Thursday, July 1, 2010, 03:59 AM
At Haiti's University Educational Hospital (HUEH), a woman lie in the post-op tent, writhing in pain. She'd just had abdominal surgery the day before, and obviously either pain medication had worn off or was non-existent. Medical supplies were still relatively scarce since the January 12th earthquake.
The woman, as many other patients in the tent, was topless due to the oppressive heat and humidity in the tent. She was screaming, begging for God to take her life, as the pain was unbearable for her.
Her ex-husband was there caring for her (once family, always family) as best he could, gently consoling her and dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth. The woman wouldn't have it. She was irritable, combative, screaming at him in her pain.
I took notice as I worked on other people in the tent. As leader of our team, I wondered how we would handle her with our acupuncture protocol. Just at that moment, Dr. Susan, one of the acupuncturists on our team, approached the woman's bed, asked for permission to do a treatment, and inserted 5 needles into the woman's left ear. The protocol prefers for both ears to be needled, but Dr. Susan was only able to do one ear because the woman couldn't be still.
We were a little worried at first, because the woman seemed even more agitated with the needles in. We agreed to leave the needles in for 5 minutes, check on her and then decide how to proceed.
We continued working in the tent. I noticed a change in the tent after a little while it was quiet! I looked over at the woman; she was sound asleep with the acupuncture needles still in place, and her ex-husband was joyfully requesting an acupuncture treatment for himself...
This was one of the high points of our work in Haiti. We volunteered with a grass-roots organization called Acupuncturists Without Borders. AWB organizes licensed acupuncturist volunteers to do acupuncture disaster relief work. Founded in 2005 by Diana Fried in response to the need in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, AWB sends volunteers after basic needs of medical, water, food and shelter are met usually starting 2 months after the disastrous incident.
The acupuncture treatment focuses on stress reduction, particularly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its associated symptoms:
Depression/Anxiety Insomnia
Lassitude/Lethargy Pain
Anger/Sadness/Grief/Worry Fear/Phobias
AWB has adopted the auricular (ear) protocol instituted in the 1970's by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA). The protocol was originally used in the treatment of addictions to drugs, alcohol and other substances. It has more recently been expanded and adopted to include the treatment of stress, inflammation, PTSD, insomnia, depression and anxiety.
Five acupuncture needles are inserted into each ear. The first two, sympathetic and shenmen, address the releasing of endorphins and other chemicals from the brain to allow the body and mind to relax. This allows in turn for an opening to occur, clearer thinking and a meditative state to take over.
The other three ear points are detoxifying and balancing to the kidneys, liver and lungs, respectively. These are the main organ systems which take in and process/filter toxins in the body.
The NADA protocol has proven quite effective in treating large groups of people quickly and efficiently without the necessity of fancy equipment or treatment tables. It is easily done in a community setting, is cost-effective, and very beneficial to all.
In Haiti, we used this very protocol at the HUEH hospital and several other venues, including a rural tent encampment on the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince, a Catholic missionary encampment in PAP, and at a university. All of our work was done either in tents or outside, as about 70% of the buildings in PAP were demolished or severely damaged in the earthquake.
Another high point of being of service in Haiti was working with the children. In the tent encampments, there were lots of children requesting treatment. Here in the U.S., a child under the age of 18 must have written permission from a parent or guardian in order to have treatment. In Haiti, there are many children and adolescents who have been forced to grow up very quickly since the earthquake.
At first, our team was not sure how to proceed with the children. We did not ask the children regarding the whereabouts of their parents, but we did discover that many of the children were either orphaned, or their parents were off looking for work, and had entrusted their children to friends in the encampment. So we decided to offer the acupuncture protocol to those 14 and older. For the younger children, we used small ear magnets on the points. Some of the children insisted on the needles, and they took to them well.
It was truly a pleasure to work with the children and adolescents. The children were lively, playful, caring of each other, and a great example for some of the adults who were a little skeptical and/or fearful, especially after having had the experiences of loss, sadness, grief and displacement. The adolescents were focused, serious, responsible and curious. They were determined to not let this type of disaster happen to their people again. They loved the acupuncture treatments.
Overall, I cannot rate my service in Haiti as 'fun' or 'horrible.' It was service that I was called to do. It opened my eyes as to the nature of sacred service joyfully volunteering of time, skill and energy to help others in need to their benefit, upliftment and fulfillment. It has given even more purpose to and fulfillment in my life.
Doris-Owanda Johnson, L.Ac.
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Thursday, July 1, 2010, 03:57 AM
Our team was very fortunate in that we were housed in a sturdy, 1-bedroom upstairs apartment. Sleeping arrangements were interesting for we four adults let's just say that the close quarters quickly rendered us into family status. Seeing the alternative, we were eternally grateful for our digs. Even better, the apartment was housed in a gated compound with lots of tropical plants.
I asked our host about one tree outside of our apartment window. This tree bore a green, spiny-looking fruit a bit unsightly by my standards.
You call that soursop, he answered in English with a French accent. They're not quite ready to eat yet; you'll just miss them.
OH!! That's soursop? Graviola? I was shouting with excitement. I'd never really seen in person this wonderful plant that has so many healing properties. I use it in support of patients who are fighting cancer, or have various types of infections.
What followed was a long conversation about this fruit, its medicinal uses, and how Haitians much prefer natural, herbal remedies to conventional medicine. Read on to learn more about the properties of this incredible food-herb-medicine of the Caribbean and South America.
Also known as Graviola, Guanabana, Brazilian Paw Paw or Carossolier, Soursop is a small, upright evergreen tree growing 15-20 feet in height with large dark green and glossy leaves. It is indigenous to most of the warmest tropical areas in South and North America. It produces a large heart-shaped edible fruit that is yellow-green in color, with white flesh. It is antibacterial, antiparasitic, antitumorous, antispasmodic, astringent, cytotoxic, anticancerous, sedative and hypotensive, to name but a few of its properties. All parts of the Graviola tree are used in natural medicine including the bark, leaves, roots, fruit and seeds. Different properties and uses are attributed to the different parts of the tree. Generally the fruit and fruit juice is taken for worms and parasites, to cool fevers, to increase mother's milk after childbirth, and as an astringent for diarrhea and dysentery. The crushed seeds are used internally and externally to expel worms and parasites. The bark, leaves and roots are considered sedative, antispasmodic, hypotensive and antitumorous.
Graviola has a long rich history of use in herbal medicine as well as a long recorded indigenous use. Many bioactive compounds and phytochemicals have been found in Graviola as scientists have been studying its properties since the 1940's. Its many uses in natural medicine have been validated by scientific research.
Several studies by different researchers demonstrated that the bark as well as the leaves had hypotensive, antispasmodic, vasodilator, smooth muscle relaxant and cardiodepressant activities. In a 1976 plant screening program by the National Cancer Institute, the leaves and stem of Graviola showed active cytotoxicity against cancer cells; researchers have been following up on this research ever since.
Soursop/Graviola is amazing medicine. Most recent research shows that it kills certain types of cancer cells as well as or better than certain chemotherapy drugs. But I must say this: if you are not an herbalist or a natural medicine physician, please do not prescribe this or any other herbal remedy to yourself or others. This article is for informational purposes only. It does not give you license to use this as medicine for curative purposes. If you have questions about the use of this as a medicinal herb, contact me at 310-475-8018 or contact your local natural practitioner.
Please enjoy the fruit; you can purchase it in many Caribbean markets. This was just one of the many wonderful foods growing in abundance in Haiti. Huge avocados; the best, sweetest mangoes ever. And delicious soursop. Yummy.
Doris-Owanda Johnson, L.Ac.
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Thursday, May 13, 2010, 04:43 PM
Greetings Everyone,
I've been back from Haiti a couple of weeks now. It took a little while to get back in the swing of things - I just seemed to need a lot of sleep! Please stay tuned for more detailed accounts of my journey and work there (wonderful work, I might add). For now, I want you all to know that I am back, healthy and safe, and in full swing.
Peace, blessings, and continued prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
In Health and In Service,
Doris-Owanda
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 04:04 PM
Greetings Everyone,
We had a very full day yesterday at HUEH and at home, all of which culminated in a great group meeting over delicious watermelon.
Emmanuel picked us up in an ambulance, and we wound up doing 62 treatments over 3 tents. We talked about adjustments we had to make, especially in terms of communicating the rules to patients - and nurses. We lost a few needles over several very different instances. One man writhed in pain and was washed by a nurse who was unaware of the needles. We recovered only 6 of his needles. Another man, apparently immobile, hopped in his wheelchair and went for a spin outside the tent. He lost one needle.
In the very first tent, there was one man who was very dehydrated and prostrate. His loved one wanted us to give him a treatment. I chose to wait a few minutes until he was a little better hydrated. He expired and his body removed before we finished working that tent. The man's loved one received the treatment in the interim, and I removed her needles as she realized the death of the man, tears gently streaming down her face.
There is definitely a system that has developed at HUEH. Despite the conditions, the nurses are doing their very best under the circumstances of heat, being outdoors, and relatively unsanitary conditions with close proximity of the patients with each other. It truly reminds me of a triage scene from MASH.
Back at the ranch, we are getting along very well. We had a wonderful dinner with Erick.
For today, Erick will take us to Matthew 25 House. Emmanuel and Ronald are unable to accompany us. There is a gas shortage, and they are simply out of gas.
Things are working out, with a few changes here and there. Time to go get ready for today.
Blessings,
Doris-Owanda
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 02:30 PM
Greetings Everyone,
Wow, we've had an incredible response so far in raising funds to help me do service work in Haiti!!! I am so grateful to each of you for your generous contribution!
So far, we've raised $1,232 - over 1/3 rd of the $3000 goal has been met!
We are still accepting contributions. You may either send me a check made out to Doris Johnson or Heart & Soul Institute, or if you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, make your check out to Acupuncturists Without Borders and indicate in the memo line that your contribution is earmarked for my trip to Haiti. Send your contribution to me at Heart & Soul Institute, 1736 Westwood Blvd. #202, LA, 90024. I will make sure it gets sent to AWB, who will in turn send you a tax-deductible receipt.
You may also contribute by participating in the Community Acupuncture Clinics. All proceeds from these clinics will go towards expenses for travel to Haiti.
By popular demand, we are adding another CAC date - Saturday, April 3rd & Saturday, April 10th. Please see the calendar for details on remaining clinics before I leave for Haiti (which, by the way, is Friday, April 16th). The protocol used in the community clinics is the exact same one that we will be using in Haiti. Come and experience this effective yet inexpensive protocol while at the same time contributing to this much needed cause.
Again, I am grateful to each of you for your support.
In Health and In Service,
Doris-Owanda
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