Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Altered Microbiome & Immune Implications
with Anastasia Stocker, ND, LAc
Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Altered Microbiome & Immune Implications
Data from the CDC shows 11.6% of the US adult population are diagnosed with sinusitis. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory disease characterized by nasal mucosal thickening, cytokine release, and tissue structure changes. CRS has been shown to be associated with autoimmune diseases including Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. Altered upper respiratory microbiomes have been identified in CRS patients. Reduced microbial diversity, fungal overgrowth, and bacterial enterotoxins have been studied as the cause of CRS and in the association with inflammatory bowel disease and other systemic autoimmune diseases. This talk will briefly review pathophysiology of CRS, discuss the association between CRS and autoimmune disease, and focus on the diagnostic workup, treatment, and management of CRS.
Anastasia Stocker, ND, LAc
Dr. Anastasia Stocker received her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. Previous to Bastyr, she received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. This multidisciplinary academic career has forged her health philosophy: Dr. Stocker believes healing should be an integration of evidence based science and traditional natural medicine.
Dr. Stocker’s clinical interests include digestive wellness, environmental medicine, women’s health, and physical medicine. She believes that our digestive system is the foundation of human health and that its optimization can improve all of the body’s systems and our overall well-being. She has observed that gastrointestinal dysfunction and environmental toxicity are the basis of autoimmune disease, leading to her emphasis on the topic. She is interested in autoimmune diseases and using her clinical experience in managing complex cases while utilizing integrative approaches. She is passionate about intersecting naturopathic medicine with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, visceral, and craniosacral therapies to facilitate lasting improvements in patients with acute and chronic disease.