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...

  From Confrontation to Compassion: Indianizing Prevention and Restoring Human Dignity in Drug Response By *Suneel Vatsyayan The journey from confrontation to compassion in India’s drug response is not merely a professional reflection—it’s a personal one. It began for me in 1985, when I met a 16-year-old boy struggling with petrol sniffing. Brought by his mother to the Observation Home for Boys near Delhi Gate, this moment left an indelible impact. It was before I officially joined Navjyoti, but it became the seed of my lifelong commitment to humanizing addiction treatment. When I joined Navjyoti , established under the Delhi Police Foundation for Correction, De-addiction, and Rehabilitation in 1987, I came as a trained social worker—not just to treat symptoms, but to restore dignity. Back then, and still today, I hold this belief: No human being should be reduced to their addiction . The challenge of substance use is not merely medical—it is deeply social, cultural, and spiritual....

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...

Dr.. Smith addressed the group of Probation officers in Delhi  Government   and informed about the instrumental role played by a Probation officer in assisting the judicial system in delivering justice. He furthered that the key for any effective probation service is that willingness of the subject to keep coming back . With the right use of Acupuncture techniques can aid the probation officer to motivate the subject to come back willingly. According to Dr.. Smith : Mr. Vatsayan commenced the session by introducing Nada India and Dr. Smith to the members present . He broadly categorised the purpose of meeting into two viz. ·         To know about the gaps in the delivery of the probation services . ·         The applicability of Dr. smiths knowledge and techniques to bridge the gap in the Indian set up of probation services . The introductory address was followed by the introducti...

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...