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  • Writer's pictureMarieke Pieterman, L.Ac.

We need more open-minded physicians like this one.....

Updated: Aug 27, 2018

By Marieke A. Pieterman

Hey Doc, should I try acupuncture for my pain?

I was so glad to see that this Canadian physician really reflected on the Hippocratic Oath and took it to heart in the midst of the opioid crisis when he said, "Given that 'do no harm' is one of the guiding principles of medicine, we need to seriously rethink our prescribing patterns."


In fact, he took it a step further! While he was intrigued by acupuncture, he had not felt comfortable recommending it to his patients, so he picked up the phone and scheduled an acupuncture appointment!


He suffered from left shoulder pain that seemed to bother him most in the morning. After his acupuncture treatment was over, he felt noticeably better. He had no shoulder pain, and he felt looser and more clear headed than he had before the treatment. He wondered if it was the placebo effect and how he could best explain what it was he was feeling. While he could not bring himself to admit that it worked, he did at least concede that if a patient were to ask him about trying acupuncture for pain, he would respond that "it's worth a shot!"


As a doctor, I didn’t think much of acupuncture. Then the opioid crisis arrived


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