Nutrition Principles for the Clinician

Objectives:

At the end of this session you should be able to:

• Understand how poor dietary trends have lead to alarming prevalence rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other chronic diseases.
  
• The current state of the American diet.
  
• Role and importance of the macronutrients, micronutrients and minerals.
  
• The structure and function of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates.
  
• The significance of glycemic index/glycemic load for optimal nutrition.
  
• The types, role and therapeutic applications of dietary fiber.
  
• The nature, composition and role of fats and oils.
  
• The impact, advantages and disadvantages of various food pyramids.
  
• What constitutes the fundamentals of healthy eating.
  
• Appreciate and recognize the role and responsibility of society for promoting good nutrition.
  
• Understand how to respond to the nutritional needs of our nation.
  
• Learn the challenges for modifying the nation’s poor nutritional behaviors.

 Oxidant Stress, Free Radicals & Antioxidants

Objectives:

At the end of this session you should be able to:

• Understand the different types, sources and nature of oxidants or free radicals.
  
• Learn the role and impact of oxidant stress on health.
  
• Explain how oxidant stress may play a role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease, cancer, aging, retinopathy and other diseases.
  
• Know the biomarkers for evaluating oxidant stress.
  
• Learn the importance and functions of antioxidants.
  
• Know the various bioflavonoids, antioxidant vitamins and minerals.
  
• Appreciate the recent medical literature on the bioflavonoids including: in vitro studies, animal models and clinical trials.
  
• Know the principles and significance of the ORAC assay.
  
• Appreciate the natural food sources that are high in ORAC

 Inflammation & Nutrition

Objectives:

At the end of this session you should be able to:

• Appreciate the role of inflammation in chronic diseases such as: cardiovascular, asthma, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, rhino-sinusitis.
  
• Know the key cell types, cytokines, eicosonoids and adhesion molecules involved in the inflammatory process
  
• Learn the importance of biomarkers in inflammation
  
• Understand the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid metabolic pathways
  
• Know the consequences of an overproduction of omega-6 with a concommittent underproduction of omega-3 fatty acids.
  
• Appreciate the AHA guidelines for the use of omega-3.
  
• Understand the role of Vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate in homocyteine metabolism.
  
• Know the importance of homocysteine in inflammation and cardiovascular disease.

 Metabolism & Nutrition

Objectives:

 At the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Understand the importance, role and effects of insulin resistance in contributing to abnormal carbohydrate metabolism.
  
• Learn the pathways towards developing insulin resistance.
  
• Describe the spectrum and features of abnormal carbohydrate metabolism including: early, late insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and Type II diabetes.
  
• Learn the essentials of an effective weight management system including: nutritional interventions, patient education, training and follow up.
  
• Review the importance of low glycemic index foods for weight control
  
• Understand the role of calcium and vitamin D in normal bone metabolism.

 Nutrigenetics

Objectives:

 At the end of this session you should be able to:

• Know the fundamental principles of genetic testing with respect to its applications to nutritional requirements.
  
• Explain the concept of genetic nucleotide polymorphism (gene SNP) and provide some examples.
  
• Appreciate the applications of gene SNP to areas such as: heart health, antioxidant/detoxification mechanisms, Vitamin B metabolism, bone health, diseases of inflammation and insulin sensitivity.
  
• Learn how to interpret and explain a gene SNP report to your patients.
  
• Appreciate the future role and direction of nutrigenetics.

Nutrition Interventions Part I & II

Objectives:

At the end of these sessions, you should be able to:

• Know the fundamentals of nutrition supplement bioavailability
  
• Learn what nutritional modalities are needed for: optimal health, health maintenance, bone & joint health, immune health, anti-inflammation, digestive health, vision health, female and male health
  
• Describe the benefits and define the role for key nutritional ingredients including: glucosamine, omega-3 fish oils, calcium, bioflavonoids (i.e. lutein, lycopene, proanthocyanidins, polyphenols), fat and water soluble vitamins, minerals, fiber and some common herbs.

Educating & Motivating Patients

Objectives:

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Learn how to educate and motivate patients to improve compliance.
  
• Understand how to use audio, DVDs and printed materials to implement an effective nutrition patient education program into your practice.
  
• Know how to navigate and effectively use the Natural Comprehensive Database.
  
• Learn how to use PubMed for literature searches and other reputable online sources.

 Regulatory Issues & Quality Control

Objectives:

At the end of this session you should be able to:

• Understand the regulatory issues of the nutrition supplemental industry such as DSHEA.
  
• Know the difference between a structure/function claim vs. a disease claim.
  
• Provide examples of structure/function claims for a particular supplement.
  
• Learn the essentials of risk management when using nutritional interventions.
  
• Review the fundamentals of HIPPA.
  
• Know how to report adverse reactions for nutritional supplements.