Эпизоды
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We are encoded beings. There is a song that plays out through the patterning of our DNA. We are influenced by the tides of culture, family and peers. And there is a great turning of Stems and Branches that leaves an imprint on our mind/body as we enter the world.
The Ba Zi is a description of the moment we enter this world, it’s the weather we carry with us from that first breath. It shows tendencies of expression, not unlike how DNA plays a familiar rhythm through us.
In this conversation with Howard Chen we explore the Ba Zi and in particular the influence of the Day Master, which is a helpful place to begin when sorting through the complex interrelationships of the phases, especially if you’re a practitioner of acupuncture.
Listen into this conversation on why we have tendencies to rely on our generation or control cycle, how our superpower is a resource and at times trouble to overcome, and how we can balance out the wobbles we all carry that make us uniquely ourselves.
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In this History Series episode we time-travel with the vivacious Cara Frank. Her story begins in the gritty, creative pulse of 1970s New York City, where as a teenager, she was navigating the counter cultural scene. Her first encounter with acupuncture was anything but ordinary—an illegal treatment that changed her life and set her on the path she travels today.
Cara’s journey is a tapestry woven with threads of rebellion, discovery, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. From the scarring moxa treatments of Dr. So, to her worldview changing with the discovery of herbs in a Beijing hospital. Cara’s story is one of exploration and deep connection to the roots of Chinese medicine practice.
Listen in as we explore the alchemy of Cara’s life in Chinese medicine—as she reflects on the influential figures who guided her, her insights into the community's growth and the importance of mentorship. All with her hardscrabble wisdom, humor, and a dash of New York grit.
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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You’re probably somewhat familiar with the four needle technique. It’s an innovation said to have arisen through the meditative practice of the Korean Buddhist monk Saam, roughly four hundred years ago.
It has since been passed down both through the monastic tradition, and used as well by ordinary doctors. Today you’ll also find the “Saam Method” used in academic research studies and employed as a key part of their acupuncture practice by Korean practitioners.
In this conversation with Andreas Brüch we explore the more modern thinking and application of Saam as it’s used by Korean doctors today. He’s spent 20 years studying with some of those doctors and using the method in his work.
Listen in to this discussion on organ pairs, phase energetics, six qi influences, a psycho-emotive model that expands your thinking, and how the Sam Boo character of the transport points can help you to select individual points to add focused potency to your treatments.
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How we engage the mind can have an effect on our wellbeing in profound ways.
What is even more interesting is how the mind and body interact. We are all familiar how the emotions can be the source of internally generated illness, and we are all familiar with how injury or illness can in turn have an effect on our emotional life.
Some would go so far as to say all physical illness is rooted in the emotions. To me that seems a bit simplistic. but I’d agree that our physiology and the internal “climate” generated by the emotions… they are not disconnected.
In this conversation with Joyce Vlarrkamp we discuss the inner landscape, not just of the patient, but the practitioner as well. Along with the metaphors and imagery through which patients navigate their experience. If you’re keen on investigating the inner landscape, you’ll enjoy this conversation.
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What is Nature, and what is Nurture? It’s an old question that poses what is perhaps a false dichotomy.
Considering out Nature, it’s as old as Chinese medicine. And nourishing ourselves so as to enjoy the full measure of our days, also has a long history of inquiry and practice.
As practitioners we need to know how to take care of ourselves as part of being able to care for others. The tenets of East Asian medicine suggest that different kinds of people need different things. Sun Xi Miao is one of the leading authorities on medicine and cultivation.
In this conversation with Sabine Wilms and Leo Lok we discuss their perspective on what Sun Si Miao has passed down to us, and a special program they are offering for those who want to take a deep dive into the essence of “nourishing our nature.”
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I attended what was then known as SIOM before it was an accredited school. I thought the program and approach was a good fit for how I learned, and being in my late 30’s at the time, I did not have the patience for a program that would not let me get my hands on people for a year or more.
At SIOM, they had us in the clinic from the first week. Our patients were part of our curriculum. That fit the way I learn. The innovative program they were experimenting with back then was in part due to the efforts of Paul Karsten, who was one of the founders. Learning and instructional design was something he’d been interested in and gravitated towards.
Listen into this conversation on the early development of schools and curriculum, the challenge of teaching Chinese medicine concepts to Western students, the importance of hands-on experience, and the role of qi transformation in learning and practice.
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For sure, the health of the brain is absolutely essential to health and wellbeing. As we age, just like with other organs, there is a lot that can go wrong with that curious Sea of Marrow.
In this conversation with Clayton Shu we discuss how he went from a focus on orthopedic issues to being concerned with neurology and brain health. Clayton doesn’t really do things in halfway measures, so when he goes at something, he goes at it full tilt.
Listen into this discussion that connects ancient Eastern with modern Western perspectives on neurology, yang sheng, gut health, and acupuncture in the promotion of brain health and a well functioning neurological system.
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From the misty mountains of China to the teahouses of Taiwan, Tea has served as a bridge between nature and culture, tradition and modernity. Tea is not just a beverage, but a living entity that carries within it a connective plant wisdom and the potential for personal and societal transformation.
In this conversation Brian Kirbis unveils tea's hidden depths, its ability to foster human connection, its embodiment of spiritual ecology, and its power to teach us about balance and appreciation.
Listen into this discussion that brews up insights on the spiritual ecology of tea, its role in fostering human connections and as a traveling companion for life's journey.
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Not only is acupuncture strange, with its twelve invisible watersheds of flow and influence. But we have the qi jing ba mai. The strange flows… usually translated as the extraordinary vessels.
Some say these are the blueprint that give structure to the embryo as they help to orient and guide development. Others say that these vessels are deeply tied into our psycho-emotive functioning.
Traditionally they were talked about as reservoirs . They helped to regulate the excess or lack in the 12 main channels.
As for me, I can’t say that I understand them all that well. And that is why I like to talk to folks who have spent time investigating the extraordinary nature of these vessels.
Which is why I’m delighted to share this conversation with Yvonne Farrel and Luke Adler
They’ve spent some time looking into and clinically working with the 8 extras as we commonly call them.
Are they strange, or are they fundamental? Listen in and find out for yourself.
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I recently had the good fortune to sit down for a conversation with Charlie Buck, one of the early pioneers in acupuncture and Chinese medicine in the UK. He shared his journey of discovering acupuncture in the late 1970s, a time when it was still quite unknown in the West. Our discussion explored how the landscape of acupuncture education and practice in Britain has shifted dramatically over the years.
This conversation touches on deeper topics like the nature of mastery in Chinese medicine, the importance of cultivating perception and intuition, and how practitioners can be like "magicians" for their patients.
Listen into this discussion that weaves together history, philosophy, and practical wisdom about the practice of Chinese medicine. Charlie's passion for the subject and decades of experience truly shines through.
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Understanding and acknowledging how things are is a terrific starting point. It’s what led Ilan Migdali to not just understand how health insurance worked in California, but opened up a path for him to create an insurance network that specifically aimed at helping acupuncturists to thrive.
Beyond the creative and practical work Ilan has done with insurance, he’s also a student of the Balance Method and in particular looking at the yi jing and how the transformations of the gua can be stimulated within the body using particular acupuncture points.
I always hope that when I speak with people Ilan a bit of their broad perspective might wear off me. Maybe it will broaden your perspective as well…. We’ll find out right after a word from the people you can thank for making Qiological possible.
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I was cautious and reluctant about studying acupuncture when it first really caught my attention.
Then there are folks like John McDonald who when he first caught wind of acupuncture thought… far out man, I want to know more about that.
That enthusiasm has followed him through his time as a practitioner and even through doing a Ph.D.
In this conversation we’ll discuss trickster shamans, the ethics of using the controlling cycle of the Five Phases to influence your patients emotions, why people with stanch beliefs are most easily brainwashed, and the curiosity of how the body “makes decisions.”
For sure, it’s far out, and I think you’ll want to know more.
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Tinkering and creating, I suspect that anyone who's been lucky enough to have grown up in an environment that encouraged exploration, risk taking and curiosity— they've got a perspective that has them asking “why not” instead of “why.”
Figuring out how things work is fun. Even more so when you don’t take other people’s word on what is doable or not, and you go and see for yourself.
Adrian Larsen has been one of those “how’s this thing work” kind of people his whole life. That’s what led him into all kinds of interesting projects, one of which was the creation of the acugraph. It’s great when curious people push an edge and find a whole new territory to share with the rest of us.
In this conversation we’ll learn more about how the Acugraph came about, as well as how it can be used.
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I had the delightful surprise of Zoe Coldham reaching out to me to tell me about the documentary she’d created that goes into the early days of acupuncture finding its way into the mainstream of British culture.
As you probably know, Qiological has been doing a little mini-series on acupuncture’s journey to the west as well. So I was keen to have her on to hear her perspective and what she’s discovered.
Listen in for this documentarian’s perspective on acupuncture’s Journey to the West.
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The late 60s and early 70s were a time of openness and experimentation. It was the beginning of the civil rights movement, more equality for women, and the recognition that sexuality included more than love between men and women.
Cultural norms were questioned and that included dietary practices, the healing arts and the relationship between humans and the planet. It was in this rich milieu of change that acupuncture started to take root in the imagination and then practice of those who were willing to follow a path with heart.
We are going to hear more about those early days with Randall Barolet. Some of you might recognize his name on the first Formula and Strategies book from Eastland Press. Randall did not set out to be a translator, that was something that organically showed up as he followed his interest with Chinese medicine.
In the words of Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter, what a long strange trip it’s been.
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It’s fun to solve problems. Especially when you’re not quite sure what to do, so you have to pay attention and learn what’s important. You must develop the capacity to learn from both your failures and success.
Mark Brinson wanted a liniment for patients and was not happy with what was on the market. So he thought he’d just mix up his own. That turned into a process of learning a lot about everything from the quality of the herbs, to the nature of the water, to distilling his own alcohol.
The final product is not just a quality liniment, but a point of view. When it comes to marketing and assisting practitioners not just about helping their patients, but also doing well financially so they can sustainably do their doctoring work.
Listen into this conversation on herbal alchemy, marketing with a sense of humor and how to have fun as a mad scientist.
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The Chinese are right, the brain is a curious organ. The way the nerves entangle their way into every aspect of our body, and how their gentle electric hum gives us awareness of this container we call ourselves.
Pain is how our nervous system lets us know there is a problem. Acupuncture has rightfully been seen and used as a way to intervene. Strangely enough the ear has a powerful influence on the brain and nervous system.
In this conversation with John Howard we take a look at Battlefield Acupuncture, its origin, unique place in the military, and how it works with the curious organ of the brain.
Listen into this discussion on the influence of the zero point, the curious relationship between blood types and pain, sacred the geometry of 30 degree angles, importance of titration and how causing some trouble got him a job working for the Yankees.
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What is our universe made of? How does it work, and more importantly– what are we doing here and how do we make sense of it? Eternal questions, unanswerable, but maybe the questions are not for answering, perhaps they are for focusing attention.
In this conversation with Rory Hiltbrand we take a look at our peculiar situation as Beings in between the circle of heaven and square of earth. We dip into mathematics, Donghan Daoist numerology, metaphysics and others head scratching ideas about medicine that practitioners have puzzled over for centuries.
Listen into this discussion of sacred geometry, alchemy, Quantum mechanics and perception. It gets a bit Alice in Wonderland like, but I think you’ll enjoy the trip down this rabbit hole.
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While many are keen on looking to “science up” acupuncture and squeeze it into the thinking and theories of conventional medicine, others are quite content with the weirdness of it. And enjoy playing around in the territory that’s off the radar of Western science.
Julian Scott is one of those pioneering acupuncturists whose background in theoretical physics primed him for the strangeness of the world of acupuncture.
In this conversation we explore how healing and science don’t always go together. His surprising introduction to treating children, and the weirdness that is inherent to both physics and healing.
Listen into this discussion on root causes, developmental stages, the influence of vaccines, along with the role of mind-to-mind connection and emanation in healing.
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As anyone who has started an acupuncture practice and tried explaining it to potential patients knows, it’s not easy taking the terminology and thinking of East Asian medicine into English speaking Western culture.
The guest of this conversation, John Rybak, has thought long and hard about this. He is keen on helping our profession bridge how we think and work with the constraints and opportunities of the conventional medicine world.
Listen into this conversation on the importance of effective communication, concerns with our scope of practice losses, need for advocacy, and how expanding our vocabulary can help us to engage the broader medical community.
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