The body speaks with a visceral language —a hint of thirst, the ache of hunger, the sudden urge for something salty. These signals can be quiet, and easily dismissed when thinking about the “common knowledge” of modern medicine. However, they carry an ancient wisdom that, if we learn to listen, can guide us back toward balance.
In this conversation with Peter Torssell, we wander through the landscapes of Chinese medicine, food traditions, and the yin–yang rhythms that shape health. Peter’s approach is simple yet layered—he looks for what unites different styles of practice, invites patients into small changes with big impact, and trusts the body’s own feedback as a compass.
Listen into this discussion as we explore the subtlety of provoking thirst to build yang, the way salt cravings reveal more than taste, how harmony is born of difference, and the art of choosing foods in dialogue with the seasons and yourself.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
- Unifying perspectives in Chinese medicine despite differing schools and styles
- The landscape and terrains of numbers
- The role of food traditions in building constitutional strength across cultures
- You need to be calm to understand your needs
- Why quality salt and a full mineral profile matter for kidney health and vitality
- Traditional fats as both nutrient carriers and protectors against oxidative stress
- Using hunger and thirst as diagnostic tools and gateways to self-regulation
- Sweet flavour as both qi tonic and liver soother—and the importance of quality sources
- When trying something new with food, ask “what’s the effect?”
- The art of giving fewer, more impactful dietary changes to encourage compliance
- How to help patients trust their own instincts over external food “rules”
- Pragmatic integration of classical texts, modern science, and lived food wisdom
- Observing body type, spirit, and presence to guide constitutional food advice
- Using patient-led inquiry to create lasting lifestyle change without overwhelm
Regarding Food as medicine: To take as much as possible into consideration and make it as simple as possible, and from that use simple and daily measures to get good results for an individual and empower the patient.
Peter Torssell (b chin med) -Acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine-specialist in Food regulation.
Head of and head teacher at Akupunkturakademin (The school of acupuncture in Stockholm) -Guest lecturer at different universities in Sweden in Chinese medicine and Chinese food regulation. Has also lectured in Finland, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, England, Ireland, Poland and Malaysia.
Runs a private practice of Chinese medicine and acupuncture in Sollentuna, outside Stockholm since 1988.
1988: – Received diploma of TCM acupuncture. 1989: – Practiced acupuncture in Nanjing, China
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