AHS12

#AHS12

We just got back from The Ancestral Health Symposium (AHS12). For any readers who are unfamiliar with AHS, it is a three day conference which brings together scientists, healthcare providers, and lay people who share an interest in living healthier lives, based on Ancestral principals such as whole foods, movement, stress management, community, and sleep. The symposium was held on the campus of Harvard Law School.

In the fall of 2011 I submitted a proposal to present a poster at AHS12. I felt that we had some important information to share with the community regarding the use of Ancestral nutrition as an adjunct to treatment for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). As many of you know, this is an issue that hits close to home for us, as Dave (my husband) was diagnosed with T1D when he was 32 years old. We have learned so much in the past 6 years, and want to help other T1D’s navigate this journey. We were ecstatic when our proposal was accepted, and began collecting and sifting through the data. All of our hard work was worth it when we saw the finished product presenting the Effects of Ancestral Nutrition of Type 1 Diabetes.

 First, I have to say that the whole experience of AHS12 was so overwhelming and exciting that I could barely think straight! The response to our poster was really positive, and we got to talk with a number of people and answer their questions. We were also visited by some of our favorite people in the community. We met many of our online friends for the first time, and were able to spend more time with people we had met before.

Badier Velji AKA The Lazy Caveman

 

Bill and Hayley from Primal Palate

 

The D.C. Area Crew including Bobby Gill AKA Ultragrassfed and Robert Morton from Power Supply

Dallas and Melissa Hartwig of Whole 9 Life

The lectures were interesting and informative, covering topics from The Role of Play in the Development of Social and Emotional Competence to The Science and Policy of Insulin Signaling. I “live Tweeted” the sessions I attended in lieu of taking notes. It was difficult to choose between two sessions taking place simultaneously, and I am looking forward to watching the videos of every presentation again. I will most likely write more about certain lectures in the future; but, some of the highlights for me were:

• City Zero: How Markets and Evolution Can Revolutionize Medicine by Robb Wolf
• Health vs. Performance by Keith Norris
• Using EvoBio to Optimize Training for Endurance Sports by Jamie Scott
• Paleolithic Diets and Diabetes Control by Lynda Frassetto
• Craniofacial Dystrophy by Mike Mew
• Ubuntu: A Paleolithic Perspective on Human Community and Health by Frank Forencich

For me, the lecture on Ubuntu really drove home the importance of living as part of a community, the idea that if one of us does well, then we all do well. I really hope that as the Ancestral Health community grows, we can all support the work of others and bring the message to the people who most need to hear it. I had the sense of being part of a tribe for three days, and had fun while connecting and learning. I’m sure that many people will do re-cap posts in the next week, and there will be the inevitable criticism of presentations (this is normal and necessary for the growth of any group/profession/movement); yet, I for one feel very fortunate to have been part of this event. I’ll close with a few more photos of my tribe:

 

Robb Wolf, who told me multiple times throughout the 3 days “I like standing next to you…you make me feel tall!” Such a cool guy – really down to earth and easy to be around.

 

J. Stanton of Gnolls.org, with whom I had the pleasure of talking during dinner one night with the Whole 9 Life Team.

 

The remnants of our amazing dinner at The Garden at The Cellar where we had the most incredible meal crafted specifically for us by Chef Brandon Arms with input from Melissa.

 

Q & A with Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf

My fellow tiny Paleo Warrior Amy Kubal

 

Our Kiwi and Aussie pals Jamie and Anastasia

 

 

And the one and only Jude AKA SmartSexyPaleo, who is one of our favorite people on the planet!

We are already looking forward to AHS13 and hoping to present again!