The neuroendocrine system is not a collection of isolated glands. It is a deeply integrated network in which the brain regulates hormonal output, hormonal output regulates brain function, and disruption anywhere in that loop creates consequences that ripple across every system a clinician touches. For licensed healthcare providers pursuing advanced functional medicine training, understanding neurochemistry and the endocrine system at a systems level is no longer optional. The patients presenting with fatigue, dysglycemia, mood instability, weight dysregulation, infertility, or treatment-resistant pain often carry an unresolved neuroendocrine driver that conventional workups never identified. This course is built to close that gap with precision.

CNS17 Neurochemistry and the Endocrine System is a 15-credit post-graduate course presented by Dr. David Clark, DC, DACNB, FACFN, FABVR, FABBIR, FABNN. The course gives clinicians a working command of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and its three major regulatory arms: the HPA axis governing cortisol and adrenal function, the HPT axis governing thyroid hormone synthesis and conversion, and the HPG axis governing gonadal hormone regulation. Beyond axis mechanics, the course addresses the blood-brain barrier and its clinical vulnerabilities, the role of the cerebellum in hypothalamic regulation, and how neuroendocrine dysfunction manifests in the conditions clinicians encounter regularly, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves disease, Cushing's syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, PCOS, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and diabetic neuropathy. Laboratory interpretation is integrated throughout, including thyroid panel analysis, cortisol assessment, glucose and HbA1c interpretation, and antibody panels for autoimmune endocrine conditions. Clinicians also gain a framework for understanding when to test, when to refer, and how a diagnosed neuroendocrine condition changes the clinical approach within their existing scope of care.

This course is designed for chiropractors, chiropractic neurologists, naturopathic physicians, and other licensed clinicians pursuing a more integrated understanding of brain-body regulation. Whether you are preparing for board certification, refining your clinical reasoning with complex cases, or building a functional medicine practice approach, this course provides a scientifically grounded, clinically applicable framework that immediately informs how you evaluate and manage the patients in your care.

Dr. David Clark is a board-certified chiropractic neurologist and diplomat of the American Chiropractic Neurology Board. He holds advanced certifications in functional neurology, functional medicine, and neuroimmunology and brings an evidence-based approach to topics that are often oversimplified or misrepresented in clinical education. His teaching draws on primary peer-reviewed literature and major reference texts across endocrinology, neurochemistry, immunology, and clinical physiology. Clinicians who have trained with Dr. Clark consistently report a fundamental shift in how they read labs, interpret symptoms, and apply neuroendocrine principles to their clinical decision-making.