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.
Cameron Bishop, MAc, AP
Dr. Cameron Bishop DAOM, L.Ac lived in Japan for four years studying healing and martial arts. He has an accredited Masters in Acupuncture from NIAOM and an accredited Doctorate from ACTCM. He has been in practice for sixteen years. He is professor of Japanese Acupuncture at ATOM and an authorized Toyohari instructor. His web site is www.AskWithin.com.