How to Choose the Perfect
Acupuncture Clinic Name

What Not To Do!

While I was a student at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine I studied a famous classical Chinese text called the I Ching, or Book of Changes. This ancient text has gained some mainstream notoriety as a tool for divination using Hexagrams. The Hexagrams consist of a series of yin or yang lines which can be "static" or "changing". I was convinced that the name of my practice should be (drum roll)...

"Changing Lines"

I loved it! I thought it represented the dynamic changes that take place during healing. Plus it had personal meaning to me because I had changed my line of work by becoming an acupuncturist.

I even had the logo all figured out. So it would look something like this:

--------- X ---------

CHANGING LINES

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I was CERTAIN that this was the prefect name! I told all my friends in acupuncture school and they loved it too. I couldn't have been happier!

But then I asked some people outside of the TCM community what they thought of "Changing Lines". Actually I wasn't really asking their opinion as much as bragging and waiting to hear their praise.

So imagine my shock when I heard three different people say the phrase "changing lines" made them think of "lines of cocaine". (I don't know what that says about my friends!) A fourth person told me the name brought to mind "changing lanes in traffic". Well I clearly didn't want my beautiful healing center to bring up images of cocaine and traffic!

And that ended my dream of naming my acupuncture practice "Changing Lines".

Although I was disappointed I was glad I received honest feedback from people outside of the TCM community. After all, my future patients were most likely going to be people who never heard of things like, the "I Ching", "spirit gate", "tiger's mouth", or "Four Dragons", just to name a few. 

Tip: When you are choosing your acupuncture clinic name, realize that using "insider jargon" can be a barrier that prevents new people from seeking out your acupuncture services.


You see, the perpetual challenge of acupuncturists is educating the public about the amazing benefits of acupuncture. Acupuncture is strange enough for the first time patient. The more comfortable you can make a patient, even with something as simple as the name of your acupuncture practice, the easier it is for newcomers to transition into the unfamiliar world of acupuncture.

Plainly put, you are going to attract more people to your services if you choose an acupuncture clinic name like, "Vancouver Acupuncture & Holistic Health Services" than if you name it something (esoteric) like, "Points of Origin".

Want proof? Read, "What I Named My Acupuncture Practice" and how I continue to pay the consequences. 

Better yet, learn from my mistakes and follow these:

Important Tips on How to Name Your Acupuncture Practice