This is the planned curriculum of the Naturopathic Medicine Institute (NMI). Completion of this curriculum and other requirements leads to the Fellow of the Naturopathic Medicine Institute (FNMI) certification. For those who wish to purse their FNMI status, the first step is to earn the Vitalist designation (VNMI). The VNMI status requires completion of Level One of all Topics in this curriculum in addition to other requirements.

This curriculum will be taught through ongoing CE offerings (webinars and conferences), the Vital Conversation and Clinical Education at the NMI Clinical Centers of Excellence. Remember – these topics may look familiar but they are taught from a vitalist perspective and designed to be applied in that manner.

We are creating a directory of Vitalists and Fellows. This directory will be actively promoted thereby allowing the public to easily identify those doctors offering the medicine they are seeking and to allow colleagues the benefit of referring with confidence.

We request that you not contact the curriculum committee members directly. We have set up a form for you to provide comments, feedback, concerns and suggestions. Please use this form:  Curriculum Feedback Form

Do you have a course you would like the NMI to consider offering? Submit Your Course Here

Topic 1: Philosophy and History

Level One*

  1. History of Medicine
  2. Philosophy One
    1. Introduction and History of Medicine: Schism of Thought
      1. Handout: Coulter, Intro to Volume 1
    2. History of Naturopathic Medicine: Growth of Empiricism
    3. History of Naturopathic Medicine: Twentieth Century to Present
    4. Introduction of Naturopathic Philosophy: Vis Medicatrix Naturae
      1. Lindlahr Ch 2, 4
      2. Kent Lecture VIII
      3. Hahnemann Paragraph 9,10
  3. Philosophy Two
    1. Unity of Disease: Spectrum of Illness
      1. Lindlahr Ch 5, 7, 8
      2. Kent Lecture 1
      3. Hahnemann Paragraph 81 and footnote
    2. Catechism of Nature Cure: Law of the Normal
      1. Lindlahr Ch. 3
    3. The Three-Fold Nature of Man: Body, Mind, Spirit
      1. Lindlahr Ch XXXIX
      2. Kent Lecture IV, IX
    4. The Triangle of Health: Environment and Heredity
  4. Philosophy Three
    1. Science in Medicine
      1. Kent Lecture 1
    2. The THeory of Contagion: Microzymes
      1. Lindlahr Ch X
      2. Kent Lecture XIV
    3. Role of the Physician: Treatment in Conformity with Nature
      1. Kent Lecture 1
      2. Hahnemann Paragraph 1
      3. Lindlahr Ch III
    4. Law of Similars, Laws of Cure, Minimum Dose: Homeopathy
      1. Kent Lecture 2, 7
      2. Lindlahr, Ch XXV
  5. Philosophy Four
    1. Botanical Medicine
    2. Physical Medicine
      1. Lindlahr Ch XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV
    3. Doctrine of Signatures: Intention
      1. Lindlahr Ch XXVIII, XL, XLI
    4. Art and Science and Philosophy
      1. Lindlahr, Ch XXXIII
      2. Kent XVII
    5. Vitalism and Modern Science

Concepts to be covered in Level One*

  • Vital Force
  • Constructive vs. Destructive
  • Symptoms as manifestation
  • Acute vs Chronic
  • Healing crisis vs disease crisis
  • Susceptibility
  • Immunization, prophylaxis
  • Toxemia
  • Unity of Disease
  • Herring’s Laws
  • Therapeutic Order

Topic 2: Nutrition

Level One**

  1. Nutritional Biochemistry
  2. Nutritional Assessment and diagnosis
  3. Physical Signs, Mental/Emotional Signs
  4. Lab Assessment:
    1. Minerals: hair testing, RBC, urine
    2. Micronutrients: WBC, Serum
    3. EFA: ACG, serum
  5. Effects of Nutrition on Health and Healing
  6. Review of vitamins and minerals

Level Two

  1. Food Sensitivities
  2. IgE, IgG, Carroll, D’Adamo, Vega Testing
  3. Supplementation
    1. Whole foods
    2. Elemental, purity, additives
  4. Toxemia and Anti-inflammatory Diets
    1. Tailoring the dietary plan for healing
    2. Pt Education

Level Three

  1. Nutrition and GI
    1. Gut Function
    2. Leaky Gut
    3. Microflora, Parasites
    4. HCL
    5. Digestion/Absorption
    6. Testing-Stool, OAT

Level Four

  1. Body Typing and Patterns
  2. Additional topics to be added

Topic 3: Homeopathy

Level One**

  1. Foundation of basics
  2. Law of Similars
  3. Repertorization
  4. Polychrests
  5. Tissue Salts
  6. Isopathy
  7. Prescribing
    1. choosing, mixing
    2. prescribing, dosing
  8. Patient education regarding homeopathic care

Level Two

  1. Constitutional
  2. Simillimum
  3. Miasmatic
  4. First Aid Prescribing
  5. Combination Remedies
  6. Pathological Prescribing
  7. Nosodes/Isodes
  8. Remedy Grouping
  9. Drug pictures/Body Types

Level Three

  1. Organ Specific Remedies
  2. Drainage Remedies
  3. Miasmatic
  4. Case management and follow-up

Level Four

  1. Body Typing and Patterns
  2. Additional topics to be added

Topic 4: Labs and Diagnostics

Level One**

  1. General Chemistries
  2. Urine Analysis/Indicant pH
  3. EFA, AA, OAT, MOAT, IgG, urinary opioids, pesticides
  4. Wellness panel
  5. Bone Density
  6. Heart Tests, Lipid Panels

Level Two

  1. Naturopathic Tongue and Pulse
  2. Bolen Blood work
  3. Chapman Points
  4. Iris Diagnosis
  5. Acoustic Cardiography
  6. Reflexes
  7. Calcium Cuff Testing
  8. Applied Kinesiology
  9. Other Energetic Testing

Level Three

  1. Endocrine Assessment
    1. Thyroid
    2. Adrenal
    3. Sex Hormones
      1. Saliva, Urine, Blood
    4. Optimal Blood levels
      1. Vit D, Ferritin, Cholesterol, etc
  2. Alternative imaging, thermal imaging

Topic 5: Botanicals

Level One**

  1. Classes by Systems
    1. Nervines, soporifics, digestives, etc.
    2. Tonics
    3. organ or system botanicals

Level Two

  1. Eclectic materia medica
    1. Ellingwood
    2. Scudder
    3. Cook
    4. Felter
    5. LLoyd
  2. Apothecary Language and prescription
  3. Dosage (Useful prescriptions-Wilson)
  4. Pulse Tongue and Eye Diagnosis indications

Level Three

  1. Formulating Combinations for Health Problems
  2. Palliative vs Curative
  3. Tonic, Drainage, Detoxification
  4. Western, Ayurvedic, Chinese botanical choices

Topic 6: Hydrotherapy

Level One**

  1. Theory of ND hydrotherapy vs Medical Hydrology
  2. Acute Hydro
  3. Palliative vs. Curative
  4. Physical Therapy Hydro
  5. Basic Applications
    1. Hot and Cold Ablutions
    2. Constitutional
    3. Colonic
    4. Detoxification
  6. Kellogg

Level Two

  1. Clinical Application
    1. Charting
  2. Home Hydrotherapy
  3. Advanced Clinical Prescriptions
    1. Varying therapy based on signs/symptoms
    2. Heart Tone Evaluation
    3. Water Fasting
    4. Detoxification Botanicals
    5. Homeopathy

Level Three

  1. Case Management
  2. Acute vs Chronic Condition
  3. Advanced Clinical Training

Topic 7: Physiotherapy

Level One**

  1. Basic physiology principles
  2. Applications to stimulate lymphatics, blood, nerve
  3. Palliative vs. Curative
  4. “The Heating Compress” (review from hydrotherapy)

Level Two

  1. EMS
  2. High Frequency
  3. Galvanic
  4. Diathermy
  5. Lasers
  6. UV Light
  7. Hyperbaric

Level Three

  1. Advanced applications
  2. Case Discussions

Topic 8: Physical Medicine

Level One**

  1. Basic spine and joint manipulation
    1. Cervical, thoracic, costal, lumbar, sacral, sacro-iliac
    2. Extremities
  2. Basic Cranial Techniques
    1. CST
  3. Intro to Biopuncture/Needling techniques

Level Two

  1. Non-force manipulation techniques
    1. basics of massage, trigger pts
    2. strain / counter strain
    3. Bowen Method
  2. Kinesiotaping
  3. Intermediate Cranial Technique
    1. BCT

Level Three

  1. Advanced Cranial Technique
    1. NCR
    2. Biodynamic Cranial Techniques
  2. Application
    1. case discussions
    2. Acute vs chronic M/S concerns
    3. Developing treatment plans

Topic 9: Emunctorology

Level One**

  1. Cleansing/Fasting
  2. Detoxification
  3. Specific detoxification (ie: heavy metals)

Level Two

  1. Drainage Remedies
  2. Homeopathics
  3. Tissue Salts
  4. Enzyme Induction

Level Three

  1. Sauna/Steam
  2. Salt room
  3. Balneotherapy

Topic 10: Intention

Level One**

  1. Doctor patient relationship
  2. Empowering patients to continue optimum healthy living/general health guidelines
    1. rest, sleep, exercise, mental attitude, stress management
  3. How to “live” with nature? bringing nature into life, air, light, water, earth/plants
  4. Therapeutic thought (Lindlahr, Bruce Lipton, Candace Pert)

Level Two

  1. Spiritual aspects of Healing, belief in healing, higher power as it relates to ability to heal
  2. Law of Attraction: Power of positive intention, positive thought
  3. Intention of touch, healing touch with manual techniques (Bowen, trigger pt)
  4. Prayer/Meditation, Science of meditation

Level Three

  1. Mental/Emotional healing techniques
    1. NET
    2. Touch for Health
    3. Cranio-Sacral
    4. Homeopathy
  2. Clearing mental/emotional blockage
  3. Creation, manifestation
  4. Cosmic Consciousness

* Vital Gathering I

** Vital Gathering II