Saturday, October 4

Sunday, October 5

Michelle Qaqundah, ND, FABNO

"The Mediterranean Diet"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

The Mediterranean Diet is a well-studied pattern of eating that has been a part of the Mediterranean culture for generations. It has been consistently shown in studies to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. In this lecture Dr. Qaqundah will discuss the observational and clinical studies supporting the health claims of the Mediterranean Diet with an emphasis on cancer, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, weight management and neurologic health. She will discuss the mechanisms of action thought to support these health benefits with an emphasis on anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant action and microbiome support. Dr. Qaqundah will also discuss the components of the Mediterranean Diet, specific actionable goals to discuss with patients as well as methods for increasing the bioavailability of Mediterranean Diet-specific nutrients and strategies for improving compliance.

Bio: Michelle Qaqundah, ND, FABNO is a naturopathic oncology specialist and Italian-trained chef, currently seeing patients in Lucca, Italy. Dr. Qaqundah has lived in Italy for more than 15 years where she has immersed herself in the Mediterranean culture and diet. She is the founder of Mediterranean Life LLC which offers educational events such as a dedicated course for Bastyr University as well as wellness retreats in collaboration with health practitioners all based in Tuscany and focused on the Mediterranean Diet & Lifestyle. She has also educated regarding the Mediterranean Diet & Lifestyle through international lecturing, medical journal articles and a dedicated chapter in the Textbook of Naturopathic Oncology. Dr. Qaqundah is the past director of naturopathic medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the past president of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians. She is passionate about health and wellness and strives to improve as many lives as possible through direct patient care and education.

Darren Schmidt, DC

"The Carnivore Diet: All In Context"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

Learn the science and the surveys about the Carnivore Diet, its variations, and its effects on health. Learn about inflammation on a meat-based diet, the effects of meat on mental health. Understand and see examples of how “Meat is food, plants are medicine”.

Bio: Dr. Darren Schmidt, DC, is the founder and owner of the Nutritional Healing Center of Ann Arbor. The purpose of the office is to use the new and old clinical discoveries to solve chronic illness using only diet and supplements. He has delivered over 100 weekend seminars to 9,000 healthcare providers since 2006 He first studied nutrition in 1993, graduated from Chiropractic College in 1997, began practicing nutrition in 1998, went low-carb in 1999, keto in 2015, and carnivore in 2018. The style of nutrition that he practices is for the purpose of healing the body from chronic illness, and includes removing toxins and organisms with supplements.

Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO

"Fasting as a Mitochondrial Tune-Up: A Terrain-Centric Approach to Metabolic Health and Disease Reversal"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

Fasting is far more than a dietary trend—it’s a biological imperative encoded in our evolutionary history. In this illuminating session, Dr. Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO, global leader in integrative oncology and author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, invites you to explore the therapeutic power of fasting as a metabolic reset button.

Through the lens of the Terrain Ten™, this presentation will uncover how intermittent and extended fasting can restore metabolic flexibility, enhance mitochondrial efficiency, and modulate key hallmarks of chronic disease—from inflammation and immune dysregulation to hormonal imbalance and toxic burden.

With a deep dive into circadian rhythms, autophagy, ketone biology, and glucose regulation, Dr. Nasha offers a science-rich yet clinically grounded conversation about when to feast, when to fast, and how to determine readiness. Attendees will leave equipped with practical tools to implement fasting in naturopathic and integrative settings—anchored in lab data, patient constitution, and therapeutic intent.

Bio: Dr. Nasha Winters is a global healthcare authority and best-selling author in integrative cancer care and research consulting with physicians around the world. She has educated hundreds of professionals in the clinical use of mistletoe and has created robust educational programs for both healthcare institutions and the public on incorporating vetted integrative therapies in cancer care to enhance outcomes. Dr. Winters is currently focused on opening a comprehensive metabolic oncology hospital and research institute in the US where the best that standard of care has to offer and the most advanced integrative therapies will be offered. This facility will be in a residential setting on a gorgeous campus against a backdrop of regenerative farming, EMF mitigation and retreat, as well as state of the art medical technology and data collection and evaluation to improve patient outcomes.

Jasmine Blake Hollywood, DCN, LDN, CNS, BA-Psy, CRPS, ORDM

"The Keto/Paleo Diet"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

This continuing education presentation critically examines the ketogenic and Paleolithic diets, with emphasis on their metabolic impacts, adaptability, and research limitations. While both diets are commonly promoted for weight loss and disease management, emerging evidence raises concerns about the long-term physiological consequences of the ketogenic diet, specifically its tendency to elevate total and LDL cholesterol and promote muscle catabolism, particularly in the thigh region, due to chronic reliance on gluconeogenesis. In contrast, the Paleolithic diet, despite being frequently dismissed from dietary consensus, shows flexibility and potential when modified to accommodate various dietary patterns, including low-carb, Vegan, Tarian styles, ketogenic, or high-protein.

Bio: Jasmine holds a doctoral degree in clinical nutrition (DCN) from Maryland University of Integrative Health. She is a member of the American Nutrition Association and holds a board certification as a clinical nutrition specialist (CNS). With her extensive experience in live webinar presentations, she is equipped to lead workshops that engage and educate participants on various aspects of nutrition and body-mind-spirit wellness.

Dr. Hollywood is also the founder of True P.A.L.E.O. Inc, a growing volunteer-based Personalized Alternative Lifestyle Education Organization that focuses on body-spirit-soul practices for lifestyle recovery. With working in the field of integrative and nutritional medicine for 5 years, over 9 years of nutrition and integrative health clinical education to include health and fitness behavioral psychology, and over 16 years of personal experience, her primary focus is centered on clients who endure trauma and/or extreme stress with endocrine and/or mental health conditions. Her background as both a peer and a professional create a strong foundation for the development and success of her organization's lifestyle recovery program as well as any other organization she collaborates with.

Jasmine’s greatest achievement is meeting God. Being able to publish 4 lifestyle recovery case reports and 1 systematic review in peer-reviewed medical journals including Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, the Journal of the American Nutrition Association, and Advances in Mind-Body Medicine are other great achievements. Her belief in God and his mission to use her voice in authorship has led her to write and self-publish 12 nutrition and body-mind-spirit books on platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Google Play Books. Additionally, she is the founder of the EatitUP™️ Research League, a federally registered and FWA approved online research institution created to perform holistic research on lifestyle recovery. As the active Chair, this organization and its volunteers seek to publish research on how using body (nutrition), mind (mental health rejuvenation and renewal), and spirit (faith-based) practices can help individuals in need of lifestyle recovery lead productive lives. Furthermore, she has developed other research organization sub-divisions within True P.A.L.E.O. Inc, an internal institutional review (IRB) board, expert review panel (ERP), and ensuing research journal, named Journal of Integrative Nutrition.

Lisa Shaver, ND, LAc

"The Gluten-Free Shockwave: From Fad to Medical Essential"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

A gluten-free diet splashed into common lexicon in 2010 with an explosion of a gluten-free diet (GFD) fad - a diet suddenly recommended by anyone and everyone, whether in the medical profession or not. People trying the GFD often didn’t know why they were trying it, but everyone else was, so why not? The GFD is a medical diet to be prescribed for those diagnosed with gluten-related disorders. We’ll explore the science behind prescribing the GFD, the ethics of prescribing a GFD without a gluten-related disorder, the nutrition of gluten-containing vs. gluten-free foods and what science says about eating gluten for the regular person.

 Bio: Lisa Shaver, ND, LAc has a passionate interest in digestive disorders with expertise in celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, IBS and SIBO/IMO. Other interests include hormonal imbalances, autoimmune conditions and neurotransmitter imbalances. Since 2012 Dr Shaver co-teaches NUNM’s Advanced Gastro course’s celiac disease/NCGS modules and taught Gastroenterology to OCOM’s doctoral (DAOM) students until 2024. Dr. Shaver has lectured at the AANP, SIBO Conferences, Hawaii Doc Talks, NUNM, AZNMA, amid other events. She is past president and past board member of the GastroANP. She is in private practice in Portland, OR.

Matthew Nagra, ND

"The Vegan/Vegetarian Diet: The What, Why, and How of Plant-Based Nutrition"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

Dr. Nagra will describe what a plant-based diet is, why people may choose to follow a plant-based diet, review the research on plant-based diets and long-term health outcomes, and discuss how to adopt a healthy plant-based diet to ensure nutritional adequacy.

Bio: Dr. Matthew Nagra is a Naturopathic Doctor devoted to bringing the most up-to-date and evidence-based nutrition information to his patients in his Vancouver-based practice, and to the public via social media and public presentations, in which he focuses on correcting nutrition misinformation so that you can make informed choices about your health. In 2018, he graduated from the Boucher Institute after completing his Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology at the University of Victoria. He has been a contributing author on multiple textbooks from Professional Health Systems, including their Nutrition textbook, was a scientific reviewer for the best-selling book “The Proof is in the Plants” by Simon Hill, and has had his work featured in leading media outlets, including Men's Health and the New York Times.

Deanna Minich, MS, PhD, FACN, CNS, IFMCP

"The Rainbow Diet"

1.5 General (Total 1.5 CE)

Over the past decades, thousands of published studies have amassed supporting recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables for physiological and psychological health. Newer research has emerged to suggest that these plant-based foods contain a plethora of not only vitamins and minerals, but perhaps, most importantly, phytonutrients. Even though eating fruits and vegetables is a well-known feature of a healthy dietary pattern, population intakes continue to be below recommended levels. To encourage patients to include more fruits and vegetables into their diet and lifestyle, an “eat by color” approach is proposed in this presentation. Dr. Minich will discuss the importance of colorful, plant-based foods to physical and mental health by explaining the nutritional content of a variety of colorful foods, as well as reviewing published research studies on this topic. The connection of healthy eating, reducing risk for chronic disease, and the food-mood relationship will be explored according to a ‘color code’ (Minich, Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2019). Practical strategies and practice for clinical implementation for personalizing protocols to peoples’ needs will be provided.

Bio: Deanna Minich, MS, PhD, CNS, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (IFMCP), is a nutrition scientist, international lecturer, educator, and author, with over twenty years of experience in academia and the food and dietary supplement industries, and currently the Chief Science Officer at Symphony Natural Health. She has been active as a functional medicine clinician in clinical trials and in her own practice (Food & Spirit™). She is the author of seven consumer books on wellness topics, four book chapters, and over fifty scientific publications. Her academic background is in nutrition science, including a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (1995) and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands (1999). She has served on the Nutrition Advisory Board for The Institute of Functional Medicine and on the Board of Directors for the American Nutrition Association. Currently, she teaches for the Institute for Functional Medicine, University of Western States, Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and Institute for Brain Potential. Through her talks, workshops, groups, and in-person retreats, she helps people to practically and artfully transform their lives through nutrition and lifestyle.