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Qiological Podcast — Alternative Health
Qiological Podcast

Acupuncture and East Asian medicine was not developed in a laboratory. It does not advance through double-blind controlled studies, nor does it respond well to petri dish experimentation. Our medicine did not come from the statistical regression of randomized cohorts, but from the observation and treatment of individuals in their particular environment. It grows out of an embodied sense of understanding how life moves, unfolds, develops and declines.

Medicine comes from continuous, thoughtful practice of what we do in clinic, and how we approach that work. The practice of medicine is more — much more — than simply treating illness. It is more than acquiring skills and techniques. And it is more than memorizing the experiences of others. It takes a certain kind of eye, an inquiring mind and relentlessly inquisitive heart.

Qiological is an opportunity to deepen our practice with conversations that go deep into acupuncture, herbal medicine, cultivation practices, and the practice of having a practice. It’s an opportunity to sit in the company of others with similar interests, but perhaps very different minds. Through these dialogues perhaps we can better understand our craft.

Latest Episodes:

241 What We Learn Along the Way • Jessica Baer Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

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.

"Listen to your elder's advice. Not because they are always right, but because they have more experience of being wrong."

Like the forces of Yin and Yang, learning in our healing enterprise is about striking a balance between confidence and doubt. It's about knowing when to double down, crack a book, or lean into the expertise patients have to offer.

In this conversation with Jessica Baer, we reflect on what she is discovering in the process of learning medicine and how all that might influence her future. We discuss the path that brought her to acupuncture school, how she's navigating the world of Chinese medicine as a student, and her future aspirations.

Listen into this discussion on the curious roads traveled that bring us to this present moment.

240 Tools of the Trade • Mark Parzynski Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

"Using the right tool for the job" may come off as rather clichéd, but it's true nonetheless. Knowing our tools, and that includes our theory, methods and skills is incredibly important. Our tools don't inherently make us better at our craft, but rather facilitate our capacity to help our patients.

Producing our best work as practitioners isn’t about the tools themselves, but rather how we use them and knowing when to use a particular tool. It's about finding what's suitable for a particular conversation – i.e., the relationship between the tool, the practitioner, and the patient.

In this conversation with Mark Parzynski, he shares the concepts and technicalities behind crafting masterful tools for acupuncturists and massage therapists—including the Teishin and Gua Sha tool. We also talk about intention, leaning on the teachings of the Ling Shu, the need to share our knowledge, the importance of simplification, and making room for new ideas in our practice.

Listen into this discussion on tools of the trade, the artistry and technical subtleties behind crafting them, having the right tools for the job, and utilizing them in clinical settings.

239 The Magic of a Small Successful Practice • Sydney Malawer Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Building a successful practice is rewarding, but it's rarely a smooth ride. It's a path that takes us beyond our healing work and into the depths of business practices—from marketing to managing finances. Amid the multitude of details that go into running a small practice, it's easy to feel overwhelmed— which is why clarity of purpose is so helpful.

Navigating the ebb and flow of a small practice demands some self-scrutiny of our most intimate selves. What are your strengths? What are your values? Do we know what we're here for, and do have the courage to grasp it? And do we know what is not for us, and let it go?

In this conversation with Sydney Malawer, we talk about monitoring the pulse of your business, whether that's paying attention to your overhead or being authentically you. We explore some intuitive approaches to running a thriving Chinese medicine practice. Including building a practice that reflects who we genuinely are. What works for you? What are your strengths? What is not working, and when should you pivot?

Listen into this discussion on what it takes to start and build a small successful practice by tapping into the magic of the authentic vision within you.

238 Burnout, Breakthroughs, and Letting Be • Celia Hildebrand Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

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 more easily.

In this conversation with Celia Hildebrand, we discuss how the practice of medicine changes us along the way. We also talk about knowing when things are right for us at a certain time in our careers, identifying the red flags of burnout, finding ourselves at a time of overwhelm, and how experience helps us navigate working outside our comfort zones.

Listen into this discussion on collecting red flags, dealing with burnout, and changing in tandem with our changing practices and our stage in life.

237 Polestar Astrology • Anne Shelton Crute Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

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 ancestral energies in such a way so that we can lean on our strengths, and bring a clear eye to our challenges?

In this conversation with Anne Shelton Crute, we touch on several topics such as how to read a Chinese Polestar Natal Chart according to the Song Dynasty system of Astrology, what the upcoming year of the Yang-Water Tiger means, and how to use the information that astrology proffers as a road map into the future.

Listen into this discussion on navigating fate and free will with Chinese Polestar astrology.

236 Understanding Western Medicine Through the Lens of Chinese Medicine • Dr Wen Hua-Bing Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

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 treat, and in my experience requires long term care. Which people are not keen on unless you can first get dramatic enough results that they sell themselves on Chinese medicine. How do you approach this problem?

Men’s health is as neglected in our profession as women’s is not. Most men will have some form of prostate enlargement or cancer if they live long enough. It seems to me there is an area that we should be able to do a lot of good. Your thoughts.

235 Reflections on Practice and Business • Cara Frank Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

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 practitioner.

We talk about some of the life decisions we have to make along the way—and how to maneuver through the obstacles on our path. Sometimes you just have to jump into the abyss and trust that you'll figure it out.

Listen to this discussion on the kind of practice we can build and inhabit that reflects who we are, and what we have to offer

234 What It Means to Be a Chinese Medicine Doctor • Annie White Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

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 some high mountain oolong. Along with what it means to be a doctor and a business person. We’ll also touch on the importance of using how you’d like to feel as a way of charting a course through this world, and how Anne’s research into helping her patients deal with stress turned into a process and practice that she needed for herself, and how the pandemic gave her the opportunity to turn that “passion project” into a service that helps people learn to use their brains better.

Listen into this conversation on medicine, creativity, hard knocks and the transformative power of appreciation.

233 Teaching, Learning and the Music of Medicine • Etienne Simard Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

“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 observation (what went wrong and what went right in treatment), and conceptualization (why things happened the way they did).

In this conversation with Etienne Simard, we noodle over the idea of finding the right instrument and tone to help people as both a teacher of Chinese Medicine and as an acupuncturist. We talk about using the needle like you would use a melody to interact with somebody’s Qi, presence in practice, and learning on the job, among other topics.

Listen into this discussion on the confluence of music and medicine. Both are different yet so alike.

232 Transition and Value, Considerations in Buying and Selling a Practice • Jason Luban Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

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 of what you’ve built as you move on to a new phase of life.

In this conversation with Jason Luban, we talk about how we are and who we are in practice, and how to leverage proactive thinking to anticipate what might be around the bend. He narrates his personal experience selling his practice—and how that decision unknowingly set him on a new path helping other practitioners manage the transition.

Listen into this discussion that touches on buying or passing along your practice to another practitioner and the unexplored essence that goes into considering the value of that practice.

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