Vol. 2 No. 1 (2023): Daily Practice

Note from the Editor:

Case report by case report, Convergent Points has made it to a year in publication!

The success of this endeavor, made of small, consistent efforts over time, is exemplified in the dedication of the practitioners and patients featured in this issue. Each case report describes a challenging condition of long duration. Each course of treatment required the willingness to investigate, to attend deeply, and to adapt. 

This approach is familiar to nearly any clinician in the field. Nonetheless, it is remarkable. It’s usually through mindful attention to the patient, the moment, and the practice that healing can be facilitated.

That attention is apparent in the careful literature review done by Dr. Jennifer Taylor to learn more about possible therapies for her patient’s excruciating interstitial cystitis (IC), a disease she had suffered for decades. 

Lyme disease, sometimes called “the great imitator” because of its wide range of signs and symptoms and misdiagnoses, is the very definition of a complex disorder. Through compassionate attention, Dr. Ashley Adams and her fellow authors Drs. Alyssa Hipple and S. Hunter Thompson untangled the patient’s presentation, provided effective care, and wrote a clear and rigorous report. 

Insomnia for years is a nightmare. Dr. Laura King helped her patient find lasting, restorative sleep, as documented by herself and her co-authors, Erin Langley and Benjamin Monti.

The characteristics of these conditions—the intense inflammation of IC, the changing patterns of Lyme disease, and the physiological need for sleep—all translate into daily clinical practices. It is by learning from each other, and taking things step by step, that we make progress.

If writing a case report of your own is a goal, you may be interested in this online learning course available through the Society for Acupuncture Research, which offers other research learning opportunities as well. Here is the link: https://www.acupunctureresearch.org/case-reports.

We at Convergent Points hope you’re inspired to take small, consistent actions in whatever art or discipline you practice!

Kathleen Lumiere, DAOM, LAc