Qiological Podcast
Michael Max
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 22, 2021 • 7min
QAJ1.7 Chinese Medicine Character App Review • Michael Max
Knowing a little medical Chinese can be very helpful in learning and practicing the medicine. This review of the Chinese Medical Characters app will give you a good overview of the app, along with some encouragement for the process of helping yourself by learning the basic characters that will help you to better understand and think about our medicine.
Jun 22, 2021 • 8min
QAJ1.8 In Your Business • Stacey Whitcomb
It’s easy to think of our practices as “acupuncture.” But the truth is our practices are first and foremost— a business. An infrastructure that allows us to do the healing work we do. The business is as separate from the practice as the mind is from the body. Which is to say; not at all. If you’re taking the pulse of your business, the overhead is one of the parameters you need to pay attention to. Stacey Whitcomb gets in your business on this. Listen up!
Jun 22, 2021 • 36min
QAJ1.9 Practicalities of Practice • Jonathan Bluestein & Stephen Jackowicz
Through the boundaries of time, language and culture East Asian medicine has found its way into the West. But there is a cultural component that we often don’t consider. And that can make a difference in the effectiveness of our clinical work. Furthermore, our modern culture disportionately values curing over healing, and sometimes there is no cure. But the whole-person aspect of our medicine gives us a unique perspective on illness, suffering and bearing witness. In this conversation Jonathan Bluestein and Stephen Jackowicz discuss the unique potential in our medicine, and the challenges of practice in the modern Western world.
Jun 15, 2021 • 1h 9min
204 Chinese Medicine Perspectives on Sleep • Damiana Corca
Slipping into sleep. It’s the simplest thing to do. Or the most difficult. The quietude of sleep is a reflection of the activity in our lives. And if that cycle wobbles with an imbalance, it can be difficult to correct.In this discussion with Damiana Corca we explore why some ideas make sense in theory, but don’t work so well in actual practice. And some perspectives on how the taiyin, shaoyin and jueyin are involved with sleep disturbances at different times of the night. Listen in to this conversation on balance, rest and restoration in the yin of the night.
Jun 8, 2021 • 1h 3min
203 Getting Down to Business • Laura Christensen
Do you know the costs that go into creating the opportunity for a patient to lay on your table? Do you know how much you're paying yourself? Have you built a profit into your business? We all know that word of mouth is the best form of marketing, but have you taught your patients how to talk about your practice to their family and friends?In this conversation with Laura Christensenwe talk business, as she shares some of the insights and new processes she’s put into practice after working with a business coach who has helped her to take her successful practice and make it more productive, profitable and enjoyable. Listen into this discussion on how paying attention to the nuts and bolts of your business not only will allow you to better understand your business, but free you up to focus more on your clinical work.
Jun 1, 2021 • 1h 21min
202 The Art of Negotiation— paradigm shift of interaction in the clinic • Margot Rossi & Nick Pole
We often think of negotiation as a win/loss proposition that focuses around business deals, finances, large purchases and perhaps hostage situations. What we don’t consider is that negotiation is part and parcel of the work we do in clinic as we help our patients to integrate aspects of themselves or their situation into a higher state of health and wellness.In this conversation with Margot Rossi and Nick Pole we discuss the FBI Hostage negotiation methods of Chris Voss and how the principles he writes about are not only useful in your clinical work, but you might already be using some of his ideas. LIsten into this discussion of how empathy, rapport, and lack of aggression can help you bring forth hidden resources that your patients already have for healing.
May 25, 2021 • 1h 7min
201 fMRI- The Patient-Acupuncturist Relationship • Vitaly Napadow
Any seasoned practitioner leans on the patient practitioner relationship. There is something in the interaction that cannot be separated from the response they have to our treatment. In this conversation with Vitaly Napadow we discuss the Art of Medicine and how fMRI imaging from the brains of patients and practitioners with an established clinical relationship gives us a breathtaking glimpse into how our brains mutually interact with each other. And more importantly, how that can affect clinical results.Listen into this discussion of mirroring, rapport, neuroplasticity and how human connection and therapeutic results are intimately connected.
May 18, 2021 • 1h 19min
200 Learning From Mentors • Denise Hung
Learning medicine requires books, memorization , and knowledge. But knowledge without practice is useless. It is through the clinical encounter with patients that the principals come to life and the medicine goes from theory to living practice. In this 200th episode of the Qiological Denise Hung, a student, shares her questions and thoughts about mentors and mentorship in Chinese medicine. Listen in to this conversation on learning, expectations, and the importance of being in the room where it happens in the process of learning medicine. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
May 11, 2021 • 1h 25min
199 Mind, Matter, Medicine and Skeptical Inquiry • Ben Hawes
Our job in clinic is to help people both through knowing what treatment to provide and having the ability to discern how to help when the signs are not clear. We constantly dance with both knowing and not-knowing.In this conversation with Ben Hawes we discuss how the alignment of the vertebra on the spine tells a story and helps to guide an acupuncture treatment. And beyond that how we tease apart ways of knowing, and how our perception both gives us information and blinds us to where our attention does not flow.Listen in to this discussion of perception, attention and how keeping an open and skeptical mind is essential in seeing more clearly how we can be helpful to our patients.
May 4, 2021 • 1h 12min
198 Reflections and Significance of Case Reports • Edward Chiu
The ancient Chinese were not the only people to observe nature and develop medicine in the service of relieving suffering and promoting health. But they were the only culture that wrote it down and managed through the centuries to preserve significant portions of it. In this conversation with Edward Chiu we discuss writing case reports, which is a time honored process of how medicine has been preserved, passed along and learned throughout time. Not only can we learn from the past, but we can also help to educate future generations of practitioners. Listen into this discussion of how to write case reports that will not only help you to clarify your own clinical thinking, but also to effectively share it with others. Head on over to the show notes page for more information about this episode and for links to the resources discussed in the interview.
