Adventure in Acupuncture: Earth Medicine in Lesvos

Adventure in acupuncture

Earth Medicine in Lesvos January 2022

With Covid on the wane and inspired by a blog post, late last year Sarah Budd decided she was just about ready for her next big volunteering adventure on the island of Lesvos

Sarah Budd

Member: Devon

Last November, I came across a blog post which caught my eye. It was about volunteering as an acupuncturist in a rehabilitation clinic for refugees on the island of Lesvos, in the North Eastern Aegean Sea, very close to Turkey. The blog was written by a practitioner in Bristol named Sandra Arbelaez. It was very inspiring, so I looked up the organisation she had been working with: Earth Medicine (EM) 〉 theearthmedicine.com

Camp location;

Having closed my clinic when Covid came along, I felt I had time to give to this new direction.

Making plans

Early in 2020, I had volunteered to go to Cambodia by invitation of an NGO Les Mains du Coeur pour le Cambodge (MDC) to teach acupressure and acupuncture for obstetric care to midwives and doctors there 〉 mainsducoeur-cambodge.fr

To prepare for Cambodia I had trained in the NADA protocol with Rachel Peckham. I knew this would be useful on Lesvos. I contacted Sandra, who was very keen that there should be continuity with acupuncture for the patients she had been treating who had complex needs as well as horrific stories and backgrounds. She felt I would be suitable in terms of experience, with my nursing and midwifery training, many years of working in a hospital, and having qualified in acupuncture in 1988. As a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB) I was able to access their training on trauma prevention and recovery, to better prepare myself 〉 acuwithoutborders.org

By a complete coincidence, my good friend Lyna, who set up MDC, contacted me to ask if I would be interested in going to Lesvos. I told her I was very keen and had already made the first approaches to Sandra and EM. Lyna and I decided to go together.

The earliest we could both manage was January, but not too long after Sandra had last been there herself in December, for her second trip. I approached Scarboroughs Acupuncture Supplies, who had provided my acupuncture supplies since the 1980s, to ask if they would sponsor me with equipment: needles, moxa, massage oils, etc 〉 scarboroughshealth.com

Scarboroughs were very generous. Their contributions filled half my large suitcase and I am extremely grateful to them for their support, and to MDC, who contributed to my travel expenses. Thank you both.

First encounters

We arrived on a cold Sunday, January 16. We stayed with Soharab, a 27-yearold refugee who now has asylum and is working for the NGO and able to rent an apartment. He is trying hard to overcome the terrible injuries he sustained in Afghanistan, going to the gym most days to build up the strength in his badly damaged leg.

Soharab and Maria (the physio);

On Monday morning we walked to the clinic, just over five minutes away. Initially, the organisation had worked out of a container in the camp, but recently, they were able to rent a building near the centre of Mytilene, the island’s capital. We were warmly welcomed by Hans, the volunteer driver from Austria, who was preparing breakfast for everyone. He was already in Lesvos when we arrived and stayed for six weeks. Hans was helped in the kitchen by Maria, a young physio from Portugal, who has given eight weeks of her time and is still there as I write this.

Then at last we met the wonderful Fabiola Velazques, who established the organisation in 2018, with the aim of providing physical rehabilitation

for those refugees in the camps with musculoskeletal disorders, chronic illnesses and PTSD. Most of the people treated have been victims of violent terrorist attacks, torture, physical and sexual abuse. Their journey to Lesvos often involves fear-filled days and nights, hiding in freezing temperatures before they can even start the hazardous crossings by boat. Many are separated from their families at this time. I was shocked to find out from a Norwegian volunteer that a lot of the so-called life jackets handed out by the traffickers are fake.

Getting started

From the camp, Farsi and Arabic translators who are refugees and can speak English come to help in the clinic. Fatima, from Afghanistan, also came from the camp every day to cook lunch for everyone. This was so important, especially in the winter, when cooking a hot meal in the camp was often impossible due to the infrequent supply of electricity. It was so good to see refugees tucking into big bowls of hot lentil and vegetable soups and stews, feeding their often badly damaged stomach and spleen qi.

Another important member of staff was Malvina, the Greek administrator, whose work allowed Fabiola to get on with providing therapy, although she still had to deal with a huge amount of bureaucracy.

Our working day started at 8am, with a team breakfast, when we would hear who, and how many, to expect that day. The patients’ background stories were shared with us, which was important as it would not have been appropriate to be asking them ourselves. At 8.30am the first refugees and asylum seekers arrived, driven by Hans in the van, which has a ramp for wheelchair users.

The camp

There are three treatment rooms, one on the ground floor and two upstairs, each with two treatment couches – one room for men, the other for women. We often had four patients at the same time between us and almost ran between the upstairs rooms. Most originally came from Afghanistan, Syria and Palestine, with a few from other places. Earth Medicine had already printed out some information on acupuncture in Farsi and Arabic, so the needles weren’t too much of a surprise.

Common complaints

The main issues we treated were: • lower back ache, usually from hard work (sometimes associated with slavery) and cold, although sadly also due to torture • anxiety and insomnia – not surprising considering their histories of violence and wars, but also due to their poor living conditions, exacerbated by the cold, and an uncertain future • digestive problems were very common, especially constipation, abdominal pain and poor appetite • extreme fluid retention was common, especially amongst the women, due to trauma • PTSD and its associated symptoms were pretty much present for all, and I noticed a lot of disturbing scarring from bullet, shrapnel and torture wounds bleeding, massage, tui na, gua sha and plum blossom needling. We used a LOT of moxa, and I usually started all the treatments with the NADA protocol, often replacing the needles with magnets for patients to go away with. I am pleased to say we got very good results, especially in terms of pain levels and much improved sleep. It was very rewarding to see mobility improve and faces look more relaxed. Maria, the physio, worked mostly on the ground floor alongside Fabiola, and we shared the translators.

There was a time limit for our clients to be outside the camp, so by 2.30pm we were more than ready to stop, having not sat down all day. Delicious smoothies and freshly squeezed fruit juices were brought up to us by Fatima, which were much appreciated, especially with so much moxa in the air.

Typical cases

Ms S, 19, from Afghanistan: saw her mother killed in a bomb blast when she was only six years old. Since then, she had been moved from place to place, sometimes being trafficked and having deeply traumatic experiences at a very young age. She was unable

to sleep, feeling extremely vulnerable at night, and had several physical problems including irregular painful periods, poor appetite, constipation and abdominal pain.

Remains of clothing washed up on the beaches – doesn’t bear thinking about what happened to the owners;

I used NADA on her, before needles in points such as yin tang, SP 6 san yin jiao, ST 36 zu san li, LIV 3 tai chong, LIV 13 zhang men, HT 7 shen men, REN 4 guan yuan, REN 6 qi hai, REN 12 zhong wan. Some with moxa. But the treatments varied according to how she was that day. We treated her most days, and she began to look quite different, communicating and smiling more, and sleeping much better.

Mr B, 22, from Syria: had previously been treated by Sandra in December. It was so important that we picked up where she left off. He has been in the camp for two years already, alone, with no family, his father having been assassinated. Like many other young refugees in the camp, he had been refused asylum twice, leaving him depressed, traumatised, and feeling he had no hope for the future. He had been continually losing weight for a year, was very weak, and unable to sit up when Sandra first met him. Thanks to her treatment, he had improved, felt stronger and although able to eat a bit better, still needed a lot of help, and was very thin.

The focus of our treatment was the trauma, lack of sleep, and his digestive system. I used NADA most days, as well as points such as DU 20 bai hui, HT 7 shen men, yin tang, REN 6 qi hai, REN 12 zhong wan, SP 6 san yin jiao, SP 15 da heng, ST 36 zu san li, and lots of moxa. Pleased to say, his sleep went from only two hours up to six, and he was able to eat more without so much discomfort. It was so lovely to see the shen returning to his eyes at least a bit. He also started to smile and communicate more. My son is only one year older than this guy, and I cannot imagine seeing him in this state and going through such unbearable suffering in his young life.

Ms D, 68, from Afghanistan: sold by her family aged NINE, to be married to a 45-year-old man as his second wife. Although sexual relations apparently did not start until she reached puberty at 15, she had been beaten and subjected to enormous cruelty, by him, and his other wife. After he died from a stroke, she managed to escape, and although she had been given asylum, did not want to leave the camp without her son. Deeply traumatised, her symptoms occurred mostly at night, when she could not sleep, felt very afraid, her head felt full, she had palpitations, and she ‘shook’. Of course, getting exact details can be difficult when using young translators who have no medical terminology, but tongue and pulse assessments and palpation helped enormously.

We used a LOT of moxa!

I used NADA, then points such as yin tang etc but also HT 7 shen men, HT 8 shao fu, HT 9 shao chong, and KID 6 zhao hai to help her nightmares. We treated her most days, and like the others, treatment varied according to how she was. Her symptoms improved, especially her sleep which had been almost non-existent, to one night, when she slept nearly all night. We shared a big hug that day, and she joked about her people being from the Hazara ethnic group who have flat noses! I confess there were tears in my eyes on the day we had to say goodbye to each other.

In our ten working days, we saw 25 patients – 15 female, 10 male – and carried out 127 treatments. Some came most days and others we saw only once or twice.

Please help

Despite the awful circumstances that made these people undertake hazardous journeys, leaving everything behind, they showed us nothing but extreme gratitude and warmth. We formed bonds I could not have imagined in that short time. The team effort of all those at Earth Medicine is so heartwarming and it felt more like a family community than anything I have experienced before in my working life. Working there has had a profound effect on me and I want to go back.

Through her contacts, Lyna has managed to find two more acupuncturists to volunteer, who will go around the time I am writing this in mid-February. More are needed though, to have continuity and make a real difference. If you’re interested, please contact me in the first instance via the links below, and I will pass on your details. You need to be experienced, preferably with some background of having dealt with trauma professionally. Training in Chinese herbal medicine is an advantage but not necessary. Some funding may be available.

For inspiration, have a look at these two blogs by Sandra Arbelaez: Volunteer Acupuncture Camp In Lesbos 〉 tinyurl.com/ms5vs76f My second trip to Lesbos to offer acupuncture to refugees 〉 chinesemedicinebristol.blogspot.com

And if you’re unable to volunteer, then any donation will be much appreciated. I can assure you that whatever you give will be put to very good use 〉 Earth Medicine (EM) 〉 theearthmedicine.com

Many thanks.

Once again, my gratitude to Scarboroughs Acupuncture Supplies, Mains de Coeur pour le Cambodge, to Lyna for her fantastic energy and company, and everyone at Earth Medicine, especially Fabiola and Soharab.

Sarah Budd 〉 sarahbuddbell@me.com 〉 FB Sarah Budd Acupuncture 〉 Insta sarahbuddbell

Mr B (refugee), myself, Zainab (Arabic interpreter, refugee), Hans (the driver)