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.
Anne C. Crowley, LAc, DiplAc, MBA
Anne C. Crowley has been practicing acupuncture in Southern Maryland for nine years. She was a Professor of Economics and Management at the College of Southern Maryland for nine years. Prior to teaching, she was an operations and financial analyst and manager in the business world for 10 years. She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Masters of Acupuncture from TAI-SOPHIA. She offers workshops and consulting on successful practice management and achieving life goals. She can be reached at www.LaPlataAcupuncture.com; anne@laplataacupuncture.com , and on Facebook: LaPlata Acupuncture and Healing Arts Fan Page; Serenity Solutions: Holistic Life Coaching Fan Page.