podcasts
The Pediatric Intestinal Microbiome: A Conversation With Liz Mumper, MD, FAAP
IFM Director of Medical Education Dan Lukaczer, ND, recently spoke with Liz Mumper, MD, on the topic of the pediatric intestinal microbiome—particularly how a dysbiotic microbiome in early life may lead to disease. Dr. Mumper is president and CEO of The Rimland Center for Integrative Medicine in Lynchburg, VA, which provides individualized biomedical evaluations, therapies, and pediatric care for children with neurodevelopmental problems and their families.
Dr. Mumper is also in general practice at Advocates for Children Pediatrics and is devoted to the care of children with autism and other neurodevelopmental problems, serving as the medical director of the Autism Research Institute for five years. She is a published author, conducts clinical research, and is an internationally known lecturer.
In the following interview, Dr. Mumper shares her extensive knowledge and clinical insights on children experiencing a disturbance in normal gut microbiota and associated neurological symptoms. “There is some evidence that the microbiome you get in your first year is the framework of what you’ll have for the rest of your life,” says Dr. Mumper. “Not that you can’t improve upon it, but it’s very difficult to take a very dysbiotic gut microbiome in the first year of life and make it pristine.” For more, listen here:
The following text gives a bulleted breakdown of some of the topics discussed in the podcast linked above.
Factors Influencing the Pediatric Intestinal Microbiome:
- High prevalence of C-section births
- Importance of breastfeeding
- Antibiotics
How to Restore a Dysbiotic Gut Microbiome:
- Nutritional therapy
- Effectiveness of multi-strain probiotics
- Enhancing the immune system
Connections Between Intestinal Dysbiosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder:
- Emphasis on early detection
- M-CHAT formal screening at 18 months or two years
Interventions:
- Healing the GI tract
- Strengthening the immune system
- Promoting healthy sleep habits
Dr. Mumper will be one of the expert speakers appearing at IFM’s 2020 Annual International Conference (AIC).
