river Jordan's blog

Dental hygienists in Alaska helping people, saving taxpayer dollars, and the ADA frowns.....calling it a public health issue while dentists in the public sector say it's nothing more than turf protectionism:

Full Story. 

(New York Times) 

18 Veterans are committing suicide every day according to this story in the NYT.

Community acupuncture clinics can save lives now. The challenge is connecting with the Vets, which means doing outreach in our community. There is a lot more to be said on this topic, but clear thinking and rest is needed before action. I needed to say at least this much before going horizontal for the night. 

A week or so ago, the thought suddenly occured to me that my patient profile had radically shifted from my days as a boutique acupuncturist. On this particular morning, we had three patients - one was a middle aged woman who had been sleeping in her car for years. Another was a black man living in a Tent City. A third was a single mother working at a job she hated and generally struggling to get by. The two women have since become regulars and the one who sleeps in her car seems to catch up on her sleep in our recliner.

Children’s books are teaching me a
lot these days. Domitila is a Mexican Cinderella story. My five year
old seems to be able sniff these classics out as soon as she enters the
library. Smart girl - gives me a lot of hope for our future. Domitila’s
mother puts love into everything she does, even cooking with scruffy
cactus plants from the desert, transforming them into a delicacy
(nopales). Domitila learns her mother’s art and impresses the
governor’s son who endures great sacrifice, trying to find the
mysterious servant who can reveal the secret. Meanwhile, the evil
stepsister and her mother try to trick our heroine and her father with
delicacies made from stolen food - but the taste is horrible. We love
these stories and honor their wisdom. Why is it often difficult for us
to live by them?

I think it was Lisa who said something like "altruism is the core of our practice as acupuncturists." (My paraphrase.)

Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi - the Buddhist Compassion Relief Foundation expressed this principle similarly. In explaining to her followers in TIMA - the Tzu Chi International Medicational Association - she said that it is not technical skill nor vast knowledge which is most important, but a kind heart.

Although I often egoistically view myself as a typical overbooked do-gooder, modern day multi tasker, after I received 3 separate requests to attend the Seattle TIMA's bi-monthly meeting - including a visit to a local homeless tent city to assess needs and coordinate care - I knew I could not refuse.