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.
Candace Quinn, LAc, Dipl. OM, MSAOM, PhD
Dr. Candace Quinn has a private acupuncture practice in Flint, Texas. She holds MS and PhD degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University. Dr. Quinn worked for over 30 years in research and development for Corning Incorporated and Eastman Kodak, and holds 22 U.S. patents. She earned an MSAOM from Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at New York Chiropractic College, and was winner of the Shen Nong Herb Award for the class of 2008. Dr. Quinn can be reached at candace@ChinaRoseAcupuncture.com.