Zwischen Himmel und Erde

In this episode, journalist and TCM practitioner Anne Hardy speaks with Beverley Ann de Valois, a leading researcher and acupuncturist in integrative oncology. They discuss how acupuncture can help people living with and beyond cancer, which indications are best supported, and when practitioners must be especially cautious. The conversation centres on a new international, peer‑reviewed expert opinion that updates safe‑practice recommendations for acupuncture in cancer care.

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Beverley Ann de Valois is a licensed acupuncturist, researcher, and author with more than 25 years’ experience in supportive cancer care. She helped establish some of the first UK acupuncture clinics dedicated to cancer survivors and is the author of Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship. Her work focuses on safe, evidence‑informed acupuncture for people living with and beyond cancer.

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In this episode, journalist and TCM practitioner Anne Hardy (Frankfurt/Main, Germany) talks with Kajsa Landgren about one of the most hyped trends on social media: the so called “migraine piercing,” better known as the daith piercing. Together, they explore what is behind the claim that daith piercing relieves migraine, what we actually know from research, and how all of this relates to both Western and Chinese understandings of auricular acupuncture.

Kajsa Landgren is an acupuncturist with a PhD in nursing and a registered nurse with specialist training in psychiatry. She has worked as a lecturer and researcher at Lund University in Sweden, where she conducted, among other things, studies on ear acupuncture in psychiatric care. Outside the university, she trains ear acupuncturists together with Stina Norbye, offering a course in ear acupuncture that includes women’s health, as well as trainings in NADA acupuncture.

Kajsa is the author of “Ear Acupuncture – A Practical Guide” and “NADA – Ear Acupuncture for Addiction and Mental Illness.” Her new book, “Neuromodulation via Ear Acupuncture and Ear Acupressure. A Theoretical and Practical Guide for Evidence Based Practice,” will be published in Swedish and English in April, with a German translation to follow before the summer.

In this conversation, we discuss:

This episode is for anyone curious about the intersection of body modification, neuromodulation, and acupuncture – from TCM practitioners and other health professionals to patients wondering whether a daith piercing could be a serious option for migraine prevention.

Polyneuropathie ist eine der häufigsten neurologischen Erkrankungen und tritt besonders häufig als Folge von Diabetes mellitus auf. Typische Symptome sind Taubheit, Kribbeln, Brennen oder Schmerzen in Füßen und/oder Händen, die sich im Verlauf auf Beine und Arme ausbreiten können. Für viele Betroffene ist die Behandlung unbefriedigend.

In dieser Podcastfolge spricht der Neurologe Dr. Sven Schröder über den Einsatz von **Akupunktur bei Polyneuropathie **– basierend auf wissenschaftlichen Studien und klinischer Erfahrung. Während die Schulmedizin Polyneuropathien meist mit Antidepressiva oder Antiepileptika behandelt, begann Dr. Schröder bereits 2007, die Wirksamkeit der Akupunktur systematisch zu untersuchen.

Zentrale Erkenntnisse aus Forschung und Praxis:

Wichtig zu wissen:

Besonders effektiv ist laut Dr. Schröder die Behandlung, wenn sie auch die anderen Behandlungsarten der Chinesischen Medizin einbezieht: chinesische Arzneimittel, individuelle Ernährungsberatung, Tuina (chinesische Massagetherapie) sowie Qi Gong/Tai Chi. Alle diese Behandlungen werden am Hanse Merkur-Zentrum für Chinesische Medizin am Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf (UKE) eingesetzt.

Diese Folge richtet sich an:

**Notiz für Therapeut:innen: **

Die Wirkung kann durch das lokalisierte Blutenlassen verstärkt werden

Die im Podcast erwähnte Rezeptur ist Liu Wei Di Huang Wan + Niu Xi (Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae) + Che Qian Zi (Semen Plantaginis)

Zur Person:

Publikationen zu Akupunktur bei Polyneuropathie mit praktischen Hinweisen zur Therapie:

Up-Down Pulse diagnosis is a system Dr. Steve Zhu from Sichuan has learned from Master Fu. In an interview with Lucia Deyi at the TCM Kongress Rothenburg he explained how he got to appreciate this technique and how he uses it in the clinic.

In his daily practice Steve Zhu treats more than 100 patients per day. So he spend about 4 to 6 minutes per consultation. In this situation he relies heavily on feeling the pulse even before the patient has started to explain their problems. It is also a help to be more objective when feeling the pulse. And it calms the patient who comes into the treatment room from waiting in a very busy clinical surrounding.

When Steve Zhu first learned the Up-Down Pulse diagnosis Dr. Fu told him to keep it secret. Now his Master who is 82 years old has allowed him to teach this technique.

This podcast is in English with a German introduction.

Steve Zhu is a PhD of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. He graduated from Chengdu University of TCM. During his studies he learned from TCM masters such as Master Fu who taught him the up-down pulse diagnosis. Zhu is Chief Physician of Leshan Qibo TCM clinic and director of the Chinese Medicine Department at People’s Hospital of Leshan, Sichuan, China.

Engaging Vitality is a combination of East Asian Medicine with mostly palpatory tools from osteopathy. Dan Bensky who has degrees in both disciplines, began to develop this kind of embodied medicine in the 1980s and in the 1990’s. He started to work on it with Chip Chace. Joined by Marguerite Dinkins in the 2000’s it has been taught as “Engaging Vitality” since 2010.

In the podcast, Dan Bensky explains some of the core concepts of Engaging Vitality. One important attitude is to be in a Wuwei state of mind. This means: paying attention in a loosely focused way instead of looking for things. Separating sensation from interpretation. “You want to feel what’s there. Not what’s there in response to you”, says Dan.

To get the most out of Engaging Vitality, Dan recommends to do the palpatory exam before knowing anything about the patient. His aim is to find the area of the body that is not working well and has the biggest impact on the rest of the body. Thinking and trying to make sense of what you have noticed is the second step. Dan has experienced that even if in some cases he didn’t understand what was going on, he did his treatment and could later see why it had worked.

Dan says: “When I palpate or talk to people and find that my original idea was wrong, I’m very happy because it means I’m paying attention. Then I can correct myself.”

At the TCM Kongress Rothenburg, Dan Bensky and his team will give a hands-on class on Engaging Vitality on Saturday, May 31st 2025.

Dan Bensky will also give a workshop on the Shang Han Lun on Wednesday, May 28th 2025.

The Art of Yang Sheng – Nourishment of Life – has a long tradition in China. What can we learn from this ancient wisdom today?

In Chinese culture, the idea of life after death is not as widespread as in Christian or Islamic cultures. For this reason, the Chinese have always asked themselves how they can make life on earth as healthy and pleasant as possible. This is why there is an unbroken tradition of teachings for the nourishment of life that goes back more than 2000 years. From the cradle to the grave, there are recommendations for all phases of life.

In the podcast, Peter Deadman discusses which recommendations are important for us today. In view of an ageing society with many chronically ill people, the healthcare system is increasingly reaching its limits. Prevention and healthy ageing are more important than ever. And in contrast to China, more and more people in western cultures suffer from loneliness and isolation. This is detrimental to physical and mental health.

Peter Deadman stresses the importance of keeping the whole body in flowing movements throughout the day. According to modern scientific findings, this is better than sitting or lying down for 23 hours a day and exhausting yourself in an hour of sport. As the author of a recently published book on Qigong, he recommends this form of exercise, which brings body, energy and mind into harmony.

Links zu kostenlosen Qigong Videos von Peter Deadman:

“Vitalpilze”, „Medizinalplize“ oder “Heilpilze” ist ein Sammelbegriff für heilsame Pilze aus allen unterschiedlichen Kulturen. Sei es aus Japan, China oder auch der Maya-Kultur. Pilze sind vielfältig: Sie ergänzen die Nahrung mit wichtigen Nährstoffen, wie Proteinen. Als Heilpilze helfen sie Erschöpften auf die Beine, regulieren den Stoffwechsel oder wirken auf das Herz-Kreislaufsystem.

Im Podcast erklärt die promovierte Biologin und TCM-Therapeutin Ines Brüntrup wie sie Heilpilze verschreibt. Sei es als Zusatz zu einer Chinesischen Arzneimittel-Rezeptur oder in Form vom Kapseln, die zum Essen eingenommen werden. Was man beachten muss, um Pilze in guter Qualität zu erhalten. Und welche Teile der Pilze verwendet werden.

Sie gibt Indikationen für die bekanntesten Heilpilze an. Etwa für den fast weltweit verbreiteten Reishi (glänzender Lacksporling) – ein Powerpilz, der langfristig in niedriger Dosierung eingenommen werden kann. Bei Burnout und Long-Covid-Folgen setzt sie gern einen weiteren Powerpilz ein, Cordiceps sinensis (Dong Chong Xia Chao). Der Pilz Auricularia cornea, zu deutsch: Judasohr, ist bei Gefäßerkrankungen indiziert, Polyporus bei Diabetes und Maitake bei Stoffwechselerkrankungen.

Allerdings ist bei Heilpilzen von der Selbstmedikation abzuraten. Als Patient:in sollte man sich an hierfür ausgebildete TCM-Therapeut:innen wenden.

Jonathan Chang is a TCM doctor with a practice in Beijing and a former student of Wang Ju-Yi. Dr. Wang researched and explored the classics while applying that wisdom to the modern practice of acupuncture. His book, Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine is one of the most popular texts on acupuncture studies worldwide. In this podcast with Lucia Deyi at the TCM Kongress Rothenburg 2024, Jonathan Chang shares experiences from his journey with Dr. Wang.

Chang explains why channel palpation was neglected for a long time in the practice of Chinese Medicine and how Dr. Wang rediscovered its importance when he was a young doctor working in the hospital, examining channel anatomy. Wang concluded that channels and acupoints are the empty spaces, holes or crevices between structures like muscles, tissues, and blood vessels. Upon integrating these findings into practice, Dr. Wang was able to not only improve, but in addition further develop ancient meridian theory for modern clinical contexts.

Jonathan Chang also talks about his teacher’s understanding of Shen disorders. Unfortunately, his remarks on this subject where partly lost due to a technical problem. The interview concludes with comments on De Qi as well as the concept of Yu (郁), which provides an essential context for understanding depression and anxiety from a TCM perspective.

More about Applied Channel Theory:

Podcast: “Dialogues on Applied Channel Theory” by Jonathan Chang and Jason Robertson.

Book: Wang Ju-yi, Jason Robertson: Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine: Wang Ju-yi's Lectures on Channel Therapeutics. Eastland Press 2008. ISBN: 9780939616626.

People in Western societies often suffer from “Shen dysregulation,” even if just for part of the day, observes British-American herbalist Peter Holmes. In the podcast recorded at the TCM Kongress Rothenburg, Germany, he differentiates certain mental-emotional symptoms, such as distraction and confusion, that are clearly different from those of Shen agitation and Shen weakness.

Shen dysregulation is commonly seen and actually precedes the more obvious states of Shen agitation and weakness. It often occurs, for example, in people over-exposed to input and information from electronic media, with multitasking and loss of mental focus as key aspects here. In the podcast, Peter names several acupuncture points for regulating the Shen.

As a herbal medicine practitioner, Peter Holmes has always been very much interested in modern pharmacological research on Chinese Herbs; he discusses his favorite two herbs, Wu Wei Zi (Fructus Schisandrae) and Nu Zhen Zi (Fructus Ligustri). They support brain and neuroendocrine function, and exert superb regulating effects on the immune system.

As Western herbs for Shen disorders he exceptionally recommends Echinacea and Calendula, among others. According to new research, Echinacea improves brain functions by eliminating toxins and resolving damp, and as a result also regulates immune functions, regardless of the type of dysfunction.

Peter Holmes has also pioneered the use of essential oils with acupuncture. He briefly explains the method used in this new treatment modality called Aroma Acupoint Therapy. This approach has good results especially in severe chronic cases, and with Shen disturbance present. It combines well with herbal and nutritional treatment.

More information on future classes taught by Peter Holmes:

In Germany for ABZ-Mitte, Offenbach:

In Austria for Wiener Schule für TCM:

Online for Snow Lotus Seminars:

In diesem Podcast spricht René van Osten über die Bedeutung des Yi Jing – dem Buch der Wandlung. Wer sich einmal mit den darin enthaltenen Weisheiten beschäftigt, den wird es nicht mehr loslassen und es ist nie zu spät, sich intensiver in das Yi Jing zu vertiefen.

In diesem Interview geht es um die Grundelemente der einzelnen Hexagramme, nämlich der Trigramme und die Verknüpfung mit dem Wissen der TCM. Außerdem spricht René van Osten über die Bedeutung des diesjährigen Hexagramms.

Das Yi Jing wird auch oft als „Buch der Wandlungen“ übersetzt. Es hat seinen Ursprung im China von vor ungefähr 3000 Jahren und ist eines der ältesten erhaltenen Weisheitsbücher. Es basiert auf der Vorstellung, dass alles im Universum einem ständigen Wandel unterworfen ist. Die Hexagramme des Yi Jing symbolisieren diese Kräfte und Energien des Wandels und geben Anweisungen, wie man sich in verschiedenen Situationen am besten verhält.

Richard Wilhelm gebührt Dank und Wertschätzung dafür, dass er das Yi Jing aus dem Chinesischen ins Deutsche übertragen hat. Seit dem Erscheinen der Übersetzung im Jahr 1923 ist uns dieses Werk dadurch zugänglich. Es hat eine beträchtliche Anzahl von Menschen angezogen, darunter so bekannte Persönlichkeiten wie C.G. Jung und Hermann Hesse. Hermann Hesse hat seine Faszination für das Yi Jing in seinem Roman „Das Glasperlenspiel“ verarbeitet.

Das Yi Jing eröffnet neue Sichtweisen auf das Leben und hilft, sich selbst und die Welt um uns herum besser zu verstehen.

Die Powerpoint-Folien zum Podcast finden Sie hier als pdf-Version.

Die Videoversion mit allen Bildern und Folien finden Sie bei YouTube unter: