黑料社 equips students with a strong understanding of the interconnections of the human body. In doing so, 黑料社 emphasizes that everyone is biochemically unique and therefore requires tailored recommendations and guidance to achieve their health goals and improve their general well-being.

黑料社 aims to provide students with the knowledge, academic support, and resources to become competent to provide recommendations to clients beyond nutrition. Specifically, 黑料社 focuses on the interconnectivity of the body and combines an education rooted in mind, body, spirit, and nutrition that results in a proactive and holistic approach to one鈥檚 well-being.

黑料社 Curriculum

The curriculum at 黑料社 is rigorous and provides students with an online or in person opportunity for classes without jeopardizing the quality and experience of learning. All 黑料社 courses strive to provide education beyond a foundational understanding of the human body and its needs. Beyond courses, 黑料社 provides practicals, live case studies, group discussions, projects, and oral presentations that all allow students to practice and improve their critical thinking, communication, teamwork, organizational, and written skills that all serve to support their academic growth in this field.

One of the key requirements to complete a minimum of 50 practical hours is to focus on specific case studies of real-life client health concerns. The practicals provide students with a safe environment to learn, question, and implement specific protocols to help rebalance body systems that are contributing to the client鈥檚 main health concerns. As well, students are exposed to the process of conducting follow-up appointments with clients and navigating the progress of different body systems during the implementation of specific protocols. All practicals are led by qualified holistic professionals and are held to high standards so that students obtain current, reliable, and practical information.

The 10 case studies students are required to complete incorporates real-life people with real-life health concerns. Students are to evaluate, manage, and understand each health concern and be able to implement a nutritional and lifestyle plan to target those concerns. The case studies are conducted under the supervision and support of their teachers. Students are provided with intake forms meticulously designed to support them in the process of examining the individuals鈥� internal and external factors contributing to their main health concerns. Students are trained to be able to provide nutritional, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations that are practical and science driven. As well, students can provide recommendations to other healthcare practitioners that may be better suited and trained to support clients in the process of achieving their health goals.

黑料社 values the education, experience, and support that each healthcare practitioner can provide to each individual. Particularly, 黑料社 strongly believes that individuals can all benefit from the multitude of healthcare practitioners as each practitioner can provide a unique approach and guidance that can target specific needs and concerns of clients. 黑料社 encourages its graduates to be open-minded to refer clients to other healthcare practitioners where appropriate based on the strictly enforced code of ethics that all students and graduates are required to adhere to.

黑料社 Academic Support听

The 黑料社 academic team is comprised of professional and qualified healthcare practitioners including Registered Holistic Nutritionists (RHN) and Naturopathic Doctors (ND). The level of experience, one-on-one support, training, and knowledge of the academic team is unmatched. The teachers provide a safe space for students to ask questions, further understand foundational concepts, and to practice and implement learned concepts to real-life situations. This opportunity allows students to become exposed to client concerns early on, learn ways to mitigate further issues, and learn from their peers through group discussions. Furthermore, the team of teachers closely work with students to prepare them to understand client needs, learn interviewing techniques, identify imbalances of body systems, tailor nutritional and lifestyle recommendations for clients, and help clients feel heard in sharing their health journey and concerns.

As a result, graduates from 黑料社 have a strong sense of confidence to start working in the field early on given their foundational knowledge, experience, and ability to navigate circumstances that are out of their scope of training. 黑料社 ensures to equip graduates with on-going support and require them to keep up to date on scientific studies and health related topics to better serve their clients.

黑料社 Scope of Practice

黑料社 clearly stipulates the type of work in which graduates are permitted to engage in with clients in the healthcare field. The purpose of the scope of practice is to ensure that graduates are monitored to comply with their level of expertise. As a result, this clearly sets RHNs apart from other healthcare practitioners as RHNs have a designated scope of practice that is rooted in their training. Beyond supporting individual clients achieve their health goals and improve their general well-being, graduates engage in empowering and educating clients and the public regarding their health and ways to advocate for their health. Further, graduates strive to help clients understand the interconnections of their mind, body, spirit, and nutritional intake while working to unlock the root issue of their unwanted health concerns without the use of medications or any invasive procedures.

For the full scope of practice please visit: /careers/scope-and-code/

黑料社 Code of Ethics

黑料社 adheres to a strict code of ethics that is presented to students in depth and with a strong degree of compliance. The code of ethics clearly outlines the scope of work and corresponding principles and values that all graduates must adhere to.

Specifically, graduates are required to respect the tastes, morals, and social values of each client in customizing recommendations. This highlights the ability for clients to feel heard, respected, and see results given the practicality of recommendations that is aligned with their values and preferences. Moreover, graduates are required to be non-judgmental towards the life values and experiences of clients. This allows clients to share their story with the practitioner with greater ease so that tailored recommendations can be provided while showcasing the bodily imbalances beyond nutrition. Further, graduates are only permitted to provide professional services in the areas they have competence and training in which prevents the overlap of practitioners working towards the same issue(s) presented by clients. In addition to this, graduates are not entitled, trained, or permitted to diagnose any disease or medical condition as this is out of their scope of practice. Evidently, the code of ethics sets high standards for graduates to follow which strongly establishes confidence and trust in their field of work and allows them to harness their skills in their area of expertise and to share that with clients to improve their health.

For the full code of ethics please visit: /program/ahn/practitioner-code-of-ethics/

Conclusion

It is without a doubt that the knowledge, skills, techniques, and experience of our graduates is invaluable to anyone who is seeking to improve their health. The graduates are provided with on- going support and resources to supplement their knowledge and expertise in the field in working with clients. We are grateful to have a specialized knowledge in the field of nutrition and the interconnectivity of the body to be able to identify body systems that out of balance, create customized protocols to address imbalances, and to further support clients in achieving their health goals and improving their general well-being.

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Herbal Recipes e-Book

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As a student of 黑料社 that works almost full-time hours outside of class, I truly value the importance of effective studying. I absolutely love staying busy and I really value filling my time with activities that align with my core values, but it is easy to become overwhelmed with work, school and social life balance if you don鈥檛 have the proper tools to stay on top of it all. I have developed a few study tactics of my own that have really worked for me, and that may be useful for others in a similar situations. I really encourage you to try these out, and to develop lots of your own practices that you have found work for you as well!

1. Make studying a non-negotiable.

This may be harder said than done, but when you really value your education, it is easy to make it a priority. This is not saying that I have hours and hours available to study 鈥� usually, it is just the opposite. However, I make it a non-negotiable that I have to study at least once a day. The time spent actually studying varies, but having that hard rule set for myself is crucial. When I don鈥檛 think I have time to study, I make the time.

2. Carve out small chunks daily.

If you know that you are extremely busy for a few days of the week, but have an open schedule for the other days, don鈥檛 just leave your studying to those open days. That puts a lot of pressure on those days to get it all done. Instead of overwhelming yourself all at once, try to carve out 1 hour (or even 20 minute-30 minute) chunks of time each day that you can sit down and focus on studying. This way, you spread out the load into smaller, more manageable chunks. This may mean getting up 1 hour earlier or taking a 15 minute break at work to go over your notes.

3. Write a list of practice questions based on the lectures to test yourself.

If you are really pressed for time, focus on the most important pieces of information from class. I find that making a list of questions from class that you can use to test yourself is so helpful. I sit down at my desk after a class and go through my written notes, while writing practice questions in a separate document or piece of paper. At the end, I test myself on each question, and highlight the ones that I couldn鈥檛 remember off of the top of my head. I then focus more on those tricky questions in my studying to make sure I really have the information down.

4. Remove all distractions from your study space.

This one is key. If you are overwhelmed with distractions (phone and social media are huge ones!) at your study space, you absolutely will not feel calm. This sets you up for ineffective studying – when you feel stressed, you are actually less like to retain information. Make a rule for yourself that there is no phone at your desk, and put in the effort to surround your space with things that make you happy and at ease (plants, essential oil diffuser, photos of friends or family).

5. Take breaks!

When you鈥檙e studying, make sure you get up every 20 minutes or so and give your body and mind a break. Get up and walk away from your desk, and try some deep breathing, light exercise such as yoga, or taking a walk outside. These will absolutely reset your outlook, and will allow you to achieve greater focus when you decide to get back into it.

6. Stay hydrated and fuelled with nourishing foods while you鈥檙e studying.

Studying takes a lot of energy. Make sure that you have healthy snacks and lots of water by your side for optimal information retention, and to ensure that you don鈥檛 have unpleasant mood swings and cravings.

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by Rachel Murray, R.H.N.

Hormones are often given a bad reputation and blamed for causing pre-menstrual symptoms (PMS), mood swings, hot flashes or night sweats. While hormones are definitely a major contributor, to these unpleasant symptoms, in westernized societies it is often thought that they are 鈥榥ormal鈥� and that women just have to suffer through. This is not only untrue, this belief can cause a lot of physical &emotional harm to those women who struggle with one or more of these irritating symptoms.

In many cases hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be prescribed, and while it is necessary in some extreme cases, synthetic HRT can unfortunately come with a host of side effects and related issues.

There are some natural supplements that have been shown to have great results with symptoms of hormone imbalance, such as a combination of supplemental mushrooms like Chaga, Cordyceps, Lion鈥檚 Mane, Giant Aangelica, Wilford鈥檚 cynanchum and Sok-dan.

A key factor to consider is that HRT and even supplementing with natural products often miss an important point as they may not address the root cause of the imbalance, and often just conceal the symptoms.

When looking at our body as a complex collection of systems there are a few organ systems that are key in terms of hormone balance, mainly the adrenals, liver & intestinal systems.

To obtain an optimal balance of our hormones, it is extremely important to support the adrenals, liver and intestinal system. The adrenals need to be supported because they play a vital role in our overall health. Not only do they produce pregnenolone, which is the precursor to 60 steroid hormones including the stress hormone cortisol,and our sex hormones 鈥� testosterone, progesterone & estrogen. If the adrenals are not functioning properly, which is often a result of a high stress lifestyle, the synthesis and distribution of these hormones is negatively affected. So, working on supporting and managing our daily stress is the most important step we can take in re-establishing healthy adrenal function. If added support is needed, supplementing with an adrenal complex can be taken. Adrenal support supplements may contain animal or plant materials or a combination of the two such as bovine or porcine adrenal cortex, or herbs like ashwagandha, ginseng and/or rhodiola.

The liver also plays an important role, as it helps to regulate our hormones through their inactivation and elimination. If the liver is not functioning properly,hormones are not efficiently inactivated or removed and can re-enter the circulation and build up in our blood and tissues. This can happen when the liver becomes overloaded through consumption of toxins in our foods, medications or alcohol, and when we struggle with constipation. This imbalance in hormones can not only lead to the symptoms I have mentioned, but can also lead to fibroids, cysts &cancers. If the liver is determined to need extra support, supplementing with milk thistle, holy basil and/or dandelion root may be helpful.

The intestinal system also plays an important role in the regulation and balance of our hormones. The intestinal system鈥檚 role is to sort through the substances that it receives and determine whether they are useful nutrients that can be reabsorbed or are harmful waste products that need to be eliminated. Like I briefly mentioned, if the intestines are not functioning properly, as with constipation for example, this not only affects the functioning of the liver, but obviously also affects the functioning of the intestinal system. Constipation, which can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as a low fibre diet, insufficient or unbalanced intestinal bacteria, or processed, chemical laden foods, allows more time for toxic waste to accumulate in the intestines. This constipation not only increases the likelihood that this toxic waste is reabsorbed, but also provides an opportunity for hormones (that the liver has already worked hard to inactivate!) to become reabsorbed.

If leaky gut is also a problem (which is a whole other topic!), this exacerbates the issue, as harmful substances can pass through the intestinal wall more easily and become reabsorbed into the circulation. In order to improve our intestinal function, it鈥檚 important to ensure that we are well hydrated by avoiding the over consumption of caffeine and drinking plenty of spring or filtered water. During periods of acute constipation, magnesium hydroxide is a suitable choice to stimulate peristalsis (the wave-like motion of the bowel) and re-establish normal motility.

As you can see, hormone imbalances are diverse and complex, however, taking things back to basics and turning the focus on nourishing the body is extremely important. This nourishment needs to come not only with foods, but also with thoughts.

Nourishing the body with natural, whole, unprocessed foods is a great place to start. These foods will not only give our bodies the nutrients that it needs to function optimally, but also ensure that we are not consuming toxic chemicals such as pesticides, preservatives and artificial colours and flavours that are toxic to the body.

A great place to start is to focus on organically &100% pastured (local if possible) meats& eggs, sustainably caught fish and seafood and organically grown vegetables, fruits, oils, nuts and nuts. Organic, preferably raw and/or fermented dairy products may also be part of a healthy diet if one is not sensitive to them. Focusing on these foods will nourish your body and help prevent the consumption of harmful toxins.

Louise Hay explained in her book 鈥淵ou Can Heal Your Life鈥� that the rise in PMS is related to a combination of a generalized increase in sugar consumption, coupled with the negative bombardment of advertisements that suggest that women are not acceptable the way they are and must primp, prime and change their appearance to be feminine and worthy, which demonstrates the spiritual aspect of hormone imbalance. Therefore, like previously stated, we need to not only support our bodies with nourishing foods and possibly short-term with supportive supplements, but we also need to work on our emotional & mental health in order to fully support balanced hormones.

This may include enrolling a professional to help support healing and recovery from emotional trauma, but should also incorporate daily practices that support self-love. This could include yoga, meditation, doing something that you love, thanking your body for all the amazing things it can do, getting involved in your community or reciting a mantra that really speaks to you.

As a holistic nutritionist, I can鈥檛 end this without reaffirming that hormone balancing is complex and multifaceted, just like all of the amazing women of whom they are a part of! Hormones are an important component of our overall holistic health that should be addressed with the love and respect that they deserve.If you find that you鈥檝e tried the above steps and are still struggling with hormonal imbalance, please contact a trusted health care provider and/or a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who can provide you with more guidance.

*Disclaimer 鈥� Always contact your primary health care provider before starting any new supplements.

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by Jenn Camirand, R.H.N.听

What, in this age of pervasive internet authority, where a quick 鈥楪oogle鈥� search can and often does undermine deductive reasoning, experience, and well sought-after facts, is the true meaning of 鈥楬olistic Nutrition鈥�?

Holistic is a term conceived in the early 20^th听Century to describe inclusivity or holism. It is concerned with the notion that reality is an interconnected whole and focuses on the total entity and interdependence of the diverse parts of a totality.

Nutrition itself is not a new 鈥榮cience.鈥� The word as we know it today finds its roots in Latin and the translation from the original n奴tr墨re, meaning TO NOURISH. It has become widely known that several ancient cultures practiced the use of food as medicine as far back as 3000 BCE in the region of the fertile Nile. As Geoffrey Cannon puts it, in his 2005 article in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition, 鈥淓mperor Huang Ti around 2500 BCE, and of the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, also stress the importance of specified dietary patterns, foods and drinks, and plants with medicinal qualities, to prevent and treat disease and also as ways to a spiritually, morally, emotionally and mentally enlightened life.鈥� (Sep;8(6a): 701-705)

Now, as Holistic Nutrition Practitioners we would never purport that our practice would either raise one鈥檚 moral standards, or pretend to be the purveyors of enlightenment, but we most certainly, bound by a very clear code of ethics and well-defined scope of practice, consider both the ancient wisdom brought forward into a modern world, burdened by an ever-increasing tsunami of chronic illness, and partner it with the methods of modern research.

Holistic Nutrition is simply NOT just about whole food 鈥� it is about what makes US whole. To be clear, it most certainly is not about throwing the superfood of the day at a complex health problem, along with the promise to wash it away; not just because, like other educated healthcare modalities we make no promises, but because such a claim makes no logical sense, to anyone.

Holistic Nutrition is about how we look at the whole person. Looking at health through a holistic lens is not like looking through a telescope, with its singular viewfinder allowing for the magnification of a faraway object, its field of view, narrow, and its depth of field, flat. A better analogy is looking through a set of binoculars. Although still able to see things from a distance, and to focus on a singular chosen object, the two viewfinders allow for a coming together of perspective in three dimensions, bringing into focus surrounding objects that may, from time to time, have had, or continue to have, an effect on the object under examination.

Holistic Nutrition most certainly is not a straightforward case of once ill, and now, well. There is a great chasm between the two, a distance that spans over time, short for some, decades for others, that is created in impactful increments of seconds, minutes, days, months and even years.听 This distance, over time, indicates that there is the potential for this process to move as though travelling a continuum and at various points along this spectrum we find ourselves moving either toward or away from wellness. Health and illness do not happen in a straight line, nor is the journey ever the same for two individuals.

Given that Holistic Nutrition looks at the whole person and is NOT solely interested in food, food as the medium through which the body can, and does, if it is in a state of homeostasis, obtain usable isolated nutrients, we are also interested in the How, When, Where, Why and with Whom, of each individual we see.听 It is here that we find OUR science.听 Not simply hard science 鈥� but a weaving of hard science and social science. This blending of the two allows us to celebrate research outcomes that promote longevity, connectedness, culture, both ancient and new, the good and the bad of each, and of course we do look at food, whole food.

In evidence of this blend, 黑料社 imparts upon its students a curriculum balanced in both hard and social sciences. The first is represented through courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Chemistry and Bio-Chemistry, demonstrating how nutrients are utilized in bodily processes, pathways and protection.听 The social sciences, defined by the study of people, individually and in groups, their customs and relationships, are respectively studied in courses focused on Prevention, Life-stages, Ecology, and Symptomatology. Symptomatology, with its primary focus on the individual鈥檚 reporting and identification of health-concerns, symptoms and overall wellbeing, is in itself a perfect blend of both the hard and social science.

Our investment in sourcing quality research by reputable people whom we have judged based on their credentials and links to reputable institutions, provides us with answers in a variety of different ways.听 As Holistic Nutrition Practitioners we ensure that the research we employ, developed from original questions or hypotheses, has been tested and replicated by others.听 This need for confirmation is satisfied by individual experimental studies or review papers, a rigorous and systematic method, assimilating a collection of research literature on a particular topic. Systematic reviews are well placed within the research hierarchy and allow for sound, firm, qualified decisions.

In keeping with other healthcare professions, Holistic Nutrition Practitioners, when sourcing out valid research, will be looking for both quantitative and qualitative research. The first identified by its rich representation of data presented in numerical fashion, the latter focused on an in-depth understanding of the reasons for and meaning of the results. A well-written Systematic Review should provide a practitioner with both. These trustworthy and credible, action-based studies, carried out and evaluated under practical circumstances must be transferrable to the relevant context, specifically the individual鈥檚 primary or accumulated health concerns.

You see, we consider Holistic Nutrition to be a well-constructed framework. A framework that results in client-centred, individualized, evidence-based practices, and leads to informed and well-educated choices, for YOU, and your current challenges.

From where we stand, the definition of Holistic Nutrition lies in the partnership established between client and practitioner. It is about bringing the WHOLE person into focus, past and present, internal and external.

A member of faculty with the 黑料社 (黑料社) since 2012, Jenn听 holds a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree from the University of Waterloo, received her Nutritional training at 黑料社, graduating class valedictorian in 2007, was awarded a Certificate with Honours from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition in January of 2015, and is a Member of the Institute for Functional Medicine. Most recently, she has been awarded designation as a Nutritional Therapist within the United Kingdom.

Jenn stands firm in the belief that we are more than just the sum of our parts, and that our current state of health and nutritional status is the manifestation of all of our experiences, not just the foods we eat. When we are able to truly focus on our own health through education, and an understanding of who we are, great change can take place. This belief, along with a passion for Physiology and Epigenetics, Functional Medicine, and Anthropology, are all brought forth to the classroom, her nutritional practice, her writing, and research.

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by Stephanie Maus, R.H.N

Over the course of the 黑料社 program, we as students are exposed to an amazing amount of information. From biology to physiology to the psychospiritual听 鈥� all the information in each course is designed to ensure that we are ready to go out into the world and begin our careers as Registered Holistic Nutritionists equipped with the knowledge needed to be successful. However, the most important thing we learn is not the facts themselves, but how to apply them in a practical way with our clients, and the case study practicums are where we learn how to do this. As important as all the courses are, I would argue that non are as important as the case study practicums, since this is where we truly learn how to apply all that we learn over the program.

The case study practicums not only expose us to the expertise of the instructors, but also to the ideas of other students working through their own unique cases. In your first practicum, it鈥檚 not uncommon to feel slightly overwhelmed not only by all the possible scenarios and health concerns you may face, but by all the ways in which you can approach your recommendations and where to start!

One of the most important pieces of advice given in the case study practicums was to always start with digestion, no matter what the top scores since everyone can improve their digestion. This is such an important fact because as we learned over the course good digestion really is the key to overall health. Without it, we can鈥檛 get the nutrients we need to support all the other systems and processes in the body, so starting here with each client will set us up for success every time.

From there, it was helpful to start making the connections between the other systems that show up on a client鈥檚 NSP and having illuminating discussions about how improving digestion will address these imbalances. Having discussions in the practicums with various students providing their thoughts and insights exposes us to differing thoughts and approaches we may not have come up with on our own, which is an invaluable part of the program (after all it鈥檚 part of the benefit if being in the classroom vs studying on your own through a distance course!). It also provides a forum to ask questions not only of the instructor, but also the other students who again may have a unique approach to addressing a health issue that you may not have discussed in class or thought of yourself.

On top of cases being discussed (which provides great opportunities for ideation among students), my favorite practicums involved instructors giving presentations (usually powerpoint) that outline common issues we may face with clients. Part of the benefit of the 黑料社 program is being able to learn from seasoned professionals, and the case study practicums is really the arena where we get to discuss real life situations we will face and how we can take the book learning from the courses and apply it in real life. One of the hardest parts of leaving the program and starting to work with real clients is learning how to take what we鈥檝e learned and make it digestible information we can give to our clients in our recommendations. I personally feel that the case study practicums is where we learned to do this. We could not have done our case studies without the practicums, and the case studies were where we finally took all the course information and turned it into applied knowledge. They also alert you to common problems you may encounter 鈥� such as lack of motivation among clients, excuses, and common roadblocks to client success, 鈥� and give valuable advice on how to address them and be the best advocate for your clients. It鈥檚 also extremely valuable to hear from their own mistakes or negative experiences to help us be aware so we can avoid being put in negative or difficult situations.

I personally felt my 鈥渁h ha鈥� moments came when doing the case studies at the end of the course. And without the case study practicums, I don鈥檛 feel I would have felt confident in completing the case studies. However, thanks to all I learned over the program and during the practicums, I am so proud of the case studies I completed and submitted, and feel so excited to start this new journey in the real world helping real clients as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.

by Stephanie Maus, R.H.N

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