Nutritional Medicine and the Nervous System Part 3

Nutritional Medicine and Mental Health Disorders
Teaching Method
System Requirements

This course provides a review of neurotransmitter synthesis and function and basic underlying imbalances seen in common mental health disorders. The program explains key drug strategies used to treat mental health disorders along with evidence nutrition and natural medicine interventions that have been shown to help improve outcomes for patients with various mental disorders (especially depression, post-partum depression, and anxiety disorders). The physiological impact of these natural interventions is explained, as well as blood lab screening for important nutri-genomic biomarkers that can provide key insight into the selection of specific supplements or form of a supplement (i.e. methyl folate vs folic acid) that would be personalized to the individual’s need based on their genetic profile.

Learning Objectives:
1. The student will have an in-depth understanding of the biochemistry of neurotransmitter synthesis and function and the role of nutrition and supplementation in these processes and functions.

2. The student will be able to identify genetic defects (from blood work analysis) that would implicate the need for specific supplements to help improve the management of various mental health disorders.

3. The student will have the skills to identify which, if any, supplements would be appropriate to recommend in the complementary management of various mental health disorders, drawing from results of published human clinical studies.