Bastyr University: As natural as it gets
Bastyr University, located north of Seattle in Kenmore, Washington, is one of the country's leading institutions of natural health. The university, established in 1978, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as certificates in natural medicine, including naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, midwifery, holistic landscaping and herbal sciences. The university, one of the seven accredited naturopathic medical schools in the U.S, occupies 50 acres on Lake Washington's northern shore.
Originally a Catholic seminary, the campus is worth a visit not just for those interested in natural medicine, but for its gardens and grounds. The student-run medicinal herb garden supplies more than 350 kinds of medicinal and culinary plants, providing them both to the university's cooking and nutrition classes and its cafeteria as well as to local food banks. Self-guided tours are an option, but you may want to sign up for one of the 1-hour guided tours, which are scheduled Monday through Friday between 10 am and 2 pm. A reflexology footpath near the garden allows visitors to stimulate pressure points in their feet. Adjacent St. Edward Park provides additional miles of wooded trails for hikers.
Central to the university is the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, which treats more than 35,000 patients a year and includes both a natural medicine and Chinese herbal medicine dispensary and offers both herbs and prepared medicines. Other points of interest include the Bastyr bookstore, which sells books on natural medicine, as well as supplies, the Dwayne J. Clark Center for Healthy Aging, and the University's European-style St. Thomas Seminary chapel. The chapel is a relic from the university's seminary days that was built in answer to a challenge from a Seattle archbishop to make the space acoustically perfect.
In keeping with its mission, Bastyr's Student Village, consisting of 11 cottages for housing students, was designed with green building principles in mind and built around a stand of 60-year-old Douglas fir trees. When touring, notice the "butterfly roof" design on the student buildings, which allows them to catch and collect rain before releasing it into a wetland area. You'll notice some building tops are "green roofs," covered with plants that help insulat the buildings and retain heat.
The university also houses the recently opened Bastyr Integrative Oncology Center, whose goal is to track the effectiveness of alternative medicine as well as to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. Bastyr also operates the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle.
HelloSeattle Tip: Reserve your guided tour through the medicinal herb garden at least a month in advance by calling (425) 602-3272. There is a limit of 25 guests per tour.
Posted by Cat Rambo
