May 1-3, 2026 | Virtual

Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder characterized by the loss of muscle mass, strength, and physical performance, which contributes significantly to frailty, falls, and functional decline in older adults. Since its formal recognition as a disease entity, its identification and management have become clinical priorities in aging and primary care. This session offers an evidence-based overview of sarcopenia’s etiology and pathophysiology, including endocrine, inflammatory, and neuromuscular contributors. Participants will learn to apply validated screening and assessment tools and explore internationally accepted diagnostic frameworks. Emerging research into the gut–muscle axis and microbiome-derived metabolites will be discussed, highlighting their relevance to muscle anabolism and chronic inflammation. Clinical strategies—including resistance exercise, nutrient optimization, and microbiome modulation—will be presented within an evidence-informed naturopathic framework, equipping clinicians with practical tools to identify individuals at risk of sarcopenia, apply validated assessment methods, and implement personalized, integrative treatment plans that support muscle health and functional independence in older adults.

Sexual health is a vital yet often overlooked component of overall well-being. Many patients experience sexual concerns that go unaddressed in healthcare settings. This presentation aims to increase provider comfort, knowledge, and skill in discussing sexual health within routine clinical care. Using a biopsychosocial and whole-health lens, participants will learn practical strategies for initiating conversations about sexual function and well-being, gathering relevant assessment information, and providing brief education and appropriate referrals. The talk reviews common sexual concerns, including changes related to aging, medications, and psychological or relational factors, and introduces frameworks such as the Dual Control Model and topics such as responsive versus spontaneous desire.

Perimenopause and menopause are increasingly recognized as critical neuroendocrine transition states, not just reproductive milestones. During this period, abrupt declines and fluctuations in estrogen and other steroid hormones can disrupt brain energy metabolism, neurotransmission, and connectivity, leading to the unmasking of previously compensated or subclinical neurocognitive and psychiatric vulnerabilities. This phenomenon explains why women may experience new or worsened depressive episodes, anxiety, subjective cognitive complaints, mild cognitive impairment, or mild behavioral impairment during the menopausal transition. Beyond psychiatric and cognitive syndromes, neurologic diseases including migraine, seizures, early Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis also demonstrate shifting patterns during perimenopause and menopause, some worsening in association with hormone withdrawal. This presentation will explore the mechanisms, risk factors, and clinical relevance of unmasking, review evidence for management strategies (including the timing and role of hormone replacement therapy) and highlight opportunities for individualized, integrative, and functional approaches to supporting brain health across the menopausal transition. Participants will leave with practical tools for identifying at-risk patients, understanding the neuroendocrine mechanisms at play, and navigating complex decision-making about HRT, pharmacological, and non-pharmacological interventions.

Emerging research identifies the extracellular matrix (ECM) as a dynamic regulatory organ central to detoxification, inflammation, and chronic disease. Far beyond a passive scaffolding, the ECM acts as a biochemical communication and drainage network connecting every cell, tissue, and organ system. When the matrix becomes congested, acidic, or inflamed, detoxification and immune regulation falter, leading to chronic inflammation, hormonal dysregulation, and degenerative disease. This presentation integrates European Biological Medicine with modern naturopathic principles to explore how restoring ECM integrity enhances the body’s natural detoxification capacity. Participants will learn the clinical signs of matrix dysregulation, the role of lymphatic and organ drainage, and evidence-informed protocols using nutrition, botanicals, and bioregulatory remedies to reestablish cellular communication and detox flow.

Pain remains one of the most common and complex conditions in clinical practice. Herbal medicine offers a rich pharmacopeia of analgesic, antispasmodic, and nervine plants and plant formulations that can be used as primary or adjunctive therapies. This session explores a comprehensive botanical framework for pain management, spanning herbal materia medica, formulation strategies, topical applications, and the integration of herbs into manual therapies—an approach known as procedural herbalism. Attendees will deepen their understanding of pain physiology, herbal therapeutics for different pain patterns, and the safe clinical use of both common and low-dose botanicals.

This presentation explores the contrasting physiology of fertility and perimenopause, helping clinicians recognize where the reproductive system’s patterns and priorities shift across the lifespan. We will begin with a review of core reproductive physiology, emphasizing the hormonal dynamics that define optimal fertility and how these differ from perimenopausal transitions. Participants will receive a concise overview of fertility evaluation essentials, including cycle tracking, key laboratory assessments, and indicators of ovulatory function. The session will also highlight red flags that warrant referral—such as signs of premature ovarian insufficiency and endometriosis—ensuring timely and appropriate co-management. Finally, we will discuss how to nuance hormonal evaluation and treatment for fertility patients, differentiating between physiologic support for conception and the management of early dysregulation that precedes perimenopause. This integrative review equips primary care and naturopathic clinicians with a clear framework for identifying, evaluating, and managing patients across the spectrum of reproductive health.

Peptide therapy has rapidly expanded within longevity and biohacking spaces, yet its application to complex chronic illness requires fundamentally different clinical reasoning and practice. Dr. Nafysa Parpia has been treating patients with the following diagnoses for the past decade and a half, with a focus on using Peptide Therapies over the past eight years: Lyme and co-infections, mold/mycotoxin related illness, environmentally acquired illnesses, MCAS, and Long Covid. These patients tend to be highly sensitive with multi-systemic and multi-diagnostic illnesses taking place simultaneously. Through her extensive experience treating this patient population with Peptide Therapies and Bioregulators, Dr. Parpia has created a framework by which to modulate immune dysregulation, reduce metaflammation, prepare for detoxification, and treat chronic infections using these substances. This presentation outlines a structured sequencing model—developed through extensive clinical experience—for introducing peptides in a manner that prevents mast-cell activation syndrome, excessive immune activation, or paradoxical reactions common in this population.

Visceral hypersensitivity (VH) is a commonly encountered clinical condition that very few know how to recognize and manage effectively. An estimated 1/3 - 2/3 of all patients with functional abdominal pain conditions (i.e. IBS, Functional dyspepsia, pediatric functional abdominal pain, etc.) have VH, and treating VH as its own distinct component of these conditions is essential to their effective management. This presentation will review key underlying pathophysiology behind the development of VH, how to recognized it in clinic, and how to formulate a multi-pronged treatment plan using a variety of interventions. We will cover key pharmacologic management tools, and attendees will walk away with example treatment plans to implement immediately in clinic.

Cardiovascular disease is a well-known side effect of tobacco consumption, but what about all of the other substances we humans use recreationally? This lecture will review cardiovascular health effects from caffeine, cannabis, alcohol, entheogens, opioids, and stimulants. In the case of opioids and stimulants, we will review both prescription and illicit forms of these medications. Data reviewed will focus on human observational studies, clinical trials, population studies, and meta-analyses, as there is available data.

Chronic Pain is a common condition, prompting patients to seek care from a range of healthcare providers. This lecture will review key principles in assessment of chronic pain (including psychological factors that must be understood), natural treatment approaches, and opioid and non-opioid pharmacological treatment. We will additionally discuss critical aspects related to the use of controlled substances.

Chronic disease is often very treatable with diet and lifestyle change but creating that change can be a challenge. In the end, doctors can’t do it for their patients and, furthermore, we can’t blame our patients when they don’t have the support they need to succeed. Sometimes it takes a village, and it seems that fewer people than ever have a village to lean on. Group medical visits change this by creating a spontaneous community for social connection and support, while also providing adequate time for real learning to happen and leveraging a business model that makes it a viable solution for any practice. Sound good? Systematic reviews find this model cost effective, with greater doctor and patient satisfaction and delivering superior outcomes with chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes than 1-on-1 visits. In this talk, Dr. Greg Yasuda will present his group medical visit model called Foundations 360 that he launched at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle, WA, in winter 2025 and was expanded to the Bastyr University Clinic in San Diego, CA, in 2026. You will learn how the program is structured and why, what some of the most important takeaways have been, and you will also be provided with guidance and resources about how to build your own group program. While group visits do not replace 1-on-1 visits, they fill a critical need in the medical landscape and are an ideal vehicle for naturopathic medicine.