Alternative Medicine Course

Lesson 1 • Major Healing Traditions Overview

Surveys Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, naturopathy, and homeopathy. Prepares students to study each system in depth later.

Lesson 2 • Defining Alternative Medicine

Clarifies terminology: alternative, complementary, integrative, and holistic medicine. Provides the conceptual baseline for all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory and Ethical Landscape

Introduces practitioner licensing, scope of practice, and patient safety standards. Establishes ethical responsibilities carried through all applied chapters.

Lesson 4 • Core Philosophical Principles

Examines vitalism, holism, and self-healing as foundational concepts. Links philosophy to clinical reasoning used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Physiology and Homeostasis

Covers regulatory mechanisms, stress response, and adaptive physiology. Explains why restoring balance is central to alternative interventions.

Lesson 2 • Holistic Health Assessment Basics

Introduces intake interviews, constitutional typing, and symptom pattern analysis. Prepares students for the diagnostic methods taught in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Mind-Body Interactions

Examines psychoneuroimmunology and the physiological impact of emotions. Grounds mind-body therapies in measurable biological mechanisms.

Lesson 4 • Anatomy Essentials for Practitioners

Reviews organ systems, tissues, and body regions relevant to alternative practice. Bridges conventional anatomy with holistic assessment frameworks.

Lesson 1 • Herb-Drug Interactions

Identifies major interaction mechanisms and high-risk herb-drug combinations. Builds safety reasoning essential for integrative clinical practice.

Lesson 2 • Botanical Identification and Safety

Covers plant taxonomy, identification markers, and toxicology basics. Ensures safe sourcing and use before any formulation work begins.

Lesson 3 • Herbal Preparations and Dosing

Teaches tinctures, decoctions, infusions, poultices, and capsule preparation. Establishes dosing principles applied in clinical formulation exercises.

Lesson 4 • Evidence-Based Herbal Prescribing

Applies clinical research to select herbs for common conditions. Integrates evidence appraisal skills with traditional knowledge frameworks.

Lesson 1 • TCM Herbal Formulas and Adjunct Therapies

Introduces classical formulas, modification principles, moxibustion, and cupping. Expands treatment options beyond needling for comprehensive TCM practice.

Lesson 2 • Acupuncture Points and Meridians

Maps major meridians and key acupoints with their indications and needling parameters. Prepares students for safe needling technique practice.

Lesson 3 • TCM Theory and Cosmology

Covers yin-yang, five elements, and qi-blood-fluid theory as diagnostic foundations. Establishes the theoretical lens for all TCM clinical sections.

Lesson 4 • TCM Diagnosis Methods

Teaches the four examinations: inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Develops pattern differentiation skills used in treatment planning.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Ayurveda and Naturopathy

Identifies conceptual overlaps and practical synergies between both systems. Students build combined treatment plans for common chronic conditions.

Lesson 2 • Ayurvedic Constitution and Diagnosis

Teaches prakriti and vikriti assessment through pulse, tongue, and observation. Establishes the individualised diagnostic foundation of Ayurvedic practice.

Lesson 3 • Ayurvedic Diet and Lifestyle Protocols

Covers food qualities, seasonal routines, and dinacharya daily practices. Translates Ayurvedic theory into actionable patient lifestyle recommendations.

Lesson 4 • Panchakarma and Cleansing Therapies

Explains the five purification procedures and preparatory oleation and sweating therapies. Prepares students to guide patients through detoxification protocols.

Lesson 1 • Reflexology and Zone Therapy

Maps reflex zones of the feet, hands, and ears to corresponding body systems. Develops assessment and treatment skills using zone therapy maps.

Lesson 2 • Clinical Application and Safety

Integrates intake assessment, treatment planning, and post-session evaluation for manual therapies. Reinforces professional safety standards across all modalities.

Lesson 3 • Deep Tissue and Myofascial Techniques

Teaches cross-fibre friction, trigger point release, and fascial unwinding methods. Builds advanced manual skills for musculoskeletal and pain conditions.

Lesson 4 • Massage Therapy Fundamentals

Covers effleurage, petrissage, friction, and tapotement strokes and their physiological effects. Establishes foundational manual skills for all bodywork sections.

Lesson 1 • Designing Wellness Programmes

Integrates mind-body tools into structured 8–12 week wellness programme frameworks. Students produce a complete programme plan as a capstone deliverable.

Lesson 2 • Meditation and Mindfulness Practices

Covers focused attention, open monitoring, and loving-kindness meditation with clinical applications. Builds practitioner competency to teach and prescribe meditation.

Lesson 3 • Yoga Therapy Principles

Applies therapeutic yoga postures, sequencing, and modifications for clinical populations. Distinguishes yoga therapy from general yoga instruction.

Lesson 4 • Breathwork and Pranayama

Teaches diaphragmatic breathing, alternate nostril, and coherent breathing techniques. Links breath regulation to autonomic nervous system balance.

Lesson 1 • Complex and Chronic Case Management

Applies integrative protocols to chronic pain, autoimmune, and metabolic case studies. Builds clinical confidence through supervised complex case analysis.

Lesson 2 • Treatment Planning and Protocols

Builds individualised, phased treatment plans with measurable outcomes and review timelines. Applies evidence and tradition to structured clinical decision-making.

Lesson 3 • Practice Management and Professional Growth

Covers clinic setup, documentation systems, continuing education, and professional identity. Equips graduates to launch and sustain an ethical alternative medicine practice.

Lesson 4 • Interprofessional Collaboration

Covers referral protocols, co-management communication, and shared care documentation. Prepares students to work effectively within multidisciplinary health teams.