Sharing a full review of my experience completing the Integrative Health Practitioner Level 2 course. You can read about my level 1 experience here! If you’re interested in getting certified, check out the details here and use code FITNESSISTA for up to $250 off.
Hi friends! How are you this morning? I’m going to a Pilates class later today and have a few coaching calls. Today I want to talk about my IHP certification and the process of becoming a certified health coach if you are interested!
Integrative Health Practitioner Level 2 Certification Review
After over 100 hours of coursework, continuing education, and some very challenging testing, I am now a Level 2 Integrative Health Practitioner. I am extremely excited to add Functional Medicine Labs to my current offerings, share them with clients, and use them for myself and our family. The timing is also interesting, especially considering my sudden eye problems and previous autoimmune symptoms. I’m working with my medical team while also doing my best to get my body back into balance. <3
While I loved Level 1 of the Integrative Health Practitioner program, Level 2 was everything I had been looking for and more. I couldn’t wait to learn the material every day, and in every module I thought, this is exactly what I want to learn. This is how I want to help my clients. I am excited to be certified as a health coach.
Here is a list of other fitness/wellness certification programs I have completed: Precision Nutrition Level 1, NASM Personal Trainer, NASM Weight Loss Specialist, NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, Les Mills BODYPUMP, Zumba and Aqua Zumba, Barre Body, Schwinn , Yoga RTY-200 hours, Level 1 Raw Food Chef and AFAA Group Fitness Instructor. I want to continue learning as much as I can and my next step will be to focus on High Performance Health Certification.
Here are the differences between Level 2 and Level 1:
IHP Level 1 focuses on Dr. Stephen Cabral’s DESTRESS protocol (diet, exercise, stress management, detoxification, rest, emotional balance, supplementation), and Level 2 is purely based on functional labs. We learned about specific home lab tests, how to run them, and how to analyze the results and recommend options. Everything is taught by Dr. Cabral himself and I love the way he presents complex information and makes it easy to understand and implement. In my opinion, his real world clinical experience is invaluable.
You can view my review of the Integrative Health Practitioner Level 1 certification here .
Here is the lab where I learned how to read:
food sensitivity testing
This test shows your IgG response to 190 foods on a scale from not significant to high. An IgG reaction is a sensitivity, not an allergy, and represents a delayed reaction to a food. This may include headaches, itching, moodiness, irritability, joint pain, muscle weakness and rashes.
Stool testing for parasites and bacteria
The test looks at key gut bacteria and parasite markers that can lead to health problems such as body aches, brain fog, low energy and headaches.
Organic Acids (Metabolism and Minerals):
Complete Candida, metabolic and vitamin testing provides an accurate assessment of intestinal yeast and bacteria. Abnormally high levels of these microorganisms can cause or worsen behavioral disorders, ADHD, movement disorders, fatigue, and immune function. Many people with chronic illnesses and neurological disorders often excrete several abnormal organic acids.
(The picture above shows my personal test results)
Omega 3:
Many people understand the importance of controlling inflammation in the body. But here’s the thing, not too many of us actually take the time to examine our Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratios to see how balanced we really are. That’s where this specialized lab test comes in, allowing us to truly understand our overall health.
Now, here’s a very startling fact: Studies show that if your blood levels of Omega-3 are 9% or higher, your chance of sudden cardiac death drops by a whopping 90%. This is a surprising statistic because it tells us that just looking at plaque or cholesterol levels doesn’t give us the full picture. What really matters is whether our arteries are able to dilate properly, which largely depends on inflammation, which is often caused by having too many Omega-6s.
Therefore, the idea is to increase Omega-3 levels to balance them with Omega-6. Not only is this good for our heart health, but it also has a positive impact on our overall health. Additionally, the same test can be very helpful in addressing muscle and joint pain, skin problems, neurological issues, energy levels, mood, and more.
Adrenal hormones:
In addition to cortisol patterns throughout the day, the lab also tests estrogen and progesterone levels and their relationship to each other.
Thyroid adrenaline hormones:
This is the same as the adrenal hormone lab, including testosterone, DHEA, thyroid levels (T4, T3, TSH, TPO antibodies), insulin and A1C, and vitamin D. Weight loss has less to do with the amount of calories you eat or the amount of exercise you do, and more to do with hormonal balance, cortisol levels, and metabolism. By looking at hidden inflammatory triggers and hormonal imbalances, we can discover factors in the body that may need to be rebalanced.
HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis):
This is an amazing basic lab that can be easily tested with just a hair sample. Your mineral levels include electrolytes, which provide you with the energy you need to get through a busy day and buffer you from the effects of stress. It contains minerals, electrolytes and toxic metals that can indicate how your body responds to stress and whether you are a slow or fast oxidizer.
These laboratories are not designed to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease; however, they can provide you with unique information about your body.
Study the IHP2 course materials:
When I go through these materials, I want to be on top of everything. I realized about 2/3 of the way through that if I kept doing this I would never complete the certification because you can always learn these topics. You can also choose a test and spend the rest of your life studying for that specific test. I also realized that the best way to master the material is to just do it!
It took me several months to complete this certification, and I’m continuing to learn by actually reading test results. Every time I get results, I re-watch the mod as I go through each mark. That way, I can really ingrain it into my brain and I’ll continue with podcasts, books, and continuing education.
How you can set yourself up for success:
Dr. Cabral provides the exact protocols and handouts he uses with clients, which makes it easy to provide resources along the way. I love that they are constantly adding new information, handouts, and mods to the platform! They also hold frequent Q&A calls on Zoom, and our private Facebook group is another helpful resource.
How to become a certified health coach:
If you have that voice in your head that says maybe this is for you, then I highly recommend the IHP program.I will definitely do level 1 and Level 2, especially if you want the ability to read functional labs. You also don’t need to currently work in the health and wellness field to become an IHP. We have many IHPs starting new careers because it is something they are passionate about! IHP also has a large staff of physical therapists, nurses, doctors, personal trainers and dental professionals.
The mission behind IHP is to empower you to heal yourself and continue to heal your loved ones. And help the people you care about live their healthiest, most energetic lives. This is what I most want to do. As I embark on my own healing journey, I feel extra grateful for this knowledge. I have been able to add a new dimension to my 1:1 coaching and also work with family and friends.
After completing Level 2 certification, you must purchase your own insurance in order to be tested. I purchased my insurance through Alternative Balance and it was fairly easy to set up. My wellness clients are mostly virtual, with a few in-person clients.
If you have any questions about the IHP program, please let me know and I’ll be happy to answer your questions! Additionally, you can use my link and code FITNESSISTA to get up to $250 off.
So, tell me, friends: have you ever done functional testing? how’s it going? ? ? I’ll be sharing some of my personal testing results in an upcoming post!
XOXO
Gina