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.
David Dagg-Murry, PhD, LAc, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS
Dr. David Dagg-Murry is a licensed acupuncturist and former psychotherapist who has practiced for more than 20 years in central Ohio. His previous career as a psychotherapist and supervisor has shaped his passion for training and leadership as an acupuncturist. He is an acupuncture doctoral student at the Won Institute of Graduate Studies and celebrates lifelong learning.