Why NADA Canada Institute Exists
NADA Canada Institute was founded to provide a Canadian home for NADA Protocol training, certification, and research. We support practitioners, institutions, and policymakers in adopting and sustaining high-quality NADA Protocol programs.
Our work is grounded in the recognition that the NADA Protocol fills a critical gap: a low-barrier, group-based, non-verbal intervention that complements existing mental health and addiction services without requiring diagnosis, waitlists, or individual intake.
Relationship to NADA International
The NADA Protocol was developed at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx in the 1970s and is maintained by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA), based in the United States. NADA Canada Institute operates as the Canadian body for NADA Protocol training and certification, aligned with the standardized protocol and training principles established by NADA. We adapt delivery, training, and certification to the Canadian healthcare and regulatory context while maintaining fidelity to the core protocol.
Leadership
Dr. Carlos Yu
Dr. Carlos Yu is a family physician in Ajax, Ontario, and the founding director of NADA Canada Institute. He integrates NADA Protocol delivery into primary care at Ajax Harwood Clinic and has trained practitioners across Ontario in the protocol.
His clinical work bridges conventional family medicine with presence-based and community approaches to care — an integration reflected in the broader ecosystem of Presence Therapy Institute, group session programming, and the CGM diabetes monitoring program.
Advisory
NADA Canada Institute is developing a formal advisory structure to guide training standards, certification policy, and research priorities. The advisory body will include representation from clinical practice, academic research, Indigenous health, corrections, and institutional implementation. If you are interested in contributing to this work, please contact us.
How We Work
Evidence-Informed
We ground our training and advocacy in published research, clinical experience, and outcomes data. Where evidence is emerging, we say so transparently.
Accessible
The NADA Protocol's strength is its simplicity. Our training and certification pathways are designed to be achievable for diverse practitioners and settings.
Institutionally Oriented
We work with healthcare systems, government agencies, and community organizations — not just individual practitioners. Sustainable adoption requires institutional support.