According to a March 14 Today@Brown announcement, Health Services is offering a five-needle protocol ear acupuncture to students dealing with stress, anxiety, pain, trauma and substance recovery. A group of about 20 students meets every Tuesday to insert her five needles into different parts of both ears for up to 45 minutes.
5NP acupuncture targets five acupoints in the ear to “address physical and emotional symptoms,” according to a program flyer seen by the Herald. The ear contains nerves that are “involved in the body’s rest, digestion, and social interaction systems,” and the therapy can help relieve stress, the flyer says.
A 2021 Rhode Island law allows trained social workers, mental health, drug and alcohol counselors, peer recovery coaches, and nurses to practice 5NP without a full acupuncture license. ing.
Last winter break, Tanya Sullivan, Assistant Clinical Director and RN, and Daisy Ferreira, RN, completed rigorous training to earn their 5NP ear acupuncture certification. They are currently implementing her 5NP acupuncture at the university as an opportunity to further support students.
“Every day we work with students who are struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, sadness, physical pain, and more,” Professor Sullivan said. “This is one of the additional modalities we can offer him. We’re fortunate to have the space and the (administrative) support.”
Acupuncture has been part of Oriental medicine for thousands of years and is currently being He said that this practice has recently been incorporated into medicine. Western medicine.
5NP ear acupuncture has been used to assist victims of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, as well as patients suffering from acute trauma, Stump added. Because the process is quick and safe, and training is available, mental health professionals use his 5NP as a method of crisis intervention and anxiety reduction.
“You may experience drowsiness or fatigue as a side effect, but that may be the desired effect,” Stamp said of acupuncture’s safety. “These needles are very thin and very shallow.”
Last summer, Autumn Wong, 25, caught up with an acupuncturist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Wong, who has helped veterans deal with chronic pain, neurological issues and mental health conditions, said some patients dealing with chronic pain turn to acupuncture after traditional pain management methods have been ineffective. He said he was able to alleviate his symptoms.
Wong said he supports the fusion of Western and Eastern medicine, adding that cultural awareness of acupuncture is important.
“This kind of practice requires acknowledging the origin of a culture, especially when it comes from another continent or another part of the world,” Wong says.
