Functional Nutrition Alliance
Frequently Asked
Questions
The Functional Nutrition Alliance (FxNA) is the culmination of Andrea Nakayama’s years in both clinical practice and as an educator. We offer cutting-edge nutrition training programs, clinical guidance, and Functional medicine thought leadership.
Functional Nutrition Lab is the practitioner training division of FxNA. We offer in-depth functional nutrition training for health providers of all levels. Our signature training, Full Body Systems, skillfully blends the art of practice with the science of nutrition. Functional Nutrition Lab was created by functional nutritionist Andrea Nakayama to help practitioners achieve the same clinical and business success that she has had, becoming the last, best stop for patients who have tried everything.
Learn more about Full Body Systems
To truly practice functional nutrition, you need to know about all of the body systems. Food meets physiology in the digestive system, and from there it affects every system in the body. Full Body Systems dive deep into 7 key body systems (digestive, immune, urinary, cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, and reproductive,) so you have the information you need to help clients and patients with complex issues in any part of their physiology.
Every Intensive covers the anatomy, function, and physiology of that system as well as its interconnections with the other systems and the pivotal place where food meets physiology. This course is oriented specifically toward practitioners, and includes Done-For-You protocols highlighting Andrea’s favorites from her years in practice, and dedicated Message Board inclusive of daily support from Andrea and her team, in addition to the live weekly trainings that are all recorded for your ease of participation. Functional Nutrition Lab: Full Body Systems will empower you to create lasting results for your clients, boost your confidence, and transform your practice!
Healthcare providers as well as aspiring coaches and clinicians of all levels including nutritionists, health coaches, MDs, acupuncturists, chiropractors, RDs, NP’s, RNs, PAs, students, and health and nutrition advocates and aficionados alike. There are no prerequisites to starting your deep dive into Functional Nutrition and Full Body Systems. However, please note that the coursework is not intended for the patient to work on their own health issues.
Full Body Systems is for you if…
you want to put what you know to practice to help more people and have increased results with health outcomes
you are looking to increase client follow-through so that your work makes a bigger difference
you want to grow your health or nutrition related business by referral (doing great work will get people talking!)
you are either a professional who has a wealth of information, but hasn’t been taught the art of working with nutrition, OR you are a coach with great people skills who hasn’t been taught the nitty gritty of physiology (this is the only program that combines both!)
you are looking for an in depth Functional Nutrition program with 100% support and mentorship
you want to feel more confident helping clients with complicated health challenges and complex nutrition concerns
you know (or suspect) one-size-fits-all protocols don’t work, and you want advanced training in individualized patient and client care
you are craving an intelligent community who is passionate about health and wellness and likes to geek out on getting great results, just like you
Functional Nutrition Alliance differs from other Functional Medicine and nutrition training in several ways. In many other trainings, there’s a focus on the theoretical. What Andrea is able to do, after working with hundreds of clients and thousands of class participants, is translate the theoretical into the practical. She wants you to have the clinical and business success that she has had, so she teaches you how to implement your knowledge to truly help people get well.
Full Body Systems is the only training program that teaches the following 4 key skills in building a thriving Functional Nutrition practice:
1. The art of connection: Learn how to create rapport and connection with your client, how to ask the right questions to find the root cause of their health issues, and tap into their motivations. Both your client compliance and clinical success will skyrocket.
2. In-depth anatomy and physiology through the lens of food and nutrition: How does food meet physiology? Food meets physiology differently in each of us because none of us are the same as any other. FNL teaches you to see what others cannot see—what’s going on in the unique body of your particular client.
3. Integrating your client’s unique physiology into their healing protocol: How to take the knowledge gained about the unique physiology of your client, along with his/her unique motivations (learned from the art of connection), to create individualized nutrition plans for your clients and patients that they will actually follow.
4. How to gain the respect of your client’s medical team: Work in tandem with physicians and other medical professionals, and become a true partner and advocate for your client.
Learn more about Full Body Systems
Above all else, the support and mentorship provided by Andrea and her team are one of a kind. They guide you through case studies and answer your toughest questions so you can practice with confidence.
Absolutely! You can participate from anywhere in the world. We’ve had students from Hong Kong to Mexico to Switzerland and in over 43 countries to date. Wherever you are, we have a place for you at the Functional Nutrition Alliance. All you need is a good internet connection.
A background in science is not needed to participate in Functional Nutrition Alliance programs. Full Body Systems has been completed by practitioners at various stages, from those just completing health coaching school who have little-to-no science background, to those with nursing, acupuncture, or medical degrees.
Andrea has a way of teaching that allows both novice and professional to participate. She’s an expert at breaking down the hard-to-understand information so that you can actually comprehend what you might have previously found out of reach and expand upon what you may already know in ways that you have not contemplated.
The truth is, Andrea struggled with science all through high school and never took another course until she needed it for her nutrition practice. Once it had a purpose, it all made sense. She’s the one to put it into context so it can make sense for you.
The online classes (audio only) are each 2 hours long and are composed of approximately 75% lecture and 25% interactive workshop.
During the lecture portion of the class, Andrea teaches, shows videos, shares diagrams and illustrations custom-made for her teachings, and asks questions of the students that can be answered right on screen in our online classroom. She also provides quizzes so that you can test your knowledge at incremental points throughout the course.
You are encouraged to listen live, but if your schedule doesn’t allow, you can listen at any time. We have had many students complete the entire FBS course by listening to the recordings and participating on the Message Board, which is available 24-7.
Absolutely!
Each Intensive delivers comprehensive print materials including:
Diagrams, illustrations, articles, videos and quizzes to support your understanding of the system and where imbalances may occur
Done-for-You Protocols based on Andrea’s clinical experience with hundreds of clients and thousands of course participants to guide your nutritional approaches with clients with the particular health concerns that you will see most
Course transcripts so you don’t have to take feverish notes during class
Glossary of important terms so that you can communicate with health and medical colleagues with ease
What’s on My Shelf’ — a bibliography of Andrea’s favorite go-to books on digestive health
There’s also a library of Guest Health & Medical Expert interviews Andrea has conducted with her colleagues, stand-out stars in the field of healthcare, to support the conversations in class.
Andrea and her team are available on the Message Board to answer any and all questions you might have regarding class material and client cases. You are not alone. We take great care in answering your questions about both the art and science of functional nutrition, and we provide support for the entire 10 months of Full Body Systems and beyond. You can return to the Message Board at any time, even when you’re no longer a student. Many students consider the Message Board their ‘search engine’ for all things health and nutrition.
In addition to the Message Board, each Intensive includes a one 90-minute Q&A call with two FxNA Nutritionists (‘Study Hall’) and one 2-hour Q&A call with Andrea (‘Power Hours’).
Yes! Once you complete your training and pass the Certification exams, you will be certified as a Functional Nutrition Alliance Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC).
You will also receive a Certificate of Completion, CEUs (if you’re in a licensing body that requires and acknowledges our CEUs), and the FBS badge to use on your website or marketing materials.
By completing FBS, you can earn up to 60 category 1 continuing education units with the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) by passing an online test at the completion of class.
Additionally, through your participation in Full Body Systems, you are also approved for up to 60 CE units with the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. (Provider #100194)
As a next step after Full Body Systems, we offer an advanced practicum program for people who want to take their practical counseling skills to the next level. Upon completion of Full Body Systems, you’ll be eligible to apply for admission into that program to become a Certified Functional Nutritionist and Lifestyle Practitioner (FNLP). (Note: FNLP is a separate program available only to FBS graduates who apply and are accepted to the program.)
Once you complete the FBS curriculum and pass the Certification exam, you’ll be certified as a Functional Nutrition Alliance Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC).
You will also receive a Certificate of Completion, CEUs (if you’re in a licensing body that requires and acknowledges our CEUs), and the FBS badge to use on your website or marketing materials.
By completing FBS, you can earn up to 60 category 1 continuing education units with the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) by passing an online test at the completion of class.
Additionally, through your participation in Full Body Systems, you are also approved for up to 60 CE units with the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. (Provider #100194)
Functional Nutrition Alliance is not a licensing body, and licensing laws vary by state and country. If you can legally practice as a health coach or other health practitioner, Full Body Systems is the best next step for learning how to practice confidently and effectively. Andrea is a stand for putting this information into practice because she knows the best practitioners are created that way. We encourage you to get started, even if it’s just one test client.
We continue to see graduates of Full Body Systems create successful practices based on what they’ve learned here. FBS has given them the tools and the confidence to fulfill their dreams of really helping people.
And if you’re located in the United States, here’s a resource that will help you figure out the laws where you live. *Please note that this information doesn’t constitute legal or career advice. This is simply an interpretation of state statutes and regulations, and cannot substitute for legal counsel.
Full Body Systems has been the pivotal training for many practitioners who want to grow their nutrition businesses. Upon completion of this nutrition immersion program, you will have both the clinical and people skills to grow your business by referral.
People want to get better, and when you’re able to solve cases that others found unsolvable, the referrals will likely begin to pour in.
Full Body Systems is not a business program per se, but we teach practitioners to grow their business the old fashioned way: by doing great work that gets people talking.
This training will help you build a thriving business—one where your clients become raving fans and you become known as the go-to practitioner.
Watch the video of the Full Body Systems Graduate Success Panel where one of our Full Body Systems graduates discusses the trajectory of her holistic health practice over the last year.
While we do discuss various types of assessments that may be utilized in practice in Full Body Systems, Andrea’s focus is more on arming each practitioner—no matter their scope of practice—with the skills and understanding to approach each case with an investigative eye.
With this deeper understanding of how to practice, clinicians know which lab assessments might be necessary and when they can be avoided (to best support a client’s budget). They also fully grasp the role of labs among other assessments such as signs, symptoms and a detailed client history.
Andrea has found that many practitioners feel that without a deeper understanding of what’s happening in the body, that it’s challenging to apply practices of functional testing in practice with integrity and follow-through. Testing options can fall short if clinicians are unable to identify and address the root of a client’s symptoms, motivate them to make changes, or answer tough questions because of a lack of understanding of anatomy, function and physiology in the context of holistic health and nutrition.
If you can’t make it “live”, no worries. The recordings of the classes will be posted that same day, so carve out the time each week to sit down with pencil and notebook and get ready to listen and learn so that you can apply the teachings into your practice.
You have lifetime access to all Full Body Systems materials and a seat in the live sessions for two years!
Andrea’s education includes the following:
Certified Nutrition Educator (CNE) and Certified Nutrition Counselor (CNC)
Certified Holistic Health Coach (CHHC)
Masters of Human Nutrition & Functional Medicine
Select Institute of Functional Medicine training programs and modules
Continuing education in areas of specialty such as thyroid disorder, autoimmunity, and Functional lab diagnostics
Andrea is the very first Functional Nutrition & Lifestyle Practitioner (FNLP) and has created the certifying body for this credential.
Accolades of Note:
Winner 2015 National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) Impact award.
Winner 2016 NANP Service Award for her leadership in the field of nutrition.
Nominated for 2017 Evolution of Medicine Top Educator award.
Nominated for 2018 Evolution of Medicine Top Educator award.
Winner 2018 Evolution of Medicine Media of the Year award for the 15-Minute Matrix podcast.
Andrea has been featured in Oprah’s O Magazine, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, Experience Life Magazine, and numerous online conferences including Sean Croxton’s Second Opinion Series, where she is a crowd favorite. She was also a co-producer of the Hashimoto’s Institute Summit and practitioner training program.
Andrea is now regularly consulted as the nutrition expert on the medical teams for the toughest clinical cases in the practices of world-renowned doctors.
Still have questions?
Please email the team at support@fxnutrition.com.
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