Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the more common questions that we are asked by people considering studying with Naturecure Academy, or when deciding which microscope to buy. Click a question to navigate to the relevant answer.

If you have any further questions or would like more information about any of the topics discussed below, please click here to get in touch.

 
 
 

What is Live & Dry Blood Analysis (LDBA)?

Live & Dry Blood Analysis is an holistic health assessment tool that enables practitioners to investigate a client’s health by looking at the various indications that can be seen in their blood. This test is conducted in the practitioner’s own clinic during an appointment with the client, and the results are immediate.

Live Blood Analysis involves looking at a fresh drop of the client’s blood magnified 1000 times under a darkfield microscope, allowing the practitioner to assess the individual cells of the blood, as well as the plasma that surrounds them.

In Dry Blood Analysis, a drop of blood is exposed to the air and starts to clot. As this happens, characteristic patterns can be seen under a microscope that can verify various health issues.

Can LDBA be used to diagnose disease?

Only qualified doctors can diagnose disease. Blood tests generally are only a screening process to pickup various imbalances that can be detected through the blood. This also applies to Live & Dry Blood Analysis.

Is LDBA based on scientific research?

Yes. LDBA was pioneered by scientists in the 18th & 19th Centuries such as Antoine Bechamp and Claude Bernard, and has continued to be developed ever since. In parts of Europe it is used extensively by integrative medical practitioners.

Why should I choose to study with Naturecure Academy over other training providers?

  1. Naturecure Academy are the only LDBA training provider in the world, who have had their course independently verified by a highly reputable third-party insurance provider (Balens), to ensure it meets a very high standard of ethics, has a professional code of practice and is taught by suitably experienced personnel.

    As part of these requirements, we must ensure that all our students already have a reputable health practitioner qualification to be able to become competent analysts - unlike other schools we do not just admit anyone onto our course. We also must test the competency of our students by requiring 3 case studies completed to a high standard. This again sets the bar much higher than most of our competitors.

    This external validation means that we are the only school offering competency certification for our course, which can be used by qualified students to gain professional insurance cover. Students can enrol with Naturecure Academy confident that they will receive the best LDBA training available in the world.

    Although we are also accredited by the Complementary Medical Association, this is a less formal process and so offers less of a guarantee of educational standards.

    All of the above points are why we often welcome students onto our course who have previously trained with other online LBA schools but have been left frustrated or lacking in confidence in skills gained with those training providers.

  2. Our course was created and is taught by Shirah Mustardé, who has been analysing blood since 2011 and teaching students for many years. As one of the most experienced Live Blood Analysts, Shirah offers a wealth of knowledge and experience that is invaluable to our students.

    Unlike some competitor organisations who are simply front ‘agents’ for a training provider elsewhere, our students have direct access to and mentoring support from our Course Director. You can even book a 1-to-1 training session with her, if you feel that you would benefit from some exclusive support (in person or remotely).

  3. Our course is uniquely designed to be as flexible as possible for our students. They can start whenever they like (rather than having to wait for the next intake of students months later), and can progress through the course at their own pace. While we advise students to try to complete the course in 12 months, we do not place a time restraint on students completing the qualification, and our training content is available to students in perpetuity.

  4. Written in 2019 and periodically updated, our course represents the most up to date training available, and is based on the latest science.

How much is your training / do you offer a payment plan?

The cost of enrolling on our Online Live & Dry Blood Analysis Training is £699 (+VAT) / £838.80 incl. VAT per student.

This includes unlimited access to over 12 hours of video lessons and demonstrations on the online portal, a set of printed manuals and reference laminates to accompany the course, and professional certification (subject to completion of the final 3 case studies to the required standard).

The training is fully supported by our college tutors by email, phone and video chat if required.

  • Click here to view fees in your local currency (NB: exchange rates are subject to change)

  • Course fees include printed training materials & certificate on completion + postage & packaging (any import duties for printed manuals not included in course fee).

Do you offer a payment plan?

Yes we offer the option of flexible payments for course fees via the Klarna finance app during checkout. Select ‘Klarna’ under ‘More Payment Options’ during the payment process. Flexible payments are subject to Klarna’s terms & conditions, may not be available in all territories and the amount you can borrow is related to your credit rating and payment history with Klarna. Unfortunately microscope purchases do not fit within the payment thresholds allowed.

Do I need any prior training before taking your course?

This course is open to anyone who has studied or is studying medicine, nursing, nutrition or naturopathy to a professional level that enables them to gain practitioner’s insurance cover to practice on the public, and gives an understanding of anatomy, physiology and nutrition (other medical/natural/complementary health qualifications may be accepted if there is a nutritional component or the student has undertaken supplementary nutritional training).

Experience or training in clinical practice is essential as it is necessary to be able to make client assessments. Live and Dry Blood Analysis is an add-on enhancement to any nutrition or complementary health practice and it is not possible to use it sensibly and ethically without the required background.

We accept those that are currently studying these subjects but have not completed their course yet. Studying LDBA alongside other courses is actually a great way of doing it, however for legal reasons we are unable to issue a student’s Certificate of Competency until the primary qualification has been completed.

To find out if your qualifications are suitable for our course, please get in touch.

Please Note: Due to the technical nature of the subject matter being taught, students must also be proficient in the use of the English language. 

- What if I don’t have a suitable qualification?

If you do not yet have a relevant qualification and are just starting out, then we would recommend you enrolling in a professional nutrition-based qualification. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the legal and insurance requirements for where you intend to practice. This will help you determine what level of qualification you will need in order to practice on members of the public.

For online training courses, make sure that they are properly accredited and will enable you to gain practitioners liability insurance. There may also be a legal requirement to be registered with a professional trade body in your country.

We can offer advice about choosing the right training and are happy to give feedback about the suitability of a particular course, as far qualifying for our training is concerned. Unfortunately we cannot give advice regarding the legal suitability for a particular course in your country.

See below for a suggestion of the type of training that would be suitable (please make sure to check that the qualification is acceptable for working with the public in your country/state. The suggestion is based on content, not certification).

As soon as you have started a suitable qualifying course, you will be eligible to enrol on our course (but we will require proof of completion of your main qualification before we can award our Certificate of Competency at the end of our training).

- I do have a suitable qualification but lack nutritional knowledge

Having a solid understanding of basic nutrition is essential in understanding course material and using the knowledge and skills gained. Some practitioners may want to improve on their nutritional knowledge, and a nutrition foundation course is recommended (see below).

Below is an example of a suitable qualifying nutrition course*:

Gateway Workshops - Nutrition Accredited Practitioner Diploma (Online Course)

Accredited and certified, internationally recognised. 

A good quality professional course with a very reasonable price.

Save 10% off the course deposit automatically by using this linkve 10% off the course deposit - use discount code ‘NATURECURE’ at checkout!

*The above link is an affiliate link where we may receive a small commission for our recommendation.

Is the course suitable for non English-speaking students?

Unfortunately, due to the technical nature of the subject matter being taught, students must be proficient in the use of the English language.

Which countries do your students come from?

We are very proud to be a fully international training school with students from 29 countries worldwide!

Just for fun these are (so far!):

  • Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Korea (Republic of), Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.

Do I need insurance?

During your training, in order to take blood from other people and analyse it, you will require Student Malpractice & Indemnity Insurance that covers Blood Microscopy. When students have completed their final case studies to the required standard and have received their Certificate of Competency, they will require full practitioner insurance to start practicing LDBA professionally.

Students undertaking the Online Course will need to arrange student insurance in their country of residence before practising on other people. We advise talking to your current indemnity insurance provider.

The Complementary Medical Association offers indemnity insurance as part of their practitioner membership benefits.

The International Institute for Complementary Therapists offers insurance cover worldwide through their membership scheme - https://www.iictinsurance.com/#welcome

Please note: The legal requirements to practice may differ between countries and states, so you must check the local laws and regulations in the area in which you wish to practice. Naturecure Academy Ltd cannot provide advice on the legality of practicing Live Blood Analysis outside the UK.

How long will it take to complete my training?

The Online Course will take a minimum of 25-30 hours to complete, not including the three case studies required as final homework after the training has been completed. The course includes 12 hours of video lectures and practical demonstrations, a pre-reading module, and quite a few exercises to enable you to build confidence in the various techniques required.

We recommend repeating some of the practical training sections and possibly some of the more technical theory lessons in order to ensure you have a sound grasp of everything taught. Students will continue to have access to the online lessons after their training is complete.

Please Note: Although there is no time restriction on the length of time taken to complete the training, students are encouraged to complete the require case study homework within 12 months.

What support is available during my training?

At Naturecure Academy we pride ourselves in ensuring that students of our courses are given all the support they need to complete our training and start developing their LDBA careers.

Students can contact Shirah the Course Director by email or telephone, and are also encouraged to post any questions that they have in our private Facebook Group ‘Naturecure Academy LDBA Community’. This is a supportive community of students past and present, as well as our college tutors and other experienced analysts all keen to offer advice.

What if I feel I need more training after completing the course?

We offer 1-to-1 training in person in the UK or by Skype for our international students, for those who have particular issues that they would like help with.

Our course tutors are also available during and after the course to give advice and answer any questions students might have. We also encourage students to join our private Facebook Group ‘Naturecure Academy LDBA Community’ in order to continue their learning journey after their training.

From time to time we will be offering webinars and workshops for continued development.

If I complete the LDBA course can I start seeing clients?

When students have completed their final case studies to the required standard and have received their Certificate of Competency, they should then seek practitioner insurance for blood microscopy in order to start practicing professionally. Usually LDBA is considered an add-on modality that requires other complementary health practitioner insurance.

Please note: The legal requirements to practice LDBA may differ between countries and states, so check the local laws and regulations in the area in which you wish to practice.

Is your course accredited? Is it recognised in my country?

Live & Dry Blood Analysis is considered an add-on health screening tool used by complementary health practitioners and medical professionals. As such, it is not considered a stand-alone modality and to practice professionally usually requires adding LDBA to your existing practitioner's insurance. That is why we only accept professionally qualified students on our course.

Naturecure Academy is accredited by the Complementary Medical Association and our LDBA training is certified by Balens Insurance. Naturecure Academy are the only LDBA training provider in the world, who have had their course independently verified by a highly reputable third-party insurance provider (Balens), to ensure it meets a very high standard of ethics, has a professional code of practice and is taught by suitably experienced personnel.

This external validation means that we offer competency certification for our course, which can be used by qualified students to add LDBA to professional practitioner insurance cover from various international complementary health specialist insurance providers.

That said, Naturecure Academy Ltd cannot give any assurances that Live & Dry Blood Analysis is legal to practice outside of the UK, nor that our certification will be accepted by any particular insurance provider. It is students’ own responsibility to check with their local health authority/chosen insurance provider before commencing training or practice of LDBA.

Can I connect with other Live Blood Analysts?

Yes of course - we are very proud of the supportive community of analysts that we are helping to create. Our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ is available to anyone, and we also have a private group for students only which is a great place to connect with other students and analysts.

What type of microscope do I need?

For Live Blood Analysis, a microscope with a darkfield condenser is required. These can require immersion oil to light the sample or there are non-oil versions. For Dry Blood Analysis a simple brightfield condenser is sufficient .

In order to see pleomorphic forms in live blood samples, a x100 magnification objective and a powerful light source is necessary. An x2.5 magnification objective is useful for dry blood analysis.

Do I need access to a suitable microscope to do the training?

Students undertaking the Online Training can complete the course lessons before deciding to invest in a microscope but of course will be limited in the amount of practical exercises they can do without the equipment.

Ideally you would have access to a microscope by the time you reach the fifth section of the course, entitled ‘Using Your Microscope’.

How much do microscopes cost?

Live Blood Analysis requires a special type of microscope called a darkfield microscope. These can cost anywhere from £800 to £10,000, however this represents a wide range in quality and level of features.

We have sourced several darkfield microscope packages that we are happy to recommend as they represent the ideal balance of quality, features and most importantly price. You can learn all about the type of microscope needed for Live Blood Analysis, and review our recommended packages here.

Does my microscope have to be one of the ones that you recommend?

No it doesn’t. There are a number of other darkfield microscopes available, although our experience is that they are either cheaper but inferior in a number of significant ways when used by a professional analyst, or far more expensive but not offering many important benefits over the models we suggest.

We recommend several options because they offer the best balance of cost and functionality for Live & Dry Blood Analysis. However, we are happy for students to use different brands, but are limited in the amount of technical support that we can offer for other devices as they can differ significantly.

Will I have to pay import duties/taxes when I buy a microscope?

Customers in the UK will be charged VAT at checkout. International customers may have to pay import duties/taxes, this depends on whether your country charges import duties or sales taxes on imported optical equipment. These are payable before the courier will release the shipment - failure to do so may mean the shipment is returned.

Typical import duty/tax rates vary from zero to approximately 25% of the value of imported goods depending on where you live.

Contact us for an estimated calculation of expected import tax & duties.

How long will it take to deliver my microscope?

When ordering the Brunel Haemascope through Naturecure Academy, delivery time will depend on where in the world you live (the units are shipped from the UK) and the customs process in your country. All shipments are made using DHL International.

Assuming stock is available, processing by our distributor will usually take approximately five working days and we would then expect shipments to most countries to normally take up to a week, as long as there are no delays in customs. Please be aware that it is not possible to make any guarantees about the exact length of time delivery will take.