Karlyn Sykes Portfolio

Locals pay a visit to Crystal Portal in Railroad Square. Karlyn Sykes Imagine a world without modern medicine. Instead of popping by CVS for an aspirin you visit an apothecary for a piece of quartz. Instead of taking a laxative for a bodily reset you meditate and sip on a detox water. For FAMU student Alex Hightower this is a reality she already lives in. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrated Health, Americans spend about $30 billion a year on complementary health approaches–$12 million of which is spent on natural products alone. This statistic reflects how many American’s are seeking alternative forms of medicine when approaching health and wellness. A new industry has emerged out of this trend called cleansing. While the industry is populated mainly with companies selling juicing and detox plans to reset the digestive system, for many cleansing takes on a much more holistic form: a cleansing of the soul. Spiritual cleansing is...

A FAMU alumnus receives a blood pressure test from an FSU medical student.  On a crisp afternoon at Cascades, the park is dotted with white tents in a sea of bundled up Tallahassee festival-goers. One of those tents is shielding Florida State College of Medicine students from the brisk winds and glaring sun–a contradiction the city’s natives have become all too familiar with this winter. At the edge of the 6th Annual Annual MLK Dare To Dream festival a table is set up by the these doctors in training offering free blood pressure testing and BMI screening for attendees. This year’s theme for the MLK festival came with a health-conscious slant, specifically “the prevention and treatment of diabetes,” according to the MLK Dare 2 Dream’s website. With this in mind it became the perfect opportunity for members of FSU’s Student National Medical Association to put their own skills into practice. “The mission of the organization is to kind of cater to minority and underserve...