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Qiological Podcast

Qiological Podcast

Michael Max 543 episodes Nov 10, 2026

Qiological is a podcast about acupuncture and East Asian medicine, hosted by Michael Max. It explores how this medicine comes from clinical observation and the treatment of individuals rather than laboratory research. Through conversations with practitioners, the show examines herbal medicine, cultivation practices, and the daily work of having a practice. It aims to deepen understanding of the craft through thoughtful dialogue and inquiry.

Episodes

486 The Art of Mugwort • Hannah Swift
486 The Art of Mugwort • Hannah Swift Nov 10, 2026 01:27:58 We often imagine a medicine as one standardized thing: a single technique, a single explanation. But spend time where moxa is actually practiced, and the picture becomes richer and far less uniform.In this conversation, Hannah Swift returns to Qiological to share what she learned in Japan. A language school visa grew into a network of practitioners, foragers, and dyers who showed her that mugwort
485 Learning From Our Patients • Chris McAlister, Bonnie Wright & Maya Suzuki
485 Learning From Our Patients • Chris McAlister, Bonnie Wright & Maya Suzuki Nov 3, 2026 01:30:20 We say we learn from our patients. But what does that actually mean when you’re in the room, the treatment isn’t going the way you’d anticipated, and the theory leaves you more confused than connected?In this conversation we are joined by Chris McAlister, Bonnie Wright, and Maya Suzuki for a conversation about learning from the people—and animals—we treat. We’ve all heard the phrase about “learnin
484 History Series - Translating Between Worlds • Nigel Wiseman
484 History Series - Translating Between Worlds • Nigel Wiseman Oct 27, 2026 01:43:43 Translating Chinese medicine began, for Nigel Wiseman, with a love of language, and it has become a lifelong study of how meaning travels between worlds. His work asks that we stay faithful to what the Chinese actually says, even when it asks something of the reader.In this conversation, we visit with Nigel and trace the path from a young linguist in early 1980s Taiwan to some of the first English
483 Authenticity is  Difficult to Achieve • Evan Pinto
483 Authenticity is Difficult to Achieve • Evan Pinto Oct 20, 2026 01:30:06 Chinese medicine sits at an interesting crossroads, part clinical craft, part philosophical inheritance. Its practice of listening before concluding speaks meaningfully to how we meet the people who come through our doors.In this conversation with Evan Pinto, we explore the relationship between emptying the mind and seeing a patient clearly. We look at how a few quiet breaths before entering the t
482 The Conundrum of Singularity & Diversity in the Practice of East Asian Medicine • James FLowers
482 The Conundrum of Singularity & Diversity in the Practice of East Asian Medicine • James FLowers Oct 13, 2026 01:28:43 Every tradition has an official story, and then it has the people who actually treat patients. In this conversation with James Flowers, a historian, anthropologist, and practitioner of East Asian medicine, we ask a simple question: where did the Saam organ pairs come from? The answer, it turns out, is surprising.That mystery opens onto what James calls the conundrum of singularity and diversity in
481 Revisiting the Genius of Dr. Manaka • Oran Kivity and Co.
481 Revisiting the Genius of Dr. Manaka • Oran Kivity and Co. Oct 6, 2026 01:42:26 We often think good treatment begins with certainty: first identify the pattern, then decide what to do. But in the tradition of Dr. Yoshio Manaka, treatment itself can be the means of discovery. The practitioner learns by engaging the body directly and paying close attention to how it responds.In this conversation, Oran Kivity, Marian Fixler, Brenda Loew, Stephen Birch, and Paul Movsessian reflec
480 History Series - Searching for the Dao of Medicine • Volker Scheid
480 History Series - Searching for the Dao of Medicine • Volker Scheid Sep 29, 2026 01:41:28 A tradition can feel like a single lineage, but some histories reveal a wider terrain — one that spans discernment, devotion, and the slow accumulation of who gets to call something new.In this conversation with Volker Scheid, we explore four competing visions of what good Chinese medicine practice actually is, from Zhu Danxi's cultivated discernment to Zhang Zhongjing's devotional authority, and
479 Consciousness, Ghosts, Magic & The Inexplicable • Neil Theise
479 Consciousness, Ghosts, Magic & The Inexplicable • Neil Theise Sep 22, 2026 01:38:22 Liver pathology draws curiosity as both a clinical discipline and a lens for encountering the unknown. Its practice of looking without preconception speaks meaningfully to how we meet the mysteries at the edges of a life.In this conversation, we visit with Neil Theise and explore the relationship between diagnostic training and beginner's mind. We look at how staying present with what's in front o
478 Often Confused and Having Fun • Linda Kim
478 Often Confused and Having Fun • Linda Kim Sep 15, 2026 01:10:20 Confusion is often treated as a problem to solve on the way to a real answer. But in the clinic, it may be closer to the beginning of the process than an obstacle to it.In this conversation with Linda Kim, we explore what it means to practice acupuncture with curiosity rather than certainty. We discuss why diagnosis may be something revealed through treatment—through palpation, real-time feedback,
477 Shen, Emotion, and Ghosts • Henry Tarazona
477 Shen, Emotion, and Ghosts • Henry Tarazona Sep 8, 2026 01:29:45 Long before Chinese medicine took the form we recognize today, healers drilled holes in skulls to release demons. Philosophers debated what the universe was made of, while a wandering doctor read pulses instead of casting spells.In this conversation with Henry Tarazona, we trace that lineage from the wushi shamans through the Hundred Schools of Thought to Bian Que, often called the father of Chine
476 Beyond Normal: Reading Blood Work Through a Chinese Medicine Lens • Jessica Parker
476 Beyond Normal: Reading Blood Work Through a Chinese Medicine Lens • Jessica Parker Sep 1, 2026 01:15:24 Reading blood work well means resisting the urge to sort everything into simply normal or abnormal. But what happens when the real diagnosis lives in the relationships between markers, not the markers themselves?Dr. Jessica Parker is an acupuncturist and lab-work educator who teaches practitioners to read blood panels through a Chinese medicine lens. In this conversation, she joins Michael to expl
475 The Practice of Seeing- Ming, Hidden Jing and Original Face • Anita Chopra & Angela Hunt
475 The Practice of Seeing- Ming, Hidden Jing and Original Face • Anita Chopra & Angela Hunt Aug 25, 2026 02:29:13 In this episode Qiological celebrates its ninth anniversary. For nine years new conversations on East Asian medicine and methods have appeared in your podcast feed each Tuesday morningAnita Chopra, our guest from episode 429, joins us again not just to discuss face reading, but to give us a demonstration of how she uses severeal of the basic maps that chart the face.We’re also joined by Angela Hun

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