Rural university students have turned to classes that focus on alternative and holistic health as a means to self-growth and healing, according to a UNM-Taos professor.
Jean Ellis-Sankari, department head at the UNM-Taos Academy of Holistic Health and Human Services, published an article on the topic, titled "Higher Education as an Alternative Point of Access to Holistic Health," in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Ellis-Sankari said 2,000 students have taken HHHS classes at UNM-Taos over the last decade, and about 20 have graduated with certificates in Holistic Health and Healing Arts (HHHA) certificates.
She said it is logical for students to look for alternative options for their physical and mental health in stressful financial times.
"Students are looking for something more - a spiritual connection and a holistic way they can give meaning to their life," she said.
The HHHA program at UNM-Taos was approved by UNM main campus in 1999, and Ellis-Sankari was one of the pioneers who developed the 32 credit-hour certificate program.
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"The program focuses on the cultivation of meditation and understanding the principles and philosophies of alternative medicine," she said.
Ellis-Sankari said every student in the certificate program studies complementary and holistic medicine in depth, focusing on a meditative approach to education.
UNM community member James Holbrook said he does not see holistic medicine as a viable approach to health.
"I do not think stuff like that works," he said. "How is yoga and meditation going to cure strep throat or the flu?"
Holbrook said he wouldn't seek out education on holistic healing in a university setting.
"I'd rather spend my money on going to the doctor or on medicine for my family instead of college classes on meditation," he said. "That doesn't make sense to me."
Ellis-Sankari said most students take these classes as a way to enrich their own lives and complement other degrees in nursing or medicine.
Anna Reid, a Northern New Mexico College graduate, said health professionals should study holistic alternatives, because they can sometimes provide another method in an individual's healing repertoire.
"Holistic medicine cannot replace traditional medicine, but it gives people options," she said. "I can decide what is best for me instead of just depending on a doctor."
Reid said she took holistic classes like kundalini yoga and feldenkrais and has found it easy to apply what she learned.
"I liked the classes I took," she said. "They really helped me find ways of dealing with the stress of school and work and made me a better student. I use the things I learned every day. It has become a part of my lifestyle."
Ellis-Sankari said students interested in these classes are genuinely interested in health options they can explore.
"From the beginning I saw that students were gravitating to these classes for very personal reasons in terms of their own health," she said.
Ellis-Sankari said the HHHA classes are about content, not credit, because the benefits of taking these classes go outside the classroom.
"Students are directly applying this information to their own needs. They bring it in to their children, their parents and their grandparents," she said. "We are seeing a direct carry-over from the classroom into the community and into the lives of our students."
