How did Blue Poppy get its name?

The Blue Poppy name refers to the flowers carried by the Tibetan Buddhist goddess Green Tara, or Drolma. Tara is traditionally depicted holding a large blue flower in each of her two hands. Called utpala in Sanskrit, Bob and Honora's Tibetan Buddhist teachers equated these flowers with the Himalayan blue poppy, Meconopsis betanifolia. In Tibetan, drol-ma means the liberating mother or the Mother of Liberation. She hold one hand up, signifying there is nothing to fear, and one hand down, meaning that everything one needs is there before them. Since 1977, all of Bob's business ventures have carried the Blue Poppy name.

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How can I get in touch with Blue Poppy Herbs, Blue Poppy Press or Blue Poppy Institute?

For toll free in the U.S., call 800-487-9296. Local customers, call 303-447-8372. Fax: 303-245-8362 Or, email us at: Info@bluepoppy.com.

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Does Blue Poppy make patient referrals to practitioners?

Sorry, we don't. We do not feel that it is appropriate for us to recommend one practitioner over another. There are a number of on-line referral sources and services for professional practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Many of these can be reached through our "Links" section. Acupuncture.com is a good place to start.

We do recommend prospective patients interview practitioners before selecting one. Some of the questions you might consider asking include:

• Where were you trained and for how long?
• How long have you been in practice?
• Are you nationally certified? If not, why not?
• Are you state licensed? If not, why not?
• Are you trained specifically to treat my condition?
• Have you treated my specific condition before?
• If so, how many cases and with what results?
• Based on your experience, what modalities can I expect you will use to treat me and my condition?
• How long will treatment last?
• How much can I expect treatment to cost?
• Can you give me any references of patients who you have treated with my condition? I understand that you may have to get their permission first due to patient confidentiality issues.
• Can you categorize your practice as belonging to any particular schools or styles, such as TCM, Worselyan Five Element, or Japanese Meridian Therapy?
• Do you belong to any state or national professional associations?
• Have you ever been brought up on charges by your state board or the Board of Medical Examiners? If so, what was the disposition of these charges?

Based on this interview, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Was I able to communicate easily and completely with this person? Did they understand my needs and concerns, and did I understand their answers and explanations?
• How did I feel emotionally about their communication? Did they sound caring and compassionate?
• On the other hand, did they communicate in an appropriately professional manner?
• Did they sound like they had the knowledge and experience I want in a professional health care provider?
• Did they sound like they were specifically knowledgeable and experienced in terms of my personal major complaint?

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Does Blue Poppy make referrals to specific schools to those wanting to enter the acupuncture-Chinese medical profession?

Sorry, we don't. We also do not feel that it is appropriate for us to recommend one school over another. At this time, there are more than 50 schools of acupuncture and Chinese medicine operating in North America with new ones cropping up all the time. Just as there are some questions we feel are appropriate to ask as prospective patients, there are also some questions we suggest asking when you are considering one school or another:

• How long has the school been in operation?
• Is the school a non-profit educational corporation or a privately owned, for profit business?
• Is the school accredited? If not, why not?
• Is the school a member of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine? If not, why not?
• Does the school teach or emphasize a particular style of acupuncture or Asian medicinal?
• What is the minimum number of years teachers must have been in clinical practice before being hired?
• What are the academic credentials necessary to be hired as a teacher?
• Are all instructors capable of reading and researching the Asian medical literature in at least one Asian language?
• How are instructors found, i.e., are instructors simply hired from the pool of local practitioners, or are the best possible teachers found through a national talent search?
• What are instructors paid, i.e., are they professional teachers, not just professional practitioners supplementing their income part time by teaching?
• What credentials in terms of teaching, communication, adult education, and public speaking does the school require of its instructors? In other words, the main duty of a teacher is to communicate. That is a teacher's primary profession. That is even more important than being an expert in their field of instruction. Therefore, how have they been trained and tested in that role as communicators in an English language setting for American adults?
• Does the school curriculum meet the requirements to sit for the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists and Chinese Herbs?
• Does the school meet the requirements of the state in which you hope to eventually practice?
• Does the school have stringent academic prerequisites for admission that it consistently follows?
• Does the school have stringent academic performance requirements for currently matriculated students that it consistently follows?
• Is there a professional Dean who is trained in academic theory and administration and is not just a professional practitioner?
• Does the school teach a reading knowledge of modern medical Chinese or some other Asian language?
• Does the school require all students to study at least one Asian language during their course of training?
• Does the school have a well-stocked library for study and research?
• Does the school have a standard technical terminology which all teachers are required to use in order to make cross-referencing of materials from different classes and instructors possible?
• Does the school feel emotionally supportive of its students and faculty?
• Does the school have courses that adequately prepare its graduates to act as entrepreneurs in the marketplace since most graduates run private practices, i.e., small businesses?
• Does the school have a teaching clinic staffed by experienced teachers who all practice essentially the same style so that clinical instruction is consistent and not contradictory or capricious?
• How do current students feel about their education? Do they feel it is academically sufficient? Do they feel it is clinically sufficient?
• Does the school have a relationship with any Asian school of acupuncture or Asian medicine where students can continue either their academic education or clinical internship?

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