Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robert Prokop. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Robert, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

The aspect of Corporate America that exists within my line of work is the healthcare industry. For me, the first thing that comes to mind is the perception of Chinese Medicine that is broadly held by the healthcare industry/allopathic medicine. It tends to be viewed as fringe, new age, or just placebo. Some hold the belief it is dangerous, but so is allopathic medicine if not practiced correctly. I want to emphasize that I have many patients who are psychologists, internists, surgeons, dentists, teachers in medical institutions, and more. I receive referrals from many allopathic medical professionals, and I also come up against allopathic professionals when they advise their patients against seeking out Chinese Medicine. I am saying this to emphasize that I am speaking to a broader view of Chinese Medicine in the US, as opposed to individual professional’s views on it. I think some of the confusion around what we do is grounded in the fact that a lot of people who are part of the allopathic medical community, whether as practitioners or patients, don’t realize the level of education that goes into Chinese Medicine. In order to practice in the US, acupuncturists typically have a Master’s degree at a minimum, and that takes about four years of graduate level education and clinic hours. Within those four years we are educated extensively in physiology and anatomy, Western disease patterns, red flags for when to refer someone, and much more. On the practice management end we are educated in proper notation, pharmaceuticals, herb/drug interactions, as well as insurance billing protocols. This education in Western Medicine is occurring while we are also learning the systems, applications, theories, and protocols of Chinese Medicine as well. Outside of those four years, the educational foundation sets us up to learn and develop integrative specialties, be in network with most major insurance companies (including billing through Medicare for certain conditions), and work in research and teaching roles. There is a scale and depth to Chinese Medicine that makes it its own medical system, and that system can be applied to standard Allopathic Medicine with incredible results. The perception of how much education Chinese Medicine practitioners have isn’t the only thing though, the healthcare industry is also co-opting acupuncture while simultaneously slandering its reputation. I am referring specifically to the professional plagiarism and systemic racism embedded in the practice of dry needling.

Dry needling is a technique used by physical therapists and other practitioners in the US who are not acupuncturists, and it’s used for chronic pain and injury recovery. Dry needling is the practice of inserting “dry needles” (filiform/acupuncture needles) into trigger points and manipulating them to achieve therapeutic results. That is what acupuncture is! What the healthcare industry is doing is whitewashing the practice of acupuncture by stripping the 5,000 years of language and theory from Chinese Medicine and calling it by a different name, then claiming they’ve invented a new system. It is confusing and can be dangerous for patients. Practitioners who apply dry needling are minimally trained in needling technique, and many injuries such as pneumothorax (lung puncture) and nerve damage occur as a result. I often have new patients come in and tell me they’ve received acupuncture in the past from their physical therapist or chiropractor and it made their condition worse. What they actually had was dry needling, and whether the physical therapist promoted it as acupuncture or not, it is so blatantly the same technique done poorly that patients can’t tell the difference and may think acupuncture is ineffective or dangerous.

I think there are plenty more things that Corporate America gets wrong about my industry, but those are some of the things that I have personally encountered.

Robert, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a licensed acupuncturist and the founder of Wind Gate Wellness. I have been in business in Baltimore City for almost seven years and I love it! I have over ten years of education in the field of Integrative healthcare and Chinese Medicine, as well as education in holistic and clinical nutrition. I practice acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Eastern bodywork, sports medicine acupuncture, and cosmetic acupuncture. I also have specialty training in integrative gastroenterology, gynecology, endocrinology, external medicine, and oncology. I got started on this path when I was studying Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University. Back then I was a consulting hypnotist and wanted to broaden my education into different healing modalities. I began taking classes in herbal medicine and psychology of the five elements (a theory of Chinese Medicine) and fell in love with it. I have been continuously learning and practicing ever since I first discovered this path!
I love nature and being active outdoors in every season, and I am currently presenting quarterly community workshops with the central library in Baltimore City to educate people on seasonal health and wellness topics. I am really passionate about working within my community to promote health and wellness and am happy that so much of my personal interests, hobbies, and goals can educate others and help to make their lives easier!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

While I think this is true in any field, for me it has been full time practice and continuing education. There is so much knowledge in the field of Chinese and Western medicine with a seemingly endless list of theories and treatment strategies. The more I integrate and study over my years of practice, the better and more confident I become. I am always adapting the way that I treat and implementing new techniques. Patients can see that both in the conversations I have with them and in the actual treatment itself.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There was a time in my career when I realized I had to be a more adaptive practitioner, and that’s when I began to focus on continuing education programs. It’s not that I was doing anything wrong, but I could tell I wasn’t as strong a provider as I could be, and that lack of confidence reflected in my business’s growth as well. The only two options I had at that point were to adapt and grow to keep the practice moving forward and meet the goals I set for myself, or slowly go out of business and find a new job where I didn’t need to have as much knowledge and motivation.

Contact Info:

• Website: windgatewellness.com
• Instagram: @windgatebaltimore
• Other: email: [email protected]