Michael O. Smith, MD, DAc, founder and chairperson of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) and internationally recognized for developing an acupuncture treatment protocol for chemical dependency, passed away on Dec. 24, 2017. He is survived by his daughters, Joanna Smith and Jessica Hutter.
Dr. Smith was a psychiatrist, acupuncturist, addiction specialist and public health planner who served as associate professor of psychiatry at Cornell Medical School and directed the Lincoln Hospital Recovery Center in The Bronx, N.Y., for more than three decades.
A graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Dr. Smith accomplished a great deal for the acupuncture profession while advancing the treatment of chemical dependency.
Here are a few of his other successes, documented in a self-authored curriculum vitae provided by NADA upon his passing:
"Teaching correction officers to do acupuncture in Dartmoor Prison [England]. Now it is used in over a hundred English prisons."
"Being mentioned in an article on the front page of the Chinese-language daily in Beijing after speaking to a medical school about using acupuncture for AIDS."
"Coordinating the PTSD stress-relief treatment of hundreds of Katrina first responders and then helping to establish funded acupuncture training for dozens of New Orleans' locals."
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The luo vessels are important in the treatment of mental health issues. They are conduits of “ying qi”: blood and fluids. We believe that the shen is “housed” in the heart and circulated through the blood, making a channel system that “conducts” ying qi ideal for treatment of the mind and emotions.
As our health care ecosystem continues to evolve, I’ve found an increased emphasis being placed on an integrative approach to patient care. As an acupuncturist, you are an essential part of this collaborative system and health care team, cooperating with a range of other professionals including medical doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, and others.
