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.
Kathy Veon, DAOM, AP, CCN
Dr. Kathy Veon received her master's degree in Oriental medicine from the Florida College of Integrative Medicine in 2006 and her doctorate (DAOM) from Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in 2020. She is also a certified clinical nutritionist. Dr. Veon practices in Heathrow, Fla., and is the current chair of the Florida Board of Acupuncture. For more information, visit www.drkathyveon.com.