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.
Don Matesz, MA, CH, CNC
Don Matesz is a philosopher, herbalist and nutrition counselor. He has over two decades of experience in the fields of nutrition, fitness, and natural health care, and is the author of over two dozen articles on nutrition published in popular health-oriented journals.
Don has a master's degree in philosophy (with a concentration in Asian philosophy), and received his certification in comprehensive nutrition counseling from the American Academy of Nutrition. He is also certified in Chinese herbology, having received his training from the Institute of Chinese Herbology.
Don is currently a student at Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture in Phoenix, Arizona. Before enrolling at the institute, he and his wife Rachel studied and taught macrobiotics. Together, they self-published The Nourishment for Life Cookbook. In 2004, they released a new book entitled The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet and Cookbook.