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

The Indian Association of Acupuncture Detoxification Specialists (IAADS) submitted its SMART Commitments in support of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 , which were formally acknowledged at the Closing Ceremony of the Second Global Summit on Traditional Medicine , held in New Delhi on 19 December 2024 . Submitted by Dr. Ajay, President of IAADS , the presentation took place in the presence of the Honourable Prime Minister of India , the WHO Director-General , and the Honourable Union Ministers for Health and Family Welfare and AYUSH , highlighting India’s leadership in ethical, community-based Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) . The Indian Association of Acupuncture Detoxification Specialists (IAADS) is honoured to share that its SMART Commitments were among sixty global commitments submitted in support of the World Health Organization’s Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034. These commitments were formally acknowledged during t...

Tobacco Cessation: From Inner Calm to AI-Driven Solutions —  A Path Shaped by NADA protocol In an era increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence and digital innovations, tobacco cessation strategies must evolve to address both emotional and technological dimensions. While AI-powered conversational solutions offer promising avenues to assist individuals in quitting tobacco and preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the most profound change often begins internally.  As Dr. Michael O. Smith, founder of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA), aptly stated, “NADA acupuncture teaches us to relax from the inside out.”  This internal transformation is crucial. Individuals, particularly adolescents, youth, women, and marginalized communities, often grapple with stress, trauma, or stigma, making discussions about tobacco use, mental health, or domestic violence challenging. To surmount these barriers, a fusion of compassionate, community-based met...

  This milestone celebrates not just the protocol but the spirit of resilience and hope it embodies. A must-watch for those inspired by stories of change, equity, and healing! Celebrating 50 Years of the NADA Protocol A remarkable journey of healing and empowerment! A new film captures the incredible legacy and worldwide acceptance of the NADA Protocol, pioneered by the visionary Dr. Michael O. Smith in the U.S. The documentary highlights the profound impact of this ear acupuncture technique on communities globally, including its inspiring adoption in India. I feel privileged to have shared moments with Dr. Michael O. Smith during his numerous visits to India and with Dr. Khensu Carter, who accompanied him. My last meeting with Dr. Carter, a practicing psychiatrist and professor at UCLA Psychiatry, was in New York in 2018. The film also delves into Dr. Carter's reflections on the emergence of movements like the Black Panthers and the Young Lords and their intersection with the NADA...

Prof. T.K.Thomas  The annual World No Tobacco Day was observed on 31st May. The day is observed by the World Health Organization [WHO] and global partners as an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure and to discourage the use of tobacco in any form. This year’s focus for the day was, “Tobacco and lung health” . Everyone knows how tobacco affects our lungs. The WHO release says, the campaign will increase awareness on, “the negative impact that tobacco has on people’s lung health, from cancer, to chronic respiratory diseases”. There are frightening figures about the mortality attached to tobacco related diseases. A study by three Indian researchers in 2012 revealed that “tobacco is a leading preventable cause of death, killing nearly six million people worldwide each year. Reversing this entirely preventable man made epidemic should be our top priority. The global tobacco epidemic kills more people than tu...

Dr.Michael O. Smith presenting in Germany in 2003.... As a doctor, part of my responsibility is not just to treat people but to set up a treatment system for a lot of people.  So you set up a treatment system that is very teachable and very reproducible.  We use ear acupuncture in ways that are convenient and then ways that are necessary in terms of treatment.  For instance, I run an AIDS clinic every week – I have an assistant to treat ear points before I do body points, because I want to settle people down and reduce fear and improve their focus.  Then the rest of the treatment will go better. We used to think that we were using ear points just for convenience, and, if we only knew the right body points, it would work a lot better.  It took me several years to understand that this is not the case.  If I had to use body points for addiction, I would do less well than if I had used ear points.  I started out thinking just the opposite – I e...