Practitioner Courses
I am passionate about training practitioners to understand the basic principles of naturopathy and to be able to apply this knowledge in their practice.
I am involved in the following courses:
Allergy Therapy course
This unique, quite possibly one-off course provides an in-depth exploration into food intolerances, sensitivities, and allergies. Students will learn how various foods affect health and how they can be associated with many diverse symptoms in the body. Underlying causes of imbalance will be discussed together with genetic polymorphisms which can cause reactions to certain categories of foods. The course begins with a study of the history of food and environmental allergies, the general adaptation syndrome (Selye) and common symptoms associated with food sensitivities and intolerances. Throughout the course, naturopathic nutrition is taught alongside the allergy therapy modules to provide a deeper understanding of why food intolerances, sensitivities and allergies occur and how to address them via diet and lifestyle. Simple kinesiology testing techniques are taught on the course to allow the student to use this very effective discipline within their practice. This course is ideal for practitioners who would like to add allergy therapy to their practice and for those practitioners of nutritional therapy whose long-term aim is to become a naturopath. The course is accredited by the British Institute for Allergy and Environmental Therapy and gives entry into the British Complementary Medical Association.
This 10 module course will be taught live in Stroud and is limited to 8 students. Please email me for more information: info@marysharma.com
Nutritional Therapist course
I am the lead tutor and main co-author of The School of Health’s correspondence Nutritional Therapist course. The course is fully accredited by the Federation of Nutritional Therapist Practitioners (FNTP) and the Society of Naturopaths (SoN) and covers macro and micronutrients, allergies, PNEI, hormonal imbalances, detoxification, supplementation, fasting, acid and alkaline balance, types of diet, adrenal fatigue, dietary analysis, supplementation, naturopathic philosophy, Allergies and the stress response (Hans Selye, McEwen), naturopathic nutrition and much more. The course includes a 4 day training event and leads to being able to register with the Society of Naturopaths as an Associate Naturopath and the FNTP as a Nutritional Therapist. It is a good stepping stone to bigger courses in Nutritional Therapy and Naturopathic medicine. It is a standalone course and leads to a qualification in Nutritional therapy or can be used towards higher qualifications in naturopathic medicine and nutritional therapy. Students on this course can also attend courses with The Classical Kinesiology Institute and learn valuable kinesiology techniques to use in practice alongside Nutritional Therapy.
For more details see:
https://www.schoolofhealth.com/nutrition-courses/nutrition-therapist-course/
and
http://www.classicalkinesiology.co.uk/index.asp?pageID=68
Nutritional Therapy advanced course
This course is naturopathic in its approach and includes all the core elements of Nutritional Therapy as laid down by the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Nutritional Therapy. The course includes the study of the macronutrients and micronutrients in detail, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, western nutrition, anti-nutrients, dietary analysis, human microbiome, acid and alkaline, PNEI, inflammation as a healing response, Drug interactions, detoxification, constitutions, case taking, naturopathic assessment techniques (tongue, nail and iris) and much more. The course can count towards a naturopathic diploma (ND).
This course differs from other Nutritional Therapy courses because it approaches each subject naturopathically and then relates it to our current understanding of Western scientific research. Successful students will therefore have the required knowledge to work in both areas and a depth of understanding which will support them in their practice of Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy.
Naturopathic course
Having trained in various disciplines over the years of being a practitioner and seeing how they all enhanced my understanding of health and disease I decided to write a course that I would have loved to have done 25 years ago, when I was first starting out on my alternative medical training. The course starts with an exploration of Eastern medicine and provides a detailed study of Ayurveda, Chinese five elements, Tibetan Medicine and Unani (Greek/Persian) medicine. Once you have this grounding you then study homeopathic philosophy which underpins naturopathic philosophy. By the time you reach the naturopathic module you will find that the philosophy is second nature to you. The rest of the course builds on this foundation and covers Iridology, Hydrotherapy, an introduction to Homotoxicology, Psychology and Psychosocial skills and finishes with a detailed module about the effects of Dentistry and health. I have added in this last module because I believe it is of the utmost importance for practitioners to understand the effects of dentistry and oral health upon the overall health of the body.
This course is perfect for any therapist wanting to understand more about alternative medicine and truly understand the root cause of disease. It can be done after the Nutritional Therapist course, the Advanced Nutritional Therapy course or as an adjunct for another discipline. It is a standalone course because it studies Eastern Medicine in depth and then relates this to our current understanding of Western Medicine. This course leads to being able to apply for Registered Naturopath (ND) status with the Society of Naturopaths alongside your main discipline which must be 2-3 years of training and be naturopathic in its approach. Examples of disciplines include Nutritional Therapy, Kinesiology, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, etc.
Modules may be purchased separately as well. Please contact the college for details: https://www.schoolofhealth.com/naturopathy/naturopathy-course/
Unit 1: Ayurveda
History, Sankhya Philosophy, Tanmatra, the three Guna, the five elements, the tri Dosha, 15 sub Doshas, the Dhatus and Srotas, Agni and Ama, Samprapti (the six stage disease process), faulty food combination, diet and lifestyle to balance Doshas and for seasonal eating, Ayurvedic food energetics, herbs, basics of tongue diagnosis, yoga postures for balancing each Dosha and chakras and their relation to health and disease.
Unit 2: Chinese Medicine
History (five phases/elements, stems and branches, development of TCM), yin and yang, the five fundamental textures, the organs, the six pernicious influences, the seven emotions, the eight principle patterns, theory of Ayurvedic acupuncture and the links between Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, Chinese five elements in detail, sheng and Ko cycles and nutrition and Chinese food energetics.
Unit 3: Tibetan and Unani Medicine
Tibetan medicine history and main concepts, the mind and the three mental poisons, the three humours, the 15 sub humours, seven body constituents, Dhang, the organs, disease and Tibetan diagnosis, Tibetan food energetics, diet and lifestyle, seasonal eating.
Unani medicine history, Unani medical concepts, the seven natural principles, the four elements, the four states of matter, temperament and humours, maintenance of health, the six essential causes, balance and imbalance, abnormal humours and temperaments, the disease process, black bile as a cause of disease, Unani methods of diagnosis, temperaments and modern psychology influences. Unani food energetics.
Unit 4: Homeopathy
History, philosophy, Herings Law of cure, miasms theory, flower formulas, tissue salts, proving of remedies, potentization, homeopathy in practice, homeopathic first aid, 50 common remedies to use in practice.
Unit 5: Naturopathy
History and development of Naturopathy, modern naturopathy, therapeutic order, core principles, reductionism v vitalism, theory of naturopathic nutrition: electrolyte balance, acute and chronic eliminations, naturopathic case taking, naturopathic techniques.
Unit 6: An Introduction to Homotoxicology
The science behind homeopathy: minimum dose, Avogadro’s constant, Nano dose, Arndt Schultz law, resonance. Law of similars, dynamization of the substance, water and sugar polymers; various sources of toxins, the basics of Homotoxicology: extra cellular matrix or ground substance of Alfred Pischinger, regulatory systems and feedback systems, Bioregulatory medicine, three pillars of Homotoxicology, greater defence system, acidosis, immune by stander reaction, six phase table/disease evolution table; using simple Homotoxicology remedies in practice.
Unit 7: Psychosocial Skills
Part 1: overview of psychotherapeutic interventions for alternative practitioners, psychotherapeutic models: psychodynamic, humanistic, transpersonal and cognitive behaviour approaches; the human stress trauma response, the limbic system, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, fight flight freeze responses, polyvagal theory, regulating the flight, fight, freeze response, regulating social engagement, A-B-C personalities, assessing stress trauma, the therapeutic process; the practitioner’s role and the clients role; psychotherapeutic treatment strategies, projection and transference, psychotherapeutic intervention.
Part 2: the general adaptation syndrome (Selye), PNEI, stress and how it affects the different systems in the body, adverse childhood events and attachment issues, learned helplessness, self-mutation, stress and addictions, perception of stress, social economic status and health, allostasis and allostatic load, adrenal fatigue, pregnenolone steal, clinical tests for adrenal fatigue, functional tests for adrenal fatigue, recovery from adrenal fatigue: diet, supplements and herbs; monitoring and supporting stress levels in clients, flower formulas, Bach remedies, the Enneagram, Jungian personality types, Myers Briggs personality types, David Keirsey personality types.
Unit 8: Iridology
History of Iridology, classical and modern iridology, anatomy of the iris, iris charts and zones of the iris, pupil size and shape, colour on the iris, stomach and intestinal zones, the collerette, contraction furrows and nerve rings, cholesterol ring, sodium ring, lymphatic rosary, scurf ring, arcus senilis; degrees of disease seen in the iris: lacunae, crypts and defect signs; radii, transversals, spleen sign and hypothalamus sign. American and Australian constitutions, German constitutions: lymphatic constitution, mixed biliary constitution and haematogenic constitution. Disposition and diathesis, sub constitutions: neurogenic, neuro-lymphatic, anxiety tetanic, glandular, mesenchymal pathological, cardio-abdominal, Lipaemic, hydrogenoid, pancreatic, uric acid, kidney lymphatic, Dyscratic, miasmic; Emotional/behavioural iridology, miasms, modern iridology and latest research.
Unit 9: Hydrotherapy
History, theory: latent heat, the use of hot and cold, conduction and convection, hot and cold effects upon circulation and metabolism; properties of water, importance of circulation, buoyancy, reflex areas and dermatomes, various hydrotherapy manipulations, practice of hydrotherapy, showers, ablutions, affusions, alternating and contrast treatments, fomentations, compresses and packs, Balneotherapy (baths), internal therapy, various conditions and suggested hydrotherapy techniques.
Unit 10: Oral Health
History, the research of Weston Price, Royal Lee, Percy Howe, Drs Mellanby; teeth, meridian charts and dental foci; tooth anatomy, the gut-mouth connection, oxidative stress, dental pathology: NICO, cavitations, gingivitis, periodontal disease and CAP, effects of modern dentistry on health: extractions, overlays, fillings, bridges, overlays, implants, galvanism, root canals; mercury: dangers of and removal of, detoxification procedures, lab tests, cleft palate, tongue tie, oral health: oil pulling, various mouthwash essential oil recipes, homemade toothpastes.
For more information see the School of Health website.
Nutritional Therapy and Eastern Nutrition course
All the Eastern medical traditions, such as Unani Tibb, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and Tibetan medicine, have always had diet as their central pivotal point. I have written this course with the aim to combine the wisdom of these ancient disciplines with the knowledge and essential components of Western Nutrition and Naturopathic approaches to practice. The course covers the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Nutritional Therapy as laid down in 2003.
The course is totally unique and is taught over 2 years. The course was originally written for Unani Tibb students to run alongside their training, but also acts as a standalone course in its own right. Successful students will be awarded the title ‘Diploma in Nutritional Therapy and Eastern Nutrition’ and be able to register with the Society of Naturopaths as an Associate Naturopath and the FNTP as a Nutritional Therapist. The course is not limited to Unani Tibb students but can be undertaken by anyone interested in this unique approach to nutrition.
The course is divided into three areas of study, that of Western Nutrition, Naturopathic Nutrition and Eastern Nutrition. The Eastern section includes a detailed study of Unani approaches to diet and an overview of Ayurveda, Chinese and Tibetan approaches to dietary therapy. Study of both eastern and western nutritional approaches will give successful students a unique advantage when preparing diet and lifestyle programmes for their clients.
Students are assessed via clinical events, assessment questions, essays, case studies, live case studies and end of year examinations.
The aim of the course is to provide a comprehensive training in nutritional therapy to students of Unani Tibb which incorporates the NOS for Nutritional Therapy, a detailed understanding about the naturopathic approach to diet and nutrition and a meticulous study of Eastern nutrition and how it links in with Western nutritional approaches.
For more information see CUTAM: https://cutam.org.uk/diploma-in-nutritional-therapy-and-eastern-nutrition/
Prospectus: download here