Having been raised with both western and eastern medicine since I was a kid living at home and then choosing western Emergency Medicine followed by Traditional Chinese Medicine as careers in the health field, has left me pondering the question of what characteristics a practitioner of holistic medicine should embrace and embody. I believe that the most important characteristics a practitioner should have include: being upright, modest and humble as she works towards ridding pain and dis-ease from the body of a patient, as well as from within herself, to further overall good health and a healthy mindset with balanced strength and intelligence.

     This inherently simple concept, yet in daily practice, very difficult goal engages the most fundamental characteristic of a holistic medical practitioner –uniting clarity and insight of thought with strength and courage of action– what one aspires for as a practitioner.  One needs to possess the knowledge and ability to accurately assess, diagnose and successfully treat a patient.  If a practitioner continues to educate herself, seeks to improve herself, and bring a burning fire within herself to assist and guide a patient towards healing and to cast out the evil Qi, then a good practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine can she be.

     It is more than just the relationship between the practitioner and the patient that elevates the concept of practice of medicine to practice of holistic medicine.  Rather than a linear progression of health care treatment – the patient arrives, gets treated, then departs from the office, going from one isolated environment to the next:  the patient and practitioner are inseparable aspects of each other’s environments, as the patient’s and practitioner’s qualities of mind, spirit, emotion and body are parcel of the entity of the holistic health care environment.

     A fancy office, extensive and varied equipment, plush surroundings, the external trappings of a successful business don’t, however, reflect as the core of a successful practitioner – the unseen is what makes for a good practitioner; her urge to promote the good, fight the evils invading the body, and do so with humility.  Through continuous education, personal introspection and a keen ear with which to listen to her patients are her most important characteristics embodying holism.

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CNY Acupuncture

5496 East Taft Road
North Syracuse, NY 13212
(315) 552-6700

cnyacupuncture@yahoo.com