Treatment of Drug Addiction
The region of San Martin was until recently one of the principal zones of the production of crack cocaine, and Tarapoto one of the three cities with the highest consumption in Peru. At the same time, this zone of the upper Amazonian possesses a great bio-diversity tha serves as a basis for the numerous native medical practices that remain very alive and dynamic, capable of proposing alternative therapies in the face of the great challenges in public health today.
While conventional, official medicine offers poor results in the treatment of addictive pathologies, scientific observation has been able to prove the high level of efficacy of traditional, ancestral medicine in the treatment of dependencies on toxic substances. Since the 1960's the neuro-psychiatric community in Peru has been distinguished for their study of native medicine (C.A. Seguin, M. Lemlij, O. Rios, F. Cabieses, M. Chiappe, etc.). In 1978, Dr. Mario Chiappe reported to the World Health Organization a high percentage of cases of alcoholism cured with traditional empirical methods of the curanderos of the Northern Andes in Peru.
Since 1986, our preliminary investigations have centered in the observation and participation in the work Amazonian healings ("curanderos"), especially in the ritual use of medicinal plants for the treatment of consumers of crack cocaine, marijuana, cocaine and alcohol
Upon this foundation, in 1992, Takiwasi opened its doors to offer a protocol of attention to the consumers of legal and illegal drugs. To accommodate them, an infrastructure adequate for the housing and comfort of the patients was constructed, and a multi-disciplinary team of medical doctors, psychologists, educators, curanderos and various therapeutic workers was created.
Since its beginnings, Takiwasi has received requests for treatment arriving as much from individuals as from public institutions or NGOs. It receives patients from local, national and international locations
Takiwasi has legal recognition to function as a health center, issued by the Regional Office of the Ministry of Health in San Martin, through Executive Resolution 039-DG-DIRES/SM-96. It is one of the few therapeutic communities of Peru enjoying legal recognition.