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.
Michael L. Fox, LAc, PhD
Dr. Michael L. Fox is a veteran practitioner and a advocate for the acupuncture profession. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with state and national organizations to advance the clinical standards and legislative recognition of acupuncture and traditional medicine. As a colleague and contemporary of Neal Stuart Miller, Dr. Fox continues to support the professional unity and primary care status that Miller championed for over four decades.