Courses

Here’s What You’ll Learn in Our Courses

: FN 001 Nutrition And Health: The Fundamentals

Nutrition and Health: The Fundamentals changes the lens for how the world of health and healing is viewed. It sets the stage for the examination of nature’s power within the holistic paradigm. It is IHN’s foundational course, providing students with an understanding of “food as information” and orthomolecular concepts in the prevention of disease and the acquisition of optimal health. Fundamentals offers students a framework for the study of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), energy-yielding nutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), metabolism, digestion, absorption, and energy balance. The syllabus provides an in-depth analysis of their functions, classification and dietary requirements within an evidence-based model. This course teaches the mechanics and principles of essential nutrients for restoring the body’s ability to heal.

Learning Outcomes

• Assess the relationship between soil, cell, environment and human health
• Identify the structure and function of the GI tract, common digestive disorders, and links to major fatal diseases that are restored through the gut
• Explain functions of macronutrients and micronutrients, their requirements, sources, reasons for deficiencies, and use in disease prevention
• Understand the importance of water, antioxidants and detoxification
• The knowledge of how isolated nutrient interventions work against acute and chronic health condition

Nutrition and Health: The Fundamentals is a foundational axis course that lays the groundwork of knowing how to determine root cause—a key tenant of functional nutrition. This course stresses the importance of knowing “by which mechanism” essential nutrients orchestrate ideal physiological functions and optimal health.

Unique to IHN, Ayurveda is the science by which life in its totality is understood – the traditional natural medicine of India, dating back over five thousand years as it describes the diet, medicines, and behaviors that are beneficial or harmful for life and consciousness. It classifies all the factors of our lives in an organic energetic language that reflects the entire living biosphere around us. According to this philosophy, there are three primary life forces, called doshas, in the body – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which are the manifestations of the Great Elements of air, fire, and water. When out of balance, they are the causative factors in the diseased process. If we eat and behave in ways that support both our constitution and our environment, we are likely to stay clean, clear, and healthy. Students will be taught and evaluated on constitutional balance through an in-depth assessment of body systems and dietary recommendations according to dosha (physical) and gunas (spiritual).

Learning Outcomes:

Develop customized protocols using Ayurvedic assessment tools such as tongue analysis, tonification, purification, and detoxification
Explain the classifications of disease (innate, exogenous, and psychic) that arise when the body is not in balance
Describe how each of the six tastes of sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent are manifestations of 2 of the 5 elements – earth, air, water, fire, and ether – and have a symbiotic relationship with the foods we eat
Learn to properties of healing Ayurvedic herbs such as Triphala, Aloe Gel, and Trikatu
Assess how the accumulation of Ama when there is a disruption in the metabolic force of Agni

Ayurveda teaches students how to embody the Ayurvedic lifestyle through the daily incorporation of meditation, yoga, and breathwork. Practitioners recommend general dietary plans to rebalance constitution based on dosha type and specific detoxification diets such as Palliation Therapy and Pancha Karma which stabilize digestion through deep tissue cleansings.

NE 009 Nutrition And The Environment

The teachings in IHN’s Nutrition and the Environment is based on the underlying philosophy that promoting the health of ecosystems benefits human health. This course establishes the importance of recognizing the interdependency between all living organisms and the need to pursue sustainability, and seek environmental justice. Students will examine the soil food web, food insecurity, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, sustainable food production, and how to advocate for local and global food security. Students will gain an understanding of climate change, air pollution, and toxic materials in everyday consumer items and gain practical knowledge for limiting exposure.

This course includes a hands-on component by visiting an organic farm to gain direct experience of local and sustainable food production.

Learning Outcomes

Understand the impacts of large-scale agriculture and processing methods on human health and the environment, including biodiversity impacts, carbon footprints, and soil depletion.
Understand the broad mechanisms and health impacts of climate change and the impacts of food production on climate change.
Knowledge of the prevalence and health impacts of heavy metals contaminants found in foods, harmful food additives, and leaching from food packaging.
Understanding of the health impacts of ambient and household air pollution and how to reduce exposure and improve household air quality.
Explain common toxic materials found in consumer items, clothing, cleaning products, and cosmetics, and how to choose better alternatives
Explain how the seven channels of elimination (colon, lungs, liver, kidneys, blood, lymphatic system, and skin) eliminate wastes, both nutritional and environmental, from the body.
Practical knowledge and resources for selecting safer and more sustainable foods, consumer items, and household products

Nutrition and The Environment offers students knowledge of sustainable methods of food production including organic and biodynamic food production/certification as well as understanding of issues surrounding food insecurity, including how to reduce food waste and support local and national initiatives to promote food justice. This course is a deep dive in describing how the impact of environmental pollution, societal inequities, poor nutrition, electromagnetic fields, and stress that contributes to the Barrel Effect. This course focuses on how human health and the health of our food and environment are inextricably linked.

BC 001 Biological Chemistry

Biological Chemistry is an introduction to the nature of the atomic structure, qualitative chemical reactions, and how they originate in our environment and other living organisms. This course provides foundational knowledge of chemical symbols and the periodic table of elements. Topics covered include 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. Students are taught and evaluated on biological structures and chemical compounds.

Learning Outcomes:

Describe the forces that hold atoms and molecules together
Write formulas and structures for inorganic and organic compounds
Identify functional groups and associated compounds
Explain the levels of protein structure and the biological roles of protein
Describe the chromosome structure, numbers, and inheritance patterns

Biological Chemistry is the foundation of nutritional sciences as it explains the symbiotic connection between micro and macronutrients and how they ultimately affect each person’s individual needs for optimal health.

: HAP 01 Human Anatomy And Physiology
This course includes the study of normal anatomy and physiology of the human body, beginning with the structure and function of the cell and continuing with the organization of the cell into organs. Specific topics covered will be transport mechanisms, the lymphatic system, the gastrointestinal tract, the endocrine system and the reproductive system. The interrelationship between systems will be explored with a focus on integrative and homeostatic control mechanisms.

: BM 002 Body Metabolism
Nutrition is intimately linked with body metabolism. The goal of this course is to give you an understanding of what the body does with the food we eat. We begin with a detailed study of enzymes including the importance of vitamins and minerals. We then examine metabolic reactions used to obtain energy from carbohydrates, protein and fat as well as reactions used to rid our body of wastes such as urea and uric acid. The key role of the liver in metabolism will be emphasized throughout the course. Other topics will include digestive hormones, production of lactic acid, lipid carriers and the effects of low carbohydrate diets, including the effect on insulin/glucagon ratio, gluconeogenesis, ketosis and more.

: CD 011 Comparative Diets
This course provides a holistic model methodology in evaluating principles of food dynamics, nutrient proportions, holistic individuality, the law of opposites, food combining, and more. Students learn and assess the many therapeutic benefits and limitations of several alternative diet approaches, including: modern diets (intermittent fasting, macrobiotics), food combining (colour-therapy/rainbow diet), high protein diets (Ketogenic, Paleo), Vegetarian approaches (plant-based/vegetarian/vegan variations, fruitarian, raw food), as well as cleansing and detoxification diets (caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine detoxes, juice fasts). With the knowledge gained in this course, students will be able to identify individual’s dietary imbalances, and analyze macronutrient proportions to design custom health-promoting diets and lifestyle programs.

: NLS 010 Nutrition Through The Life Span
Nutrient needs and nutritional status are explored using a life span model. Areas of emphasis include growth and development, high risk pediatric groups, infant childhood allergies and diseases. Womens’ and Mens’ health concerns and the nutrition challenges faced by our aging society will also be examined.

: NS 003 Nutritional Symptomatology Part I
Understand the clinical assessment of nutritional status by interpreting physiological symptoms and their relationships to nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Learn the inter-relationships that exist between nutrients and how these play a critical role in determining optimal nutritional requirements. Students will develop foundational as well as specific protocols for balanced nutritional health.

Students will understand how physiological symptoms reflect and determine one’s nutritional status. Students will learn the essential principles of biochemical individuality and how this plays a critical role in determining optimal nutritional requirements, specific nutritional deficiencies and toxicities.

: PHC 005 Preventative Health Care
Nutrition is positioned as a significant factor in the presentation of many disease states. Learn how proper nutrition can protect against, reverse and/or retard many ailments including: osteoporosis, diabetes, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, anemia, kidney disease and colon cancer. Current research developments on phytochemicals, antioxidants and nutraceuticals will be explored.

: NR 006 Advanced Nutrition Research
Emphasis in this course will be given to statistical research techniques used by academics and practitioners in the field of nutrition. The course involves examining ethical considerations, appropriateness, reliability and validity of research designs. Students will be encouraged to critically analyze research literature in this field.

: HFP 04 Holistic Food Preparation
The kitchen is the unique laboratory where pure, natural and whole ingredients are transformed into healthful, vibrant dishes. Hands-on experience in preparation of breakfast “power-drinks”, nourishing soups, simple one-pot dishes and several Ayurvedic food items brings another dimension to the holistic curriculum.

Emphasis is on proper preparation of grains through soaking, sprouting or fermentation and choice of healthy un-processed oils and fats to preserve and enhance nutritional value of foods. Raw foods, fermented condiments and other high enzyme preparations will be explored.

All cooking classes are vegetarian.

: NS 003 Nutritional Symptomatology Part 2
This course takes the knowledge from level 1 Nutritional Symptomatology courses to a new level. Provides a thorough understanding of underlying causes of disease and methods to prevent them. Provides practical information about an array of assessment tools including: Nutribody Questionnaire, Hair Mineral Analysis, pH Testing, Thermography and Basal Temperature Test. Covers symptomatology and specific supplementation, diet and life style protocols for more complex conditions, including leaky gut syndrome, Crohn’s, endocrine dysfunctions, CFS, heavy metal toxicity, liver and kidney detoxification, immune system issues and cancer. Students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge on various case studies.

NP 07 Nutritional Pathology

Nutritional Pathology provides a thorough understanding of the study of the traits, causes, and effects of disease, as seen in the structure and workings of the human body. This course focuses on several body systems, including the etiology of various disease states and the effective recognition of the various nutritional factors involved with the disease process. To do so, students will be taught basic clinical biomarkers of various organ functions. Being closely related to human anatomy and physiology, this course instructs students on pathology and symptomatology of various conditions. Topics that will be covered include the gastrointestinal, hematology, urinary, endocrine, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, immune, and nervous systems. This course teaches proper terminology involved in identifying various disease conditions. Students will be taught and evaluated on their knowledge of the etiology of diseases in systems as well as advanced clinical research into specific chronic health conditions.

Learning Outcomes

Define disease and disease-related terms including the chief causes of disease
Define and discuss manifestations of disease of the discussed organ systems
Demonstrate understanding of the nutritional connection in maintaining homeostasis
Incorporate information provided by various testing/evaluation methods to plan nutritional supplementation and dietary therapies.

Nutritional Pathology provides evidence-based and scientific approaches to clinical nutrition. To develop strong protocols, practitioners will take into account acute and chronic diseases including nutritional, dietary, environmental, psychosomatic factors, and specific causes such as infections.

: HM 008 Herbal Medicine
Learn the healing and rejuvenating effects of medicinal herbs. Special emphasis is placed on herbal terminology, levels of application (including tonics, heroics and specifics), chronic condition application, remedies for stress, detoxification and antiviral, antibiotic and immune stimulating herbs.

: POD 012 The Psychology of Disease
This course offers a comprehensive guide to energy and its pathways throughout the body. It discusses “thought” and “emotion” and their relationship to energy and to disease. It challenges the student to explore the thought patterns that may be inhibiting their own health & balance and their ability to succeed at goals.

: PSD 01 Professional Skills Development
This course will exemplify the effective use of communication vehicles in professional practice. Combining motivation and communication theory with an audience-centered approach, students will learn to master skills in oral and written professional communication activities.

: FSN 013 Fitness and Sports Nutrition
The main focus of this course is the role of nutrition in fitness and sports. Methods are focused on where nutrition can help maximize muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility; through building muscle and reducing fat. Techniques for guiding athletes in proper nutrition in training, and effective methods to prevent dehydration and sports related injuries due to insufficient nutrient levels. Real case studies are examined, exploring leading methods & techniques in optimizing sports performance with proper nutrition.

: PP 001 Professional Practice
This course is designed to provide the tools and skills necessary to succeed in professional practice. Practicing in health service, community, business and educational settings will be thoroughly covered. Topics include legal framework, marketing techniques, defining goals, consulting skills, time management, client relationships, building rapport, professionalism and a recap on effective communication skills.

: PP 002 Professional Co-Op Placement
A 140 hour co-operative placement is part of the diploma program. Students are placed in settings where they have a keen interest. Settings include, but are not limited to, holistic nutrition clinics, chiropractic offices, spas & other fitness organizations, health food stores, homeopathic/naturopathic clinics and senior facilities involving individual and group therapy. The Co-operative placement allows students to build confidence and become familiar with a clinical/practice setting in the alternative health field. The placement is at the end of the final semester of the program.

Here’s What You’ll Learn in Our Courses

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