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.
Vladislav Korostyshevskiy, LAc, MS, MEd
Vladislav Korostyshevskiy is a graduate of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM). He lives and practices in Brooklyn, New York. Articles by him have appeared in publications in the U.S. and abroad. His book, "Secret Techniques for Controlling Sadness, Anger, Fear, Anxiety, and Other Emotions" is sold worldwide under his pen name, Vlad Koros.