FRI EVENING 24th October 2025: WORKSHOP
Dr Ashley Berry, MBBS, Grad Dip (Nutrition)
Limited spaces for clinicians only!
Dr Berry will show attendees how to do a physical exam as originally taught by Professor Mel Sydney-Smith.
Professor Mel Sydney-Smith, MBBS, PhD, GradDipClinNutrit, FACNEM
Dr (retired) Sydney-Smith has been heavily involved in the postgraduate education of medical and paramedical health practitioners in Australia and Asia, focusing on the clinical application of nutrition in the remediation of disease and maintenance of health.
He composed, developed and taught the Graduate Diploma in Health Science (Nutrition Medicine) award, originally offered by the University of New England, Armidale, NSW, in a joint venture contract with the Australian College of Holistic Medicine (ACNEM). This graduate diploma program then relocated to RMIT University, Melbourne, and launched in 2005 as an integral part of the Master of Nutrition Medicine degree.
ACIIDS Chair
Dr Ashley Berry graduated from the University of NSW, Sydney, in 1979. He worked at several Sydney hospitals before working as a medical registrar in London in 1984-85.
He has been an Integrative GP since 1997, under the mentorship of Professor Mel Sydney-Smith and did a 2-year Diploma in Health Science at the University of New England. Furthermore, has been a medical student tutor for the University of NSW since 1999.
Dr. Berry has been teaching nutritional courses in Melbourne with Mel Sydney-Smith since 2011, and Kuala Lumpur since 2015, and has been a medical advisor for Biological Therapies since 2016.
Since 2019 he has lectured at HEAT Anti-Aging Congress (Health Education & Academics Thailand).
He has been working as a GP in Sydney. His major interests are digestive disturbances, detoxification, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, degenerative neurological disease, cancer support and other aspects of integrative medicine. He has been facilitating a monthly cancer support group for the past 10 years.
Dr Berry is keen to pass on the knowledge he has been fortunate to have gleaned from courses, colleagues, conferences and patients, and to promote integrative medicine.
In 2022, he became chairperson of The Australian Chronic Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Society (ACIIDS), after being a board member for the previous two years.
Outside of medicine, he races a Sabre dinghy every week.
Clinic
- Qualitas Health (Sydney)
SAT 25th October 2025: REBOOTING MITOCHONDRIA
Prof Ann Liebert, PhD, Research Fellow (University of Sydney)
Professor Leibert will discuss the effects of photobiomodulation, a.k.a. red light therapy, low-level laser therapy (LLLT), on mitochondria and how it can benefit chronic pain, including migraine and fibromyalgia, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Professor Leibert will discuss both the established mechanism of action (via cytochrome c oxidase) and newer theories such as improving impaired neuro-cortical oscillations/brain waves.
Clinic
Other
Select Research
-
Bicknell, B., Liebert, A., & Herkes, G. (2024). Parkinson’s Disease and Photobiomodulation: Potential for Treatment. Journal of personalized medicine, 14(1), 112. PMC10819946
-
Bicknell, B., Liebert, A., Borody, T., Herkes, G., McLachlan, C., & Kiat, H. (2023). Neurodegenerative and Neurodevelopmental Diseases and the Gut-Brain Axis: The Potential of Therapeutic Targeting of the Microbiome. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(11), 9577. PMC10253993
-
Liebert, A., Capon, W., Pang, V., Vila, D., Bicknell, B., McLachlan, C., & Kiat, H. (2023). Photophysical Mechanisms of Photobiomodulation Therapy as Precision Medicine. Biomedicines, 11(2), 237. PMC9953702
-
Hamblin, M. R., & Liebert, A. (2022). Photobiomodulation Therapy Mechanisms Beyond Cytochrome c Oxidase. Photobiomodulation, photomedicine, and laser surgery, 40(2), 75–77. https://doi.org/10.1089/photob.2021.0119
-
Bian, J., Liebert, A., Bicknell, B., Chen, X. M., Huang, C., & Pollock, C. A. (2022). Therapeutic Potential of Photobiomodulation for Chronic Kidney Disease. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(14), 8043. PMC9320354
- Liebert, A., Bicknell, B., Johnstone, D. M., Gordon, L. C., Kiat, H., & Hamblin, M. R. (2019). “Photobiomics”: Can Light, Including Photobiomodulation, Alter the Microbiome?. Photobiomodulation, photomedicine, and laser surgery, 37(11), 681–693. PMC6859693
-
Liebert A. (2018). Emerging Applications of Photobiomodulation Therapy: The Interaction Between Metabolomics and the Microbiome. Photomedicine and laser surgery, 36(10), 515–517. https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2018.4527
- Researchgate
Dr Sanjeev Sharma, MBBS (Psychiatry), FRANZCP, FACNEM, FAChAM, MClinNutrition
Integrative Psychiatrist Dr Sanjeev Sharma will talk on how mitochondria, vital for energy and neuronal function, are implicated in disorders like depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, when dysfunctional. He will explore how mitochondrial impairment disrupts brain signaling and worsens inflammation, and how mitochondrial health can be restored through nutrition, supplements and lifestyle changes.
Dr Sanjeev Sharma is a Consultant Psychiatrist with an interest in General Adult Psychiatry. He specialises in Psychotic illnesses, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, Addictive Disorders, and Transcultural Psychiatry. He offers Telehealth consultations and adopts a nutritional, medicinal approach to managing psychological illness.
Dr Sharma trained in India and worked at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS) in Bangalore.
In 2002 he relocated to Perth, Western Australia and completed his Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) in 2011.
Dr Sharma has worked across various streams at Royal Perth Hospital and continues to work in acute settings in the public sector, alongside his dedicated practice at Abbotsford Psychiatry. He is currently completing his Fellowship in Addiction medicine from the Royal College of Physicians (RACP), Fellowship of Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) and Masters in Clinical Nutrition.
With a treatment philosophy that combines both eastern and western medicine, Dr Sharma offers a holistic approach to healing and believes that each patient is unique and should be treated as such. He places great emphasis on lifestyle and dietary choices. As part of the treatment interventions he carries out advanced pathology to create treatment plans tailored for each patient, in conjunction with a pharmaceutical and psychological approach.
Dr Sharma regularly speaks on Integrated Approaches in Mental Health at both public and professional forums.
He is a member of organisations including Biobalance and ACNEM that actively promote a holistic approach to maintaining wellness. He has also been instrumental in forming an integrative psychiatrists’ peer review group within the RANZCP.
Clinics
- Integrative Psychiatry (Perth)
- Aurora Health (Perth)
Dr Christabelle Yeoh, MBBS, MRCP(UK), MSc (Nutrition), FACNEM
Dr Yeoh will talk about the latest discoveries and concepts in mitochondrial health for complex chronic illness including their role in the microbiome and also mitochondrial water and its function in volume regulation and overall cellular health, including oxidative phosphorylation and apoptosis.
Dr Christabelle Yeoh, with over 20 years in clinical care, focuses on root causes of chronic disease, optimising patients’ biophysical, mitochondrial, digestive, and brain health. She uses nutritional and environmental medicine, plus selective rehab to support neuroplasticity, to correct dysfunctions, emphasising circadian biology. Through biophysics, biochemistry, and functional medicine, she provides lifestyle and nutrient advice to enhance energy and metabolism. Dr Yeoh specialises in chronic disease, neurological, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health and helps patients with complex conditions by addressing lifestyle, nutrition, and environmental factors.
Dr Yeoh graduated from medicine at the University of London in 1999 and obtained her membership with the Royal College of Physicians (UK). She has a Masters degree in Nutrition from King’s College London. After practicing hospital medicine, she worked as a general physician with an interest in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. She was a director and past president at the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) and is active on the teaching faculty.
Clinic
- Next Practice Health (Genbiome Edgecliff, Sydney)
Dr Leibert, Dr Yeoh, Dr Sharma
Doctors Liebert, Sharma and Yeoh will take questions from the audience in regards to the multiple roles of mitochondria, and ways to improve mitochondrial health, in complex chronic illness and mental health disorders.
Dr Sandeep Gupta, MBBS, MA, FRACGP, FACNEM
Via a case study Dr Gupta will explain how environmental toxins can negatively impact NAD+ and mitochondrial function by inducing oxidative stress, damaging mitochondrial DNA, disrupting the electron transport chain, and affecting mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy, ultimately leading to reduced energy production and cell dysfunction.
ACIIDS Co-secretary
Dr Gupta is a vocationally registered general practitioner who runs an integrative medicine clinic on the Sunshine Coast. His main passion relates to finding the underlying causes and innovated approaches to managing chronic illness. Dr Gupta graduated from medical school at the University of Queensland 1999. He has received specialized training in integrative medicine, and was awarded a Fellowship of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine in 2008 and a Fellowship of the Australian College of General Practitioners in 2010.
He also has a physician training certification with Dr Ritchie Shoemaker in biotoxin illness and Masters of Nutrition with Dr Gabriel Cousens in diabetes and living food nutrition.
Dr Gupta has a broad range of interests including environmental medicine, management of cardiology and cancer cases, mast cell activation syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and management of chronic infections.
Websites
- Lotus Institute of Holistic Health
- Online courses: Mold Illness Made Simple, EMFs Made Simple
- Lotus Holistic Medicine
- Clinic: Sunshine Coast, Australia
Social Media
Research
- Ealy, H., McEvoy, M., Chong, D., Nowicki, J., Sava, M., Gupta, S., White, D., Jordan, J., Simon, D., & Anderson, P. (2020). COVID-19 Data Collection, Comorbidity & Federal Law: A Historical Retrospective. Science, Public Health Policy, and The Law, 2, 2019-2024, 4-22. Link.
- Ealy, H., McEvoy, M., Chong, D., Sava, M., Gupta, S., White, D., Jordan, J., Braham, E., Fieberg, C., Anderson, P. & White, D. (2020). COVID-19…Have You Heard? There Is Good News! Key Findings For Data Through July 5th. July 2020. ResearchGate.
- Gupta, S. (2014). Surviving Mould Down Under. SurvivingMold.com. Link.
- Berndtson, K., McMahon, S., Ackerley, M., Rapaport, S., Gupta, S. & Shoemaker, R.C. (2015). Medically sound investigation and remediation of water-damaged buildings in cases of CIRS-WDB – Consensus statement – Pt 1. SurvivingMold.com. Full text
Dr Nicole Bijlsma, PhD, ND, BHScAc (Hons), Grad Dip OHS, Adv Dip Building Biology
Dr Bijlsma will showcase her recent RCT study that showed radiofrequency-EMFs, via the use of 2.45 GHz baby monitors, significantly reduced sleep quality in healthy adults. She will discuss some of the potential mechanisms of action, including how EMFs increase oxidative stress/ROS and the subsequent impact on mitochondria — and some simple ways for patients to mitigate them.
Nicole is a researcher, building biologist, bestselling author (Healthy Home Healthy Family), and CEO of the Australian College of Environmental Studies (est. 1999). She is the founder of the Healthy Home (Building Biology) movement in Australia which was created to educate people about the health hazards in the built environment. Nicole has lectured at tertiary institutions for more than 30 years, has published in peer reviewed journals and is regularly consulted by the media to discuss mould, electromagnetic fields and toxic chemicals, and lectures in Australia and abroad about environmental health issues. Nicole was a committee member for the first Australian Standard for mould (2025). Her research explored the impact of environmental chemicals and wireless technologies on human health and their ramifications for general medical practice.
Website
Research
-
Bijlsma, N., Conduit, R., Kennedy, G., & Cohen, M. (2024). Does radiofrequency radiation impact sleep? A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot study. Frontiers in public health, 12, 1481537. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1481537 PMC11554657
-
Bijlsma, N., & Cohen, M. M. (2018). Expert clinician’s perspectives on environmental medicine and toxicant assessment in clinical practice. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 23(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-018-0709-0 PMC5956903
-
Bijlsma, N., & Cohen, M. M. (2016). Environmental Chemical Assessment in Clinical Practice: Unveiling the Elephant in the Room. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(2), 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13020181 PMC4772201
Dr Bijlsma, Dr Gupta
Doctors Gupta and Bijlsma will take questions from the audience about how environmental toxins and EMFs impact chronic illness, especially their impact on mitochondria, NAD and oxidative stress.
SUN 26th October 2025: THE SENSITIVE & TOXIC PATIENT
Dr Nicole Bijlsma, PhD, ND, BHScAc (Hons), Grad Dip OHS, Adv Dip Building Biology
Dr Bijlsma will take attendees through the steps of taking an exposure history to identify patients who are likely impacted by environmental toxins, such as mould/bacteria from water-damaged buildings, and other toxins and toxicants found in buildings or coming from the outside, plus electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures.
Dr Nick Morgan, MBBS, Dip TM&H, FRACGP, FACNEM
Dr Morgan will guide you through his framework for sensitive patients suffering from mould and other toxins from water-damaged buildings. He will outline steps such as pre-tox, “tame the flame”, system supports, “beat the bugs,” detox/detox plus, hormone support, rebuilding lines of defence and mitchondrial rebooting.
ACIIDS Board Member
Dr Nick Morgan is an Integrative Medical Practitioner committed to the ever-evolving study of environmental drivers to inflammatory illness. After graduating medical school in 2014, he went on to obtain a Diploma of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene in Liverpool, UK in 2018, then a RACGP GP Fellowship. Following this, personal health circumstances motivated him to delve into the multiple imbalances that can ensue in the setting of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Further study in mast cell immunology/mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), chronic infections including Tick-borne Illnesses and Long COVID, gut microbiome, and bioidentical hormones all proved essential in providing the tools necessary to address the chronic inflammatory effects of ME/CFS and other chronic inflammatory illnesses.
Dr Nick is a fellow of The Australian College of Nutrition and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM), a Board Member of The Australian Chronic Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Society (ACIIDS), and also a member of the International Society of Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI).
Clinics
- NIIM (Melbourne)
- Merge Health (Melbourne)
Prof Robyn Cosford, MBBS (Hons), FACNEM, Professor of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine
Using examples from her esteemed career, and personal experience, Professor Cosford will talk about the commonalities of childhood neurodevelopmental issues, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive Complusive Disorder (OCD) with adult ME/CFS, and/or Tick-borne Diseases. Shared basic, and layered, approaches for both sets of conditions will also be explored.
Professor, Dr (retired), Robyn Cosford, a leading authority in the field of paediatric health, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and tick-borne illnesses. With a career spanning over 35 years, Professor Cosford has dedicated herself to integrative medicine, helping numerous clients overcome health challenges ranging from minor irritations to life-threatening illnesses many cases being written off as “incurable”.
Professor Cosford is a true pioneer in Nutritional & Environmental Medicine. As the Founder and Director of the esteemed Northern Beaches Care Centre, she has established a multidisciplinary approach that embraces the holistic well-being of individuals, taking into account their body, mind, and spirit. Her profound dedication stems from personal experiences, including being a mother to five children, two of whom have Down’s Syndrome, and her own battle with ME/CFS.
After retiring from medical practice she now devotes her time to lecturing and research in the area of nutritional and environmental medicine with particular interests in childrens neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD, ADD/ADHD, OCD), gastrointestinal dysbiosis and ME/CFS.
Website
Research
-
Parry, P. I., Lefringhausen, A., Turni, C., Neil, C. J., Cosford, R., Hudson, N. J., & Gillespie, J. (2023). ‘Spikeopathy’: COVID-19 Spike Protein Is Pathogenic, from Both Virus and Vaccine mRNA. Biomedicines, 11(8), 2287. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11082287 PMC10452662
- Cosford, Robyn. (2009). PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disease Associated with Streptococcus) in Autism?: A Case History. E-Journal of Applied Psychology. 5. 39-48.
-
Evans, C., Dunstan, R. H., Rothkirch, T., Roberts, T. K., Reichelt, K. L., Cosford, R., Deed, G., Ellis, L. B., & Sparkes, D. L. (2008). Altered amino acid excretion in children with autism. Nutritional neuroscience, 11(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1179/147683008X301360
Articles
- Cosford, R. (2006). ADHD Diet and the Brain. Journal of Complementary Medicine. PDF.
Dr Anjana Arunachalam, MBBS, BSc, FRACGP, FACNEM
ACIIDS Co-secretary
Dr. Arunchalam’s approach toward Medicine is based on the understanding that we are each a unique blend of our genetic, biochemical, environmental, emotional, and spiritual experiences. She aspires to collaborate with the best of the integrative, functional, and holistic medical worlds and marry them with traditional medical knowledge to provide the best outcomes for my patients. This involves the incorporation of clinical evidence-based scientific research and functional investigations with the intention of identifying the underlying disease processes.
Dr. Arunachalam has worked at a dedicated functional medical clinic focusing on complex fatigue, digestive disorders, and children for several years. This led her to grow her own Integrative practice in Balwyn, Victoria. Integrative Medicine is her passion and she aspires to live life based on these principles.
Lisa McDonald, ND
Lisa McDonald is a clinical naturopath and academic lecturer who is passionate about helping people with complex chronic health conditions, especially Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) or mould /biotoxin illness, having been through the CIRS journey herself.
Lisa helps people identify the underlying cause of their ill health and the potential impact of mould exposure to restore health and live a better life. Whilst there are many similarities in multi-symptom, multisystem health issues like mould illness/CIRS, she considers each patient different with their own unique genetics and history and believes there is not a one size fits all, with each patient requiring a personalised approach.
She brings together all her knowledge and experience into a unique integrated naturopathic framework blending traditional medicine with the latest science.
Dr Bijlsma, Dr Morgan, Dr Cosford, Dr Arunachalam, Lisa McDonald
MCs
Dr Anjana Arunachalam
Dr Nicholas Morgan
THE VENUE
PARKROYAL Darling Harbour Sydney
150 Day Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: +61 2 9261 1188
Email: enquiry.prsyd@parkroyalhotels.com
Website: Website
SPONSORS
Platinum
Gold
PREVIOUS CONFERENCES
