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

Destruction in Port-au-Prince In 2010, a major earthquake hit Haiti, causing massive injury, death and damage to infrastructure.  We began planning a trip to Haiti in the hopes of providing treatment and training options to the devastated populace.  The situation on the ground was extremely challenging.  Communication, personal security, corruption, and disease were already problems in Haiti before the earthquake, all of which got much worse after the natural disaster. Treatments in one of the tent camps We networked with a group of American Naturopathic Physicians also planning a relief mission, and networked through international and local non-profit agencies to arrange housing, transportation, and access to patient populations.  We provided training to a diverse group of healthcare workers, community volunteers and university students in the medical field.  Clinical training was done at several of the extensive “tent cities” that spread ac...

Nada India Foundation & Indian Association of Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist (IAADS)  are pleased to announce the   Training workshop on use of ear acupuncture as per NADA Protocol for addiction treatment and general well being   to be held in   Delhi in collaboration with The Beginning of New life Jaona Pur Delhi . The workshop will be conducted on  30th April & 1st May 2013 at Nada India Foundation office Address : 25, JyotiBuilding, II Floor, NearGovt.Dispensary, Chhattarpur Village, New Delhi 110074, India The workshop will be conducted by Suneel Vatsyayan,Chairman Nada India & Dr.Ajay Vats Acupuncturist , chairman of IAADS   The workshop aims to facilitate a shared understanding of importance of barrier free se...

By AMANDA GARDNER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Tuesday, March 20th 2001, 2:20AM Thanks to a South Bronx doctor, the same techniques that help drug addicts in New York are aiding relief workers in Gujarat, the earthquake-ravaged region of western India. Years ago, Dr. Michael Smith, head of the recovery center at Lincoln Hospital and a pioneer in using acupuncture to treat addiction in the U.S., helped set up an acupuncture program for the Caring Foundation... Recently, Smith was back in New Delhi training more substance abuse workers when Suneel Vatsyayan, director of the foundation, asked him to meet with relief workers in Ahmedabad, the state capital of Gujarat, where thousands were killed Jan. 26. The devastation has been too much even for seasoned caregivers to handle. One 18-year-old girl insists that her last name is Bhukamp, which means "earthquake" in the local language. No one knows who she is or where she's from. One man suffers recurring headac...

Dear Suneelji, It is useful, informative, convincing that it is applicable to post disaster of any kind. It can be combined with any of the systems of treatment. The only hitch I see in India is to get the authorization to practice it. In the film it seems that community workers were also trained to use it. And as a traditional and ancient method it was the local community elder wise person who practiced it, so what is the big song and dance about the simple understanding of ear anatomy and practice of pressure of needle being used by disaster response teams or first responders. Even local ANMs and local/traditional birth attendant who are being recognized as service providers can also be trained. I liked the fact that it induces sleeps. This method seems to give a lot of relief as in the testimony of the Fire man. Where do we try it? Who would oppose it? Do we lobby to make it into the training curriculum of the AMNs and TBA and the mental health nursing systems. Do we lobby with UNDP...