Community Care Clinic (Saturday, December 7)

Join Monarda Community Care for a free drop-in care clinic, which will include ear acupuncture, ear seeds, acupressure, a wide variety of free herbal medicines, Narcan, Fentanyl test strips, zines, and more.

Participants receiving acupuncture treatment have reported immediately experience a deep sense of calm, reduced cravings, relief from stress, emotional trauma and chronic pain. Using the NADA protocol, this treatment involves the gentle placement of up to five small, sterilized disposable needles into specific acupressure points on each ear. The recipients sit quietly in a group setting for 20-45 minutes. To learn more about the history of this practice and all of its benefits for those coping with the stresses of modern life, scroll down below.

Date/time:Saturday, December 7, 11am – 2pm
Note: To receive acupuncture treatment, you must arrive by 1:30pm.

Location: In person, Hudson Area Library Community Room

Registration: No registration required. First come, first served.

This program is presented in collaboration with Spark of Hudson.


The NADA protocol consists of five specific auricular (ear) acupuncture points, that address the physical, mental and emotional symptoms of folks dealing with behavioral health issues; including addictions, mental health, PTSD and disaster & emotional trauma.

The NADA protocol is a 5 point auricular acupuncture treatment radically rooted in the community care and activism of the Black Panthers and Young Lords.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur and the folks at the Lincoln Detox Center led a revolutionary movement in the South Bronx during the 1970s where they developed the NADA protocol. They were looking for ways to serve vulnerable communities in their struggle with opioid use. These treatments turned out to be effective for detoxification, withdrawal, and stress management. Because of this movement, acupuncture will always be known as the peoples’ medicine.

Please watch  the documentary @dopeisdeath (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-m7AANkQ4) for a full history of this treatment and the communities it has supported for almost 50 years.

Ear seeds (beads), will also be available for those preferring to avoid needles but still wanting to receive this treatment.

We will also have a huge assortment of herbal medicine available to the community for free. Tinctures, glycerites, oxymels, herbal teas and more.

Benefits of the NADA protocol:

  • Relief from stress and emotional trauma
  • Increased calmness, better sleep, and less agitation
  • Reduced cravings for substances, including nicotine
  • Minimized withdrawal symptoms
  • Decreased cortisol levels
  • Several organ systems are stimulated and detoxified

Truly anybody can benefit from receiving this treatment.

Explanation of the NADA points:

Shen Men:
Shen Men is a Master Point. Master points are always electrically active in comparison to other points on the ear. This point is often needled first in acupuncture, it relaxes the mind and helps the body to become more receptive to treatment. Shen Men is also known as Divine Gate, it is so powerful that it treats almost everything – stress, anxiety, depression, pain, inflammatory diseases, etc.

Sympathetic / Autonomic:
Bringing us out of fight-or-flight mode. Our sympathetic nervous system is designed to jump start our bodies into fight-or-flight mode for survival purposes. When that part of our system is activated, our digestive and organ functions shut down so that we can put all our energy into doing whatever is required to survive an emergency situation.

However, many people often live in a constant sympathetic nervous system state, always on high alert, anxious, fearful, and energetically out of balance. Living this way leads to a multitude of mental, emotional, and physical health issues; insomnia, anxiety and digestive issues are some of the most common. Parasympathetic mode, on the other hand, is where we should be most of the time. This is where our body regenerates and heals. Treating the Sympathetic / Autonomic Point will bring your body back to this state.

Kidney:
In Eastern Medicine, the kidney meridian is associated with fear. This point improves willpower, calms fear, is good for backache, and calms digestion.

Liver:
In Eastern Medicine, the liver meridian is associated with anger. This point helps to lift depression, support digestion, improve blood circulation, alleviate aches and pains, and help us to better assimilate our experiences in life.

Lung:
In Eastern Medicine, the Lung meridian is associated with the emotion of sadness. The lung point controls breathing, cleanses the skin, assists in letting go mentally, supports the process of grief and facilitates forgiveness.