Why 80% Isn't Good Enough

We've all heard of the 80/20 rule. It's become a way of thinking about almost everything in life—that a relatively small number of actions often produce the majority of our results.

But what if we applied that thinking to clinical practice?

Years ago, a teacher I respected said something that stopped me in my tracks.

"Don't fix the client completely. Leave them about 60% better so they'll come back."

I remember thinking, That isn't why I became a therapist.

My goal has never been to build a practice by creating repeat customers. If a client's problem can be resolved, then I want them to leave my clinic with the best outcome I can possibly help them achieve. If they never need to see me again because we've solved the problem, then I've done my job.

Of course, not every condition can be resolved in a single treatment. Chronic pain, longstanding dysfunction, and complex health concerns often require time, patience, and multiple sessions. But every time someone lies on my table, they receive everything I have in that moment—my full attention, my clinical reasoning, my intuition, and the best of my knowledge.

That is the standard I hold myself to.

Interestingly, clinical research recognizes that exceptionally effective treatments can create their own challenges. On occasion, trials have been stopped early because an intervention appears so beneficial that it becomes ethically difficult to continue withholding it from the control group. Researchers are also careful to interpret these studies cautiously because stopping a trial early can sometimes overestimate the true effect. That's good science. But it also reminds us that remarkable results are possible—and when they happen, they deserve careful investigation rather than immediate dismissal.

In everyday clinical practice, many therapies are considered successful if they produce meaningful improvements in a majority of patients. That's reasonable. But as practitioners, we don't have to let "good enough" become our personal standard.

For me, 80% isn't the finish line.

Every treatment is an opportunity to ask better questions, assess more carefully, choose more appropriate techniques, and think more deeply about what the body is communicating. Those are the things that elevate clinical outcomes—not luck, and not memorizing another protocol.

It's also why I teach the way I do.

Acupoint Alchemy isn't about collecting more points or learning another technique. It's about developing the clinical reasoning that helps you make better decisions. When you understand the relationships between the meridians, the patterns you're seeing, and the person in front of you, your treatments become more precise—and your results often improve as a consequence.

My methods won't resonate with everyone.

They're for practitioners who are genuinely curious. Those who aren't satisfied with doing something simply because they've always done it that way. Those who want to refine their thinking, trust their observations, and continue raising the standard of care they provide.

Because our clients deserve more than "good enough."

And so should we.

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