6 African courses in Sheffield delivered Live Online

READ AND DISCUSS THIS UPLIFTING STORY ABOUT THE FIRST (AND BEST!) FEMALE PRIVATE DETECTIVE IN BOTSWANA   HIGHLIGHTS * Develop your English by reading and speaking about this fun, lively book * 5 hours of live classes to help your spoken fluency and accuracy in English * Read this light, engaging story and discover Africa and African culture * Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 5 week upper intermediate book club course using the first book in the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel.  Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. THE BOOK CLUB BOOK This book follows the story of Precious Ramotswe who has just started as Botswana's first and only lady private detective.  We follow her solving a number of cases - a missing husband, a con man, a problem daughter, and most of all the case of a missing eleven-year-old boy.  This is a charming book -  a light, comfort read set in Africa, and offering a glimpse into Botswanan life and culture.  Among the greatest comfort-reads of all time ― Sunday Times The Miss Marple of Botswana ― New York Times Book Review A rare pleasure ― Daily Telegraph A publishing phenomenon ― Guardian Geoff says: > "This is a best selling and much beloved series of books, and the first novel > is great - introducing us to a wonderful character in Precious Ramotswe.

READ AND DISCUSS THIS UPLIFTING STORY ABOUT THE FIRST (AND BEST!) FEMALE PRIVATE DETECTIVE IN BOTSWANA   HIGHLIGHTS * Develop your English by reading and speaking about this fun, lively book * 5 hours of live classes to help your spoken fluency and accuracy in English * Read this light, engaging story and discover Africa and African culture * Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 5 week upper intermediate book club course using the first book in the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel.  Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. THE BOOK CLUB BOOK This book follows the story of Precious Ramotswe who has just started as Botswana's first and only lady private detective.  We follow her solving a number of cases - a missing husband, a con man, a problem daughter, and most of all the case of a missing eleven-year-old boy.  This is a charming book -  a light, comfort read set in Africa, and offering a glimpse into Botswanan life and culture.  Among the greatest comfort-reads of all time ― Sunday Times The Miss Marple of Botswana ― New York Times Book Review A rare pleasure ― Daily Telegraph A publishing phenomenon ― Guardian Geoff says: > "This is a best selling and much beloved series of books, and the first novel > is great - introducing us to a wonderful character in Precious Ramotswe.

ABOUT THIS TRAINING A variety of factors such as prices for crude oil and natural gas, liability exposure, and relations with host countries, present an opportunity for investors looking to acquire assets without taking on elements of exploration and market risk. Conversely, operators want to ensure that they are in the best position to monetise the disposal of interests in their portfolios. The material in this course covers the range of considerations that occur in the sale and purchase of upstream oil and gas properties. They include structuring (asset sale, share transfer, merger, interest swaps, and farm-outs), process (tender, direct negotiation, due diligence, preliminary and final agreements, closing and post-closing adjustments) and how funding is structured (credit agreements and reserve base lending). Training Objectives Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: * Plan and prepare for the sale or purchase of upstream oil and gas properties * Select and structure the type of transaction best suit to the position of the Buyer and Seller * Conduct and evaluate the commercial, operational, and legal aspects of due diligence * Negotiate and document the terms and conditions contained in sale and purchase agreements for oil and gas properties * Conduct post-closing adjustments in the sale and purchase of operating properties * Assist in the negotiation of credit arrangements to fund the purchase of oil and gas properties Target Audience This course has been specifically designed for commercial, operating, legal and financial professionals involved in the sale and purchase of upstream oil and gas properties whose roles include: * Conducting tenders for the sale of exploration and operating interests * Performing due diligence reviews * Negotiating preliminary and definitive agreements * Arranging credit agreements and other types of funding Course Level * Basic or Foundation Trainer Your expert course leader is an international legal expert in petroleum law who is based in Scotland. He received the degrees of Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming and LLM-Energy Law from the University of Utah. He has been listed in the Guide to the World's Leading Energy and Natural Resources Lawyers. In over 30 years of practice, he has been chief legal officer in petroleum companies, consultant to development banks and aid programmes, and law professor. His private sector experience included positions as General Counsel of the Petroleum Corporation of New Zealand and Chief Legal Officer for Sinclair Oil Corporation in the United States. He has been a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, The World Bank and the European Investment Bank on petroleum sector policy, gas sales agreements, and production sharing contracts. This has included assignments in Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Vietnam. Your expert course leader has been an adviser and trainer on negotiations for various petroleum companies including BP, BG Group, Gazprom, KazMunayGas, Perushaan Gas Negera, Pertamina, PETRONAS, Philippine National Oil Corporation, Total, Shell and Statoil. He was appointed by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as the lead negotiator on behalf of four West African governments for the West African Gas Pipeline Project. His academic credentials include an appointment as Distinguished Visiting Professor for Oil & Gas Law at the University of Wyoming. He is currently Honourary Professor for International Petroleum Law at the University of Dundee Centre for Energy, Petroleum & Mineral Law and Policy. At CEPMLP, he has been the Course Director and principal instructor for seminars on Petroleum Industry Negotiations, Petroleum Service Contracts, Gas Industry Contracts, and Downstream Petroleum Law. He is the course author of International Comparative Petroleum Law. His publications include A Framework for Negotiating and Documenting International Petroleum Transactions and A Framework for Negotiating and Managing Production Sharing Contracts and Related Agreements. His academic work has been published in the Land and Water Law Review, Tulsa Law Journal and Journal of Comparative and International Law. POST TRAINING COACHING SUPPORT (OPTIONAL) To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized 'One to One' coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster. Request for further information about post training coaching support and fees applicable for this. Accreditions And Affliations

ABOUT THIS TRAINING COURSE  This 3 full-day training course will introduce participants to the Microsoft Power BI® software solution for extracting, manipulating, visualising and analysing data. This is a very practical, hands-on course that takes participants through a series of exercises which help users understand the Power BI® environment, how to use the key areas of functionality, and how to apply the tools it contains to design and produce analyses of their own data. The first two days focus on learning the key concepts and practising these using clean, simple datasets. The third day provides participants with the opportunity to apply what they've learned to their own data. This makes the course far more relevant and meaningful for them, it allows our facilitator to help them structure their data models, queries and DAX formulas correctly, and it allows our facilitator to help them solve any additional problems that may arise but which were not covered as part of the standard the course. In addition, at the end of the day, each participant walks away with something of real, practical use for their job role. Many previous participants have remarked that they obtained the most value from the course during the third day because otherwise, they wouldn't be able to do what they need to do. This is an introductory course and although it does not assume any prior experience with Power BI®, participants will gain much more from the course if they have at least used Power BI® a little prior to attending. Participants who have taught themselves Power BI® will also benefit from attending as the course will fill-in a number of gaps in their knowledge and will also extend what they know. A general understanding of databases, Excel formulas, and Excel Pivot Tables is useful though not essential. Comprehensive course notes, exercises and completed solutions are included. Microsoft® PowerBI® is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Training Objectives Upon completion of this training course, participants will be able to: * Confidently use the Power BI® solution, including Power BI® Desktop, PowerBI®.com and the Power BI® Gateway * Extract data from a variety of data sources and manipulate the data extracted so it is ready for analysis * Combine data sources together and gain an introductory understanding of the M language * Write formulas using the DAX language for generating custom columns, measures and tables * Design reports and dashboards using a wide range of both built-in and custom visuals * Publish reports and dashboards to PowerBI®.com * Share reports and dashboards with others using PowerBI®.com * Customize reports and dashboards so that different user groups automatically see their own personalized views Target Audience This training course is intended for: * Financial Analysts * Accountants * Budgeting and planning specialists * Treasury * Risk Managers * Strategic Planners This is an introductory course and although it does not assume any prior experience with Power BI®, participants will gain much more from the course if they have at least used Power BI® a little prior to attending. Participants who have taught themselves Power BI® will also benefit from attending as the course will fill-in a number of gaps in their knowledge and will also extend what they know. A general understanding of databases, Excel formulas, and Excel Pivot Tables is useful though not essential. Comprehensive course notes, exercises and completed solutions are included. Course Level * Basic or Foundation Trainer Your expert course leader has a Masters (Applied Finance & Investment), B.Comm (Accounting & Information Systems), CISA, FAIM, F Fin and is a Microsoft Certified Excel Expert. He has over 20 years' experience in financial modelling, forecasting, valuation, model auditing, and management reporting for clients throughout the world. He is skilled in the development and maintenance of analytical tools and financial models for middle-market companies to large corporates, at all levels of complexity, in both domestic and international settings. He has trained delegates from a wide variety of Oil & Gas companies including Chevron, Woodside, BHP Billiton, Petronas, Carigali, Shell, Nippon, Eni, Pertamina, Inpex, and many more. He provides training in financial modelling for companies throughout the Asia, Oceania, Middle East and African regions. Before his current role, he spent 6 years working in the Corporate and IT Consulting divisions of a large, multinational Chartered Accounting firm. He is the author of a number of white papers on financial modelling on subjects such as Financial Modelling Best Practices and Financial Model Auditing. Highlights from his oil and gas experience include: * Development of economic models to assist Decision Analysts modelling for a wide range of scenarios for multinational oil & gas assets. * Auditing and further development of life of project models for Chevron's Strategic Planning Division analysing their North West Shelf assets. * Development of business plan and budgeting models for multinational oil & gas assets. * Development of cash flow and taxation models for a variety of oil gas companies. * Consulting on Sarbanes Oxley spreadsheet remediation and risk assessment. POST TRAINING COACHING SUPPORT (OPTIONAL) To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized 'One to One' coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster. Request for further information post training support and fees applicable Accreditions And Affliations

1 - 1 Guitar lessons for beginners.  Adults and children welcome. Classes are taught via Zoom. Hi! My name is Iain and I’m a Guitar addict. I’ve been learning since I was 10 years old and have fallen in love with playing Guitar over and over again over the last 30 (or more) years. I started teaching Music in 2003. At the time I was doing a World Music degree at SOAS, studying everything from West African Blues to Indian Raga. My first teaching gig was at an after school club and I immediately loved teaching Music. After graduating I got a job as Music teacher at Carlton Primary School and over the next several years I taught Music and Guitar for Hackney and Camden Music services. This gave me the opportunity to work in many different schools, teaching whole classes, small groups and one to one lessons. Working in such a wide variety of settings was the best experience any young teacher could hope for.  In 2012 I got my teaching qualification form the University of East London and went to work for Beal High School in Ilford. I started as a Guitar/Music teacher and then moved into their Autistic provision as a class teacher. This really made me aware of the importance of teaching in a way that suits the individual’s needs and avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education. In 2015 I started work as a Music teacher for Harmeny Education Trust in Edinburgh. Harmey provides for children who have experienced significant trauma in their early lives and takes a therapeutic approach to education. It’s a great place to work and we’re now working on expanding from just Music lessons to doing media projects as well – making Youtube videos and podcasts and exploring all sorts of ways to record and express ourselves. I have always done small bits of private teaching alongside school work and in January 2020 I decided to start a proper Guitar teaching business. And then 2 months later the pandemic hit and lockdowns started! But, as they say, necessity is the mother of invention and I’ve been lucky to find some wonderful students online who are learning via Zoom and also expand my Youtube channel along the way.

The prevalence of ill health is real. Become an expert practitioner in treating individuals using a truly holistic approach. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR The great need for practitioners is emphasised today, not only by the prevalence of well-established diseases, but also by the appearance of quite new conditions which are not necessarily regarded as being nutritional illnesses. In fact many students come to Nutritional Therapy after experiencing and their own health problems and seek to help others with similar difficulties. We know that nutrition lies at the very heart of these problems and it is our absolute intention to share that knowledge with you. Every person's nutritional needs differ and our courses teach students to recognise this at the outset - there is no haphazard approach.   We are absolutely certain that you will find this a fascinating course as you train to become a practitioner of the highest degree. DR. LAWRENCE PLASKETT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Course Duration 3 YEARS Study Hours 3,000 HOURS Course Content 14 FOLDERS Course Fee £1,995 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COURSE OVERVIEW The Plaskett Professional Diploma in Nutritional Therapy is the most scientific and advanced practitioner level course that we offer.  Nutritional Therapy is a form of therapy that uses food, supplementary nutrients and cleansing procedures to alleviate or prevent chronic health problems and this course will train you to practise as a Nutritional Therapist of the highest degree. You will: * Receive a training which is truly holistic in nature * Be presented with the unique teachings of Dr. Lawrence Plaskett whose long experience working in the borderlands between nutrition and medicine enables him to offer a synthesis between many fields that are not often brought together: nutrition, pathology, biochemistry, toxicology, pharmacology, cell biology, naturopathy and homoeopathy * Develop the professional skills and specific diagnostic insight to be able to apply nutrition to health effectively, a training for successful practice that should be applicable anywhere in the world * Be trained to offer help with a wide range of conditions, the majority of which are not necessarily regarded in conventional medicine as being nutritional illnesses. These encompass an extremely wide range of chronic conditions, including most diseases and a vast array of symptoms - physical, emotional, mental - which can frequently be experienced outside the range of conventional medical diagnostic 'labels'. * Develop the necessary expertise in nutrition which is often lacking in other fields of complementary or alternative medicine. Any programme of nutritional supplements and diet needs to be matched exactly to individual needs by a well-trained practitioner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BREAKDOWN OF THE COURSE SECTIONS The Nutritional Therapy Diploma includes the following 14 folders: FOLDER 1 THE HOLISTIC MODEL OF HEALTH CARE This Folder starts with a suggested programme of study and some simple hints on how to make best use of your study time. It then teaches an understanding of basic principles that underpin your entire grasp of nutrition as a biological process.  The naturopathic emphasis is upon freeing the body tissues of toxins and the damaged cell components that drag them down to the chronic level.  The Folder looks closely at the nature of toxins and their sources.  It looks at their behaviour and effects when they enter the body, the character and mechanisms of the damage they do and, above all, the mechanisms by which they can be removed and the damage repaired.  These are no flights of fancy, as orthodoxy would often have us believe.  Rather they are strongly supported by medical science, as the course material will demonstrate.  In order to develop a grasp of these processes they have to be visualized as they really happen, on the cellular level.  A Side Book is included covering the structure and life of the cell. Areas Covered * Study skills * Looking after the body * The Life Force * Stopping the rot and starting to recover * Movements of toxins within and around the body * Our relationship to medical orthodoxy * The nature of natural and unnatural chemical toxins * The concept of toxin-free food * Organic growing and water purification * Free radicals and anti-oxidants * Routes of toxin entry and elimination * Damage caused by toxins lying in the tissues * Detoxification * The relationship between toxic burden and toxic damage * The energy reserve role of fat * The lipoproteins of the blood FOLDER 2 MINERALS AT WORK IN NUTRITION - PART 1 The minerals come forward as the strongest contenders for pride of place among the nutrient classes because they are so critically vulnerable to deficiency and imbalance in today’s western world.  “Get the minerals right before anything else” is a penetrating summary of their necessary priority.  You will learn how the bulk minerals (those we need in greatest amount) depend upon each other and how the micro minerals cannot fulfil their function correctly without a correct balance of the bulk ones.  This Folder takes “first things first” by laying the soundest possible foundation for the study and management of the bulk metals – sodium, potassium, calcium, with magnesium to follow in Folder 5.  We believe that few course providers deal as thoroughly with this absolute cornerstone of nutrition as we do.  The effects of these mineral balances permeate the entire subject of nutrition.  You will look at many aspects of the subject that affect health. Areas Covered * Composition of the human body * Overview of macro minerals * Sources of nutritional minerals * Biological concentration of minerals * Micro minerals as catalysts * Toxic minerals * Digestion, absorption and storage * Mineral/mineral antagonisms * Sodium and potassium balance * Symptoms of sodium and potassium excess or deficiency * The sodium pump * Sodium and potassium in foods * Potassium administration in therapy * Calcium in the human skeleton and teeth * Calcium in body fluids * Hormonal control of calcium * Osteoporosis and disputes over calcium requirements * Calcium in foods * Calcium “mishandling” * Calcium in supplement Side Book: The Chemistry of Nutrition Whilst it is possible to teach nutrition to some degree without studying the chemical nature of the nutrients, it is much better that you have at least a superficial understanding.  Folder Two therefore includes a side book on Chemistry for those who are new to the subject.  However, no one expects you to become highly informed on chemical structures.  Access to the facts and to an explanation is what is important.  This side-book will free you, as a future practitioner, from the need to manipulate the nutrients without understanding them as many others try to do. * Elements, compounds and molecules * Valency * Ions, acids and salts * Combining proportions and moles * Carbon compounds and functional groups * Oxidation and reduction * Calculating the vitamin or mineral content of supplements FOLDER 3 THE BULK NUTRIENTS – PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATE, LIPIDS AND ENERGY These nutrients provide both the fuel and the building materials for the body.  Orthodox nutrition teaches these topics very thoroughly.  As to the structures of the compounds, we teach the same things they do.  However, all three main classes of bulk nutrients have their distinctive “wrinkles” when examined from an alternative viewpoint.  With the proteins this has to do with avoiding excesses and, to some degree eschewing animal sources for naturopathic and other reasons.  With the carbohydrates it involves recognizing at a sensitive level the long-term harm that can be done by free sugars and the crucial importance of blood sugar maintenance and control.  Orthodox treatments may claim to do these things but there is a vast difference of emphasis and effect.  Among the lipids the “wrinkles” have to do with intricate management of the balance among the essential fatty acids and the importance of the phospholipids in the diet.  You will also learn about the propensity of fats to form toxins and the need to moderate fat intake.  All of these so-called alternative “wrinkles” have weighty scientific support, which you will have explained for you.  The chemical nature of these bulk nutrients is fully presented for those who wish it, with a “faster track” through for those who do not. Areas covered * Different kinds of proteins * The amino acids in proteins * The structure of proteins * Proteins in foods * The essential amino acids and protein quality * Nitrogen balance and protein metabolism * Proteins in therapeutic policy * The simple sugars and sugar derivatives * Di, tri and polysaccharides * Transformations of carbohydrate * Sugars and starch in diets * Blood sugar control * Metabolic energy * The make-up of fats * Different kinds of fatty acids * Essentiality of omega 6 and omega 3 * Lipids and coronary thrombosis * Cholesterol, Inc. blood cholesterol levels * Fats in western diets * Toxins from fats by chemical damage * Lecithin and other phospholipids * Quantifying energy – units of measurement * Energy content of foods and fuels * Human expenditures of energy * Basal metabolic rate FOLDER 4 FOODS AND FOOD CLASSES Properties, Composition and Naturopathic Effects The merits and disadvantages of wheat, milk and meat are carefully analysed and exposed from the standpoint of both scientific and also naturopathic considerations.  There will be much here to ponder, whilst the scientific evidence leaves little to doubt.  You will look rather exhaustively at the merits, nature and composition of vegetables and fruits, not only as groups but also as sub-groups and down to the individual plants.  You will find yourself in a position, when it comes to prescribing, to be directive when necessary about which individual fruits and vegetables it will be best to use.  The groups of pulses, nuts, seeds, fish, shellfish and other seafood’s, as well as beverages, will be closely examined for their composition and suitability for prescription in treatment diets.  Acidity and alkalinity in foods is carefully examined.  This Folder is “all about food” but it is also food for thought from beginning to end. Areas covered * The wheat grain and its milled fractions * Types of bread * Nutritional problems of wheat and wheat allergy * Sprouted wheat and wheat grass * Barley, oats and rye * The composition of milks * Milk as infant feed * The variety of dairy products * Nutritional and health problems associated with milk * Milk allergy and intolerance * Hidden milk in foods * Vegetable mineral content and vitality * Eliminatory effect of vegetables * Composition of 49 different vegetables * Potential hazards of plant foods * Composition and nature of pulses, nuts and seeds * The composition of different meats * Naturopathic negatives associated with meat * The composition of different fish types * Fish as an omega 3 source * Shell fish and crustacea * Nutritional problems of tea and coffee * The composition of fruits * Strongly eliminative properties in fruits * Acid and alkali-forming foods * Using the food composition tables FOLDER 5 MINERALS AT WORK IN NUTRITION - PART 2 Each and every member of the micro minerals group will prove a fascinating area of study and will face you at times almost with disbelief that such minute amounts of substance can exert such extraordinarily powerful effects upon the way the body works and therefore upon health.  Each micro mineral displays its own particular pattern of effects arising from either deficiency or excess.  This is almost like a personal signature of the mineral.  These will be learnt now but employed later in diagnosis to help determine the likely patterns of micro mineral imbalances in your patients. The role of all-important magnesium is examined together with the principles of using magnesium in therapy.  This element plays a key macro mineral role and exerts decisive control over naturopathic elimination.  Areas covered * Iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, chromium, molybdenum, iodine, silicon, fluorine, vanadium * For each of the microminerals where appropriate: Body content; physiology functions; effects of deficiency or excess; toxicity; factors promoting retention or loss; occurrence in foods; different chemical forms; associated diseases; the use of the appropriate supplements * Roles of magnesium in the body * Magnesium in foods * Effects, diseases and symptoms of magnesium deficiency * Naturopathic expectations from magnesium therapy FOLDER 6 THE VITAMINS AT WORK IN NUTRITION The vitamins are mostly micro catalysts just as the micro minerals are.  Sixteen of them are the subjects of this Folder.  We first explain their known effects in the body and then go on to set out the ways that they may be used, either for direct therapeutic effect, or in support of other components of nutritional therapy.  As in the cases of all the other nutrients, there will be both scientific and naturopathic evidence presented.  Good reference material will be provided. Areas covered * For each of the vitamins and vitamin-like substances where appropriate: Body content; precursors; physiology functions; effects of deficiency or excess; toxicity; factors promoting retention or loss; occurrence in foods; different chemical forms; associated diseases; the use of the appropriate supplements. * Vitamin A; beta-carotene; Vitamins B: thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, B12, folic acid, choline, inositol; Vitamin C, Vitamins D1 and D2; tocopherols (Vitamin E); Vitamin K. FOLDER 7 BOWEL FLORA AND THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH It is possible to manage and manipulate the bowel flora – the bacteria that inhabit the intestines – so as to produce optimal benefits to health.  Antibiotics and certain dietary errors appear to work in the opposite direction and encourage a flora that will generate more toxins. This Folder deals with both scientific and naturopathic facts and technique and explains how to harness the potential that resides here for bringing better health or maintaining health.  It is a crucially important area of nutritional management.  Every case you will treat will need the possible prescription of bowel flora products to be reviewed. The other part of this Folder is about the maintenance of health.  We provide a general round-up of this pre-clinical part of the course with an overview of nutritional requirements and wise practice in the design of those diets that may be intended to be “healthy” but not necessarily therapeutic.  It includes examination of the special needs of vulnerable groups.  You can expect, of course, to meet patients of all ages and conditions and, often enough, you will be asked merely to provide guidance upon what type of diet will best maintain their health.  It also reviews the production of toxin-free food and the hazards posed by the industrialization of food.   Finally, there is an approach to the use of supplements for health maintenance and a discussion of strategies for on-going cleansing and toxin avoidance so as to assist in maintaining good health. Areas covered * The naturopathic view of the benefits of bowel flora * Effect of diet on the bowel flora * The putrefactive bacteria * Balancing lactose fermenters with other types * Toxic amines * Benefits of the acid producing species * Negatives associated with antibiotics * Breast feeding and the bowel bacteria * Bowel flora products * Overview of the British diet * Nutrient requirements for the population * Higher requirements for the health conscious * Special needs of children and the elderly * Special needs of vegetarians and vegans * The requirements of pregnancy and lactation * Organic growing * Industrial food processing and food additives * Maintenance supplements * Maintenance cleansing FOLDER 8 DIAGNOSIS This Folder is divided into two parts.  The first gives a detailed understanding of the basis of diagnosis, while the second gives direct instruction in performing diagnoses.  These two parts, taken together, comprise a major step in your induction as a naturopathic nutritionist.  The induction into technique and approach is an essential step, but even more than that, the moulding of your thought process is so very important.  You have to move into the particular “observer” position, mentally, from which the diagnosis is best carried out.  The first part of the Folder both provides the “nuts and bolts” of nutritional diagnosis but it also provides the mental positioning to enable you to carry it out with confidence and expertise.  The diagnosis requires understanding of the “constitution”, defined both naturopathically and genetically.   An optional side book covers both the miasms and the Chinese 5 elements in respect of their bearing upon diagnosis within nutritional therapy. Fundamental to the practical aspect is the technique for taking case histories and then interpreting them along combined naturopathic and scientific lines.  This logically leads onto the next stage – treatment – in a rational sequence.  This Folder contains five “demonstration” case histories. FOLDER 9 TREATMENT This is in many ways the crux of the whole course.  However, being released into nutritional treatments – with their full power – without having made the most thorough preparation, would be most unwise.  Absolutely every topic that has been covered before is required in one way or another at this point.  It is here that the interpretation of the case history becomes translated into a prescription of diet and supplements that is honed in a sensitive way to the patient as an individual.  We outline a number of “levels” of the diagnosis that feed into the treatment decisions.  There is a “whole person” level, a “weak organ” level, a “metabolic imbalances” level, a “nutritional deficiencies” level and, finally, the lowest in the hierarchy, a “named diseases” level.   We also introduce here the profound concepts of intensity, direction and level as they apply to the very basis of Nutritional Therapy prescriptions.  All these contributions must converge to provide the best overall treatment.  The focus at this point is on defining the dietary guidelines and the careful orchestration of the essential minerals and vitamins that are to be used.  However, this is also the point at which various named treatments are considered, including bowel cleansing procedures, bowel flora treatment and some of the contributions towards Candida treatment.  These options are set out here and then developed more in the later Folders of Part Two.  Special approaches such as the liver cleanse are also considered here along with amino acid therapy, antioxidant therapy and the anti-inflammatory prescription.  We also provide guidelines on how detailed analysis of the composition of diets, and the design of special diets based on such analysis, can contribute to treatment.  This Folder provides the “core” of all this, with various modulations and variations being available from the subsequent Folders for “fine tuning”. FOLDER 10 STUDY OF CASE HISTORIES There is nothing quite like practice where case histories are concerned.  To be able to study them with great facility and insight and then discern the routes by which they lead towards exact treatment – that is to be your aim here.  The Folder provides the challenge of “interpreting” a number of case histories, with help and with feedback. This is an approach that can lead you towards confidence and competence in this task, which is at the centre of practitioners’ daily work.  Approaches and solutions are presented.  This Folder gives 11 abridged case histories and 20 fully detailed case histories for analysis by the student, 31 case histories in all. These are selected to provide a variety of different types of treatment situation including some that are special or unusual. FOLDER 11 ADDED OR SPECIAL NUTRIENTS AND HERBS In covering the prescribing of supplement programmes in Folder 9, you will have been focused primarily upon those that rank in orthodox nutrition as “essential nutrients”, particularly minerals and vitamins.  However, Nutritional Therapy is enormously enriched by a wide range of other biochemicals that cannot be classified as “essential”.  Life does not stop without them, yet they can be extremely helpful, especially to individuals with compromised health.  These are more often metabolic intermediates than recognised nutrients, but they can be extraordinarily valuable for organ-directed therapy.  Many of these involve up-to-the minute discoveries.  We teach about phytonutrients in foods (eg carotenoids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, isothiocyanates, organic sulphides and curcuminoids) and about the possibilities, when necessary, to provide them in supplement form. Herbs are covered too in their special role of support-therapy to Nutritional Therapy, usually in an organ-directed or system-directed role.  Echinacea, silymarin, aloe, ginkgo, bromelain and St John’s Wort are just examples of these herbs.  We also teach the use of herbal combinations for specific purposes.  This wide choice of “extra” items is the subject of specific instruction in this Folder. FOLDER 12 TREATING NAMED MEDICAL CONDITIONS - PART 1 Folder 9 makes it plain that, because this is a holistic discipline, the named medical condition is generally low on the hierarchy of treatment criteria.  Although that is generally the case, the extent to which it holds good may depend upon how advanced is the particular disease condition.  At all events, the practitioner does need a degree of disease-related training, which is provided in this Folder and the next.  Some 180 different medical conditions or classes of conditions, mostly chronic, are addressed.  Special space is provided to cover fully selected topics that are of key importance in an alternative medicine practice, such as obesity, alcoholism, allergies and the menopause.  We also provide you with specific treatment guidance with the proviso that whole-person treatments and organ-system related treatments either take priority or are provided alongside.  Where appropriate some insights are given into the prior allopathic treatments and environmental and social conditions that may cause or exacerbate the listed conditions.  This provides for the patient’s circumstances and lifestyle to be adjusted in rather specifically apt directions. The main categories in this Folder are: circulatory, rheumatic and digestive diseases, along with obesity, alcoholism and immunity states including autoimmunity and allergies.  All the disease conditions addressed are closely studied from the standpoint of orthodox pathology as well as their Nutritional Therapy treatment.  Hence Folders 12 and 13 in their own right amount to a course in the medical science of pathology and this represents a substantial expansion over earlier versions of the course.  These Folders will constitute invaluable reference material for use when you have set up in practice. FOLDER 13 TREATING NAMED MEDICAL CONDITIONS - PART 2 This Folder continues the work started in Folder 12.  Here included are diseases of the nervous system and brain, skin, reproductive system, urinary system, endocrine system, liver/gallbladder, respiratory system, eye, ear, mouth, nose and bone.  Also included are psychological and systemic diseases (including ME), infectious diseases and some directly nutritional diseases.  The detailed attention to pathology is maintained throughout. During the course of Folders 10-14 inclusive, students undertake no less than 12 cases on their own, covering full data-collection, analysis and interpretation, with prescription of diet and supplements.  Together with the 36 case histories studied in earlier Folders this gives 48 case histories studied FOLDER 14 MONITORING TREATMENT, THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Having got the treatment going, there is a need for specific instruction in the on-going task of monitoring the patient’s condition and reacting accordingly with adjustments to the therapy.  Patient and practitioner alike have to be aware that the first prescription is likely to be just the start of a process.  Reading the signs of change looms large in this instruction and familiarization.  Responding to them is the second part.  Here there is a need to understand the terms “intensity” and “direction” in therapy.  “Intensity” refers to the degree of healing and naturopathic pressure being applied and “direction” refers to the aims of the particular choice of treatment being applied.  You will learn to distinguish between situations that call only for a change of “level” and those that call upon you to rethink and change “direction” when the patient’s progress levels off as this may then initiate a new burst of healing changes.  Another way to break out from the “plateau” situation is to assess the exact nutrient composition of the whole diet – an action that is too detailed and time-consuming to do with every patient and usually not needed.  A part of the Folder is about drugs, when and when not to encourage their use, and how to manage the drug-dependent patient.  You need to acquire at least a passing familiarity with the main classes of prescription drugs, which are explained in this Folder. This Folder also provides information on Laboratory testing procedures that may be recommended to patients. Finally we offer subjects of crucial importance to working practitioners, namely a study of “The Therapeutic Relationship” and “Practice Management – Running The Practice as a Business”. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TESTIMONIALS Here's what students have to say about the course GRACE KINGSWELL, NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST UK "I was recommended Plaskett by my own functional medicine practitioner. I knew that if she was recommending it, it would be worthwhile. I wanted a full body overview and not a “match the supplement to the symptom” approach, and that is certainly what the Plaskett Dip;oma in Nutritional Medicine course delivered. I wanted to be qualified to run my own business as a practitioner afterwards, and it is the most complete and highest level course that the Plaskett College offer. My knowledge of naturopathy and nutritional medicine was pretty solid before I started due to personal experience, but I’ve really built on this now and feel confident that I know how to help others. I’ve also learnt a lot more of the biochemistry behind the science too.  The study experience was really good, but it’s a lot of self-motivation, and if you don’t have that then it might be touch to finish it, as it’s completely self-driven". BEN C ALBERTS, DIRECTOR SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF BEHAVIOURAL NUTRITION South Africa The Plaskett Nutritional Therapy Diploma was one of the most rewarding programmes of my life. Apart from the media hype around healthy living it is only after the completion of a proper programme that one truly start to understand the intricacy of the human body and what healthy living really is.  Within the Plaskett programme the combination of nutrition, pure science and a naturopathic view provided me with a completely new perspective on health management. Against a fairly orthodox background it took me some time within the programme to understand the true principles, and once realized fundamentally changed the way I view personal health management. Throughout the programme the support from my tutor was phenomenal with concise and very valued feedback, and certainly at exceptional detail. The course content was of a high standard and must not be underestimated in both volume and complexity. For me personally, the programme delivered immense value and I will recommend it to any of my peers and clients. DIANE BROUGH, NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST Canada When I first started thinking about taking a course in nutrition, I was living in Botswana, in Africa. I was looking for a college that would offer me the support and guidance that is so important for long distance learning. I’m probably one of the college’s longest registered students because my family moved to five different countries during my studies! I am very thankful for the college’s patience and continued support. Plaskett College impressed me with their personal approach to the course and the fact that all modules were composed by Dr. Lawrence Plaskett, a medical research biochemist and the college’s Founder and Principal. I studied the Diploma in Nutritional Medicine because my plan was to have my own practice. I practised at a herbal clinic as a Nutritional Therapist and Iridologist after I completed my diploma, but then decided to study massage therapy, so put my practice aside while at school. I recently established Revitalife Therapeutics and offer massage therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, nutritional therapy and iridology. VITTORIA VIGLIETTI, NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST & FOUNDER OF NUTRIWILD Namibia I chose Plaskett College because I really wanted to make a difference where natural medicine was concerned. After losing my father to Cancer, and experiencing malpractice with all the orthodox medicine we followed, this pushed me even more to pursue an in-depth education in nutritional medicine. I chose Plaskett College’s, Nutritional Medicine Course, because I found this to be very informative for anyone interested in perusing a future in the field of Natural medicine and Nutritional Therapy. My studies have been such a memorable journey for me. I started studying just over 2 months, after losing my father. A very difficult time in my life. The course I chose to do with Plaskett would take me 4 years to complete. I am in my 5th year (nearly my 6th year), doing this particular course and I have only experienced encouragement, understanding of my situation and support from the college to continue to complete the course in my time. I could not show more gratitude towards them for this. I did not expect that after losing my father my life would hit lots unforeseen hurdles, causing my study time to suffer greatly. Yet, through all this, Plaskett College only showed me more support and encouragement to persist with my studies.