This is the 4th episode of the 'Microbiome Gazers'. Proudly hosted and organized by BugSpeaks® and Leucine Rich Bio.
This was a special episode where we were honoured to have Dr Shabnam Das Kar, a world-renowned functional medicine specialist, talking on “Role of Microbiome – A Clinician’s Perspective”. Dr Debojyoti Dhar, our co-founder and Director, hosted and coordinated this discussion.
Highlights:
Dr Kar begins with her introduction and with an interesting point as to how the perspective of microbes have changed since the time when they were considered to be absolute bad to now being considered as an integrated part of our bodies.
She also briefly introduces the audience to the controllable or influenceable factors of developing once microbiome, from birth modes, diet and beyond.
She goes into details of birth modes and how some of the most fascinating studies conducted recently have unequivocally proved the importance of vaginal delivery over C-section delivery.
Later she moves onto diet, which is the most fascinating part for her, given her functional medicine expertise.
Diet is also the most important aspect for her in context of gut microbiome, since she believes that diet, not only has the biggest impact on gut microbiome, but its also the most under our control, as compared to that of geography, genetics and other factors.
She talks about the specific example of insulin resistance, diabetes, and microbiome to stress the importance of diet and microbiome, along with some more disease examples.
She also touches upon the interrelationship between immune system, microbiome, health, and medicine.
Then she describes the impact of medicines on gut microbiome, beginning with antibiotics to PPIs [proton pump inhibitors] to metformin [antidiabetics] to statins.
She briefly touches upon probiotics and faecal microbiota transplantation [FMT] as other methods of manipulating the gut microbiome.
The discussion later moves on to the kind or types of individuals, consulting for a functional medicine approach, should get their microbiome profiles, and how it aids the to improve their health.
Key shift to “predictive personalized medicine” and “patient participatory medicine”, and she shared many observations, experience, and insights she has gained during her consults.
Dr Dhar also shares his own experience and insights, which he gained through BugSpeaks® testing, and he stresses on the significance of clinician in this whole scenario.
They also discuss on the importance of building a community of clinicians/physicians, which understand the importance of microbiome and its impact on health.
Dr Kar shares her view on the challenges of using a microbiome test as a diagnostic method for diseases.
They wrap up by answering questions from the attendees.
