Qiological Podcast
Michael Max
Acupuncture and East Asian medicine was not developed in a laboratory. It does not advance through double-blind controlled studies, nor does it respond well to petri dish experimentation. Our medicine did not come from the statistical regression of randomized cohorts, but from the observation and treatment of individuals in their particular environment. It grows out of an embodied sense of understanding how life moves, unfolds, develops and declines.
Medicine comes from continuous, thoughtful practice of what we do in clinic, and how we approach that work. The practice of medicine is more — much more — than simply treating illness. It is more than acquiring skills and techniques. And it is more than memorizing the experiences of others. It takes a certain kind of eye, an inquiring mind and relentlessly inquisitive heart.
Qiological is an opportunity to deepen our practice with conversations that go deep into acupuncture, herbal medicine, cultivation practices, and the practice of having a practice. It’s an opportunity to sit in the company of others with similar interests, but perhaps very different minds. Through these dialogues perhaps we can better understand our craft.
Medicine comes from continuous, thoughtful practice of what we do in clinic, and how we approach that work. The practice of medicine is more — much more — than simply treating illness. It is more than acquiring skills and techniques. And it is more than memorizing the experiences of others. It takes a certain kind of eye, an inquiring mind and relentlessly inquisitive heart.
Qiological is an opportunity to deepen our practice with conversations that go deep into acupuncture, herbal medicine, cultivation practices, and the practice of having a practice. It’s an opportunity to sit in the company of others with similar interests, but perhaps very different minds. Through these dialogues perhaps we can better understand our craft.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 12, 2019 • 16min
075.4 A Conversation Along the River two • Yu Guo Jun
We mistakenly thought our conversation with Dr Yu had ended, but what can I say… wrong again.There is a little more of the conversation genereated from Dr Yu’s thoughts on the qi transformation of the six confirmations and the role of theory in the clinic.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
Mar 11, 2019 • 27min
75.3 Learning How to Learn a Formula • Craig Mitchell
Learning formulas is far more than memorizing as series of functions and indications in a book. It requires a kind of attentiveness. A sort of rigorous and yet flexible way of parsing a patient’s signs and symptoms and checking it against both your book knowledge and clinical experience.In this discussion we explore that tender edge of knowing, not knowing and how to operate in the clinical reality of uncertainty.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
Mar 10, 2019 • 26min
075.2 A Conversation Along the River- Investigating the Six Levels • Dr. Yu Guo Jun
Discussing medicine with a seasoned practitioner is like drinking well aged whiskey. Dr. Yu Guo Jun graciously agreed to sit down with Michael Fitzgerald and myself after his morning lecture at the Shen Nong Society’s conference.If you’re an herbalist, you’ll enjoy this discussion of the six confirmations. Listen carefully, there is something in here about how the levels connect that you might not have heard before.And do check out the PDF in the show notes area that our friends at The Lantern sent along. It will help you to better understand some of the turns in this particular conversation.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
Mar 9, 2019 • 1h 1min
075.1 Regulations and Privileges- the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 • Kevin Ergil
When we are putting herbs in a bag, or mixing together granules we are probably not thinking about the various laws and regulations from the FDA, or the historical arc that actually allows us to work with herbs in the way that we do.In this conversation we go into the history and impact of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. There is a lot in the background that we don’t think about on a daily basis, and yet it provides a foundation for being able to practice with herbs.Listen in to this deep dive into the regulations that affect our practices, but which we rarely consider on a day to day basis.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
Mar 5, 2019 • 1h 1min
074 Constitution and Present Condition- Integrating Different Perspectives • Peter Eckman
Some of the most important crossroads in our lives were not marked with a big Flashing Warning Sign, but rather instead were barely notable moments of “Oh, maybe this would be interesting.”Our guest in today’s conversation had just completed a medical degree and was looking to take a little vacation. That vacation turned into a lifelong inquiry into acupuncture and East Asian medicine.Listen into this conversation on how a sense of curiosity lead our guest from California to England to Korea and back. And has taken him deep into the investigation of pulses and constitutional 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.
Feb 26, 2019 • 1h 10min
073 Connective and Conductive- Theory and Practice of Electro-acupuncture • Jeremy Steiner
Electro-acupuncture is a fairly new innovation. And thinking about its use in clinic does not quite match up with the traditional ways we’ve been taught to think about acupuncture and how it works.We know the body has a profound reliance on electricity for everything from how our brain’s function to how we sense and move our body. But how does electro-acupuncture influence our systems? And how can we combine our traditional thinking with modern bio-science?Listen in for a discussion about needles and electro-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.
Feb 18, 2019 • 1h 14min
072 Center and Root: The Gentle And Effective Women's Health Medicine From Zhejiang • Steve Clavey
It’s not uncommon for children of doctors to also become doctors. Sometimes there will be a string of docs that run for a number of generations. Which can be a good thing as you can learn at lot at your grandparents knee. In today’s conversation we talk about a lineage of practice that goes not just a few generations, but a handful of centuries.Zhejiang province is well known for its fu ke, gynecological doctors. There are actually several streams of doctors that have attended to women’s health over the centuries. Listen in to this conversation on women’s health and pick up a few easy to employ in your clinic tips for making your herbal prescriptions both more effective and tasty 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.
Feb 13, 2019 • 53min
Encore Episode, Marketing in The Digital World • Marketing Mini-Series 5
We’ve all been on the “bad” of marketing. Have been subjected to intrusive and unskilled attempts at trying to convince us of something. It raises your hackles; it should.Lots of us mistake advertising for marketing. But these two, which related, are different. Marketing is about how you communicate, how you represent your authentic self to the world, and how to better understand others so you can see if you might be able to help.If your patients knew what your marketing plan was, would they still be willing to see you? If you can answer yes, then you’re probably on firm footing.And the good news is there has never been a better time to connect with the people that are already looking for someone like you.Listen in to this conversation dialing in your digital marketing mojo and learning to enjoy the process.
Feb 12, 2019 • 59min
071 Coming to Our Senses: Exploring Evidence and Logic • Nigel Dawes
How we make sense in clinic is not as simple as ticking items off a list. It’s more than mentally sorting through the models, theories, admonitions from our teachers and some chatter from a recent glimpse at Facebook.While the theories and mental models we crafted through our experience have a place in clinic, there is also the experience of sensing without a story being attached. If we are attentive and quiet enough there is something that arise in our mind, before the label of “it’s that!” gets attached to our experience. Sometimes we can have an experience in clinic that does not yet have words attached to it.In this discussion we explore perceiving, thinking, evidence and sensing. Listen into this conversation on how we make sense at the edge our unfolding clinical experience.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
Feb 5, 2019 • 53min
070 Stages and Cycles of Practice • Sharon Weizenbaum
It is easy to think of Chinese medicine as a clear step by step process of diagnosis and treatment, but it does not always go that way in clinic. It can take time for a diagnosis to clarify, and then there is the level of skill we bring to treatment. It’s a process that reveals itself as we go. And while it is easy to look back and see the solid stepping stones that lead to a successful treatment; that clarity can be quite elusive while in the middle of the process.In this episode we discuss the experience of learning from our patients and clinical encounters. How diagnosis is not a series of boxes to check, but rather a process that emerges and clarifies as we engage with our patients and how they respond to our treatments.Listen in to this conversation with long time practitioner Sharon Weizenbaum as we explore the art of diagnosis and how the way we bring ourselves to the clinical encounter is an essential element of the treatment process.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
