Qiological Podcast

Doctor Huang Huang is a clinician, teacher, author and well studied expert on the Jing Fang, the classical formulas of the Shang Han Lun. He has a unique perspective on constitution and how that relates to a patient's illness, their strengths, and the kinds of herbs that will be safe and effective for them.The guest on today's show has been going to Nanjing and Studying with Dr. Huang for the past 10 years and is currently doing a Ph.D with him as his advisor.In this episode we dig into the details of Dr. Huang's approach of paying attention to patient constitution, formula function and illness presentation. Like all masterful practitioner's Huang's thoughts and methods have changed and matured over time, we discuss some of his latest thoughts on diagnosis and the use of particular formulas and herbs.Listen in and learn some news ways of considering the use of herbs in your 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. 

In this episode we reflect on the burden and privilege of a clinical practice. How we grow into it by using a blend of our objectivity and subjectivity. And how mindfulness and a curiosity about our own internal landscape all help to inform our clinical work and development as a practitioner. We look at how learning the medicine not only helps the patients we see, but provides a deep benefit for our lives as well. And how to stay  present in the moments of failure in such a way that we can gain a deeper clarity about our work. Listen in for a discussion of how to gain a balanced sensitivity that helps us to navigate the challenges of learning from clinical experience, and support us in moving beyond the comfort of reliable skills when they don't prove so reliable.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 give a great amount of respect to the Classics in Chinese medicine, but understanding these foundational texts of our medicine can be challenge, even if you do understand the old form of Chinese. Just as many of struggle to get through the brilliance of Shakespeare, the classics of Chinese medicine require a particular kind of attention. And it doesn't hurt if you actually can understand the "gu wen" classical Chinese language. It's even more helpful if you engaged the other classic literature of China from an early age. Our guest in this episode did just that, and in this conversation we see how terse lines from the classics can speak eloquently to confusing cases in the modern clinic. Listen in and get a glimpse at how the classics can be applied to difficult clinical cases. You'll be wanting to spend more time with the Su Wen (Simple Questions) after this!                                  Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Eastland Press has been bringing books on Oriental medicine from Chinese into English since the early days of Americans studying the traditional medicine of Asia. Actually, from even before there was a market for this kind of material. In this episode we go into the early history of Eastland Press. How what seemed like a good idea at the time turned into a multi-year endeavor and how Dan and John's dedication to "Westerner's owning our part of this long medical tradition" has kept them at the forefront of providing quality books for the practitioner of East Asian medicine. Listen in for an entertaining and informative piece of Chinese medicine history in the West, and for a glimpse of some future offerings from Eastland Press that you'll want for your library.Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. Join the discussion! Leave a comment on Qiological's Facebook page.

Oriental medicine draws distinctions between various aspects of mind, body and spirit, but unlike Western culture, it never severed the connections between these aspects of being. We know both from our experience in clinic and writings of Chinese medicine through the ages that emotional and mental processes can effect physiology and the body can deeply influence the mind. We see an entangled  system of mutual influence where Western medicine sees a hierarchy and disconnection between mind and body. In this episode with Yvonne Farrell we explore working with the aspect of emotions through the influence of the eight extraordinary vessels. Listen in for an introduction to how you can tap the influence of the eight extras to help your patients navigate psycho-emotive issues.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 really difficult to attract something that you actually have an aversion toward. Many practitioners have conflicted feelings about money, conflate marketing with dishonesty, and worry that material success is somehow suspect. Is it any wonder that for many acupuncturists having a thriving practice is something we both desire and at the same time avoid?In this episode we look at how a stable thriving practice comes not from doing the “business things” we dislike, but rather from the cultivation of value, integrity and responsibility.The “practice of business” is not separate from the “practice of medicine.” In fact, our business and the services we provide are as seamlessly integrated as yin and yang. Cultivating our business is no different from the cultivation of our medical skills, or any yang sheng practice we might have in life. And just as we see all kinds of problems in the conventional medical work when body and mind are split apart and considered separate, so too we cause all kinds of problems for ourselves when we image the practice of medicine and the practice of business to be separate entities. They are part of an integrated whole.Listen in to rediscover the joy and opportunities that can arise when we engage the practice of business!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 common knowledge that acupuncture is quite effective in the treatment of pain. However, for many of us acupuncturists we feel a bit uneasy about treating back pain in pregnant women, as we don’t want to move too much qi and blood in a pregnant woman.  In this episode our guest Debra Betts shares her long and deep experience in working with women in pregnancy, and in particular how to effectively and safely treat back pain that is due to the physiologic and hormonal changes that occur in the later stages of pregnancy. As she reminds us, “Conventional medicine has nothing to help these women, while acupuncture can make a significant difference in these women’s lives, their ability to sleep comfortably and get about the business of daily life without pain.” Listen in as we discuss common acupuncture points you’re sure to know about, that can bring profound relief to women that suffer this common discomfort during pregnancy. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Our guest in this episode is a long time practitioner and teacher of Chinese medicine. Our discussion ranges through a number of different topics from approaching the classics in Chinese medicine, to how our practices season us and lead us in certain directions over the years, to some considerations that new practitioners might find helpful. We also discuss how to keep our growing edge vital and alive and dip into the difference between medicine and healing.Listen in as we explore the perspective of a long time practitioner of Chinese medicine who's been chewing on this stuff for a few 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. Join the discussion! Leave a comment on Qiological’s Facebook page.

Studying medicine can be both a joyous exploration and a dry mind-numbing slog through endless technical material. In this episode we discuss the Eastland Press book "A Walk Along the River." This book is not just a glimpse into the mind of a seasoned and well-read practitioner, but also brings in the aspect of dialogue, as his clinical cases and considerations are further illuminated by the questions posed by three doctors. If you've ever read a book on medicine that gave you the "what" of a treatment, but left you hanging because it failed to include the "why," this book will be a useful addition to your library. In this discuss we discuss the process of translating, dig into Dr Yu's thinking, and touch in on how to move forward when you don't know what to do. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview. 

Every acupuncturist is intimately familiar with the points and functions of the 12 commonly used acupuncture channels, as well as the functions and use of the 8 extraordinary meridians.In our studies we might have heard about the divergent channels, but for the most part we don't use these in everyday practice. For many of us, they are a bit of mystery and remain so as we generally can go about our business of helping patients with the 12 regular channels and 8 extras.In this episode we explore the use, function and treatment of the divergent channels. If you have patients autoimmune disease, or chronic issues seem to cycle but go nowhere, this conversation with Josephine Spilka will give you insights on how help your patients break these cycles of dysfunction. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.