It is difficult for most Americans to imagine the health challenges that people in developing countries routinely endure. With the myriad of diseases that surround them, one observer described daily life in underdeveloped parts of the world as "a game of Russian Roulette with five bullets in the chamber."
Bastyr student Jennifer Kaltunas defines
"liberation medicine" as "the conscious and conscientious use of health care to promote
human dignity and social justice."
Fortunately, groups like Doctors of Global Health, Doctors Without Borders and Natural Doctors International (NDI) have made it their mission to provide free health care to underserved populations around the globe. NDI, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is an international medical volunteer organization for naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, midwives, herbalists, students and other allied health professionals. The group brings natural medicine to global health in five main areas: clinical care, education, cross border collaboration, research and international policy.
Recently, a group of 10 naturopathic students from Bastyr University traveled to Nicaragua with NDI to study international health care in general, and the economic and political influences affecting Nicaraguans in particular. The students learned about "liberation medicine," which empowers patients to transform their environments in ways that promote health and sustainability. They set out to help improve working conditions, decrease the use of pesticides in crops, implement trash-reduction programs and schedule social activities to promote community cohesion.
One of the founders of NDI, Dr. Tabatha Parker, who now lives in Nicaragua permanently, began working with the students upon their arrival. Parker founded NDI in 2003 with two colleagues, Dr. Michael Owen and Dr. Laurent Chaix, to bring naturopathic medicine to underserved populations around the world. NDI provides free health care services by offering medical rotations and global health courses for licensed naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, midwives, herbalists and medical students of all backgrounds.
The Bastyr students included brigade leader Jenny Nelson, Jamie Henrichsen, Jennifer Kaltunas, Aaron Morris, Kristin Neibling, Carrie Runde, Sheetal Shah, Eva Shen Kozura, Kate Short, and Suzanne Smokevitch. Of the 10, Jennifer Kaltunas and Eva Shen Kozura participated through the school's venture grant program, which is carried out through the student council. Grants of up to $1,000 per student are available to assist with travel costs – so long as the destinations provide an educational experience (academic or clinical) that will benefit them and the University. Once the students return from their travels, they are required to share their experiences with fellow students and faculty members.
Prior to their departure, the student brigade conducted several fundraisers and sought donations from naturalproducts companies. These efforts enabled them to bring $7,000 worth of tinctures and supplements with them, along with an EKG machine (the only one on the island where they worked). Both Shen and Kaltunas received $800 in venture grant funds to help defray their travel costs. Fellow student Jill Meyer also assisted in the fundraising efforts.
Bringing Medicine and Hope to Ometepe
On the Nicaraguan island of Ometepe, the student brigade worked for 10 days with Tabatha Parker, ND; Tania Neubauer, ND; Jum Nguyen, ND; and Ben Woodard, an herbalist, to treat patients in the Moyogalpa Center for Health, "the closest thing to a hospital" on the island. They set up a permanent office and a dispensary stocked with the 500 pounds of donated supplies they brought with them. The students worked alongside the doctors as they created treatment plans for 170, mostly elderly or very young patients. The team used physical medicine, along with fungal and parasite creams, herbal tinctures and ear drops, to treat a wide range of conditions, including pneumonia, muscle and joint problems, ear infections, heart disease, respiratory ailments and diabetes.
When they weren't working at the clinic, the students harvested organic tumeric and coffee to experience "a day in the life of an island farm worker." They attended classes to help them better understand cultural practices, local medicine and the political factors that created the region's poorly funded health care system. NDI is working with the Nicaraguan government to obtain United Nations status as a non-governmental organization (NGO), which would then provide international recognition for naturopathic health care.
"The goal is to work for change on a systemic level," Jennifer Kaltunas says. "For example, many of the patients have parasites and other illnesses related to the poor water quality and extensive use of pesticides on crops. NDI educates the people about these dangers while also working with the government and corporations to change the policies that lead to poor health."
Kaltunas defines "liberation medicine" as "the conscious and conscientious use of health care to promote human dignity and social justice." Practitioners focus their efforts on underserved populations that have limited access to health care. They identify the societal factors that contribute to poor health and empower patients by teaching them how to better care for themselves. They also work with political leaders to get to the root of what's going on and find ways to make things better.
Dr. Parker, who permanently resides in Nicaragua, recently married there and is now expecting her first child. "This is part of the liberation medicine piece," Kaltunas says. In order to truly help the people around her, she has completely assimilated into the culture to fully understand their circumstances.
Dr. Parker clearly understands that sustainability is a key component of liberation medicine. Many wellintentioned Westerners have brought programs to developing countries that cause more harm than good, once the organizers leave. Free trade (i.e., NAFTA and CAFTA) has not been good for Nicaraguans.
"Overall, American influence here has been negative," Kaltunas says. "It's caused a downward spiral for schools, jobs and health care. There's a lot of corruption as money is the primary motivating factor. Therefore, priority is given to whatever is going to be economically beneficial. Unfortunately, health care doesn't fall into that category."
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