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If you’re not currently paying attention to your client’s menstrual cycle health you’re missing crucial information that could help you support them. Whether you’re working with fertility clients or working with women who are simply seeking to attain optimal health, the menstrual cycle is an important vital sign we should all be paying attention to.

In this 90-minute webinar led by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, FAE, HRHP, and author of The Fifth Vital Sign, you’ll learn what factors constitute a normal menstrual cycle, the main fertile signs we all should be paying attention to, and a variety of important health-related information we can glean from fertility awareness cycle charting.

Learn why healthy, ovulatory menstrual cycles are important for optimal health, and how hormonal birth control interferes with that natural process.

This webinar discusses some important research into the role of micronutrients to support cycle health and the detrimental effects of hormonal birth control on micronutrient status.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• The most common myths about the menstrual cycle
• Why we should consider the menstrual cycle with regular ovulation an important vital sign of health
• A brief overview of the ovarian hormone cycle that governs the menstrual cycle
• The normal parameters of a healthy menstrual cycle and a healthy menstrual period (note that your “period” is not your menstrual cycle!)
• The important role of cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and cervical position in fertility awareness cycle charting
• The various types of cervical mucus and the role they play in conception and natural birth control (plus, nutritional factors that can impact cervical mucus quality)
• How menstrual cycle tracking can be used as a diagnostic tool to identify various health-related issues
• How hormonal birth control can negatively impact fertility, micronutrient status, and overall health

About the presenter:

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who teaches women to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control, conception, and monitoring overall health. In her books, The Fifth Vital Sign and the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook, Lisa debunks the myth that regular ovulation is only important when you want children, by recognizing the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Drawing heavily from the current scientific literature, Lisa presents an evidence-based approach to fertility awareness and menstrual cycle optimization. She hosts the Fertility Friday Podcast, a weekly radio show devoted to helping women connect to their fifth vital sign by uncovering the connection between menstrual cycle health, fertility, and overall health. With well over a million downloads, Fertility Friday is the #1 source for information about fertility awareness, and menstrual cycle health, connecting women around the world with their cycles and their fertility — something our education systems have consistently failed to do. When she’s not researching, writing, and interviewing health professionals, you’ll find her spending time with her husband and her two sons. To learn more, visit fertilityfriday.com.

Do you struggle with how to best counsel clients on challenging topics or navigate sticky situations? We’ve been there too. In fact, these situations arise often when working in private practice.

In part 2 of our “Deep Dive Discussion” series on counseling challenges, we’ll be tackling the following common questions/scenarios:

• How do you guide clients who say they “just want a meal plan”?
• What do you do when your client is working with one (or more) other providers that are giving conflicting information or who disagree with your approach?
• What do you for the client who comes to you with menstrual cycle issues and has no lab data (functional or conventional)?

The legalization of marijuana across the United States, Canada, and around the globe have exposed both practitioners and consumers alike to the healing power of the cannabis plant. Cannabis refers to both marijuana and hemp. Marijuana contains > 0.3% THC—the cannabinoid that has psychedelic properties—while hemp contains < 0.3% THC.

Though THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has historically been the most well-known component of the cannabis plant, CBD has usurped THC as the most talked-about cannabinoid—and, for good reason. CBD, or cannabidiol, is the cannabinoid in the cannabis plant that is currently known to confer the primary medicinal benefit. Unlike THC, CBD does not have psychedelic properties, meaning the use of CBD does not result in the person getting “high.”

As a healing plant, both medical marijuana and hemp-derived CBD are poised to be primary players in the toolbox of dietitians/nutritionists and other healthcare practitioners despite the barriers to research because of the Schedule 1 status of marijuana, and until recently, the U.S. Farm Bill.  

In addition to cannabinoids, the cannabis plant contains terpenoids and a number of other naturally-occurring bioactive compounds, which interact synergistically to create an “entourage effect.” Coined by the neurologist and cannabis researcher Ethan Russo, the entourage effect can be theoretically applied to all plants—meaning that plants contain multiple compounds that work together to impart a benefit at the cellular level. By looking at cannabis as a whole plant, it is possible to recognize how its multitude of cannabinoids and terpenoids work together to confer health benefits via the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Because the endocannabinoid system interacts with nearly every system in the body, the health and wellness of women throughout the lifecycle can be intimately impacted by both endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids contained in the cannabis plant.

Common health issues such as anxiety and insomnia plus health diagnoses including PMS, endometriosis, infertility, migraine, menopause, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s can be impacted by the body’s ECS and cannabis. This presentation will help practitioners better understand the potential use of cannabis in clinical practice, the endocannabinoid system, and how this applies to women’s health.

In this 90-minute webinar, taught by a registered dietitian and cannabis expert, Laura Lagano, MS, RDN, CDN, you’ll learn:

• The basics of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and the allosteric mechanism by which CBD works in the body.
• The key ways in which the ECS, endocannabinoids, and phytocannabinoids interact intimately with women’s reproductive systems.
• Conditions where cannabis may confer benefits for women specifically.
• How nutrition interacts with cannabinoids and the ECS for health and wellness.
• The number of ways in which cannabis and its cannabinoids are part of the healthcare practitioner’s toolbox.

A downloadable handout of this presentation’s slides are not available however, Laura mentions a number of cannabis/CBD educational resources she has available within her presentation.

Disclosure: The Women’s Health Nutrition Academy has no financial and/or any other ties to any CBD, cannabis, or other supplement brands that may be mentioned in, or in connection with this presentation. The information presented is intended for educational purposes for healthcare practitioners.  Additionally, we have collaborated with the presenter to offer a special Deep Dive Cannabis Education Course that expands on the content in this presentation. The Women’s Health Nutrition Academy will receive an affiliate commission for any purchases of this course.

About the Presenter, Laura Lagano, MS, RDN, CDN:

Laura Lagano is an Integrative Clinical Nutritionist with a private practice, author of The CBD Oil Miracle, co-founder, and education director of Holistic Cannabis Academy. Laura’s journey to cannabis was led by her dissatisfaction with what conventional healthcare had to offer her daughter, Isabella, who has a developmental disability. Isabella is now working and on her way to independent living thanks to integrative healing approaches, including nutrition and hemp-derived CBD oil.

Lagano holds a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from SUNY Oneonta and Master of Science in Nutrition Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is currently a doctoral candidate in Nutrition & Health Education. She is both a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist (New York State). She “upregulated” her nutrition knowledge with advanced training in clinical nutrition and biochemistry from the Institute of Functional Medicine, which enabled Laura to integrate her nutrition education skill set with functional medicine. Lagano provides integrative clinical nutrition services and cannabis/CBD coaching in her private practice, which focuses on gut, immune, adrenal, and brain health.

Always ahead of the curve, Laura offers deep-dive cannabis education for practitioners, dispensary workers, and patients, produces CBD-infused events, consults with cannabis-related companies, and serves on the advisory boards of both cannabis organizations. When not educating and consulting about nutrition, cannabis, and holistic healing, Laura can be found cooking for her family, exploring her hometown, and basking in her role as mother of three young adults and wife to a soccer-obsessed husband in Hoboken, NJ.

Do you struggle with how to best counsel clients on sensitive topics? We’ve been there too. In fact, these situations arise often when working within the infertility and prenatal arena. Questions such as:

• How do I best counsel a vegan/vegetarian client on prenatal nutrition?
• What do I do with clients struggling with body image and weight before and during pregnancy?
• How do I set realistic expectations for the timeline and results with my infertility clients?

Instead of dreading these conversations, or worse, avoiding having them at all, learn some proven strategies to confidently and accurately address these issues directly so you can help your clients achieve the best outcomes.

In this 1-hour deep-dive discussion, Lily Nichols, RD, CDE and Ayla Barmmer, MS, RD, LDN will tackle these questions and other counseling scenarios you are struggling with. Leave with tangible, practical tools to make your counseling easier and more effective.

Thank you to our sponsor, Simple Mills for making this Deep Dive Discussion available to participants at no cost.

Cost: $0

You are not enrolled in this course.

Many health professionals and public health campaigns cite that “breast milk is the perfect food” for infants, which is sometimes interpreted to mean that breast milk composition is fixed and not influenced by external factors, such as a mother’s diet.

Yet, even with all of its well-documented benefits, a growing body of research indicates that the nutritional content of breast milk is impacted by a mother’s diet and nutrient stores. This is of particular importance for those who have inadequate nutrient intake before, during, or after pregnancy.

As one researcher explains: “Any nutrient deficiency existing in pregnancy will ultimately be carried forward via lactation. It is a biological impossibility for a lactating woman to transfer nutrients via breast milk she does not have!” – Miriam Erick, RD, CDE, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

This provides an opportunity for nutrition professionals to help mothers and their breastfed infants optimize nutrient intake and long term health.

This webinar will take a closer look at the research on the nutritional variation in breast milk, nutrients that are affected by maternal intake, and strategies to boost the nutritional value to ensure breastfed infants receive adequate intake. Specific discussion of traditional nutrient-dense foods and their use cross-culturally will be highlighted.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• Nutrition for breastfeeding, covering both macro nutrients and micronutrients
• How maternal intake and nutrient status impacts the nutritional value of breast milk (which nutrients are affected by diet/supplements and which nutrients are not)
• Developmental risks for infants of exclusively breastfed mothers who are undernourished
• Practical strategies to support breastfeeding mothers with nutrient-dense foods and/or appropriate supplementation

You are not enrolled in this course.

The miracle of growing and birthing a human being is arguably the most “nutritionally expensive” task in a woman’s lifetime. With so much attention placed on prenatal nutrition, there’s surprisingly little discussion of postpartum nutrient needs.

Nutrients are preferentially transferred to the baby throughout pregnancy and continue at a rapid pace in mothers who breastfeed. Even in mothers who do not breastfeed, ample nutrients are needed for healing from childbirth (particularly if there are perineal tears or surgical wounds), to account for blood loss (from birth and lochia), to support uterine remodeling as it shrinks back to its prepregnancy size, and to support connective tissue and skin elasticity.

For those who plan to have more children—particularly if they desire closely spaced pregnancies—repleting nutrient stores is of vital importance to ensure optimal pregnancy outcomes.

This webinar will explore the rationale for postpartum nutrient repletion and tie together what we know from both modern research and the postpartum practices of traditional cultures.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• Physiology of postpartum recovery
• Nutrients and foods to emphasize to support recovery and replenish nutrient stores
• Postpartum practices from across the globe with special emphasis on the nutritional rationale of recommended foods
• Brief discussion of breastfeeding nutrition (this is the sole focus of a separate, in-depth webinar)
• Lab tests to assess nutritional status & supplements to consider
• Return to exercise/movement, including considerations for pelvic floor recovery
• Postpartum weight loss and body image
• Pregnancy spacing — considerations from research studies and traditional cultures
• Role of nutritional status on mental & emotional health

You are not enrolled in this course.

The highly debatable term “detox” is one that often makes health professionals cringe as it has become one of the most popular and ubiquitous terms used to market fad diets in recent years. However, beyond the hype there is a complex physiology to our body’s detoxification system that should be supported through diet and lifestyle to help prevent a huge array of health conditions.

For women, detoxification plays a critical role in reproductive health and is often a contributing factor in infertility, estrogen-dominant cancers, endometriosis, menstrual cycle issues and more.

Toxic burden from diet and environmental stressors, individual genetics, a compromised digestive system and nutrient deficiencies can all influence the type and amount of support an individual may need.

In this 90-minute webinar led by Ayla Barmmer, MS, RD, LDN, you’ll explore detoxification with a special emphasis on how it relates to women’s health. Learn the ways in which our body handles toxins, factors that contribute to toxic burden, and how to support our body’s natural detoxification system through diet and lifestyle.

Like all of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy courses, you’ll find practical strategies to use with your clients in practice right away!

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How the body’s detoxification systems functions
• Which genetic, diet and lifestyle factors put women at risk for poor detoxification
• The ways in which detoxification impacts reproductive health
• How to choose evidenced-based detoxification support methods

You are not enrolled in this course.

Prenatal nutrition and gestational diabetes has been my specialty for most of my career as a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator. My work in this field has spanned from nutrition public policy to clinical practice to consulting to research.

In these roles, it became clear that the conventional prenatal dietary advice (in other words, U.S. government dietary guidelines) does not reflect the latest scientific evidence, nor does it provide equivalent nutritional value when compared to the diets consumed by traditional cultures.

I was dismayed when following these guidelines that a large proportion of my clients with gestational diabetes “failed diet therapy,” but I had to wonder…

Did they “fail diet therapy” or did diet therapy fail them?

After extensive research, I developed my real food approach for managing gestational diabetes, which is lower in carbohydrates and more nutrient-dense than conventional recommendations. In using this approach clinically, my patients experienced better blood sugar control, fewer complications, and had healthier infants overall.

Specifically, the percentage of women requiring medication to manage their blood sugar was cut in half, rates of related complications (like preeclampsia) plummeted, prenatal weight gain stayed within expected ranges in almost all cases, and rates of birth complications related to gestational diabetes (C-sections, macrosomia, shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycemia, and NICU admissions) became rare. Moreover, my clients were happier with what they were eating (no obsessive counting, less hunger, and better tasting food), they felt empowered to manage their blood sugar, and many continued eating this way after pregnancy.

This webinar will guide clinicians through my real food approach to managing gestational diabetes with insight and clinical pearls not found in either of my books (Real Food for Gestational Diabetes and Real Food for Pregnancy). 

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• • What gestational diabetes really is (the physiology, the implications, the impact)
  • Why maintaining normoglycemia is so crucial during pregnancy (and how current glycemic targets compare to optimal values)
  • Conventional medical nutrition therapy for GDM versus a real food approach
  • The truth about low-carb diets and ketosis in pregnancy
  • How to customize meal plans for clients (sorry, no one-size-fits-all here)
  • Clinical pearls on managing fasting blood sugar (what to try before opting for medication)
  • And much, much, much more…

BONUS:

You’ll also receive a patient handout for use in gestational diabetes nutrition education (no need for you to recreate the wheel)

You are not enrolled in this course.

Nutrition and lifestyle factors play a critical role for both women and men in the 4 months prior to conceiving. During this timeframe, as eggs and sperm develop and mature, they are especially vulnerable to inadequate nutrition, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors. Not only does this reduce the chances of conceiving, it plays a role in the epigenetic programming that will affect the health of the baby and potentially future generations.

If you are working with patients who have age-related infertility, recurrent miscarriage, failed IVF cycles, or unexplained infertility, you don’t want to miss this webinar. With targeted nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, you can help individuals and couples break the painful cycle of infertility and also help influence the health of future generations!

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• The importance of preconception planning with targeted diet and lifestyle changes in the 4 months prior to conceiving can help improve fertility, prevent miscarriage and pregnancy complications
• The role of epigenetics in both fertility and pregnancy outcomes
• How to influence the proper development of egg and sperm with nutrition and lifestyle recommendations
• How to identify potential egg and sperm quality issues
• Interventions for women trying to conceive who are over 40 years old and/or with premature ovarian insufficiency
  

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  You are not enrolled in this course.

  
  

A potential client calls to make an appointment because she has been struggling to conceive and she wonders if her diet and lifestyle could be playing a role…

You know that diet and lifestyle influence reproductive function but can you help her? Where do you even start?

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How to walk through a comprehensive assessment for infertility cases (bonus: attendees will get a copy of the assessment form I use with clients in practice so there is no need to reinvent the wheel)
• Questions to ask clients to get at the root cause of their fertility issues
• Counseling strategies & common pitfalls
• How to prioritize and develop a plan of action

Feel confident in your approach to these cases with tools you can use right away!

You are not enrolled in this course.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in a mother’s health and the development of her baby. This peculiar nutrient (technically a hormone, not a vitamin) warrants our attention during pregnancy, where research has shown it can have a profound influence on rates of pregnancy complications, preterm birth, and baby’s lifelong health (#epigenetics).

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How vitamin D metabolism shifts during pregnancy
• Risk factors and prevalence of vitamin D deficiency
• Current research on vitamin D & pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and more
• The rationale for normalizing vitamin D levels during pregnancy (and research on what “normal” vitamin D levels really are)
• Optimal levels of supplementation and how they compare to current guidelines
• Practical application of this information: What does it mean for you and your clients?

You are not enrolled in this course.

It has now been well established that one of the primary causes of cancers in hormone-dependent tissues, as well as many other hormone-related health conditions and symptoms, is excessive exposure to endogenous and exogenous sources of estrogen. What you may not know is that nutrition and lifestyle interventions can alter estrogen metabolism and ultimately reduce estrogen load in a number of ways, making them a powerful disease prevention tool!

Understanding estrogen metabolism allows you to help at-risk women significantly reduce their risk for breast, ovarian and uterine cancer, manage endometriosis, have healthier, comfortable menstrual cycles and much more.

Like all of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy courses, you’ll find practical strategies to use with your clients in practice right away!

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How to identify excess estrogen through both clinical assessment and through functional lab testing
• How estrogen is metabolized by the body*
• The most effective, evidence based nutrition and lifestyle interventions for reducing estrogen load and improving estrogen metabolism
• How to use Precision Analytical DUTCH testing to analyze estrogen metabolism in your patients
• A decision-making framework for using nutrition and lifestyle interventions including dietary supplements

*This webinar will be a deep dive into estrogen metabolism specifically. Therefore, it’s recommended that you watch Detoxification and its Role in Women’s Health first to get a broader understanding of detoxification.

You are not enrolled in this course.