Ancient acupuncture with modern tools.
Regardless of who we are, where we live, and what our life experiences may be—there are two things everyone of us are guaranteed to experience: birth and death. Acupuncture helps with both. If you didn’t read my previous blog, Death… It’s a Hard Subject: Part 1, you may want to catch up. We talked about treating tumorous cancer-related symptoms such as nausea, constipation, edema, pain from a tumor, fear, and anxiety. In today’s blog we are... Read more
In my last Practice Management Blog (click here) I talked about all of the OTHER things you have to manage in your practice! Today’s acupuncturist is running a small business. As a small business, the most important thing you must do in your business is MARKETING. Everything else is driven by this function. Of course, you have to do accounting, legal, regulatory, supplies, scheduling, billing, and so on. But if you don’t have patients, none of... Read more
You’ve been there and so have I… It was in my first diagnosis class in acupuncture school. Our assignment was to feel the patient’s pulse and report what we felt. I was gung-ho (or naïve) enough to volunteer first. There I stood, eyes closed, concentrating on feeling something meaningful in that regular thumping heartbeat. To be honest, I had no idea what I was feeling, but I bravely put forth my best guess. Then, the... Read more
Have you been following the TCM -vs- Meridian series? This is Part 3. If you missed the prior posts, here are the links…click below and catch up! Dr. Jake Fratkin #1:“They didn’t Teach this in Acupuncture School“ Dr. Jake Fratkin #2: “Acupuncture’s Quiet Controversy“ “All health problems, whether due to trauma or organ dysfunction, will manifest as imbalances in the meridian sequence. Some channels will be excess, while others will be deficient. A person... Read more
Have you been following Dr. Jake Fratkin’s guest articles? If’ you’ve missed them, here are the links…click below and catch up! Dr. Jake Fratkin #1: “They didn’t Teach this in Acupuncture School“ Dr. Jake Fratkin #2: “Acupuncture’s Quiet Controversy“ Dr. Jake Fratkin #3: COMING SOON! At the end of Part 2, Dr. Fratkin asked the question below. What method of Diagnosis is better – Pulse/Tongue or Computerized? This is a question you may not have EVER... Read more
In my last blog I presented you with three questions: WHAT is Meridian Therapy acupuncture? HOW is it different from TCM acupuncture? WHY wasn’t this taught in Acupuncture School? If you missed it, click here to go back and catch up. Okay, let’s pick up where I left off. TCM acupuncture is a recent construct. In the first decade of the People’s Republic of China (1950s), TCM universities and teaching hospitals were designed and created to... Read more
Is THIS your Dream job? Are you doing things you thought you’d never do? You might not have planned on all this “business stuff.” You went to school to learn how to provide excellent care. Maybe you felt called, maybe you were simply fascinated. But one way or another, you ended up choosing a career as a healer. You probably didn’t plan on a career in marketing. Many acupuncturists find themselves struggling to make ends meet. They... Read more
We are often asked which codes should be used for AcuGraph® exams and acupuncture treatments. In an effort to provide you some direction, we have put together this short synopsis, subject to the following disclaimer: Big Disclaimer We provide the following information “as-is” with no warranty as to correctness, suitability for any particular billing situation, or guarantee of reimbursement. How you bill is strictly your business and your responsibility. We cannot be held responsible for how you use this information.... Read more
Let’s face it – There are things they DIDN’T teach you in Acupuncture School! • WHAT is Meridian Therapy acupuncture? • HOW is it different from TCM acupuncture? • WHY wasn’t this taught in Acupuncture School? It’s important to know the answer to these questions. Understanding the complete history and nature of Acupuncture will improve your skills as a healer. Let me give you a little background. After my first eight years in practice, I... Read more
Have you experienced the death of a patient? It hurts. You’ve shared part of my journey with a special patient in previous blogs. We cried together when she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in January of 2011. They gave her six months to live. (Complementary versus Alternative) She and I worked together with her oncology team. They worked on fighting the cancer. She worked on good nutrition and maintaining a healing lifestyle. I worked on... Read more
I don’t like New Year’s resolutions. Oh, I’ve tried them before, and frankly found it a waste of time. The trouble is this: once I’ve resolved to do something, or not do something, and then failed even once, the resolution is broken and soon forgotten. It’s a high-stakes gamble that I seem to lose! One break is all it takes for the whole resolution to go out the window. I much prefer to focus on priorities for... Read more
A couple of days ago I sent you a link to Kimberly’s latest Acupuncture Today article. Since then I’ve realized I never told you about her previous article. It’s really worth reading! In this article, Kimberly gives some marketing ideas that are both innovative and simple. They’ll make a huge difference for your practice, so I recommend you take a look. Have a great day! Finders Keepers: The Secret to Relationship-Based Marketing By Kimberly Thompson,... Read more
A patient came in last week, desperately hoping acupuncture would work. Nothing else was helping… Her family circumstances were overwhelming to the point her emotions were out of control. She couldn’t stop crying. She wished she could run away from everything and everyone. And she even said she wished her life could just end, although she knew that wasn’t an option. Patient Education I’m so glad she had the wisdom to call me. I’d... Read more
Shoulder Pain is SO limiting! It makes everything ACHE, your neck, arm, chest and down your back. Even little tasks like putting away the groceries become a chore. The shoulder is a complex ball and socket joint that is made up of three bones: the humerus (arm bone), the scapula (shoulder blade) and the clavicle (collar bone). There are ligaments that help support the shoulder and dozens of muscular attachments that help move the shoulder.... Read more
Why do you do what you do? What drives you to get out of bed every day and go to work? There are probably as many answers to this question as there are practitioners in this field. I’ve talked to many, many acupuncture practitioners over the years and seen nearly every practice situation imaginable. Every practitioner is unique, and the common theme among them all is a great desire to help people. Sure, you can... Read more