Qiological Podcast

Our tools don't just expand our faculties. They change what we can do by training our physical and cognitive senses. They temporarily become part of who we are. In a sense—we are the tool in our clinical work. We act as a kind of both filter and mirror for our patients, and help them tap into latent resources they did not know they had.

In this conversation with Gary Klepper, we investigate the idea of perceiving the Teishin as a listening post to amplify our attention and how to interpret and utilize that sensory stream of information within clinical settings. We also explore the topic of cultivation, working from home, and how online tools help open up new lines of communication to facilitate the practitioner-patient relationship.

Listen into this discussion on cultivating a personal relationship with the Teishin along with the other tools of our clinical trade, the role of the practitioner, and changing with the times.

Yin and Yang flow through every aspect of our lives. Understanding their ebb and flow gives us a glimpse into the nature of the universe, and our place in it. In our formed world forces exist to interact with the other; to maintain balance; to sustain life. This dynamic is one of the pillars of our medicine, which teaches that health arises from the harmony between people and nature. 

As Chinese medicine practitioners, facilitating balance is a central element of our trade. A question from today’s episode  is, can we master the integrity and awareness to articulate a connection between our work with our patients and the health of our planet? 

In this conversation with Nishanga Bliss, we  explore planetary health and climate change from the multiple lenses of Chinese medicine. Our medicine may be founded on the microcosm (humanity), but it is a reflection of the macrocosm (universe). We can use the useful lenses of Yin and Yang to better understand the state of planetary health and see the imbalances causing climate change, which Nishanga diagnoses as a deficiency of Yin.  She suggests that a seemingly small input can have dramatic systemic effects, like a well-placed acupuncture needle.

Listen into this discussion on the threat of climate change, electronic activism, and how Chinese medicine fits into this puzzle.

According to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” Imitation, observation, and reflection can help fine-tune our competencies, but true wisdom comes from experience.

When you practice acupuncture long enough; when you start to see the world through the lenses of Chinese medicine it begins to change your instinct. Putting your skin and heart in the game, creates the conditions and circumstances that allows the fundamentals of our medicine to teach you. It will change your perception and thinking. Gazing through the tides of Yin & Yang or the interplay of the 5 phases will awaken something that will allow you to see otherwise hidden things. There seems to be a spirit in the work we do.

In this conversation with David Allen, we touch on the curious path that brought him to Chinese medicine and pediatrics. He talks about the influence of a mentor and the idea of a native intelligence that points us in the direction of our hearts’ desire. We also riff a little on the malleability of acupuncture and the importance of reading between the lines in the clinic.

Listen into this discussion on the choices we make throughout our lives, the people who intersect us on our path, and how our hunches sometimes act as a reliable form of navigation.

When traveling do you turn on the GPS and follow the instructions, look at a map to orient yourself, or do you have a sense of the terrain and the capacity to navigate by landmarks, waterways and a sense of where north lies?

In your clinical work, are you orienting to a theory or idea, or toward something in the patient that is telling you in the moment what is needed? Are you working off a map, or attending to signals from the patient’s body and being?

In this conversation with Dan Bensky we investigate some listening tools that have their origin in Osteopathy, but also can be used to help us find acupuncture points and interact with them in a potent way. Furthermore, these methods can guide us in tracking the patient’s response to our interventions in real time.

Listen into this discussion on engaging our patients vitality through the use of palpation, sensing, and attention that will aid you in listening to the subtle messages from the patient’s body and qi.

The image of China’s Barefoot Doctors struck a resonant chord with those in the West who were looking for simple and effective means of helping people with medicine that was not tied to an established medical hierarchy.

In the late 60’s and early 70’s acupuncture had not made its way from the Chinese communities into the dominant culture. And the early adopters of Chinese medicine were just beginning to find their way to the East where they’d learn the language and medicine.

It was in this time that the Black Panthers and Young Lords in their work in building community resources came across acupuncture. And began to explore its use as a people’s medicine. And that connected with the groundbreaking addiction treatment work at Lincoln Hospital in The Bronx. This aspect of the history of acupuncture in the West has received little attention, but it caught the attention of Rachel Pagones, and she’s written a book about it.

Listen into this “community voices” conversation between Rachel and guest interviewer Beth Sommers on acupuncture as revolution and this grassroots effort of community organization, self-care and acupuncture.

Learning is continuous, not episodic. As the Chinese say, 活到老學到老, huo dao lao, xue dao lao, learn throughout your entire life. Resilience and capacity is built through the, at times, curious harvest of our experience. Life’s lessons don't come with a syllabus. Sometimes wisdom comes from misfortune; other times, you just stumble on it. Regardless, what we learn along the way helps us along the way.

"Listen to your elder's advice. Not because they are always right, but because they have more experience of being wrong."

Like the forces of Yin and Yang, learning in our healing enterprise is about striking a balance between confidence and doubt. It's about knowing when to double down, crack a book, or lean into the expertise patients have to offer.

In this conversation with Jessica Baer, we reflect on what she is discovering in the process of learning medicine and how all that might influence her future. We discuss the path that brought her to acupuncture school, how she's navigating the world of Chinese medicine as a student, and her future aspirations.

Listen into this discussion on the curious roads traveled that bring us to this present moment.