In the 21st century, two things have become increasingly apparent: first, we are exposed to a more complex array of toxic compounds in our air, water, and food than ever before. Second, it has been recognized that an individual’s ability to detoxify or biotransform and excrete toxic substances is of critical importance to overall health. While the concept that toxins accumulate in the body and are the cause of various health problems has long been a fundamental tenet of traditional healthcare systems around the world, we have learned a great deal in recent years about how toxins affect us, where they originate, and how to improve our ability to detoxify in a toxic world. Understanding toxicity and taking practical steps to improve biotransformation are essential and critical pieces in any integrative approach to your patients’ health and well-being.
About the Detox APM:
There is persuasive evidence that even low-level toxic exposures contribute to the development of a variety of chronic health conditions, including fatigue, endocrine disruption, and chronic degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. Given the ubiquitous nature of chemicals in the environment, it is likely that the single exposure model of toxicology is more the exception than the rule. It is therefore critical for clinicians to learn how to assess both exposures and total toxic load to appropriately assess and address each individual's toxicological situation.
Our expert faculty team will review the foundational biochemistry and genetics of biotransformation pathways, connect organ system dysfunctions to potential toxic exposures, and detail the available laboratory evaluations useful in working up a toxin-exposed patient. Once these important clinical connections are made, the team will detail specific treatment approaches. This program also uses a case-based, integrated approach to deliver effectively the tools necessary for clinicians to diagnose and treat the toxic component of their patients' total health pictures.
Your Detox Advanced Practice Module will include the following:
- Pre-course webinars and post-course webinars including IFM foundational archived videos
- Detox specific chapters from the IFM Textbook of Functional Medicine to review prior to the onsite portion of the course
- More than 20 on-site lectures (Click here for a full schedule of topics)
- PDF documents and MP3 audio downloads of all on-site lectures (Available 4-6 weeks after the onsite course concludes)
- Interactive case workshops
- Healthful snacks and morning movement activities
- Question and Answer sessions with presenters
- Networking opportunities
- Opportunities to ask additional questions on a post-conference online forum moderated by IFM faculty
Your Takeaways will include:
- Key IFM tools to incorporate into your practice - Intake forms, patient handouts, assessment questionnaires, and the Detox Food Plan.
- Key learning objectives
- A step toward becoming an IFM Certified Practitioner
- Up to 19.75 hours of CME
- Key Course Learning Objectives:
- Recognize the pathophysiology of chronic toxic exposure and impaired detoxification and their associations with systemic disease or dysfunction so as to counsel patients appropriately on evaluation and treatment options.
- Evaluate and recognize the most important environmental, lifestyle, and nutritional factors associated with toxicity and impaired detoxification so as to counsel patients appropriately on treatment options.
- Recognize and evaluate the most important and reliable laboratory tests, as well as relevant physical exam signs and symptoms, connected to toxicity and impaired detoxification to be able to interpret those tests so as to appropriately counsel patients on treatment options.
- Develop and organize individual treatment protocols to include timing and sequence of treatments, dietary and lifestyle changes, and nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and botanical use, in order to counsel patients appropriately on their options.
- Reframe the patient’s story in the context of the Functional Medicine Timeline and Matrix Model and a patient-centered assessment, with incorporation of the concepts of antecedents, triggers, and mediators.
- Utilize the PURE pneumonic to improve your clinical case management by identifying the key toxicity patterns, searching for inadequate nutrient levels and over exposures, removing the toxin exposures, and ensuring a safe detoxification for the patient.