Spring Venture Grant Recipients Discovering Natural Health Care in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK

First year naturopathic medicine student Lily Van Acker likes asking questions. But her real passion is for discovering the answers. Next fall Bastyr University will give Lily, who for the last 10 years has quenched her curious nature as an electrical engineer, a chance to answer a question that has puzzled her for years. In September Lily will travel to Japan to study therapeutic hot springs treatments with funding from a spring 2009 venture grant award. Her question: Why is hot spring therapy so prevalent in Japan, while relatively unknown in the U.S., and how might she inject some of that knowledge and tradition into American society?

A native of Taiwan, Lily was regularly exposed to traditional Chinese and Japanese healing practices growing up — specifically the use of hot springs to support and restore health. When she arrived in the U.S. to complete her master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington, however, she was surprised to discover hot spring use here is almost entirely recreational.

"People use hot springs, but they don't understand how long they should stay in the water, how often they should go or what the health benefits are," Lily says. "In Japan, whole families will go to the springs for a variety of reasons, including healing skin and joints and relaxing muscles. I feel there's a lot of information missing on this practice in this society, and I really want to bring it here."

She says the therapy isn't simply limited to hot springs themselves. In Japan, many stores sell minerals that can be used to recreate the hot-spring experience at home, and some hospitals have hot baths and facilities specifically designed for the treatment. She says that sort of system might work well here because many hospitals and clinics — such as Bastyr Center for Natural Health, the teaching clinic of the University — are equipped with facilities that could be used for hot-spring therapeutics.

Lily, who says her career switch from engineering to naturopathic medicine was about applying her thinking skills to "life, not machines, with heart, not just mind," will on her trip meet with some of the top Japanese MDs working with hot spring therapies. She will also use her understanding of the Japanese language to gather research materials on the subject. Her goals: to compare the current practice at Bastyr Center to the practice at Japanese hospitals, to investigate the cost of applying this healing method in the clinic, and to observe patient care and management flows in Japan.

The rest of the awards:
The eight student recipients of spring 2009 venture grant awards were chosen for developing innovative projects aimed at expanding their knowledge of medicine. The projects will greatly benefit the communities they visit and, later, the entire Bastyr community when students return from their adventures and share their newly acquired knowledge through presentations. Each quarter, grant recipients compete with many other students in the Bastyr community for these unique and life-changing opportunities.

Molly Jarchow, a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and Certificate in Naturopathic Midwifery student, will travel to New Zealand to learn about how a deep commitment to the land – through using it to grow food and medicine – can benefit an entire culture. Working with naturopathic physicians, herbalists and midwives, she will study the integration of therapeutic foods and medicines into patient interactions. Jarchow will also investigate a practice model that incorporates the working of the land with the healing of its people.

Naturopathic medicine students Stephanie Pleiman, Diana Crumrine and Sheetal Shah will travel to Sydney, Australia, to study international models of naturopathic medicine practice, women's health, HRT, herbal medicine and naturopathic doctor education. Specifically, the trio will visit a local naturopathic clinic and school where they will develop future preceptorships. Upon their return, the students will combine their findings with a fellow venture grant group traveling to the United Kingdom (see below). The goal: to introduce new practices, methods and areas of study that will enhance the quality of education at Bastyr.

Naturopathic medicine students Todd Born, Joshua Lloyd and Mohammad Shegeft will travel to the United Kingdom to learn about the international model of naturopathic medicine practice employed in the UK, as well as the practice of osteopathic and chiropractic medicines. The group will visit historic naturopathic sites and local clinics with the goal of creating future preceptorship opportunities.

Home | Site Map | Search | Contact Us | Jobs | Privacy Policy | E-Newsletter | Press Kit (PDF) | Printer Friendly Bastyr University. Copyright © 2009. All Rights Reserved. Bastyr is a registered trademark of Bastyr University.