Student Orientation


Dr. Silverman Welcome to Natural Health School! I'm your instructor, Dr. Duane Weed, MS., DC., LAc. I originally designed this course as a training aid for Nature's Sunshine distributors, but it soon became obvious that it was having a much broader appeal. Feedback from my students indicated that many individuals from all walks of life were benefiting from the course, including professionals such as medical doctors, nurses, psychologists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists and pharmacists, several of whom have commented on how it has broadened their perspective and improved their knowledge of this important part of health care.

Everyone is welcome to take the course. You do not have to pay the voluntary registration fee in order to have access to all of the lessons and the evaluations. However, those who complete the course and pay the voluntary registration fee can receive a Certificate of Completion, suitable for framing. Even if you don't want a certificate we appreciate the paid registrations because they help us pay the bills, so if you feel like you received value from the course a donation in the form of a paid registration will be gladly received.

This is a self-directed course. We do not grade you and we do not keep scores. Our evaluations operate on the honor system. It is up to you to get what you can from this course.

The teaching approach I use is based on the programmed learning technique developed by psychologists. (My master's degree is in clinical psychology.) In this approach the student is presented with a small amount of information which is immediately followed by a question to answer. Learning is enhanced by providing the student with immediate feedback after each response. Immediate feedback is the key to the success of the programmed learning technique, reducing learning time and improving retention.

On each page you are presented with a small amount of information followed by a multiple choice question. You are to select the best answer to the question by clicking on the button to the left of your selection. You will then press the "continue" button to advance to the next page where you will receive the correct answer and the next page of text. If you are unsure about an answer don't hesitate to guess.

At the end of each lesson you may take a self-evaluation for feedback on how well you have mastered the material in that lesson. All of the evaluations in Natural Health School are self-evaluations for your use only. We do not keep the results, but they are a critical part of the learning process. It will be up to you to decide if you should proceed or if you should repeat the lesson. It will also be up to you to keep track of the lessons that you have completed.

When you have completed all the lessons of Natural Health School you may take the final evaluation. After completing this evaluation you will receive immediate feedback. Your goal for all of the evaluations should be to get at least 80% of the answers correct. If you do not feel that you performed satisfactorily, you may retake any evaluation as many times as you need to. It is recommended however that you repeat the lessons you were weakest on before retaking the final evaluation. After successfully completing the final evaluation you are immediately presented with an opportunity to register and pay the voluntary fee if you want a Certificate of Completion.

The lessons of Natural Health School are listed on the index page. It is recommended that you first complete the lessons in Unit 1 in the order in which they are presented. The other lessons may be completed in any order. Remember, this is a self-paced course so proceed at your own pace and above all—Have fun while you learn!

Before proceeding, please read important disclaimer.

Begin with Lesson 1 Now!

 

Natural Health School FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

  1. What is Natural Health School?
  2. How much does it cost?
  3. Do I have to register to take the course?
  4. May I make a donation?
  5. Do I have to be a Nature's Sunshine Distributor?
  6. How long do I have to complete Natural Health School?
  7. What happens if I fail the final evaluation?
  8. Is it cheating to stop during the evaluation to look up answers?
  9. Will I get college credit for taking this course?
  10. Will I be certified or licensed to practice herbalism (or naturopathy, nutrition, etc.) after completing this course?
  1. What is Natural Health School?

    Natural Health School is a self-paced online course for people who want to learn more about the human body and how they can use herbs, nutrition and other natural methods to maximize health and prevent disease. In Natural Health School we learn how to take more responsibility for our health, how to teach others to do the same, and (for those who so desire) how to build a successful herbal nutrition consulting business. Our emphasis is on Nature's Sunshine Products (NSP) and the course is geared mostly toward NSP members and distributors, but non-members can equally benefit and everyone is welcome to participate.

  2. How much does it cost?

     

    certificate Payment for Natural Health School is voluntary. The fee structure is presented on the Registration Page. For those who complete the course and pay the voluntary fee, a Certificate of Completion, suitable for framing and signed by your instructor, will be mailed to you.

    (Note: The actual certificate is printed on high quality paper and looks much better than the low quality scan that appears to the right. This low quality image was used to prevent the certificate from being counterfeited from the web page.)

     

     

  3. Do I have to register to take the course?

    No. There is no cost or obligation (unless you want a certificate.)

  4. May I make a donation?

    Yes. We accept donations through PayPal. You may donate as much or as little as you want. Those who don't want to pay the full registration fee may want to consider making a donation of a lesser amount. Those who have already paid the registration fee may choose to make an additional donation. Please note however that donations will not be counted toward the registration fee and will not qualify you for a certificate of completion. To make a donation using PayPal click on the button below:

  5. Do I have to be a Nature's Sunshine Products (NSP) Member?

    No. But at some point you might want to consider a moneysaving membership, which will allow you to purchase the high-quality products at wholesale prices. Specific formulations are frequently mentioned in Natural Health School. These are always formulations from NSP. NSP's quality control is unsurpassed in the nutrition industry. I have personally visited their manufacturing facilities and laboratories and have been very impressed by their procedures. Additionally, I have seen their products work many times even after other brands have failed, which is the reason I chose to use NSP products in my practice. Also, since NSP carries over 500 different products, just about everything that you will ever need can be found in one product line.

    Members can save on their nutrition purchases and there are no purchase requirements nor minimum orders. If you are interested in building a part-time or full-time nutrition business, you will find that Nature's Sunshine Products (NSP) has the best educational and incentive programs in the direct marketing nutrition industry. And membership is FREE with a qualifying order. U.S. residents can sign up here. (You will automatically be in our group if you sign up at our distributor web site.) To learn more about our business opportunity click here!

     

  6. How long do I have to complete Natural Health School?

    Natural Health School is a self-paced course. You can take as long as you like. You can also review and repeat the material as often as you want. Reviews are a good idea since we add new material from time to time as new knowledge in the area of nutrition and health comes forward. Education after all should be a never ending process.

  7. What happens if I fail the final evaluation?

    We do not use the word "fail." All of our evaluations are for the purpose of giving you feedback regarding what you have learned. If you are not satisfied with your performance on any evaluation, you are given the information you will need to improve on your weak areas and an opportunity to take it over whenever you are ready. You can take any evaluation, including the final evaluation, as many times as you want. In this self-paced course people may quit, but they don't fail. The evaluations for the individual lessons are for your use only. We do not receive the results.

  8. Is it cheating to stop during the evaluation to look up answers?

    Absolutely not! The evaluations are part of the learning process. You are encouraged to look up any answer that you don't know. You are also encouraged to "guess," since feedback, both positive and negative, is an essential part of the learning process.

  9. Will I get college credit for taking this course?

    Probably not. This course is for informational purposes, not for college credit.

  10. Will I be certified or licensed to practice herbalism (or naturopathy, nutrition, etc.) after completing this course?

    No, completing this course will not give you a license to practice any form of medicine. In most localities, there is no official certification recognized for "herbalist" or "nutritional consultant." However, this does vary from region to region so you should check with your local authorities before engaging in such practices.

Begin Now!