Re-examining a Misunderstood Mineral
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Discover Laura Taylor’s Root-Cause Framework for Resolving Chronic Iron Deficiency
Move beyond ferritin-and-supplement thinking and master the drivers, distinctions and testing strategies that finally resolve the iron cases that never seem to respond.
Have you ever watched a patient supplement diligently, month after month, and still fail to move their iron studies? Iron deficiency looks like one of the simplest presentations in the clinic, yet it remains one of the most stubborn. When a case does not respond, the problem is rarely the dose. It is the driver.
If you have been reading ferritin as a straightforward tank-gauge, or treating every low result as a simple absolute deficiency, this session names the gap. Absolute and functional deficiency are different problems with different solutions, and inflammation, hepcidin, gut dysfunction and microbial burden all sit quietly behind the numbers, shaping what you see and what you miss.
In this 90-minute deep dive, Laura unpacks the physiology behind the paradox: why iron deficiency persists, what ferritin is and is not telling you, and how a functional, root-cause approach to assessment reveals the real driver. You will leave able to read the picture, not just the number.
FREE WEBINAR With Laura Taylor
Tuesday, 25th August 2026, 7:00 – 8:30 pm AEST
Designs for Health Australia is proud to present the Clinical Education Series, dedicated to supporting natural health professionals in gaining expertise, deepening clinical experience, and delivering quality patient outcomes.
This deep-dive webinar has been designed for the practitioner who is ready to move past surface- level iron protocols and get to the root cause of chronic, resistant deficiency.
By the End of This Webinar, You’ll be Able to:
✅ Differentiate absolute from functional iron deficiency, including the role of hepcidin and inflammation in shaping the presentation and the pathway you take.
✅ Identify the key drivers of chronic iron deficiency, from chronic inflammation and oxidative stress to immune activation, so you target the cause rather than the number.
✅ Map how gastrointestinal dysfunction impairs iron absorption, including dysbiosis, hypochlorhydria, malabsorption and intestinal inflammation.
✅ Interpret ferritin for what it is telling you, and what it is not, and factor in parasitic and microbial burden as contributors to depletion and chronic deficiency states.
✅ Apply the key nutrient cofactors in iron metabolism, including vitamin C, vitamin A, copper, B12 and folate, within a functional framework.
✅ Build a root-cause approach to assessment and treatment, drawing on relevant pathology and functional testing strategies you can apply in your next complex case.
🎯 The Goal? To leave able to read the whole iron picture rather than a single marker, so that the cases which never seemed to respond finally have a clear, testable path forward.
Why So Many Iron Deficiency Cases Resist Standard Treatment
Challenge #1: Ferritin Read as the Whole Story. Ferritin is treated as a simple fuel gauge, yet as an acute-phase reactant it can sit deceptively normal, or high, in the presence of inflammation. Read in isolation, it hides functional deficiency in plain sight.
Challenge #2: Absolute and Functional Deficiency Collapsed Into One. When every low iron result is managed the same way, functional deficiency driven by inflammation and hepcidin gets the absolute-deficiency protocol, and predictably fails to shift.
Challenge #3: The Gut Left Out of the Picture. Dysbiosis, hypochlorhydria, malabsorption and intestinal inflammation quietly cap absorption. Without assessing the gut, even well-chosen supplementation runs into a wall the practitioner cannot see.
Challenge #4: The Hidden Burden Behind the Numbers. Parasitic and microbial burden, oxidative stress and ongoing immune activation keep depleting iron faster than it can be replaced. The result is a case that looks non-compliant but is actually undriven-cause.
🎯 The Reality: A resistant iron case is almost never a compliance problem. It is a multi- driver problem being treated as a single-marker one. Once you can distinguish absolute from functional deficiency and read the drivers behind ferritin, the cases that once stalled begin to respond.
Reading Ferritin, and the Physiology Behind It
Laura works through what ferritin actually reflects, why inflammation and hepcidin distort it, and how absolute and functional deficiency present differently on paper and in the patient. Drawing on the advanced pathology analysis she uses every day at The Biome Collective, she shows how to build a fuller diagnostic picture from the markers you already order, so a normal-looking result no longer closes the case prematurely.
The Gut, the Microbiome and the Drivers of Depletion
Having mentored under leaders including Dr Jason Hawrelak and Rachel Arthur, Laura brings a deep gut-health lens to iron. This section explores how dysbiosis, hypochlorhydria, malabsorption, intestinal inflammation and microbial burden impair absorption and accelerate loss, and how a functional, root-cause assessment surfaces the driver, so treatment finally holds.
Engage with Laura in this Clinical Webinar
Hear Laura’s latest clinical insights on chronic and resistant iron deficiency
Join Laura live in a dedicated Q&A session you can shape with your own complex cases
Explore Laura’s functional, root-cause framework for distinguishing absolute from functional iron deficiency
See how Laura combines advanced pathology with a gut and microbiome lens to uncover the real driver
Earn 1.5 CPE points for your webinar participation
Take home practical assessment and testing distinctions you can apply in your very next iron case
Learn From a Practitioner Who’s Walked the Path, Laura Taylor
Laura Taylor | Naturopath
ut Health & Iron Deficiency Specialist,
The Biome Collective
Your Guide to the Complexities of Iron and Chronic Deficiency
Laura Taylor is an experienced naturopath who works primarily in the gut health and iron deficiency space. Since graduating, Laura has mentored under leaders in the health field including Dr Jason Hawrelak and Rachel Arthur to further deepen her knowledge of evidence-based treatment approaches for gastrointestinal disorders and iron deficiency.
Through her clinic, The Biome Collective, Laura has supported hundreds of clients to resolve their long-term iron deficiency and complex digestive concerns, using a combination of advanced pathology analysis and microbiome manipulation to achieve long-lasting symptom resolution
Laura has a strong clinical interest in unravelling the complexities that surround iron, to help her clients get to the root cause of this common deficiency. Her evidence-based, no-nonsense approach combines functional testing with practical, individualised care that empowers clients who feel like they have already tried everything without success
Beyond her clinical practice, Laura is passionate about supporting the talented practitioners in our profession. As one half of the Jade and Laura mentoring business, she mentors naturopaths and nutritionists to build confidence in understanding the complexities of iron deficiency and digestive concerns, exactly the depth she brings to this session.
Find Laura on Instagram and TikTok: @laurataylorhealth, and on Facebook at The Biome Collective.
Webinar Schedule
7:00 pm – 8:15 pm –Webinar with Laura Taylor
8:15 pm – 8:30 pm – Live Q&A discussion with webinar participants and Laura Taylor
8:30 pm – Webinar concludes
Check your local time for the webinar here:
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Your Webinar Host & MC
Tulsi Ryan
Tulsi Ryan is a Qualified Nutritionist and Herbal Medicine practitioner who provides health education services for Designs for Health practitioners. She also maintains her own natural health practice.
Tulsi has a special interest in:
- Practitioner education – making complex concepts easy to digest and apply in clinical practice
- Gut Health, Mood and the Gut-Brain Connection
- Sports Nutrition and Body Composition
Tulsi will moderate the Q&A discussion for this webinar and engage our live Designs for Health Practitioner community to bring insights and practical clinical pearls for all.
Designs for Health Education
I really enjoy your webinars. The presenters are engaging and concise, presenting information pertinent to the clinician setting rather than emphasising research facts is welcome. Personal stories also provide an authentic connection. Thank you
Desley LockThanks for this clear, insightful information. I have found any of the webinars or seminars I’ve attended have been useful, with little nuggets that pop back into mind when relevant.
Roz FitzgeraldExcellent in-depth training, provides extensive and well-illustrated explanations and summaries, easy to understand. Really appreciate this comprehensive self-paced practitioner training.
Duong TranI really enjoyed the webinar on Autoimmunity. The simplicity of the treatment protocols and the results were mind-blowing! The research studies to back up treatment protocols are great resources too.
The DFH education and webinars are awesome. I have learnt so much, thank you.
Liz StewartThe Iron Paradox
Re-examining a Misunderstood Mineral
FREE WEBINAR
Tuesday, 25th August 2026, 7:00 – 8:30 pm AEST
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