Module 7: Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Management of Reproduction, Infancy and Childhood

10.00: Endogenous sex hormones

• Basic principles and natural family planning.
• Sex hormones and the basis for effective natural family planning.

11.15: Coffee

11.30: Exogenous Sex hormones and their problems

• The pathophysiology and epidemiology of the contraceptive and therapeutic uses of sex hormones.

12.30: Panel discussion

1.00: Lunch

2.15: Preparing for conception - the ideal

• The optimal preparations to be made before conception and care during pregnancy.

3.00: Preparing for conception - in the NHS

• Essential preparations for pregnancy which may be possible within the context of the NHS.

3.30: Managing allergies during pregnancy

• How much investigation is appropriate with pregnant women?
• Some adverse reactions may not be expressed during pregnancy.
• What to avoid. What low dose desensitisation is likely to be safe.

4.00: Tea

4.15: Foetal toxicity

• Important considerations for the period at which the individual is most at risk from toxic influences.
• Susceptibility of fast developing tissues.
• What is safe?

5.00-5.45: Panel discussion

Second Day Session: Allergy, Environment and Nutrition in Children

9.15: Nutrition and health in childhood

• Importance of nutrition in development.
• Effects of gross deficiencies but also of marginal deficiencies of vitamins, essential minerals and oils etc on development and health.
• Characteristic syndromes.

9.45: Allergy and intolerance in infants and children.

• Characteristic syndromes at different ages.
• Most likely sensitivities and how to detect them.
• Use of prick and patch tests to foods in children.
• Management, and importance of ensuring an adequate diet.
• Recognising and treating fungal type gut dysbiosis.

10.30: Panel discussion

11.00: Coffee

11.15: Management of allergic children in general practice

• The cases most likely to benefit.
• How to set about it in a busy practice.
• Enlisting the child's co-operation.
• Cleaning materials and dusts in schools.

11.45: Chronic fatigue/ME in children

• Importance of recognising it early and ensuring adequate rest and good nutrition.
• Think about sensitivities but proceed slowly.
• Contribution of home tuition.

12.15: Panel discussion

1.00: Lunch

2.15: Breast feeding

• Encouraging breast feeding.
• Sources of support and information for the new mother.
• Dangers of weight loss mobilising xenobiotic stores in fatty tissues during lactation.

3.00: What can we do to reduce the allergy explosion?

• The roles of toxicity, and nutrition during germ cell development and during embryonic and foetal life and infancy.
• Possible role of over-exposure to allergens and volatile chemicals.
• Possible protective role of minor infections.

3.30: Panel discussion

4.00: Tea

3.45: Weaning

• The association of early weaning with increased allergies.
• Advantage of rotating a wide range of foods, starting with vegetables and fruit, and leaving common allergen foods until later (especially peanuts) in those at high risk of allergy.

4.15: Case histories

5.00: End