IIFP - Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology, Online, Melbourne (2026)

08/10/2026

As of today, 8th October 2026, the Australian Federal Government have introduced new laws to prevent life insurance companies from requesting or using your genetic test results to generate policies or premiums based on your genetic test results (Australian Taxation Office, 2026).

Your genetic tests and DNA test results are now “protected information” in Australian law.

Previously, life insurance companies can request your genetic or DNA test results and reports and use them to hugely increase your life insurance premiums, often from misinterpreting test results as a worst-case situation. This has lead to many people ordering genetic tests under a different name, for privacy reasons, to prevent insurance companies from requesting or using this private information.

Life insurance companies can also no longer request you to undertake a genetic test for the purposes of insuring you.

However, if you have received a diagnosis of a health condition from any type of testing, including genetic testing, you still have to disclose the diagnosis to the life insurance companies. Failure to do so can result in policies being cancelled, or claims not being accepted.

Penalties for insurance companies can be severe, up to 5,000 penalty units (at $364 per penalty unit!).

What is unsure is how to get your life insurance premiums reduced if they have previously requested or used your genetic testing information in calculating our policy and premiums. Contact your life insurance company to check!

Stay healthy!

References:
Australian Taxation Office. (2026). Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Act 2026. Retrieved 8th October 2026 fromhttps://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/pdf/acts/20260035.pdf

19/09/2026

The American Society of Haematology has changed the recommended reference range for Ferritin, as the minimum level was too low and missed approximately 50% of people with low iron levels.

As such, the ASH has changed the general minimum Ferritin from 15 ug/L (or 15 ng/mL in US units) to 30 ug/L (or 30 ng/mL in US units).

They have recommended some different minimums for Ferritin for other specific populations, including:

• Children 9 months to 4 years: >20
• Adults without inflammation: >30
• Menstruating females: >30
• Pregnant females: >30

And a minimum Ferritin of 50 may be appropriate in selected higher-risk situations, including ongoing symptoms, heavy menstrual bleeding, additional risk factors, or pregnancy with anaemia.

While these changes to Ferritin are welcomed, they are quite late, and still perhaps not ideal or optimal. At least 50% more people will likely be identified as having an iron deficiency and be able to get treated for this to reduce their symptoms and conditions.

There’s still too much focus on Ferritin as a single marker or the main marker of iron status, when it shouldn’t be, as it’s affected by too many factors such as inflammation, infections, oxidative stress and tissue damage. Other iron related biomarkers are much better at indicating an iron sufficiency, deficiency, or overload than Ferritin!

Learn more about the issues with Ferritin, different types of anaemias, and overload conditions such as Haemochromatosis in the IIFP pathology analysis courses – especially in the Level 3 course which introduces new and not well known research and understandings of what Ferritin really is and why we shouldn’t be using it as a measurement of iron status.

More information on the IIFP website here – www.pathologyanalysis.com

Reference:
Powers, J.M. et al. (2026). American Society of Hematology 2026 guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency. Blood Advances. PMID: 42747316.

05/08/2026

Just a thought...

To help practitioners and students with more practical pathology analysis skills, on top of the IIFP training courses, I am considering a monthly live and interactive Zoom training session with practical examples of test results from real cases, new research or news in the world of pathology, and even to go through results from your cases!

This way we can all learn more about pathology analysis in a interactive way with real results!

Is this something that you would be interested in?!

21/07/2026

Please be aware of changes to vitamin B12 testing in Australia!

There are some previous posts on this from early 2025 I believe, when Medicare changed the recommended vitamin B12 test to the (almost useless) Active B12 test to be the standard test. And they also changed, ie restricted/limited, the number of tests for B12 in a patient to generally only once in 11 months.

But, the Australian labs have also been told to change the reference ranges for the Active B12 test to ">25" (from ">35") as being "normal", thus making it even more difficult for anyone to ever be diagnosed with a vitamin B12 deficiency! Or to get a treatment for this very important and essential nutrient.

In the IIFP training courses, we recommend that the minimum optimal range for the Active B12 test is ">128", which is significantly higher than the ridiculous lab reference ranges. Hence why we can pick up a B12 deficiency much sooner, and be able to treat this deficiency for quicker improvements in our patients.

We also disagree that the Active B12 test should be the standard or recommended test anyway, especially on its own or without the much better "Vitamin B12" or "Total B12" test.

NB - the IIFP Level 3 pathology analysis course pricing will increase shortly, due to 50% more information (5+ hours) being added to it than originally planned. And there's some more new information coming to this training course soon too!

More information on the IIFP courses can be found here - www.pathologyanalysis.com

30/06/2026

The Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology (IIFP) Level 3 pathology analysis training course takes your pathology analysis skills to the expert level! It builds on the techniques from the Level 1 and 2 courses, which are pre-requisites to this course, and adds so much more!

The Level 3 pathology analysis training course includes the following:

• The importance of knowing the Context of a patient’s results – when they were done, how the patient prepared for the tests, or other situations or factors which can affect the results or how they should be interpreted
• What are the Complications of test results – what can affect a patient’s results, such as pregnancy, exercise, dehydration, poor lab handling, fasting, stress, and more
• The importance of finding the root causes of abnormal results and a patient’s symptoms
• Introduces new blood tests and their analysis, not covered in the previous training courses
• New information on previously covered test results, based on new research, including some amazing findings on vitamin D, interpreting iron results and Ferritin, and more
• Analysing blood test results for a number of common or new conditions or diagnoses, including “Long COVID”, and new information and findings from research on some conditions such as Haemochromatosis
• Analysing and interpreting full blood test results for patients with chronic and complex cases of multiple conditions and symptoms
• Learn some shocking new information on how GPs and doctors really interpret blood test results – it’s much worse than what you thought!
• What blood tests have had recent and major changes to the lab reference ranges, and why?
• New tests and calculations and new reports added to the IIFP software
• And much more!

The Level 3 pathology analysis course has grown to be over 15 hours of the latest amazing information and techniques for pathology analysis, being over 5 hours more than originally included, and there’s even more information coming into this course! As such, the cost of this course is set to increase soon. Hence you can get a lot of CPE points from this course!

Take your pathology analysis to the highest level, and take advantage of the IIFP’s end of financial year sale discounts on the course bundles or get the Level 3 course at the current low price, before it increases. See the current IIFP EOFY sale discounts on the course/software bundles in the previous articles here in this group.

You can find out more about this course on the IIFP website (here – www.pathologyanalysis.com) or on this course. You can order and enrol in the Level 3 course directly on this website before the price rise. The course/software bundles are not available on the website, but please email me ([email protected]) with the course/software bundle you are interested in and I will send you the details.

Enjoy your pathology analysis training!

29/06/2026

Why are there several Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology (IIFP) pathology analysis training courses, and which one should you look at doing?!

At this time there are 3 levels of the IIFP pathology analysis training courses, which could be seen as:

1. Level 1 - the introduction to pathology analysis, including why and how you can use this in your clinical practice
2. Level 2 - advanced pathology analysis techniques, covering more tests, more biochemistry, and many clinical cases
3. Level 3 - expert/mastering of pathology analysis.
We covered the Level 1 course content and benefits in the previous article. The Level 1 course is a pre-requisite for the Level 2 and 3 trainings. I’m humbled by the huge number of practitioners who have signed up for the Level 1 pathology analysis course over the past 5 years!

The IIFP Level 2 pathology analysis training course is a more advanced course, of over 6.5 hours of information, and it covers the following:

1. Additional tests and calculations to help with interpreting pathology results
2. How to find confirmations in blood test results
3. What combinations of results of results to look for and what they mean
4. Going into the biochemistry and pathways to explain the effects of abnormal test results
5. Real pathology results for a number of common conditions and diagnoses we would see in our patients
6. Unusual test results and complete test results in complex patient cases
7. Many case studies, and much more!

All 3 courses have a LOT of case study examples of real client cases with their test results, and real test results for patients with common types of symptoms or conditions we would see in clinical practice, or some uncommon conditions too but ones we should be looking for in clinical practice.

The Level 2 IIFP pathology analysis training course takes your pathology education to a new level, to better identify issues in blood test results for your patients, and how to help them.

The IIFP Level 2 pathology analysis course is a pre-requisite to the Level 3 course.

I have found that being able to find abnormal results and nutrient deficiencies in results and being able to explain why these are causing my patients' symptoms and conditions, has really changed and improved my clinical practice and how can help my patients. You can do this too!

The IIFP have a number of End Of Financial Year sale (EOFY) deals on bundles of their training courses on now! See the previous IIFP post on this group (or the linked IIFP group below) for more details on the EOFY deals!

Find out more about the IIFP and pathology training courses and more on the IIFP website here:

www.pathologyanalysis.com

See the previous article for more details on the EOFY sale deals!

23/06/2026

Why do we need to learn how to analyse and interpret blood test results as a Nutritionist, Naturopath or Herbalist?!

For a few main reasons:

1. Almost all new patients we see will bring blood test results to the initial consultation, and expect us to understand how to interpret them
2. Almost all patients will have already seen a GP to get these tests, and in almost all cases, the GP will say “everything is normal!”. This is frustrating for the patient as they get no answer for their issues or symptoms. It’s also NOT possible to have symptoms and health issues and having “normal” blood test results!
3. If a GP cannot find any issues I the test results to help a patient, then YOU need to be able to!
4. And because we get no formal training on pathology analysis in our qualifications.

Even if you are still a student (of Nutrition, Naturopathy, or even Herbal Medicine) you can learn a lot about how to interpret and analyse pathology results for your clients in your assignments, clinic subjects, or even your own pathology test results! As a student, you will be in a great position for analysing your clients' pathology results as soon as you start practicing after you graduate! You will be in a far better level of experience on pathology analysis than even myself on graduation, or other experienced practitioners, who were not trained in pathology analysis until years into clinical practice.

The Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology (IIFP) training courses on pathology analysis can help you to find the causes of symptoms and conditions, even when a GP says "there is nothing wrong". The IIFP have several levels of training courses, from the beginner level, to advanced and mastery level, as well as other resources and software tools to help in your education as well as clinical practice.

And you can learn to interpret blood test results properly and find issues and causes that the GP never will. And you will get more new clients, and they will keep coming back, as they know that you can find the causes for their health issues. This is a great advantage in building your clinical practice!

With the IIFP pathology analysis Level 1 training, you can learn:

• Why doctors don't find issues in blood test results
• What the basic biomarkers actually are and what the abnormally high or low results mean
• What standard tests every client should get as a minimum, as well as other recommended tests and why
• Why you should use the "optimal ranges" to interpret results instead, and what the optimal ranges are for most common tests
• How to find confirmations of results in multiple tests, or combinations of results which give clues as to organ dysfunctions or causes of symptoms and conditions
• How to interpret results in a nutritional way, to find hidden nutrient deficiencies in the results
• How to use some software to help you with the pathology analysis and to generate several reports for clients, and use your skills and the software to offer pathology analysis services to your clients, or to get more clients. Hence more income!
• What are common results to see for different conditions or symptoms, or the conditions or diagnoses for common (and some uncommon) types of results
• And much more!

I have found that being able to find abnormal results and nutrient deficiencies in results and being able to explain why these are causing my patients' symptoms and conditions, has really changed and improved my clinical practice and how can help my patients. You can do this too!

The IIFP have a number of End Of Financial Year deals on bundles of their training courses on now! See the previous IIFP post on this group (or the linked IIFP page below) for more details on the EOFY deals!

Find out more about the IIFP and pathology training courses and more here:
www.pathologyanalysis.com

21/06/2026

An iron deficiency occurs in stages, as the attached infographic shows. But you might not see these stages developing, as people don't often get regular blood tests, so we more likely see that they are well into anaemia and iron deficiency symptoms when they see us and we analyse their results.

However these stages and resulting changes in iron studies biomarkers are not always the same as in the infographic, as there are other factors which can affect the iron-related markers, especially of Ferritin. As a result, Ferritin isn't always the first biomarker to show the signs of a possible iron deficiency.

Hence the 4 stage progression, assuming no infection or inflammation or tissue damage, should be:

Stage 1 – the iron stores as Ferritin, starts showing as low

Stage 2 - the iron being available to be transported, being the Transferrin Saturation %, starts showing as low

Stage 3 – Haemoglobin, the oxygen transport protein in the red blood cells, starts showing as low due to the reduced iron

Stage 4 – MCV is usually the last of these biomarkers to show low iron, in our experience.

More often we would actually see that Transferrin Saturation starts showing as low first, and before low ferritin shows as low!

Also, a reminder to never just test for Ferritin on its own, or interpret iron levels from this one biomarker! In so many cases, we have seen low Ferritin in early to advanced stages of iron overload conditions (such as Haemochromatosis)! We have seen doctors and other practitioners recommending iron infusions and/or iron supplements in these cases of low Ferritin, when all other iron-related biomarkers are showing as very high iron overload situation.

Pathology analysis is an art and a science!

Learn more about pathology analysis on our website (including EOFY special deals on now!) here – www.pathologyanalysis.com

16/06/2026

Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology (IIFP) - 2026 EOFY Sale!

I've had a huge response and amazing feedback from practitioners who have done my pathology analysis training (through the Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology) and the pathology analysis and reporting software!

As it's the shopping time of "the end of the financial year" or "EOFY" sales, I'm offering some big deals on the IIFP training courses and software, so you can claim some last minute expenses and reduce your tax bill, and get some more CPE points too!

Here's the special deals available to celebrate the end of the 2026 financial year:

1. EOFY Deal 1: Level 1 pathology analysis training + IIFP Software bundle - $193 (normally $254 individually, so you save $59!)
2. EOFY Deal 2: Level 2 pathology analysis training + IIFP Software bundle - $202 (normally $264 individually, so you save $62)
3. EOFY Deal 3: Level 1 + Level 2 pathology analysis training - $143 (normally $188 individually, so you save $44!)
4. EOFY Deal 4: Level 1 + Level 2 pathology analysis training AND the IIFP pathology analysis and reporting software - $253 (normally $353 individually, so you save $98!)
5. EOFY Deal 5: Level 1 + Level 2 + Level 3 pathology analysis training courses - $259 (normally $367 individually, so you save $102!)
6. EOFY Deal 6: Or if you are really keen! The complete bundle of Level 1 and Level 2 and Level 3 pathology analysis training courses AND the IIFP pathology analysis and reporting software - $379 (normally $532 individually, so you save $148!)
7. EOFY Deal 7: Level 2 and Level 3 pathology analysis training courses - $199 (normally $278 individually, so you save $78!)
8. EOFY Deal 8: Level 2 and Level 3 pathology analysis training courses AND the IIFP pathology analysis and reporting software - $315 (normally $443 individually, so you save $124!)
9. EOFY Deal 9: Level 3 pathology analysis training course AND the IIFP pathology analysis and reporting software - $249 (normally $344 individually, so you save $95!)
10. EOFY Deal 10: Level 3 pathology analysis training course only, with over 15 hours of advanced techniques and practical information to master pathology analysis! Level 1 and 2 courses are pre-requisites for this training. Avoid the price increase on this course due to the additional 5 hours of information added to it recently - $99 (will rise to $179 soon, so you save $80 or 44%!).

With these deals, you save even more on the already discounted bundle deals!

With these courses, you can learn how to use more complete and holistic techniques for analysing clients' pathology test results to find organ dysfunctions, nutrient deficiencies, and more, even if the GP says "everything is normal" when it's obviously not the case. With the IIFP software you can provide additional pathology analysis services in your clinic to generate several reports to go through with clients and generate more clinic income! Learn how to use these techniques to get more clients and have clients keep coming back for analysis of their pathology results! The training and software will pay for itself quickly and over and over!

For more information on the IIFP pathology analysis training courses and their inclusions, please visit the IIFP website:
http://www.pathologyanalysis.com/training.html

If you have been looking for additional training for CPE points, or to reduce your tax, this is a great time to do it! Look for the specials on this website and click through to get your EOFY now!

These EOFY deals for the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 training courses are NOT available to purchase from the IIFP website link above. If you are interested in these special EOFY bundle deals, please email me on [email protected] and let me know which deal you are interested in, and I’ll email you the invoice and special payment link.

Happy EOFY!

04/06/2026

Based on new studies, we should be using a new optimal minimum range for magnesium when interpreting blood test results!

The previous optimal minimum mentioned in the IIFP training and software was 0.8 mmol/L, but new info suggests that this is too low and should be increased to 0.85 mmol/L.

Please be aware of this in your pathology analysis, and for those who have and use the IIFP software, you should open your IIFP software template file and change the optimal minimum for magnesium from 0.8 to 0.85 and save this change! Then all your new patient files will use this new optimal minimum value.

This change will be added into the IIFP training course material.

IIFP - Institute for Integrative and Functional Pathology

08/10/2026

19/09/2026

05/08/2026

21/07/2026

30/06/2026

29/06/2026

23/06/2026

21/06/2026

16/06/2026

04/06/2026

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