There isn't much that's more stressful than having to choose a name for your business. Most people stick with their name and slap 'acupuncture' at the end of it. I wish I had a name awesome enough for that- lucky people! Plummer Acupuncture sounds like I'm either going to sell you a couch or fix your kitchen's plumbing. Not exactly the picture I wanted to paint for potential patients.

I wanted something that made sense to someone who has no idea what acupuncture is all about. I didn't want to dig so deep that I don't make sense to the general public. I find I lose people when the words 'Qi' or 'meridian' are used. And I had to fight the urge to let my stupid sense of humor affect my ability to name my practice. "Qi's All That" and "Which Xue to the Needles?" were so tempting but I held back.

So what is the essence of acupuncture? What's all the hoopla about it? What am I offering to my patients? What am I doing with my life?

All throughout school we were told the old saying "where there is pain, there is no free flow". This simply means something in your body is 'stuck' and causing you pain and discomfort. I'm sure you've seen the crazy old pictures of the channels and pathways all over your body. No? Let me show you!

Crazy, right? Well in Chinese medicine you can have Qi or Blood (not literal blood) slow down and get stuck there. That's the root of all discomfort and imbalance. So my objective as a practitioner is to move that block through the channel and restore balance.

Hence.... Open Channel.

When I first applied to grad school five years ago, I had no idea I would have to become a business owner. I genuinely didn't even think that I'd be an acupuncturist once I finished the degree. Such is the mind of a 23 year old, right?

Now here I am, graduated and licensed and I fell deeply in love with this medicine. Sitting at my cluttered kitchen table writing a blog post about my career life. My very own website is up and live today, which I built, and it's my baby. All the pictures (unless credited to my colleagues) are right from my backyard. Those books in the pictures are really books I studied and put my blood, sweat, and tears into. Mostly tears. I drew many blanks while trying to word what it is I do and what it is I'm passionate about. I tried to keep it short and sweet so those unfamiliar with Chinese medicine didn't fall asleep on their keyboards or phones while I drone on and on.

So, take a look around the website. Questions or comments- I'd love to hear it all!

Why 'Open Channel'?

Today is the day!