Qiological Podcast

Precious and rare medicinal mushrooms like reshi (ling zhi) and cordyceps (dong chong xia cao) used to be available only to royalty, or those who knew how to spot them in the wild.These medicinals have a long history of use in East Asia and are associated with vitality, longevity and a connection to the spirit world. Even today it is said of the wild forms that "those who buy it don't eat it, and those who eat it don't buy it" as it is often gifted in a attempt to curry favor or influence.Fortunately for us "lao bai xing" (common people) these incredible fungi are available to us via cultivation. Or are they?In this episode our guest takes us on a deep dive into cultivation and extraction methods, and more importantly, how to read test results so you can better understand the potency of the products you are buying and giving to your patients.If you use medicinal mushrooms in your practice this episode will help you to better understand the important differences between polysaccharides, beta-glucans, and triterpenoids.Listen into to this conversation with an etno-mycologist who has been studying and working with mushroom cultivation for over 45 years.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

According to conventional medicine, macular degeneration is a progressive, incurable, degenerative disease. As good as modern medicine can be for some opthamological problems, it does not have much to offer those with macular degeneration other than say "take your vitamins and await the inevitable."While macular degeneration is indeed progressive, it's progress can be slowed and in many people some amount of function restored.Not only macular degeneration, but Stargardt's disease, retinitis pigmentosa and other eyes conditions can improve through the use of acupuncture using particular points on the palms and soles.Our guest in this show is fired up about helping prevent people from going blind. Listen in as we discuss how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help to make a big difference in the quality of life for people with degenerative opthamological 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. 

Tung style acupuncture is known for its curious collection of points that can be a challenge to the mind for those of us that learned to think about acupuncture strictly from a channel or function perspective. The methods handed down from Master Tung invite us to think about the resonance between points, structures, locations and tissue. It encourages us to consider not just the Spleen channel, but why its helpful to think of it as the leg tai yin as well. As well as why the shoulder is like the hip, and overlapping areas of influence can make for a more potent acupuncture treatment. Listen in as we discuss the power of resonance, how unlearning is part of learning something new, and why you don't have to understand everything from the beginning, but it's helpful if you keep pushing yourself to find the threads that connect.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.