5NP 4 OR Update
HB 2143 in committee, plus kismet
First, thank you to everyone who’s been cheering our 5NP legislation, HB 2143! Thanks to everyone who sent in written testimony — we ended up with 60 letters of support, which is a lot! Thanks to everyone who made time to go to the Capitol or testify by video, and to everyone who’s watched the hearing (our part starts at 1:08:33) and said nice things. We’re still absorbing how amazingly well that went.
A lot of people have asked, “What happens now?” so I wanted to give you a quick update. Basically, our bill is now in the hands of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care.
If you watched the video of the hearing, you might remember that Representative Diehl asked for studies about 5NP. Last Saturday, Noni sent this response, which includes the following articles and reports (all available through the Multnomah County Public Library): The Lasting Effects of Using Auricular Acupuncture to Treat Combat-related PTSD: A Case Study; NADA Ear Acupuncture: An Adjunctive Therapy to Improve and Maintain Positive Outcomes in Substance Abuse Treatment; Acupuncture in the real world: evaluating a 15‑year NADA auricular acupuncture service for breast cancer survivors experiencing hot flushes and night sweats as a consequence of adjuvant hormonal therapies; NADA Protocol for Behavioral Health, Putting Tools in the Hands of Behavioral Health Providers: The Case for Auricular Detoxification Specialists; and Using the NADA Protocol to Improve Wellbeing for Prostate Cancer Survivors: Five Case Studies.
Also, NAYA Action Fund’s communications team put together a one pager for 5NP we can share with legislators while discussing the bill. It’s beautiful:
Besides providing the Committee with more information about 5NP, we’re also engaged in figuring out amendments to the bill. Without getting too deeply into the weeds, a major piece of what we’re working on is how 5NP will be regulated in Oregon. (Pro tip: regulation is different than legislation! Check out this excellent blog post by Elaine Wolf Komarow explaining the distinction.) Since last summer, we’ve been in communication with the Oregon Medical Board about creating a registry of 5NP practitioners, and now’s the time to hammer out the exact legislative language to describe that.
Just about a year ago, I started writing about “5NP kismet”, to describe the way that the stars seem to line up for our 5NP endeavors. (Actually Alison Noice of CODA first mentioned kismet in a conversation about WCA and CODA’s shotgun wedding. Good reading for Valentine’s week!) Reflecting on how far we’ve come with 5NP, there’s a particular variety of kismet I’m marveling at right now, which isn’t just timing but a near-miraculous mix1 of goodwill, teamwork, and collaboration. 5NP 4 OR has truly been a community effort. The right people have consistently shown up at the right time and generously contributed exactly what we needed to keep moving forward.
One of the first people to show up with crucial guidance and support was retired federal judge Chuck Pyle. I’ll close out this update with this beautiful testimony that Chuck sent:
Statement in Support of HB 2143
I am a retired federal judge from Tucson, Arizona. In 2021 I advocated for a change in Arizona law to allow anyone to be trained to provide the 5-Needle Point ear acupuncture protocol (5NP). While I have no health background, since the law was changed in 2021 and I was trained in the NADA Protocol in December 2021, I have been providing 5NP on a frequent basis, including at a corrections halfway house, employee wellness events, homeless services sites, and other community events. Currently, I provide the 5-needle protocol (5NP) every Sunday afternoon at a free community drop-in clinic and every Monday afternoon at the Goodwill Youth Engagement Program.
While the crisis of homelessness, opioid addiction and fentanyl overdoses is well known, there is a related and broader crisis involving trauma. People who are unhoused, justice-system involved, in substance misuse treatment, and their family members, as well as correctional officers, first responders, nurses, providers of social services and many others are encountering trauma and secondary trauma, feelings of hopelessness and burnout. There is no single response to this crisis, but 5NP can play a unique and important role in reaching people who are otherwise unwilling to engage. 5NP is unquestionably safe, inexpensive and easily taught. It is a nonverbal, non-diagnostic treatment, so no stigmatizing or triggering questions are asked and no improper advice is given.
The provisions of HB 2143 would allow communities throughout Oregon to have this calming and self-healing modality more widely available in clinical settings, but also in community centers, church halls, worksite conference rooms, and a wide array of community events and programs, with 5NP being delivered by people who are known and trusted.
I strongly believe that passage of HB 2143 will benefit the people of Oregon throughout the state. I urge its passage.
Charles R. Pyle
US Magistrate Judge (Ret.)
Who am I kidding, it’s too late to pretend I don’t believe in miracles. Hat tip to St. Jude, patron saint of lost causes and things despaired of — and community acupuncture (according to me).