349 History Series, There's No End to The Study • Stuart Watts
The 1960’s and 70’s saw an explosion of alternative health and lifestyle practices appear at the edges of culture. It was a time ripe with possibility and fraught with peril, after all there was a war going on. The kind where men were drafted.
As with any troubled time, there is also opportunity. Because as things fall apart, they also fall together. The guest of this episode, Stuart Watts, he had a bent for spiritual practice, a curiosity about health beyond the mainstream, and an adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit. The kind of spirit that did not just see opportunities, but created them.
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291 Mind, Destiny and Intention • Ann Cecil Sterman
In this conversation with Ann Cecil Sterman, we unravel the notion that all intention is heart-centered unless interfered with by the mind. The topic takes us down a fascinating path where we mull over the idea of accessing the Chong meridian and uncovering the blueprint of our life. We also explore what it means to be a proficient practitioner, the issue of the mind defending against destiny, and why acupuncture is all about the channels.
Listen into this discussion on mind, intention, fate, and navigating the blueprint of one’s destiny.
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290 Intention, Attention, and The Qi of Cultivation • Damo Mitchell
We all know that Chinese medicine is a path of balance. A journey of harmony and restoration. An art that seeks to align the channels and tend to the ebb and flow of Qi. As practitioners we are trying to unravel the knots that bind or drain away imbalances so as to invite the body back to health. Our medicine is an art that seeks to bring harmony to the whole.
In this conversation with Damo Mitchell, we go off the beaten path as we discuss some arguable topics revolving around the use of attention versus intention in the clinic, developing a sense of discernment for what’s valuable, the linear nature of our medicine, and how cultivation ties into all this. It’s a conversation that is bound to raise a few questions (and perhaps some eyebrows).
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289 San Jiao, Xin Bao, Mingmen- The Flow of Fire • Thomas Sorensen
Mingmen (命門) is a lifeblood point in the flow of fire and qi in the body, yet remains shrouded in an enigma. For those who seek to understand their fate, the point—which translates to “Gate of Destiny” or “Gate of Life”—can be perceived as a gateway leading to a realm beyond our understanding, offering a glimpse into the unknown.
In this conversation with Thomas Sorensen, we seek to understand and unlock the mysteries of the Mingmen—including its significance in our clinical work and how to attend to it. Thomas talks about the need to get heat in the right place and how the heart, the kidney, the Mingmen, and the San Jiao (triple burner) tie into all this. We also fiddle with the idea of destiny, the physiological and psychological aspects of our clinical work, and the role of the small intestines.
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288 Peach Spring Beyond This World, A Glimpse of the Water Rabbit Year • Gregory Done
In this conversation with Gregory Done, we delve into the mysterious realm of the water rabbit and explore how its gentle yet powerful energy can guide us through the ebbs and flows of life, helping us to make the most of opportunities and weather any storms that may come our way. We talk about the transformative power of the water rabbit as the bringer of diplomacy, close-knit relationships, and sneaky guile. Gregory also unravels what lies ahead for the 12 animals of the Chinese cosmological Zodiac.
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287 Tradition and Innovation • Mark Petruzzi and Jeffrey Dann
As practitioners of East Asian medicine, we are informed deeply by the ancient medicine, experience and wisdom passed down through generations. The holism woven into the East Asian medicine traditions is especially important in a modern world that...
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286 Qi, Yi and Tensegrity • Stefan Grace
Our language tells the tale of our evolution and the movement of the mind. It captures the experiences, attitudes, and wisdom of our ancestors and allows us to reflect upon our own. As herbalists and acupuncturists, the language of our medicine...
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285 The Work and Perspectives of Dr Bear • David Toone
Treating what you see sounds easy. And it is essential if you want to craft a targeted and effective treatment. It’s those well aimed treatments that hit the mark that conflated with magic.
But seeing clearly the underlying dynamic that gives rise to the troubles and symptoms for which patients seek us out. That is more complicated.
In this conversation with David Toone we discussion the perspectives and work of the blind Japanese acupuncturist Dr Bear, who passed away a few months ago.
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284 Case Studies and Storytelling a Lens into Medicine and Meaning • Sarah Rivkin
No matter how automated, evidence-based, standardized, or computerized medical systems become, the clinical encounter boils down to a story between a patient and the practitioner. Medicine is not just about reciting a chronology of data points. A practitioner’s role is to recognize and pull meaning from a patient’s story of illness in such a way that can guide us in being helpful.
In this conversation with Sarah Rivkin, we talk about the place of East Asian medicine in a world that leans more towards a standardized approach to medicine. We noodle on the similarities between case studies and novels, and what Sarah’s research could tell us about navigating a Western world without losing sight of what makes Chinese medicine a treasure.
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283 The Spiral Process of Learning • Kristen Lambertin
In this conversation with Kristen Lambertin, we pore over the cyclical process of learning, the difficulties students face when transferring what they’ve learned in the classroom to the clinical workplace, how to improve the learning process in our profession, and some practical skills and mindsets that can help you adapt to the future. We also share opinions on how we can approach our patients and work by building on our strengths and leaning into our shortcomings.
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282 Five Gentleman of Flavor, Taste & Nature • L Stiteler, B Bernadsky, S Feeney, F Griffo, A Ellis
Today’s conversation is one borne out of synchronicity. What was scheduled to be a 3-person panel discussion with Simon Feeney, Loren Stiteler, and Boris Bernadsky turned out to be a ‘party’ as Andy Ellis and Frank Griffo joined us. The outcome was a lively exchange that covered diverse topics around herbs. We mulled over the flavor-based nature of herbalism, the shortcomings of our education system, the variability of herbs, and the processing/preparation of Chinese herbs
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281 Fun With Marketing • Michelle Grasek
Practitioners today navigate a dynamic and ever-evolving world of marketing and communications. There are so many ideas about practice building and how to use technology when it comes to attracting the attention of potential patients, and inviting...
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280 Navigating the Passage, Healing as Voyage of Exploration • Heather Becker-Brungard
Getting off track is not something uncommon for us. In fact, it’s an everyday part of our human experience. The question is, how do you notice when this happens and then how do you reorient? More importantly, how do you navigate when in unfamiliar territory? And likewise with your clinical work, how do you deal with the new and the unknown when it comes to treating patients?
In this conversation with Heather Becker-Brungard, we discuss some ways of approaching our work, as well as how we interact with the body. Much like the ancient navigators who mastered navigating by listening and sensing the water, weather, tides, currents, and wind. In clinical work practice and repetition make you better at what you do. And as we learn to work and interact with nature, our senses become refined and open up opportunities for new discoveries.
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279 Not What I Thought, An Investigation of Adverse Reactions • Karina Smith
The principles behind our medicine are relatively simple. The idea is to restore balance to a body that is in disharmony. To detect the patterns and ripples in the system. To facilitate the unimpeded flow of qi as a river does.
Yet applying these theories in the practice of actual patient care is more complex. Learning in school or from mentors is one thing; cultivating the wisdom to apply this knowledge in the wild, it’s not always straightforward. Sometimes things don’t go how we expect. And all too often, we find ourselves in unchartered territory feeling our way through the unexpected.
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278 Digging the Earthly Branches • Deborah Woolf
Heaven and Earth, the creative and the created, micro and macrocosm. All ways of saying there is a reality we inhabit, and beyond that a lot of mystery. And mystery is something us humans have, at best, an ambivalent relationship with.
In this conversation Deborah Woolf graciously entertains some questions that I had arise after her Qiological Live presentation on the Earthly branches.
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277 The Heart in the Clinic • Josephine Spilka
Classical Chinese medicine recognizes the Heart (心 Xin) as a central organ to our being. It’s seen as holding the sovereign position as the emperor of the kingdom (i.e., the body).
In this conversation with Josephine Spilka, we discuss the importance of being in coherence, acting from a place of presence amid impermanent stories, staying true to our capacities, and setting boundaries in the clinic. Josephine also touches on the influence of the eight extraordinary channels and their connection to the Zheng Qi.
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276 Interoceptive Awareness • Lisa Taylor-Swanson, Nick Lowe & Elizabeth Osgood-Campbell
Tuning in is a cultivated skill that’s in many East Asian Medicine practitioner's toolbox. We learn early on to bring our intention, attention, and awareness to the clinic encounter. To pick up subtle movement and cues on the diagnostic table. But our “tuning in” often tends to focus on “outside facing” senses; the appearance, smell, sound, taste, or feel of something.
Interoception turns the gaze to internal sensing—from the clenching of the stomach, to the beating of the heart, or tension in the muscles. It's tuning in to what is going on inside the body. Nurturing interoceptive awareness and honing a heightened bodily awareness helps us and our patients in our clinical work. It improves our capacity to understand, interpret, and process the world around us.
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275 If You're Falling, Dive— Trauma, Heartbreak and Possiblities • Randal Lyons
No one gets through life without difficulties. We all carry wounds and the consequences of the meanings we’ve made in the moments of heartbreak, fear and confusion.
In this second conversation with Randle Lyons we discuss the dark forest of transformation. How our wounds can be a source of healing, if properly digested and how it’s harder to surrender when you have something to lose.
read more274 Panel on Wei Qi, Ann Cecil-Sterman, Laurie Ayres & Zhongxian Wu
I recently got to thinking about Wei qi, especially as we are moving into the dark of the year in the northern hemisphere, and I realized that I hear discussions about wei qi, and how we should attend to it, or nourish it. Often enough, perhaps too often, we equate wei qi with the immune system. And think about strength, rather than balance. What’s more, the commonly used formulas that are famous for ‘stabilizing or strengthening the exterior” are frequently prescribed without any kind of actual differential diagnosis. Concerns about effectiveness and maybe even safety naturally arise.
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273 Intention, Awareness and The Power of Restraint • Zoe Brenner
Our job as Chinese Medicine practitioners is not so much to impress our ideas on patients but to cultivate a capacity and restraint to allow them to come back to themselves. Our assessment is meant to determine the patient’s understanding of their disharmony, and uncover blockages or excesses.
As trusted intermediaries, our role is to increase our awareness, bring our focus to the unfolding moment, listen from a place of genuine curiosity, and see the patients’ experiences from their perspective while letting go of attachments to a particular outcome. You may be an expert in your modalities, but the patient is the expert in their personal experiences. Our job is to help them discover their own inner wisdom, to help them chart and navigate their own path to wellness.
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272 Ishizaka Acupuncture, Attending to the Stillness in the Center of Motion • Kubota Sensei
In this conversation with Kubota Sensei, we discuss Ishizaka-ryu, a traditional Japanese acupuncture method. Sensei focuses on stimulating qi blockages along the primary meridians surrounding the entire spinal column, so as to increase blood flow, open the central channel and utilize the body’s own healing power. His method of acupuncture includes using a spiral motion of his supporting hand, to add a vortex of qi to the needle.
Listen into this discussion and learn about the Torus, a core around which the acupuncture meridians are all connected. How acupuncture affects the electrical flows in the body. And the key importance of having an open and empty space in the great Chong vessel.
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