We are the smart educational alternative because we offer a unique degreed program with a Holistic Health Practitioner Certificate in just a year which qualifies you to hold a license as a health care professional. Our goal is to train village healers who can diagnose and treat those seeking wellness providing an important service for their community and family. You will learn a multitude of natural health therapies in one cohesive course of training during this year-long part-time course of study.
The IHAI Difference!
| ** | IHAI School-Degree | Acupuncture School | Massage School | Herb Certificate |
| Cost | $6,500 | $40,000+ | $7,000-12,000 | $0-3,000 |
| Degree | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Professional License Qualification | yes | yes | yes | no |
| *Median Wage Yearly Averages | $41,000-$74,000+ | $41,000-$74,000+ | $41,000-$74,000+ | ? |
| Time Invested in Training | 1 Year Part-time | 4 Years+-full time | 6 months-2 Years | 1 weeks-2 years+ |
| Weekend-Modular | ||||
| Chinese Medical Theory | yes | yes | no | no |
| Diagnostic Training | yes | yes | no | no |
| Western Herb Training | yes | no | no | yes |
| Western Herbal In-House Internship | yes | no | no | no |
| Chinese Herb Training | yes | yes | no | no |
| Chinese Herbal In-House Internship | yes | yes | no | no |
| Herb Certification | yes | yes | no | yes |
| Clinical Internship | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Anatomy-Physiology | yes | yes | yes | no |
| TCM Diagnosis | yes | yes | no | no |
| Acu-points location-Channel Theories | yes | yes | ? | no |
| Treatment Protocols Based on Energetic-TCM Diagnosis | yes | yes | no | no |
| Herb Remedy Making | yes | no | no | yes |
| Nutritional-Food Therapy | yes | yes | no | no |
| Onsight Clinical Experience | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Fire Cupping Training | yes | yes | no | no |
| Auricular Therapy Training | yes | yes | no | no |
| Guasha Training | yes | yes | no | no |
| Energy Healing-Medical Qi-gong | yes | yes | no | no |
| Therapeutic Essential Oils | yes | no | no | no |
| Flower Essence | yes | no | no | no |
| Integrated Medical Facility Training | yes | no | no | no |
| Entrepreneur Business Training | yes | no | no | no |
| Clinic Management | yes | Typically | Typically | no |
| Wildcrafting Herbs | no | no | no | yes |
| **Educational training programs vary greatly; this is a generalization and you should compare your educational opportunities as each program is unique. | ||||
| *Check current statistics here: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/subject/healthcare.htm Salaries vary on practices and number of patients treated. | ||||
We use the constructs of Chinese medical theory because it is one of a handful of viable systems of traditional medicine that remains a whole system of medicine. Therefore, one can use Chinese medicine to form a diagnosis and an effective treatment plan using the therapies taught in the program. And we offer a unique in-house hands-on clinical internship that gives you direct guidance while treating real patients.
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What will I learn in this program?
- Clinical Western & Chinese Herbalism
- Clinical Applications of Essential Oils
- How to Make Remedies for Clients
- How to Stay Legally Compliant Providing Herbal Remedies for Clients
- Acupressure
- Channel Theory
- Fire Cupping
- Gua-sha-Japanese Scraping
- Tuina-Chinese Medical Massage
- Auricular Therapy
- Moxibustion
- Nutritional Food Therapy
- Emotional Wellness & Balancing
- Medical QiGong
- Magnet Therapy
- Entrepreneurship & Marketing
- Pulse Diagnosis
- Tongue Diagnosis
- Chinese Patterns of Disease & Pain
- Treatment Planning for Patterns of Imbalance
This is truly a unique learning opportunity!
Are we an acupuncture school?
No, acupuncture programs that include herbal training are four-year programs; we train you in Chinese medicine including acupressure in a year’s time at a fraction of the cost as most graduating acupuncturists are carrying around $100,000 in student debt. You will have no student debt and a similar earning potential of an acupuncturist. The only concrete difference is that you will be utilizing acupressure rather than acupuncture as one of your many treatment modalities.
Related Article: Acupressure vs. Acupuncture
Are we an herb school?
Yes, but herb schools typically teach about western herbs, wild harvesting, and growing herbs. While all of this is a great deal of fun and can be quite empowering, we teach the practical clinical aspect of choosing the most appropriate herbs for a specific client; this is only possible with sharp diagnostic skills. Dr. Browne is a skilled field herbalist and those trained as herbalists will find this program to be a welcomed elevation of their skills and an opportunity to use those skills practically. It was her frustration in training herbalists that led to this program because “certified herbalists” generally do not have clinical skills; the skills to diagnose effectively or to create an informed treatment plan. One cannot expect good clinical outcomes without these abilities. Additionally, the term “certified herbalist” is not a good endorsement as it could mean a week-long training program or something more as there are no set standards for these so-called credentials.
Are we a massage school?
Technically, yes. Because acupressure can only be performed by someone with a massage license, our degree and licensure are governed over by the NC Massage & Bodywork Board. Our program is different in that you are learning real Chinese medicine and modalities that tie acupressure and Chinese Medical Massage into an effective treatment strategy utilizing all of the modalities of Chinese medicine. While you will not be able to insert needles, acupressure was the original acupuncture and is incredibly efficacious when performed correctly.
