Qiological Podcast

Some paths in life aren’t so much chosen as they are revealed—often through unexpected encounters, serendipitous moments, or a relentless tug of curiosity. The call to become a healer, to step into the role of a doctor, is often as much about who you are as what you do. In this conversation with Dr. Steven Rosenblatt, we step back into the early days of acupuncture in the West. From his serendipit...

Thirty plus years ago, as an acupuncture patient, I found myself puzzling over the question of “Just how does acupuncture work?” That question has been a reliable traveling companion ever since.  Our work requires a lot of “techne’” and it should, there's a lot to know and we as professionals should know it. But clinical work is more than technical knowledge. It’s this other aspect of our wor...

Change unfolds within the  predictable cycles Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. But, what actually emerges into being, that is usually novel and surprising.  In this conversation with Christine Cannon, we explore the Wu Yun Liu Qi—the Five Movements and Six Qi—and how this intricate system maps out the energetic cycles that shape everything from world events to the experience of our i...

Fascia—it's the connective web that holds us together, yet its role in acupuncture is often overlooked. What if understanding this intricate network could refine the way we think about acupuncture, movement, and healing? In this conversation with James Spears, we explore the interaction of Tung acupuncture and the fascia. James shares his path from traditional acupuncture education to integrating...

The history of medicine isn’t just about treatments and techniques—it’s about migration, adaptation, and how healing traditions take root in new landscapes. The movement of Chinese medicine to the American West is a story woven with resilience, ingenuity, and cultural exchange. In this conversation with historian Tamara Venit-Shelton, we explore the migration of Chinese medicine through the lens o...

The body holds experience in layers—some are structural, some energetic, and others deeply emotional. Nowhere is this more evident than in the pelvis, a place of both power and vulnerability, stability and flow. It’s the root of movement, the center of balance, and a space where emotions and history are stored, often in ways we don’t fully recognize. In this conversation with Krystal Couture, we e...

Following a blueprint is fine for building structures, but when it comes to life choices, someone else’s recipe for success probably will be only marginally helpful. Plans are helpful, and perspective even more so. In this conversation with Sydney Malawer, we explore what it means to build a practice that actually works for you. From rejecting conventional business advice to embracing a model base...

Transformation arises from the unknown. In a world that often craves certainty, the practice of staying with discomfort, observing its rhythm, and allowing clarity to emerge can lead to remarkable insights—not just in healing, but in how we live. In this conversation with Stephen Cowan, we explore how the art of not-knowing-yet invites discovery. Stephen shares his journey from Western medicine to...

It’s the subtler forces—those quietly felt but not perceived—that create the background that frames our days with a tone that is both transparent and influential. The shifting energies of a new year are a slack tide of opportunity to pause and reflect. To consider directions for where to invest our life energy in the coming year. In this conversation with Gregory Done, playfully explore the symbol...

Moxa is often seen as acupuncture's quieter sibling, and yet it has a rich history of igniting healing, longevity, and vitality. Its warmth goes beyond the physical—it has a profound effect on our physiology. In this conversation with Oran Kivity and Merlin Young, we delve into the often overlooked art and science of moxa. While its roots are in traditional East Asian medicine there is some intere...

Sometimes the most profound truths are found in watching what happens when we move between guidance and control. Between letting things unfold and imposing our will. Evan Mahoney brings a rich tapestry of experience to our discussion, from his own journey of healing through meditation and acupuncture to his explorations of dream interpretation through the lens of Korean Saam acupuncture. His path...

Change is usually a tangle of both challenges and opportunities. The landscape of acupuncture has been shifting, from the health of our schools to the growing acceptance of our medicine in larger healthcare systems. These transitions ask us to reflect, adapt, and discover new ways to thrive. In this conversation with Robert Hoffman, acupuncturist, educator, and administrator, we explore the crossr...

For centuries books have been part of the transmission of knowledge from one generation to another. They have always been powerful tools for learning.  Especially in the early days of Chinese medicine in the West, because of their rarity.  In this conversation with Bob Felt, one of the early publishers of Chinese medicine books in English, we take a journey back to a time when books on a...

Ever notice how certain places and connections shape us in unexpected ways? Sometimes, it’s the unique character of a small town, the rhythm of a rural life, that offers opportunities you won’t find in an urban environment. It’s here where time flows a bit differently that relationships and healing move to a different cadence. In this conversation with Katie Munger, we wander through her journey o...

There is something in the essence of a practice. At the core is something precious, true and fundamental. We all have it. But you probably don’t know what it is, and you won’t until many years down the road of pursuing the work. Curious that what is of essence, what is at the core of our work, is hidden from us. It’s a journey of discovery to that which is the north star of how we work as an expre...

Ever think about how much of what we do as healers is more about what we don’t do? Sometimes, it’s in the subtle pauses, the empty spaces, where the real magic happens. What if the art of doing less is actually the key to unlocking profound change in the body? In this conversation with David White we immerse ourselves into the world of Nei Jing acupuncture. With decades of experience and a passion...

Did you ever as a child grab a length of rope, run screaming around the yard and swing it around with abandon and joy? Sometimes, the most unassuming tools hold the greatest potential for transformation. Rope flow might look like play, but beneath the surface lies a practice that can unlock balance, coordination, and deeper mind-body connection. In this conversation with David Weck, the Godfather...

How did you learn the medicine you practice? Likely it through the influence of a school, a book or perhaps in this modern moment, an on-demand course of online study. There is another way that medicine gets transmitted, through the connections of friendship. I’d not thought about that until Volker Scheid mentioned it in this History Series conversation. Once I heard it, it rang true. and I could...

There’s something about the act of touch that goes beyond the physical, isn’t there? It’s like we’re not just meeting someone at their skin but somehow dipping into the unseen—into emotions, memories, and layers that words can’t quite reach. What happens when we listen with our hands instead of our ears? The guest of this episode, Chris McAlister, is an acupuncturist and shiatsu practitioner who’s...

When thinking about our toolkit, most acupuncturists, and patients too for that matter, think about needles. Our job, it’s to use those whisper thin slivers of steel with skill and accuracy. But sometimes the best tool for the job might not be a needle. In this conversation with Orit Zilberman and Hila Yaffee we consider the use of Hui Yin, Ren One. For sure this point it’s important and there are...

Ever wonder about the unseen forces that shape health and illness? Sometimes it’s the things we can’t measure that hold the most sway. Healing isn’t always about what we see, but what we’re willing to explore. In this episode, we sit down with Lindsey Wei, a practitioner deeply rooted in the world of Daoist medicine. She has spent years blending the physical practices of qigong and martial arts wi...

Being in business is not just about tracking the financial health of your enterprise. It is about having a mission worth engaging, a kind of fire in the belly that fuels you through the difficult parts, and a sense for working at the edge of your capacity. Having a business and all that goes with it, it gives you the opportunity to grow into potentials you can only dream about in the middle of a d...

In acupuncture school we learn the 10 questions, which will get you some information. But it’s more interrogative than rapport building, more about eliciting information than revealing meaning. Listening with a mindset of noticing the small anomalies. Listening to understand someone from their own point of view. To be inquisitive about how the difficulties might hold unrevealed lessons, and how tr...

We have the two of yin and yang, the three of the jing, qi, shen, the four levels of pathogenic invasion from the Wen Bing, the Five Phases of the Wu Xing and the Six Elements— wait a minute, Six Elements? Have you ever wondered why the Classics speak to the Five Zang and Six Fu? Especially when we have an equal balance of yin and yang meridians. And what is going on with those two troublesome org...

In our work as acupuncturists, we use differential diagnosis to understand the warp and woof of a patient’s problem, to see how various seemingly marginally connected aspects of their problem give us the pattern that allows for skillful intervention. We also look at constitutional factors, those aspects of our patients that provide a kind of gravity and centering  to their life and how they l...