Corrie Rabbe, BA (Hons), CNP

Corrie Rabbe graduated from The Institute of Holistic Nutrition as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner with First Class Honours. She is also a Certified Herbalist from the Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Centre.

Corrie received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Environmental Studies program at Carleton University. She worked for animal welfare, conservation, and environmental non-profit organizations for over 15 years before becoming a CNP. She is passionate about sharing the message that a healthy ecosystem is needed for a healthy body, right down to the microbiome. Corrie is also a fermented food expert, having studied with Sandor Katz.

Corrie conducts educational workshops on Gut Health, Fermented Foods, and Herbalism through her company Radical Health. She has led and worked with a number of community organizations including Just Food, Transition Ottawa, and Permaculture Ottawa. In her spare time, Corrie can be found at her cottage working on her permaculture gardens and beekeeping. Corrie teaches Biological Chemistry, Body Metabolism, and Herbal Medicine for the Institute of Holistic Nutrition Online.

BC001 Biological Chemistry

This introduction to chemistry will aid understanding towards the nature of atomic structure, qualitative chemical reactions and how they originate in our environment and other living organisms. This course will also cover nomenclature, isomerism, main functional groups, properties and characteristics of organic compounds including an introduction to the physical, structural and biological properties of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids.

BM002 Body Metabolism

Body Metabolism is intimately linked to the nutritional sciences. The goal of this course is to give students an understanding of what the body does with the food we consume. This course begins with a detailed study of enzymes including the centrality of vitamins and minerals. This course examines the metabolic reactions used to obtain energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids and reactions used to excrete wastes such as urea and uric acid. Cellular respiration including the citric acid cycle is thoroughly taught. This course provides detailed knowledge of factors regulating blood sugar including the key metabolic hormones insulin and glucagon and the metabolic pathway of gluconeogenesis. Other topics include digestive hormones, production of lactic acid, lipid carriers, and the effects of low carbohydrate diets on ketosis, and more. Students are taught and evaluated on biological and metabolic pathways.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the significance of vitamins and minerals for enzyme function and the factors inhibiting enzyme activity
• Discuss the stages of cellular respiration and explain how the electron transport chain works
• Explain digestion, absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids
• Detail the structure of the liver and its significance in Phase I and Phase II of detoxification

Body Metabolism equips students with a key insight into the biological mechanics of metabolism with special attention to describing how the liver is the detoxification centre of the body. This course provides key insight into the biological processes of digesting and metabolizing proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.

HM008 Herbal Medicine

Herbal Medicine introduces students to the healing, detoxifying and rejuvenating effects of medicinal herbs. Emphasis is placed on herbal terminology, levels of application from “simpling” to adding complexity using medium potency and harmonizing herbs and specific applications, including remedies for stress, tissue tonification, detoxification and deep immune support. The course explores each anatomical body system, along with the common conditions of each, so that students are able to identify the corresponding herbs and their actions to offer single or multiple herbal recommendations. Herbal Medicine will instruct students on specific herbal combinations to promote optimal health, with special attention to their application in managing both acute and long-term imbalances. Students are trained and evaluated on proper herbal names, herbal recommendations in example case scenarios and building protocols through multiple herbal combinations. Herbal Medicine also offers experiential learning through a guided herb walk where students are exposed to recognizing multi-functional medicinal wild herbs and plants in their local environment.

Learning Outcomes:
• Understanding the holistic approach to promoting wellness with nature’s medicines, both the healing plants which grow around us and effective imported herbs
• Exploration of the therapeutic actions of herbal medicines in the human body
• Awareness of proper harvesting, wildcrafting, drying and storage techniques for herbs and the many methods and uses including infusions, decoctions, inhalations, capsules, tinctures, salves, ointments and teas
• Ability to create herbal formulas with specific dosage recommendations for common conditions both internal and topical
• Evaluation of formulas and effectiveness of herbal remedies that are available commercially
• Understanding the application and the associated protocols of herbal treatment for both chronic and acute conditions

Herbal Medicine instructs future practitioners in the proper use of herbal nutraceuticals as valuable complements to nutritional and lifestyle protocols. This course strikes the difference between isolated, active ingredient medicine to the complex, synergistic effect of whole plant medicine as part of a holistic approach to health and healing.