Zhuang Zi says, “Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?” Any seasoned practitioner will tell you that skillful use of language and the ability to listen beyond words is an essential aspect of clinical practice. In this conversation with Randy Clere we explore the use of language not only so that we may better understand our patients, but so that they may better understand the...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 186
I rather enjoy the idea of our medicine being a sort of applied philosophy, that there is a way of looking at the world that has such coherence and connection that it not only helps us to make sense of this moment, but to bring healing as well. David Marks set off on the path of medicine through his interest in philosophy, which in turn has guided him through a life of practice, inquiry, filmmaking and writing. Listen in to the conversation on how receptivity and curiosity can take you a long wa...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 185
The Tang Ye Jing— where to start? Way back in the Shang Dynasty so the story goes. The Yang Ye Jing is a “lost” text on herbal medicine that has played hide and seek with practitioners over the centuries. How much of it is myth? How much archetypical patterning? And how much a ghost story we like to tell ourselves? All worthy questions. And while the topic of this episode touches on the Tang Ye Jing, our main concern is a medieval text from a Buddhist cave with its own colorful story— the Fu Xin...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 184
True entrepreneurs and visionaries don’t go into something for the money. They go into it because of purpose and passion. The business piece is in service of the difference they are looking to create in the world. It’s not surprising that Peter Deadman would be focused on Yang Sheng, the Nourishment of Life, he’s been at it his entire adult life in various forms and pursuits. Listen in to this conversation on passion, business and how our interests don’t just help us to make a living, they assis...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 183
Forty years is a long time to practice medicine and gives plenty of opportunity to follow your interests while helping patients. Our medicine includes various kinds of hands on bodywork, and in this conversation we explore the use of micro current. While electricity is often applied to needles in our work, Malvin Finkelstein has found a way of using a micro current probe along with bodywork to bring rapid and profound changes to the underlying tissues. Listen in to this conversation on electrici...
Jan 12, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 182
Working with the conventional medical system takes a lot more than simply letting doctors know your practice exists. Like any relationship it takes time, effort and persistence, along with a sense of common values and language. In this conversation with Kym Garrett we explore the process of building a practice around the treatment of cancer that dovetails with conventional treatment. Listen in for this discussion of building trust and creating a practice that helps patients to navigate between C...
Jan 05, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 181
Here we are at the end of 2020, you'd think the alliterative rhyme of 2-0, 2-0 would imply a year of balance of and stability. It's been anything but, and yet, it's been a year that has asked us to grow in terms of flexibility and resilience and through adversity discover strengths of which did not we did not realize we were capable. This last episode of the year is a solo show taking a look back at the year, along with a glimpse into the future, along with some thoughts of shadow side of our pr...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 180
生意 sheng yi, are the characters in Chinese that mean business. They literally mean, “create meaning.” And when you think about it, any successful business does exactly that; it creates meaning and provides something of value. From your favorite indy coffeeshop, to the yoga studio where you love to stretch into your body, to the company that makes the winter coat you love to wear, there are people who are spending their life energy creating something in which you find value, meaning and joy. Why ...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 179
Questions are a key aspect of helping us to understand how to help our patients. In school we learn the classic 10 questions. But asking useful questions in clinic goes far beyond the basic 10 and what’s more our lines of questioning are not about creating conversation, but able sifting through a patient’s experience so we can come up with a diagnosis so that we can then craft an effective treatment. In this conversation with Jason Robertson we touch on how Dr. Wang Ju-Yi would use questions lik...
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 178
The great thing about being a student is that you have permission to be curious. It’s your job to push the edges. To crank open your mind and leave a vast swath of empty space in your being so as to allow your studies and experience to shape you into something you’ve imagined, but have not yet attained. Students are expected to push the edges, and they have permission to discover. This conversation with first year acupuncture student Megan Bulloch started as an email that said… I need to reach o...
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 177
Barry Danielian is one of the most in demand trumpeters and arrangers in NYC, having recorded on over 400 CD’s. Barry’s music is used throughout the television and media industry. His touring and recording credits include diverse artists such as: Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Jay-Z, Tony Bennett, Sting, Tower of Power, Queen Latifah, Eddie Palmieri, Blood, Sweat & Tears, KRS One, Branford Marsalis, Paul Simon, Tito Puente, James Taylor, Billy Joel, McCoy Tyner, Illinois Jacquet, Marc ...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 176
Chinese medicine has a treasure house of methods and treatment for women’s health. From the work of Sun Si Miao to modern day practitioners women’s health has been a key concern in our medicine. In this conversation with Genevieve Le Goff we explore the transformations of qi through the five phases and six confirmations as we discuss Fu Xing Jue and the mythic lost text, Tang Ye Jing. Listen in to this discussion of women’s health and some ways of thinking about our medicine from a non-modern pe...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 175
CBD is a big deal these days. Is it really the panacea that is constantly being sold to us? How does this substance and cannabis in general fit in with our thinking in terms of Chinese medicine? How do we separate wishful thinking from fact, and how do we know what constitutes a reliable and pure product from those of inferior grade? In this conversation with Chloe Weber we investigate CBD from the perspective of Chinese medicine practitioner. Listen in to this conversation CBD, cannabis medicin...
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 174
Our western world hides death. We are taught to avoid it. Avoid thinking about, do everything medically possible to prolong life, and focus on “more time” without regard to more of “what.” In this conversation with Tamsin Grainger we look into how death is inextricably entangled with life. How we care constantly dying to one moment as we emerge into a new one. Listen in to this conversation on living into the surprising unfolding of life and how the mindset of pilgrimage helps us to transition t...
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 173
In this “part two” conversation with Felip Caudet we get into the nuts and bolts of how he uses moxa, and how to find and treat “moxa points.” Additionally there is an excerpt from his soon to be published book String Moxa Method. Go to the show notes page to read or download it.
Nov 06, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Our medicine teaches us that all things move through cycles of generation, flourishing, decline and disappearance. It’s the way qi moves through this world and so not a surprise that at some point there is an end to the practice that has sustained us and allowed us to help others along the way. In this conversation with Charlie Braverman we discuss the sunset of an acupuncture practice. The opportunities that arise while you still have time to learn something new. The importance of having a kind...
Nov 03, 2020•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 172
Good cookware requires seasoning. A hearty stew takes heat and time. Good wine needs a few years; whiskey, that requires a decade or more. And to develop as a practitioner of Chinese medicine, that ripening can take a lifetime. In this conversation with Peter Mole we explore the dynamics of doubt and certainty, along with the role of intuition and artistry in the development of an acupuncturist. Listen into this conversation on the inner journey of becoming a Chinese medicine doctor. Head on ove...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 171
Research when done well is an inquiry that can shift the foundation of your cognitive model. And that’s exactly what it is for. In this conversation with Brenda Le we both explore how TCM is seen in our Western Chinese medicine world, and how doing this research opened her up to aspects of medicine and practice that she did not previously see. Listen in to this conversation on inquiry, exploration and discovery. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for ...
Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 170
My initial introduction to moxibustion was the classic Chinese mugwort cigar. I hated it. But only because my lungs are the weak link in my chain of being. The smoke was intolerable. Japanese rice grain moxa, that was a whole other universe. It’s not that less is more, it’s that the focused and directed aspects of Japanese moxibustion invite a completely different experience of heat and sensation. In this conversation with Felip Caudet we follow his path of discovery with moxibustion. Listen in ...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 169
The medicines and martial arts of Asia have long considered the lower belly and back to be of significant importance in health, wellbeing and as a kind of seat of power and presence. In this conversation with long time practitioner Jeffrey Dann we explore the structural powerhouse of the Koshi, the dynamic lower abdomen with all it’s energetic and physiological functions. Additionally we explore how to approach the body and appreciate the body and develop a sense of listening and connection that...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 168
Ethics is never a simple black and white calculation, but rather the inquiry into proper relationship in a world filled with variability. It’s about considering the relationship with self, other, and society. And it’s a way to check ourselves for blind spots and to consider how our actions affect others, as well as ourselves. In this conversation with Laura Christensen we explore common ethical issues that all acupuncturists are likely to run up against. And you might be surprised to hear about ...
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 167
There is a kind of poetry to Chinese characters. They gives hints and clues about the names we give to the world. They tell a story. In this conversation with Elisabeth Rochat we explore, like you’d explore bottles of fine wine, some of the meaning and nuance in the characters 意 yi， 通 tong， 命 ming，and 理 li. There are some delicious surprises in this conversation as I’m more conversant with the common meanings of these characters, and Elisabeth’s perspective gives me a whole new appreciation for ...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 166
Jing, Qi and Shen— the three treasures. Like so many of these pithy quotes about Chinese medicine there is a lot here if you have taken the time to investigate it and see how it fits within your experience of practicing medicine. In this conversation with Yair Maimon we touch on the three treasures as they relate to treating cancer with acupuncture, immunology from Chinese medicine perspective, and ways of working with research that help us to further our understanding of our medicine here in th...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 165
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...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 164
The medical model is useful for certain conditions and problems. It also lends itself to a factory sort of medicine that allows a large number of people to be served using protocols and standard procedures. But when a patient’s issues don’t fit neatly into “the machine” then that system of medicine is not just not helpful, it can bring harm. Engaging with a patient free of flowcharts and diagnostic codes invites into a space free of agenda and technique. It allows for a kind of non-doing that ca...
Sep 06, 2020•1 hr
We venerate the masters, hold them up as shining examples of what we would like to be one some day, but let’s be honest here— most of us will never be masters. Those rarified characters are few and far between. And the process it takes is not one most of us would willing sign up for. We do however have a good shot at being a fine journeyman or journeywoman Why it’s hard to become a master? Master’s are usually forged in troublesome fires. They may be living through a time of war and disease and ...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 163
Stems and Branches are old Chinese science. Our medicine touches on it, but most of us rely on the more modern perspectives for our clincal work. The Stems and Branches speak to a perspective of the universe and our place in it that is foreign to our minds not because of language and culture, but because we live a world that focus more on humanity than cosmos. In this conversation we touch on the influence of numbers, the spiral nature of unfoldment and change, a few things about the Hun and Po ...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 162
There are many ways to attend to our patients in clinic. We can work through mental models that we’ve acquired from our schooling, study, and clinical experience. We can also use our innate human ability to touch, palpate and sense. In this episode with Chip Chase we discuss the importance of down-regulating our nervous system. Along with the use of palpation and sensing references to anchor our ideas about what might be going on for a patient, and to track the progress of the treatment as it un...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 161
We often consider the Five Phases when doing acupuncture, and the Six Conformations when treating our patients with herbal medicine. In this conversation we consider the interplay of “wu yun, liu qi” the five movements and six climatic qi from the perspective of diagnosis and understanding not just what problem a patient has, but also its progression through time. Listen in to this discussion on understanding the cycles and interplay of yin and yang that will help you to better understand why a ...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 160
This is the audio from a Teal Time talk with Sabine Wilms. Sabine holds these conversations with practitioners who have a taste for the classic and scholarly perspectives. I love the translations that Sabine so lovingly puts her heart and soul into. Humming with Elephants with one of my all time favorite books on our medicine. I was delighted to have this conversation with Sabine and how you enjoy it as well.
Aug 09, 2020•1 hr 51 min
