Qiological Podcast

We have many different ways to view the body with Chinese medicine and each of these lenses gives us a different perspective on both physiology and functionality. It’s not unlike those old acetate transparencies you'd find in old encyclopedias that would allow you to overlay different systems of the body one on top of another. Each one has its own domain, and each interlocks with the other systems.Michael Corradino for many years now has been focused on the connection between acupuncture and neurology. And he’s developed a system of treatment that focuses on neurophysiology and how acupuncture stimulates the nervous system.Listen in to this discussion of needles, de qi, nerve stimulation and how acupuncture does not interface with qi, but with our neural network.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 scientific method is useful. It helps us to better understand the world by screening out our biases, beliefs and wishful thinking. The process of crafting a good hypothesis begins not with a great question, but first the more yin process of observation. Seeing what is present, and from there we can begin to distill out questions worth asking.Much of traditional research is not that helpful in understanding Chinese medicine, as our medicine does not lend itself to the binary world of double blind studies. Our medicine requires research methodologies that can handle emergent dynamic systems. And lucky for us, those models exist and one of the researchers who is keen on these models also happens to be a Chinese medicine practitioner.In this special podcast episode researchers Lisa Taylor-Swanson and Lisa Conboy share with us the design of a study that is currently being carried at the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine on the treatment of symptoms that may be related to Covid19 disease using Chinese Herbal Medicine. This study is geared toward collecting data that will help to guide further research. It’s a study that considers Chinese medicine on its own terms. And this study’s design principles are not unlike the principles of our medicine.Listen in for a look at how this study is being structured, and then check back in a few weeks as we’ll have a conversation with the practitioners at SIEAM who are treating patients and collecting the data.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.  

You’ve noticed in the treatment room, that moment when something “lands” for the patient, and there's a palpable internal shift. You’ve noticed this in yourself, that a question can be inviting as a whisper, or make you bristle like a growling dog.In this conversation with Margot Rossi and Nick Pole we explore Embodied Language, a way of connecting that is friendly to both the body and spirit.What we say, and how we say it can have a profound impact on the experience of both patient and practitioner. Listen in for how you can use language as skillfully as you use your needles.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.  

Listening is not a skill that I expected to develop. I thought I’d get good with palpation or pulse reading. After all, the masters are said to get what they need with the pause and a few questions. That’s what I was aiming for, however it did not work out that way for me.I’ve found over the years that there is a way of listening to a patient that has allowed me to both uncover what I need to know to treat them, but more importantly, help me to better understand innate resources they have that they either are not in touch with, or curiously enough think are deficiencies or problems.Listening is not passive, nor about just hearing what the patient says, it also involves an inner ear to our own experience.This episode is a solo show in which I share some what my clinical experience has taught about an often overlooked yin aspect of our work— listening.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.  

Mina Larson, CEO of NCCAOM and expert in acupuncture, joins Afua Bromley, a professional in practice development, to tackle the evolution of acupuncture in the West. They discuss the historical challenges the profession faced, including past legal issues and the present impact of COVID-19. The conversation highlights the importance of advocacy, the rise of telemedicine, and the resources available for acupuncturists. They also explore the emotional toll of the pandemic on practitioners and the need for community support.

We are being invited, both by our conditions and circumstances and by people in our profession to “get online and do tele-medicine.” However much of what we do as acupuncturists does not translate well, as our most critical tool cannot be used in a digital form.The questions that I’ve been noodling through for the past month plus are what is the essence of my work when I don’t have access to my kit of tools? And how would I describe what I do, when I can use my needles?In this rebroadcast of a Lhasa webinar with Daniel Schulman, Alaine Duncan and Amy Mager as we explore the opportunities and challenges in this moment of 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.  

Maybe you were one of those people who learned in English class that you weren’t very good at the standardized form of writing they were trying to teach. Perhaps you thought you weren’t a good writer. And you might want to reconsider that, because copywriting is a lot like talking. And it is about being expressive.In this conversation with Iselin Svalastog we explore the importance of putting your authentic voice on your website. And how there is a way to write that is persuasive , informative, connective and honest.Many people think that advertising and marketing is about manipulation, but the most effective marketing is about communicating in a way that is connective, respectful and helpful. Listen in to this conversation on creating compelling content that will make you show up more often in a Google search. And better yet, have people call you for an appointment because they connected with what they read on your website.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.  

You’ve probably seen patients who are on thyroid medication and the numbers are “fine” according the their conventional doctor, but they just don’t feel right. We know from our experience as practitioners that often our patients are deeply frustrated because they’ve been through thousands of dollars of testing and yet they are told “there is nothing wrong with you.” But the truth of situation more often is “we have not been able to find the source of the problem your having.”In this conversation with Heidi Lovie we taken a deep enough dive into the hormonal interactions of the thyroid that you’ll be able to better understand the numbers on a thyroid panel. And we then flip into how Chinese medicine, especially the ideas of Li Dong Yuan, can help you to make a substantial difference in your patient’s life.Understanding the story that certain key factors of the bloodwork tell along with the methods and perspectives of Chinese medicine can make a big difference in the life your Hashimoto’s patients. Listen in and find out how!Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.  

With Covid-19 knocking the bottom out of our practices, there is a call from experts in the field to “get online.” Which isn’t bad advice as it does provide a channel to our patients in a time when we can't put our hands on them. But, and this is important, many of us don’t know what we would do online.Somehow the idea of teaching acupressure leaves me completely cold. And as to helping people with their nutrition, well, most people I see don’t have much of an interest in that anyway. Add on to it, the fact that there are some things I know in theory, but from an embodied understanding I don’t have much to say.So the question arises for me of “What in essence, and with integrity, can I share online?”In this conversation with MB Huwe as we dig into that question. Listen in if you have questions about what can you from that genuine place in your bones  bring to the online world.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.  

Listening is not a skill that I expected to develop. I thought I’d get good with palpation or pulse reading. After all, the masters are said to get what they need with the pause and a few questions. That’s what I was aiming for, however it did not work out that way for me.I’ve found over the years that there is a way of listening to a patient that has allowed me to both uncover what I need to know to treat them, but more importantly, help me to better understand innate resources they have that they either are not in touch with, or curiously enough think are deficiencies or problems.Listening is not passive, nor about just hearing what the patient says, it also involves an inner ear to our own experience.This episode is a solo show in which I share some what my clinical experience has taught about an often overlooked yin aspect of our work— listening.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.