Webinar: Parkinson's Disease Beyond the Diagnosis A Functional Naturopathic Approach to Complex Neurodegenerative Cases

Please join us on:

Webinar: Parkinson's Disease Beyond the Diagnosis A Functional Naturopathic Approach to Complex Neurodegenerative Cases on Tuesday 13th April 2027 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm AEST

Where: Online

CPE: 1.5 CPE points

Parkinson's Disease Beyond the Diagnosis: A Functional Naturopathic Approach to Complex Neurodegenerative Cases

Outline:

This webinar uses Parkinson's disease as a worked example of complex-case clinical reasoning. The focus is practical and practitioner-facing: how to approach a multifactorial neurodegenerative presentation when a patient arrives with comorbidity, polypharmacy, gastrointestinal and mood involvement, and years of accumulated history.

Setting the scene. Why Parkinson's is rarely a single-system problem, and why a structured, whole-person framework matters more than a protocol. Where naturopathic care sits alongside, not against, medical management.

The complex-case framework. A repeatable method for mapping the whole patient: history, timeline, drivers, and the connections others have missed. How to hold multiple competing factors without losing the thread.

Functional contributors and the evidence. The mechanisms most relevant to Parkinson's and what current literature supports for assessing them: the gut-brain axis and microbiome, mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, nutritional status, and environmental load. Each is framed by what the evidence does and does not yet show.

Investigation and sequencing. Where functional diagnostics earn their place alongside conventional pathology, what to prioritise first, and how to avoid over-testing. Reading results in the context of the whole picture rather than in isolation.

Treatment strategy. How to prioritise when several drivers compete, and which botanical, nutritional and lifestyle strategies carry an evidence base as adjuncts. Practical attention to drug-nutrient and herb-drug considerations, including levodopa and protein timing, and to working safely within scope in a co-managed model.

Case illustration. A de-identified complex case walked through end to end, from first presentation to a prioritised, considered plan.

Practitioners will leave with a structured, evidence-based approach to neurodegenerative complexity they can apply across their own caseload, and a clearer sense of when and how to co-manage and refer. 

Presenter: Christine Barnes

Christine Barnes, M.Well, is a clinical naturopath and nutritionist at The Body Guard Clinic, originally established in Queensland and now operating entirely online, serving patients across Australia.

She holds a Master of Wellness, Graduate Diploma of Wellness and Graduate Certificate of Wellness from RMIT University, and Advanced Diplomas in Naturopathy, Herbal Medicine, Nutrition and Homeopathy from the Australian College of Natural Therapies. In 2023 she was appointed Adjunct Professional Fellow in the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University. She was awarded ATMS Outstanding Naturopathic Graduate of the Year and is an ATMS member.

Her practice is built around complex and chronic cases. She works by pattern recognition across clinical characteristics, drawing on mainstream and functional pathology, genetics, health history, diet, lifestyle, and mental and emotional state to identify the underlying driver rather than just the presenting symptoms or diagnosis.

Neurodegenerative and rare disease presentations recur throughout her caseload, including Parkinson's disease and a pre-symptomatic case identified on functional testing. Duchenne muscular dystrophy, complex gut disorders, menopause, post-chemotherapy recovery and complex genetic conditions in adolescents also feature.

A keynote speaker, author and educator, Christine is known within the profession as a naturopath's naturopath.

Webinar Recording: Registering for this live event will also give you access to the webinar recording. 

Webinar recordings can be watched at any time.