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.
Bruce W. Park, DACM
Dr. Bruce W. Park blends East Asian medicine with Buddhist wisdom to advance integrative health. A former monk trained at Dongguk University, he holds a doctorate in acupuncture and Chinese medicine and serves as associate dean at the New York College of Health Professions. He is also director of Acupuncture Park Center in NYC, where he practices acupuncture, herbal therapy and mindfulness-based healing.