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.
Diana Hermann, LAc
Diana Hermann is a licensed acupuncturist and NCCAOM board certified in Chinese herbology. She is owner of Zi Zai Dermatology (herbal skin care products) and maintains a private practice in Fort Collins, Colorado. She also writes a blog to help educate both patients and practitioners of TCM about skin care. She can be reached at herbalist@zizaidermatology.com. For more information visit www.ZiZaiDermatology.wordpress.com.