functional medicine Certification Course

Nutritional Pathology and
Functional Medicine Certification Course

Learn the clinical reasoning behind functional medicine so you can think through any case that comes through your door.
  • Nine modules of 12 to 15 hours each, about 110 hours of instruction
  • Lifetime access to every recording
  • Self-paced, with no live attendance required
  • Multiple case studies in every module, with the labs to run and how to read them
  • Protocols organized by functional diagnosis, with peer-reviewed references
  • Functional Medicine Resource Kit included, a $995 value
  • Comprehensive final exam and the CNPFM credential
  • Listing in the NPI practitioner referral network
Are you a student or work in a group practice?
Contact us for special pricing.

Next session begins December 2026

Good practitioners know what to do.
Great practitioners know WHY.

What is Nutritional Pathology?

Watch this video to get a taste of Dr. Lundell's teaching style.
Pathology is the branch of medicine concerned with the essential nature and primary causes of disease. It studies the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues and organs that cause or result from disease, using tissue analysis, laboratory biochemistry and tests of organ function.

Nutritional pathology is the study of the cellular basis of ill health, where the primary causes are nutritional aberrations, environmental inputs and lifestyle factors. Nutritional and lifestyle interventions are used to restore and maintain health throughout the lifespan.

Nutritional pathology uses current biochemical analysis, physical examination and an integrated mind-body model to identify what a patient is experiencing and why. A complete understanding of how organ systems function allows effective, evidence-based treatments with a lower risk of harm to be used to relieve symptoms and restore normal cellular function.

Why Practitioners Choose This Course

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Practical from Day One

Dr. Lundell and Dr. Wisniewski teach the same material they use with patients every week. Complex biochemistry and lab interpretation are organized into clear protocols you can apply at your next patient visit.

Built for Busy Clinicians - Lifetime Access

The curriculum organizes a large body of clinical information into a structured sequence you can complete alongside a full practice. Attend live or watch the recordings when it suits your schedule.

A Method for Complex Cases

You'll learn to identify what is happening at the cellular and biochemical level and relate it to the whole patient. That method prepares you for the patient who has seen several providers without an answer.
What You'll Learn

Course Content

The course has nine core modules, plus 
the manuals and resources that come with enrollment.
module 1

Intro to FM & Blood Chemistry

Covers the functional model, the nutritional pathology approach to a case, the limits of conventional reference ranges, how to read a panel as a pattern, and the core concepts of methylation and inflammation.
module 2

Blood Chemistry

Teaches systematic, analyte-by-analyte interpretation of the CBC, CMP, iron studies, thyroid and lipid panels, inflammatory markers and nutrient status, along with functional ranges, pattern recognition and the urinalysis.
module 3

Inflammation, Immunology & Autoimmune

Explains how inflammation and immune imbalance drive chronic disease, covering the autoimmune triad, infections, mold and environmental triggers, antibody testing, and protocols for autoimmune presentations.
module 4

Functional Gastroenterology A–Z & Detoxification

Covers digestion from stomach acid to the colon, including dysbiosis, SIBO, permeability, infections and inflammatory bowel conditions, along with stool testing, tiered GI restoration, liver detoxification and the gut's role in elimination.
module 5

Adrenals & Thyroid

Covers the HPA axis and thyroid physiology and how each one affects the other, including cortisol patterns, thyroid conversion and autoimmunity, complete testing, and evidence-based treatment.
module 6

Sex Hormones, Fertility & Peptides

Covers male and female hormone cascades, testing choices and hormone therapy, preconception and fertility care, and the clinical use of peptides. Male and female cascades, testing choices,
and preconception and fertility protocols.
module 7

Cardiometabolic

Covers cardiovascular risk beyond the standard lipid panel, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, the hormones that regulate appetite and body weight, GLP-1 and other peptide therapies, and mitochondrial energy production.
module 8

Functional & Biochemical Neurology

Covers neurotransmitter biochemistry, neuroinflammation, the gut-brain-immune axis, cognitive decline, mood and sleep, with strategies to support recovery and protect brain function.
module 9

Case Studies, Clinical Pearls & Emergency
Medicine

Covers complete workups from intake to follow-up, clinical pearls, how a busy functional medicine practice runs, and the red flags that require immediate referral.

CNPFM Exam and Referral Network

The comprehensive final exam, the CNPFM credential on passing, and a listing in the NPI practitioner referral network.
* Course content is subject to change. The material covered in each module may differ slightly from these descriptions and includes considerably more than is listed here.

Included with Enrollment

Functional Medicine Resource Kit ($995 value)

The kit includes the Protocols Manual, the Guides Manual, the Holistic Blood Chemistry and Urinalysis Manual, the Blood Chemistry Pattern Guide, office and practice forms, patient questionnaires and intake tools, and a searchable reference library of thousands of studies.

Holistic Blood Chemistry and Urinalysis Manual (part of the Resource Kit)

A reference for interpreting each analyte, including its biochemistry, the conditions that raise or lower it, functional ranges with supporting references, and the related markers that confirm a finding. The manual covers the urinalysis as well.

Blood Chemistry Pattern Guide (part of the Resource Kit)

A companion to the manual that lays out the patterns typically seen across multiple analytes in common diagnoses, so a panel can be assessed as a whole.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet Mini Course

Dr. Lundell's anti-inflammatory diet program as he teaches it to patients, with audio instruction and an e-booklet with recipes. Many protocols in the course begin with this diet.

Sponsor Benefits

Over $500 in value from lab tests, product discounts and services from the labs and suppliers Dr. Lundell uses in practice.
  • 15% off every Biotics Research order, with no cap, for one year
  • A complimentary Lundell Deluxe Panel from Professional Co-op, a $275 value
  • A complimentary website audit and consultation, a $199 value
  • Exclusive discounts on hyperbaric oxygen and infrared saunas
WHO THIS IS FOR

Built for licensed practitioners.

The Nutritional Pathology course was developed for licensed healthcare practitioners. Past students include chiropractors, medical and osteopathic physicians, naturopathic doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, acupuncturists, psychologists, nutritionists, dietitians and health coaches.

Some students are new to functional medicine and want to learn it correctly from the start. Others have practiced for years and want a systematic method for the cases that are not resolving. A practice license is not required to enroll, but it is encouraged because of the technical nature of the material.
  • Chiropractors
  • Medical Doctors
  • Naturopathic Doctors
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Osteopathic physicians
  • Acupuncturists
  • Physicians Assistants
  • Health Coaches
  • Nutritionists
  • Psychologists
  • Registered Dieticians
CREDENTIALS
– Doctor of Chiropractic

– Advanced Practice Chiropractic Physician
Board Certified in Diagnosis and Internal Disorders (DABCI)

– Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner – Institute of Functional Medicine (IFMCP)

– Diplomate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Int. Acad. of Chir. Ac. (IACA)

– Board Certified in Naturopathic Endocrinology (ANMA)

– Former Adjunct Professor of Functional Medicine: Southern California University Health Sciences
Founder and lead instructor

Dr. Brandon Lundell, DC

 Dr. Lundell has practiced functional medicine for more than 20 years and maintains a waiting-list practice at Harmony Healing Center in Longmont, Colorado.

He founded the Nutritional Pathology Institute in 2014 and has trained more than 1,000 practitioners through NPI courses, mentorship and more than 400 seminars across all 50 states.

He developed the functional endocrinology and functional neurology modules for the DABCI program, taught functional medicine in the doctoral program at Southern California University of Health Sciences, and has presented at the Institute for Functional Medicine's Annual International Conference.

Supporting Faculty

Dr. Brett Wisniewski, DC 
Senior Faculty

Dr. Wisniewski is clinic director at Gateway Natural Medicine & Diagnostic Center in Berthoud, Colorado. He holds a master's degree in molecular cell biology and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists and of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. His clinical focus includes immunology, autoimmunity, infectious disease and advanced laboratory assessment.

Hear From Past Participants

“As a practitioner coming from random knowledge in the FM realm, what I have learned here in this mentorship is how to do FM CORRECTLY, and this foundation although I am still VERY new at it is a core foundation that every FM provider should have. I would encourage anyone wanting to learn FM, learn it correctly, and to learn it in depth to learn from Dr. Lundell.”
Holly Green, LAC
“I’ve been taking Dr. Lundell’s mentorship program as well as the Nutritional Pathology Course. Out of all the classes that I’ve taken in the past, this training was the most detailed….I’ve learned the most out of all the courses that I have taken, and I’ve been in the Functional Medicine field for the past 10 years. I’m really grateful to Dr. Lundell for providing such a detailed course, and I’m looking forward learning more from him.”
Dr. Natalya Fazylova
“My practice has grown. I’m seeing more people and helping them get healthier while at the same time not wearing myself out – and I’m making a profit.”
Keith Currie
“The mentorship helped shape more of where my practice is today and I can’t wait to continue that growth and learn more in the FM realm.”
dr. Julie Gurbacki, DC
Investment

Enroll in the Founding Cohort

The founding cohort begins December 18, 2026. Attend the live sessions or work through the recordings at your own pace, with lifetime access to every recording.

Monthly Payments

Spread the investment over 12 months
$590/month
$500 deposit + first payment ($1,090) at enrollment, then 11 monthly payments

Total: $7,580

Pay in Full

$6,995
one-time

Add the Mentorship

Combine the certification course with our mentorship program. We call this our Apprenticeship.

  • Small-group sessions and private sessions with Dr. Lundell or Dr. Wisniewski.
  • Review your own patient cases, labs and practice questions
  • Save $1,000 compared to enrolling in both programs
  • Next mentorship cohort starts on December 17, 2026

Not ready to commit? Join the waitlist — you'll be first to know as the cohort fills. Your place isn't guaranteed until you secure it with a deposit.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the course take to complete?
The course is about 110 hours of instruction. The founding cohort records it in live sessions, mostly on Friday mornings, and each module is available as soon as it is posted. You can move through the modules at your own pace, and students who enroll after recording is complete have the full course available from the start.
How does certification work?
After completing all nine modules, you take one comprehensive final exam. Passing it earns the CNPFM credential and a listing in the NPI practitioner referral network.
Do I need a license to enroll?
No. A license is encouraged because of the technical nature of the material.
I purchased the Nutritional Pathology course in the past. Do I receive credit?
Yes. Anyone who paid for a previous NPI course receives a credit for that amount, up to $2,500, toward the new course or the course and mentorship enrolled together. Past mentorship purchases do not qualify. Discounts do not stack, so each person receives their single largest discount.
Are student or group discounts available?
Students enrolled in an accredited healthcare program may be eligible for up to 50% off the course. Please call to verify with your student ID. Multi-practitioner and group practices may qualify for special discounts.
Can I combine the course with the mentorship?
Yes. The Mentorship Intensive adds small-group sessions and private one-on-one sessions with Dr. Lundell or Dr. Wisniewski. Enrolling in both programs together costs $1,000 less than enrolling in each separately, and for the founding cohort the mentorship is extended from six to nine months.
I still have questions.
Email Dr. Lundell's team at assistant@drbrandonlundell.com, call 303-651-1502, or schedule a free 15-minute consult.

The next cohort begins December 2026.

The founding cohort begins December 18, 2026. Attend the live
sessions or work through the recordings at your own pace, with
lifetime access to every recording.
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