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.
Leo Saraceno, CMT
Leo Saraceno is a certified massage therapist trained in tui-na, shiatsu, and visceral manipulation. He practices in Montpelier, Vt., and was taught by Scott Moylan, LAc, and the Barral Institute.