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.
Wendy A. Williams, LAc, Dipl. Ac.
Wendy A. Williams graduated from the International College of Oriental Medicine (U.K.) in 1982 and practices in Florida. While in England, she studied tai chi, ba gua and Chinese calligraphy. Contact her with questions or comments at www.shokanten.com.