From the my episodes  "Do Good Podcast" Episode Page: listen here 

Knowledge is power when it comes to improving our health with Dr Anton Krige

In today’s show, I sit down again with Dr. Anton Krige, who is a medical doctor, multiple Ironman finisher, and functional medicine specialist.

In this episode, we dive deep into what it’s like to work closely with Anton and how he transforms his patients’ health and well-being. We use me as the case study in this one and it was eye-opening to get the results back from some of the tests I did (particularly finding out that my biological age is 29 which isn’t bad for a 40-something guy). And there were plenty of other fascinating insights I found out about which I’ve been able to integrate into my daily routine.
Anton treats those with complex chronic conditions and those who wish to optimise sports performance whilst maintaining health & wellness using his research skills and experience to incorporate cutting-edge research findings in both health and exercise physiology.
Anton was previously on the show in episode 68 in case anyone wants to hear a more wide-ranging interview on health and some of the key lifestyle factors for transforming it, the latest tech you can use to improve your health as well as what an ideal day looks like to turn around your metabolic health.
00:00 - Introduction and overview
10:35 - Cell Blueprint
16:08 - Cell Blueprint questionnaire
23:08 - Blood Smart age
32:35 - Blood results
46:36 - Forecasting
50:22 - Scientific-based detox
1:01:33 - Lifestyle changes
1:02:37 - Continuous glucose monitor
1:05:25 - Help with sleep and anxiety
1:09:58 - Exercise snacks
1:21:03 - 5-minute yoga flow 
1:24:21 - The pursuit of less and habit staking
1:29:20 - Benefits of working with a functional medicine doctor
1:35:15 - Track your diet, exercise, and health data with Cronometer
1:42:28 - Anton’s no.1 health tip
1:42:40 - Working with Anton
Show notesEpisode 68 Anton Krige
Bloodsmart
Book - Body by Science by Doug McGuff
5 Minute Flow - Max Shank
Book - The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Book - Atomic Habits by James Clear
Continuous Glucose Monitoring - 14 day free trail
Developing healthy habits with Cronometer
Book - Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf
Working with Anton

The immune system is the central pillar of health, the body’s defence system against external and internal disrupting factors (e.g. pathogens, harmful substances, cancer cells). Modern lifestyle factors, environmental factors and genetics amount to the set of causes that lead to immune dysregulation, the underlying cause of many of today’s health conditions: chronic infections, allergies, autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases  or cancer can all be traced back to an immune imbalance.
This is where micro-immunotherapy comes into play. Also known as low-dose immunotherapy, micro-immunotherapy is a diagnostic and therapeutic approach centred on the assessment and subsequent regulation of the immune system as part of an integrated treatment strategy aimed at training immunity back to its optimal natural function. On the diagnostic level, micro-immunotherapy provides health professionals with various immune monitoring tools to determine the status of the immune system and its responsiveness. Differential blood test, lymphocyte typing (fine-tuned assessment of the cellular immune status), serum protein profile and inflammation profile, serologies as well as HLA-typings allow for precise and comprehensive diagnostics.

Thereupon, drawing from the diagnostic results, a suitable and tailored treatment plan can be elaborated so as to optimise host defence against internal and external disrupting factors and restore balance in the organism. As part of an integrated treatment plan, micro-immunotherapy provides gentle, targeted and sustainable immune regulation. Through a specific composition of low doses of immune messenger substances (mainly cytokines), micro-immunotherapy formulas communicate with the immune system in its own language, without replacing or blocking its functions, to achieve both local and systemic action in a physiological, sequential and coordinated manner. Thereby, the patient’s central pillar of health, immunity, can be steered back to efficiency and proper function. 

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I really enjoyed my conversation on the "Do Good" podcast recently which you can listen to here.

This was my 1st appearance on the Oxygen Addict triathlon podcast discussing Performance & Health in January 2020.

My 2nd appearance on the Oxygen Addict triathlon podcast in April 2020 to discuss how to train safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Institute for Functional Medicine established a task force to produce evidence based suggestions for reducing COVId 19 risk which can be found here.
A well curated site for COVID-19 resources from a functional medicine approach can be found here.
Whilst "Long COVID" will have a variety of presentations and contributing root causes in addition to the viral trigger many of these are ideally placed to be approached with a functional medicine framework seeking the individual key root causes and thereby developing an individualised treatment plan.

"The functional medicine model of care provides a unique operating system to reverse illness, promote health, and optimize function. ... Objective To assess the association between functional medicine and patient-reported HRQoL using Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) global health measures.25 Oct 2019"

This is a major & long overdue breakthrough for functional medicine as this report was published in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, and one of the foremost medical journals in the world. This cohort study matched over 7000 patients treated either at the Cleveland Center for Functional Medicine or the Cleveland Clinic family health center.

The Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine has surpassed all expectation since it was established 5 years ago amidst the campus of the word renowned Cleveland Clinic academic center. The related article in the Cleveland Press is worth a read. They saw over 27 000 patients last year from 900 in the 1st year & have expanded to 3 locations on the campus with other US academic centers looking to copy the model.
With high profile on this campus incorporation of the functional medicine clinical model within medical schools as the only feasible way to stem the tsunami of chronic disease is now inevitable. Other developed countries are sure to follow with hopefully the UK next in the wake. This approach incorporates the best of everything in medicine: a strong evidence base rooted in the basic sciences, seeking the root causes rather than symptom treatment only, combining clinical wisdom and the ultimate in patient centered care. It is the truest form of personalised and precision medicine talked about in mainstream medicine.
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Reference:
Beidelschies M, Alejandro-Rodriguez M, Ji X, Lapin B, Hanaway P, Rothberg MB. Association of the Functional Medicine Model of Care With Patient-Reported Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(10):e1914017. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14017 

The Ancestral Health Society goal is perfectly in step with the functional medicine approach to reversing the epidemic of chronic disease by identifying and correcting the root causes of disease whilst taking note of the lessons of our evolutionary biology as stated by the AHS:
"goal is to examine current health challenges through the context of our ancestral heritage. In modern science, evolution is the default perspective for inquiry, yet in modern healthcare, evolution is almost nowhere to be seen. The Ancestral Health Symposium is dedicated to providing a forum for sharing scientific theories about how diet, lifestyle, and environment can shape human health."
The various AHS symposium talks available on their website are fascinating & worst listing too for different perspectives on solving our health challenges.

"It’s true healthcare. Functional Medicine is a distinct medical model—separate and, as you’ll come to learn, vastly different from the conventional approach—one that promotes wellness and helps both prevent and treat chronic disease, the biggest health problem we face today. Although its concepts are not new, in this way, its approach is revolutionary. Functional Medicine is the future of medicine."
by Chris Kresser

He goes on to provide a great description in his blog post in July this year & well worth a read for a clear explanation.