Natural Health & Nutrition Course (N H N)

Overview

In this age of information overload here is a course on nutrition and lifestyle that brings us back to basics, with accessible information and clear direction. You will have no doubt about the role ‘diet and lifestyle’ play in disease and you will have the knowledge and tools to correct it.

Mary-Ann Shearer, author of the best-selling books on natural health in the Southern Hemisphere, The Natural Way- a Family’s Guide to Vibrant Health and The Natural Way Recipe Books 1&2, Healthy Kids, Perfect Weight, Take Control and Perfect Health-The Natural Way brings to you the comprehensive Natural Health and Nutrition Home Study Course. Many of the questions people have about health are answered, in depth, as well as other interesting and important aspects of nutrition. With the knowledge and understanding of what you will be taught about nutrition and the human body you will be able to take greater responsibility for your health and therefore be in better control of your life. You will also be able to make wiser decisions when it comes to your own and your children’s health, and thereby cutting back on medical bills.

The course explains in full, how our modern diets and lifestyle have in fact, created and caused many of the modern diseases of today and once you have completed this course you will have a clearer understanding of how your body works, how to treat it, and how to keep it free of disease. This series of lessons focuses on how our diet and lifestyle determines our health and reinforces the importance of taking responsibility for our health in order to avoid the many degenerative diseases that could face us.

This is a practical course designed to help you plan a healthy lifestyle with sound knowledge and with confidence. It takes the average student 6-12 months to complete (although you have 2 years to complete the course).

This distance-learning course is designed for those who do not have the time to spend several nights each week attending lectures. The course is also constructed in such a way that students, working at home, may quickly proceed from the necessary basics of nutritional science to more practical applications. The material is comprehensive and clearly set out, making full use of the latest nutritional information, Study Notes & Bibliography and CD’s. We include email support and web-based updates and newsletters.

Text Books

A list of suggested reading and suggested text books is provided and it is recommended that you have access to the internet to keep up-to-date with the latest in nutrition and health. Recommended websites links are also made available to students as well as a comprehensive A-Z database.

Lesson Outline

There are 3 sections to this course:

	FOUNDATION

NHN F 101 The science behind Natural Nutrition

Covering works by Drs Hay, Shelton, Jennings, Beiler, Meyer, Carrington, McFadden, Florence Nightingale, Hypocrites etc. as well as the latest research in Europe, Britain, South Africa, USA and China.

• The Hippocratic Oath
• What is health and can anyone be truly healthy?
• The role of acid and alkaline foods in the body and how to find the right balance.

NHN F 102 Diseases of the 20th Century

• Candida, M.E. or Yuppie Flu, Lupus, Ricketsia, Glandular Fever, Epstein Barr, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, AIDS and other immune deficiency diseases etc., as well as the three biggest killers Cancer, Heart diseases and Diabetes; how to slow down and stop these degenerative diseases.
• Aids: What is it and what does it have in common with Yuppie flu and the common cold.
• How a change in your diet and lifestyle can improve your Immune function and the symptoms related to these conditions. Practical guidelines areprovided.

	INTERMEDIATE

NHN I201 Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates and our energy needs.

• Our best sources of carbohydrates and our true carbohydrate needs.
• Refined sugar - does it really give you go and what are the side-effects of overloading with concentrated energy foods.
• Good and bad carbohydrates - which ones take energy away from us and which ones give us true energy and why. Wheat and gluten intolerances - is there a difference and how to cope with it.
• 'Carbo-loading' - how to go about it the natural way.

NHN I 202 Protein

What is protein and why do we need it, how much protein we really need and how often we need it.

• The problems associated with a diet containing too much protein or too little protein.
• Our best sources of protein and why?
• Vitamin B12 – the controversial vitamin where do we get it from?
• Different types of vegetarianism.
• The role protein plays in body-building

NHN I 203 Fats

The role of fats in our diet and why we must never completely cut them out.

• Also, fat digestion, fat storage, weight problems and how much fat do we need.
• What are good fats and bad fats?
• Our best sources of fats.Essential Fatty Acids - their importance in aiding the body to function properly.
• Cholesterol and the role it plays in our body (including fibre, Vitamins and exercise).
• Diseases relating to fat absorption and metabolism.
• Fat and the Immune system; fat and the Lymphatic system
• Trans-fatty acids, sucrose polyester

NHN I 204 Vitamins and Minerals

• The roles vitamins and minerals play in our diet.
• Complete list of all the major nutrients
• Free radicals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, picolinates.
• Our best sources of vitamins and minerals, including ‘organic vs inorganic’, photosynthesis, chlorophyll etc. Supplements - wasting money or necessary in these modern times. Our true needs of certain nutrients like zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc. Calcium - Are dairy products really our best source of calcium and does this source of calcium prevent Osteoporosis? Also covering our true needs for calcium and the damage those dairy products can do to unborn children, children and adults and the health related problems.
• Vitamin and mineral destroyers

NHN I 205 Exercise

The role exercise plays in the body especially the effect it has on the endocrine system.

• The effect of exercise on degenerative disease especially diabetes
• How much exercise and what type of exercise?

	ADVANCED

NHN A 301 The Digestive system

• Digestive System and related diseases and how we should be eating.
• How food is digested in the digestive tract including the physiology of food-combining and the cycles of the digestive tract. Also covers the function of Parietal cells and the relationship of digestion to the endocrine system, hydrochloric acid, ptyalin and other enzymes and the rolls they play in digestion.
• Why we suffer from digestive disorders like ulcers, spastic colon or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hiatus hernias, ulcerative colitis, haemorrhoids, gall stones etc.
• How to eat and live to avoid digestive problems, including how to eat if you lack certain digestive enzymes or if you have had a section of your digestive tract removed.

NHN A 302 Endocrine (hormonal) System and related diseases

Outlining our hormonal system namely the Pituitary Gland, Thyroid, Adrenal Glands, Ovaries/Testes and Pancreas - the roles they play and how they influence each other.

• What causes them to not function properly and some of the symptoms or problems that can arise from a faulty hormonal system e.g. allergies, blood pressure, hypoglycaemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, weight problems, skin problems, liver, lung, kidney and heart function, reproduction etc.
• Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - when to take or not to take HRT,and the side effects.
• An in-depth look at how diet and lifestyle affects this delicate balance and what the results to your health are and how to correct them with practical guidelines.

NHN A 303 The Respiratory tract and related diseases

• The respiratory tract (the nose, the lungs etc.) and how it works.
• Smoking, side-stream and passive smoking - how does it really damage our body?
• How to strengthen our lungs against pollution, bronchitis, sinus, asthma, tuberculosis, etc.
• How diet and lifestyle changes will aid the body in strengthening and repairing our respiratory tract.

NHN A 304 Skin and related diseases

• The many roles and functions of the skin and how it 'talks' to us through various symptoms like eczema, dermatitis, rashes, Psoriasis, dry and oily skin, acne, athletes foot, shingles, cold sores (herpes simplex), dermatitis, Pruritus, Vitiligo, skin cancer and sunlight, varicose veins etc. showing that all is not well inside the body.
• How to maintain our skin without the aid of expensive cosmetics to keep us looking young and radiant.

NHN A 305 Immune system

• The role diet plays in immune function, from cancer, to heart disease, diabetes, AIDS, auto-immune disease, colds, flu etc.
• Ideal foods to boost immune function
• How to eat when ill?
• Feeding children when ill

NHN A 306 Mental problems, stress, depression and nutrition.

"Our foods are literally our moods" - how food affects our behaviour.

• How diet affects neurotransmitters in the brain
• Brain allergies and the effect deficiencies have on the development and function of the brain.
• Covering symptoms and problems like hyperactivity, Schizophrenia, hyper aggressive behaviour, moodiness, photo-phobia, temper tantrums, pre-menstrual tension, "spaced-out" feelings or disassociation with oneself, irrational behaviour, depression, irritability, insecurity and loads more!
• The best diet and lifestyle to help you cope forever with life's "knocks", including which foods to avoid to help curb and stop mood swings etc. permanently!
  

NHN A 307 Detoxification, Fasting and cleansing diets.

• The organs of elimination, particularly the liver, lungs, kidneys and skin and how they work in cleaning the body out or ridding it of toxins.
• Covering all the detoxification symptoms like headaches, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, discharge, excess mucous (runny nose etc.), heart palpitations etc.
• The side-effects or benefits of so called detoxification substances such as garlic, ginger, fennel tea etc. How to help your body to clean out and stay clean naturally.
• This covers basic detoxification including a program for people whose background and diet have been completely out of balance.
• This lesson covers how beneficial fasting is for us, how to prepare for a fast, how to cope during a fast and how to break a fast correctly. When fasting is dangerous, medication and fasting, when not to fast, and when to fast.
• Symptoms of detoxification and symptoms during fasting - how to cope with and interpret these.
• Other cleansing diets like the ‘juice fasts’, mono fruit ‘fasts’ and when to employ them.

EXTRA READING & RESEARCH MODULE

This section is over 80 pages of research, writings and information that will help with your all-round understanding of natural health and the body.

• AIDS
• Allergies & Hayfever
• Amalgam Fillings
• Arthritis, Gout & Osteoarthritis
• Artificial sweeteners
• Breast Cancer
• Cellulite
• Diet & the Immune System
• Endocrine Disorders
• Exercise & the Hormonal System
• Flaxseed Oil
• Heart Disease
• High Protein Diets
• Fluoride
• Legumes
• Light & Health
• Osteoporosis
• Ritalin
• Side Effects of The Pill
• Smoking
• Weight Issues
• Water
• Refined Sugar
• Vaccinations

Tests and Assignments

Practical assignments have to be completed on each lesson which will involve from finding volunteers to do health assessments on, recognising dietary changes they need to make, and to reading prescribed books and completing a questionnaire thereafter.
NB. These assignments have to be submitted electronically (ie. emailed)

Recognition

In recognition for your efforts, successful candidates will receive a Certificate, issued by the Academy.

Pre-Requisites

This course is aimed at anyone wanting a balanced approach to natural health without the hype, including, mothers, fathers, General Practitioners, Psychiatrists, Pharmacists, Chiropractors, Dieticians, Clinical Psychologists, Social Workers, Nurses, Dentists, Nutritionists, Natural Therapists, Acupuncturists, and Beauty Therapists.

Commencement date

There is no specific starting time for Course. Students can start as soon as they have all the material and go as fast or as slowly as they choose.

Materials include:

A box file of 14 Lessons
A CD/DVD file of Topical Teachings and Lessons by Mary-Ann
(Materials will be posted to you)

Costs

Current Rand and US Dollar Prices are available on the website www.naturalway.co.za