Conversations That Matter

Gluten and Leaky Gut: Alessio Fasano

Ep 276 Gluten and Leaky Gut

Guest: Alessio Fasano

 

The discovery that “leaky gut” contributes to celiac disease and autoimmunity was treated with great skepticism. Five years after the formulation of the hypothesis, Dr Alessio Fasano and his team discovered zonulin, a protein that reversibly modulates intestinal permeability. 

 

Zonulin’s effect on gut permeability involves the regulation of tight junctions in intestinal and extra-intestinal cells, including the endothelial cells of the blood brain barrier. Why should you care? Well, it plays an important role in gut permeability, otherwise known as leaky gut syndrome.

 

It turns out there are several potential intestinal stimuli that can trigger zonulin’s release. One is bacterial dysbiosis and the other is gluten. The discovery that zonulin causes aberrant intestinal permeability led to the appreciation that this protein is involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

 

We invited Dr Alessio Fasano to join us for a Conversation That Matters about our guts, our microbiome and what we can do to manage our own well-being through diet and lifestyle.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Greg Flato: Climate Scientist

Ep 275 Government of Canada Climate Scientist explains Climate Part 1 of 2

Guest: Greg Flato

 

If you are like me you watch and read a wide variety of reports about climate. The consensus is that arctic ice is melting, ocean levels are rising, ocean pH is changing and not getting better, global temperatures are rising.

 

Then I read reports that say the above is not true. Arctic ice is actually growing and at astounding rates, ocean levels are not rising and while the temperature has gone up it is insignificant.

 

I look up reports that are cited from either side of the argument and within minutes realize I do not have the appropriate knowledge to begin to understand what they mean. They are complex, they are extremely specific because science demands that the hypothesis focus on defined elements. The results of an individual experiment are just that and need to be taken in the context of the whole which is challenging because the world we live in is extremely complicated.

 

I have reached out to a wide range of people who read the reports differently from one another. This week I read in a Canadian newspaper, that the World Meteorological Organization,  a trusted source, says Canada had a very cold 2019. So I looked it up. I couldn’t find that statement, instead I read, “2019 concludes a decade of exceptional global heat and high-impact weather”

 

Where is the truth? In this Conversation That Matters I talk online to Environment Canada Climate Scientist Greg Flato about climate and he clears up a number of issues for me. And because our conversation extended far beyond my broadcast window, I have broken this Conversation into two parts. Here now is part one.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

Ep 16: Shauna Sylvester; Executive Director, Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue

Ep 16 Shauna Sylvester

Executive Director, Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue

 

Dialogue is a tricky thing. It’s not just the exchanging of words: it is the sharing of ideas. On the surface, that sounds straightforward – until you realize it is a complex interplay of thoughts, agendas, emotions and competing interests, to name but a few.

 

Then add in the demands of running a program at Simon Fraser University complete with intelligent staff and associates. But don’t stop there: be a professor too. Then take a break from the job and run for mayor of Vancouver.

 

What does this career look like and how do you ever plot a course to it? In this episode of Careers That Matter, Shauna Sylvester takes us inside her world and her career.

Ep 15: Dr Claire Fraser - Mapping the Microbiome

Ep 15 Dr Claire Fraser

Mapping the Microbiome 

 

The mapping of the human genome was a fearless plunge into groundbreaking science. Dr Fraser says, as a scientist, she had to take risks that allowed her to answer the questions she was asking in molecular biology, at the time a nascent field. She dared to fail at a time when that was still an option.

 

Her PhD and her early work at NIH was focused on G-protein coupled receptors and that lead to exploring the receptors at a fundamental molecular level. She asked how do you discover new members of this protein family and that question led her to an intersection of disciplines, such as automated DNA sequencing which ultimately put her in line to map the human genome.

 

In this episode of Careers That Matter, Dr Claire Fraser walks us through her remarkable career.

Ep 274 Give a Damn: Martin McNish

Ep 274 Give a Damn

Guest: Martin McNish

 

“It’s more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35) – but not if that is the reason to give. Giving with a purity of purpose manifests if your intention is in the true spirit of giving. Giving of oneself, one’s time, one’s skills, one’s heart and sometimes their money.

 

Giving helps others and improves lives. Now, imagine you can come together as a small group of people who can make a difference to small charities that make a difference in the lives of people in need.

 

Margaret Mead is credited with saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It’s a quote that also epitomizes what Martin McNish and a 100 or so of his closest friends are doing. They are changing the lives of hundreds of people who rely on small charities.

 

So rather than wait for the opportunity to give to come to him, McNish sought out a way to build his own small group of committed citizens. What started as 100 men who give a damn morphed into an expanding group of women and men who show up at four events each year to support micro charities. 

 

Give a Damn is about believing you can make a difference. Martin McNish, at each quarterly event, emphasizes the point that not giving a damn is to resign yourself to believing you can’t make a difference.

 

We invited Martin McNish to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the gift of giving.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs 

Ep 14 Mario Canseco: Taking the Temperature of Society

Ep 14 Mario Canseco

Taking the Temperature of Society

 

Every day you see some poll, some insight into how people shop, relax, vacation, choose their job, pick a favourite beer – and how they say they will vote. Have you ever wondered who the people are who gather all of that information? 

 

What do they do? How many people do they have to talk to? And what kind of training do you need to speak to and gather information from thousands of people?

 

In this episode of Careers That Matter, the insightful Mario Canseco takes us on his career journey.

Bob Rich: First Responder PTSD

Ep 273 - First Responder PTSD

Guest: Bob Rich

 

The average person experiences about four events in their lives that could trigger PTSD. The average career cop encounters between 100 and 400 incidents that could trigger PTSD. Retired Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich knows this all too well.

 

In early 2015 Chief Rich lost two active members of the police department by their own hand. Their deaths shook him to the core. He was forced to look inward at his leadership, at the culture within his police department and in the first responder community. What was happening that PTSD and stigma rates were so high? 

 

Chief Rich took on the responsibility of identifying the source and changing the culture. His first priority became the wellness of his team. Rich says, “These are women and men who put their lives on the line everyday to keep their community safe. In return, it is my job to keep them safe.”  

 

He identified that a “suck it up” culture was one of the root causes and it was counterproductive putting everyone at risk. He and his team went to work to implement those needed changes. Then came the killing of Constable John Davidson, which rocked the policing community in Abbotsford, the Lower Mainland and the province. 

 

Thanks to the support of the Vancouver Police and other police officers who took over law enforcement duties in the city for more than a week, the Abbotsford PD was able to take a knee, psychologically, physically and emotionally. Bob Rick says, “As a result, we didn’t lose another member – which can happen.” In Ontario over the past year, nine officers took their own lives. 

 

Bob Rich is determined to help other police departments do what Abbotsford has begun to do – create a culture that understands the trauma of horrific incidents and supports one another.

 

We invited Bob Rich to join us for a Conversation That Matters about caring for the well-being of all first responders who care about us.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs 

Vancouver's Looming Industrial Lands Crisis - Eric Aderneck

Ep 272 - Looming Industrial Lands Crisis

Guest: Eric Aderneck

 

Vancouver has a problem! Hemmed in by water, mountains, agricultural land, the border and the Port of Vancouver, industrial land is severely squeezed. Virtually no one is paying attention because industrial employment land isn’t sexy. It doesn’t capture headlines nor votes, and it’s complicated. Metro Vancouver is endeavouring to develop a plan, but with 21 different city and municipal governments – all with different agendas – addressing the many issues collectively is next to impossible.

 

It’s an important issue because without industrial lands that are available, affordable and adaptable to the changing needs of businesses of all sizes, the consequences will be felt on the roads, in the community, in the environment and in the economy.

 

As with residential and commercial property, the inspiration to come up with innovative solutions is dumped onto developers who have to weave their way through an increasingly complex set of rules, regulations and processes. Many of the design rules are set in the past and don’t take into account the need to build sites that go skyward and include some commercial office space.

 

It is projected that within the next four to five years, the Lower Mainland will simply run out of industrial lands. You may ask yourself, “Why should I care?” You don’t have to and most people dismiss it as a minor issue.

 

But Eric Aderneck, an expert in industrial and employment land use says, "There will be opportunity costs that are lost. Businesses that may want to expand can't, and so they leave, and larger international organizations that may want to come to Vancouver don't because there isn't available space”. 

 

We invited Eric Aderneck to join us for a Conversation That Matters about our need to think in innovative ways about the region’s industrial lands.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs 

Dr Dugald Seely: Alternative Medicine, Is it the real deal?

Ep 271

Guest: Dr Dugald Seely

The important role of Complementary and Alternative medicine

 

In 2017, Dr Dugald Seely was awarded the Dr Rogers Prize for contributions to complementary and alternative health in Canada. It is a unique Canadian prize that acknowledges the role of CAMs and it supports research with the awarding of a $250,000 prize.

 

What exactly is the contribution of complementary therapies to healthcare? Is it a feelgood kinda thing with a placebo effect? Are there direct and verifiable outcomes? And how do complementary and alternative therapies intersect with allopathic medicine?  

 

The pushback against CAMs over the years has been fierce. Up to the 1970s, non-allopathic therapies were known as irregular practices and derided as not being evidence based, meaning those therapies could not be accepted as biomedicine. 

 

Since then, the door of acceptance has cracked open thanks to the efforts of physicians like Dr Rogers, who were willing to introduce therapies they believed would benefit their patients. Those who did so risked their reputations and their license to practice medicine.

 

Dr Rogers was brought before a review board for employing the use of ozone in the treatment of a patient who was about to have his foot amputated. The treatment was successful and saved the patient's foot.  However, a nurse on the ward where the treatment was administered complained to the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

 

At great expense to himself, Dr Rogers defended his practices, his reputation and the right of physicians to introduce complementary and alternative therapies.

 

The World Health Organization in 2019 at its 72nd assembly produced a report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine in which is says, “98 member states have developed national policies on T&CM and 124 countries have implemented regulations on herbal medicines.” The report goes on to say that where traditional and complementary care converge, they can help tackle the unique health challenges of the 21st century.

 

In Canada, Dr Seely is one of a significant number of dedicated health care professionals delivering complementary and alternative care and conducting peer reviewed research.

 

Dr Seely’s research on cardiovascular disease has been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. He is in the midst of an 11 year Thoracic POISE trial in partnership with Ottawa Hospital and he is the founder and executive director of the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, as well as the executive director of research at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. He says evidence-based complementary medicine has a positive impact on patients and the healthcare system.

 

We invited Dr Dugald Seely to join us for a Conversation That Matters about empowered health through a holistic approach to wellness.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs 

William Happer: Carbon Drought?

William Happer 

A Carbon Draught?

 

Four years ago, I went to Princeton University to interview Professor William Happer. 

 

When I interviewed him, I was aware that he was a CO2 (and its impact on climate) contrarian. 

 

Mr. Happer points out carbon dioxide is an important trace gas and an integral part of the

carbon cycle, a bio-geo-chemical cycle in which carbon is exchanged between the oceans, soil,

rocks and the biosphere.

 

Virtually all of life on the plant requires CO2 concentrations to be above 150 parts per million.

 

The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere over the past 500 million years has been as high as

4,000 ppm and as low as 180 ppm.

 

Since 1880 when CO2 was measured at Mauna Loa in Hawaii levels have risen from 280 ppm to

413 ppm as of April 2019.

 

Happer, as you will hear, says the impact of CO2 on temperature rise has already taken effect

and he points to the logarithmic scale, which is a nonlinear scale often used to analyze a large

range of quantities. According to Mr. Happer, it would take another 400 ppm to affect

temperature by one additional degree.

 

Mr. Happer is also aware of the folly of predictions. And he, like Freeman Dyson, points to the

inability of models to accurately predict climate outcomes.  Then add in length of day, which

changes by milliseconds, transferring massive amounts of energy mostly into the oceans – causing oscillations that, according to climatologist Judith Curry, are not considered in current climate models. I must ask: is the science of climate really settled? Can it ever be?

 

Mr. Happer’s position on climate, his scientific credentials and his role in the Trump

administration have made him a very large target. 

 

He is a physicist who specialized in the study of atomic physics, optics and spectroscopy. He is

the Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics and he is the Davisson-Germer Prize winner in

Atomic or Surface Physics. He is not nor could he be a climate scientist because that

designation is so new that UCLA only just launched a degree program in 2018.

 

Since that interview, Greenpeace outed him in a sting operation and President

Donald Trump recruited Professor Happer to be a member of a Presidential Committee on

Climate Security. 

 

However, in September of 2019, the unflinching Mr. Happer quit. According to Science

Magazine, while Happer may have been unflinching, Trump’s White House isn’t. So on Sept 13,

2019, Mr. Happer resigned. 

 

Professor Happer, as you will see in this interview, firmly believes the impact of CO2 has been misrepresented.

 

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Center for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

 

Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs