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.
Nell Smircina, DAOM, LAc, Dipl. OM
Dr. Nell Smircina is the founder of PIQUE Health in Beverly Hills, Calif., and coaches students and practitioners looking to grow personally and professionally. Dr. Nell is the immediate past president of CSOMA, California's oldest state association, and serves on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Acupuncturists. Learn more at drnell.com.