In the early 80’s as acupuncture was emerging into the mainstream culture in the West, it developed differently in response to the established medical and educational systems already in place.

In the USA there was no national health service, while in the UK, that was a pillar of the socio-political landscape.

Sybil Coldham was not a practitioner of acupuncture, instead she was involved with the education of acupuncturists and found herself in the center of cultural and political forces that had and have, an influence on the profession. She's the focus of a documentary that was discussed in episode 363 Acupuncture’s Journey to the West.

Listen into this discussion about building standards from scratch, pushing back against guru culture, the politics of legitimacy, how Chinese medicine has both struggled with and resisted being absorbed by mainstream systems.

What does it take to truly learn something? To not just know it in theory, but to have it live in your hands? Discipline, repetition, and a touch of obsession might be part of it—but so is heart, motivation, and the magnetic force of curiosity that keeps pulling you forward.

In this conversation with Dr. Henry McCann, we talk about what it means to engage deeply with the practice of medicine. Henry reflects on the phase of his life as a musician, how that shaped his sense of discipline, and how that along with decades of clinical work have taught him that mastery often comes through the basics—done over and over with intention.

Listen into this discussion on cultivating clinical mastery, the hidden risks of over-relying on lineage, how repetition builds intuition, and why stubborn motivation might be one of your most valuable tools.

Sometimes it’s not what we hear, but what emerges in the space just before—where meaning hasn’t formed yet—but something is already calling your attention. It’s that quiet edge of awareness where both healing and mystery tend to show up.

In this conversation with Christoph Wiesendanger, a jazz pianist with an abiding interest in Chinese medicine, we explore how rhythm, resonance, and reflective awareness shape both music and healing. Christoph’s journey from childhood exposure to Daoist classics, to martial arts training, the sonic influence of Milford Graves, and years of study with Z’ev Rosenberg, offers a surprising look at the interweavings of music and medicine.

Listen into this discussion as we explore how the pulse relates to rhythm, the difference between keeping time and making it, the idea of cultivating yourself through sound, and how silence and intention shape both clinical and musical presence.