Qiological Podcast

It’s not hard to study acupuncture these days. A quick internet search will bring up plenty of choices. But back in the 1980’s, it was a different story.Our guest, like many of us, did not set out to become an acupuncturist. It was a process of fortuitous circumstances that opened those doors.Listen into this conversation that covers some of the early days of acupuncture in New York City at the beginning of AIDS epidemic. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

The Yi Jing speaks in the language of image, resonance and metaphor. Its not a good place to go for direct answers, but can be helpful in finding some guidence.Our converation today touches not just on the ways it is used for divination, but more importantly how it is a mirror and once you have a knack for it, you don’t need it for divination. We discuss how the commentaries are as important as the original text itself. And touch on how it is a kind of operating system that can help you to understand Chinese medicine, as well the curious unfolding of your own wondrously mysterious life.Listen in to this conversation on the power and importance of image and transformation.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

It is always hard at the beginning. It's difficult to learn to see and move in the world in ways that feel foreign and uncomfortable. We like to feel like we know what we're doing. We want to be of service to our patients and help in the best ways possible. And when learning something new it brings back all the discomfort of anytime we have had to grow into a larger version of ourselves.This is another conversation with Kristin Wisgirda and Tim McGee along with Toby Daly on learning to use the Saam method in their daily clinical work.Really, the only way to learn the work is to do the work. And it really helps to have the perspective of someone who has a little bit more experience.Listen in to this conversation as practitioners puzzle through adding this method to their clinical repertoire.

We know that Chinese medicine and the martial and cultivation arts of East Asia share a common root.In our healing practices we are paying attention to the medicinal side of this continuum. We don’t think about the points can be used for martial purposes, or how structures in the body can be used to generate power and force.Our conversation today looks at some of the internal dynamics and structures from the martial point of view, as well as a tour of some of the points that can be used in particular ways if you find yourself difficult situation.And as this conversation is the other side of the continuum we use in clinic, you’ll find some helpful clinic observations as well. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Ahhh, the new year.A moment in time to reflect on the path recently traveled and what’s up around that bend in the road.This is a solo show reflecting on some of the podcast highlights of the past year, a glimpse into some things already on the calendar. Along with my clinical observations about using the Sa’am acupuncture method in clinical practice, how it has helped me to better understand the connections between the 六經, the six levels and the 五行, the five phases, and some thoughts on the forgotten fu organ in TCM— the small intestine. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Sometimes takes an instant to know you might fall in love with something. And then it takes years, even decades to unfold all contained in that initial spark.When it comes to the study and practice of Chinese herbs, you’re signing on for a lifetime of learning. Some would see that as a barrier, other’s as an opportunity.The guest of today’s podcast conversation took it as an opportunity. One that not only has helped her to expand her own clinical understanding, but also assist others with their study and clinical application of Chinese herbal medicine.Listen into this conversation on how one person’s passion has helped to create a conference and resource network for those interested in Chinese herbal medicine. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the conversation. 

Have you noticed that sometimes, simply when allowing a patient the space to unspool their story something happens. Not only do you hear something vital and important, but the patient might pause as they seemingly for the first time listen to themselves.The 10 questions in Chinese medicine is not just about gathering information so we can find out what is wrong. It is an opportunity to listen our patients into their own wisdom and experience.Listen in as two practitioners of the art discussion the how language and story, like water, can go anywhere. 

Page through the Material Medica and it is easy to think that Chinese herbal medicine is one unified body of knowledge and practice. But, it’s not. If you look closely you’ll see that different formulations come from different dynasties. Some were written in times of famine and war, others first penned during heights of peace, cultural exchange and affluence. While it looks like one coherent collection of prescriptions it is actually a history of doctors striving to cope with wildly different conditions. In today’s conversation we explore the dosing and cooking methods of some of our oldest and most used prescriptions. Listen in and discover the differences in dosing between ancient and modern times and why harmonizing formulas require a particular kind of attention to how they are prepared. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Chinese medicine and Korean medicine share a lot of similarities. But there are a few differences. And when it comes to constitutional types, there are some significantly dissimilar perspectives. This is one of the delights of East Asian medicine. Coming across a perspective that is close to something we understand, but different enough to edge us toward either a feeling of “wrong, this can’t be right,” or “oh, I’ve not seen it that way, I wonder how this works.” It’s at the edges of our understanding that new information can arise and help us to deepen our perspective and understanding. Listen into this discussion on constitution, the Confucian influence on Korean medicine and how dietary habits and constitution can play a vital role in health and wellbeing. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

We tend to think of movement in mechanical terms. How this muscle contracts, how blood perfuses a certain kind of tissue or how tendons and bones allow for particular kinds of movement.But beyond this we we can see that movement is a kind of vocabulary of the body. It has nuance or not. It has a range of expression or not. And just like micro-nutrients are vital to our metabolism, so to micro movements are vital to our physical wellbeing and nervous system.Today’s conversation is not about taichi or qi gong, but about another kind of “kung fu” another kind of attentive focus on movement and movement practices that can help us to heal ourselves and our patients.Listen in to this conversation on how a modern perspective on movement goes hand in glove with our traditional medicine.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Inflammation is a popular topic in the worlds of both alternative and conventional medicine. It’s a pathologic process that is the result of certain disease processes and the generator of others. It is also something that can be treated very well with East Asian medicine.In this episode we explore how the fundamentals of the Liver/Spleen relationship, the Heart/Kidney axis and digestion in general all can contribute to treating lingering heat in the body.We also take a look at lingering pathogens, and discuss how herbs with opposite effects are useful in treating these kinds of conditions as they help to reestablish dynamic equilibrium to the body.Listen in for a conversation on the power of harmonization in the treatment inflammatory conditions. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Jing, Qi and Shen— the three treasures.These are essentials that pervade our thinking as East Asian medicine practitioners. And yet, as fundamental as they are, these three are not so easy to nail down.They are concepts from another time and culture, and they are present and unfolding in your experience as you read this.If you are looking for something materially tangible to the Western mind, there is a lot you’ll miss. If you are seeking something of an ancient mystery, you’ll also go wide of the mark.Listen in to this conversation on Jing, Qi and Shen and their relation to other key aspects of Chinese medicine.

The best teachers are perpetual students. They are ones who when things don’t work as expected don’t say the medicine doesn’t work. These people dig into finding out why they don’t yet know how to make it work. While aspects of medicine can be taught, there is much more than can only be discovered. Discovered anew within the experience of each generation. And it is those teachers who can help us along in that this kind of learning to learn who set us off on a life-long voyage of discovery. In this conversation we listen into one practitioner’s apprentice experience with Dr Wang Ju Yu and the path of practice that it opened up.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

It’s easy to think there is one way to take the pulse, and natural to fall back on the habits that formed early on in our learning to attend to this vital aspect of diagnosis and prognosis.Pulse is something our teachers help us to orient toward, but it is our experience and patients who help to understand and learn to trust what we feel.In this episode we have a research scientist’s eye view of the pulse. And how outward beauty is an expression of inward strength and balance.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Sa’am has a good backstory. The meditative attainment of a Buddhist monk sparks a stream of acupuncture that can be taught to simple monks to help alleviate the suffering of the world.It is a good story.But, more importantly this is a perspective on acupuncture that gives some penetrating insight into the connections between the six levels (六經) and the five phases (五行). This method can help us to work with our patient’s constitutional, physiological and psycho-dynamic process all at the same time.It is easy to use in a wide variety of settings as it primarily relies on the transport points of the arms and legs. It does not require a lot needles, and the effects of correct, or incorrect treatment are readily apparent.In today’s group discussion a couple of practitioners who have recently begun to engage the Sa’am method bring their questions to Toby Daly.If you have started to use this method, or mulling over in your mind how it works and how to use it, then you’ll enjoy today’s nuts-n-bolts discussion based on actually clinical cases.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

There are basics, principles, fundamentals, some building blocks of how the matter and energy of creation interact and transform. Over the centuries, through wildly different ideas of illness, health and workings of the human body, doctors have applied these principles to the challenges of their day to relieve suffering.As practitioners, we too are part of this stream. We use the ideas and perceptions of those who came before, and do our best to see how these fundamentals play out in our clinical work.In this conversation we explore how the basics have been both useful and effective in treating degenerative eye conditions such as macular degeneration and retinal tears. Our guest takes the fundamentals we all share, and applies them as seems appropriate in his clinical work. The result is a deeper understanding of how “incurable” illnesses can respond to the principles of medicine we all share.Listen in for a conversation on how to learn from your patients.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Liver qi constraint might be one of the most common diagnosis in the modern Chinese medicine clinic. But the role of the Liver has changed over time, and at one point it was even considered to be part of the neurological system.In this episode we take a nuanced look at that wide and slippery constellation of symptoms that falls under the general rubric of “stress.”Listen in for a conversation about Chinese medicine from a historical, anthropological and clinical perspective. And be prepared to be surprised!Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

We trace our medicine back to the Nei Jing, but most of our actual practices come from a more modern perspective.Going back to those roots is not easy. Even for native speakers of Chinese, reading the 文言文 wen yan wen, the classic Chinese is difficult. For those of us in the modern West, these ancient texts are challenging. They require not just language, but a minset that views the world from through a completely different set of lenses and prisms than Cartesian and materialistic science offers to us.Immersion in this ancient material changes us if we allow it. Gives us hints at seeing how matter and energy interact in ways toward which modern medical science is blind.In this conversation we listen into how the Nei Jing gives another way of approaching acupuncture, the 脈 mai, channels, and helps us to understand our bodies as fluid based ecosystems. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Like hitting black ice, suddenly all sense of traction and stability evaporate into a gut wrenching vertigo. Adverse reactions of our patients to acupuncture can trigger this kind of disorientation. And this is when we have an opportunity to learn something that we didn’t previous know. Adverse reactions could be due to a botched treatment, we were thinking one thing, but did another. Or our diagnosis was off. Or maybe it was on, spot on but the patient’s processing of the treatment gives rise to a frightening amount of discomfort and sends them scurrying for a quick pharmaceutical fix to calm their fear and anxiety. It requires a certain amount of maturity the part of the practitioner to hold steady in a moment of deep uncertainty. And degree of personal development on the part of both patient and practitioner to not let unforeseen reactions stop what might be an important turn in a patients healing process.In today’s conversation we consider adverse reactions to acupuncture, how to tell the difference between an uncomfortable healing process and an unskilled treatment, and how uncertainty is part of the game when practicing medicine.

It’s easy for us to think that because we have a darned good English version of the material medica that the centuries of herbal knowledge is at our finger tips. But there is a lot of back story to the medicinals that we use everyday in our practicesWhere herbs come from, how they are cultivated, how different plants have been used over the centuries; there is a lot we take for granted. Or simply trust our suppliers to have worked out the details of identification and quality. The medicinals we use regardless of whether they are granulated, tableted or raw have a natural history.  This includes not just the process of growth and harvest, but also various kinds of processing as well. In today’s conversation we look at the identification, cultivation and processing of the plants we use everyday in our clinical work.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

In this conversation we have a couple of practitioners who have listened to Toby’s podcasts on Sa’am acupuncture and read his article from the Journal of Chinese Medicine ask questions based on their experience of using this perspective in their clinical work.This not a discussion of theory, but rather clinical applications from practitioners who are engaging the method.If you are starting to work with the Sa’am method, or thinking about it, you’ll appreciate this nuts and bolts discussion with Sasha Kremer and Nkosi Pierre-Kafele. 

These days we worry about getting through school, passing the boards and then getting a practice started. But there was a time when there were no schools, or national accreditation and practicing acupuncture was a felony. That world was not so long ago, and as is often the case, it is difficult to understand the present moment without a sense of the history that it contains.Our guest in this conversation began practicing acupuncture before there was licensing and accreditation. He has a view of our medicine and it’s practice that can only come from decades of engagement, learning and integration.Listen in to another discussion on a view of medicine that comes from the experience of practice over the course of decades.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Even when speaking in our mother tongue we often misunderstand each other. Due to our biases, perspectives, and background it is easy to overlay our story on just about any situation. Add in that we are dealing with translation between language and culture; it gets even trickier.In today’s conversation we explore the use of “upper, middle and lower” class herbs. This does not mean that upper is better; it means each medicinal has an affinity for more formed or less formed aspects of a person. “Upper” does not mean better, nor “lower” mean worse, these are simply demarcations on where a particular herb will be effective. It’s our job as practitioners to choose the right tool for the right job.Listen in to this conversation that cautions about conflating “upper” with “better.” And goes into how Chinese medicine can be used for acute and emergent conditions that some doctors used to treat quite well before the advent of emergency rooms. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.

In this encore episode with a guest interviewer. Njemile Carol Jones pulls out her old radio day skills and sits down with Lorraine Wilcox for a conversation on what has caught her attention over the years, and the various projects in which she is currently involved.Njemile and Lorraine knew each other from back in the day when they both worked at NPR. Since then they've both traveled their own paths into Chinese medicine.Listen in for a delightful discussion on what happens when you follow your curiosity and internal leanings. 

Needle technique is more than knowing how to insert a needle and count the turns in a particular direction. It requires more than the memorization of some protocols, or the rote following of a recipe of steps.In this conversation we explore needle technique as a part of understanding how to feel into the tissues of the body. We discuss the creation of a treatment that relies not on someone else’s outline, but from your own understanding of first principles. Listen in for a discussion of using ourselves as much as using the pins when doing acupuncture.  Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

In acupuncture school we learn about the 10 questions. But really, the questions are endless. And we are given the image of the scholar/doctor who doesn't say much, just looks at the tongue, takes the pulse and then has everything she needs to treat the patient. But that image does not fit the clinical reality in which most of us find ourselves.Learning to ask the right kinds of questions. Learning to listen into the places that are silent, or hidden, these are skills that require the honing of time and attention,In this episode we discuss modern brain science, the verbal and non-verbal aspects of our brains, and how the body has its own multi-textured way of communicating that is often baffling to the voice in our heads that trying to make sense of things.Listen in for a discussion on the use of words to get beyond words.  Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a complex of metabolic and hormonal imbalances. It not only causes menstrual irregularities, but also effects fertility, secondary sex characteristics, and  can be related to elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels as a woman ages. While conventional biomedicine can control some of the symptoms of this disorder, there isn't much it offers in terms of getting to the root of the issue. Chinese medicine on the other hand offers a wealth of possibilities that can help to get to the root of the causes and fundamentally shift a woman's physiology and bring balance to the body.Our guest in this episode knows a lot about PCOS, as she suffered from this disorder and after being dismissed as a troublesome patient decided to see if she could find another way to heal. She did, and today she helps women find their own natural balance without the use of drugs or hormones. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

In this episode we continue where we left off with our previous discussion and begin with how simply changing the amount of herbs in a formula can lead to some surprising outcomes. We also look into how a patient's thinking and beliefs can be utilized as part of the treatment. And discuss a big topic with a lot patients seeing alternative health care, namely the issue of detoxification. Listen in as we continue this discussion of blood stasis and how it shows up in many aspects of clinical practice.

You know how sometimes patients have these weird symptoms that they think have nothing to do with who they are? Well, us acupuncturists are not immune to running up against our own uninhabited edges, especially when it comes to marketing and business.  In this conversation we get down into the essence of our work, and why it's important to know what we do beyond the story we tell ourselves or the tools of the trade upon which we rely. Do you cringe when the word "marketing" shows up? Then listen in, because what you think is in the way... is the way.

We know that the language and perspective of Chinese and east Asian medicine gives us a whole different glimpse into physiology, health, illness and healing. And if you’ve learned a foreign tongue, then you’ve had experience how language shapes thought, perspective and possibility. The systems or currents of medicine we practice, that too gives a framework, a perspective, that helps us to orient and make sense of a patient’s experience and then how we might be able to help them.For many cultures, dreams are a powerful kind of sensing that speak with a language of their own and can carry important information from our subconscious up into that sliver of awareness that we usually give credit to for running the show. But dreams have their own way of holding and conveying information, and our rational mind is not particularly well suited to that particular non-verbal language. So how do we learn to tune our ears and sensing to the fluidic symbolic language of dreams?It is doable and there are some surprising possibilities that arise with the right kind of inquiry. Listen in as we sit down for a discussion on dreaming and East Asian medicine. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

This "part two" conversation with Toby Daly came about because I've been trying to learn the Saam system of acupuncture as he detailed it a recent Journal of Chinese Medicine article. In that process I've had some surprising good results, as well as a few cases that I really took in the wrong direction. Toby points out, when you get it wrong, it's really wrong and you'll know pretty quickly. Unless you're still fairly new at it and not yet tuned into the warning signs of trouble. This discussion comes from my own clinic experience with trying to learn the diagnostics and how to tune my clinical thinking. Toby really makes the Saam perspective come alive with relevant clinical examples as he helps me to "correct my errors in the forest of medicine."If you have an interest in employing this powerful method of acupuncture, pull out a notebook and pen, because you are going to want to take notes!

Learning the basics of promoting or controlling the flow of qi  through the Five Phases is an elemental part of every acupuncturist's training . We learn how the antique points can be used to nudge a response or invite a different kind of resonance into a patient's life. The Korean Saam acupuncture tradition has been passed down through a lineage of monk/practitioners. It not only uses  "wu xing" elemental qi transfer, but additionally blends it together with the the six confirmations, yin/yang organ resonance, the yi jing, and constitutional body types.If you think that acupuncture done well is transformative, but if less skillfully applied will simply do nothing, then you'll want to listen in to this conversation and hear how our guest really took someone off the rails with four thin needles. Powerful things can happen with this style of acupuncture and correct diagnosis is essential. Listen in and get the basics on how to begin learning this powerful method that will not only help you to help your patients, but help you better connect up what seemed like different theoretical perspectives.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Beyond the conflicts around scope of practice, the theories and practice of dry needling and intra-muscular therapies give us a deeper look into how acupuncture works on ahshi or trigger points from a bio-medicine physiological perspective. Practitioners of this rebranded form of acupuncture have a modern biomedicine perspective on how trigger points, as well as how localized qi and blood stagnation, come about and can be resolved. It's a language that can useful.Our guest in the episode is a hand's on meat and potatoes acupuncturist who loves functional body therapies. He's gone deep into tuina and orthopedic acupuncture, and has studied the dry needling methods with his Chinese medicine eye. Listen in for a well-schooled practitioner's perspective on physiology, trigger points, acupuncture and the fantastic career of Janet Travell. 

Chinese is not that easy, and the 文言文wen yan wen the classical Chinese, that stuff is a whole other order of magnitude in challenge to the modern Western mind. And yet if we are going to practice this medicine with deep roots into a long gone time and culture, we need access to the stepping stones that have been handed down to us over centuries through books and writing. Translating language is one thing. But translating culture, bringing something of the mind and perception from another time, that is a whole other task. It helps if you can understand the poetry, the stories, the world view and beliefs of the time. And it helps if you can track the changes in the meaning of words and ideas across the centuries of commentary. In this episode we are sitting down for tea with a self described "lover of dead languages," for a discussion of Resonance from chapter five of the Simple Questions.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

If the words fun, fascinating and laughter are not how you think of marketing, then you need to change your idea of marketing. And if you think brand means the logo for your business, then it's time to update your definition of brand.Consider this: if you are not having fun and letting your fascinating superpower show through while doing your "marketing" why would anyone want to buy what you have to sell?I met the guest of this episode by following a trail of bread crumbs. Actually, it was a cool little pin of a rocket ship (who does not love rocket ships?) And what I found.... well, I'll let you discover that for yourself in this podcast conversation.There is a lot an acupuncturist can learn from a podcast marketing genus.Buckle up and listen in to this conversation and add some rocket fuel to your marketing. 

If you think that the experience a computer guy around building his business has nothing to do with those of an acupuncturist's, think again.Those of us that run a small service business, be it banging out CSS code or twirling needles, have a lot more in common that you might see on first glance.I first met Neil almost ten years ago when I blew up my clinic's website.Over the years as we've gotten to know each other it became obvious that we often faced the same exact issues when it came to marketing, promotion and client relationships.Sometimes it is helpful to get a little distance from our usual struggles and hear how someone in a seemingly unrelated field solves the business problems that we face on a regular basis. 

Forty five years is a long time to have a practice. Especially when you consider that the average American marriage isn't even half that number, and in this day and age people change jobs like they change their hair style.How do you stay interested in something for decades? How do you change with the times? Work through the areas that you don't yet know, and let the practice itself give you insight into how you work?If you've read more than a few books on Chinese medicine, the fingerprints of Dan Bensky has certainly been on at least one of them. In addition to his medicine practice, he's been involved in both the translation and editing of books on Chinese medicine since 1981. He has taught and lectured widely over the years. And is one of the founders of the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine.In this episode I sit down for a conversation with Dan with an eye toward the long arc of practice and how while our work centers on patient care, it involves a whole lot more. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

The words "qi and blood stasis" frequently work their way into our diagnosis of a patient's situation. But getting blood stasis from the realm of theory and  into our perceptual vocabulary takes some practice. And this can be quite helpful especially when working with cases that don't resolve the way we think they should.In this conversation we look into how the long term effects of blood stasis can cause problems 5, 10, 20 years down the road that become baffling as the usual stuff just doesn't work. Or makes things worse.Listen in for how paying attention to this commonly seen problem in clinic can help you to improve clinical results and unwind some knotty problems. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

There are currents in our medicine that say we should be very cautious around the heart, in fact, it’s best not to treat it directly. And even in our modern world, treating cardiac issues is something I suspect most of us would feel some uncertainty and anxiousness about as we don’t really get that kind of training here in the West.It is easy when thinking about cardiology to think about ischemic heart events, but most of a cardiologist’s practice is about managing the various risk factors so as to help people avoid a heart attack. Or in dealing with the slow decline of aging and heart failure.In this episode we discuss ways of approaching this vital organ, and how Chinese medicine can be used to promote a healthy heart.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Fifteen plus years ago when I was living in Beijing and studying medicine and language I was gifted with a copy of Dr. Huang's Ten Key Formula Families in Chinese Medicine.At the time it was an astonishing read, as I'd never been exposed to his ideas about constitutional type and how certain people have an affinity for a particular herb or formula family.It changed how I thought about herbal medicine.And I've been fortunate to have now known Dr. Huang for many years, and had an opportunity to introduce his work to the western world. I was recently in Nanjing for a visit and had an opportunity to sit down with him and some of his foreign Ph.D. students and have a discussion around his latest thoughts on the classic formulas and the practice of medicine. Please enjoy this podcast in either English or Chinese, as I was able to edit for both languages.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview

在這片podcast我們外國的中醫師和黃煌教授談經方的魅力。

In this solo episode I review the past six months of Qiological and give you a preview on the next six months. Also I'll talking in some depth about the Practice of Business, why SEO is a process, not a product and some thoughts on what makes for an effective website. Finally, I have some news to share with you about being more involved with Qiological.I used to think that business was a necessary evil, but have come around to realizing its a powerful opportunity. And I have my family to thank for that.And speaking of business, your web site is an important part of that. I've some opinions about it too, as mine has become over time an appointment generating machine.If you would like your phone to ring with people saying "I want an appointment" instead of "I have some questions about acupuncture" after they've been on your web site, then you are going to want to listen to this show and take notes. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

We are trained to know a lot about a person from looking and touching. And while we have our “10 questions” or other interviewing checklists, there is a lot that comes from the interview and relationship with the patient that can help us to better understand them and hopefully be of service to them as well.In this conversation we take a look into how the connection we cultivate with our patients can help not only to inform our clinical thinking and treatment, but become an essential part of the therapeutic process as well. Listen in for a discussion on the importance of rapport, why judging our patients is not helpful (but we do it all the time), the power of gaining comfort with uncertainty, and a few gems from the Simple Questions and Classic of The Virtuous WayHead on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

No one gets through Chinese medicine school without some exposure to the Shang Han Lun, and if you're lucky, the Jin Gui Yao Lue as well. But there is a big difference between reading the classics, and understanding how to apply them in our clinical work. What's more, throughout the ages there have been various 專家 (zhuan jia) experts, who have deeply engaged these texts and distilled out a unique perspective that is both rooted the classics and informed by their particular clinical experience. The work of Drs. Hu Xi-Shu and Feng Shi-Lun give us a unique view into the connections and interplay of the 六經 (liu jing) the six levels or confirmations.Listen in as we investigate how illness can span multiple confirmations and how the classic formulas can readily treat complex and confusing clinical presentations. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Pressure, vibration, puncture, and heat, we know there are a variety of ways to stimulate an acupuncture point. In this episode we explore the clinical use of light, in the form of low-power lasers. And especially for those of you that don’t really understand electricity, the physics of light, or the difference between an LED and the coherent light of a laser, this conversation will be especially helpful as we go over basics that will help you to better understand these devices and how you can use them in your practice.Listen in as we learn how to safely use lasers in clinical practice and what kinds of tissues and points that respond to these devices. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Physiology does not forget. Our experience in life effects and shapes our body, our habits and perception. We develop ways to compensate for the difficulties wrought from traumas and unmetabolized experience  in life, but when stressed those compensations don't work so well. That's when symptoms and long held patterns of dysfunction show up asking for our attention.In this episode we discuss how the work of Wilhelm Reich is helpful when considering the treatment of emotional trauma, along with perspectives of Dr. Hammer and Dr. Shen. We also touch in on the importance of having a tolerance for ambiguity and paradox, the various aspects of 神 Shen (Spirit), and some ways of using the pulse to better understand the differences between a patient’s agitated and compensated state.Listen in to this discussion that bridges East Asian medicine and Western psychology.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Sciatica is a common complaint that brings people into the acupuncturist’s office. And it’s often treated well with acupuncture. But there are times when a situation that seems straightforward is anything but.When you start to think about how sciatic pain can be an issue of the dai mai, and how the dai mai is involved not only in the structural aspects of pelvic function, but also in the functional flow and health of the 12 main channels, it’s easy to see how what at first glance appears simple can quickly turn complex. Listen in for a discussion of the importance of hands on assessment, the way deficiencies lead to excess and why it’s helpful to have palpatory findings that give you feedback on the effectiveness of your treatment.

Widely known for his pioneering work in sports acupuncture, the guest of this episode joins us for a conversation that reminds us of the deep and varied integration between the layers of being we call body, mind and spirit. Additionally we touch on how the trajectory of years and practice can bring us full circle back to basic fundamentals, and that our successes can easily transform into new challenges to overcome. 

We learn not just from our teachers and our patients, but also from our colleagues. One of the real benefits of attending a conference is the opportunities for learning that can't help but arise from the conversations we find ourselves part of.Here's a few of the many voices that I've learned from this weekend.

Our panel of experienced practitioners discuss the ways they've broken into treating professional athletes, and answer the audience's questions on gearing up to help the pros.