From acupuncture to Africa Local practitioner helps AIDS sufferers

ST. ALBANS/UGANDA: For many of us, caught up in the grind of everyday life and work, it's a rare moment when we contemplate larger world problems such as the ongoing AIDS crisis in Africa.

Rarer still is someone who not only looks squarely at such a seemingly remote problem, but who commits to adding their own hands to a solution. Local acupuncturist Nick Phillips is such a person.

Leaving on April 20, Phillips will travel to Ibana, Uganda, for two weeks, volunteering to teach basic acupuncture techniques to local health-care workers. The generalized techniques he will teach focus on relieving the devastating symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS, and the side-effects of drug treatments.

Phillips, who is seeking donations to pay for travel and other expenses, is volunteering with the PanAfrican Acupuncture Project, a Boston-based non-profit. All donations go directly to PAAP to cover the cost of his trip and the supplies needed for treatment and education.

There are few places in the world where suffering from HIV/AIDS is more apparent than in the East African region.

Worldwide, the number of people living with HIV has risen since 1990 from 8 million to 40 million today, according to recent statistics. Two-thirds of all current cases are in sub-Saharan Africa, and though conditions in Uganda have improved in recent years, the country still faces a major crisis.

"Even now in Uganda, less than half the people with HIV are getting any kind of treatment at all," Phillips said. "There is also a lot of misinformation and there are a lot of cultural barriers to people learning what causes it."

Acupuncture, which developed over thousands of years in China, is also not a common treatment in Africa, but this cultural barrier is easily overcome because of the need.

"They're interested in any kind of help they can get. They welcome it with open arms, because the need is so great there," Phillips said.

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese method for treating illness, which uses needles and other techniques to stimulate specific points on the body. The technique has seen a growing acceptance in the scientific and conventional western medicinal communities as research has increasingly shown its effectiveness.

Acupuncture is increasingly used in conjunction with western treatments, and the National Institute of Health has endorsed it to relieve the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

In AIDS treatment, acupuncture is again used to complement conventional therapies, helping boost the immune system and relieve discomfort.

"They need to get as much medical care as they can ... and in addition, (acupuncture) can improve their quality of life," Phillips said. "It's a good example of how they can complement each other," Phillips said of conventional medicine and acupuncture.

Phillips' efforts in Uganda will last much longer than his two-week stay, since the Project, modeled both on a successful program in Guatemala and the barefoot doctor movement in China, teaches skills to local practitioners.

"We're creating a sustainable program. We're going to create something that will survive long after we leave," Phillips said.

The basic acupuncture tools are relatively cheap, as well, creating another level of sustainability.

The PanAfrican Acupuncture Project also sends a second wave of teachers to each group of local medical workers to solidify and expand their training six months later. They also maintain contact with volunteers such as Phillips through e-mail and other Project resources, he said. Manuals with specific acupuncture treatments for HIV and side-effects of medications used in treatment are also left for those in need.

For Phillips, the reasons for volunteering are obvious.

"Initially it was that I have a service to offer. There are people who need it," Phillips said. "I wanted to take this system of treatment to people who needed it. You can't find a more desperate or a more needy population than the HIV/AIDS community in Africa. What I get out of it is the satisfaction and the experience, which I'm really excited about."

For information on how to donate to Phillips' trip, contact him at (802) 782-6222.

Find out more about the project at www.panafricanacupuncture.org.

Since completing a four-year acupuncture Masters degree program at the Five Branches Institute in Santa Cruz, Ca., Phillips has practiced for five years. The past two years he has spent in St. Albans City, where he is currently a partner in Meridian Medical, located on Main Street.

source: http://www.thecountycourier.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3846&Itemid=