Ancient acupuncture with modern tools.
Last week, I put needles into my patient and she began to cry. This is not the first time that this has happened in my office. In fact, I keep a box of tissue nearby for those who cry after the needles are inserted. When you are an acupuncturist, it may not be a good idea to have a reputation of making patients cry—but sometimes there are exceptions to the rule. Case History: The patient... Read more
I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Tampa, Florida for the FSOMA (Florida State Oriental Medicine Association) conference. I’ll have to admit that I pouted a little bit about going on this trip… I’ve always wanted to go to Florida so that I could lounge on the beautiful white sandy beaches, visit the Florida Keys, and go to Disney World. I had two big obstacles in the way of enjoying my dream vacation. #1:... Read more
Hello Friends, There’s a great article up at Acupuncture Today about Digital Meridian Imaging. Monique Smith, LAc, talks about her journey from skepticism of acupuncture software to understanding, and ultimately embracing AcuGraph in her practice. Check it out here: Acupuncture Today Article When you get there, don’t forget to hit the “Plus 1” button in the upper right corner to let others know you liked the article. Then let me know what you think in... Read more
Every now and then you receive exactly the message you need to hear. That happened to me today, and I hope it happens to you as well. I know that for some of you, this is EXACTLY the message you need to hear. About three years ago, when economic conditions took a turn for the worse, I made the conscious decision NOT to participate in this recession. I know from my business education that Economics... Read more
I’ll come right on out and say it: I hate waiting. Whether stuck in a line at the grocery store, sitting at a red light in traffic, or holding on the phone line to speak with a real human when I call my bank – waiting always feels like a waste of my valuable time. However, even though I dislike waiting, I’ve found that some waiting is much more difficult to endure. Here’s a personal... Read more
Don’t you just love those days when everything runs smoothly in your practice? – Your office is organized – Patients are on time – Patients are happy to see you – You have a waiting list – Your practice is so full – Paperwork is all filed – Emails are answered ..AND everyone you treat hugs you when they leave because you get great results! Sounds magical, right? The truth of the matter is that... Read more
I don’t know about you, but as the seasons change, I tend to clean and organize. The funny thing is, there are many areas of our lives that have to be organized over and over again–the house, the kids rooms, the garage, and all the endless paperwork. Points PC is a great tool for gathering acupuncture information from seminars, research, and class notes–and organizing it into ONE place. The fact that it is fully searchable,... Read more
One of the real privileges that come with my job is getting to meet and associate with so many dynamic and gifted healers of all types throughout the world. Dr. Ralph Wilson one you need to meet, for two reasons. First, he has the best, most professional AcuGraph introduction video I’ve seen any practitioner put together. Invest 3 minutes and watch it here: Second, he has a very interesting theory about a great way to... Read more
I’m really not that old. At least, I don’t consider 41 very old, and I bet you don’t either. But let me tell you, my kids do. What can I say? They’re teenagers. This age difference was really apparent this summer when my oldest daughter spent an afternoon writing letters to her friends. And by letters, I don’t mean texts, Facebook updates, or even e-mails. I mean the good old-fashioned kind of letters–handwritten on paper, folded... Read more
The other day, my eight years old asked me what the word population meant. I used the same answer that my mom gave me when I was a kid: “Go and look it up in a dictionary.” She looked at me funny and then asked: “What is a dictionary?” I shook my head and showed her an old dictionary on the bookshelf. She then asked if she could just use the computer to look it... Read more
I love stories that illustrate life’s lessons. So here are two absolutely true stories that perfectly illustrate why we spent the last several months working on a new product to make your life easier. True story number one: I spoke to a man halfway around the world this morning. He told me he had recently “learned acupuncture” and was busy treating patients. His comments started me thinking: Is one ever really finished “learning” acupuncture? At... Read more
Recently, I had a patient come in as a referral from her OBGYN. She was 35 weeks pregnant and her baby was “Frank Breech.” Her doctor told her that she would probably have to have a c-section, but that she might consider seeing an acupuncturist first. She asked her doctor if acupuncture really works for turning breech babies, and got this answer: “I don’t know for sure, but you might as well give it a... Read more
So yesterday I posted a graph of a 37-year-old female patient, who was complaining of low back pain, abdominal bloating and constipation, poor digestion and exhaustion. She felt terrible, but her graph was practically perfect. If you didn’t see it yet, you can find it here. When I posted the case, I asked you to tell me your next move, and how you would explain a nearly perfect graph and a perfectly miserable patient. Here’s... Read more
I graphed a patient a few days ago. 37 year-old female, thin build, complaining of low back pain, abdominal bloating and discomfort, poor digestion, constipation, and overall exhaustion. Here’s her graph. It looks great, yet she is really suffering and feeling quite ill. How would you explain it? More importantly, what is your next move? Leave a comment with your thoughts and I’ll post the rest of the case tomorrow. Read more
Here’s a Chinese Restaurant where you don’t want to eat: Judging by the lean build of all the people I met in China, I’m suspecting this restaurant must be in the USA or Canada. The Chinese still know how to do Chinese food right. But this was too funny not to share. Have a great day! Read more