Holistic Healing & Natural

Alternative Medicine
Riley Williamson
Intern at The Office of Sustainability
The Office of
Sustainability
• Campus Recycling
• Single stream recycling program
• Bobcats Recycle
• Bulk material recycling requests
• Composting
• Implemented food organic composting program in
2017
• Campus Garden
• Move in and Move Out Waste Reduction
• Dodge the Dump
• Energy Efficiency
• LED light fixtures
• Low flow faucet and toilet fixtures
• Efficient HVAC systems
Campus
Corner
• pop-up thrift store on
Campus
• Located at the Student
Activities Center
• Free clothing and supplies
to students
• Donations encouraged
Contribution to
Campus Health
• Student debt
• Miscellaneous resources like clothing,
cleaning products, and even food are not
prioritized.
• Without proper cleaning, the quality of a
student’s environment is compromised.
• Campus corner provides students with
the ability to access free resources to
relieve the financial burden so they can
fully focus on their education.
Holistic Healing and Public Health
• Holistic healing focuses on the person as whole rather than only
treating symptoms.
• Considered an attitude verses a strategy.
• prevents future diagnosis by getting rid of toxins and rebuilding
the bodies health and functionality in the most natural way as
possible.
• Holistic healing can tremendously reduce chronic illness
especially in more developed countries such as the United
States.
• Possibly reduce the financial burden of extreme healthcare
costs, improve the economy, as well as reduce mental illness by
alleviating the stress associated with morbidity.
Natural Ways to Achieve
Holistic Health

• Acupuncture
• Ayurveda
• Homeopathy
• Naturopathy
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
Naturopathy
•Dietary and lifestyle • 2 philosophies
changes. • Vitalism
• Holism
•Stress reduction
• 7 principles
•Herbs and other dietary • Do no harm
supplements. • Healing power of nature
• Treat the cause not the symptoms
• Manipulative therapies.
• Treat the whole person
• Practitioner-guided • Doctor is more of a teacher
detoxification. • Health promotion/disease prevention
• Wellness
Herbalism
• Practice of using medicinal herbs
for their therapeutic properties
and health benefits.
• Recommended to use in
conjunction with modern
medicine not in replacement of
modern medicine.
• Used to prevent illness and
symptoms rather than used as
treatment.
• Will help build your immune
system.
Common
Medicinal Herbs
• Chamomile
• Turmeric
• Lavender
• Calendula
• Holy Basil
• Feverfew
• Ginger
How to Use
• Teas
• Most common
• Tinctures
• Herbs soaked in alcohol or vinegar
• Capsules
• Ground herbs in capsule
• Powders
• Ground herbs
Modern Medicine Impact
on the Environment

• Sulfonamides are an antibiotic that consists of

chemicals that are harmful to the environment
• Wastewater treatment plants cannot filter out
certain chemical compounds
• Harm aquatic life
• Remain in drinking water and harm
humans
• Greenhouse Gas emissions
• Production
• transportation
Controversy
• Not FDA approved
• Clinical trials are difficult to perform
on medicinal herbs derived from
plants since every plant has a different
chemical makeup.
• Lack of FDA approval does not hinder
consumption
• Stigma and lack of education on its
benefits and usage hinders
consumption
Survey
• Understanding Students Attitudes,
Behaviors, and Knowledge Associated
with Natural Alternative Medicine
• If lack of FDA approval does not interfere
with sales, what does?
• What is stopping people from
incorporating natural medicinal herbs into
their wellness routine?
Methods
• Survey created using Qualtrics
• Distribute across campus via email and social
media advertisement
• Goal to recruit at least 50 participants
• Participants remain anonymous
• After results are gathered, the data will be deleted
by the end of the semester May 5th
Recruitment
• Email sent put to 3 – 5 professors
from each of the academic colleges as
well as the dean of the honors college
• Asked to forward the email to their
students if they wish to do so
• The email included and explanation of
my research and the link to the survey
and consent form.
• Advertised on @gcgogreen Instagram
Account
Benefits
• Gain understanding and interest
in alternative medicine
• Learn how to improve your
health
• Less reliance on expensive health
services
• Reduce weight times
Results
Participants
100

90

• Many students have participated in

80
alternative medicine but do not
routinely incorporate it into their life. 70

• Students understand the importance of 60

FDA approval. 50

• Many students are aware of the health 40

benefits but are not confident that

they would be able to choose the 30

write supplements, herbs, or practice 20

for them.
10

• Main theme: Lack of information and

0
accessibility Supplements Teas/tinctures Therapies
Herbs Currently Grown
in Campus Garden

• Mint
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Lavender
Contributions to Office
of Sustainability

• Increase demand of medicinal herbs in

campus garden
• Future presentations
• Infographics for @gcgogreen
Instagram page
• Gain a new perspective on
sustainability
References
 Aizuddin, A. N., Mansor, J., Nurumal, S. R., Yunus, S. Z. S. A., Abd Razak, M. A., Jamhari, M. N., ... & Yusoff, H. M. (2022). Perception of integrating
complementary and alternative medicine practice in patient’s treatment among the healthcare practitioners: a systematic review. The Pan African Medical
Journal, 43.

 Arentz, S. (2017). Bursting the bubble of'no evidence'by reframing the foundations of Naturopathy. Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine, 29(2).

 Baran, W., Adamek, E., Ziemiańska, J., & Sobczak, A. (2011). Effects of the presence of sulfonamides in the environment and their influence on human
health. Journal of hazardous materials, 196, 1-15.

 Connolly, G., & Oates, L. (2022). The wellness industry: the marginalisation of naturopathy and western herbal medicine.  Australian Journal of Herbal and
Naturopathic Medicine, 34(3), 102-108.

 Doogan, A. (2002). Herbs and the FDA: Current Regulation, Problems and Suggestions for Change.

 Geck, M. S., Cristians, S., Berger-Gonzalez, M., Casu, L., Heinrich, M., & Leonti, M. (2020). Traditional herbal medicine in Mesoamerica: toward its evidence
base for improving universal health coverage. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11, 1160.

 Hanes, J. (2020). Naturopathy works: Evidence for what works for my clients. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 26(2), 98-101.

 Kwon, C. Y., Lee, B., Kim, S., Lee, J., Park, M., & Kim, N. (2020). Effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine for atopic dermatitis: an overview of systematic
reviews. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2020.

 Lloyd, I. (2022). Naturopathy-key messages. Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine, 34(2), 68-70.

 Xu, Z., Eichler, B., Klausner, E. A., Duffy-Matzner, J., & Zheng, W. (2022). Lead/Drug Discovery from Natural Resources.  Molecules, 27(23), 8280.