Qiological Podcast

Is it the end of the world, or the beginning of a new one?

That is the question of the day when cultures go through seatide changes. Ever since the turn into of this yin water rabbit year in February, we’ve been hearing about power, potential and perhaps peril of ChatGPT and the other Artificial Intelligences that have burst into the digital landscape.

What is in store for us as acupuncturists? That is the question I put to Heidi Lovie who has been getting her hands dirty with various kinds of silicon based intelligence for quite a few years now. You might not know this, but she can make Excel spreadsheet datasets dance and sing.

We practice old medicine and we live in the modern world. AI– it’s not going away.

Listen into this spirited conversation on data, signal, noise and in many ways, you’re already using AI

Visit the digital tip jar

The acupuncture channels are a curiosity that practitioners have puzzled, and argued, over for centuries. Even as these structures and processes so fundamental to life have been used for treatment and well being since Chinese medicine first began to emerge far beyond recorded history. In a sense, the channels are maps that help us to orient and navigate life, health and meaning.

In this conversation with Jason Brazil we discuss his voyage of discovery as he took his hand's on experience as a massage practitioner, and began to investigate the clock opposite organ pairs of the Chinese meridian flow clock. We'll touch on the importance of fostering a presence between practitioner and patient, the crucial role love and connection play in healing, the impact of self-cultivation on a healer's capacity to work and the way love creates a matrix of connection for healing and wellbeing.

Listen into this lively discussion of body constellations, qi maps, and the reminder to bring love into your practice.

Visit the digital tip jar

It can be hard, impossible perhaps, at the beginning to know that you’re at the start of a tidal shift. It’s only in looking back and connecting the pivotal moments that you can see a challenging moment didn’t happen to you, it happened for you. It’s only later that you can see how attempting to solve a troublesome problem would take you down a path your imagination couldn’t dream up in that moment.

In this conversation with John Scott we take a trip in the Wayback Machine to a time when acupuncture was more of a curiosity than a career. We look at the troubles and challenges of the late 60’s and early 70’s and how the influences of those times created opportunities that would in turn lay the groundwork for the profession we enjoy today.

Listen into this discussion of flower power, entrepreneurship and good old American ingenuity and self-reliance.

Visit the digital tip jar

There’s a saying that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Maybe. I suspect that it has something to do with the capacity of your 意 Yi to make meaning, and the vitality of the 志 Zhi to take that meaning and marry it to the sense of what you’re here to do in this post-heaven formed world of the created. 

In this conversation with Chris Shelton we hear how his troublesome childhood laid the groundwork for a qi gong practice that would not only help him to heal himself, but to be of service to others as well. We’ll touch on the impact of emotions on our physiology, the central practice of accountability and the importance of being both present and non-attached in the face of difficulties. 

Listen into this discussion of troubles, trauma and transformation.

Visit the digital tip jar

You probably have an image in your mind, and a feeling that goes with having had a bad marketing experience. But do you know what good marketing feels like? 

It feels like someone cares and is trying to be helpful.

Effective and ethical marketing is about connective communication and helping your patients to solve problems. 

In this conversation with Danielle Weil we focus on the importance of understanding our patient’s needs, and developing the skill to be  able to accurately describe their problems. We also discuss some basic copywriting frameworks that will help you both connect with your patients, and to invite them to take the next step in resolving their health concerns. Additionally we explore old school advertising and how to use AI to help with your marketing research and content creation.

Listen in for a lively discussion of marketing, copywriting and the effectiveness of mental shortcuts in decision-making and how to use them ethically to better get your message across to patients.

Visit the digital tip jar

East Asian medicine uses a completely different map of physiology and function from that of modern biomedicine to understand health and illness. It’s a set of tools and perspectives that gives us a unique look at the entanglements of function and form. And when using acupuncture to help our patients it’s all about the qi, right? Maybe not. 

In this conversation with Leah Fehres we consider the relationship between acupuncture points, nerve structures, and the body's intricate nervous and fascial systems. How the bifurcation of nerves is frequently the location of an acupuncture. And how traditional diagnostic methods might not reveal for us how we can consider neurophysiology in formulating an effective acupuncture treatment.

Listen in to this conversation that invites you to question traditional practices and embrace acupuncture through another lens.

Visit the digital tip jar

What’s more powerful, a whisper or a shout? What has more impact, a punch to the gut or an intended and targeted slight? Strength and power, these are two different things.

In this conversation with Bob Quinn we explore the gentle practice of using the Teishin, and the landscape that emerges as we attend both to the quiet sensitive aspect of the nervous system as it manifests in the skin, and our rooted sense of perception and attentiveness to the space we inhabit with our patients

Listen into this discussion on the potency that can arise from stillness and gentle quiet as you traverse ordinary and sacred space while listening through the teishin.

Visit the digital tip jar

Business and medicine are interwoven together. Both deeply connect people together through relationships that have an impact.. Yet it’s easy to see the business of medicine as something separate from the practice of medicine. Consider challenging the limiting paradigms and stories you might have on running a business in medicine.

A successful business is founded on the principles of providing honest value. And technological advances through social media give us the possibility of connecting with people who are looking for your services. It can be an opportunity to create something that reflects who you are and to promote our medicine by facilitating learning.

In this conversation with Jimmy Yen, we dig into the intersection of running a business and leveraging social media for your practice. We discuss self-cultivation, getting our hands dirty with the business of medicine, and the need to band together as Chinese practitioners for the betterment of our medicine. Jimmy also shares his perspective on social media and some tips to make it work for you.

Listen into this discussion on the business of medicine and the role of social media as a tool to promote our profession.

This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.

In the realm of East Asian medicine, uncertainty is a constant companion, a persistent reminder of the mystery of life. Like a meandering river, the health status of our patients is in a state of constant flux. It can be a daunting task to navigate these changing waters, but it is a challenge that we must embrace if we are to become better practitioners.

In the face of the unknown, we find the greatest opportunities for learning and healing. We are reminded to trust in the innate wisdom of the body, to be more attentive to the needs of our patients, more sensitive to the subtle cues of the body, and more attuned to our own habits of dealing with change and uncertainty.

In this conversation with Stephen Brown, we explore  different paradigms of medicine and how they impact our work. We talk about the need to embrace the unknown as a catalyst for growth, the importance of the patient's frame of mind, and how we can find meaning in our work. Stephen also shares some of Dr. Shudo Denmei’s perspectives and treatment techniques.

Listen into this discussion on navigating the fluid nature of our medicine and how the uncertainties can be learning opportunities.

Visit the digital tip jar

Medicine is always a discussion, Be it between practitioner and patient, between colleagues talking shop, or through the stream of history and commentary that accompany the classics of Chinese medicine. 

In this conversation with Dr. Shou-Chun Ma and Dan Bensky we discuss their recently published translation of the Shang Han Lun. And beyond that the importance of building a dimensional understanding between the text, your experience and clinical practice. How the essentials of the classics do not change, but the skills in applying them does. Along with a look at how different kinds of case histories can help to illuminate the text and our understanding, while others might be interesting, but ultimately not clinically helpful.

Listen into this conversation on tradition, doctor slams, how to avoid flattening your perspective on medicine and Dr. Ma’s insights into the Jueyin. 

Visit the digital tip jar