point: Type 2 diabetes begins with insulin resistance. In turn, insulin resistance is caused by the accumulation of lipid particles in muscle and liver cells. While this is well-known to researchers, it is largely unknown to medical practitioners and the lay public. Nonetheless, once one understands how insulin function can be altered, diabetes itself can be greatly improved and sometimes eliminated by diet changes alone. A second example: As many as 80% of postmenopausal women in North America have hot flashes. A growing understanding of how foods alter hormone function has led to clinical trials putting simple diet interventions to the test, yielding remarkable relief for many women. Menopause is also a time when other health concerns arise, including the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, and persistent weight challenges. Food choices influence each of these. Nutrition research is giving clinicians new insights into the role of diet in other hormone-related conditions. This session will empower clinicians and their patients with new tools for altering hormones naturally and improving health.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will describe the role of intramyocellular lipids in insulin resistance.
  2. Participants will evaluate research findings on how diet changes influence vasomotor symptoms
  3. of menopause.
  4. Participants will discuss simple methods for helping patients improve their diets.

DAY THREE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2023

Speaker: Shasa Hu, MD 

Description: The cosmeceutical industry is at $20 billion in annual revenue and continues to grow as more people are interested in antiaging, especially in products with “natural” and botanical extracts.  To help you navigate through the fads and facts of botanicals and skincare, we will review key mechanisms in extrinsic aging, critically discuss botanicals with evidence-based claims, and share tips on how to design a personalized skincare regimen incorporating botanical actives based on skin types.  

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will examine the history and importance of botanicals in cosmeceutical and skincare.
  2. Participants will review the key pathways in extrinsic aging and how cosmeceuticals can provide antiaging benefits.
  3. Participants will diagram top botanical actives with level 1B evidence and how they can be optimally customized into skincare routines based on skin type and skin concerns.

Speaker: Natalie Gustafson, PharmD

Description:  Compounding allows for greater customization to the patient when compared to standard prescriptions. This lecture will review several topical and oral compounding approaches for aging.  

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will discuss the science behind the use of metformin for aging.
  2. Participants will evaluate topical pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical ingredients and compounds for anti-aging.
  3. Participants will incorporate the use of oral supplements for photoprotection.

Speaker: Apple Bodemer, MD 

Description: Hair health is a common concern among patients and includes both inflammatory and non-inflammatory forms of alopecia. This session will review emerging therapies for alopecia areata, androgenic alopecia, and scarring alopecias. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will evaluate using JAK inhibitors for alopecia areata.
  2. Participants will employ low-dose minoxidil into an integrative approach to scarring and non-scarring alopecia.
  3. Participants will assess the role of nutrition and dietary supplements to support hair growth.

Speaker: Hadar Lev-Tov, MD 

Description: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory condition marked by recurrent inflammatory nodules and abscesses that can lead to several scarring. This session will describe the pathophysiology of HS and the emerging medical and surgical therapies. Nutritional recommendations will be reviewed as well. 

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Participants will recall the pathophysiology of HS and how HS is clinically graded.
  2. Participants will examine the clinical evidence for emerging medical and surgical therapies for HS.
  3. Participants will explain nutrition based recommendations for HS.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from UCB and Novartis.

Speaker: Jonette Keri, MD PhD

Description: Evidence based review on therapeutics will include discussion of prescription medications as well as over the dietary and over the counter medications.  Treatment peals will be highlighted for easy reference, including for the specific population of the adult female acne patients of childbearing potential.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Participants will review acne treatment options for adult female acne patients including prescription medications, diet and supplements.
  • Participants will review the latest update on isotretinoin.
  • Participants will recall the latest information on diet in acne and its role in acne.

Moderator: Raja Sivamani, MD MS AP

Panelists: Apple Bodemer, MD; Michael Traub, ND, Jonette Keri, MD PhD

Description: This panel will focus on clinical cases of acne and rosacea and discuss how interdisciplinary teams may collaborate to develop integrative treatment protocols. 

Learning Objectives: 

Participants will evaluate clinical cases of acne and rosacea and identify how nutrition based conversations may be approached with the patient.

Participants will identify how pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements may be utilized synergistically.

Participants will recall the role of short chain fatty acids in acne.

2023 IDCP Intensives Schedule

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