MTY 3: The Gut-Brain-Body Axis: Achieving Better Neuromuscular Outcomes through Nutrition

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Course Description

NOTE: This course is part of both the Lifestyle Medicine Certificate Program and the Professional Therapeutic Yoga Certification.  Details about both of these programs can be found below.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) affect the vast majority of our patient populations today. The World Health Organization reports that NCDs, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are the leading cause of mortality in the world. The WHO has called on all health care providers to be on the frontlines of combatting this epidemic using “common, modifiable risk factors underlie the major NCDs, which include tobacco, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, overweight/obesity, raised blood pressure, raised blood sugar and raised cholesterol.” 

The first PT Summit on Global Health (Dean et al 2011) makes a clear statement supporting the inclusion of nutritional counseling and integrative practices like mindfulness and yoga in physical therapy care. “In the 21st century, PT’s need to initiate and/or support one or more of the following health behavior in their patients: smoking cessation, optimizing nutrition, controlling weight, prescribing regular activity and exercise, optimizing sleep health, and reducing undue stress.” With poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress (all of which contribute to systemic inflammation and subsequent poor rehabilitation and health promotion outcomes) as the chief risk factors for NCD’s in the US, conditions like osteoarthritis and joint pain have been all too common, the product of a modern dishealth phenomenon. 

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) support that PT’s play an essential role in today’s health care environment as vital providers of rehabilitation and habilitation services, and prevention and risk-reduction services. Many factors influence the physical therapist’s decision-making process and the complexity, frequency, and duration of an intervention. Among these factors are the following: premorbid conditions and overall health status, age; cognitive status; comorbidities, complications, or secondary impairments; concurrent medical, surgical, and therapeutic interventions; and nutritional status. There are multiple variables at play and this module will focus on the science supporting the gut-brain-body axis and how the Lifestyle Medicine of yoga, including nutrition, stress management, and even manual therapies can impact gut health and overall patient outcomes and quality of life.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

Part 1

1. Describe the gut-brain-body axis connection to rehabilitation outcomes and practice. 
2. Cite evidence that supports addressing gut microbiome health in rehabilitation and health promotion practice. 
3. Cite the evidence for inclusion of nutrition within the scope of rehabilitation and health promotion practice. 
4. Discuss the shared risk factors for orthopaedic and systemic dysfunction. 
5. Summarize the role of nutrition in disease prevention. 
6. Identify the limitations in implementing nutritional changes within your scope of practice. 

Part 2

1. Summarize the limitations in current recommendations for dietary guidelines in Americans. 
2. List the most commonly overconsumed and underconsumed food types in America. 
3. Cite evidence which supports specific nutritional assessment and inventories. 
4. Cite evidence base for nutritional recommendations to impact and reverse diabetes and and manage other similar metabolic syndrome issues related to neuromuscular health.
5. Determine which foods are healthiest and which food types should be avoided. 
6. Describe basic nutrition intervention for diminishing inflammation and its associated disease processes (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease). 

Part 3

1. Discuss the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, including diabetes. 
2. Describe the Diabetes Prevention Program.
3. Define socially contagious behaviors.  
4. Cite evidence base that supports plant-based diets on psycho-emotional well-being.
5. Describe the consequences of medication-driven management of chronic disease, including neuromuscular impairment and diagnoses. 
6. List the ways in which epigenetics play a role in gut dysbiosis. 

Part 4

1. Discuss how to impact longevity and prevent premature aging (include premature joint degeneration) through nutrition. 
2. Discuss the role of medical therapeutic yoga in lifestyle medicine prescription for gut microbiome health. 
3. Summarize the role of neuroscience and the psychoneuroendocrinology of the HPA Axis Dysregulation Phenomenon in order to understand how to affect change in the “gut-brain” interaction.
4. Demonstrate how to guide patients toward health maintenance through nutrition.
5. List at least five nutritional counseling foundations for improving dietary habits. 

Part 5

1. Cite evidence based guidelines for using manual therapy, including myofascial, visceral, and neural mobilization to address whole health. 
2. Identify when to refer to a nutrition specialist, dietician, gastroenterologist, or more intensive medical management program. 
3. List 9 gastrointestinal pathophysiologies that can impact orthopaedic and neuromuscular health and outcomes. 
4. Discuss what food types and micronutrients to include in order to address systemic inflammation. 
5. List at least 5 yoga and Lifestyle Medicine techniques to impact the shared risk factors for functional gastrointestinal health and premature joint aging. 

This course is part of the Lifestyle Medicine Certificate program & Professional Yoga Therapist Certification (PYT).  Requirements for each of these programs is outlined below:

1. LIFESTYLE MEDICINE CERTIFICATE 
   1. Medical Therapeutic Yoga (MYT) Modules 1-4 (2o on-line hours)
   2. 2 Elective Modules (4 on-line hours)
      NOTE: This program can be completed entirely online. No other modules are required, however, we do strongly recommend you consider completing the PYT Certification, as it goes hand in hand with the Lifestyle Medicine (LM) curriculum. It offers hands-on experience with implementation of everything you learn in the online LM Certificate program. 
2. PROFESSIONAL YOGA THERAPIST CERTIFICATION 
   1. Medical Therapeutic Yoga (MYT) Modules 1-4 (20 on-line hours)
   2. Level I – Module 5 (27 live, on-site hours) 
   3. Level II – Module 6 (28 live, on-site hours) 
   4. Level III – Module 7 (38 live, on-site hours) 
   5. Case Community Competency project (variable hours) – The CCC is a karma yoga project carried out in your community with the mentorship of an assigned faculty mentor. The CCC is included in M7 tuition. 

For further information about either or both of these programs go to proyogatherapy.org.

• Prerequisites

  None

• Educational Level

  Intermediate

• Other

  Satisfactory completion of this course will require the participant to complete a 20 question post-test with a minimum passing score of 70%.

  NOTE: The Medical Therapeutic Yoga modules 1-4 are excluded from the subscription plan.