African American Acupuncturists and the Revolutionary Treatment of Drug Addiction in the United States
The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) developed in the 1970’s after the Black Panthers and the Young Lords took over the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and established the Lincoln Health Center. The center offered acupuncture, education, and other social services to the underserved in the Bronx. The program’s goal as to help patients suffering from addiction not only beat their addiction to street drugs but to methadone, the highly addictive drug therapy used for addictions at the time. Here the 5 point ear acupuncture protocol to treat addiction and support recovery was developed and paved the way for NADA. The practice of acupuncture was then illegal in the United States.
Dr. Mutulu Shakur worked as an acupuncturist and at one time lead the Lincoln Detox Program. From 1978 to 1982 Dr. Shakur co-founded and co-directed the Black Acupuncture Advisory Association of North America. Over time, patients became practitioners and the success of the program spread. In 1985, NADA Was expanded as a North American Association in the state of New York. With the rise of acupuncture activism, the NADA program expanded in the US and internationally including Penn North in Baltimore, Maryland that was piloted by the founders of MUIH/Tai Sophia.
The success of this program was undeniable. In 1973, the FDA declared acupuncture to be a method of treatment for investigational use by licensed practitioners substantial scientific evidence is obtained by valid research studies supporting the safety and therapeutic usefulness of acupuncture devices . In 1981, non-allopathic physicians were permitted to practice acupuncture, and the successful advocacy for acupuncture has continued evolve to this day.
The NADA protocol is administered by Master level students at MUIH at several wellness sites throughout
Maryland at no cost to the patient. The NADA protocol has shown to have additional uses such as stress relief, reduced cravings, improved sleep, and more. To find times available currently for free acupuncture on campus, click here.
To learn more about Dr. Shakur and his work, check out the documentary, Dope is Death.
Dope is death. Dope is Death. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://dopeisdeath.com/
Khazan, O. (2018, August 3). How racism gave rise to acupuncture for addiction treatment. The Atlantic. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/acupuncture-heroin-addiction/566393/