Have you ever wondered about the health claims of various foods? We’ve all been told that spicy foods alleviate congestion and carrots improve eyesight. But, can artichokes heal an inflamed gut? What about pumpkins for acne? Can limes prevent cholera? Or can chocolate reduce hypertension? According to clinical studies, each of those questions can be answered yes!
While countless books and programs exist to tell us how to eat and which diets are ideal, most ignore the additional healing benefits of many real foods. The notion of food as medicine is typically only referring to prevention, but extends much further. Food really can be used as medicine. The Pharmacology of Food focuses on the healing, medicinal actions of over 100 foods that are unrelated to basic nutrition or vitamin/mineral content. Learn about the chemical compounds that naturally occur in food and how those impact the body and different health conditions.
The Pharmacology of Food includes 17 units, a textbook and a food encyclopedia (both pictured above), plus The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread, all full student benefits and discounts, and 12 months of access to our online learning center. Full enrollment cost will be $345.
Upon admission, each student will receive:
- The Pharmacology of Food textbook
- The Pharmacology of Food Encyclopedia of Food
- The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread
- 12 months of access to the Online Learning Center, which includes the student forum and self testing center
- Discounted admission to all Vintage Remedies events (25% off)
- Discounts on all Vintage Remedies products
- 25% off at Mountain Rose Herbs throughout enrollment
- 10% off at From Nature With Love throughout enrollment
- 20% off pure, organic essential oils from J&M Botanicals throughout enrollment
Q: Is the material in this course found in another program?
A: No, the material in this course is separate from all of our other courses. If you've taken other courses with us, there will not be any overlapping units. The food sections of our other courses focus on nutrition based prevention; this program does not cover nutrition and only covers the medicinal uses of food.
Q: What nutritional approach do you take? OR I follow a (paleo/WAP/vegan/etc) diet; is this compatable?
A: This course focuses exclusively on the pharmacology of food, so it does not teach or follow any dietary guidelines, aside from the avoidance of processed foods. Therefore, it is compatable with any current diet, food allergy, or other special dietary needs. It does not teach routine dietary choices, instead treating food literally as medicine. With each listing, there are multiple treatment choices, so the course is perfect for anyone on any dietary plan! For example, the program will teach about the clinical studies that show that cocoa can play a role in the treatment of hypertension. If you have allergies to chocolate, or simply prefer to avoid chocolate, you can choose from the multiple other foods that also play a role in treating hypertension.
Q: Are there upgrade discounts for current students?
A: As all of the material in this program is new, there are not any discounts for overlapping units. It is not an upgrade or introductory program for any of our other courses, so it stands alone.
The Pharmacology of Food Course Outline
1. History of Nutritional Healing - We’ve all heard the quote, “Let your food be your medicine,” but how have our ancestors throughout history viewed healing with food? In this unit, you’ll learn the history of healing through food, beyond your grandmother’s chicken soup to the healing secrets of the ancients.
2. Introduction to the Pharmacology of Food - Most of the focus on healing food is related to specialty diets, regular daily intake of healthy foods, or the use of food as a preventative. This course goes beyond those basics to focus on the use of food as healing agents. This unit provides the foundation for the study of food as medicine.
3. Food Chemistry - Every item on our plate contains numerous tiny chemicals that
contribute to health or healing in some form or another. This unit covers those compounds and their medicinal benefits.
4. Medicinal Actions - This unit covers the terminology used to describe the actions of the various compounds that are found within foods. These terms and definitions are covered in this unit.
5. Medicinal Benefits of Macronutrients - There are three macronutrients within food: fats, carbohydrates, and protein. In addition to their nutritional benefits, these substances can provide medicinal benefits to the body. This unit explores the various types of macronutrients and how they impact the body from a medicinal perspective.
6. Medicinal Benefits of Vitamins - Does vitamin C really treat a cold? Can vitamin D cure fatigue? Countless medicinal benefits have been attributed to vitamins, but what does the evidence say? In this unit, you’ll learn which medicinal benefits are actually offered by vitamins, based upon the latest scientific evidence.
7. Medicinal Benefits of Minerals - This unit is similar to unit 6, but covers the minerals found within foods. For example, can zinc really cure a cold? In this unit, you’ll learn which medicinal benefits are actually offered by minerals, based upon the latest scientific evidence.
8. Materia Medica I - This unit covers the evidence-based medicinal benefits of 20 foods. You will study the origins of the food, medicinal actions with clinical references, indications that benefit from the use of this food, and contraindications for the medicinal use of this food. A total of 102 foods are studied in units 8-12.
9. Materia Medica II
10. Materia Medica III
11. Materia Medica IV
12. Materia Medica V
13. Healing with Food I - Each healing with food unit covers everything you need to know about prevention and healing with medicinal foods. You’ll study the impact of common illnesses, prevention measures, and food-based treatments. Each listing also includes recipes that combine healing foods for each health concern. Over 50 health concerns are covered in units 13-15.
14. Healing with Food II
15. Healing with Food III
16. The Truth About Bread - Bread has been villianized in many current health books, but it provided the bulk of the diet for our ancestors. How did they not only survive but thrive on this substance? In this unit, you will study the history of bread, scientific changes that have taken place in bread baking over the last several years, and how scientists have used ancient techniques to produce wheat bread that is low glycemic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, nutritious, and even gluten free!
17. Environmental Concerns and Sustainability - This unit covers the issues surrounding healing with modern foods. How does processing or genetic modification affect the healing abilities of food? How is sustainability linked to the use of healing foods? In this unit, you will study the impact of the global food supply and how it relates to the food on your table.