407 Empathy, Algorithms and the Alchemy of AI • Vanessa Menendez-Covelo
Technology is evolving fast—and it’s starting to mirror us in ways that are both fascinating and a little unsettling. As AI becomes part of our daily lives, it raises an important question: how do we stay human while working with machines that mimic us?In this conversation with Vanessa Menendez-Covelo, we explore the intersection of Chinese medicine and artificial intelligence. With a background in both fields, Vanessa shares thoughtful insights on how AI tools can support, challenge, and even reshape our work as practitioners.Listen into this discussion as we talk about writing clinical notes with AI, the ethics of machine-generated empathy, what happens when AI “learns” your voice, and how these tools might influence the future of medicine.This isn’t a conversation about hype—it’s about curiosity, discernment, and remembering that the real wisdom in healing still comes from the human side of the equation.
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406 Evolution of a Throughly Modern Herb Shop • Thomas Leung
It’s a curious thing, sometimes you want to get away from something. Maybe it’s the town you grew up in, or a family business. You think you know it, and are not interested. But circumstances change and find your way back to it with new eyes.In this conversation with Thomas Leung, we trace the arc of a family deeply rooted in Chinese herbal medicine. From his great-grandfather’s shop in Guangdong, to navigating the upheaval of the Chinese revolution, to adapting a Manhattan herb store to changing demographics, Thomas brings both a practitioner's and a business owner’s sensibility to the conversation.Listen in as we talk about the evolution of Chinese medicine in America, what it means to modernize without losing tradition, the challenge of standardizing herbal language, and the precarious state of our profession in this current moment.This conversation is about more than herbs. It’s about responsibility, reinvention, and how the future of our medicine depends not only on practice—but on stewardship.
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405 Mastering Your Mindset • Julie Bear Don't Walk
Sometimes what holds us back isn’t a lack of skill or knowledge, but an old story unknowingly agreed to. One that says it’s unseemly to want success, that business is at odds with healing. But what if your clinic wasn’t just a way to help people—but also a practice of alignment, agency, and even joy?In this conversation with Julie Bear Don’t Walk, we explore how business and medicine aren’t separate pursuits but reflections of each other. A long-time practitioner and now coach, Julie brings both clinical experience and a fresh, grounded perspective on how your values, mindset, and systems can support a flourishing practice.Listen into this discussion as we discuss financial trauma and healing, collaborative care models, the subtle art of patient retention, and how team dynamics reflect the qi of a clinic.Julie reminds us that a successful practice isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about congruence. When your clinic reflects who you are and how you want to show up, the business part starts to feel a lot more like medicine.
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404 The Art of Not Holding On- Finding Grace in the Seasoned Years of Practice • Whitfield Reeves
There’s a moment in every practitioner’s life when they start thinking less about where they’re going and more about what they’re leaving behind. What does it mean to practice for decades, to see students turn into colleagues, and to watch the medicine evolve through your hands? The arc of a career in acupuncture isn’t just about technique—it’s connection and contribution as well.In this conversation with Whitfield Reeves, we explore his 40+ years in practice, from his early days training in California to his work in orthopedic and sports acupuncture. He shares his reflections on what it means to transition from practitioner to mentor, the conundrum of monetizing wisdom, and how in the end— the best work finds you.Listen into this discussion as we talk about the weight of responsibility in clinical work, the role of legacy in acupuncture, how the empirical method shapes our medicine, and the evolving landscape of mentorship in Chinese medicine.
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403 Cycles and Spirals of Development • Moshe Heller
Childhood is a surprising, messy, and unpredictable unfolding that follows an orderly pattern of stages through reliable spirals of development.In this conversation with Moshe Heller, we explore the complexities of childhood development through the lens of Chinese medicine. Moshe shares his insights from years of working with children, drawing connections between physiological, emotional, and social growth, and how these elements shape both health and resilience.Listen into this discussion as we explore the concept of the developmental spiral, how early experiences shape lifelong health, the interplay between stimulation and emotional regulation, and why creating space for boredom might just be a powerful tool for healing.
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.