Everyday Acupuncture Podcast

This is the last episode of Everyday Acupuncture Podcast. If you are long time listener, thanks for coming along on this ride.

Those of you that are practitioners, I am continuing to podcast about East Asian medicine and acupuncture over on www.qiologic.com

If you are here looking for information about how acupuncture and East Asian medicine might be helpful for you. You are in luck. There are 85 episodes that will help you to better understand the various ways this medicine can be of service.

I never know what will come up in a clinic session. That’s the fun part of the job; not knowing. Not knowing and being attentive to what arises. It’s a cross between meditation and motorcycle repair.

This episode is one of those rare solo shows. It’s fueled by some discussions that commonly occur in my clinic.

In this short discussion I’ll cover:

• Do I need to be sick to get acupuncture?
• Hydration and fluid metabolism
• How does acupuncture work?
• Who is an acupuncturist?

Qi gong can look deceptively simple. From the outside it looks like stillness in motion, but what is unfolding on the inside is another matter entirely.

Here in the West we are used to aggressive, outward motion while being distracted with TV shows, music or magazines at the gym. But the Chinese internal arts, while from the outside does not look like much, inside there is an attentive focus that for many of us is the hardest workout of all.

Listen in for a conversation on the simple, but not easy practice of tai chi and qi gong and the health benefits that can arise from slow steady attentive focus.

Pretty much every auntie and grandma in China is well versed in how to use a soup spoon to raise the therapeutic rash of guasha. 

Guasha is a part of Chinese folk medicine, and like so many folk medicines, it is simple, safe and effective. 

Guasha can be used for a wide variety of aliments from the common cold, to neck and back pain, to headaches, sinus congestion, joint pain, discomfort from chronic injuries and it even helps to tone the face and reduce wrinkles.

Listen in and learn how raising a bit of a therapeutic rash can help the body to generate a powerful healing response. 

Chinese medicine, philosophy and martial arts all share a common root. The applications might be different, but they come back a grounding in Yin/Yang and Five Phases. 

In this episode we speak with a martial artist and teacher who helps us to bridge some of the fundamental perspectives with yin and yang, the ba gua and five phases with modern Jungian psychology. 

Listen in and find out why it is important for anyone studying the martial arts to know something about empathy.

Living in a foreign country brings challenges and opportunities. 

In this episode we discuss life and culture in Morocco,  how acupuncture  came to be accepted there, and how what began as a wellness center turned into a school of acupuncture.  

Taiwan is famous for it's high tech computer technology, bicycles, fragrant tofu, rivers of scooters, delicious street food, and of course, tea.

Today's episode is a bit of a soundscape as we spend a portion of the afternoon drinking and discussing tea. Unlike your Western coffeeshop where you pop in for a beverage to go, or you grab a drink and sit with a couple of friends or work on your computer, a Taiwanese teashop has time unfolding at a completely different pace. And it is about dipping not only into something delicious in a cup, it's about connecting with your community and making new friends.

Listen as my friend Pia and I imbibe tea and tea culture in a way that you only find in Taiwan.

A low reading on a bone density scan does not equal a Fosamax deficiency. Healthy bones aren’t hard, they are rigid living tissue, but they also have a certain amount of flexibility. They designed to bend and absorb shock and stress, and in fact one of the ways that bones become stronger is by challenging and surprising them.

We have all heard that exercise and movement is good for the bones. But specifically what kinds of exercise, and which movements are helpful?

Our guest in this episode took on the challenge of finding out how to live and move your way into healthy bones after a diagnosis of osteoporosis before the age of 30.

There are many ways to naturally use movement to strengthen the bones. And there are a lot of movements that you might not even consider as being beneficial, as they seem so simple. But the bones like to be surprised! And they like it when we give them a varied diet of motion and challenge.

Listen in and learn how not only to improve the health of your bones, but inhabit a more capable and resilient body.

Here in the west we are used to seeing acupuncture clinics in an urban setting, and it is often sought as an adjunctive therapy used combination with other modalities. 

In today's show we explore the use of acupuncture in the rural third world setting of Nepal and see how it is an essential and effective part of an integrated clinic that provides low cost care for those living remote areas.

Cancer is a curious disease. It’s something we fight as an invader, but at its root it is a part of us. A part of us that is apart from us. We are in essence fighting against ourselves.

In this conversation we meander through some perspectives that come from Chinese medicine. Along the way we discuss healing and curing; they are not the same thing. And we step back look to see what other stories are here beside the usual, “this thing must die.”

Listen in to this conversation as we seek to get to the essence of life threatening illness.

Most of us think of gender as something that is rigid and fixed. But in the transgender world the boundaries are more  fluidic. 

In this episode we explore not just the particular health concerns, issues with access to the healthcare system, and challenges arising from discrimination and misunderstanding of the transgender community, but also take a look at how gender can be much more fluid and flexible than many of us imagine it to be. 

If you are part of the transgender community you'll find some helpful information here about how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be helpful. And if you are a practitioner, you'll learn something about how to make your clinic a safe and inviting place for your transgender patients.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is not just an issue with a woman's ovaries, but can be a systemic condition that is closely tied with a variety of hormonal interactions in the body. The standard conventional treatment involves the use of synthetic hormone birth control pills, which can suppress some of the symptoms, but it does not get at the underlying root of this condition.

Chinese medicine, with its long history of natural solutions to women's health issues can be quite effective in treating PCOS.

Listen in as our guest in this episode both details her personal journey with discovering how Chinese medicine helped her to solve her own problems and how she has gone on to  help women who suffer with PCOS using the natural and effective methods of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and lifestyle changes.

If you or someone you care about struggles with PCOS, this podcast discussion will be well worth your time.

Check out the show notes page for links and resources discussed in the show.

As with any profession, the educational requirements have shifted over the years. Today acupuncturists need to not only know East Asian medicine, but a fair amount of Western medicine as well. 

In this episode we go into the education required to become a Licensed Acupuncturist, the challenges students face while in school and what you can expect if you decide to go through the training and become a practitioner of East Asian medicine. 

This episode is a short introduction to a new podcast site that I've recently launched that is specifically geared towards the needs and interests of Chinese medicine practitioners.

When I first began Everyday Acupuncture Podcast I envisioned this to be a show that would introduce everyday people to the concepts, methods and possibilities that Chinese medicine offers for naturally healing a wide variety of health concerns. I purposefully avoided technical language and professional jargon. It's been gratifying to see that people from all over the world tune into the show. And it has been a big surprise to hear from so many practitioners of Chinese medicine and how much they gotten from show.

So, for you practitioners of the art I've something new that I think you will enjoy.

Qiological.com is a newly launched podcast show that is for you.
Like Everyday Acupuncture I seek to bring you articulate seasoned practitioners who share their methods, perspectives and practices. This show goes deep into acupuncture, herbal medicine, cultivation and the practice of practice.

If you have enjoyed Everyday Acupuncture, you are going to love qiological.com.

Acupuncture is often used with good effect to treat psycho-emotive issues such as chronic anxiety and depression. And it is also helpful in the treatment of various psycho-emotive challenges that arise when someone is faced with their world being turned upside down by natural disaster. There is a particular method of treatment that helps people to regain some equanimity in the face of disastrous circumstances.

In this episode we speak with an acupuncturist in Israel who is using these methods to treat people who live in a conflict zone, and undergo the experience of being showered with bombs at a moment’s notice and the aftermath of that kind of trauma.

Listen in as we discuss how acupuncture can quickly re-regulate the nervous system and how these treatments can be effective in bringing about a sense of balance and resiliency in those who have undergone these kinds of life threatening experiences.

You can’t think you way out of thinking.

And constant ruminative thought is often at the root of a variety of issues from anxiety and depression, to issues with anger, body image, and the limits we place on ourselves. Our physiology is not disconnected from our emotional lives or endocrinological systems, and so our states of mind are reflected in our bodies.

Lots of people think they can't meditate because their mind will not settle down and be quiet. But meditation is not about having a quiet mind. Meditation is about quietly being with your mind. It's about seeing your how your thoughts and emotions are entangled together and generate reactivity. And how to find some spacious in all that so you can have your emotions and reactions without being driven by them.

Also in this episode we explore some common misconceptions about mediation and provide some resources for getting started with a meditative practice.

Our guest when we recorded this show, had just completed a year working in the Wounded Warriors program at Walter Reed hospital.  There she used acupuncture to treat veterans for PTSD, trauma brain injury and other chronic conditions that soldiers face after being injured in the line of duty. 

As with so many complex and difficult conditions, there is no simple cure for PTSD, as trauma of this sort entangles its way into so many aspects of a person’s life. While we do discuss the role of acupuncture in aiding with the recovery from PTSD, this conversation touches on a range of therapies and modalities that not only help those suffering from this stifling condition, but also are helpful for a wide range of chronic issues that get stuck in our physical and psycho-emotive systems. 

Listen in as we explore how transformation is an integral part of healing a shattered life.

Most men will have some issues with their prostate as they age. And the vast majority of men will die with some form of prostate cancer, but most will not die from it as most prostate cancers are slow. Figuring out which kind a person has and how to treat it is one of the emerging questions in men's health. Especially as the negative sides effects of treatment can have a big impact on quality of life. 

Increasingly there is a question as to whether or not the slow forms of prostate cancer are a cancer, as the the tissues abnormalities respond quite well to diet, exercise, botanical medicine and other life style habits.

Chinese medicine along with the above mentioned can be quite helpful for the issues that arise from prostate enlargement and tissue changes.

Listen in and learn how natural medicine and lifestyle can help men as they face this change that accompanies aging. And why testosterone supplementation does not always result in higher levels of this hormone and how higher levels of testosterone are essential to good prostate health. 

Acupuncture is a go-to treatment for musculo-skeletal pain and a commonly used modality for treating sports injuries. 

NFL stars, Olympic swimmers, basketball players and other top athletes increasingly turn to acupuncture to help with recovery from injury as evidenced by the occasional headline or picture that gives acupuncture another 15 minutes of fame because some sports hero has needles in them. 

Our guest in this episode takes a different view of acupuncture. She is investigating how it can be used for performance enhancement. Listen in as we discuss the discuss the results of her first study into using various acupuncture modalities focused not on recovery from injury, but rather as a way to improve sports performance. 

Chinese medicine does not just have a 2500 year history of  written and practical application of treating illness and disease. It also has an equally long tradition of cultivating health and well-being.  

Here in the West we say "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," so like the Chinese, we have this notion that a little attention to our well-being on a regular basis can help us to sidestep major health issues.

The Chinese have long observed nature and used that to inform how to live in this world as a part of nature. It's more about cultivating than efforting. More about attentiveness, than checking a daily to-do list. It's as much about quieting the mind as moving the body. And in many ways, more about how we are than what we do. 

Our guest in this episode has a long history of exploring, practicing and teaching the "nourishing of life." Listen in and discover how vitality, livelihood, physical and emotional well-being, a quiet spirit and supple body are all aspects of of a live well lived. 

Sugar addiction is something that usually gets laughed off with a wink and smile. And yet, as Gary Taubes says in his latest book, The Case Against Sugar, if the increasing rates of diabetes were related to a pathogen instead of a lifestyle, we would be in the midst of an all out "war" on the disease.

In my acupuncture practice I've seen sugar as an underlying factor in so many problems that bring patients to my clinic.

To that end, I've created a guided inquiry that helps people to transform their relationship with sugar. And in this episode I'll be outlining the process so you can start to make some changes in your life if sugar addiction is part of the health issues that you face.

Growing up we used to laugh about great-grandma's can of schmaltz that lived in the corner of the kitchen. It's taken the turn of more than a few decades to recognize the value of her peasant wisdom. And might have something to do with her making it into her 90's.

In this episode we chew the fat on, well...., fat.

After being exiled from the "healthy" American diet since the 1950's, a new generation of metabolic researchers are finding that our fear of fat might be a bit misplaced.

Listen in as we take a long view on the role of fat in the human diet and dig into one of the important aspects of diet that most experts leave out — joy. 

Some of us know from an early age we are cut out for medicine. Others never saw it coming; life in its wily wisdom throws us a curve ball, or in this case a bicycle accident. 

Our guest in this episode sought out acupuncture for a debilitating injury and ended up in a 12 year apprenticeship. 

Listen in as we explore how acupuncture doesn't just mask, but fundamentally get people out of pain, why the fluids are so important when it comes to healing, and some eye opening neuro-anatomy that throws a new light on the acupuncture channels.

We know that beauty is more than skin deep, but the truth is that skin is more than just skin deep. While it is easy to think that skin conditions are simply a problem of the exterior portion of our body, in reality dermotological problems are frequently the result of internal imbalances. 

In this episode we discuss the Chinese perspective on treating skin conditions that get to the root of the problem, so you don't have to use dangerous medications, or be on drugs that only control symptoms for the rest of your life. 

Acupuncture is well known in the Western world for its effectiveness in treating pain. In this episode we take a multilayered look at orthopedic acupuncture.

While acupuncture is often considered to be an "energetic" medicine, our guest today takes us deep into the structural, neurological, chemical and functional aspects of why things hurt and what you can do about it.

We often think of germs, genetic abnormalities, poor lifestyle choices or plain bad luck as being the cause of illness and disease. We go looking for the "smoking gun," for the one thing that was the source of our troubles, but often the health issues we face arise out of a much more complex stew of causes and conditions.

In this episode Greg Bantick and I discuss the various ways that both illness and health can arise, how at times the symptoms we are troubled by are helpful messengers and how the influence of the mind plays a profound role in our wellbeing.

It's fairly common knowledge these days that acupuncture is helpful in promoting fertility and pregnancy. But acupuncture is not just helpful for getting pregnant, it has a track record in easing the discomfort of back pain, digestive, urinary and emotional issues that are often not well treated by conventional medicine.

Additionally, acupressure can be of tremendous benefit to a woman in labor, and this kind of support can be provided by a family member or other person assisting during the labor. 

Our guest in this show has first hand experience with the use of acupuncture and acupressure as she used these methods herself when pregnant. And she works with students and midwives in a hospital setting helping pregnant women with these safe and effective treatment modalities. 

Listen in for some surprising research on how acupuncture during pregnancy can help to prevent postpartum depression, and why it is important for a woman to get several weeks of good rest after giving birth.

With American Olympic athletes suddenly sporting red and purple cupping marks, this ancient healing modality has set the Internet and traditional media ablaze with questions and surprise about those big circular marks.

Of course, cupping is not new. It’s been used in Asia for millennia. And if you were paying attention to Chinese swimmers in past Olympics, you would have noticed the same sporty marks.

Today’s show goes not only into what these marks are about and why they are therapeutically helpful. But also discusses the various methods of using and applying cups. We also talk about the surprising use of cups for conditions that you will not hear about in the mainstream press.

Cupping is not difficult to learn. It’s the rare grandma or auntie in China that doesn’t know about how to use cups to treat a variety of common ailments. You can learn how to do this yourself.

Listen in for the details!

Tai Chi is one of the more well known Chinese health practices that has made its way to the West. But there was a time when this gentle movement art was unknown outside of the Chinese world. 

In the 60's Cheng Man-Ching "The Professor" came from Taiwan to New York and began to do something unheard of; teach this ancient movement practice to Westerners. 

Today's guest is a writer, filmmaker and long time Tai Chi practitioner who has helped to capture the story of Cheng Man-Ching and his influence on Tai Chi, as told through the pictures and stories of his students.

People often joke about being addicted to sugar. After all, how could something as cute and celebratory as a cupcake be bad? But it is not just the cupcake, or the sugary energy drink, it is that sugar has found its way into most foods and the combined effect on our metabolism has spawned an epidemic of obesity, diabetes and mood disorders.

What's more, we think of sugar as a treat, a reward, something comforting. And yet it is as addictive as cocaine and as readily available as your next trip to the pantry.

If you have sugar cravings, or find you need a sweet pick me up at some point in the day, then listen in as we discuss the less than sweet side of sugar, and what to do about it.

There are a number of chronic degenerative eye problems that respond to acupuncture. In this episode, our guest discusses his experience using acupuncture to effectively treat macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt's and diabetic retinopathy. 

We discuss not only treating the eyes, but how the eyes are a part of the nervous system and using acupuncture helps the entire body to find a deeper level of health and wellbeing. 

We often hear about acupuncture being used as an “alternative” when conventional biomedicine has failed to bring relief or resolution to a problem. So it seems a bit counterintuitive to think about acupuncture being used as part of first line care in an emergency room. 

And that is exactly where this episode’s guest practices— in the ER of a hospital.

Listen in for how he works as an integrated member of an emergency room team, and how acupuncture is helpful to patients transiting through an emergent situation. 

Contrary to the view of conventional medicine, women's menstrual cycles can be smoothed and regulated with natural methods. In this episode we look at how a woman's monthly cycle is a vital indicator of her overall health. 

Additionally, we see how the "periods" that accompany hormonal birth control are not periods in the true sense, and how suppressing ovulation with synthetic hormones has a profound effect on a woman's true hormonal tide. 

Listen in and gain a whole new appreciation for the remarkable changes that cycle monthly through a woman's body. 

We often hear about the so-called "mind/body connection," but have you noticed that the very phrase already assumes some kind of disconnect?

In this episode we discuss over tea, Chinese medicine's view of how body and emotion are profoundly intertwined, what to do about worry, and how art helps with healing.

Listen in for a wandering conversation that starts with how our body/spirit unknowingly slips into the groove of habit and eventually meanders its way into modern physics.

In our electronically enhanced speed of silicon world we are easily lured into believing that faster is better, and motion is more productive than stillness. 

But, think of the cat crouched and ready to pounce, the coiled snake still with a spring load of potential, or the sprinter settled into her blocks. Indeed explosive movement can arise from a dynamic stillness. 

In today's episode we explore the dynamics of standing still. How settling into our physiology allows antagonistic muscle pairs to unwind the habits of tension and imbalance. How our breathing can naturally fall into a deep full body respiration.

And how everyday we can practice stillness through seemingly mundane activities such as carrying groceries, boiling water, or waiting in line at the bank. 

We often think that our hormones drive our emotions. And while there is some truth in that, it is equally true that our emotions, states of mind, and the stories that we tell our selves also have a profound impact on our hormones.

In today's episode we look at how our thoughts and emotions are intimately connected with our endocrinological system. How "balancing hormones" is more than simply supplementing estrogen or testosterone. And how our states of mind powerfully effect our physiology.

Westerners honestly come by their apprehension, discomfort and distrust of Chinese herbal medicine. After all, we didn't grow up with this stuff. Our mother's didn't feed us "Cinnamon and Peony Decoction" when we had a cold, we got tomato soup and grilled cheese. Our culture has us going to the drugstore instead of the herb market. Plus, why should we take a medication we don't know anything about?

Today's guest is a patient from Yong Kang Clinic, and he's turned the microphone around and engages Michael Max with the questions most you probably have about the use of Chinese herbs, along with their sourcing and safety issues.

Listen in and find out how an acupuncturist thinks about Chinese herbal medicine, and some of the questions you should ask your practitioner if you are considering using Chinese herbs.

If you are thinking there has to be a better solution for the ails of childhood than antibiotics, anti-anxiety meds, ear tubes and amphetamines; you're right!

Our guest in this episode has his feet firmly planted in both conventional biomedicine and Chinese medicine.

Listen in for a conversation on how a shift in perspective can help to resolve issues that medications can't really touch, the importance of a properly functioning digestive system (and how to tune it up), and a detour into how the endocrine system is intimately married to perceptual framework.

If you have kids and want to help them build a natural vitality, this show is for you!

Fertility issues are more than simply being able to get pregnant.

Cultivating a fertile internal environment, having a healthy pregnancy, carrying a child to term and being able to give them a healthy vitality all are part of the process of bringing a new life into the world.

In this episode we explore how acupuncture, Chinese herbs, functional medicine, stress reduction, nutrition and some good old common sense all can help couples who are dealing with fertility issues.

Today's show is a bit different from the usual dialogue between practitioners. Due to listener demand Michael Max offers up a solo show as a way of commemorating one year of Everyday Acupuncture Podcast.

Listen in for his thoughts on how acupuncture works, why Chinese medicine practitioners look at your tongue,  an overview of some of the common Yang Sheng (life nourishing) practices that he has seen be helpful in his clinical practice, and a few things you should consider if you are thinking of taking up the study of acupuncture.

Sleep. It is one of those fundamental aspects of life that we take for granted, until we find ourselves writing and editing lists in our mind, or rehashing conversations at 3am. 

Sleep is a simple and natural process, except for when it's not. And then all our efforts at a slide into slumber only takes us further from the rest we seek. 

Our guest in this conversation has made a deep study of sleep. And  assisted many former insomniacs in finding a night full of rest and rejuvenation. 

 Listen in as we explore methods and practices that can help you to sleep better naturally. 

Sometimes we don't even know the rut we're in. Until a symptom, accident or diagnosis snaps us into into an unexpected moment of presence. 

We can chose the route of "fixing" our bodies, or engage a process of looking into "how we got here" and make more informed choices about the road to take from here. 

In this episode we explore how the choices we make can land us in a difficult situation, and some options that Chinese medicine provides for regaining our balance and vitality. 

An overnight treatment for back pain?

Yes. But, as with so much in life, it's not a "one and done." It is process. A slight shift in habit and practice that allows your body to unwind postural kinks and find a space of ease and comfort. And from that neutral place of comfort help to promote the healing of  stressed and damaged tissues.

Today's guest noticed that her patients were getting results from acupuncture, but lifestyle habits caused stress or injury to their backs, thus leading to a "two steps forward, one step back" dance of progress and relapse. She discovered that even 5-10 minutes a day of gentle spinal decompression could make a big difference in her patient's well-being. 

Listen in and find out how to treat your back pain overnight.

We tend to associate acupuncture with China. But auricular therapy was first developed in France, and then wandered its way back to the Middle Kingdom. And yes, there is a story to be told there.

Listen in to find out about why the ear is one of the most powerful and effective acupuncture microsystems. And how it can be used to treat everything from back pain to digestive problems, to endocrinological disorders.  

As with so many paths that open to us in life, our guest in this episode did not set out to make a deep study of Parkinson's. She stumbled into it by first helping a number patients who had foot injuries. And from there has delved deeply into neurobiology, brain chemistry, Chinese medicine, and psychology in her study of how long-term physiological shock can effect brain chemistry and movement disorders. 

Our conversation touches on the triggering events that can lead to Parkinson's, and how recovery is a transformative DIY project.

This episode is longer than our usual podcast, and not only is packed full of helpful information for those affected by this condition, but also may challenge you to open your perspective on this disease. Especially if you don't have Parkinson’s, some of this material may uncomfortably challenge how you think about this illness. But, curiously enough, the people with Parkinson's find it oddly comforting that someone really gets something that is fundamental at their core. 

Listen in and be prepared to be surprised!

We rarely think of our feet as the amazing complex multi-boned platforms that allow us to walk upright. And in fact they are sensory organs with a deep affinity for balance, movement and listening to the environment. 

This is an encore interview with our guest Mary Bond, who joined us on EAP020 for a discussion of Presence and Movement. We'd planned to talk about feet, but got delightfully sidetracked with breathing and how that opens the spine. 

Today's show not only takes deep look into foot function and movement, but also touches on neuroplasticity and how expanding the movement in our feet not only helps with balance and comfort, but expands the neural maps of the body in the brain. 

We seek out medical practitioners because we want to know. There is a problem and we want it gone. Sometimes the process of discovery is not difficult, and health concerns are quickly resolved.

But then there are those issues that linger for years, decades even. They defy the insurance reimbursed scans and lab tests. They might be "managed" by a drug. But who wants to be on a medication for the rest of their life? Or a cascade of side-effect reducing medications. These confounding issues are harder to get a handle on.

Beginning with a mind open enough to encompass a wider range possibility can lead to overlooked or surprising solutions. Listen in as we explore the vital role of "not knowing" and how it can lead to a deeper sense of understanding.

The Chinese medicine perspective on physiology connects and diverges from the conventional Western view like a blue highway meanders around an Interstate. 

Our guest on this episode speaks fluently from the perspectives of both modern biomedicine and the ancient art of Chinese medicine. 

What's more, in looking through the lens of embryological development and the way modern surgeons use the "spaces between" for laparoscopic surgeries , he illuminates the connections between organ systems that the Chinese noted thousands of years ago. And furthermore gives us a way to understand why the acupuncture channels don't show up when dissecting the body. 

Research is a funny thing. On one hand, most of us think of it as the most dry and boring stuff you could possibly read. On the other hand, we see it as the Holy Grail of truth when it comes to understanding the effectiveness of medical interventions.

As with most things in life, the truth is much more complex and nuanced. In this episode our guest introduces us to nonlinear and complex adaptive systems approaches to researching medical interventions.

Listen in to find out why  double-blind studies are useless for understanding the emergent  outcomes and nonspecific effects of acupuncture.

The classics of Chinese medicine describe the digestive system in terms of what today we'd call a compost pile.

Indeed we symbiotically live with, and are dependent on, a population of microbes that outnumbers our "human" cells. 

Our modern day war on the bacterial world is perhaps a bit misguided. And rather than trying to assassinate a few bad bugs, it might be a better idea to cultivate a diverse population of other microbes that naturally work to keep the troublemakers in check.

Our guest in this episode takes us into the world of beneficial bacteria and how we can use food to eat our way into a better balance with our own personal microbial community.

We often imagine we want the latest in medicine's technological innovation should we find ourselves or a loved one in the midst of illness and suffering. But there are moments when our most advanced technology, while it can save lives, can not reach into the spaces inhabited by human spirit. 

There is no pill or procedure that brings us vividly into the unfolding moment. But, there is a practice. And that is what we will explore in this episode. 

Our guest in this program stands at the crossroads of conventional clinical medicine, psychoneuroimmunology, compassionate care, contemplative practice and research into the transformative role of becoming present to all the moments of life. 

Listen in for a conversation on how presence relieves suffering, and how every moment is worth fully inhabiting. 

What does creativity have to do with health? Plenty if are going to navigate the inevitable changes that life brings in a way leads toward cultivating resilience and adaptability.

Our guest today, while trained as an artist and designer, has acquired a knack for helping others to connect with the creativity and beginner's mind awareness that gives us continuous access to the gifts of this moment.

Listen in for a discussion of discovery and connection that is available to all of us, and how to remember your way back into your innate brilliance.

We are all are touched by death. Many of us know something about it. Few of us understand the process. And while the tools of modern medicine often accompany the dying, death is not a medical condition.

Our guest in this episode is country doctor and long-time practicing acupuncturist. He did not set out to use acupuncture to aid the dying; it evolved out of his care, compassion and willingness to sit with his own not-knowing as he accompanied his patients.

Listen in for some stories of transformation and how acupuncture can ease the transition between worlds.

Many of us fire up a meditation practice only to find ourselves sitting in an overwhelming riot of thought and agitation. Isn't this practice supposed to calm us down, lower blood pressure, ease the migraines, and maybe give our recurring assortment of anxieties, troubles and tribulations a nudge to the curb?

Yes, that's the common story, but the reality of a clear mirror held up to the mind will not have you feeling like those just-so poised and apparently calm models on the Internet. You'll probably want to get away from the noise and chaos between your ears. And that's a good reason to learn to sit in the storm.

Our guest today has decades of experience with both meditation and acupuncture. And in this show we will get into the details of why you shouldn't believe everything you think, and why healing often defies the logical stair-step process we think it should take.

Pain is one of the most common reasons that people seek out an acupuncturist. And while the results can at times be stunningly effective, there are also situations where the process of healing unfolds in a slower, or frustratingly stutter-step way. 

In this episode we explore the role of the nervous system and its role in patterns of chronic pain. And we dig into some of the various ways that acupuncture not only effects our physiology, but our neurology as well. 

We learn so much from the animals in our lives, and often they hold up a mirror to us about who we are in the world and how life can unfolded with so splendidly when we are simply, exactly as we are in the moment. 

And like us, our pets have health concerns, especially as the years gather. Today's guest is a veterinarian who practices exclusively with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and other natural healing modalities. 

Listen in and found out why one of your pets might like cool hard surfaces for a nap, while another prefers to snuggle on a soft warm bed. 

The birth control pill has been lauded, and for good reason too, as a way for women to take charge of their reproductive choices. And while it does a fine job of preventing conception, for some women it is not without paying a physical, emotional or psychological price.

Our guest today has taken a closer look at the bitter side of the pill and brought to light some common side effects that generally are glossed over.

She also shares with us some unique and interesting ways of combining  high tech with good old-fashioned body literacy. Thus helping women to take charge of their fertility by cultivating a deeper awareness and connection to their own natural rhythms without altering their natural hormonal balance.

While skin issues appear at the surface of the body, in fact, they are the external expression of interior imbalances. In today's show we learn about treating skin conditions from the inside out. And delve into anti-aging treatments that both will knock a few years off your looks and help you to inhabit a greater state of health and wellbeing. 

All kinds of questions can come up when you've decided to find an acupuncturist.

Where to begin? Which style of acupuncture is best for me? How do I make sense of the differing kinds of training that people billing themselves of "acupuncturists" get? How will I know it is helping me?

All these are really good questions. And worth asking of any medical practitioner when you think about it.

Our guest on this show has studied both in the USA and in Asia, is the president of an acupuncture school and has some pertinent advice on what to consider when you are considering acupuncture.

Birth control pills are generally thought of as a side-effect free medication that prevents pregnancy and can help to regulate a troublesome period.

It's true it prevents ovulation, which in turn removes the possibility of conception. However, its synthetic hormonal tide not only creates profound mental and emotional shifts, but it can cause problems with conceiving for years after discontinuation.

Our guest today focuses in on fertility through the lenses of conventional medicine, Chinese medicine, and functional medicine to give us a deep dive look into how the Pill not only effects women on the physical level, but on the mental and emotional levels as well.

In this episode we discuss with a long time Zen practitioner the curious human habit of having conversations with people who are not present, in places that we don't actually inhabit. 

While the common image of meditation is one of peaceful stillness where the mind idles along like the purring of a kitten, the reality is that meditation more often than not drops us into the center of a what feels like a madhouse. 

Listen in and find out about how meditation is not so much for stillness on the cushion, but for a chance at equanimity off of it. 

This episode is one of a series that was recorded at the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture's symposium in St. Louis, Missouri. 

In this interview we go behind the scenes in the hospital and see how Dr. Christopherson used acupuncture to help patients come out of anesthesia, treat a wide variety of pain and help the staff of operating rooms find their own most lucid balance. 

She also shares with us some personal experiences using acupuncture to help her husband with circulatory issues, and how she treated supposedly untreatable conditions. 

This episode is one of a series that was recorded at the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture's symposium in St. Louis, Missouri. 

In this interview we take a look at how acupuncture has been integrated into this Cincinnati clinic that focuses comprehensive well-being instead of symptom control. 

This episode is one of a series that was recorded at the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture's symposium in St. Louis, Missouri. 

In this interview we get into the details of how Dr. LeGlue uses acupuncture in his physical rehabilitation clinic to help control patient's pain, reduce the amount of pain medication they need and save them money.

There are plenty of ways to approach enhancing fertility, and our guest today works at the cusp of modern high tech endocrinology and Chinese medicine and acupuncture. 

Listen in for how she combines these powerful and complimentary methods to help couples take home a healthy baby. 

This show is chock full of useful information about using ancient and modern methods to conceive,  and provides plenty of DIY  lifestyle and dietary changes that can help you to increase your fertility.

The Chinese have been looking at the relationship between food and health for 1000's of years. There is an old saying in Chinese that says, "Let your food be your medicine." 

Our guest in today's show talks about food from a traditional perspective. And he has some eye opening ideas on how to turn your grains into vegetables!

Additionally, he has done some study on the effect of acupuncture on working memory and anxiety that will be of interest to you if you are prone to anxiety, or know someone with memory problems.

"Your posture is determined by the moment before you move..."

How often do we think of posture as something that is fixed, static, out of awareness and somehow outside of us?

In this show Mary Bond explores with us subtle motions in the body that can lead to a vast opening of awareness, movement and ease. 

Listen in as we explore breath, the gentle spacious moment that proceeds movement and a curious ease that comes from dropping our "efforting." 

While many of our interviews make for good company while driving or otherwise engaging in activities of the world, today's episode invites a turn inward. Give yourself some quiet unfettered space to engage it. 

“Everyone lives differently and everyone dies differently."

Our guest today is no stranger to death as she has worked with people from the ICU to the hospice bed.

In this show we meander through how the profoundly quieting effect of acupuncture can help those who are transitioning out of this world.

This show will not only be of interest to those who may be considering acupuncture for a family member at the end of life, but also for acupuncturists who want to learn how they can better be of assistance to those at the end of life.

Increasingly many conventional markets offer some kind of "organic" poultry or a limited amount of grass-fed beef. However, at Bolyard's Meat and Provisions all they do is organic and pasture raised meats. 

Want to know the difference between a conventional "organic" chicken and one that is pasture raised? Muscle tone! 

In this show we talk with Chris Bolyard about using all of the animal from nose to tail, bone broth, how to add a bit of vitamin and mineral rich organ meat to your diet, and the importance of sourcing local and humanely raised animals.

How often do you hear people express gratitude toward a debilitating, degenerative disease for the gifts that come enfolded in the darkness? 

In this week's show our guest shares her journey of the slow slide into the fatigue and neurological flare-ups of Multiple Sclerosis, and how she has come to trust herself in finding her own path through illness and into wellbeing. 

It's no accident that we talk about fertile soil being the foundation of a vibrant garden. Fertility is not simply about being able to get pregnant, but being able to carry that child to term and provide the essential nourishment they need to have all the resources required to grow into a healthy and vital life. 

Much of the so-called common knowledge about "good" nutrition really needs an update. And that is the topic of this week's show, as we explore traditional foods that not only promote fertility, but promote a vibrant, healthy life as well. 

If you think that low-fat, fruit sweeten yogurt is a healthy choice for breakfast, then listening to this show will open your eyes to the importance of whole foods, essential fats and nutrient dense foods. 

The tables get turned on Everyday Acupuncture's host Michael Max, as he finds himself on the other side of microphone with Margot Rossi.

Margot was Michael's first acupuncturist, and over the years their relationship has evolved into one of deep friendship and respected colleagues. 

Margot has a gift for asking pertinent, thoughtful questions that require a person to dig deep into the heart of his or her experience. She's been like that ever since the first day that Michael sat down in her acupuncture clinic, and no doubt long before then as well.

Listen in on this conversation between old friends as they share their love and appreciation for this ancient medicine that is as fresh as the day they began their studies, and seasoned as the decades they've spent as students of this living art.

It all started when our guest in today's show got her tail in a knot about the "greenwashing" of skin care products.

But instead of complaining Christine Kizik did something about it! Along with her husband Eran Even, an expert in Chinese herbalism, she created a line of skin products that aren't really that different from food.

And really, when you think about it, why would you put anything on your skin that wouldn't be willing to put in your mouth?

Listen in for how you too can naturally nourish your skin, learn about a weird but effective (and inexpensive) shampoo, and make your own chocolates to boot!

Sinus issues are something that everyone at some point in time will deal with. It might be the constant drippy nose and sneezing of allergy season. The occasional winter bug making the rounds. Or a long term predisposition to sinus infections and sinus headaches. 

Our guest on today's show, Cara Frank, has decades of experience treating sinus issues with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. 

Listen in for effective clinically proven herbal solutions, and some simple things you can do to knock the snot out of your congested sinuses! 

Each year close to 800,000 people suffer a stroke in the USA.

In Asia, acupuncture is commonly used to help people recover from stroke. And especially if received on a regular basis it can help in profound ways.

Our guest today Daniel Altschuler learned his acupuncture and herbal medicine in Taiwan, where he frequently saw stroke patients.

Listen in to not only to learn how acupuncture can help with stroke recovery, but also learn some simple things you can do can assist in helping someone you care about recover from the difficulties that arise from stroke.

Tea is not simply a leaf or region, nor only a taste of bitter or sweet, or a feeling in the mouth. It is an unfolding connection between plants and rain, mountains and mist. It is woven from the conversations of soils and insects, sweltering afternoons of sun, and moonless nights of dark.

Tea is a story, of which the drinking is but one chapter. And tea is an opportunity for connection, and therein lays its deep nourishment.

Environmental sensitivities can can masquerade as skin problems, neurological illness, depression, fatigue, rheumatism, digestive issues and more.

Our guest today has had firsthand experience with this frightening and unexplained decline of physical and mental functioning. And in the process, it made her not only question everything about how conventional medicine goes about treating complex illness, especially when environmental factors. But, it also taught her something about the practice of medicine that simply can't be found in books.

Listen in to Erica Elliott's heartfelt journey of composting into the doctor that she is today. And a vital perspective on staying healthy in a world increasing filled with chemicals and toxins that can wreck havoc with human biological systems.

I thought my conversation with Njemile would walk through some of the step-by-step things women could do to improve their fertility. Turns out the conversation pivoted into including a deeper investigation of living a life that is connective, generative and mindful.

Listen in as we explore the cultivation of fertility and connectedness in all the aspects of our lives. And gain some insight into what it means to live a fertile life.

It's clear to most people these days that cancer is a complex disease that arises from a multitude of different factors.

In today's show we explore lifestyle and metabolic health, as it relates to preventing cancer.

We bring in a functional medicine perspective to see how lifestyle and metabolic health can help you to maintain a vital healthy balance or help to prevent a relapse if you have been ill.

Listen in as acupuncturist David Lerner weaves together the streams of thought and practice from Chinese medicine, functional medicine and nutrition to help you better understand some easy to adapt ways you can use your food and nutrition to stay cancer free.

While in acupuncture school, Xander Kahn discovered that weight loss involved more than just what he was putting in his mouth. 

The effect of flavors, the importance of preserving and cultivating metabolic fire, and how our emotions and mindful (or not) habits help or hinder us; all this is part of the nourishment equation. 

Listen in as we exchange the "food pyramid" for the "circle of flavors" and hear Xander's personal journey of discovering mindful eating, natural medicine and sustained weight loss.

A reproductive endocrinologist waxes rhapsodic about fat? Yes he does!

Helping women to conceive is just one aspect of his work, straightening out their metabolism and endocrinological imbalances is another, and it’s not to be underestimated.

Not only infertile women with of metabolic problems can benefit from a high-fat ketogenic diet. Anyone wanting to rebalance their blood sugar, get rid of the spare tire that usually accompanies insulin resistance, or simply gain access to high levels of sustainable energy by teaching their metabolism to burn fat will enjoy this myth-busting show on the essential role of fat in your diet.

What are we doing with a reproductive endocrinologist on the show? Isn't it supposed to be about Chinese medicine?
Indeed it is, and one of the major threads that runs through all schools of Chinese medicine thought and practice concerns the state of our digestion and metabolism.

Listen in today to find out how to reboot your metabolism by ditching the so-called “healthy low fat diet,” and why bacon and a hot buttered coffee in the morning not only can help to boost your energy, but your fertility and energy as well.

Elephants, bears and needles, oh my! Does thinking about taking your kids to an acupuncturist conjure up your haunted house of needle experiences? Do you worry that acupuncture might turn into a shriek session, or be a cause of pain? Looking for a way to talk to your children about acupuncture? Maya and Her Friends Visit the Acupuncturist is a fanciful and informative adventure of a little girl’s trip to see Dr. Meow. The purrrfect kid’s acupuncturist.

Listen in as we get the story behind this delightful storybook, and how parents are using it  to help their kids cozy up to the idea of needles. You’ll learn a thing or two about acupuncture, and why it is that kids sometimes understand this stuff better than us grown up's.

My ears perked up over a lunch conversation when I heard Bryan say, “I don’t see that many headache patients these days. They just don’t need to come in very often.”

Headaches are a common complaint if you run an acupuncture clinic. So Bryan's observation got my attention.

Have a listen and discover the two most important things you can do for yourself if you are spending too much time with headaches.

The Chinese martial arts know a lot about trauma medicine. A sinew popping kick to one of the joints, punches that powder capillary beds, or broken and shattered bones from falls or weapons all are common fare. The Chinese long ago figured out how to fight with style and power. They also learned a tremendous amount about putting people back together.

Tom Bisio learned about treating trauma with Chinese methods while he was in Asia studying martial arts. That was the beginning of his interest in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and the beginning of his journey that lead him to being one of the foremost experts in the West today on using traditional methods to treat trauma.

Listen in as we discuss why ice is for dead people, and some simple things you can do to treat trauma that will help to prevent your damaged joints from being able to forecast the weather in the few years.

As an experiment, Amy starting meditating everyday when she was in  college. Decades later it has become a foundational part of her adult  life.

Listen in as we discuss the wealth of well researched  benefits to both mind and body by engaging this daily practice. And why  as the Zen people say, “meditation is good for nothing!”

From oyster fisherwoman to EMT to acupuncturist, Kathleen Poole has engaged the forces of nature for good. In today’s episode we discuss what is her (Chinese) medicine cabinet at home of the “must have” medicinals for the traumas and travails of everyday life.

Listen in to learn how to beat the common cold with common kitchen spices, treat cuts and burns, ease sore joints and know what to pack into your travel kit so you can fearless enjoy exotic food foraging in foreign locales.

Curiously enough, acupuncture is not just sticking needles into people. It is part of a coherent and observation based medicine that experienced practitioners have handed down over the centuries. 

This introductory episode gives you some background on your host, Michael Max. And what you can expect from the show.