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.
Mary Jennings, DC, LAc
Mary Jennings, DC, NCCAOM, LAc is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and a NCCAOM Diplomate, has been in practice for 21 years. She taught acupuncture as a post-graduate faculty member with National University of Health Sciences. She has a passion for improving her patients' health starting with the Earth Element and their digestive health. She can be contacted at drmary@drmaryjennings.com.