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.
Christopher Carlow, LAc, Dipl. OM, MAOM
Christopher Carlow, D. LAc is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, Tai Ji Quan and qi gong instructor in Rhode Island. He offers lectures on self-care based on the time-honored principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizing natural health through diet, qi gong and lifestyle practices. He may be contacted via his website www.NaturesHealing.info.