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.
Carly Herrero, LAc
Carly Herrero is a licensed acupuncturist and NCCAOM-approved educator in Maine. She received a Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Visit bluefirehealingarts.com to learn more.