Over the past few months, a group of mothers in Riverlea decided to take on drugs in their own way. A month ago an article was published about how 100 drug addicts from the communities would be going to a free rehabilitation centre.
Unfortunately, the group is still struggling to raise funds for toiletries, bus fare and clothing for the youngsters, but has not stopped in their fight.
On October 4, an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, Andre Brink visited the Riverlea Recreation Centre to do a detoxifying session with will drug users.
“I’m an addictive behavioural specialist. If you read the Drug Master Plan, it says that clinics and rehabs are only between 3 and 5 percent successful.
“This process taking place today has a 50 percent success rate.
“This is a process where people get treated with these needles and then they can go home and back into society where they deal with their stresses and trauma, instead of being locked away in an environment,” explains Brink.
He described rehab as the place where addicts are protected and do not deal with the drug dealers, they don’t deal with the mum and dad that they stole from.
The problem arises when they are released from rehab and have to get reintegrated into their communities.
“After three weeks or three months when they are back, it’s like a bomb that we drop on them.
“With this process, they are in their different communities every day and they can take part in active programmes such as skills training that are available,” added Brink.
The treatment which the youth received was acupuncture on the ear. Brink explained it as the ear is the representation of the whole body, and the five needles are called all the Five Point Protocol of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA).
“There are five needles per ear, and we place them in both ears because it’s a balance. The needle is called the sympathetic point. On the right-hand side at the top, that releases the endorphins of the brain, which makes them calm.
“It also balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, the ‘fight or flight’ mode. The second helps them to re-programme themselves and the last three needles are placed on the kidneys, liver and lungs because these are seen as the detoxification organs.
“Sit with the needles for 40 minutes; some people start yearning and feel sleepy because that is the restful state. The next stage is them experiencing emotions that come awaken. Some of them feel bilious, wanting to purge, dry mouth, sweatiness, irritations, all of that is part of the detoxification process,” said Brink.
The treatment only lasts for seven days but the ideal situation is for people who go into a healing process like this is to do five consecutive days of treatment, 40 minutes or an hour.
Brink believes in the women’s vision of getting the youth to the rehab and said that he would like to teach people to use this method of detoxification.
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