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.
Jennifer Garcia, LAc
Jennifer Garcia maintains a private practice in Marina del Rey, Calif. She holds a BA from Brown University, an MA from Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is a Fulbright Scholar. She has worked as an acupuncturist in several integrative settings including Children's Hospital Los Angeles. As a proponent of integrative mental health care, Jennifer has worked with the Department of Mental Health Agencies and is the co-director of community outreach for the American Institute of Mental Health in TCM.