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.
Todd Turnbull, DC, CCSP
Dr. Todd Turnbull, a 1991 graduate of Life University and board-certified chiropractic sports physician, maintains a private practice in Portland, Ore. Contact him with questions or comments via his website: www.drtoddturnbull.com.