Intern Reflection 5: K.G. 6/22/16

 

This was the first time I had treated a friend in clinic and I was curious to see how I would feel about it. I had heard from many differing opinions on how it felt treating family and friends. Some people were specifically getting into TCM in order to care for sick family members while others swore they would never treat a friend or family member.
  The actual treatment went well. I think K.G. was a good first candidate to do this with because she isn't shy or uncomfortable about sharing information about her personal health in general. We have an easy report but didn't take up too much time with personal conversation.
   The most difficult part came later when we were at a dinner party a couple weeks later. In front of the whole group she brought up the treatment and how well it went and how well the herbs were working. It started a conversation about TCM, which I was excited about. Someone asked me about what types of conditions TCM is "good for" and as I started listing things I had to bite my tongue because I almost stated what K.G. had come in for. Later in the conversation K.G. brought it up herself but I realized at that moment just how dangerous to HIPPA treating family and friends can be. It was a good lesson to have early on, though it didn't scare me away from wanting to treat family and friends. It just served as a reminder of how careful one must be in social situations (especially if you've had a glass of wine!).