Immune Advanced Practice Module 2019 (APM)

Immune Advanced Practice Module 2019 (APM) is organized by The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and will be held from Feb 10 - 12, 2019 at Loews Atlanta Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 17 CME Credits.

Course Description :
It is estimated that 25 million to 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases. Functional Medicine teaches that immune imbalance, while often resulting from a genetic disposition, will generally arise in the context of one or more of the following: the habitual consumption of a proinflammatory diet; food allergies and intolerances; microbial infections; hormonal imbalances; nutritional insufficiencies; and xenobiotic exposure.

Nearly 100 different diseases have been classified as autoimmune in nature, with 40 more suspected. While these conditions tend to be viewed as separate entities, a broader perspective may reveal that shared mechanisms are the underlying cause of these maladies. It is abundantly clear that environmental factors have important parts to play in the underlying etiology. In rheumatoid arthritis, for instance, genetic factors have been shown to be responsible for less than 50% of the risk. This means that environmental factors-and gene-environment interactions-must play a significant role. Despite this understanding, less attention has been focused on determining these other important causal factors.

This course will focus on chronic inflammation, systemic influences on the immune system, and the consequent dysfunction that may ensue. The Immune APM will supply you with an in-depth understanding of underlying immune mechanisms and enable you to develop effective interventions even in the absence of a conventional diagnosis.

Course Objectives :
• Recognize patterns of chronic inflammation or immune dysfunction that will help guide overall evaluation and treatment of patients.
• Broadly understand the physiology and pathophysiology associated with inflammation and immune dysregulation and their associations with systemic disease.
• Elicit and recognize important history and physical exam findings associated with immune dysregulation and inflammation so as to counsel patients appropriately on evaluation and treatment options.
• Evaluate and recognize the most important underlying antecedents, triggers, and mediators of immune dysfunction and inflammation.
• Reframe the patient’s story in the context of the Functional Medicine Matrix Model and a patient-centered assessment, with incorporation of the concepts of antecedents, triggers, and mediators.
• Learn how to evaluate the most useful and reliable laboratory tests associated with immune dysfunction and inflammation.
• Develop and organize individual treatment protocols that include dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and botanical treatments.

Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.