Bridging Medicine & the Environment
D Dr
ol ph in
Jr. n o W i n t e r e d iti
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
TABLE of
S T N E T N O C
Introduction
01
Culture and Traditions of Natural Medicine by May Haram
02
Biomimicry
04
by Maggie Mitchell
Nature as Medicine
by Nayeon Kang
The Loss of Biodiversity’s affect on future drugs by Olivia Knight Sinnott
08
Forest Bathing
10
by Millie Seaton
Effects of Medicine on the Environment by Nayeon Kang
Games + Fun Facts
06
14
Hi everyone! We had a such great time organising this edition of Dr Dolphin Jr . Thank you for all of the submissions and we hope you enjoy it! The LVI team Maggie, May, Millie, Olivia and Giorgia :) Thank you to Miss Thrower for helping us organise!
12
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Nature's Influence on Traditional Medical Practices Across Cultures In a bustling world where modern, chemical medicine dominates, it's fascinating to discover how different cultures have long looked to nature for remedies and healing. Traditional medical practices, deeply rooted in various cultures worldwide, show us the incredible power of plants, natural surroundings, and age-old rituals in promoting health and well-being
Imagine wandering through forests, learning from elders, and discovering the secrets of nature’s pharmacy. Indigenous cultures from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and beyond have embraced the healing properties of plants for centuries. These communities believe in the deep connection between nature and health. In the Amazon Rainforest, indigenous tribes rely on the vast array of plants and herbs for healing. From the vibrant bark of the cinchona tree, which contains quinine used to treat malaria, to the leaves of the coca plant, providing relief from altitude sickness, these natural remedies are considered invaluable.
Similarly, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) incorporates herbs like ginseng, ginger, and astragalus to restore balance and promote health. TCM’s holistic approach views nature as an interconnected system, emphasising harmony between body and environment. In Africa, traditional healers use a variety of plants such as the African ginger, hoodia, and devil’s claw for their medicinal properties. These practices are deeply tied to cultural rituals and beliefs, creating a sense of community and spirituality alongside healing. The significance of these traditional healing practices not only lies in the plants themselves but also in the rituals surrounding their use. Healing ceremonies, prayers, and rituals often accompany the preparation and consumption of these natural remedies, emphasising the mindbody connection in healing.
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
What's truly remarkable is how modern healthcare is now recognising the value of these age-old practices. Scientists and medical researchers are studying traditional medicine, identifying active compounds in plants, and incorporating them into modern treatments. Many medicines today have roots in traditional practices, like aspirin, a widely used antiinflammatory drug, which was originally derived from willow bark. Moreover, some healthcare systems are integrating traditional medicine alongside modern treatments, offering patients a broader spectrum of options. This integration acknowledges the importance of cultural practices and the wisdom passed down through generations.
Understanding traditional medicine practices not only opens our eyes to diverse cultures but also encourages us to respect and appreciate nature’s role in healing. It reminds us that the natural world holds immense wisdom that, when combined with scientific knowledge, can benefit us all. In a world of rapidly advancing technology, the lessons learnt from traditional medicinal practices across cultures teach us to cherish and learn from nature’s abundance.
May Haram LVI
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Biomimicry It’s not that shocking that masses of human inventions and designs stem from the natural world, taking great inspiration from the living organisms around us, be that plants, animals or even fungi. The process of designing and producing materials, structures and systems that are modelled on biological processes is called biomimicry, and its subtle influence can be discerned in every corner of our lives. For example, some of the most obvious forms of biomimicry include aeroplanes and flight, which were greatly inspired by the flight of birds: their wing shape, how they are able to glide in air, and how they produce lift. This natural occurrence of flight in birds and the physics involved greatly inspired the continuous innovation of planes. Another example is the material which makes up the straps on your favourite childhood shoes - velcro which was inspired by the shape of the spikes on burr plants and how they attach to a dogs fur. We get these revolutionary ideas from every aspect of the natural world, even fungi - there is currently ongoing research into a biodegradable plastic that is inspired by a material found in the walls of various fungi. But how does this impact medicine? What is the importance of the natural world in the realm of medicine?
As I have said before, biomimicry is present in every aspect of our world, and that includes medicine. Not only do common remedies, like Aspirin, originate from the natural world, but various methods, such as how we take blood, take great inspiration from the world around us. A biodegradable adhesive tape took great inspiration from the sticky scales of the gecko’s feet. When observing the gecko, two professors from Harvard Medical School and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) took great interest in the gecko’s ability to stick to walls. Unlike other creatures that stick to walls, like frogs, bats and bugs that use suction cups to hold their weight to vertical surfaces, geckos have toe pads with thin hairs called ‘setae’. These setae contain intermolecular forces, giving them an electrostatic charge that enables the geckos to stick to a wall via friction. Developed by two professors at MIT and Harvard Medical School, a revolutionary addition to the medical world was formed. The gecko-inspired adhesive tape/glue creates a biodegradable bandage for organ and tissue repair, which means that it doesn’t need to be removed later - a far more convenient solution than extra surgery.
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Another example, which is still in development, involves the influence of Electric Eels! The electric eel has long been a mystery. How does it create electricity? Why did it evolve like this? Is it actually an eel? But now, engineers at the university of Michigan have taken inspiration from this enigmatic fish to solve an extremely tedious issue in the medical world - the recharging of pacemakers. These artificial hearts, though revolutionary, must be recharged every 5-7 years, which is concerning as it involves surgery on, typically, weaker patients. This new innovation involves the creation of a synthetic organ that can produce up to 100 volts of charge, which just enough power to (potentially) charge pacemakers. In fact, the design could lead to a device that powers itself using naturally occurring processes in the body.
Medicine is constantly evolving and trying to find simple ways to improve various processes, and despite this persistent change, inspiration from nature is still present. We are constantly learning new methods and techniques from the natural world around us.
Maggie Mitchell LVI
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Nature as Medicine “Nature itself is the best physician.” This is a quote by Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician who is widely regarded as the father of Western medicine. It emphasises the connection between nature and health, that the healing power of nature is unparalleled to any artificial medicine.
Eco therapy, or nature-based therapy, is a growing field of interest. It explores the positive impact of spending time in nature on mental and emotional well-being. Contact with nature generates an increase in positive emotions and feelings of vitality, and a decrease in negative emotions; it also provides relief from mental tiredness, and an improvement in our attention span. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 70% of UK adults agreed that being close to nature improves their mood. 49% said being close to nature helps them to cope with stress. Furthermore, a study published in the journal of Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine found that visiting forest environments led to a significant decrease in cortisol (a stress hormone). These evidences suggest that nature is capable of acting as a ‘medicine’ in mental well-being.
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Not only is nature attractive to the eye, it also offers a myriad of health benefits. From improving immune function to strengthening cardiovascular health, spending time in natural environments can work wonders for your physical well-being. Did you know that the healing touch of nature can fortify your immune system? Research has shown that spending time in green spaces, particularly forests, can have remarkable effects on immune function. Interaction with these natural environments can lead to significant increases in natural killer (NK) cell activity. This is a vital component of the immune response against viruses. Additionally, nature also helps with maintaining cardiovascular health. This can be done through blood pressure regulation, heart rate variability enhancement, inflammation reduction and vascular vitality. High blood pressure is similar to a silent predator on your cardiovascular system. However, spending time in nature can lower blood pressure. Research has also shown that exposure to nature improves heart rate variability (HRV), which is a measure of the variation in time intervals between heartbeats. Chronic inflammation is also one of the main reasons for cardiovascular conditions. Nature helps with inflammation reduction. Chronic inflammation is a contributing factor to various conditions, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Therefore, nature holds immense potential for improving physical health.
The evidence is clear- nature holds an incredible power to positive impacts on both our mental and physical well-being. Whether it is the calm and tranquillity that soothes our minds, or the immune and cardiovascular benefits that strengthens our bodies, spending time in nature certainly is a natural remedy for our overall health.
Nayeon Kang Y8
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Why does biodiversity loss pose a threat to the drugs of the future? As humans, we have been utilising nature’s resources to heal our bodies for thousands of years with documentation dating back to 5000 years ago - a slab of clay found in Nagpur, India, which references more than 250 different plants. We can even find the earliest writings of traditional Chinese medicine dating back to 1400 BC, found on fragments of bone and tortoiseshell. Natural resources, such as plants and fungi, form the foundations of some of the most effective and common drugs utilised today such as aspirin and penicillin. The World Health Organisation states that 11% of the world’s essential medicines are derived from flowering plants, clearly showing nature’s prevalence in the world of medicinal drugs. We can find organic forms of medicines all over the globe, from marine bacterium living up to 6,500ft underground, which scientists hope may provide a new cure for forms of aggressive brain cancer, to fungi growing on the hairs of sloths, which could be used to fight off bacteria, cancer, and parasites.
Researchers are constantly discovering new natural components that can help in tackling prevalent diseases. Examples range from the discovery of the chemical compound farnesol, found in fruits and herbs, being used to treat Parkinson’s disease, to the plant water hyssop - used across Asia for centuries to improve brain function - recently been proven to reduce brain inflammation. Furthermore, nature not only provides components to the medicine we use today but also helps to facilitate medical research and procedures. Commonly, the blue blood of the horseshoe crab is used by researchers to detect impurities in medicines and vaccines, even being used in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. The structure of natural components is also used by scientists as inspiration in their research, with the making of a glue that mimics natural adhesive properties made by barnacles to help heal wounds more quickly.
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
However, the overt cultivation of these natural resources can pose threats to the natural abundance of these resources themselves, contributing to biodiversity loss. Hereby potentially limiting opportunities in which researchers may acquire new medicinal drugs in the future. We are losing a large quantity of species before researchers have even been made aware of them, and their potential effects, largely due to pollution and the overexploitation of these natural resources. Other human activities such as the changing land use, degradation of land through urbanisation and agriculture, and even the introduction of invasive species, all contribute to global biodiversity loss. Data even shows that the rate of species loss is estimated to be between 1000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate, despite the number of possible species present in our world yet to be known.
Whilst this rise in demand for naturally derived medicinal drugs provides a plethora of new knowledge to scientists globally, it simultaneously acts as a key factor of biodiversity loss, with species such as the horseshoe crab even becoming classified as vulnerable. Overall, this undeniable loss of biodiversity, partially caused by the exploitation of natural resources, encourages us to pose the question: Should researchers be more environmentally conscious when acquiring these remedies, to avoid hindrances in the research of further natural medicines?
Olivia Knight Sinnott LVI
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Forest Bathing We all feel stressed at least once in our lives. You could be stressed about school exams, I know I was, or maybe about an upcoming sports match, about friendships maybe? Dealing with stress is difficult and emotionally labouring. It’s not fun at all. So how can we control it, so that it doesn’t consume our day to day?
When stressed, have you ever stepped outside, gone for a walk, breathed in some fresh air and felt better? Well, studies show that stress can be reduced by being outside and that fresh air can actually increase your serotonin levels. In fact, this idea of ecotherapy (a type of formal treatment involving nature activities) has been shown to help with depression, anxiety and stress.
In Japan, there is a practice called ‘Shinrin Yoku”, or forest bathing. It aligns harmoniously with the principles of ecotherapy. Originating in the 1980s and developing in response to Japan’s urbanisation, Shinrin Yoku has become a therapeutic practice that encourages individuals to immerse themselves in the natural environment. Unlike traditional hiking or nature walks, something that I personally can despise from time to time, forest bathing is a mindful and intentional practice that involves immersing oneself in sounds, scents and sights of the forest. The focus is on engaging all the senses and forest in a deep connection with nature. Forest bathing can also embrace activities such as nature meditation, eco-art therapy and reflective journaling and Japan’s breathtaking natural landscapes serve as ideal settings for forest bathing and ecotherapy.
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The genesis of Shinrin Yoku can be traced back to the 1980s, a time when Japan was undergoing rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. Dr Qing Li, a Japanese researcher played a pivotal role in popularising the term and the practice, drawing inspiration from Japan’s long standing belief in the therapeutic properties of nature.
But the question you might be asking is, does it actually work? Do experiences like this actually help? One of the most striking findings in the scientific exploration of forest bathing is its ability to reduce stress hormones. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, experiences a noticeable decrease after being in a forested environment. The tranquillity of nature, combined with sensory richness of the forest, fosters a state of relaxation that directly influences the endocrine system. Cortisol levels have been shown to decrease by about 13.4% after a forest walk, compared to urban environments. Furthermore, research indicates that exposure to nature enhances cognitive function and attention, reducing mental fatigue and allowing the brain to recover from demands of modern life, promoting a sense of mental clarity. Get me to Japan!
In a world that can often feel chaotic and demanding, the practice of Shinrin Yoku offers a powerful remedy for stress. As we rediscover the wisdom of connecting with nature, the art and science of forest bathing provide a pathway to improved health, enhanced creativity and a profound sense of well-being. Whether experienced in the ancient cedar forest of Japan or the local woodlands in your community, the therapeutic benefits of forest bathing are accessible to all who seek a deeper connection with the natural world.
Millie Seaton LVI
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The effect of medicine on the environment In today’s world, medicine plays an indispensable role in improving human health and wellbeing. From life-saving drugs to innovative therapies, the advancements in medicine have undoubtedly transformed our lives for the better. However, amidst the progress lies an often overlooked reality: the negative effects of medicine on the environment. At the core of this issue lies the improper disposing of unused medications. Many individuals, unaware of the potential harm, often discard their unused pills down the drain. Consequently, these pharmaceutical compounds find their ways into waterways, posing a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems. Studies have shown that these medications can disrupt the normal functioning of aquatic organisms, leading to effects on their reproductive system, growth and ultimately, survival. One specific example of this involves the commonly used medication acetaminophen (more widely known as paracetamol). A study published examined the impacts of acetaminophen on a common aquatic species, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). The study found that exposure resulted in altered behaviour patterns in the minnows. They exhibited reduced activity levels, decreased feeding rates and changes in swimming behaviour. This shows how a commonly used medication can have harmful effects on other organisms. Moreover, the manufacturing processes involved in pharmaceutical production also contribute to environmental pollution. The production of medicines requires large amounts of energy and water, resulting in the emission of greenhouse gases and the depletion of natural resources. Additionally, the disposal of chemical byproducts can contaminate soil and water, further perpetuating the cycle of environmental degradation.
Antibiotics have saved countless lives and have revolutionised healthcare. However, the widespread and often excessive use of antibiotics has consequences, sometimes unknown to the public. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both human and veterinary medicine have contributed to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
DR DOLPHIN: JUNIOR EDITION
NATURE’S CURE BRIDGING MEDICINE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
One prominent example is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Staphylococcus aureus was a common bacterium found on the skin and in the nasal passages. However, due to the overuse of antibiotics, particularly methicillin, a strain of Staphylococcus aureus emerged that developed resistance to these medications. MRSA infections are now a significant concern worldwide, and they are considered severe. When antibiotics are prescribed and used improperly, some bacteria may survive and develop resistance mechanisms. They can then spread in the environment through various ways, including wastewater discharge and the use of animal manure as fertiliser. The presence of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment poses a serious threat to human and animal health. Infections caused by resistant bacteria are more difficult to treat and can lead to increased mortality and healthcare costs. Furthermore, the presence of antibioticresistant bacteria leads to an imbalance in the intricate food cycle of nature.
Think of a medicine that you might commonly use. It might be acetaminophen (tylenol), paracetamol for fevers and more. These medicines are all typically packaged in materials such as plastic bottles, blister packs or cardboard boxes. The production and disposal of these materials contribute to the generation of waste and the consumption of natural resources. Using recycled materials for packaging would certainly be an option, however pharmaceutical companies do not usually use them. This is because of regulatory requirements. The industry is subject to regulations and quality standards; they must meet specific criteria to ensure safety of the medication. Recycled materials tend not to meet these standards, and they might introduce risks related to contamination. On the other hand, it is worth noting that sustainability and environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important in pharmaceutical industries. Efforts are being made to implement more environmentally friendly packaging solutions, such as the safe and efficient use of recycled materials. While medicine plays a vital role in improving human health, it is essential to recognise its potential impacts on the environment. However, there are strategies being put in place in order to mitigate these impacts. While the negative effects of medicine on the environment are concerning, there are possible steps towards a more eco-friendly approach. Global awareness on the relation between climate change and medicine is generally increasing.Pharmaceutical companies can adopt sustainable manufacturing practices. Implementing cleaner production techniques, reducing energy consumption, and incorporating eco-friendly materials can mitigate the environmental footprint of medicine production. Additionally, investing in research and development to discover greener alternatives and exploring natural compounds for drug development can promote sustainable healthcare practices. The planet is now in dire need of medicines, due to our own medicines. Would we be risking all for some unnecessary purchases?
Nayeon Kang
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The ancient Greeks used moldy bread to treat wounds, unknowingly utilizing penicillin, the first antibiotic.
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WORD MATCH Wunderpus
the scientific term for when your tummy grumbles!
Deamflum
A showery sprinkle of seawater swept from the tops of waves
Borborygmi
A species of fish native to the Eastern Atlantic Ocean
Spoondrift
The dreamy and calm state experienced when listening to a natural waterfall
Boop-Boops
A species of octopus found in coastal waters
Obdormition
That feeling when a limb 'falls asleep'