MANCHESTER, NH – Ear Acupuncture will be offered at the New Hampshire State House Tuesday, March 13, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The New England Public Health Acupuncture Network is hosting a wellness day in thanks to legislators for passing HB575: Relative to the certification of Acupuncture Detoxification Specialists. The law allows for recovery and other health professionals to certify and train in the use of an ear acupuncture protocol for the treatment of substance misuse disorder, behavioral health, mental health, and post traumatic stress.
“New Hampshire legislators are the most educated legislators in the country on the topic of Auricular Acu Detox and Acu Wellness,” says Laura Cooley, acupuncturist and trainer with the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA). “In New Hampshire, we raised the standards of what Acu Detox Laws should be. We are trendsetters for the nation.” Twenty five other states have laws to that allow non-acupuncturists the ability to practice ear acupuncture, some are more flexible than others. In recent weeks, House legislators in West Virginia have passed a similar a bill based on HB 575. It will soon be heard in the State Senate.
Two trainings for ear acupuncture have been held in the Granite State since November. Nikki Casey, director of Revive Recovery Center in Nashua, is one of New Hampshire’s first NADA trainees.
“I had acupuncture when I was in a 28-day program in Manchester. It helped me sleep more peacefully and let go of the worries that I had about my future.” says Casey, “It is essential that the recovery community have access to more tools like ear acupuncture.”
The law went into effect on July 1, 2017. But recovery professionals and other health professionals are still unable to use ear acupuncture because the rules have not been finalized by the board of acupuncture licensing and the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules.
