Ancient acupuncture with modern tools.
Do you know stuff? I’m sure you do! As practitioners, we all need a ready store of knowledge for quick retrieval and use when treating patients. And no doubt, you’ve got an awful lot of that kind of stuff in your head. Probably so much, in fact, that some has leaked out. That’s what happens to me from time to time. Auriculotherapy, especially, can tax the memory of the best of us–with hundreds of points... Read more
I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a special bond with older people. When I was a little girl, my family used to call me a “little old lady” because I wore glasses and could often be found sitting next to my grandma with a crochet hook or knitting “needles” in hand. My fondness toward the elderly has continued to grow over the years. I love to learn from older people and for some... Read more
In the first part of this series, we discussed the power of belief as it relates to healthcare outcomes. In part two, we discussed the placebo effect in acupuncture, and the tendency for medical studies to attribute acupuncture’s effects to placebo only. Now that we’ve laid that groundwork, it’s time to talk about why acupuncture is more than mere placebo–and how you can combine patient belief with proper treatment to achieve superior outcomes. First, let’s... Read more
In my last blog, I touched on the topic of the Placebo Effect in acupuncture (click here if you missed it). To briefly review, one of the most powerful influences on patient healing is the patient’s belief about the treatment received. If the patient believes s/he is getting effective treatment, healing is much more likely. Controlled studies of the placebo effect have shown it to improve chest pain, warts, asthma, arthritis, cancer, and many other medical conditions.... Read more
John Matzke was told he had only 18 months to live. His oncologist insisted he immediately begin aggressive treatment for the melanoma that had metastasized to his lung. But John instead took a month off to strengthen his body before the grueling treatment began. He hiked, meditated, exercised and ate organic food. A month later, his lung tumor had completely disappeared on its own. Though melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers, John never started... Read more
Spring brings Change! I get very excited in Spring. The days get longer, the weather gets warmer, flowers start to bloom, and I create a long list of things I want to accomplish–deep-cleaning, organizing, gardening, vacations, etc. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, whenever there is a seasonal change, the energetics in the atmosphere shift and the qi in our body shifts as well. You can think of the world as a macrocosm and the body... Read more
I get lots of questions about when to use a blue laser and when to use red. These are important questions because the right laser color has a huge effect on the outcome. You want to get this one right. So here’s a quick guide and some answers to common questions: 635 nM (RED): Tonifies–use this laser anytime you would normally tonify a meridian. Think cold, damp, or deficiency. Great for CHRONIC conditions Great for DEFICIENT... Read more
I’ve always been fascinated by lasers. So it was no surprise 14 years ago, when I received an assignment to write about a current breakthrough for my college physics class, I chose to write about blue lasers. I still have that paper, and I pulled it out today just for the sheer nostalgia of considering how I ended up so interested in blue lasers for acupuncture. The year was 2000, and the blue laser was... Read more
Want more success in your practice? Analysis of the results from our last Practitioner Survey can help you see what you might be missing! When you were in school how much money did you imagine you’d be making per year? Are you making that much now? If you’re like most health care professionals, you left college with a mountain of debt, fully confident you’d easily make enough money to cover the payments. Did it work... Read more
It’s allergy season–or at least it is here in Idaho where we’ve been enjoying an early Spring. And even though major portions of the United States are still under snow, allergy season will be hitting there soon as well. My first reminder came when my daughter told me she thought she was having allergy symptoms. “Oh really?” I asked. “What’s wrong?” Her reply, “My throat is sore and my ears are itching on the inside.”... Read more
Today let’s bring together the patient retention principals talked about in my blog Patient Retention – Part I and demonstrate how the AcuGraph exam can serve as the bridge to move your specialty program participants to regular care. Let’s assume you’ve done your target marketing and have a group of new specialty program clients coming in your door. They are hoping you can quickly fix this particular problem and then they’ll be DONE! Patients want to believe... Read more
Do you have a successful “specialty” treatment program? I like Specialty Treatment programs! From a marketing perspective, they are excellent tools. They effectively target a VERY specific audience. They are relatively easy to promote and are often associated with a very large support group from which to attract referrals. Perhaps you invested in our Acupuncture Weight Loss Program last month? This blog is Part I of a two-part series that will help you improve the Patient Retention rate... Read more
In my last post, I talked about the multitude of physiological, energetic and even spiritual connections between the spine and the overall health of the body. Nearly every major healing system recognizes the particular importance of the spine, and many healing systems recommend manipulation, bodywork, massage, exercise, stretches, or adjustment of the spine. In short, spinal bodywork makes all healing systems more effective. Of course, the key to successful spinal treatment is knowing WHERE to... Read more
Do you perform some type of back therapy with your acupuncture? Whether it’s massage, Tuina, chiropractic, or some other discipline, I’ll bet you find you get better results when you help physically move the Chi. Of course, Chi can become blocked anywhere in the body, but there’s one special area that deserves careful attention: the Spine. No other body area has so many traditional, physiological, metaphysical, and even scriptural connections to the life-force energy we... Read more
I’ve always been fascinated by light. When I was a kid, my first flashlight fascination soon developed into wiring electronic circuits and messing with LEDs. When I set out, at age 10, to build a robot, the first item I included was the lights. By the time high school came around, I was studying laser physics and wishing I could afford an actual Laser. I still remember the day I got to play with my... Read more