Final up to date: 2026 | This publish incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. In the event you enroll by means of my hyperlink and use the code FITNESSISTA, you’ll stand up to $250 off and I’ll earn a fee at no additional price to you.
Hiiii mates! I hope you had an exquisite weekend and that you simply’re having fun with the morning. Right now I wished to speak about considered one of my favourite subjects: IHP.
In the event you’ve been following alongside right here for some time, you already know 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 lots of certifications over time (Precision Diet, NASM Private Coach, Weight Loss Specialist, Girls’s Health Specialist, Corrective Train Specialist, 200-hour yoga RYT, and extra), and each has added one thing significant to the way in which I work with purchasers.
However there was at all times a spot.
Working with diet purchasers on-line, I saved working into conditions the place I knew one thing deeper was occurring – a hormonal imbalance, a intestine subject, a mineral deficiency – and all I may do was refer out. Suggesting particular labs or deciphering 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 may run these checks, however as my on-line follow grew, I wished 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 checks later), I can provide you a radical, sincere image of what to anticipate.
Inquisitive about Enrolling? Begin Right 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 Price It (2026)
What Is the IHP Certification?
The Integrative Well being 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 almost 20 years, over 600,000 pages of analysis, dozens of certifications within the pure well being subject, and over 1 / 4 of one million personal shopper classes…. 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. After we wrapped up the podcast, I knew I wished to be taught as a lot as I may 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
Jap philosophy – utilizing the thoughts to heal the physique
Conventional naturopathy – “proper dwelling” to reverse sickness
Orthomolecular medication – nutritional vitamins and minerals as medication
Purposeful medication – state-of-the-art lab testing to uncover underlying root causes
Every little thing is taught by Dr. Cabral himself, and I genuinely loved the way in which he presents complicated info, making it accessible and simple to implement. His real-world scientific expertise is invaluable, and it comes by means of in each lesson.
The Two Ranges: What’s the Distinction?
IHP Stage 1: The DESTRESS Protocol
Stage 1 focuses on Dr. Cabral’s DESTRESS methodology: a root-cause life-style framework constructed round Food plan, Train, Stress administration, Toxin elimination, Relaxation, Emotional steadiness, Supplementation, and Success mindset.
Every lesson runs about half-hour, and Dr. Cabral contains prompt studying, complementary podcast episodes, and tons of client-ready handouts and sources all through. The total Stage 1 course can take round 6 months relying in your tempo. It’s tremendous complete.
I cherished Stage 1. I discovered myself studying one thing helpful from each single lesson. However 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 overview right here.
IHP Stage 2: Purposeful Labs
That is the place issues acquired actually thrilling for me. Throughout every module I saved pondering: that is precisely what I need to be taught. That is how I need to assist my purchasers.
Stage 2 is nearly fully centered on useful medication labs. You learn to suggest particular dwelling lab checks, analyze outcomes, and recommend motion plans primarily based on what you discover.
Right here’s what’s coated:
Meals Sensitivity Testing: IgG reactions to 190 meals on a scale from not vital to excessive. These are sensitivities (not allergy symptoms) and may 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 related to mind fog, low power, 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 virtually each single day.
Omega-3 Testing – your Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio, which has actual implications for coronary heart well being, irritation, temper, power, pores and skin, and muscle and joint ache. (Enjoyable truth: analysis exhibits that when Omega-3 ranges within the blood attain 9% or extra, the danger of sudden cardiac demise 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 offers perception into how your physique is responding to emphasize and whether or not you’re a gradual or quick oxidizer.
Observe: these labs are usually not 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 in search of underlying imbalances however nothing scary.
About two-thirds of the way in which by means of Stage 2, I noticed that if I saved attempting to grasp each module earlier than transferring on, I’d by no means end, since you may actually spend a lifetime going deep on any considered one of these checks. One of the best ways to actually be taught this materials is to do it: learn actual outcomes, re-watch the related module as you undergo every marker, and hold 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 overview right here
How A lot Does the IHP Value?
Pricing can change, so I at all times suggest checking present enrollment particulars instantly.
That stated:
Stage 1 is the lower-cost entry level, with fee plan choices obtainable
Each ranges collectively is the place the larger funding (and larger low cost) is available in. I believe that Stage 2 is ABSOLUTELY value it. (Price saying right here that I’m presently working my means by means of Stage 3 and loving each second)
Use code FITNESSISTA for $100 off Stage 1, or $250 off each ranges
IHP additionally periodically runs enrollment specials, so it’s value conserving an eye fixed out if timing is an element for you.
For context on worth: the useful lab coaching alone – one thing only a few coach-level certifications supply at this depth – would price considerably extra if pursued by means of particular person programs or scientific coaching packages.
What I Truly Love In regards to 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 may go together with purchasers. The IHP certification – particularly Stage 2 – gave me instruments to truly get to root causes, not simply supply common life-style 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 who really desires to assist individuals heal. That comes by means of in each lesson.
The assist construction is superb. There’s a personal Fb group for IHP candidates and licensed practitioners, reside Zoom Q&A calls, and – for Stage 2 graduates who full a further mentorship program – they’ll even refer purchasers to you instantly. The handouts and sources are one other enormous plus; Dr. Cabral shares the precise protocols he makes use of in his personal follow, which makes it straightforward to start out implementing with purchasers straight away.
Self-paced with lifetime entry. No cohort deadlines to emphasize over. You may transfer shortly when life permits and decelerate when it doesn’t. (That is why it’s taken me 18 years to finish Stage 3 lol.) They’re additionally consistently including new modules, handouts, and content material to the platform.
You don’t want a well being background to start out. We now have IHPs who fully modified careers due to this program, and likewise bodily therapists, nurses, medical doctors, private trainers, and dental professionals. It really spans backgrounds.
The mission behind it’s lovely. The thought is that you simply heal your self after which go on to heal others. That’s one thing I imagine in fully, and it’s been additional significant to me as I’ve been by myself 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 lots of info (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 truly soak up the fabric, however you may’t blast by means of it as shortly as you would possibly need to.
It’s not a scientific 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 realizing. You’re working inside the scope of a well being practitioner, which continues to be significant and impactful; it’s only a totally different lane than medication.
You’ll have to buy your personal insurance coverage after Stage 2. Most grads undergo an organization like Different Steadiness. It’s pretty straightforward to arrange, nevertheless it’s an ongoing price to issue into your planning. (I believe I pay about $160/yr)
It takes actual time. Stage 1 sometimes takes round 6 months; Stage 2 can take 6 months to a yr. There’s no shortcut, and actually, that’s acceptable for the quantity of fabric coated.
Is the IHP Price It in 2026?
For me, 10000% sure.
I need to be sincere about why, although. I got here to this already working within the well being house, with a particular hole I wanted to fill and a real ardour for such a work. IHP crammed that hole. I’ve been in a position so as to add a brand new layer to my 1:1 teaching, work with relations 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 sudden well being problems with my very own made the useful lab materials really feel extremely related.)
I’ve additionally been the one that was advised “nothing is incorrect” or “you’ll simply need to 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 hand over on you when normal labs look “regular.” That’s the sort of practitioner I need to be, and IHP gave me actual instruments to get there.
In the event you’re a well being skilled in search of one other method to serve your purchasers, or in case 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 useful labs are your aim. That’s the place the actual magic occurs.
Take a look at the IHP program and use code FITNESSISTA for as much as $250 off
I solely suggest packages I’ve personally accomplished and imagine in. Enrolling by means of my hyperlink helps this weblog at no additional price to you.
Fast FAQs
Do I would like 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 useful lab work is your aim, you’ll need each ranges. I’d begin with Stage 1 to verify the fabric resonates, then proceed to Stage 2. (If you buy each on the identical time, the pricing is healthier, although.)
How lengthy does it take to complete?
Stage 1 is usually round 6 months at a snug tempo; Stage 2 is analogous or a bit longer. There’s no time restrict, so you may go at no matter tempo works to your life.
What can I truly do with this certification?
You may add useful well being teaching to your present follow, create new 1:1 or group choices, use it to deepen your personal private well being information, and contribute to content material you create. Stage 2 graduates even have the choice to obtain shopper referrals by means of the IHP community.
Is there group assist when you’re going by means of it?
Sure! The personal Fb group is energetic and genuinely useful. And Dr. Cabral’s podcast (The Cabral Idea) is an ongoing useful resource that I nonetheless use frequently.
Take a look at the main points right 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 completely happy to assist!
xo,
Gina
I’ll be updating this publish yearly to replicate any adjustments in pricing, curriculum, or program particulars.









