Page 93 - Fall2012

Local Chapters

Concord: Kristin Canty (978) 369-5042, kristincanty@aol.com & Hilary Boynton (978) 287-0502
Groton: Linda Leland & Karen Zimmerman (978) 449-9919, lleland@grotonwellness.com, chkefkaren@gtotonwellness.com
Martha’s Vineyard: Marcia Denine, RN (508) 693-9620, mdenine@hotmail.com
Milton: Jennifer & Keith Wrightington (781) 589-5599, fitwright2@gmail.com
Newburyport: Jacqueline Carroll (978) 462-4982, Jackie@amazonpromise.org & Rebecca Acton (617) 504-9590, rebeccawacton@gmail.com,
www.actonwellness.com
Northampton: Christine C Decker, ND drchrisdecker@gmail.com, on FB as Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter of Northampton, MA
Pelham: Julie Rypysc (413) 253-7339, snowyowl@crocker.com
Pepperell: Renee Cyr (978) 433-9732, rmcyr@charter.net
South Shore/S. Eastern MA: Cathy Sloan Gallagher (781) 356-1842, csloangallagher@gmail.com
MI Ann Arbor: Jessica Feeman (810) 225-2789, info@aawapf.org, http://www.aawapf.org
Big Rapids: Bonnie Miesel (231) 823-8002, jmiesel869@gmail.com & Atlee Yoder
Detroit: Rosanne Ponkowski (248) 828-8494, info@htnetwork.org
Gaylord/Johannesburg: Cindy Current (989) 786-4595, puddingstonefarm@yahoo.com
Genesse/Lapeer/N. Oakland: Kim Lockard (810) 667-1707, KimLockard@gmail.com & Lorna Chambers (810) 664-4372, chambersbl@charter.net
Grand Rapids: Janice Scharich & Kelly Moeggenborg (616) 682-8339, info@nourishingways.org, http://www.nourishingways.org

NUTRITION AND HEALTH CONFERENCE
Report by Cathy Sloan Gallagher, NTP WAPF Chapter Leader, South Shore MA

Held in Boston April 16-18, I attended the nutrition talks and the “Rating Popular Diets”
plenary on April 16. This well-attended conference was sponsored by the University of Ari-
zona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center. There were no alternative
practitioners in attendance and books that WAPF would recommend were for the most part
missing from the book sales table. The food was "politically correct"—lots of veggies, grains
and fish, but no butter or red meat.
The presentations were lackluster, very repetitive and frustrating. Frustrating because
every key presenter spoke about the dramatic increase in obesity, heart disease and diabetes,
but all of them—with the exception of David Ludwig—were cautious about blaming sugar
and refined carbs, and would not recommend healthy fats (except for fish oils) as a remedy.
Robert Lustig spoke on “hypothalamic obesity” and how insulin resistance and leptin
resistance are two sides of the same card. He prescribes hormone replacement therapy to correct the problem.
David Eisenberg focused on integrating healthy cooking into medical facilities and increasing culinary literacy in gen-
eral. He believes cooking is a necessary life skill (yes!). He is a diabetic so he acknowledged the evil of refined carbs but
also avoids fats and cholesterol beyond “a little olive oil."
David Ludwig was the only speaker to acknowledge the connection between the introduction of lowfat foods and
the increase in obesity. He referred to Gary Taubes’ article in New York Times Sunday magazine, “What if It's All Been a
Big Fat LIe?” He distinguished between whole unprocessed grains and refined grains in how they affect blood sugar. He
even commented on how “My Plate” does not distinguish between types of grains and offers no mention of quality. He
was promoting his new book End the Food Fight which is a program to help end childhood obesity. Overall, his presenta-
tion was a breath of fresh air.
The Rating Popular Diets Plenary speakers were all medical doctors or registered dietitians: Wendy Kohatsu, Cynthia
Thomson, Carolyn Coker Ross, Ben Kliger, Roberta Lee, Maya Shetreat-Klein, and Myles Spar. Each speaker had been
assigned a popular diet to research and extract the evidence from the fad. Diets presented were Sleep Doctors, Alkaline,
HCG, Raw Food Vegan, and Paleo. WAPF was not part of the report nor was it mentioned. All in all, I think the reports
were objective. They found faults for most and benefits for some. For the most part, comments were appropriate.
The Q&A was short but one individual commented on her “concern with the increase of individuals drinking raw
milk, particularly pregnant women” and asked the panel members their opinion. No panel member was entirely without
concern, but one suggested that it is very important to know the farm and the farmer that you are buying it from and
that she knows many people that have done really well on it (yeah!). A few others responded that they were “cautiously
concerned,” particularly for children. Robert Lustig referenced a Copenhagen study and stated “drinking raw milk direct
from the tank will increase estrogens.” Lustig also responded to an earlier question about the safety of artificial sweeteners
by saying “there is no hard science, so he can’t say how bad they are."
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