Final up to date: 2026 | This submit incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. If you enroll through my link and use the code FITNESSISTA, you’ll rise up to $250 off and I’ll earn a fee at no additional value to you.
Hiiii mates! I hope you had an exquisite weekend and that you just’re having fun with the morning. In the present day I needed to talk about one among my favourite subjects: IHP.
In the event you’ve been following alongside right here for some time, you understand that I’ve spent years constructing out my diet and health teaching follow and that I’m somebody who genuinely loves studying. I’ve collected a whole lot of certifications through the years (Precision Vitamin, NASM Private Coach, Weight Loss Specialist, Ladies’s Health Specialist, Corrective Train Specialist, 200-hour yoga RYT, and extra), and each has added one thing significant to the best way I work with purchasers.
However there was all the time a spot.
Working with diet purchasers on-line, I stored working into conditions the place I knew one thing deeper was occurring – a hormonal imbalance, a intestine challenge, a mineral deficiency – and all I might do was refer out. Suggesting particular labs or decoding check outcomes is solely not inside the scope of follow for a diet coach or private coach. I’d added different practitioners to my crew who might run these exams, however as my on-line follow grew, I needed to have the ability to do that work myself.
That’s what led me to the Integrative Well being Practitioner (IHP) certification, and after finishing each Stage 1 and Stage 2 (over 100 hours of coursework, persevering with schooling, and a few very difficult exams later), I can provide you a radical, trustworthy image of what to anticipate.
Keen on Enrolling? Start Here.
Use code FITNESSISTA for $100 off Stage 1, or $250 off each ranges.
IHP Certification Assessment: What I Discovered, What It Prices, and Is It Value It (2026)
What Is the IHP Certification?
The Integrative Health Practitioner certification was created by Dr. Stephen Cabral, a Board Licensed Physician of Naturopathy, founding father of EquiLife and the Integrative Well being Practitioner Institute, and writer of the worldwide bestseller The Rain Barrel Impact. (In the event you haven’t learn it but, get it. It’s free!) After practically 20 years, over 600,000 pages of analysis, dozens of certifications within the pure well being area, and over 1 / 4 of one million non-public consumer periods…. Dr. Cabral is the actual deal.
I’d been following him on Instagram for a few years and had him as a visitor on the podcast earlier than I enrolled. Once we wrapped up the podcast, I knew I needed to study as a lot as I might from him, and when the partnership got here collectively, I took it as an indication that the timing was lastly proper.
This system is constructed on 7 integrative disciplines:
Ayurvedic medication – the science of life and body-typing
Bioregulatory medication – the science of self-healing and rebalancing
Chinese language medication and herbalism – unlocking nature’s therapeutic knowledge
Japanese philosophy – utilizing the thoughts to heal the physique
Conventional naturopathy – “proper dwelling” to reverse sickness
Orthomolecular medication – nutritional vitamins and minerals as medication
Useful medication – state-of-the-art lab testing to uncover underlying root causes
Every part is taught by Dr. Cabral himself, and I genuinely loved the best way he presents advanced data, making it accessible and straightforward to implement. His real-world medical expertise is invaluable, and it comes by way of in each lesson.
The Two Ranges: What’s the Distinction?
IHP Stage 1: The DESTRESS Protocol
Level 1 focuses on Dr. Cabral’s DESTRESS methodology: a root-cause way of life framework constructed round Weight loss program, Train, Stress administration, Toxin elimination, Relaxation, Emotional steadiness, Supplementation, and Success mindset.
Every lesson runs about half-hour, and Dr. Cabral consists of steered studying, complementary podcast episodes, and tons of client-ready handouts and sources all through. The complete Stage 1 course can take round 6 months relying in your tempo. It’s tremendous complete.
I liked Stage 1. I discovered myself studying one thing worthwhile from each single lesson. Nevertheless it’s the big-picture basis and it builds your framework and vocabulary. The appliance actually is available in Stage 2.
Need the complete breakdown? Learn my full IHP Stage 1 evaluate right here.
IHP Stage 2: Useful Labs
That is the place issues bought actually thrilling for me. Throughout every module I stored considering: that is precisely what I wish to study. That is how I wish to assist my purchasers.
Level 2 is nearly totally targeted on purposeful medication labs. You discover ways to suggest particular residence lab exams, analyze outcomes, and recommend motion plans based mostly on what you discover.
Right here’s what’s lined:
Meals Sensitivity Testing: IgG reactions to 190 meals on a scale from not vital to excessive. These are sensitivities (not allergic reactions) and might present up as complications, joint ache, pores and skin rashes, poor temper, and extra.
Parasite and Micro organism Stool Testing: key intestine micro organism and parasite markers linked to mind fog, low vitality, physique ache, and complications.
Natural Acids (OAT): an analysis of intestinal yeast and micro organism that may contribute to fatigue, habits points, immune dysfunction, and extra. Many individuals with continual sickness and neurological points present up right here. I run this check with purchasers nearly each single day.
Omega-3 Testing – your Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio, which has actual implications for coronary heart well being, irritation, temper, vitality, pores and skin, and muscle and joint ache. (Enjoyable reality: analysis exhibits that when Omega-3 ranges within the blood attain 9% or extra, the chance of sudden cardiac loss of life drops dramatically. That alone was eye-opening.)
Adrenal Hormone Testing – estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol patterns all through the day.
Thyroid Adrenal Hormone Testing – provides testosterone, DHEA, thyroid markers (T4, T3, TSH, TPO antibodies), insulin, A1C, and vitamin D. Weight reduction has much more to do with hormone steadiness and metabolism than most individuals notice.
HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Evaluation) – a foundational lab utilizing only a hair pattern that appears at mineral ranges, electrolytes, and poisonous heavy metals, and provides perception into how your physique is responding to emphasize and whether or not you’re a sluggish or quick oxidizer.
Observe: these labs will not be supposed to diagnose, stop, deal with, or treatment any illness, however they supply extremely particular and actionable details about your particular person physique. I truly love this facet of the labs; we’re searching for underlying imbalances however nothing scary.
About two-thirds of the best way by way of Stage 2, I noticed that if I stored attempting to grasp each module earlier than transferring on, I’d by no means end, since you might truthfully spend a lifetime going deep on any one among these exams. The easiest way to essentially study this materials is to do it: learn actual outcomes, re-watch the related module as you undergo every marker, and maintain layering in podcasts, books, and persevering with schooling. That’s nonetheless how I method it.
For the complete Stage 2 breakdown, learn my IHP Stage 2 evaluate right here
How A lot Does the IHP Price?
Pricing can change, so I all the time suggest checking present enrollment particulars straight.
That stated:
Stage 1 is the lower-cost entry level, with fee plan choices accessible
Each ranges collectively is the place the larger funding (and larger low cost) is available in. I believe that Stage 2 is ABSOLUTELY price it. (Value saying right here that I’m at present working my manner by way of Stage 3 and loving each second)
Use code FITNESSISTA for $100 off Level 1, or $250 off both levels
IHP additionally periodically runs enrollment specials, so it’s price preserving a watch out if timing is an element for you.
For context on worth: the purposeful lab coaching alone – one thing only a few coach-level certifications supply at this depth – would value considerably extra if pursued by way of particular person programs or medical coaching applications.
What I Really Love Concerning the IHP Program
It fills an actual hole in conventional well being teaching. As a diet coach and private coach, there’s a tough ceiling on how deep you possibly can go together with purchasers. The IHP certification – particularly Stage 2 – gave me instruments to really get to root causes, not simply supply common way of life steering.
Dr. Cabral is genuinely one of many good ones. In the event you observe him on Instagram or take heed to his podcast, you already know this. He’s extremely educated, however you can even simply inform that he’s a genuinely good one that actually desires to assist individuals heal. That comes by way of in each lesson.
The assist construction is superb. There’s a non-public Fb group for IHP candidates and authorized practitioners, reside Zoom Q&A calls, and – for Stage 2 graduates who full a further mentorship program – they’ll even refer purchasers to you straight. The handouts and sources are one other big plus; Dr. Cabral shares the precise protocols he makes use of in his personal follow, which makes it simple to start out implementing with purchasers instantly.
Self-paced with lifetime entry. No cohort deadlines to emphasize over. You may transfer rapidly when life permits and decelerate when it doesn’t. (This is the reason it’s taken me 18 years to finish Stage 3 lol.) They’re additionally continuously including new modules, handouts, and content material to the platform.
You don’t want a well being background to start out. Now we have IHPs who utterly modified careers due to this program, and in addition bodily therapists, nurses, medical doctors, private trainers, and dental professionals. It actually spans backgrounds.
The mission behind it’s stunning. The concept is that you just heal your self after which go on to heal others. That’s one thing I consider in utterly, and it’s been additional significant to me as I’ve been alone therapeutic journey.
What I’d Inform You to Know Going In
The teachings require your full consideration. This was my solely actual frustration: Dr. Cabral goes into a whole lot of data (much more so in Stage 2), and I felt like I wanted to be at my desk taking notes, not listening on a stroll or throughout a commute. The upside is it forces you to really take up the fabric, however you possibly can’t blast by way of it as rapidly as you may wish to.
It’s not a medical credential. The IHP doesn’t provide the authority to diagnose, deal with, or prescribe. That is true of all well being teaching certifications, and it’s one thing to go in figuring out. You’re working inside the scope of a well being practitioner, which remains to be significant and impactful; it’s only a totally different lane than medication.
You’ll have to buy your individual insurance coverage after Stage 2. Most grads undergo an organization like Various Stability. It’s pretty simple to arrange, however it’s an ongoing value to issue into your planning. (I believe I pay about $160/12 months)
It takes actual time. Stage 1 usually takes round 6 months; Stage 2 can take 6 months to a 12 months. There’s no shortcut, and truthfully, that’s acceptable for the quantity of fabric lined.
Is the IHP Value It in 2026?
For me, 10000% sure.
I wish to be trustworthy about why, although. I got here to this already working within the well being area, with a particular hole I wanted to fill and a real ardour for any such work. IHP stuffed that hole. I’ve been ready so as to add a brand new layer to my 1:1 teaching, work with members of the family and mates utilizing these instruments, and deepen my very own therapeutic course of with information I didn’t have earlier than. (The timing was additional significant for me personally. Coping with some surprising well being problems with my very own made the purposeful lab materials really feel extremely related.)
I’ve additionally been the one that was instructed “nothing is incorrect” or “you’ll simply must reside with it” by a number of physicians. I do know firsthand how a lot it issues to have somebody in your nook who thinks in root causes, who doesn’t surrender on you when customary labs look “regular.” That’s the sort of practitioner I wish to be, and IHP gave me actual instruments to get there.
In the event you’re a well being skilled searching for one other option to serve your purchasers, or should you’re somebody who desires to heal your self after which assist the individuals round you, I genuinely can’t suggest this program sufficient. I’d do each ranges, particularly if purposeful labs are your purpose. That’s the place the actual magic occurs.
Try the IHP program and use code FITNESSISTA for as much as $250 off
I solely suggest applications I’ve personally accomplished and consider in. Enrolling by way of my hyperlink helps this weblog at no additional value to you.
Fast FAQs
Do I want a well being background to enroll?
Nope! This system is open to everybody: profession changers, well being professionals, and genuinely curious individuals alike.
Can I simply do Stage 1?
Sure. Stage 1 is its personal certification. But when purposeful lab work is your purpose, you’ll need each ranges. I’d begin with Stage 1 to ensure the fabric resonates, then proceed to Stage 2. (If you buy each on the similar time, the pricing is healthier, although.)
How lengthy does it take to complete?
Stage 1 is often round 6 months at a cushty tempo; Stage 2 is analogous or a bit longer. There’s no time restrict, so you possibly can go at no matter tempo works to your life.
What can I truly do with this certification?
You may add purposeful well being teaching to your present follow, create new 1:1 or group choices, use it to deepen your individual private well being information, and contribute to content material you create. Stage 2 graduates even have the choice to obtain consumer referrals by way of the IHP community.
Is there group assist when you’re going by way of it?
Sure! The non-public Fb group is energetic and genuinely useful. And Dr. Cabral’s podcast (The Cabral Idea) is an ongoing useful resource that I nonetheless use recurrently.
Check out the details here and my code is FITNESSISTA to your low cost
Have questions concerning the IHP that I didn’t cowl right here? Drop them within the feedback. I learn each single one and am joyful to assist!
xo,
Gina
I’ll be updating this submit yearly to mirror any modifications in pricing, curriculum, or program particulars.
