Many of you may remember when I volunteered, giving acupuncture for post traumatic stress, after hurricane Katrina. That experience was incredibly powerful for me. I have never  felt so connected, so part of the human family. This kind of disaster knows no boundaries. It crosses lines of wealth, race and status. I saw homes flattened.  There were men whose eyes were dull and who owned nothing more than the clothes on their backs. They had lost everything. Those homes left standing had the pungent stench of toxic mold.
Acupuncture served as a reset button for the central nervous system.  People who hadn’t slept thru the night since the storm were sleeping. The nightmares were less and the flashbacks less frequent. They were profoundly grateful for the help they received.
In the wake of the devastation that Haiti has experienced Acupuncturists Without Borders is again offering their services to those in need.  The following is an excerpt from their update sent out this past week. I encourage you to donate to this worthy grassroots cause. http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/ Seattle can help Haiti!
AWB Executive Director, Diana Fried, and AWB Haiti
Operations Manager, Julia Raneri arrived in Port-au-
Prince, Haiti Wednesday morning, February 3. We
wanted to send you a brief report as soon as possible
from the field.
Diana says:
“We were able to land here after all and didn’t need to do
the grueling drive from the Dominican Republic. There
are lines and crowds of people waiting for food
distribution and buildings flattened everywhere. Everyone
has heart breaking stories to tell. We have already given
several treatments. Roger Brierre, friend of Jean and
Eric, our generous and lovely Haitian hosts, is driving us
around in his truck. Now and then the ground under the
truck moves, and Roger says his heart jumps because
he fears it is another earthquake.
Here is an excerpt from the New York Times on January
28:
“Meanwhile, government health officials on Thursday
reported that the psychological impact of the disaster is
becoming more apparent in the symptoms being seen at
general clinics run by Doctors Without Borders.
One, in the rural town of Leogane near the epicenter of
the Jan. 12 earthquake, reported that about half of the
people receiving treatment were suffering from mental
trauma….
The International Medical Corps, which is overseeing
operations at the general hospital in Port-Au-Prince, also
brought in a mental health specialist to help begin dealing
with emerging concerns of post-traumatic stress
disorder and other problems.”
Roger Brierre, Diana and Julia’s current guide, sends a message:
“We want to say to all American people and the government of the United States that have been helping Haitians that we really appreciate their help. However the earthquake was so devastating to our people. Please do your best to keep helping the people of Haiti.”Trauma recovery will definitely be needed as the rubble clears, and survivors have water, emergency medical care, food, and shelter.