If you are unsure of how a few things work, be sure to read below for our FAQs.
The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association trains people in the NADA protocol, an ear acupressure and acupuncture intervention for trauma, substance misuse, abuse, dependence and related behavioral and mental health conditions. Together we promote and advocate for access to holistic health as a right of all communities.
Vision
We envision a world where healthcare is people-centered, holistic, and accessible to the most vulnerable and underserved in our communities.
Individuals trained through NADA apply up to five fine-gauge, sterilized, one-time use stainless steel needles just under the skin at designated points in each ear. The needles remain there 30-45 minutes. Ordinarily, groups of people sit together while undergoing the treatment. The procedure functions as an adjunct within a comprehensive treatment program that offers other therapeutic elements including counseling, education, family involvement, mutual support group involvement, and supportive medical health care. Clients in all types of treatment settings including inpatient, outpatient, incarcerated, shelters, harm reduction and street outreach can utilize this treatment. Among the benefits reported by both clients and clinicians are improved program retention, a more optimistic and cooperative attitude toward the process of recovery, as well as reductions in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance and need for pharmaceuticals. Â The NADA protocol is also commonly referred to as: acudetox, acupuncture detoxification, five point ear acupuncture protocol, five point protocol, 5NP. Beyond the actual needling treatment, a key element of the protocol specifies qualities of behavior and attitude on the part of the clinician, consistent with what is known as the Spirit of NADA.
Since the NADA Protocol works by mobilizing the existing internal resources of a person, every aspect of a clinician’s interaction with persons in need is to help them help themselves. Opening access to the treatment itself comes first. This occurs through eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic, socio-economic and environmental barriers to starting a program of recovery. The next task is to create a zone of peace within which patients can begin to experience their own inner strengths. Finally, and in respect to the other aspects, keep it simple.
In the U.S.A. and Canada, many localities encourage the implementation of a NADA program through regulations that allow non-acupuncturist health providers to be trained in the NADA protocol, often under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist or medical doctor. States and provinces that regulate this through a legal statute (law) are: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ontario, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming. To see a list of states and their PDFs, click here. An additional three states (North Carolina, Ohio and Washington) give nurses (only nurse practitioners and physicians™ assistants in NC) the ability to practice, under the auspice of physician delegation. In Washington, the practice of NADA is an administrative rule in the state’s nursing code. The nursing board in Ohio and the medical board of North Carolina consider NADA to be within the scope of physician delegation. There are no existing statutes for these three states. In three states, the practice of acupuncture is not regulated. These include: Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. In Canada, the following provinces do not have acupuncture regulations: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut Territory, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Yukon Territory. There are NADA members in these jurisdictions. In any state or province not specifically listed above, the practice of NADA is restricted to licensed acupuncturists or providers eligible to practice acupuncture in that jurisdiction, such as medical doctors.
Clinicians who wish to become proficient in the NADA protocol must study under a NADA Registered Trainer, usually by participating in a classroom training course followed by a hands-on practicum in a clinical setting. Upon completion of training, the trainee’s documentation is submitted to NADA for final approval and issuance of a certificate of training completion as an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, or Acudetox Specialist (ADS). NADA directs its training sites towards persons in helping roles who are experienced in the field of behavioral health and who have a commitment to helping those who still suffer. Completion of NADA training does not lead to certification. Certification implies refresher trainings and annual submission of continuing education credits. NADA does not require this for its Acu Detox Specialist members. We do encourage you to maintain an active NADA membership, but this is also optional.
In the U.S.A., the term “acupuncturist” ordinarily refers to a person who has completed advanced, often graduate-level, education in the general practice of Oriental medicine and who is prepared as a professional to diagnose and treat a wide variety of health conditions according to the principles of that teaching. Such a person may also be licensed, certified or registered by a government agency that regulates health care and/or be granted professional recognition by a non-governmental credentialing organization such as the National Certification Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Many health professionals who have received NADA training are acupuncturists, but NADA training alone is not considered a qualification for that designation.
NADA members are based in all states of the U.S.A. and most provinces of Canada and are associated occupationally with a wide variety of healthcare settings. These include addiction treatment programs, mental health facilities, active-duty military and veterans healthcare programs, harm reduction and similar outreach projects, homeless shelters, jails, prisons and halfway houses. According to data from the U.S. government, more than 1000 publicly licensed addiction treatment programs in the country include acupuncture as a therapeutic tool. Â NADA estimates that there are more than 2000 clinics worldwide since NADA training and treatments have taken root in many locales outside North America. These are found in nearly every European country including Russia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, the Caribbean and Mexico. Independently operating entities provide NADA services and training in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Caledonia, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Globally, more than 25,000 health workers have completed the NADA training. New geographical areas desiring to establish a NADA capability may utilize the organizational functions of the original North American-based entity until they attain the ability and need to function independently under NADA principles. While derived originally from the Chinese medicine theory of detoxification, the NADA method is adaptable to almost all cultural milieus and physical environments. NADA treatment is feasible, even in settings where threats of violence had previously made it difficult to serve clients. Below is a list of the diverse settings and health specialties that have incorporated the NADA protocol:
The modest capacity of the NADA budget is funded by the annual membership dues and by a portion of the fees paid by trainees learning the NADA protocol. Qualified as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, NADA receives a small amount of personal and corporate donations. These have been earmarked for specific helping projects and used entirely for that purpose with no administrative or other fee going to NADA. Such projects are usually related to training or providing clinical services to deprived or disaster-damaged populations, mostly outside of North America. NADA cooperates closely with other organizations in the Oriental medicine and addiction treatment fields, but operates entirely on its own and is not dependent any outside entity for its support, including the government, foundations or other philanthropic entities. In consequence, NADA has no limitations, within established laws and regulations, other than the principles of its mission and its material resources, to its advocacy and activity on behalf of those suffering from addiction, trauma, or other behavioral health issue.
Governed by a volunteer board of directors, NADA maintains a national office which manages its membership, processes applications for completion of training for Acu Detox Specialists, provides information and referrals to the public, manages the website, distributes approved NADA literature, publishes the bimonthly member newsletter, Guidepoints, and coordinates all registrations to the annual conference. Additionally the office provides consultation and support to both its members and the public in regards to setting up and implementing NADA programs.
A wide variety of controlled clinical trials, outcome summaries and anecdotal reports about the use of acupuncture in addiction treatment have been appearing since the 1970s in journals specializing in addictions, mental health, public health, criminal justice and acupuncture. These reports differ vastly in terms of methodology, populations studied, statistical sophistication and clinical relevance as well as in their findings about the value of acupuncture. A sub-category of this published work has focused specifically on the NADA protocol. Within this sub-category is found strong evidence for the effect of the NADA protocol in improving patient outcomes in terms of program retention, reductions in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance and need for pharmaceuticals. Evidence also continues to grow for the use of the NADA protocol in psychiatric/behavioral health care, humanitarian aid/trauma, as well as cancer care. NADA has several resources available on research and the NADA protocol, including an annotated bibliography and a current up-to-date summary of research. There are also full research and outcome studies available for purchase in the bookstore, under the NADA paper titled Research and Outcomes. This publication can be downloaded for free for members logged in to the Member Center.
We are the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, an organization that trains people in the NADA protocol to treat trauma, substance misuse, abuse, and mental health conditions.
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