Will Microbiome Labs Rule This Year's Integrative Healthcare Symposium?

Phew... I just now made it through Day 1's agenda. Talk about chockful! I am going to divide this year's post into three I think this year: Thursday's presentations, Friday's and then Saturday's.

As many of you might know Microbiome Labs launched its GYN health probiotic product, Vaginal Balance (with L crispatus and L jensenii, along with rhamnosus, gassseri and acidophilus), earlier this year, and it appears they are spending quite a bit of money behind the scenes to support its adoption. In just the Thursday presentations alone there are three that I have counted on the vaginal microbiome!

Emeran Mayer, of "Gut-Immune Connection" and "Mind-Gut Connection," also makes an appearance in two full-length discussions. And there are still more microbiome/microbiota talks on Fri and Sat.

Other new MBL product additions that I somehow missed include Epic Defense, Pregnancy Support, Serene Skin (which is currently sold out!), FODMATE and, if you can believe it, FidoSpore-- yes, for your dog!

(Fish oils and probiotics, even spore-based products, I prefer to purchase straight from the manufacturer. Sometimes also TCM herbal formulas. Our wildly discounted Microbiome Labs site is here. Sign-up is a breeze. The registration code self-populates. Working on a Nordic Naturals dedicated store, but our Pure Encapsulations (I like O.N.E. Omega, to which I add black currant seed oil (14% GLA) or borage oil (20% GLA)) is here.)

I quickly grew to love their premier Bacillus coagulans spore-based product, MegaSporeBiotic, after first discovering it, via Chris Kresser, I think, in 2018/2019 or so, and have been reading a ton of fascinating research on Bacillus subtilis (HU-58) over the past year (or two). So much so that Dr. William Davis swapped out one of his three ingredients for subtilis!

But I have-- so far-- been less impressed with pretty much everything they have developed since. Although a Fort Greene, Brooklyn -based naturopath I met in December swears by their MegaIgG2000 product. I have yet to try it, but it's on my to-do list.)

Anyway, as Joanna Coles (Daily Beast) is wont to say, "let's get into it" then. (I'm highlighting my favorites).

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Tieraona Low Dog, MD

Compare (and try to bridge) goals of Western biomedicine (disease elimination, biomarker normalization) with those of traditional healing systems (balance, vitality, coherence, and meaning).

Paul Stamets

The Stamets mushroom company founder argues for the use of mycelium over fruiting bodies in mushroom products

David Perlmutter, MD

Reprogramming the Brain’s Microglia 

via most of the interventions we already know about: meal choices & timing, toxicant exposure/avoidance, sleep, metabolic optimization, physical activity

William S. Harris, PhD

The Missing Metric In Longevity Medicine: The Omega-3 Index

Kind of self-explanatory

(The omega-3 index is a blood test that tells you the percentage of EPA and DHA in the membrane of your red blood cells. A value of 8% or greater has been linked to superior cardiovascular (& thus cognitive) health, as well as greater inflammatory resilience.)

Outside of New York State, you can DIY at home via bloodspot for $189 via Rupa Health (measures 3,6,9, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids plus delta-6 desaturase activity and gives you 3 different cardiovascular risk measures scores; link to sample report) and for $55 at OmegaQuant.

Cheryl Sew Hoy with Elisa Song, MD and Anna Cabeca, MD and Emeran Mayer, MD

The role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases across the lifespan, with a special emphasis on the female gut and vaginal microbiomes

Deanna Minnich, PhD, MS, CNS

Root Cause Approaches To Addressing Symptoms In Peri-Menopause & Menopause

with an emphasis on how nutrition and environmental exposures affect hormone balance

and a discussion of adaptogenic botanicals folks might not be familiar with

Alexander Volchonok, DMD, MS

The Role of Biologic Dentistry in Restoring Systemic Health

Emerging research continues to reveal, chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders, and even infertility are frequently linked to hidden sources of oral inflammation.

Advanced 3D cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) with volumetric rendering and disease-mapping software gives clinicians a powerful window into the jawbone, sinus, and surrounding structures often revealing hidden infection that would be missed.

Sponsored lunches

The Akkermansia Company

Vital Nutrients, Blueroot Health

DeplinPro Mood Health™ (a methylfolate, D3, l-theanine, zinc supplement)

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

1. More vagus nerve stuff

2. Microdosing GLP-1s

3. Reading nutrition labels

4. The potential role of cannabinoid-based therapies( CBD, CBG and CBN) in restoring mood, sleep and neuroimmune balance in perimenopause & menopause

   1. And why menopause needs to be understood as a “chronic inflammatory state”

5. Adjunctive Therapies for Long Covid

6. Integrative Strategies to Prevent and Slow Alzheimer’s Disease

7. “Cellular Medicine”

8. Emeran A. Mayer, MD on the “Central Role” of the Microbiome

   1. How restoration of our gut microbial balance through a holistic approach to lifestyle and diet is essential not only for individual health but also for addressing the environmental consequences of the industrial diet.

   2. By situating the microbiome at the center of an interconnected system involving soil health, plant vitality, and human resilience, Dr. Mayer advocates for a transformative shift in how we approach health and disease prevention in a rapidly changing world.

9. Anna Cabeca again: “The Vaginal Microbiome”

10. Lipoprotein(a), niacin, nattokinase, and advanced lipid & viscosity testing

11. From the New York Zen Center: “The Healing Power of Contemplative Medicine” (with Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell, Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, and Tieraona Low Dog MD)

12. “Comprehensive Approach to Women’s Neuroendocrine and Neuroinflammatory Health: Infections, Hormones and the Inflamed Brain,” with Eboni Cornish, MD, AMEN Clinics DC

13. The “Hidden Health Threats of High-Performing Men:” How Hormone Dysfunction Systemic Inflammation, Chronic Stress Undermine Physical Resilience, with Tracy Gapin, MD of Gapin the Institute for Precision Medicine

    1. Drawing on biomarker-driven data and case studies, he outlines a precision medicine framework for early detection and intervention. Participants will gain actionable tools to optimize healthspan and performance in male patients—particularly those in leadership or high-stakes environments where standard care often fails to detect subclinical dysfunction.

14. Elisa Song again: “Microbiome-Vagus-Mitochondria Triad in Pediatrics”

15. Martin Bluth, MD, PhD, MBA: “What Your Laboratory Tests Don't Tell You: How to Improve Laboratory Result Understanding and Application in the Integrative Healthcare Landscape”

    1. Understanding the anatomy of a laboratory testing specificity, sensitivity, predictive values, and interferences, through the lens of a clinical pathologist

As always, mp3 recordings of sessions should be in my mid-March, and we are happy to share. The afternoon break-out sessions, solely due to logistical issues, are typically not recorded, but since there are so many great ones this year, maybe that will change?