Major Bastyr programs

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• Naturopathic medicine: Almost half of Bastyr's students are completing four-year doctorates in naturopathic medicine. Developed in Germany in the late 1800s, naturopathy is based on the premise that humans have a powerful ability to heal themselves. Naturopaths consider the patient's overall lifestyle, emotions and mental state as well as specific physical symptoms, and encourage healing through good nutrition, herbal remedies, homeopathy and other methods. Naturopaths can prescribe some antibiotic and thyroid medication and perform minor surgery. For more serious medical conditions, they refer patients to conventional or "allopathic" specialists.

• Acupuncture and Oriental medicine: Master and doctoral programs integrate medical traditions from the East and West. A typical acupuncture treatment involves a practitioner inserting up to a dozen needles about one-quarter of an inch below the skin surface for about 30 minutes to relieve pain. Practitioners believe it helps rebalance energy pathways in the body. In China, patients have sworn by acupuncture for 2,500 years. The treatment got a big boost seven years ago when the Food and Drug Administration removed certain restrictions, allowing patients to claim health-insurance reimbursements. Bastyr's doctoral program focuses on relieving pain among cancer patients and helping them better tolerate chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The course also looks at herbal supplements, diet and lifestyle.

• Nutrition: Undergraduate or graduate degrees include the study of basic sciences, such as biochemistry and physiology as well as sustainable gardening and food politics. Students learn to design menus and prepare meals in the university's whole-foods kitchen. Many become registered dietitians.

— Nick Perry

Information provided by Bastyr University

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