As practitioners, it’s easy to ignore or fail to take note of the red flags that imply we’re headed for burnout. Not until the billowing smoke of burnout is blocking our view. When you feel burdened by your responsibilities, it’s important to carve out space and build resilience—not necessarily to bounce back, but to grow through by adapting to the change. Learn to brake before you have a breakdown. A little time and quiet now will help you navigate the challenges and opportunities in your path ...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 238
We’ve long turned to the stars for guidance, from foretelling our destinies to celestial navigation. Chinese Polestar astrology was developed as a means to describe our interaction with the cycles of Qi using a system of calculations and imagery, including the 5 elements and various Chinese court archetypes. It looks at the delicate interplay of an individual’s fate and free will—pointing us to a life that is harmonious with our true character. The question is: Can we connect with ancient ancest...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 237
Curious to know about your experience in the ER at Dong Zhi Men, where you using Western or Eastern medicine there? Or some combination? Diabetes and High Blood Pressure are two modern illnesses we frequently see. Most Americans are quite content to take medication for the rest of their lives. I’d like to get your thoughts on how we can help our patients to reverse these problems and live medication free. Lately I’ve had a lot of patients showing up with neuropathy. It’s a tough condition to tre...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 236
Whether you're a young or seasoned practitioner, opening your own Chinese medicine practice is an exciting , daunting and worthwhile challenge. There's a lot that goes into being a practitioner—beyond the medicine part of it. You have to learn how to blend your medical expertise with business know-how. And as our society and life circumstances evolve, so must our perspectives and services. In this conversation with Cara Frank, we mull over the idea of evolving as a small business and as a practi...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 235
Acupuncture is technique, a method, a way to send the body a message. But the message we send— that comes from the long tradition and practice of the medicine that originated in China. Do you consider yourself an acupuncturist, or a doctor of East Asian medicine? Do you see yourself “owning” a technique, or do you see yourself as a link in a chain that stretches into the misty past and at the same time is alive in the present? In this conversation with Annie White discuss these questions over so...
Jan 11, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 234
“The poets did well to conjoin music and medicine, in Apollo, because the office of medicine is but to tune the curious harp of man's body and reduce it to harmony.” ― Francis Bacon Music and Medicine have a lot in common. In the deepest sense, medicine is a kind of performance. Like mastering musical instruments and tones, Chinese Medicine is only effective when it moves through theoretical and experiential cycles of learning. This includes lessons from teachers, hands-on experience, reflective...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 233
Most of us typically devote our time, focus, and resources to building a successful Chinese Medicine practice. But how often do you take a step back to think about what will happen when you need to make a move, or stop practicing? We have to come to terms with the fact that change is inevitable. It is part of the natural progression of life. But managing transition with ease, that is part art, part skill and usually a good dose of new learning. As a person in transition, you must learn to let go...
Dec 28, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 232
Western medicine and East Asian medicine have often been seen as two completely different ways of approaching health and well being. Can they be blended together for the benefit of our patients? It has taken time for the Western world to familiarize itself with the modalities of Chinese Medicine. Similarly, maneuvering through large organizations like hospitals, the military, or the government can be like walking into uncharted territory. It requires an understanding of their lingo, procedures a...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 231
Steve has kept the pulse on dry needling and the impact to the acupuncture profession for over a decade. As a specialist in sports and orthopedic acupuncture, Steve's insightful narrative sheds light on the future of dry needling, how it can be leveraged in acupuncture practices, and legislative initiatives with the goal to set a high and consistent standard across professions.
Dec 11, 2021•41 min•Ep. 230
Yin/Yang is a lovely idea. The counterbalance of opposites sounds so good on paper, but the expression of those heavenly ideas within the limitations and form of Earth brings a lot of suffering, strife and pain. And yet, when we look at the earth as a whole, when we look at human bodies as a reflection of the outer world. We can see how the interplay of opposites is essential to that balance from which Health arises. In today’s conversation with Sharon Sherman, Jeri Steele and Charles Bishop we ...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 229
How we know, and how we know we know. Our capacity to sit with our patients in that liminal space of not knowing. And the ability to navigate uncertainty in the process of unfolding a treatment. All these are processes that aren’t so easily taught, but can be learned. In this conversation with Taran Rosenthal we investigate the process of investigation. Mull over how we bring together thoughts and experience and attend to the unfolding present moment in clinic. Listen into this discussion on mut...
Nov 30, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 228
針灸 Needles and Moxa, it is right there in the Chinese characters that are translated as “acupuncture.” Moxa is as fundamental to our practices as needles. The applications of burning mugwort run the gamut from cheap acrid Chinese pole moxa to ultra refined sweet scented Japanese moxa. And the techniques vary as well from the smoky moxa boxes to the whisper thread of smoke from the tiny rice grains. In this conversation with Hannah Swift we discuss not just her love of moxa, but fascination for t...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 227
Leaves on a plant curl and turn yellow when the soil is not right. The health of a cat is reflected in the texture of its fur and clearity in the eyes. Likewise with people we can discern states of wellness or illness by attending to those parts of the body that are the first to show the signs of change. And so over the centuries we’ve learned to trust the reflections we see from the pulse, abdomen, tongue and if you’re sensitive enough, the qi itself. In this conversation with Thomas Sorensen w...
Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 226
The fundamentals root our practice. The basics that we learn in the beginning not only never go away, but deepen with experience. This is why regardless of lineage or method, Chinese medicine practitioners can communicate with each other as we share a common parlance. The fundamentals of yin yang, the motion of the five phases, and the ways excess & deficiency help us to understand the root of a person's problem. At the core, we all share the fundamentals. In this discussion with Rob Helmer ...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 225
Our job as clinicians is to help our patients. And to help them we must first understand them. Which is easier said than done, especially as we all have different ways of being in the world, our perception has a lot to do with which senses we like to rely upon and the way we frame the world in turn frames our treatments. In this conversation with Paul Movsessian we touch on the sensate world of Japanese acupuncture, noodle on the innovative and imaginative work of Dr Manaka and explore how the s...
Nov 02, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 224
When you’re running a business, be it an acupuncture clinic, tech company, plumbing service or coaching practice there are core principles that can spell the differences between failure and success. In this conversation with Mark Asquith we noodle on the First Principles that apply every bit as much to the software and podcast services that he has created, as they do to creating an acupuncture practice that supports your life instead of running it. Listen into this discussion on learning on your...
Oct 26, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 223
Heartbreak is unavoidable. It’s not a flaw in character or make up humans, it’s a feature. It’s what allows us to grow beyond the bounds and limits of family, friend group, peers and whatever group identity we find that gives a sense of belonging and security. Heart break expands our boundaries, the question is does it break you open or break you closed? In this conversation with Margot Rossi we give space to how our brokenness is the source of both suffering and redemption. How our greatest tro...
Oct 19, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 222
Love it or hate it, social media has seeped its influence into many corners of our lives. Most people have at least one social media platform that acts as a kind of morning news, local gossip coffee shop, private printing press, or digital campfire where we gather to tell and listen to stories. Stories that can incite riots, or stories that remind us of our shared humanity. In this conversation with Andrea Dewhurst we take a look at Instagram and how it can be used to create a community that tie...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 221
Money is the lifeblood of every business; it’s the Qi. And an acupuncture practice can not ignore the basics of business. The main focus of a Chinese Medicine practitioner is to deliver holistic care to patients – in essence creating a safe space to share the medicine. But if you’re in business for yourself, you have to come to terms with the idea of exchanging healing services for money. Running your own clinic is grounded in nature’s fundamental relationships of exchange; of creating and shari...
Oct 05, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 220
There are many schools of thought, methods both ancient and modern, practices based on lineage and those idiosyncratically synthetic. It is easy to think that what you understand is correct, and all too often medicine is practiced with a bit of an attachment to dogma. But biases are dangerous, and they narrow your field of vision—influencing your work as a practitioner. Plus, what happens when the bias or dogma is shattered? In this conversation with Allen Tsaur, we discuss some of his translati...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 219
It’s easy to have beliefs about people we don’t know. Especially if they tick the boxes of our biases, prejudice, ignorance and the opinions of our friends. When you think about successful stock market investors you’re probably not thinking about people with compassion, curiosity, spiritually and a sense of fair play. But for some of the top level investors that he interviews, you’ll find humility, generosity and a deep abiding sense of the ephemeral nature of the world and a habit of “cultiva...
Sep 21, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 218
Traditions tell a story. They hold and transmit insights into cultural, religious, and sometimes medical practices. They can give us a glimpse into how family lineages consider and refine aspects of medicine learned in the institutional settings. In this conversation with Dr. Shoubin Yu and Anthony DiSalvo, we explore some of the methods and perspective of the Yu Family Chinese medicine traditions. Anthony is an apprentice of Dr. Yu—carrying down the Yu Family methods that go back over 500 years...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 216
As practitioners of Chinese Medicine, it’s our responsibility to address all aspects of our patient’s experience: mind, body, and spirit. This demands that we listen carefully to the various streams of information at our disposal—whether from our learned experience or from what the patient’s body is telling us. In this conversation with Velia Wortman, we explore the importance of paying attention to what the body is saying, using our senses to best serve our patients, how to discern subtle motio...
Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 215
How we think influences what we do. The models and frameworks we use to understand not just our medicine, but the world itself, opens or limits the options we can offer our patients for treatment. While the Venn Diagrams of East Asian and Western medicine share some overlap, at their core they are rooted in very different world views. Which in turn influences how we might be able to help our patients. In this conversation, with Brenda Hood we investigate the need for a distinction between East A...
Aug 24, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 214
I’m reminded of the stillness of cats. How they can sit both still and yet completely and serenely attentive. So too with resonance, there is the yin aspect of stillness with the yang expression of vibrating with the influence of the environment. And in the middle, ren, person, the human heart. In this discussion with Diane Fabian-Smith we look into empathy, along with the filters and boundaries that allow us to connect without getting lost in the encounter. Listen into this conversation on reso...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 213
Pulse palpation…the telling touch in Chinese Medicine. It’s an integral aspect of East Asian that is simple in some ways, and deeply nuanced and complex in others. Feeling and interpreting a patient’s pulse is only one facet of clinical interaction. A practitioner has to be present and mindful of the patient; mindful of the experience. In this conversation with Ross Rosen, we talk extensively about taking the pulse, connecting with the patient, being mindful of resources, and intervening appropr...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 212
Life has a way of nudging us in different directions. Some find inspiration in life-changing events; others in the smallest of things. But whichever path we take, we all have stories of how we got to do what we do. In this discussion with Rodrigo Aranda, we not only discuss his backstory and the stepping stones that led him to practice Chinese Medicine—but also how Chinese Medicine got to South America. And for a practice that dates back thousands of years, it’s interesting that Chinese Medicine...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 211
How we are with ourselves affects how we are with patients. Our own difficulties in life can assist us in helping others, but it requires that we are able to come to a sense of neutrality with those traumas of the past. In this conversation with Seanna Sifflet we discuss using our own feelings, the healing potentials in empathy and forgiveness, and the importance of overcoming our own biases. Listen into this discussion on the importance of of managing our own nervous systems and cultivating the...
Jul 27, 2021•59 min•Ep. 210
Thinking about autoimmune illness from the Chinese medicine perspective is vastly different from how we think about in modern biomedicine terms. And the four levels of wei, qi, ying and xue are very helpful in giving us a framework for diagnosis and treatment. In this conversation with Bryan McMahon we explore the complex, and often contradictory dynamics, of autoimmune conditions, And how to finesse our treatments to address these challenging situations. Listen into this discussion to gain an a...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 209
Community is something we often talk about, and yet it is not easily defined. Our practices include not just us and our business, but the ecosystems of commerce, profession, and location. In this conversation with Eric Grey with touch on how our profession is relatively new in the western world, how it is rapidly changing and growing as East Asian medicine makes its way into our culture and medical system. Now is an exciting time to be a part of this field and there are many opportunities to hav...
Jul 13, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 208
