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EAR ACUPUNCTURE IN ADDICTION TREATMENT BY NADA INDIA AND FINGODAP KERALA CHAPTER

From Nada India Archives 

TWO DAYS WORKSHOP ON EAR ACUPUNCTURE IN ADDICTION TREATMENT BY NADA INDIA AND FINGODAP KERALA CHAPTER ON 7 & 8 JANUARY 2005
(Submitted by FINGODAP Kerala Chapter)
A Two Days Workshop on Ear Acupuncture in De-Addiction Treatment as per NADA Protocol was organised jointly by NADA India and FINGODAP Kerala Chapter at ATMATA Kendram Changanacherry. Dr. Michael Smith, Founder and Chair Person, NADA International, Director of Lincoln Recovery Centre USA and Mr Suneel Vatsyayan National Convener, NADA India and South Asian Region were the Resource Persons and Fr.Thomas K D, Secretary, FINGODAP Kerala Chapter was the organizer of the workshop. 25 Participants from 15 member NGOs of FINGODAP Kerala Chapter participated in this Training Programme.
The programme started on 7th January 2005 with silent prayer. Mr.Binu K Antony (Ireland) welcomed the participants and all the 25 participants introduced themselves. The Resource Person for the first session was Dr.Michael Smith M.D, USA. He shared his experience in Acupuncture Detoxification Therapy. After the lecture class he demonstrated the five points of Acupuncture treatment.
The second session after the lunch was a practical session. The Participants were divided into three groups and each member of the group had to identify the points of acupuncture treatment on the Acupuncture Ear Model. After having hands-on experience each one was guided to do the acupuncture to the companion and all the participants performed it with much care and concern. Dr. Michael Smith and Mr.Suneel Vatsyayan were guiding us with much enthusiasm. The third session in the evening was by Mr. Suneel Vatsyayan in which he spoke about the history of acupuncture, counseling and treatment, benefits of acupuncture etc. After enjoying the typical Kerala food – Tapioca and Fish curry we said Good Night.
On the Second day (8th January 2005) the Local Dailies gave a good coverage for the presence of the team and their training programmes on Acupuncture Detoxification Therapy. The Training programme started at 9 am. First session was led by Mr. Suneel Vatsyayan who introduced NADA and its activities. All the participants were included in the Self Experiment Session of Acupuncture in which each participant got a chance to experience the effect of acupuncture treatment on his/her body. Each member shared their experience after the Acupuncture treatment. The facilitators cleared the doubts regarding the acupuncture treatment. The practical examination of ear acupuncture was led by the resource team. After the examination, certificates were issued to the participants who passed in the exam and the Resource Team was very happy to see that all the 25 participants were able to pass the exam and get the ADS(Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist) Certificate.
Field Visit
The Field Visit to Clinical settings were arranged as the part of the programme. St.Thomas Mission Hospital, Chethipuzha, Changanacherry and Mar Gregorios Mission Hospital Parumala were visited by the participants. The Acupuncture Detoxification Therapy was given to the in-Patients of the De-addiction Ward of Mar Gregorios Mission Hospital Parumala and the sharing of the experience by the clients after this therapy helped to increase the confidence of the participants.
NADA Kerala
As per the request of the participants NADA Kerala was founded and Fr. Thomas K.D was selected as the Convener. The Future programmes of NADA Kerala were planned by the members. The members suggested to convene the monthly meetings of NADA Kerala and so the next meeting will be on the first Saturday of February 2005(05-02-05).
General Clinical Supervisors
Dr. Saiju Sebastian, St. Thomas Hospital, Chethipuzha, Changanacherry-4 and Dr. Sr. Marriyamma, Vimala Hospital, Idukki were appointed as the General Clinical Supervisors of the Acupuncture Detoxification Therapy in the Member De-addiction Centres of NADA Kerala. The members can clarify their doubts at the monthly follow up meetings of NADA Kerala.
Evaluation
The Evaluation of the training programme was done by giving the evaluation Performa to the participants. Some of the participants suggested to have more practical exposure in the future trainings. The duration of the Training Programme can be five days as suggested by some of the Participants.
Conclusion
We are very happy to say that the Two Days workshop was very successful. The Presence and guidance of Dr.Michael Smith and Mr Suneel Vatsyayan were Excellent. This training helped us to supplement our service to the addicts and their family members. We thank both of the Resource Persons, Nada India, FINGODAP Kerala Chapter and the Staff of ATMATA Kendram.

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