Are You Called to Service?

by Honora Lee Wolfe

I had the time and privilege to attend a Level 1 Training with Acupuncture Without Borders (AWB) this last weekend, held in the greater Los Angeles area. More than just inspiring, this training is designed to give attendees the tools necessary to go back to their own communities and actually get started in the work of bringing simple acupuncture techniques (notably the well-researched and vetted NADA protocol) to all types of people who are currently or have in the past experienced unresolved trauma.

Ways this could be applied are many and varied. Notably, this work is growing in the area of Veterans PTSD Support Clinics, which can happen anywhere there is an adequate community of veterans in need! AWB-affiliated clinics providing this type of service include 35 around the US today! We all know that 100 more of these clinics would still not be enough!!  And, this same type of clinic could be applied to so many other populations in need:
• specifically women Vets who have suffered sexual abuse as well as war-related PTSD
• victims of domestic violence
• populations such as the city of Newtown, CT
• refugees from wars all around the globe

This list could go on and on...
In addition to the nuts and bolts of how to start and then operate one of these types of clinics for whatever population of people you are called to help, we also learned about AWB's Disaster Relief work and what hoops we acupuncturists will need to clear to be included in Medical Response groups after any and all types of disasters (fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks). This information is invaluable if we want to be included as part of the standard, automatic response teams in each of our areas.

Finally, we learned about AWB's ongoing trainings for health workers in other countries, teaching them to use the NADA protocol in response to all types of trauma and difficulties. This is an ongoing effort in Haiti, Nepal, Mongolia, Chile, Equador, and Mexico...with new programs and needs arising all over the globe.

So I encourage anyone with a stirring toward larger service to check out AWB and do one of their trainings. I guarantee you'll be inspired.
Click Here for more information.

Are You Called to Service?

I had the time and privilege to attend a Level 1 Training with Acupuncture Without Borders (AWB) this last weekend, held in the greater Los Angeles area. More than just inspiring, this training is designed to give attendees the tools necessary to go back to their own communities and actually get started in the work of bringing simple acupuncture techniques (notably the well-researched and vetted NADA protocol) to all types of people who are currently or have in the past experienced unresolved trauma. 

Ways this could be applied are many and varied. Notably, this work is growing in the area of Veterans PTSD Support Clinics, which can happen anywhere there is an adequate community of veterans in need! AWB-affiliated clinics providing this type of service include 35 around the US today! We all know that 100 more of these clinics would still not be enough!!  And, this same type of clinic could be applied to so many other populations in need:

• specifically women Vets who have suffered sexual abuse as well as war-related PTSD

• victims of domestic violence

• populations such as the city of Newtown, CT

• refugees from wars all around the globe

This list could go on and on...

In addition to the nuts and bolts of how to start and then operate one of these types of clinics for whatever population of people you are called to help, we also learned about AWB's Disaster Relief work and what hoops we acupuncturists will need to clear to be included in Medical Response groups after any and all types of disasters (fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks). This information is invaluable if we want to be included as part of the standard, automatic response teams in each of our areas. 

Finally, we learned about AWB's ongoing trainings for health workers in other countries, teaching them to use the NADA protocol in response to all types of trauma and difficulties. This is an ongoing effort in Haiti, Nepal, Mongolia, Chile, Equador, and Mexico...with new programs and needs arising all over the globe.

So I encourage anyone with a stirring toward larger service to check out AWB and do one of their trainings. I guarantee you'll be inspired.

http://acuwithoutborders.org/

Patients with Anxiety? Here's One Treatment Idea

Q. Hi Honora, A few years ago I came to a seminar you taught. During that weekend, I remember you suggested an interesting treatment for anxiety disorder. A patient came in last week with anxiety attacks as a major complaint and I wondered if you could refresh my memory on that treatment.                      –Sarah in Chicago

A: Hi Sarah, There are several good treatments for anxiety disorder. In fact, acupuncture in general has an anti-stress, down-regulating effect on many patients. That said, however, there are several approaches that I suggest you consider as rotating treatments, using them in succession and then repeating from the beginning.  Here you go:

1. Start with Four Bars (often called Four Gates) as an opening treatment. While these needles are in, do some simple massage on the head and neck, dragging across Yin Tang and doing small circles on Tai Yang, GB 20, along the cervical spine and occipital ridge.* (The only time this is inappropriate is if the person really is not comfortable being touched and we do, on the odd occasion, get patients like that.) If they don’t like to be touched, but a needle into Yin Tang.
2. The next time that patient comes in, hopefully within a few days, do the treatment that you saw me do, which is a cross treatment as follows.

a.    Insert LI 4 and Sp 4 on the right

b.    Insert Per 6 and Liv 3 on the left

c.     If using Ion pumping cords, use black clips on the right and red clips on the left.  Connect LI 4 to Liv 3 and connect Per 6 to Sp 4.

d.    If using polarized needles, use Gold plated needles in place of the red clip and Stainless steel in place of the black clip.

e.    Insert needles very shallowly, because electrical flow in the body is strongest on the surface.

f.      No jewelry; don’t leave the room during tx; 15-20 mins or until they wake up.

3. As a third alternating treatment, you could do Miriam Lee’s Great 10 Needles adding points such as Liv 2 and LI 11 for excessive heat, Ht 7 and CV 17 for palpitations and severe fearfulness, or An Mian (extra point), Sp 6, and Ear Shen Men for insomnia.

4. In terms of self care, suggest that the patient use exercise, stretching or progressive muscle relaxation routines, calming music, aromatherapy oils, and an anti-inflammatory diet high in Omega-3a and plant-based protein and low in sugar and caffeine! While acupuncture can calm people down in the moment very quickly and effectively, in the long run the patient has to find ways to help him-or-herself as well.

Hope that helps. If you want details of the theory that goes along with either Four Bars treatment, Miriam Lee Great 10 Needles Treatment, or ti Ion Pumping Cord treatment, check out my online CEU courses attached to these links. If you have a serious interest in treating people with "shen disturbances," I hope you'll check out Chinese Medical Psychiatry by Bob Flaws and James Lake. Thanks for your question and best wishes.

Writing Articles for Patients and Profit

Writing articles is a wonderful way to get your name in front of lots of people with very little effort. However, if you’ve never done this before, it can be a little intimidating at the beginning. Who could I write for, you might ask? How to I get started? What if I’m not a great writer? What sort of publications take articles? Who has ownership of my articles? Where can I find the names of publications that might be interested in receiving articles? Why would a general interest magazine be interested in articles on Chinese medicine? What good will writing articles do for me in my practice?

All of these are valid questions, so let’s take them one at a time, starting with the last one first.

What good will writing articles do for my private practice?
Let’s say you like to treat children and you get an article about the benefits of Chinese dietary theories published in a parenting newsletter in your community. This does not have to be longer than 500-750 words long, written in very simple English, with just some basic information about eating cooked food, the dangers of sugar, avoiding iced drinks for small children, etc. Maybe, instead of getting paid, you negotiate to have your photo and contact information put at the end of the article. In that “contact paragraph”, you also put a sentence saying to call your clinic for more free information on keeping kids healthy.

First, you get visibility and more visibility in your local area! Published articles immediately present you as an expert if not THE expert in the field in which you want to build your practice.

Second, it gives potentially interested parents a very low-risk next step to take, i.e., call you for a free article or a short consultation about children’s health. This helps you build a mailing list which can be used for all sorts of things, but that’s a different article.

Third, any articles you can get published in your local area are better than any paid advertising you can buy!

Fourth, you can clip the article, laminate and frame it, copy it and use it as part of a mailing to your patients or potential patients, put it into a waiting-area notebook along with testimonial letters, other articles on Chinese medicine, research articles on specific conditions, etc. Or, use the digital version as part of a blog series or to send to larger publications to get more writing opportunities.
Finally, since most articles your write for print are likely to have an online version as well, link them to your website, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter pages or any blogs in which you participate! That way, you can get the word out to as many people as possible. Get any of your friends who want to help you build your practice to do the same on their social media!

What sorts of publications would be interested in articles on Chinese medicine outside of our profession?
Almost any one of hundreds of newsletters or niche market publications, depending on how you write it! To cite just a few examples, can you make a case for acupuncture for professional bicyclists? Can you address stress reduction for business people? Can you write about effective diet plans for pregnant mothers? Could you do an article on maintaining low back health for motorcycle enthusiasts? Do you have anything to say about recuperating from sports injuries, maintaining healthy, beautiful skin, preventing high blood pressure, or getting off hormone replacement therapy? What about an article for office workers on easy, at-your-desk self-massage for stress reduction? Do I need to go on?

There are literally hundreds of small and large publications on every subculture and every niche interest group in the US. Corporations and large businesses also have company newsletters. These publications are industry specific or interest-area specific, but that does not mean that you do not have an interest message for them. What are the largest companies in your city? Call them and find out if they have a company newsletter and who the editor is. These editors are always looking for something interesting and new for their readers.

So how can I find out what publications are in my area?
The reference department in your public library can be of great help in your search for local and regional publications.  Ask the reference librarian if they have a copy of Hudson’s Subscription Newsletter Directory, the Internal Publications Directory, or the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters. Then look for newsletters in your area of interest or in your geographical region.

Second, comb the Sunday issues of your local newspapers for the names of all organizations in your area. Call each of them and ask if they have a local, regional, or national newsletter. Find out the names and contact information about the largest employers in your area. Call them and ask about in-house employee newsletters. Also, don’t forget to ask what publications these organizations subscribe to and carry in their offices.

If you are a specialist in any area, (sports medicine, orthopedic acupuncture, gynecology, etc.) find out if there are local publications that might allow you to show off your expertise in that area. Even general interest local publications are possibilities.

I also suggest that you query your local newspapers for their submissions guidelines for articles on health.  Speak to the health and features editors and find out what things might interest them. Maybe you could write a once-per-month “health tips” article.  Of course these editors will probably want to see samples of your work, a photo, a short biography, and anything else you’ve published elsewhere. While many larger newspapers have wire services and staff writers and will probably not pay you anything, if you can say something they think is interesting for their readers, you just never know what they might accept for publication. Smaller newspapers, on the other hand, could be very easy to approach and easy to write for.

Put out a little sign in your waiting area that you are available to write an article for any patient’s organization newsletter. Remember that your patients are members of a wide variety of groups, most of whom could use acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine for something! You can do speeches for your patients’ groups as well as writing for their group newsletters.

Finally, remember that each and every publication you query will have different submission guidelines. You need to follow these closely or the editor in charge is likely to toss your article...they don’t have the time to decipher work that is not presented the way they want and expect to see it. Some may want only hard copies of articles, others only computer files. All will want a short cover letter stating your credentials, what your article is about, why you think it’s relevant, etc. If you are looking to establish a column or a long term relationship with this publication, make it short, interesting, and easy to get at the important information.

Can I publish my articles in more than one place?
The answer to this will vary, but is probably yes. You must negotiate ownership of your articles with each publication. Do know that if you are offered money, the publication will probably then own your article as a “work-for-hire”. However, if you are not being paid, you may be able to retain the copyright to any work you do with the possibility of publishing it elsewhere. It is also possible to take one article and “tweak” it into several others for other organizations, industries, special interest areas. Remember, everyone is interested in good health and ways to maintain it, procure it, or improve it. So, be creative in who you think you can write for!

What if I’m not a great writer?
When you sit down to write, pretend you are writing a letter to your sibling or telling a story to a friend. Keep it conversational and real.  You don’t have to use big words or complex sentences. However, if you don’t trust your writing skills, there are resources such as Writer’s Inc. (available in bookstores or at the library), which gives you basic, easy to understand rules for writing well in English. There are lots of other, similar books out there for would-be writers. If you are going to write on a more than occasional basis, I recommend getting something like this for your reference shelf, and using it.

Consider taking a writing class at a local community college or adult education center.
Finally, you might consider recruiting help. This could be a journalism student, a local copy-editing service, or someone from a local writers’ club.  Their fee might be a few dollars per page, but $20 or $30 could improve your credibility and, what if an article brought you 10 new patients?

Final thoughts on article writing
More people are writing more stuff for more publications of all sizes, shapes, and fields-of-interest than ever before. You can participate and the rewards can be substantial in terms of finding patients for your clinic.

When you write, your written “voice” can be as friendly and relaxed as you would be in person, as long as you are clear and don’t ramble. The best way to get people’s interest is to have something useful to say, said in a way that is easily accessible to the widest group of readers. You are not looking for a National Book Award, just more patients!

Chinese medicine and acupuncture are still treating only the smallest fraction of people in this country (some statistics suggest about 5%). People need to know the benefits of this medicine, and it is up to us to tell them. The burden of proof and communication is up to us!

Finally, why should the practitioner down the street be the “expert” instead of you?

A Simple Way to Contact MD Practitioners in Your City

Your patients' MDs, both General Practitioners and Specialists, need to know that you are participating in their patients' care. As our medicine is more and more tied into the electronic records' system and more of us are billing insurance, this is a logical step. However, in the meantime, I suggest you make this process part of your standard procedures when possible. This begins with a place on your history forms where patients are requested to:
• list any other care providers that they are seeing currently or
• any doctors who are a long term part of their health care team (i.e., their "regular doctor" or primary care provider [PCP]) 

With each new patient who has actually agreed to a course of therapy, ask for permission to send a letter/fax to their main PCP stating who you are and about the care you'll be providing, and requesting a copy of their patient records. It is, of course, a HIPAA requirement that you request permission to contact any other healthcare providers. This is a separate piece of paper that you present if the patient actually has listed other providers on your history taking forms. While some patients may not have an MD and some may not wish their MD to know about you, others will think it quite professional that you want to be in contact with their other care givers. Furthermore, in some cases it will be absolutely mandatory that you stay in touch with patients' MDs.

So what to say to these MDs, PTs, NDs, DCs, or whomever?  First of all, my suggestion is that, like any marketing process, this simply needs to be part of your standard procedures, and that this letter is a prewritten digital file that you revise as needed for each case. That means you are not writing it from scratch every time. Below is a sample letter that I might write, but it is only one idea.

To:  Sarah Jones, MD., Boulder Gynecology Clinic

Dear Dr. Jones, 

Your patient, Mary Smith, has recently begun acupuncture care at my clinic, WomanCare Acupuncture Clinic. I will be treating Mary with acupuncture for premenstrual pain and related symptoms. It is my expectation that Mary will require three-four treatments per month for three months to see significant and lasting improvement in her condition. I will also be counseling her on diet and exercise to help her take care of herself long term.

Mary has given permission for and I am happy to provide you with updates or a final report at the end of the treatment protocol for your files, should that be helpful for maintaining thorough records in her case. I am able to send those records to your electronically if you prefer.

Enclosed for your interest and information you will find:

• a signed release of records so that our clinic may see Mary's recent medical history with your office

• some research about acupuncture therapy for cases similar to Mary's

• a general brochure about WomanCare Acupuncture Clinic and the services we offer that may be of use to other patients

• a copy of my Curriculum Vitae showing my credentials and experience in the field of acupuncture and Chinese medicine

• several of my business cards

If you have any questions or concerns at all about Mary's care at my clinic, I am happy to speak with you or communicate by email at any mutually convenient time. As a specialist is gynecological care, I would also like to know if your clinic is willing and able to receive appropriate referrals from my clinic.

Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

Honora Lee Wolfe

You may sometimes need to add a paragraph explaining that you are aware that the patient is taking XYZ drug(s).

You may need a paragraph about Chinese herbal medicine that the patient is taking while under your care.

At the closure of Mary's care, if appropriate and especially if it is a positive outcome, send another letter explaining that Mary's treatments are for the moment completed and that her XYZ symptoms are significantly improved. Even if Mary is going to stay under your care longer, it may be useful to update her MD on any significant improvements or changes in her care or condition.
If you were to open this type of professional communication with three-or-five-or-ten MDs and you have faith in your treatments, you may find these doctors will slowly begin to refer a patient here or there to your care. Over a period of time,  this can become significant, especially if you are referring patients back to these MDs from time to time. I believe that we do not need to fear these communications or relationships and that with attention and respect we can create open professional communication with appropriate Western medical practitioners.

Thanks for reading and best wishes!

Need a few more appointments this week or next week?

Practice a little slow this week? One powerful way to add a few names in your appointment book is to do patient re-activation phone calls. It's way easier than cold calling (calling people who don't know you) and it's a tried and true method to get a positive response from the universe in growing your practice.

You don't need to have a huge agenda for these calls, but it is certainly easier if you write a few "scripts" for them before you start. This is helpful too, since you will inevitably be leaving messages on the phones of many of these patients. Here are some ideas:

1. For patients where you parted ways after treatment success: "I saw a recent article about your condition (which I'd be happy to email to you if you're interested) and it made me think of you. How are you doing? Still no more symptoms?" Then listen to the patient and see what they say. If they are still better, you have at least reminded them of your ongoing care for them as a patient. You might suggest a "tune-up" appointment or two at the next change of season to maintain their health.

2. For the patient that cancelled and disappeared: "I see you cancelled your last appointment and then we never heard from you after that. Can you tell me how you are doing? I was just wondering if you disappeared because you were feeling great, or was there something that did not work for you at our clinic...something that we could have done better? I hope you might be willing to share that if it was the case. I appreciate your taking this call and I hope you are feeling better."

3.  For the patient where their written contact information no longer works: "I'm calling for two reasons...one just to check in and see if you are still feeling improvement from your treatment through my clinic. Second, I see that your email address as changed. Did you still wish to be on our mailing list? We really hope so, but we need an updated email address!"

4. The patient where your interaction was OK, but you don't know why they stopped coming: "Hi Jane. It's been awhile since I saw you and I just wanted to say hello and see how you are. I know you had ...(you divorce finalization, our son's graduation, your mother's serious illness, your new job, whatever). I know that was stressful for you and I wondered how you are doing."

After each of these possible openers to the conversation, then be quiet and see where the patient will take the conversation. If they haven't much to say, you can ask if they'd like to continue to receive your email newsletter; you can offer to send them a coupon for 1/2 off the next time they might want to come in for a visit; you can let them know about a new class you are teaching or a new skill you have acquired; you can tell them about a free lecture you are giving somewhere; you can remind them that regular tune-up treatments can keep them symptom free. Whatever feels appropriate.

After the call, you might follow up with a card or a personalized email and include a piece of research or an article on their condition if you can find one (check out our TCM Infoline here at Blue Poppy for lots of free research: see the search mechanism in the center at the top of our home page). If you send a regualr piece of snail mail (what a concept), include a copy of your biz card as well.

Does this take a little courage? You bet, but then if you were a wimp you probably would not be running your own business anyway. Plus, you don't know what fruit this will bear. For every ten phone calls you make, you will likely get one patient to make an appointment right away and another one to call back for an appointment within a few weeks, or to refer a friend since they have now been reminded about you and your services. Or perhaps one of them will call and ask if you will come and give a talk for their special group. You just don't know.

Also, these same scripts can be used for the inevitable messages that you will leave for people...likely over 50% of the calls won't reach a real person. Even so, you've reached out is some non-threatening, not-necessarily-commercial way, which is more than more other types of practitioners ever do.

So don't abandon your inactive patients. Make it a monthly task to call six-or-eight-or-ten of them...you don't need to make this a gargantuan task! The more you do, the easier they become (and what's the worst that could happen anyway?). It's easier to get your old patients back into your clinic than to develop new ones who have never been there before!

I have a live class coming up at National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, OR on April 17th, 5 PM! If you think it sounds helpful, hope to see you there! I'll also be attending the Great River Festival at Northwest Health Sciences U. in Bloomington, MN the first weekend in April and speaking to the practice management classes there on April 4th.  If you work at a school or are a student at a school and would like me to come and give a free lecture, feel free to email me at honora@bluepoppy.com. Thanks for reading.

How to create a brochure that someone will actually read!

As the teacher of Practice Management at Southwest Acupuncture College for a decade, I've looked at lots of projects: websites, presentation folders, business plans, biz cards, and patient information brochures. The last of these, patient info or educational brochures are always useful to have in a clinic, take to talks that you are doing, or send out with any other promotional literature or letters to potential sources of referral.

I read and grade a lot of these and the most common mistake that is made is putting too much emphasis on yourself and your clinic and not enough emphasis on what’s in for the potential patient and why will they want to read your brochure?

For example, if you place the name of your clinic and contact information as the featured information on the front of your brochure, why should I as a potential patient, really care? What’s in it for me to pick it up and read?

However, if you put something like this on the front:
"Migraine headaches don't have to keep you from enjoying life."
"Allergy season got you down? Real relief begins here!"
"Insomnia sufferers need relief now!"
"PMS got you breathing fire?"
"Maintaining healthy blood pressure is important for everyone."

Underneath or to the side of any one of these headlines, you put a relevant photo that you can buy cheaply from any one of many "royalty-free" photo services such as iStock.com. If I have one of these conditions, I might just wish to read the brochure!

Then, on the inside, put some quick data from relevant research on your topic, (which you can find  doing a word search right here at BluePoppy.com by searching the TCMInfoline...but you have to create a login to access this) or on WebMD, Acufinder, Acupuncture Today, and many other sites.
You could add the WHO list of conditions that acupuncture is considered effective for treating. (Yes, I know it is outdated and incomplete, but it still lets your patients know a lot of things acupuncture can treat besides pain?)

Then add some pictures of you working in your clinic (or a professionally done portraint) and bio on the inside bottom right.

On the back side, include a map or picture of your clinic, directions and contact information. Your website and phone number should be reasonably bold and prominent.

This is a good recipe for brochure design and you can spin headlines and content for any condition you want to treat. So get to work out there and design some great brochures to help you promote your clinic and your work! Use them at live events, when you visit other professional offices, or if you do a booth at a Health Fair. Put up a sign encouraging patients to take them to friends and colleagues.
This is only one part of your overall marketing strategy, but not an unimportant link in your marketing chain.
Good Luck!