The Practice of Practice

284 Case Studies and Storytelling a Lens into Medicine and Meaning • Sarah Rivkin

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.

by Dec 27, 2022
283 The Spiral Process of Learning • Kristen Lambertin

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.

by Dec 20, 2022
281 Fun With Marketing • Michelle Grasek

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...

by Dec 6, 2022
254 What Acupuncturists Need to Know About Websites • Mike Kay

254 What Acupuncturists Need to Know About Websites • Mike Kay

In this conversation with Mike Kay, we decipher websites for acupuncturists—including where to begin, the platforms to use, useful design elements and imagery, tuning up your SEO, and perhaps most importantly—creating compelling website copy. Tech-talk aside, we also touch on clinical work, discussing topics such as the need for boundaries in practice, the importance of engagement with patients, and finding value in skepticism.

by May 31, 2022
248 Starting a Free Clinic • Bess Randles & Kyle Yoshioka

248 Starting a Free Clinic • Bess Randles & Kyle Yoshioka

In this conversation with Bess and Kyle, we explore their journey of creating a free student-run acupuncture clinic as an avenue to mature as professionals and scratch an itch for social justice-oriented and community-based work. We touch on the existing disparities in health care and their desire to change the narrative around acupuncture, its perceived accessibility, and how it is a potent medicine for healing that invites people into their own power.

by Apr 19, 2022
241 What We Learn Along the Way • Jessica Baer

241 What We Learn Along the Way • Jessica Baer

Learning is continuous, not episodic. As the Chinese say, 活到老學到老, huo dao lao, xue dao lao, learn throughout your entire life. Resilience and capacity is built through the, at times, curious harvest of our experience. Life’s lessons don't come with a syllabus. Sometimes wisdom comes from misfortune; other times, you just stumble on it. Regardless, what we learn along the way helps us along the way.

by Mar 1, 2022
Qiological Audio Journal, Winter 2021 • QAJ003

Qiological Audio Journal, Winter 2021 • QAJ003

Welcome to the third edition of the Qiological Audio Journal. The audio journal is a collection of interviews, discussions, clinical cases that help to illuminate the classics, book reviews, some business acumen and practical clinical skills to...

by Dec 14, 2021