Presenter: James Salvatierra, Microbiology, Global Public Health Scholars
For my practicum, I studied abroad in the amazonian region of Peru for about ten days. The focus of the course was on the medicinal properties of plants native to the region, so I spent much time learning about what medicines people native to the area use and the scientific basis behind those treatments. One big part of that was meeting a local shamim who treats the majority of the people for medical and spiritual ailments. I also experienced how the people live in the region and some of the troubles they faced such as limited access to clean water and medical services, and current projects being undertaken to mitigate those risks. Another major part of the trip was learning about the insane amount of biodiversity that is native to the region, how it is in danger, and some of the local efforts being done to prevent damage to it.
This trip subject is really interesting and unique, it highlights the value of biodiveristy in a different way. I like the tie together this provided between environmental health and human health. These traditional remedies do seem overlooked at times when interventions and medicines are being created and provided to an area, it would be interesting to see clinical trials on more of these remedies to possibly have more treatments with an overlap of traditional and modern medicine. With your experience do you think people can become less biased and more accepting of traditional medicine if clinical trials are performed with them?
This is a really cool study abroad trip! It's really interesting that you were able to meet with a shamim and learn about plant based medicine. A lot of people have misconceptions about plant based medicine and its effects. After spending time in a community which relies heavily on plant based medicine would that it is in fact a reliable form of treatment for certain illnesses?
Great presentation, James! I appreciated your sharing your personal reasons for taking this trip and how it added to your educational/cultural experience overall. Based on your experience with these different communities, how would you go about conducting a clinical test on some of the herbal remedies in these areas and disseminating your results (especially if results indicate ineffective results)? For instance, what are some ways you might involve local leaders or try to gain community support?