Deepest Health Chinese Medicine Podcast : Episode 7 : Clinical confidence and memorization
In this episode of the Deepest Health Chinese Medicine podcast, I discuss what it means to have confidence in clinic and why I believe memorization is so important for Chinese medicine practitioners. I do go into a little detail regarding best practices around memorization, and I hope this information will be helpful for everyone.
Look for an interview with Heiner Fruehauf as next week’s podcast, assuming all things go according to plan!
Thank you as always - please do leave comments on this post if you would like to start a discussion about the podcast.
Eric
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Tags: clinic, Learning, memorization, Podcast, studentRelated posts
20 benefits I have enjoyed since having a blog focused on Chinese Medicine
As a follow-up to my previous popular post about Why all natural health care practitioners should have a blog, I thought I would put forward a list of the benefits I have noticed so far in having my blog about Chinese medicine. I want to create this list because I feel that there could be so much benefit to patients if more health care practitioners would face their fears and put their thoughts out there. This is particularly true in the field of natural medicine, because there is so much low-quality information on the Internet about various natural healing modalities. By flooding the Internet with high-quality personalized content, we can be a force for change in the minds of the world’s citizens. A noble goal! Now, the list.
- Connections with peers : I have a lot of good friends at school and in the Portland acupuncture and herbal medicine community. I wouldn’t trade those connections for anything. However, it’s really wonderful to be able to connect with Chinese medicine students and new practitioners all over the world. Some of those connections seem to be bearing real fruit that will enrich my life for years to come. Lesson - if you want to network within your profession, become a blogger!
- Connections with patients and future patients : In the post I linked to above, there was some discussion about whether blogging is an effective way to bring in patients. I won’t really know until I thoroughly test it, but I have found that my current patients at the clinic enjoy reading my thoughts. At least one patient has rescheduled because she received her email update and it reminded her to reschedule! In the end, though, it’s really about helping to educate patients about the power and promise of Chinese medicine. Lesson - If you’re interested in keeping in touch with your patients, consider blogging and having them sign up for email updates!
- Free critique of my own ideas, refining my thinking about Chinese medicine : Many people are afraid to write about their thoughts concerning Chinese medicine. I’ve never supposed I have all the answers. Sometimes (gasp) I’m even just wrong. But, you really don’t know what you don’t know until you write about it and put it out there. It can be scary, but exhilarating and I truly believe I have grown as a student and scholar by blogging. Lesson - Want to be an expert in your field? Write about it and pay attention to corrections and criticism.
- Writing practice : I guess this is self explanatory, but it’s always easier to learn how to write by … writing. :) Lesson - If “you’re not a writer,” the best way to become one is to start writing. It’s funny like that.
- Crash course in Internet marketing : Because I decided I wanted to grow this blog as large as I could and make some money with it, I had to start learning a lot about Internet marketing. I’ve consumed a whole lot of information on the subject and while I’m no expert, I’m happy to say I get it for the most part. Lesson - Blogging is a multi-skill activity that will expand your knowledge in many different respects.
- Staying abreast of trends in technology : I’m not obsessed with gadgets (really, I’m not!) or even Internet trends. However, in an effort to keep reasonably well updated, I do learn quite a bit about what’s going on and what’s coming up. I like feeling like I know what’s going on and I learn by doing - so running a blog (or three) is an effective way to keep up to date. Lesson - Similar to the one associated with #5.
- Higher standard of personal organization (more projects means more organization) : For some people, more to do means less organized. Naturally, this leads people to believe that they can become more organized if they just simplify their lives and take on fewer projects. For some people, this may be appropriate. In my case, I find that (to a certain limit) the more I take on, the more efficient I become at managing it. When I have relatively little to do, I actually become less likely to fulfill my basic obligations! Many people have asked me how I do what I do - to them I say that the event that most shaped my ability to do a lot was the birth of my daughter. This surely has many dimensions, but one of them was that because of the compression of my available time, I had to become better at managing my time. My schooling, blogging and other activities just add to this. Lesson - You’re capable of more. Maybe much more.
- A higher than average tolerance for thoughtless comments : If blogging doesn’t give you a thick skin, nothing will. I have been blessed to have a lower than average number of “trolls” and my comment spam catching software is quite effective, but I still get a few folks who think it’s fun to be intentionally antagonistic. You learn to ignore them. Lesson - Don’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole crate.
- Less tendency to goof off on the Internet : I know, I know. This sounds crazy. But, because I see being online as part of my job, I really don’t want to use it very much “for fun.” I get off as quickly as I can unless a good friend is online and interested in conversation. My friends who primarily use the Internet for shopping and email seem far more likely to wander the crazytube of the Internet aimlessly. Poor things. Lesson - You can learn to be productive on the Internet. Yes, really.
- Helping others gain study skills : There are lots of ways that I feel that my work on Deepest Health has helped others - and this is truly the greatest benefits I have received by blogging about Chinese Medicine. I’ve listed just three ways I’ve helped here, but there are others. Lesson - If you are a person who likes to help people, blogging is one way you can fulfill that divine desire.
- Helping others understand Chinese medicine concepts : Countless examples abound, from talking to people about the six conformations to talking about the organ clock and so much more. I really enjoy sharing what I’m learning with others. I learn so much in doing so.
- Helping to promote friends’ businesses and hobbies : I’ve promoted others blogs but also businesses like Paul Rosenberg’s Sacred Tea.
- Walking farther along my spiritual path : While I certainly would have made spiritual progress without this blog, the connections I’ve made and conversations I’ve had have really helped me move along. Because I feel empowered to discuss spiritual matters on this blog, it’s been relatively simple to use my blogging as a medium to walk my Path. Lesson - Technology does not negate spirituality.
- Money and other material benefits : Of course it has been nice to get some material benefits from blogging. I’m nowhere near making even a part-time income, but it grows with every lesson from Yaro I am able to implement. I have enjoyed receiving review copies of books and software as well. While I wouldn’t blog ONLY for the material benefits, they are nice. Lesson - Blogging can be profitable in more ways than one.
- Lateral networking : Because of the nature of the Internet, people run across Deepest Health from many different walks of life and professions. While I do come in contact with all sorts of people in the offline world, I generally keep within a certain group of friends and colleagues. The connections I have made with people in very diverse fields has helped me to think differently about Chinese Medicine, and I’m profoundly grateful for that. Lesson - Reaching out on the Internet helps you connect with the whole world.
- Ability to say, in conversation, “I’m a blogger” : A silly one, perhaps. But, it is always interesting to see people’s reactions. More often than not, they try to ignore that I said it. Sometimes, they ask what that means. Sometimes, they launch into a diatribe about Myspace. It’s entertaining. No lesson required.
- A greater appreciation for the immense diversity of our planet : This is connected to some degree with #15 about lateral networking. Again, because of the nature of the Internet, you just end up connecting with a wider variety of people than you would normally when you blog. Particularly when I use various forms of social media, I get a sense for what’s going on in Cairo or Melbourne or anywhere else. I understand the struggles that normal people go through in places different from my own. I also begin to see how similar we all are. Lesson - The world is a vast, fascinating place. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to connect with it.
- Better posture : Over time I’ve gone from sitting in a somewhat ergonomically structured plush office chair to a kitchen chair to my current seat - a simple short flat bench. Strange? I find that I am able to keep better posture when I have less support. I don’t know if this makes any biomechanical sense at all. Regardless, I have never paid so much attention to my posture as I have on long days of blogging. Lesson - Just because other people slouch at the computer doesn’t mean you have to.
- A greater than average tolerance for sitting in long, long, long classes and seminars : This one goes with #18 to a certain degree. Instead of making me less tolerant to sitting, blogging has increased my stamina when it comes to sedentary activity. I should note that while I do have long periods of sitting and writing, I do get up to do a couple of minutes of exercise about every 30 minutes. I will sometimes do this in seminars when it is possible (as when I end up in the back of the room and it is not very quiet). I’ll just get up and stretch my legs. But, in general, I find that my ability to sit when necessary is much increased, and this has been tremendously helpful in some circumstances. Lesson - Yeah, sitting all the time is no good, but you have to count your blessings.
- Greater finger strength for needling : I have fingers of POWER from all of this typing, I assure you. Seriously, though, I pay close attention to my finger health, which includes finger exercising. I don’t know if this has actually helped my needling, but let’s just pretend. Lesson - See lesson#19 above.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
Tags: Blogging, Business, fun, internet, Learning, lists, networking, organization, student, Technology, writingRelated posts
Deepest Health Chinese Medicine Podcast : Episode 6 - Schools of Chinese medicine and learning
Sorry to get this podcast out so late, folks. There’s been a heat wave in Oregon, and I’ve just been worthless for work. Things are still moving and changing here at Deepesthealth and you can keep looking forward to more great content. :)
This week’s podcast is a fairly quick one where I talk more about my clinical experience. The topic of this one concerns the different schools of Chinese medicine and how students should look at the possibility of “choosing” between them. It’s also the first podcast with the new equipment, tell me what you think in the comments!
Look forward to more great content next week - as well as a post coming out tomorrow that started out small and then grew into a monster!
My best to everyone - Eric
Tags: clinic, Learning, Podcast, schools, shang-han-lun, students, wen bingRelated posts
The Year of Sagely Living - The Evolution
When we decided to move away from our original Year of Sagely Living idea, I knew I would run the risk of dropping the project entirely. While I had the intention to focus on my physical body, I didn’t really know what form that would take. I’ve struggled to keep closely to my focused program of physical improvement, mostly because I actually exercise better in the cooler months due to my intolerance of heat. I’ve honestly done pretty well - I’ve lost over 15 pounds and increased my overall strength.
I’ve been following a program of Qigong, lots of walking around beautiful neighborhoods, bike riding and strength training on my (cheap) home gym. The last element is the weakest, and the one I will be focusing most on improving in the coming months. I have a goal of reaching an ideal body weight and basic strength by the time my two best friends get married in early September. The process has taught me quite a bit about my body - fundamental among them being that my body really does well when pushed a bit. Given the conversation we had about exercise here on Deepest Health, I wasn’t sure what to think. But, experientially, I’d have to say that the level of physical activity I am doing most certainly seems to have an overall Qi and Yang boosting effect without damaging Yin or Blood, at least as far as any external or internal signifiers can tell me. So, interesting…
The Year of Sagely Living was always about more to both Mr. Stickley and myself. For me, it comes back to the essence of the following quote from the Confucian classic - the Greater Learning:
Only after the principle in things is fully apprehended does knowledge become complete; knowledge being complete, thoughts may become true; thoughts being true, the mind may become set in the right; the mind being so set, the person becomes cultivated; the person being cultivated, household harmony is established; household harmony established, the state becomes well governed; the state being well governed, the empire becomes tranquil.
I have always been a person who cares about my community, about the fate of the people of the world. When I was younger, I was politically agitated - I protested, I threw myself into various causes. It never seemed to get myself or anyone else into a better place. I still apply my public force in appropriate places, but now I’ve turned that agitation inwards. I would say the last 3-4 years have been about seeking. I’ve been searching for the appropriate set of practices and the appropriate mindset with which to turn myself into a person who can overcome anything, a person who can do great good in service of humanity, a person who does not say harsh things to others out of anger, a person who spends his life making the world a better place. A tall order, perhaps, but what other good in life can there possibly be? (That’s rhetorical, ok?)
I find that what generally happens is that I find the things that resonate with me strongly, I dive into them (as I used to dive into political causes) and then I withdraw. Usually, I have some kind of external excuse to do so (finals week, dental surgery, financial trouble) but those excuses are always JUST excuses. The fact is that, being an agitator, I have trouble resting and abiding in anything. Why am I telling you this? Because I suspect some of you have felt this way and might benefit from learning a little bit about my process.
Over the last year, the frequency of emergence of those “resonant” things has become higher and higher. What do I mean? You know when you’re feeling the pulse and immediately when you lay your hands on the person, you immediately get a sense of the problem? Then you let it go and delve deeper. But, for me, that initial instinct is almost always the strongest part of the case — there’s more there, but from an 80/20 rule perspective, my first thought was the best one. It’s the same for me with finding principles and practices that are going to lead me toward my life goals. When I first meet them, in whatever form, I have an immediate shocking sense that this is Truth. Then I ignore it, and it comes back around. I ignore it, it comes back around. I ignore it, it comes back around. If/when I finally fully recognize it, I realize that my initial impulse about it was correct. It’s maddening.
So - here’s the essence of this post. I’ve found the practices that will lead me toward my destiny. I hate to say that I’m done looking - because that’s always a statement of great silliness - but I can say I’m done seeking. Things may find me, and I may embrace them, but I’m done being agitated. So, my Year of Sagely Living has been a success - really - because in this focused, public seeking - I have found the end of seeking. Now, I can settle into what I think was the essential point of the YSL in the first place.
The work, now, is to implement the practices and principles I have settled on. This is really where Abdallah and I come together. He has always had the sense that the practices and principles that grow out of Islam are productive of the highest type of Chinese physician. For him, I think, there is also the sense that the rewilding movement and some other things he is interested in add to that set of practices and principles. For me, the practices and principles may be different - but the idea is the same. I don’t feel the need to talk about those principles here - but will do so at my personal blog soon. You can go sign up for updates there, if you’re interested.
The point for Deepest Health readers is a simple one: in our quest to know this medicine (whether as students, practitioners or even patients) we must know most deeply ourselves. We must come to reckon with the things that move us, sing to us, cajole us into action. We must rectify ourselves in the name of these principles and practices and dedicate ourselves to them wholeheartedly. Only then will “the principle in things be fully apprehended” and thus starting the chain reaction up to the healing of the Earth community itself. This may seem a thing far removed from Chinese medicine, but I would argue that nothing could be farther from the truth. Doing this work is the essence of the Great Physician - there can be nothing more important. Other than passing board exams, that is. ;)
Eric
PS: There’s a second part to this - along the lines of finding a “best practice” that is very relevant for students. Please find that article published tomorrow.
Tags: 80/20, community, focus, health, Learning, QiGong, student, students, unity, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
Chinese Medicine Podcast - Episode 2 : Visualizing my way to Chinese Medicine clinical success?
Hey everyone,
Here’s my second try at a podcast. It’s just over 16 minutes long. As I get better and have more to offer, they will probably get longer. Interviews/conversations will most certainly be longer - though I might break them up into pieces for easier listening. I am trying to get a little better at this each time - I may have to buy another mike to improve production quality. I’m hoping to get some interviews and conversations up soon - it just takes time to arrange. Again, if you have an idea for a podcast subject, someone you would like to see interviewed, or questions you think I can answer - let me know in the comments. Click on the player at the end of the page to listen. RSS readers will need to surf to the site, using the enclosed link (please just surf to the site if you don’t see a download link).
Deepest Health Chinese Medicine podcast : Episode 2 [16:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (28)In this podcast, I discuss:
1. My clinical experience thus far: difficulties and excitement
2. How I use visualization as a way to learn to be more effective and efficient in clinic
3. A few questions I have about clinical practice
4. The new blog I’m launching in the next couple of weeks
As always, thanks for reading/listening and watch for more great content soon. :) I’m submitting to iTunes this week, so you should be able to find me in the podcast directory shortly.
Eric
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Tags: clinic, Learning, Podcast, Student Life, visualization
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