I wish that they are not affected by toxic medication and do not have to take recourse to pointed stones. Rather I wish that they make use of fine needles to keep open their conduits and vessels, to harmonize blood and qi, and to keep those locations in good order where their flow contrary to or in accordance with the norms occurs and where leaving and entering take place.
Unschuld, P. U. (2016). Huang Di NEI Jing Ling Shu: The ancient classic on needle therapy. University of California Press.
The Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu was written over 2000 years ago, and yet my hope is the same as the eponymous “Yellow Emperor”. I, too, wish that people in my community and beyond not be affected by toxic medication; nor do I wish them to take recourse to pointed stones. But pointed stones seems less of a concern in medicine now than it must have back then; one would like to hope, at least.
I am an Acupuncturist
Acupuncturist (n): a physician trained in complete and integrative system of primary care medicine that focuses on patient centered and outcome focused treatment and care of their patients. Primary Care, in conjunction with its legal meaning, means the first point of contact with the medical system for patients and includes: evaluation and management of acute and chronic pathologies, coordination with other physicians and providers including timely referrals when necessary, and integrative and caring stewardship of patients health.
My education included over 3000+ hours of graduate level accredited course work in acupuncture and classical Chinese medicine (CCM). Of those, 450 hours were in bio-medicine, or alopathic medicine, and included pharmacology, bio-medical pathology, and epidemiology. My undergraduate education was a degree in general biology and included upper level courses in botany, ecology, and bio-informatics. In addition I have completed coursework in depth psychology and am a life long student of philosophy with a special interest in epistemology.
In the state of New Mexico, colonized Pueblo land, I am licensed as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM) and authorized to act as a primary care provider pursuant to the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice Act. The scope of practice for acupuncturists in this jurisdiction includes, but are not limited to, ordering of imaging and blood tests, acupuncture, herbal prescriptions, and nutritional and lifestyle advice.
Because CCM and integrative medicine see the human condition as an emergent and interconnected system, I also offer counseling services. Acupuncture is a physical medicine, but if we accept, and I believe we must, that the physical and mental aspects of existence are connected it stands to reason that they can and do affect and effect one another. The same is true for herbal medicine, the wisdom that our plant siblings have to share with us affects us on both deep and shallow levels of our entire existence.
What I Am Not
I am not licensed to prescribe prescription drugs as defined by the New Mexico Pharmacy Act. I am not a quick fix that will promise a cure in 1, 4, or 27 weeks of treatment. And I am not independently wealthy, which means that until a better system is put in place I charge a modest fee for my services.
I will not fix you; because you are not broken.
I will walk with you and show you the ways I know to express your story in the best way possible; this is all that I can offer you; but it is all that you need to truly live