Bastyr summer program breaks down barriers

Bastyr University hosted 11 conventional medical students from across the country this month to help bridge the perceived gap between traditional and naturopathic medical practices.

The four-week program focuses on the fundamentals of acupuncture, holistic healing and whole-foods nutrition — fields that cause many physicians to cast a skeptical glance.

“We want people to take away a deeper understanding of CAM (complimentary and alternative medicine), so they know it’s not hokey,” said Bastyr faculty member Robin DiPasquale, a naturopathic doctor (ND). “It’s very real and very usable.”

The program, known as CAM Camp, combines lectures and lab work with clinical observations at Bastyr’s teaching clinic in Seattle, as well as visits to the school’s whole-foods cooking lab and botanical-medicine dispensary.

Participants also practice the energy-directing art of Qi Gong each morning, and they get to spend a day exploring the Puget Sound region in search of medicinal plants.

“This has been one of the most restorative experiences I could imagine,” said Katie Mygatt, who recently completed her first year of medical school at the University of Vermont.

The three-credit CAM Camp program is designed to be a low-pressure experience that doesn’t cause additional burnout for already-stressed medical students.

“We try to keep in mind that this is still their summer vacation,” DiPasquale said.

CAM Camp participants are expected to do mock case studies and create presentations that demonstrate their personal reflections on what complimentary medicine means and how the camp has changed their perspective.

Jen Wong-Sick-Hong, who came to the program from Michigan State University, crafted a two-sided collage, with one surface depicting modern-day problems and the other conveying images of holistic thought.

Mygatt created an “energy salad” to demonstrate the healing powers of food.

Her concoction consisted of kale, beets, goat cheese, almonds, avocado and edible nasturtium flowers, all of which can help with blood deficiencies.

Mygatt says she considered becoming a naturopathic doctor at one point, but decided against it because of concerns about professional barriers.

“People in our society understand the term ‘MD’ and all the credentials that go along with it,” she said. “I figured it would be easier to use this information if I had that behind my name.”

A year of traditional medical school hasn’t shaken Mygatt’s views about the importance of complimentary practices.

“Being here has crystallized why I went to medical school,” she said. “I’m really interested in preventative medicine and establishing long-term relationships with patients.”

Mygatt’s school has agreed to use whatever knowledge she brings back for a possible expansion of its own CAM program.

Wong-Sick-Hong says her school wouldn’t help pay for the CAM Camp because it “doesn’t contribute to her medical education.”

That won’t stop the aspiring family practice doctor from putting this course on her resume.

“I’m surprised at how similar the modalities are,” she said. “The emphasis is on healing people, it’s just different tools.”

Bastyr spokeswoman Richelle Nielsen says the CAM Camp is intended as an introduction to complimentary medicine, noting that it does not fully qualify students to practice techniques of the profession.

“They should feel more comfortable referring patients so we can integrate our techniques a lot more,” DiPasquale said.

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