Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Biology

Reader 1

Kyle Jay

Reader 2

Emily Matteson

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Rights Information

© 2025 Mia A. Ciotti

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurring cycles of flare and remission that significantly affect patients’ quality of life. Standard allopathic treatment for UC centers on mesalamine, a 5-aminosalicylic acid drug that acts locally on the colon to reduce inflammation, but does not cure the disease entirely. Acupuncture, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been proposed as an adjunct therapy for inflammatory conditions, yet its biomedical efficacy remains uncertain due to methodological limitations and insufficient controls of prior studies.

This study proposes a randomized, participant and assessor blinded clinical trial evaluating mesalamine, true acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and their combinations in adults with mild to moderate UC. Disease severity will be tracked over 12 weeks of treatment using fecal calprotectin (FC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and Total and Partial Mayo Scores as endpoints, analyzed via repeated-measures ANOVA under an intention-to-treat framework. Four expected outcomes are explored: additive effects of mesalamine and acupuncture, placebo-attributed effects of true acupuncture, comparable but non-additive efficacy of acpuncture, or, less likely, superior outcomes from acupuncture alone.

Each scenario is interpreted through biomedical and medical anthropological lenses, drawing on distinctions between curing and healing, patient autonomy, and the significance of embodied therapeutic practices. By evaluating acupuncture using the same biomarker-anchored criteria applied to pharmaceuticals, this study contributes to ongoing efforts to rigorously assess non-allopathic medicine within biomedical frameworks. Regardless of outcome, the project advances a model of integrative care that is empirically rigorous, culturally informed, and attentive to the lived experience of chronic illness.

Comments

I would like to extend an immense thank you to my thesis readers, Professor Kyle Jay and Professor Emily Matteson, for their unwavering support and guidance throughout this process. I am also grateful to my advisors, Professor Carmen Sanjuan Pastor and Dr. Marion Preest, and to Scripps College and the Department of Natural Sciences for the confidence they’ve instilled in me to pusue a career in STEM, and the opportunities they’ve granted me. From Durango, Colorado, I thank the four naturopathic doctors whose wisdom inspired this work, y también agradezco al programa SIT en Chile y a mis familias anfitrionas, especialmente Machi Rosita, por enseñarme nuevas formas de entender la salud. Finally, to my family and friends, your love and belief in me mean everything. Mom and Dad, your unconditional love gives me wings.

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