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MASTER’S DEGREE

Master in Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology

Designed for health professionals, this master’s degree opens up a true way to help people recover their health through real effective reasoning using unique tools developed in the science of clinical psychoneuroimmunology.

Consist of

18 modules

Language

English
Dutch
German
Spanish
Italian

This master of continuous education is the way to improve your skills and knowledge at the level of neurology, psychology, endocrinology, sociology, immunology and all the connections between these topics. This is what makes clinical psychoneuroimmunology a real complete modern medicine. Preventive, protective and secondary preventive interventions are parts of clinical PNI. These are based on etiological and pathophysiological reasoning with the use of meta-models that have been developed during 35 years of thorough and scientific research. People are humans, and therefore global interventions regulating the BIG 10 (from breathing to sleeping) should always be the basis of any intervention in people suffering from any chronic disease. However, people are also individuals, and therefore you also learn how to develop personalised medicine.

We propose you make a life-changing decision; join us on this journey of change and become part of our already huge clinical psychoneuroimmunological community and a Master in clinical PNI.

Why should I study a Master in Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology?

You will receive the most up-to-date training in the field of clinical psychoneuroimmunology

You will be empowered to offer truly comprehensive care to your patients and clients, addressing not just the symptoms, but also the underlying causes of pathologies

You will become an fully accredited clinical psychoneuroimmunology therapist, with an internationally recognized master’s degree

“We recommend this course to anyone who is ready to advance their clinical practice to the next stage. Medical practitioners of all disciplines, as well as their patients, can benefit from this innovative medical approach.”

Leo Pruimboom – Director of the Pruimboom Institute

Program

The course is divided into six modules per year, each covering a different topic in KPNI.

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Module 2
Evolutionary medicine

Module 2

This module deals with the evolutionary aspects that have made humans, plants and other living things what we are today. Older known anthropogenic stressors such as infection, hunger, thirst and climate change have led to innumerable adaptations in the field of our genome and in the way the genome functions (the epigenome).

New risk factors such as sedentary life, eating 6 times a day, mortgage stress and many other factors are so new to the genetically “old: homo sapiens” that our health controller (read hypothalamus) has not (yet) found a solution for them. These new stressors cause a conflict with our genome, which is full of polymorphisms meant to survive under previous conditions; the same polymorphisms, along with epimutations, are now the cause of most if not all chronic diseases suffered by modern humans, especially in the wealthy West, so those diseases can be considered evolutionary scars.

Genetics, epigenetics, polymorphisms and evolutionary stressors are the topics of the first day. The second day deals with “how it works” and “why it works this way”, the most important questions within evolutionary clinical PNI. The third day translates all evolutionary knowledge into certain interventions in a number of very common conditions.

Learning objectives

Student will:

  • Look at clients from the point of view of why they function the way they do, from an evolutionary perspective.
  • Learn the evolutionary mechanisms of action responsible for diseases today and use the tools to reset these mechanisms in patients.
  • Identify diseases as evolutionary scars and use evolutionary interventions to treat people suffering from these conditions.
  • Discover the meaning of the concept of Intermittent Living and apply a number of the interventions in your own life.
  • Learn to identify the evolving mechanism of action that the “error” is utilized by a patient (e.g., insulin resistance and cortisol resistance).
  • Be presented with a list of functional parameters that allow them to identify a disorder of an evolving mechanism of action.

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Module 3
Neuroendocrinology

Module 3

This module explores how our body has learned to respond to homeostatic changes (i.e. stress) and how that response can either protect us or make us sick. The first day is dedicated to the sympathizer and the HPA axis. The remaining two days are dedicated to all the other axes that come from the homeostatic regulatory organ of all living animals on earth: the hypothalamus.

Stress is much more than a psycho-emotional burden. Factors such as changing ambient temperature, eating too often and lack of sleep are also stressors and require a reaction from one or more axes of the hypothalamus. Again, evolution will play an important role within this module, as our hypothalamus has remained almost identical over the last 250 million years, it means that modern life is very “foreign” to this organ.

Learning objectives

Students will:

  • Learn about the difference between homeostasis and allostasis is used to identify hypothalamic axis disorders.
  • Analyze the function of the hypothalamus using validated measurement instruments and functional parameters.
  • Learn to treat clients with universal inflammation of the hypothalamus, as it is the cause of most, if not all, chronic non-infectious diseases.
  • Use the concepts of physical and mental stress to guide clients with specific interventions.
  • Learn to use a number of tests to determine patients’ response to stress: the Trier Social Stress Test, the neuroglycopenia test, the autonomic reaction test, the cold stress test (CST) and the Maastricht associated stress test (MAST).
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Module 7
The selfish immune-system

Module 7

This module integrates the first six modules of the first year of study through the concept of selfish organs, namely the selfish brain, the selfish immune system and the selfish metabolic system. We will discuss the strategies that have been used so far to maintain the various systems both anatomically and functionally.

Normally, the three systems should work together in harmony, whereas this cooperation is disturbed in people suffering from chronic diseases. The way one of the systems takes over dominance leads to certain disorders that are also known as selfish brain disorder, selfish immune system disorder or selfish metabolic system disorder. In addition, the methodology used to map disorders of the three systems will be discussed in depth.

A number of disorders, including Hashimoto’s, depression and burnout, will be specifically discussed using the five metamodels. From this module you will assume the role of therapist and treat at least three real patients. These patients are pre-selected for their complexity, which makes it possible for students to attempt to arrive at a diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the reproductive system has recently been introduced as selfish. Therefore, the HPG axis plays an important role in the last day of this module. Premenstrual syndrome and other disorders of the HPG axis are discussed both theoretically and practically and completed with a therapeutic protocol.

Learning objectives

Students will:

  • Learn the three super-systems and the most common syndromes based on the clinical-chemical and functional parameters to which they belong.
  • Treat patients by influencing one or more super-systems.
  • Learn to use the five metamodels in the context of treating real patients.
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Module 16
Lifestyle Medicine

Module 16

During this module you will develop a unique lifestyle program based on the knowledge of why people don’t move, eat well, sleep on time and sit a lot.

Current lifestyle projects focus primarily on nutritional regimens such as high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets and other dietary interventions that would, of course, work very well if people complied with the therapy. This module not only explains how sitting too much makes people sick, but also why people do what they do. Based on this knowledge, a truly successful lifestyle program can be developed, which could prevent many diseases, including natural overweight, type 2 diabetes, but probably also Alzheimer’s and many forms of cancer.

A lifestyle concept based on the intermittent lifestyle model is the end result of this module combined with all the other knowledge and practical skills you have acquired during the course.

Learning objectives

Students will:

  • Learn why people do not carry out lifestyle interventions, despite knowing the negative consequences of not moving, smoking, sitting too much, and eating too much.
  • Use evidence-based lifestyle interventions in the correct form, frequency, and amount.
  • Match the client’s therapy with specific interventions based on knowledge of therapy adherence.
  • Learn how to motivate people in the right way and thus make them loyal to lifestyle interventions.
  • Learn how to use a series of nutrition charts (tools) for the development of a ketogenic state, which will bring the brain back to number 1 in the hierarchy of biological priorities, among other things.
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Module 17
Organs III

Module 17

It is impossible to imagine our lives without top-level sport. Professional soccer is currently the company with the highest economic turnover in the world. It is not only top-level sport that is in vogue, but the movement itself is a hot topic. Therefore, this module deals with the most important aspects that play a role in (top) sport. Topics such as injury prevention/treatment, performance enhancement, mental tolerance training, talent analysis, nutrition in top sport and thermoregulation are discussed in depth, so the knowledge is directly translated into practical tips and techniques.

This module is full of great surprises that are immediately useful to succeed as a cPNI therapist in the world of sport. Of course, all trainable processes are also discussed in the field of anatomy, neurology, endocrinology and immunology. In addition, a number of essential psycho-emotional problems within high-level sport are highlighted in both theory and practice, of which loneliness is a prime example. A fascinating topic within this module is how we can get top athletes into a state called “the clutch”. Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan are examples of this.

Learning objectives

Students will:

  • Support top athletes in an integrated way, from injury prevention, to nutrition and other lifestyle interventions, to performance enhancement.
  • Learn to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both individual athletes and teams.
  • Optimize the performance of individual athletes by making the organization of which you are a member healthy.
  • Learn how to use measuring instruments with which to measure VO2 max, water consumption and energy consumption per given unit of time.
  • Develop the ability to develop preventive and curative training programs based on the psychological, physiological and physiognomic characteristics of the (high-level) athletes to be supervised.
Scientific board

Pruimboom Institute is privileged to have a team composed of members representing the foremost experts in the field of KPNI clinical psychoneuroimmunology.

How can we help you?
Whether you’re interested in signing up for a course, or want to know more about KPNI, we would love to hear from you. Please allow up to 48 hours for us to get back to you.



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    Admission requirements

    Only individuals who have a bachelor’s degree or completed college education in a study related to healthcare are eligible for the master’s degree. All other students who followed PNI 1 and 2 are welcome to take part in the first year of the course, but cannot obtain a master’s degree. This group of participants can improve their knowledge and practical skills and receive additional credits from different professional associations if this possibility exists.

    Consist of

    Three academic years, 18 modules. Each of the academic courses consists of 6 three-day seminars and Q & A sessions. An additional three-day practical module is included in the third year.

    Study load

    90 ECTS

    Accreditation

    Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain, Own Master 90 ECTS

    Number of places

    Approximately 45 students per class, but the amount may vary depending on the campus

    Classroom

    Online, live virtual and in-person.

    Teaching materials

    All teaching materials are offered in digital format. In each module, students will receive:

    • A digital reference text supporting the topics covered in that module
    • Digital didactic material
    • Scientific articles
    Website

    During the course you will have access to the private section of your campus website, where you can download all presentations, articles and supporting chapters. There is also a student auditorium (digital library) and an interactive forum.During the course you will have access to the private section of the PNI Europe website, where you can download all presentations, articles and supporting chapters. There is also a student auditorium (digital library) and an interactive forum.

    Examination / completion of training

    It is mandatory to have attended 80% of the course to be able to access the exam.

    At the end of each academic year, students will carry out a multiple-choice theoretical exam. The PNI 1 exam will take place in the first PNI 2 seminar and the PNI 2 exam will take place in the first PNI 3 seminar.

    At the end of the third year, students must take both a final theory test and a practical exam through a consultation with a real patient.

    Failure to pass the first and second exams does not disqualify you from enrolling in and attending the next course. In case of failing any exam, you will have two extra attempts. To be able to receive the Master’s degree, it is essential that you have passed all the exams.

    Once you have passed the exams, the Master’s degree will be issued through the Pontifical University of Salamanca after payment of the corresponding fees.

    Didactic development and content of the master

    Pruimboom Institute and its scientific committee are responsible for the development of the master’s programme; the members of the committee are continuously working on the program to include the latest discoveries and every three months there is a committee meeting to update the course content. The committee is made up of Prof. Dr. Marion Raab, Prof. Dr. Frits Muskiet, Tom Fox, Daniel de la Serna, Itziar Hernández, and Dr. Leo Pruimboom.

    Organisation chart

    The master’s is taught by Pruimboom institute teachers and/or by teachers from Pruimboom Institute partners at the different campus. The University of Salamanca is in charge of granting the diplomas that certify the title of Master in Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology.

    Prices and registration

    We kindly refer you to the campus of your interest for prices and registration options.

    Ready to begin your medical transformation?