Encouraging Community Wellness for Behavioral Health (Addiction,NCDs and Mental Health)

The Hindu Online edition of India's National NewspaperSaturday, June 02, 2001 http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/06/02/stories/14022185.htm Twisting your child's ears may not have daunted him into burning the midnight oil and securing good marks in the board examinations or, in fact, shunning that smoking or drinking habit, but pricking a few needles in his ears might just be the cure you are looking for. Auricular or ear acupuncture is not something that has been practiced in India for long, but it surely is being projected as the next big stress buster after meditation. Unlike acupuncture, which involves use of needles in various parts of the body, auricular acupuncture uses just five or three points in the ear. And if specialists are to be believed, the method can be used for helping students get over post-examination anxiety and stress. With the CBSE results just out, the Caring Foundation, an NGO, organised a special counselling programme for students outside the CBSE building

EAR ACUPUNCTURE, COUNSELING AND ADDICTION TREATMENT- AN INTRODUCTION MICHAEL O. SMITH, MD, Dac**SUNEEL VATSYAYAN MSW, ADS (NADA)*** http://ncdap.nisd.gov.in/articles2.php More than 100 counselors, Social workers, Doctors, Yoga therapists and Peer Support Counselors from different parts of India have been trained to use ear acupuncture for addiction treatment and Rehabilitation as per NADA five-point treatment protocol. These people who are already working in different addiction treatment settings have completed seventy hour apprenticeship training as Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist (ADS). The model put forth by NADA allows an ADS to practice the limited, pre-defined five point needle protocol for the treatment of addictions. The ADSs do not do differential diagnosis or treatment; their role is somewhat analogous to a technician, although the word specialist more accurately captures the clinical reality of providing addiction treatment. As stated in the NADA brochure,

The NADA Protocol http://www.acudetox.com/ In the mid-1970s, Michael Smith, a medical doctor at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx area of New York, modified an existing system of auricular acupuncture into a simple technique for the treatment of many common drug addictions as an alternative to methadone. This selection of ear points proved to be extremely effective in the treatment of addictions, and became what is now referred to as the “NADA protocol.” ...... While the NADA protocol is an important component of any detoxification program, it is by no means the only component. A patient’s behavior and attitude, along with the perceptions of the clinician delivering care, are also integral to successful treatment. The NADA protocol is often used with other treatment modalities, such as counseling, support groups and self-help programs, to increase the overall effectiveness of care....Read more http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/nadaprotocol.php