Dr Tom Yang, Dr Jessica Norton, Dr Masahiro Takakura are members of American Naturopathic Board of Sports Physicians (ANBSP). They are also part of Integrative Medicine Group (IMG) that sponsored Seattle Marathon. They helped runners after their marathon on November 25th. They treated 88 runners with Naturopathic Physical Medicine and Acupuncture.
Report from Bastyr Sports Medicine Club
Sunday, November 25, 2018 was a beautiful day to be running and volunteering at the Seattle Marathon. This was the 13th year that Bastyr Sports Medicine Club (BSMC) and Bastyr’s Acupuncture Sports Medicine Club provided complementary treatment to athletes at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall near the race’s finish line. This was BSMC’s 1st year volunteering at the Seattle Marathon Expo held on Friday, November 23 and Saturday, November 24. Students were able to attend and learn more about marketing and pre-race treatments with doctors from Integrative Medicine Group (IMG).
The Bastyr clubs provided a unique model at the marathon with the integration of naturopathic medicine and acupuncture. BSMC members used a variety of modalities in their treatments, including muscle energy stretching, Tui Na, soft tissue mobilization, kinesio taping, craniosacral therapy and naturopathic manipulation to treat over 100 runners. Students with varying levels of education worked in small pods at the event. Students in their 3rd or 4th years of education were primaries at the event, and were able to practice their intake skills and orthopedic exams, while others in their 2nd and 1st year observed and assisted them. The pods were overseen by the supervising doctors of IMG, which provided an opportunity for members to ask questions and improve their skills.
Thank you to all of the students who participated in the event this year. Special thanks to our sponsor Integrative Medicine Group and the supervising doctors, Dr. Masa Takakura ND, LAc, DC, CKTI, Dr. Calvin Kwan ND, CKTI, Dr. Tom Yang ND, LAc, LMP and Dr. Jessica Norton ND, LAc for donating their time and sharing their knowledge. Thank you to Kinesio Taping Association International for their donations and support! We’d also like to extend a big thank you to Lydia Kwan and Kristen Williams LAc, who both ran the front desk and kept everything organized. Overall, we had another great experience at the Seattle Marathon, and look forward to volunteering next year!
Quotes from volunteers this year:
Megan Roark, a BSMC leader, commented, “It was nice to see athletes that we treated in previous years come back because they appreciated and enjoyed the medicine we were able to provide them. We were happy to hear that the athletes were interested in seeing a naturopathic doctor outside of this event.”
Dr. Jessica Norton commented, “It was an awesome experience to be able to return to the marathon this year as one of the supervising doctors. Being able to share what I've learned through the years with the students is a humbling and enriching experience. We always learn a lot by working with the runners and look forward to next year.”
Dr. Tom Yang remarked, “ It was great to integrate different modalities to help the runners in their recovery and it was inspiring to see the ND and acupuncture students working seamlessly as an integrated team.”