What if God is more than a Father? What if God is also a Mother? Then She would give us unexpected gifts, and cover us when we slept, and finish projects we were unable to complete. She would bring us the concept of grace; intervening on our behalf. Mothers do not care if we are deserving, or if is possible. They only care that we are at peace.
There is much astir in the acupuncture community of late, as there should be, over acupuncture being practiced by unlicensed therapists under the term “dry needling”. Dry needling involves using an empty hypodermic needle to pierce the skin or muscle at the site of a trigger point to interrupt the pain cycle. The technique evolved out of trigger point therapy. Recently physical therapists have begun to use acupuncture needles in dry needling. This is otherwise known as acupuncture needling of ASHI points, which has been practiced for thousands of years and is clearly outside their scope of practice.
This is a clear disregard for the value of acupuncturists. We have dedicated 4-6 years of study. We have worked to educate the public about a sophisticated health system. Now that we have finally received validation, we face having our pactice stolen by practitioners with insufficient training.
Despite the emotions this brings up for those of us who have dedicated our lives to this practice, we need to focus on the simple illegality of the situation; these physical therapists are practicing acupuncture without a license and what is needed is some sort of legal action to protect our license. If there were estheticians performing surgery, or even doing chiropractic adjustments, I doubt they would get away with it for long.
Another question we need to ask is why are physical therapists able to perform acupuncture and get compensated by insurance companies at far better rates? With the increased medical coverage, we need to demand compensation at a superior rate.
There is a benefit in all this if it unites us a profession and moves us to action.
TAKE ACTION:
Current state of Affairs: from this article
there are several states across the nation that are in the middle of legal battles over whether the Board of Physical therapy has the authority to presume Dry Needling already in the scope of practice. North Carolina, Maryland, and Oregon courts have issued temporary injunctions. Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, and South Carolina are in the beginning stages of legal action on this issue. Currently, South Carolina requires the any discipline practicing Acupuncture must meet all of the academic and clinic requirements set forth by the NCCAOM. At this time, no Physical Therapist has within its scope of practice the ability to insert a needle into the skin for therapeutic purposes.
For more information on the subject:
Perhaps “new” is not the correct word, as cult leaders, politicians, and common sociopaths have always feigned commonality to feed people’s basic need for connection. However, there has certainly been a surge in vulnerability being used as a marketing ploy in the past decade. From orchestrated “reality” shows to marketing strategies.
What we are in fact discussing is the illusion of vulnerability. Vulnerability researcher, Dr. Brene Brown, defines vulnerability “as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure“. I would add that true vulnerability is a purely motivated impulse to move through the deepest part of ourselves, reaching out to connect with others. When the motivation is not the need to connect and to heal, but rather to gain money or power, such disclosures become a manipulation.
The issue is that we are still essentially wired for tribal living. As modernity leads us into greater social isolation, we crave real interactions more and more. Thus false vulnerability is becoming an increasingly powerful tool. When we see a person’s face repeatedly, or hear their voice express deep emotion, or learn intimate details about their lives, our tribal brain translates this into “they are part of my tribe or family group” when in fact we know nothing about them. This type of mass connection is useful to spread a worthy message, but we must also be aware that it can be misused.
My purpose for writing this is that we seek out real opportunities for connection. In which we are met with love and healing, and do not allow these false connections to become a substitute.
Tongue diagnosis is one of many tools acupuncturists use to access the health of patients. Many people have a combination of patterns occurring at the same time, making diagnosis more complicated. First we will look at the tongue body then the tongue coating.
Normal Tongue
A normal tongue is pink, not too big and not too small, with a very thin white coating.
Jutting Tongue
This tongue to “v” shaped and juts out forcefully. The tension in the tongue is indicative of the tension held in the body. It is a sign of Liver excess (Liver Qi Stagnation or Fire). Possible symptoms include muscle tension, stress, irritability, depression, and PMS. If the tongue veers to one side this indicates Liver Wind and potentially stroke or convulsions.
Puffy Tongue
Also known as a enlarged or fat tongue. This indicates Phlegm and is a sign of congestion of body fluids. Phlegm is implicated in many modern diseases including sinus or lung congestion, excess weight, irrational thinking, obsessive thoughts, fatigue, foggy thinking, chronic joint pain, high cholesterol, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and channel blockages.
Small Tongue
A tongue that is smaller than normal indicates a deficiency of substance in the body, namely Blood Deficiency or Yin Deficiency. Common symptoms include anxiety, restlessness, tinnitis, insomnia, night sweats, and female hormone deficiency.
Scalloped Tongue
Teeth marks on the sides of the tongue indicates Spleen Qi Deficiency. This can present as weak digestion, food allergies, fatigue, poor muscle tone, a tendency to bruise, low immunity, and organ prolapse.
Assessing Tongue Body Color
Red indicates Heat.
Pallor indicates Cold or Deficiency (Qi, Blood, and/or Yang).
Purple or bluish indicates Blood Stagnation.
Red Tip The very tip of the tongue corresponds to the Heart. A red tip indicates Heart Heat, or emotional unrest. This can manifest as stress, anxiety, or insomnia. If the tip has a cleft it indicates longstanding or constitutional tendency towards emotional issues.
Thick White Coat
A thick tongue coating indicates Dampness. This is a pathological accumulation of fluids associated with digestive impairment. Common signs include weight gain, abdominal bloating, cloudy urination, mucous in the stools, edema, excessive vaginal discharge, poor digestion, and loose stools.
Thin Yellow Coat
The coating is thin, but distinctly yellow. This indicates Heat, either internal or Wind Heat (pathogenic invasion).
Thick Yellow Coat
The tongue appears heavily coated and yellow. This indicates Damp Heat, the combination of Dampness and Heat (fluid accumulation mixed with inflammation). Commons symptoms include excess weight, feeling hot, anger, Liver/Gallbladder issues, and red weepy skin conditions.
Scanty or Mirrored Coat
The tongue looks shiny, like liver. This indicates Yin Deficiency and the patient may present with insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, thirst, low back pain, tinnitis, hot flashes, and night sweats.
Common Combination Patterns:
