ANP Ireland Summit 2026: Nervous System, Mental Wellness & Naturopathic Medicine

In this special bonus episode of The Integrative Continuum, Dr. Richard Rocker is joined by Dallas Shanks, organiser and driving force behind the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners Ireland: ANP Ireland.
This short conversation looks at the role of the ANP in supporting naturopathic, nutritional, functional, and integrative health practitioners across Ireland, the UK, and Europe. Dallas explains how the ANP supports practitioners through education, CPD, professional community, business support, practitioner resources, and wider advocacy for natural medicine.
The conversation also previews the upcoming ANP Ireland Summit 2026, taking place on 24 October 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone. This year’s theme focuses on the nervous system and mental wellness, exploring how stress, metabolism, toxins, herbal medicine, diet, the microbiome, and resilience all connect in clinical practice.
Dr. Richard Rocker will be opening the event as keynote speaker, with a talk exploring why the nervous system must be understood as a central regulator of health, rather than simply a separate system to be treated in isolation.
This episode also touches on the importance of moving beyond symptom-based care, the need for practitioners to look at the whole system, and why integrative and naturopathic medicine are becoming increasingly relevant in today’s healthcare landscape.
Topics discussed include:
• What the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners is and who it supports
• The role of ANP in practitioner education, CPD, and professional community
• Why practitioner support and networking are essential in natural medicine
• The importance of herb, nutrient, and medication interaction awareness
• How naturopathic and integrative medicine are evolving in Ireland
• Why the nervous system and mental wellness are central themes for this year’s summit
• Why stress, metabolism, toxins, gut health, and inflammation must be understood together
• Why symptom-based care often fails to address the deeper drivers of illness
• What attendees can expect from the ANP Ireland Summit 2026
• Dr. Richard Rocker’s role as opening keynote speaker
This is a short bonus conversation for practitioners, students, clinicians, and anyone interested in the future of naturopathic and integrative medicine in Ireland.

SUMMIT INFO:
https://theanp.co.uk/anpirelandsummit2026/

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should not replace care from your GP, consultant, or qualified healthcare practitioner.
The discussion in this episode includes professional education, naturopathic and integrative medicine, practitioner support, and event information related to the ANP Ireland Summit. Any views expressed are part of an open educational conversation and do not constitute individual health advice.
If you have a medical condition, are taking medication, or are considering changes to your health, nutrition, supplement, or treatment plan, please consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Event details, speakers, dates, and availability may be subject to change. Please check directly with the ANP for the most up-to-date information.


Dr Richard Rocker Contact Info:
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockerClinic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-richard-rocker-589127/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You've landed at the edge of what medicine has known and what it's becoming. I'm Dr. Richard Rocker, and this is the integrative continuum, a podcast bridging biology, energy, and human potential. In each episode, we explore how quantum biology, frequency medicine, and ancient healing systems are transforming our understanding of health. This is where mitochondria meets meaning, and blood work meets bioenergetics. Subscribe now and join me on the frontier of integrative healing, where science and soul are no longer separate. Today's episode is a short but important one because we're stepping slightly outside the clinical setting and looking at the wider professional landscape of integrative and naturopathic medicine here in Ireland. I'm joined by Dallas Shanks, who is the organizer and driving force behind the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners, the ANP, here in Ireland. The ANP plays a key role in supporting practitioners, building community, and helping to raise standards and awareness around naturopathic and integrative approaches to health. We'll be talking about what the AMP is and what it stands for, the importance of professional support and education in this field, and some of the events and opportunities they're creating for both practitioners and the wider public. And we'll also touch on an upcoming event in October where I'll be joining as one of the keynote speakers. Dallas, you're very welcome.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

Thank you, Richard, and thank you for the invitation. I'm delighted to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

My pleasure. Yeah, yeah. I thought we should get to know each other a little bit more and help the people understand what the AMP is. So um so for the people who may not be familiar, what exactly is the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners?

SPEAKER_00 2:13

The Associ well, the AMP, so I won't say the long word, you've you've said it for me. We are here, the AMP has, well, it was established in 2001. Um so for 25 years, we have supported the natural health practitioners uh in the UK, Ireland, and further afield. Uh we are here to support and protect them, to encourage and also supply an extensive database of CPD, which as you and I, and I'm sure every practitioner and student out there can agree, you never stop learning. So, but what's important is what you're learning. So, what we supply is up-to-date um and latest in the industry. Um, I call it the RDD, so as to keep everybody up to date on research, development, and discovery. So there we go. Um we also are we support our members um in Europe uh with our continued collaborative work with ANME. Um is the Association uh for natural medicine in Europe. Um, and that is really that's a big step. Um so with regard to AMI, just to give you a little bit on how the AMP and our collaborative work with them, um, at the moment, um ANME are uh they lobby at EU level um for protecting botanicals. We're looking at Ashwagandha and Berberine at the moment. They are also protecting high dosage uh supplements of the B6, magnesium, zinc, iron, etc. Um, but that is actually dealt with by um the ANMI reps on that level. But from A and P side, we are behind the protecting of titles and the profession through the pursuit of the traditional European medicine as an intangible cultural heritage via UNESCO. So our aim there is to have the same recognition as um, you know, for the natural medicines as the TCM and Ayurveda. Um so that we are this uh the steering group behind that. Um also developing uh research models for natural medicine. Um that's a work in progress. So there we go. Um but yeah, always that's what we are here for. We're here for supporting practitioners um to help them to continue developing their education um and for community. I think community is vitally important in uh the natural medicine community, really encouraging network and and building that strong, strong community connection.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah, yeah, that's great. So so then it this to really sum that up, the AMP is really for practitioners, uh maybe students that are going through training, and you're also a voice for the public. Would that be correct in saying that?

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Absolutely, absolutely. And one of the um I know in in Ireland um with regard to the public, um, we don't have regulatory bodies in Ireland, but the AMP is under the umbrella company or the umbrella of the GNC, which is the General Naturopathic Council in the UK. And with that, obviously um they are there for regul uh regulating the profession and protection of the public as well as maintaining the standards and education. So we are um just one of the multiple associations under the GNC as well.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Okay, great, great. Uh so that really gives a good overview why an organization like you, the ANP, is really important right now. So uh yeah, that's fantastic. So um, so what are some of the biggest challenges practitioners face in this space that the ANP helps support?

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Uh sorry, I I I missed you there.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Yeah, yeah, no worries. So, what are the some of the biggest challenges that practitioners face in this space here that you're dealing with that the ANP helps to support?

SPEAKER_00 6:34

I'm sorry, Richard, you will have to edit that because I'm not sure how to answer that.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Okay, yeah, yeah, no, no problem. So um so when practitioners uh are there any challenges that practitioners may run into um in in the field of natural medicine that the ANP can help to support them in some way with maybe uh is it education or like you maybe you said with uh licensing in the country or any kind of maybe legal challenges, anything like that?

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Oh, absolutely. Okay, so we have a dedicated department that our members are able to contact if they are needing the particular guidance. Um and our our department, if they're able to help them, they most certainly will. They will provide them with all the information in relation to the actual um issue that they are being faced with at that moment. If not, they will refer them on to the body or the um uh uh council that they would they would get the factual information from or the persons who would be able to help them. Um but also from the AMP side, we are there to assist our members, for example, with the daunting task of when you're wanting to open up your business, or you have opened up your business and you're not sure if you're going in the right direction or what changes you could make, we have a business club for that, which is run again um by a particular one of my colleagues um who is an expert in that field, and it is an incredibly successful um uh uh system uh package that we we that our members are able to avail of. So, in that relation, uh the feedback that we've got from that is incredible because even the seasoned uh practitioner has taken on and joined the business club and they have learned so much, especially with the ever-changing environment. Um, you know, every day there's something new happening, there's a new technology, there's a an a new discovery. But in business alone, I think you can agree with me that um with technology and the and what we we are looking at, it it's just sometimes daunting to even take a step forward and can be quite overwhelming. So there's definitely that massive support there for them.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I I would agree with that. Um, I noticed that last year I was in a medical conference in in Texas, and uh there was a huge room full of all kinds of uh doctors, surgeons, and medical practitioners, and uh there was some business training there, and I was actually surprised that how many of the people there didn't have really any education or a clue on what to do, how to promote themselves. Uh now, like we have now everything is social media and the likes. And a lot of people are are still afraid to use it or don't know how to use it. So how having somebody uh give you a helping hand with that can be a really big uh a really big bonus, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Absolutely. And you know, looking at possibly the module that you have at the moment for your business and not knowing exactly maybe where um you could be doing yourself an injustice or where things are slowing down, having somebody who's an expert in that field to look at it for you, um, you know, and give you the guidance of saying, well, that is possibly where your problem is, you know, and this is a way of correcting it. I think it's an invaluable tool. Um one of the other um uh uh vitally important things that the ANP provide our members is the interaction database uh that is incredibly important in our industry. So we actually have two. We have the ANP drug, herbs, and nutrient database, and we also are um uh partnered with EFICASAFE. EFICA SAFE's uh database is extensive um and that it's actually free to all our members where the where on an in a normal circumstance you would have to pay for a yearly uh subscription to EFICASAFE but it is extensive with its contraindications and prescribing. Um it's phenomenal, it's definitely worth a look.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

All right, actually, I'll have to check that out myself.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Absolutely become a major with AMP.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Yeah, yeah, there we go.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Get it for free.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

So so how do okay, so how do you see naturopathic integrative medicine evolving in Ireland over the next few years? How do you see things changing there?

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Oh, I think we have got an incredible um amount of change coming forward. There's been such I think when you're just talking to um people, um, whether it be the public or other uh professionals uh within the health industry, there's been a huge shift with regard to how people are now perceiving and actually taking on natural medicines and holistic medicines. They're very much more open to it, which is fantastic. Um so yeah, I think the the future is looking good. It's looking very bright and positive, and we can only just keep driving in the right direction. And as long as we are keeping educated ourselves and staying up to date, and that you know, we are um obviously with the new uh developing of research modules, I think that would also be phenomenal because there's not enough support um worldwide, I believe, um for natural medicines. So the more we can get some more research, um, you know, paid for research, and uh I think it would be for it would be an incredible bonus for us and it would help us to grow in leaps and bounds. And that it's in itself would be giving the information to people, um the factual information, so that they can the you know trust it, let's put it.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yeah, the as I always say, the the educating education never stops, and I think uh we stop growing when we stop learning. So based on that statement, so what types of events or education does the AMP provide?

SPEAKER_00 13:14

We provide extensive amounts of uh uh varied CPD. Um I would be here all day if I had to actually go through it all. But in a nutshell, we have um an incredible selection of webinars. So that is fantastic for the online learning. Um we have guest speakers worldwide um presenting. It's it's fantastic, the actual scope um cover that uh we've had. Um and it people just need to go and look at our education, our events and webinars on the website, and they'll be surprised. And it's constantly been an added to. We can't put everything up for the year because that would just flood the poor website. But as one thing is coming off, another's coming on. So we have the online webinars, we have in-person events in Ireland, we have our in-person events, we've actually got one coming up now, just in a couple of weeks in Dublin, and we have our annual summits, which uh we have our annual summit in the UK that is held in September, and our annual summit in Ireland, which is held in October, of which you are our opening guest speaker this year, which is Oh, surprise, surprise. I was delighted when you and I had our first um meet. And what really, really excited me was even your response to our theme this year, where you said it really resonated with you. Um, and because our theme for this year for the ANP Island Summit is the nervous system and the mental wellness. And straight away, as soon as I mentioned to you, you said that that definitely resonates with you. So I was delighted.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm I I'm definitely looking forward to being a a part of this and uh and speaking. I think um yeah, the nervous system. Oh, geez. Um I think everybody's nervous systems are a little bit overwhelmed uh in this day and age because it is just we're in a society where everything is go, go, go, go. And uh where we're now when you talk to people, it everybody's talking about how fast the time goes. And and it seems to be everybody, even it used to say it was just old people, now everybody is saying how fast the time is going. And we're putting more and more into our days. Uh, and you know, you get patients that come to you and they want to sort it out, and they're like, what can you give me? You know, uh what can you give me to fix this? And then I'm looking at them and I'm going, well, maybe it's what we should take away that might actually be more helpful for you. And um I think we need to look uh as some, you know, as practitioners and clinicians, you know, what's going on inside the body, uh, chemically, biochemically, what kind of signaling is going on? And if you've got if you've got 101 different signals coming in, I mean you're gonna overwhelm your nervous system and it's gonna get it's gonna get hyperactive and um and uh your your body just can't settle down, and then you produce a lot more cortisol in your system. So for those that don't know, cortisol is a stress hormone. And as I always say, the more stress hormone that is there, the more inflammation that comes, and that inflammation will affect other systems, maybe your nervous system, maybe the digestive system, and uh that may translate into being uncomfortable, or maybe you're in pain, and then you know, then when you're in pain, we think, well, uh, well, I just need to get a massage or I need to get a chiropractic adjustment, and they may very well help. And then the next day it comes back again, and you go, well, maybe it wasn't that. So then we have to look at, well, hey, what else is going on here? And uh I think this will be, you know, a bit of the premise of the talk that I'm going to be doing to get practitioners to look at the system. You know, uh, we need to look at the system as a whole instead of looking in this really this kind of tunnel vision kind of thing, which unfortunately modern medicine is really excelling in right now. And that's why you've got about 5,000 specialists, you know, to the very minute function of a cell, and you're a specialist in that. I'm going, well, that's great and that's interesting, but how does that translate into my health overall and a whole? And I think this is the things that we need to learn and integrate, and this is why I'm so excited about integrative medicine and uh and how we can make all practitioners, you know, do better because what we're doing right now is obviously not working. If we look at the disease, the obesity rates over the last 80 years, tell me when it's ever gone down. It hasn't. So we think we're so smart and intelligent right now and going, well, if we were, shouldn't this be a lot better? So we need to look for another way. So this is what I hope to bring out in the talk and get people uh maybe thinking a little bit more. And if you can do one thing, learn one thing that makes a a difference with your clients and patients, then I think that's a huge win.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Absolutely. I think for too long, um you know, dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause. So and that's needing to actually educate people as well. Um that's you know, a lot of the medicines has been dealing with the symptoms, as you said yourself, you know, dealing with the one thing to and hoping that that's going to uh bring you back to health where you haven't actually been dealing with the the root cause of the problem. Um and our lifestyles, our lifestyles is a a huge, huge cause of um, you know, the incorrect lifestyle is a huge cause for imbalance in our health. And to be able to say to somebody, right, are you prepared to remove from your life what's making you sick?

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Yeah, yeah. And and so I'm not a that's easier said than done, you know. But yeah, and it comes back to like what you said there, symptom-based work. That's a very reductionist view. We're not really, we're not really getting rid of anything because you haven't gone to the root cause of of the issue. And um, but a lot of us we were brought up in that kind of uh that kind of training and philosophy, you know, that's standard medicine. And uh hey, I always say it's a great business model, uh, but it's not great for your health, you know, because you continue to bring somebody in because you haven't really dealt with their issue. And um I think when I when I deal with teaching clinicians and physicians and try to get them to think differently. And I remember once I was doing a chat where I I was saying, This is how you practice medicine, and I said, and I gave all the different root causes of issues and problems, and I said, if you haven't dealt with any of these, I said, You've done absolutely nothing for your patient. And there was silence in the room because it it must have actually hit a thought or a nerve with people. So again, um I think we need to, yeah, we just need to broaden our our view a little bit on that. So um so okay, so I'm speaking at this event, that's great. Uh so what can people expect in that day for those that are attending?

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Well, uh, number one, it is the naturopathic approach uh to mental and emotional well-being. So, as um our theme for this year, which is um the nervous system and mental wellness summit, um, it is happening on the 24th of October in Athlone at the Radisson Blue Hotel. We've moved location this year. So for the last two years, we've been in Port Leach, but we're moving up to Athlone. Um which is uh change is good and it's also great. It allows for, we try to keep it as central as possible to really allow for everybody, all the practitioners and students in Ireland to at least have a bit of an even travel to the location. One day event packed with um number one, networking, which is so important, networking with our exhibitors and uh fellow colleagues. Um but we have five incredible speakers on the day with yourself, Dr. Richard Rocker. Been our opening speaker on the day. We also have Shane Pearson, which is the health coach's coach. We have Peter Jackson Main, which is a gentleman that needs little to no introduction in the natural medicines industry. So he is joining us from the UK fantastic. And we have two sponsored speakers as well, incredible speakers, Dr. Shania Seba and Yua Aguido. So the day is really busy from the start to the end. 20 exhibitors there to share their RD with regard to products. Some incredible Irish uh brands are joining us this year as well, which is fantastic. But whatever the with it being this practitioner-focused event, obviously, there's eight CPD points. So to add to your CPD for your renewal of your memberships and also insurance. But we're going to be exploring the nervous system, metabolism, toxins, herbal, herbal medicine diet, microbiome, and how they actually shape stress and resilience. It's going to be a really hands-on day as well. So, you know, it's going, we've got uh Shane Pearson is going to be doing actual practical exercises that the practitioners can learn from and move directly to their clients in practice. But everything that they're going to be learning on the day, they will be able to implement immediately into practice. So yeah, I think it's a gold star day.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

I'm sold. I'm going to show up. Excellent. Very great. Yeah, no, look forward to that. Yeah.

unknown 23:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

No, some great speakers there. Um, and yeah, it's it's great. I always say if I can learn one thing, I it's been a success. Uh so that so that's that's great. So now if uh if there are practitioners out there that are say this sounds great, and I want to be involved in that, how would they go about doing that?

SPEAKER_00 24:15

They just need to visit uh the AMP website. So that would be the T-H-E-ANP.co.uk, and go to our events tab and scroll down, and you will see the ANP Island Summit. Click on that and reserve your seat at the table.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Excellent, excellent. Well, well, Dallas, thank you for coming on. This has been a really uh important conversation. I think what you're doing with the ANP is helping to bring structure, support, and credibility uh to a field that is growing rapidly and in many ways, I think is very much needed right now. And so for anyone listening, if you're interested in learning more about the naturopathic and integrated medicine or attending the upcoming event in October, uh we'll include all the the details in the show notes. And as always, if you found this helpful, please like, share, subscribe, pass it on to someone who might benefit from it. And until next time, take care. And hopefully we'll see some of you at the event in October. All the best.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

Thank you. Bye.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Thank you for joining me on the Integrative Continuum. I hope today's conversation gave you new insights and practical tools for your own health journey. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe. Share it with someone who would benefit, and leave us a review. It helps us spread this message further. Until next time, I'm Dr. Richard Rocker. Stay curious, stay empowered, and keep moving forward on your path to integrative health.