As an acupuncturist, and perhaps doubly so a hypnotist, it is my stock and trade to be cool, serene and collected. Meditate, breathe evenly and spread positive Qi to a world in need of peace, love and clarity. Wash, rinse and repeat.
But sometimes that not enough. You’ve simply gotta let out a yell that comes from a belly-full of outrage and rage. That’s where this missive is coming from.
Where is the outrage at what is going on in this country? And I’m not talking about how ‘Bambi’s hi-jacked our good nation—that’s both preposterous and racist, and fodder for another rant altogether—but about the Neanderthal state of the health care system today, in relation to what I do.
There is an ‘alternative’ medical model—the word ‘alternative’ being a vast catch-all term that suggests way too many modalities—that works, and has worked for several millennia, thank you very much.
So how to integrate several wonderful ancient modalities (Ayurveda, Asian Medicine, Rain forest and American herbology, among them) into a system hell-bent on taking away our right to bear supplements, only to make them the purview of the AMA?
I have no clue, but I suspect that the answer entails a room-full of pharma salesmen chasing dollar signs. I do know that things are getting more polarized. I know acupuncturists in New York who were making a good living two years ago, who now are considering leaving the profession altogether. Yes, I understand that the economy stinks, that money is tight. And acupuncture is considered a dispensable commodity. Unlike nail salons,–an essential service to those who say it is— many acupuncturists are taking it on the chin and in the pocketbook. The feeling seems to be that if insurance doesn’t pay for it, we no longer need it.
Okay, I’ll bite: Why don’t more insurance companies pay for acupuncture? Absurdly enough, that was the 64 dollar question 15 years ago, when I started on this journey; that it remains unanswered in 2010 is nothing short of shocking to me.
Rant over, back to business.
And now, I can take a deep breath, and as I do so I take in comfort and relaxation; and with each exhalation I release stress from every cell in my body. Yes, that’s it. And Dan, everybody knows deep relaxation, whether it’s a feeling like a patch of sun on your face on a cold day, or else the sensation of enjoying a piece of music…and being entranced by it. And you are now standing in front of the ocean, deep and mysterious, hearing the calming sound of the waves rolling, breaking gently against the beach….yes, that’s it….
Daniel at Blue Phoenix Wellness