Alphabet Soup

Alphabet Soup

By Jeffrey Levin, LAc

 

            I’ll admit that I’m guilty too. There is no doubt that it generally takes a significant amount of sweat and tears to get some extra initials after ones name, especially if it has to be government approved. Our credentials are important to us. “PhD” or “MD” are probably the most impressive since that implies there’s the infamous “Dr” also in front of the name, an abbreviation sandwich. This signifies to me that whatever the true nature of their character, this person has displayed wit and will in their endeavors and are an intellect with which to be reckoned. But what about the rest of us, the mere mortals trying to make our mark in the professional world with lesser recognized abbreviations attached to us. We also want to have the weight of our efforts attached to our articles and business cards.

            However, these don’t seem to hold much credence if their meaning is unknown or lost. The general public cannot identify many of these abbreviation. In fact, I find that I cannot identify many of these abbreviations, nor can most of my colleagues. Being a yoga instructor and acupuncturist I’d like to think that I have a firm grasp on the intricacies of our community of alternative healers. Abbreviations such as PT, DC, ND, and LMT are second nature, and I assume these to be somewhat mainstream since they came up on my malpractice insurance application without definition. And insurance companies love to define things. I’d like to include LAc in that list of fame, but anything with both upper and lower case letters seems as if it’s trying too hard. In fact, initial internet searches to uncover the meaning of LAc first come up as “Linear Algebra Classes” and “Lactic Acid” before finding Licensed Acupuncturist. For the more esoteric ones, even a quick internet search comes up with the most ridiculous results.

            For Example, issue 18 of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy had an author with a CAS. I only could find this defined as “Collision Avoidance System.” This is truly a great skill to have in life, but I don’t think that was the intended meaning. I also found MS-CCC which was defined as “Mitotic Spindle Cell Cycle Checkpoint:” Probably not the right credential. I’ve thought about inventing my some of my own original initialized credentials. I wanted RCG for “Really Cool Guy,” but found out this was already taken by “Radioactive Concentration Guide” and “Reverse Cow Girl.” Further definitions of these are left to a more curious googler.

            Not all internet searches are fruitless. I managed to find with relative ease the definitions of FAAFP (Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians) and ABHM (Association of Behavioral Healthcare Management, assuming this is not the American Board of Hyperbaric Medicine). However, I have found that there is a direct correlation between the patience and diligence it takes to find a definition of an abbreviation and the bearer’s involvement in alternative medicine. Perusing the classified ads of any local alternative lifestyle magazine frequently leaves me baffled. Not only are obscure credentials abbreviated but also esoteric modalities such as TFT (Thought Field Therapy), NET (Neuro-emotional Technique)…

Those of us involved in alternative medicine and education are not alone symbolizing our pride. The Western Medical community is notorious for abbreviating words to absurdity. The Government and Military are also chronic abbreviators. Technology, Business and Science also fall into the category of the most guilty parties. Clearly, from this list, it is obvious that the fields which are attracted to abbreviated credentials carry a certain hubris. One might even go so far as to call them self-righteous. After all, these are all professions which run big things and do big things: they take lives, the save lives, and they advance the society in which we live.

Members of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine community also want a piece of the action. We put lots of time, effort, and money into our training, and we want to be recognized for it. Maybe, we even want to differentiate ourselves from more common yoga teachers, ones with “drive-through” certifications that take only a weekend or are purchased instantly online. The Yoga Alliance, with their wisdom and benevolence, has taken to endowing many of us with important credentials. My current favorite is “E-RYT-500.” This sounds more like the newest model of Robot to fight along side R2D2 or C3PO. Or, if it were designed by Apple Computers: the i-RYT-500.

Clearly, as alternative health care practitioners we want to be recognized, but, not just for what we’ve done. We also want to be recognized for what we can do. If our credentials are constantly abbreviated into a mixed up bowl of alphabet soup, how is the general public supposed to know what it is that we actually do. All I’m saying is, when in doubt, spell it out.

 

Jeffrey Levin, RCG (Really Cool Guy)