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.
Amanda Archuleta, DAOM, LAc
Dr. Amanda Archuleta is a nationally certified, New Mexico-licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist. She attained her doctorate in acupuncture and oriental medicine from Five Branches University and a master's degree from Southwest Acupuncture College. During her studies she completed internships at Heilongjiang University in Harbin, China, and worked overseas on Holland America Line, where she was the acupuncturist on cruise ships.