Antibiotics + TCM (Government and private sector)

[Guest guest]

I am interested in what you guys mean by your comments.

 

What does the Government do better than the private sector? Mike?

 

What part of supply and demand doesn't work for your Pete?

 

I believe there is a fine balance between Government and the private

sector that works well. Just enough freedom for creativity for the private

sector. Just enough control from the government to buffer the greedies.

 

Inevitably, if the Government is given too much power, it will make a

huge mess out of any situation and spend incredible amounts of money for the

privilege to do it.

 

Give the private sector to much freedom and the greedies will take

advantage of too many people.

 

Times change and the balance and power must change with it. However, I

cannot for the life of me, get why two wise people will say, " The Government

does things better than the private sector " , and " Supply and demand doesn't

work " .

 

Comments?

 

Chris

 

In a message dated 4/17/2005 3:26:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

petet writes:

mike Bowser wrote:

> Actually and in many ways the government is more efficient at its

> performance than the private sector. This does not boast well for letting

> the markets remain in control.

 

Hi Mike!

 

Yes, I am trying to use supply and demand in my practice, isn't really

working.

 

Regards,

 

Pete

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Isn't it written somewhere in the Dao I Ching that the best

government is the one where the people don't know the name

of the king. [everything functions without subjectivity]

 

Ed Kasper LAc. Santa Cruz, CA

(we take names, here)

[Guest guest]

Ed wrote " Isn't it written somewhere in the Dao I Ching that the best

government is the one where the people don't know the name

of the king. [everything functions without subjectivity] "

 

The quote you are likely referring to Ed, is when Lao Tzu discusses how the

highest intervention goes unnoticed by those helped. When such leadership has

helped the people, they look around and say " It is we ourselves who have made it

so. "

 

I often think the best healing happens the same way - the patient does not even

realize their improvement was due to the healer's subtle intervention. I

remember one particular patient 15 years ago who told me she would no longer be

coming in for treatment of her chronic headaches because the few treatments I

had done had not helped but also because she just figured out that her headaches

were brought on by how angry she got with people around her. She realized this

and was now working through these emotions and her headaches had stopped! I

didn't even try to tell her that her sudden ability to " figure this out " after

20 plus years of headaches was part of the treatment. As far as she knew it was

she herself who had made it so and that was fine with me.

 

Lao Tzu's elucidator - Chuan Tzu - took this concept even further in one of his

parables. He tells the tale of the students of a great teacher who had recently

passed away. People came from far and wide to pay their respects to this teacher

they admired so much. One of the top students however, was visibly quite

despondent by the throngs of admirers who had shown up. " Why are you so upset? "

one of his fellow students asked. " These people are just showing their respect

for a teacher they admired " The other student said " I used to think our teacher

was great but now I know this is not the case. If he truly was a teacher of the

highest truth, he would have gone unrecognized by the masses. "

 

Matthew Bauer

 

 

-

Ed Kasper LAc

Chinese Medicine

Sunday, April 17, 2005 5:22 PM

RE: Antibiotics + TCM (Government and private sector)

 

 

Isn't it written somewhere in the Dao I Ching that the best

government is the one where the people don't know the name

of the king. [everything functions without subjectivity]

 

Ed Kasper LAc. Santa Cruz, CA

(we take names, here)

 

 

 

 

http://babel.altavista.com/

 

and adjust

accordingly.

 

 

If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics, click

on this link

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Musiclear wrote:

 

<snip>

 

>

> What part of supply and demand doesn't work for your Pete?

 

Hi Chris!

 

If I were " wise " I wouldn't have this problem. I have posted about this

before, maybe you missed it.

 

I open the clinic and decide to charge $50 for treatments, which is a

little less than everyone else. I advertise heavily and get one patient.

So I cut the rate to $32 or less, advertise that and get a couple of

patients, but not enough that I can quit my night job.

 

If supply and demand worked I would have quite a few patients. Demand is

*supposed* to go up as the price goes down. I am $18 below the market

for heaven's sake! So much for supposed.

 

What seems to be working for successful practitioners around here is

rich boyfriends/husbands. The wife's acupuncture clinic is a tax

write-off against the couple's real income. She can charge whatever,

doesn't matter if she works or not, as long as she is happy.

 

Regards,

 

Pete

[Guest guest]

Hi Pete,

 

That is just a shame. Being able to quit the day job is a common problem

with people trying to break into the acupuncture market. I wish you the best

in opening your market share.

 

To address the supply and demand thing, what you seem to be describing is

exactly how supply and demand works. From my interpretation of what you

wrote, it seems that the successful Acupuncturists are not working much in your

area. Maybe I misread your intent, but when the market doesn't supply

successful practitioners, then chances are the market won't supply a new

practitioner

either. That is unless you give them a new reason to come to you instead of

their regular doctor.

 

A lot of people don't realize what Acupuncture can do. You may want to

assess your area, gauge the kind of care that is most needed, and market

specifically to that need. Often, particular communities lend themselves to a

particular niche. Once you've cracked it, it is easier to expand your marketing

and care.

 

Sometimes if you market a specialty, not only does it help educate the

community about something they probably didn't know about, but it sets you up as

an " expert " in that area, and that goes a long way to making you more

desirable as a practitioner.

 

Good luck and thanks for answer my question.

 

Chris

 

In a message dated 4/18/2005 2:43:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time, petet

writes:

Hi Chris!

 

If I were " wise " I wouldn't have this problem. I have posted about this

before, maybe you missed it.

 

I open the clinic and decide to charge $50 for treatments, which is a

little less than everyone else. I advertise heavily and get one patient.

So I cut the rate to $32 or less, advertise that and get a couple of

patients, but not enough that I can quit my night job.

 

If supply and demand worked I would have quite a few patients. Demand is

*supposed* to go up as the price goes down. I am $18 below the market

for heaven's sake! So much for supposed.

 

What seems to be working for successful practitioners around here is

rich boyfriends/husbands. The wife's acupuncture clinic is a tax

write-off against the couple's real income. She can charge whatever,

doesn't matter if she works or not, as long as she is happy.

 

Regards,

 

Pete

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Chris,

One very large and obvious example is the administration of healthcare

benefits, thru Medicare. Up until Bush's plan to divert funding directly to

the pharmaceutical companies, this program has been more cost effective than

any other program in the US history. HMO's and insurance companies comand

from 20-30% administrative costs as compared to the lower government

administrative costs of 1%. Not all government is bad. We many times tend

to forget that big business is deciding how government operates and therein

lies the problem. A conlfict of interest so damaging that it pulls at the

very fabric of our government. Should oil company lobbyists and executives

decide our national energy policies? I think not. I hope this answers your

question.

 

 

 

Mike W. Bowser, L Ac

 

 

 

>Musiclear

>Chinese Medicine

>Chinese Medicine

>Re: Antibiotics + TCM (Government and private sector)

>Sun, 17 Apr 2005 08:32:29 EDT

>

>

> I am interested in what you guys mean by your comments.

>

> What does the Government do better than the private sector? Mike?

>

> What part of supply and demand doesn't work for your Pete?

>

> I believe there is a fine balance between Government and the private

>sector that works well. Just enough freedom for creativity for the private

>sector. Just enough control from the government to buffer the greedies.

>

> Inevitably, if the Government is given too much power, it will make a

>huge mess out of any situation and spend incredible amounts of money for

>the

>privilege to do it.

>

> Give the private sector to much freedom and the greedies will take

>advantage of too many people.

>

> Times change and the balance and power must change with it. However,

>I

>cannot for the life of me, get why two wise people will say, " The

>Government

>does things better than the private sector " , and " Supply and demand doesn't

>work " .

>

> Comments?

>

> Chris

>

> In a message dated 4/17/2005 3:26:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

>petet writes:

>mike Bowser wrote:

> > Actually and in many ways the government is more efficient at its

> > performance than the private sector. This does not boast well for

>letting

> > the markets remain in control.

>

>Hi Mike!

>

>Yes, I am trying to use supply and demand in my practice, isn't really

>working.

>

>Regards,

>

>Pete

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Mike, i am not sure medicare is more efficient than Kaiser.

I will try to find out what Kaiser administration costs are

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

These are figures that are being tossed around right now. I had a stint

where I worked for a company that collected money for medical claims from

the insurance companies. My own experience was that insurance co were very

inefficient and no one seemed to know what is going on. Bureaucracy has

made them fat as well. This is also why CA and MN legislation is being

considered to create a single payer universal coverage system. This would

eliminate the insurance co and HMO, which have not shown that they have

saved people any money. Hope this helps.

 

 

Mike W. Bowser, L Ac

 

 

 

> " " <alonmarcus

>Chinese Medicine

><Chinese Medicine >

>Re: Antibiotics + TCM (Government and private sector)

>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 19:07:17 -0500

>

>Mike, i am not sure medicare is more efficient than Kaiser.

>I will try to find out what Kaiser administration costs are

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

These are figures that are being tossed around right now.

>>>Most HMOs i incredibly inefficient and only take money away from patient

care. Kaiser however is very efficient probably because it is a non profit org

run by physicians.