A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.
Vermont SBA Person of the Year Is Acupuncturist
The Small Business Association’s Vermont district office recently announced the Vermont Small Business Person of the Year for 2024: Dr. Kerry Boyle, a doctor of acupuncture and the owner of Integrative Acupuncture in Montpelier, Vt. She is also the founder of Chi Chi Wellness, “a chocolate company that infuses Chinese herbal medicine into organic chocolate bars.”
“We congratulate Dr. Kerry Boyle on her award,” said Darcy Carter, district director of the Vermont SBA office, in a release announcing the 2024 recipient. “Dr. Kerry sees an opportunity in every day to make her vision a reality and to make a difference in the world. Through her several businesses, she seeks to improve the health and happiness of Vermonters. She truly enjoys the challenge of building a new business and is an inspiration to others seeking entrepreneurship.”
Dr. Boyle graduated from Bastyr University with a master’s in acupuncture in 2003 and later completed a doctorate in acupuncture from Pacific College of Health and Science.