Professionalism, Education and Turf Wars
Most professions have discourse about the “professional.” Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines professions as “a: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b: a principal calling, vocation, or employment c: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling.” Professions define themselves in part by excluding others. I would like to […]
Professionalism, Power and Presence
Professionalism is often taught and assessed through the idea of leadership in medical education. There are good reasons as the influence of a discipline can be realized through professionalism and leadership.1 Further, the sense of power and influence that an individual within a profession enjoys can affect their presence and capacity as a human being. […]
Post-paradox: Room for View
Do we mix our ways of thought in collaboration? Closely guarded views can lead to isolation. This piece explores the notion of post-paradox as an inclusive worldview across disciplines. Essential to critical thinking, worldview influences all levels of research, education and practice in general but also acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Not a recommendation of method, […]
Acupuncture and Closure: Turf Wars
Not a fan of turf battles, I support the notion of “portable competencies”, which are skills that may be applied by different professions. That ported competency, however, must be equitable, safe and effective. As an example of equity, acupuncturists could perform chiropractic adjustment given a chiropractor who does acupuncture. The catch is quality. It is […]
Dry Needling is Acupuncture: But What of Education? What of Public Safety?
One of my patients told me recently, that their physical therapist used a “dry needle” and that it wasn’t acupuncture. Apparently, physical therapists (PT) are taught to tell their patients that “only acupuncturists practice acupuncture.” The PT told my patient dry needling is not a form of acupuncture. To that, I say, what? They must […]
Monoculture of the Mind?
The Case Study: An Approach to Knowledge Somehow, people have come to believe that generalized, reproducible knowledge is the truth; that evidence-based medicine is the solution to our troubles. Evidence-based thought, however, is used to prove what we believe to be true. This rant about how we build knowledge will segue a more moderate introduction […]
Monoculture of the Mind: Part II
Cases are built within boundaries. Such bounds may be a program, event, activity or individuals. In this instance, a medical case has boundaries that include clinical interactions that are comprised of history, signs, symptoms, diagnoses, treatment plans and treatments. There are two types of case: intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic case study conveys knowledge of […]
A Chinese Medicine Story: An Interview with Mazin Al-Khafaji
Mazin Al-Khafaji’s work has interested me for years. In February 2014, we invited him for the second time to speak at the Southwest Symposium in Austin, Texas. This time, for a three-day lecture entitled, “Dermatology and Chinese Medicine,” which focused upon treatment strategies. Al-Khafaji is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China, Lic Ac, […]
The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biopsychosocial and Ecopsychologica Medicine
Chinese medicine speaks of alignment between humans, heaven and earth. It is a complex view with a focus upon relationship. These are comprehensive ideas with no specific terms in contemporary medical practice. Here, I want to expand upon the attempts to transform conventional biomedicine into a more sensitive and socially responsible “biopsychosocial” model. Given the […]
Integral Health and the Ecopsychosocial View: The Microbiome and the Macrobiome
Chinese medicine may be considered to possess an ecopsychosocial view. Here, the internal and external ecology blend with the psychological and spiritual well-being of the individual and their social systems.1 We stand at a crossroads of: meteorology, biology, psychology, and sociology. This is not merely a transdisciplinary zone. It is a mode of being and […]