Qiological Podcast

There is a moment in between sensing and allowing what is felt to enter the world of cognition and concept. It’s a liminal space of being and feeling and if you can linger there for a moment there is information that is beyond the ken of words.  In this discussion with Nigel Dawes we explore how palpation allows us an opportunity to imbibe that sensual place between being and thinking, and ho...

There isn’t anyone who doesn’t have an opinion about money. Regardless of what kind of economic system you have an ideological bent toward, one thing is for sure; as long as humans have worked together and pooled their resources for mutual benefit there has been some way of recognizing value and exchange.  In this conversation with Lacey Dupre we look at the yin and yang of money, consider so...

Zhuang Zi says, “Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?”  Any seasoned practitioner will tell you that skillful use of language and the ability to listen beyond words is an essential aspect of clinical practice.  In this conversation with Randy Clere we explore the us...

I rather enjoy the idea of our medicine being a sort of applied philosophy, that there is a way of looking at the world that has such coherence and connection that it not only helps us to make sense of this moment, but to bring healing as well.  David Marks set off on the path of medicine through his interest in philosophy, which in turn has guided him through a life of practice, inquiry, fil...

The Tang Ye Jing— where to start? Way back in the Shang Dynasty so the story goes. The Yang Ye Jing is a “lost” text on herbal medicine that has played hide and seek with practitioners over the centuries. How much of it is myth? How much archetypical patterning? And how much a ghost story we like to tell ourselves? All worthy questions. And while the topic of this episode touches on the Tang Ye Ji...

True entrepreneurs and visionaries don’t go into something for the money. They go into it because of purpose and passion. The business piece is in service of the difference they are looking to create in the world. It’s not surprising that Peter Deadman would be focused on Yang Sheng, the  Nourishment of Life, he’s been at it his entire adult life  in various forms and pursuits.  Lis...

Forty years is a long time to practice medicine and gives plenty of opportunity to follow your interests while helping patients. Our medicine includes various kinds of hands on bodywork, and in this conversation we explore the use of micro current.  While electricity is often applied to needles in our work, Malvin Finkelstein has found a way of using a micro current probe along with bodywork...

Working with the conventional medical system takes a lot more than simply letting doctors know your practice exists. Like any relationship it takes time, effort and persistence, along with a sense of common values and language. In this conversation with Kym Garrett we explore the process of building a practice around the treatment of cancer that dovetails with conventional treatment.  Listen...

Here we are at the end of 2020, you'd think the alliterative rhyme of 2-0, 2-0 would imply a year of balance of and stability. It's been anything but, and yet, it's been a year that has asked us to grow in terms of flexibility and resilience and through adversity discover strengths of which did not we did not realize we were capable. This last episode of the year is a solo show taking a look back...

生意 sheng yi, are the characters in Chinese that mean business. They literally mean, “create meaning.” And when you think about it, any successful business does exactly that; it creates meaning and provides something of value.  From your favorite indy coffeeshop, to the yoga studio where you love to stretch into your body, to the company that makes the winter coat you love to wear, there are...

Questions are a key aspect of helping us to understand how to help our patients. In school we learn the classic 10 questions. But asking useful questions in clinic goes far beyond the basic 10 and what’s more our lines of questioning are not about creating conversation, but able sifting through a patient’s experience so we can come up with a diagnosis so that we can then craft an effective treatme...

Microcurrent offers acupuncturists another way to help their patients.

The great thing about being a student is that you have permission to be curious. It’s your job to push the edges. To crank open your mind and leave a vast swath of empty space in your being so as to allow your studies and experience to shape you into something you’ve imagined, but have not yet attained.  Students are expected to push the edges, and they have permission to discover. This conve...

Barry Danielian is one of the most in demand trumpeters and arrangers in NYC, having recorded on over 400 CD’s. Barry’s music is used throughout the television and media industry. His touring and recording credits include diverse artists such as: Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Jay-Z, Tony Bennett, Sting, Tower of Power, Queen Latifah, Eddie Palmieri, Blood, Sweat & Tears, KRS One, Branfo...

Chinese medicine has a treasure house of methods and treatment for women’s health. From the work of Sun Si Miao to modern day practitioners women’s health has been a key concern in our medicine.  In this conversation with Genevieve Le Goff we explore the transformations of qi through the five phases and six confirmations as we discuss Fu Xing Jue and the mythic lost text, Tang Ye Jing. ...

CBD is a big deal these days. Is it really the panacea that is constantly being sold to us? How does this substance and cannabis in general fit in with our thinking in terms of Chinese medicine? How do we separate wishful thinking from fact, and how do we know what constitutes a reliable and pure product from those of inferior grade? In this conversation with Chloe Weber we investigate CBD from th...

Our western world hides death. We are taught to avoid it. Avoid thinking about, do everything medically possible to prolong life, and focus on “more time” without regard to more of “what.”  In this conversation with Tamsin Grainger we look into how death is inextricably entangled with life. How we care constantly dying to one moment as we emerge into a new one.  Listen in to this convers...

In this “part two” conversation with Felip Caudet we get into the nuts and bolts of how he uses moxa, and how to find and treat “moxa points.” Additionally there is an excerpt from his soon to be published book String Moxa Method. Go to the  show notes page  to read or download it.  

Our medicine teaches us that all things move through cycles of generation, flourishing, decline and disappearance. It’s the way qi moves through this world and so not a surprise that at some point there is an end to the practice that has sustained us and allowed us to help others along the way. In this conversation with Charlie Braverman we discuss the sunset of an acupuncture practice. The opport...

Good cookware requires seasoning. A hearty stew takes heat and time. Good wine needs a few years; whiskey, that requires a decade or more. And to develop as a practitioner of Chinese medicine, that ripening can take a lifetime. In this conversation with Peter Mole we explore the dynamics of doubt and certainty, along with the role of intuition and artistry in the development of an acupuncturist.&n...

Research when done well is an inquiry that can shift the foundation of your cognitive model. And that’s exactly what it is for.  In this conversation with Brenda Le we both explore how TCM is seen in our Western Chinese medicine world, and how doing this research opened her up to aspects of medicine and practice that she did not previously see.  Listen in to this conversation on inquiry,...

My initial introduction to moxibustion was the classic Chinese mugwort cigar. I hated it. But only because my lungs are the weak link in my chain of being. The smoke was intolerable.  Japanese rice grain moxa, that was a whole other universe. It’s not that less is more, it’s that the focused and directed aspects of Japanese moxibustion invite a completely different experience of heat and sens...

Stress management is something we started to hear about in the 1980’s. But compare the “stress” of the 80’s with the 2000’s and we are talking very different worlds. Then 2020 arrives and we wish we had the stress and problems of just a year or two ago.  In this conversation with Heidi Lovie we look at how to handle life when things change more in four months than they used to change in four...

The medicines and martial arts of Asia have long considered the lower belly and back to be of significant importance in health, wellbeing and as a kind of seat of power and presence. In this conversation with long time practitioner Jeffrey Dann we explore the structural powerhouse of the Koshi, the dynamic lower abdomen with all it’s energetic and physiological functions.  Additionally we exp...

Ethics is never a simple black and white calculation, but rather the inquiry into proper relationship in a world filled with variability. It’s about considering the relationship with self, other, and society. And it’s a way to check ourselves for blind spots and to consider how our actions affect others, as well as ourselves. In this conversation with Laura Christensen we explore common ethical is...