Upon completion of this module, the participants will:

• Learn the botanical treatments of many major disease processes
• Know the side effects of botanical medicines
• Understand antecedents, triggers, and mediators of illness
• Learn the interaction that herbs may have with medications
• Understand and be able to treat infectious diseases such as hepatitis from a metabolic approach
• Learn functional clinical imbalances that can occur in the body
• Learn how nutrition affects gene expression
• Review history and traditional uses of common herbs
• Review the medical literature on herbal therapies
• Define the frontiers of research for botanical medicines: identify key ongoing questions regarding evidence-based effectiveness, consistency of preparations and concerns regarding safety
• Learn to utilize readily available databases to make informed evidence-based decisions regarding botanical medicines
• Gain an understanding of the rationale and proposed mechanisms behind the potential therapeutic use of selective herbal supplements for specific health disorders including chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction and minor infections
• Familiarize participants with extraction and dosage forms of herbal therapies
• Familiarize participants with the DSHEA act and labeling
• Have the participants understand and explain standardization of herbal extractions
• Educate the participants on what are the necessary requirements for a quality herbal extraction
• Have participants learn clinical synergistic effects of drug therapy and herbal therapies where applicable
• Have participants become aware of potential adverse interactions with drug-herb prescribing
• Have participants gain a working knowledge of the dosing required to gain a therapeutic endpoint with herbal remedies
• Gain basic understanding of the functional medicine principles including the functional medicine tree and matrix
• Identify the core clinical, functional medicine imbalances with examples
• Apply the functional medicine matrix in a clinical setting when addressing complex patients
• Understand the importance that B vitamins play in the prevention of disease
• Learn in case history format the symptoms of all of the B Vitamin deficiencies
• Know the diseases and disorders that can be treated with different B Vitamins
• Learn the prevalence of Lyme disease
• Know the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
• Understand that Lyme disease may be a contributing factor for other diseases
• Discover the testing methods to diagnose Lyme disease
• Realize the commonly used antibiotics to treat Lyme disease
• Learn metabolic therapies for the treatment of Lyme disease
• Find out co-infections that may occur with Lyme disease
• Learn about resistant Lyme disease
• Learn the history of restless leg syndrome
• Know the definition of restless leg syndrome versus the definition of periodic limb movement disorder
• Realize the risk factors for the development of restless leg syndrome
• Discover the difference between the primary and secondary causes of restless leg syndrome
• Know the coexisting diseases that may occur with restless leg syndrome
• Study the symptoms of restless leg syndrome
• Know the symptoms of periodic limb movement disorder
• Know the four essential diagnostic criteria for restless leg syndrome
• Find out the lab studies that need to be ordered to diagnose restless leg syndrome
• Learn the differential diagnosis of restless leg syndrome
• Gain knowledge of the drug therapies that are available to treat restless leg syndrome
• Know the difference between tolerance and augmentation in the treatment of restless leg syndrome
• Ascertain the different treatments for intermittent restless leg syndrome, daily restless leg syndrome, and refractory restless leg syndrome
• Learn non-drug therapies for restless leg syndrome
• Recognize that arthritis is one of the most common diseases
• Know the radiologic findings seen on x-ray to diagnosis osteoarthritis
• Find out about the two forms of osteoarthritis
• Understand conventional therapies for osteoarthritis
• Learn metabolic therapies for osteoarthritis
• Know common foods that are linked to allergies and arthritis
• Recognize the side effects of different treatment options
• Learn treatment options for ankylosing spondylitis
• Know the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis
• Identify specific plant and plant compound as effective antivirals
• Understand the mechanism of action of specific plant and plant compounds as antivirals
• Become proficient in recommending plant and plant compounds for specific human viruses
• Identify botanicals that are effective for infectious disease
• Understand the mechanism of action of specific botanicals in their ability to modulate infectious disease
• Become proficient in recommending botanicals for specific infectious diseases
• Learn in case history format the symptoms of mineral deficiencies
• Know the disorders that may be prevented or helped with mineral supplementation