In this episode we continue where we left off with our previous discussion and begin with how simply changing the amount of herbs in a formula can lead to some surprising outcomes. 
We also look into how a patient's thinking and beliefs can be utilized as part of the treatment. And discuss a big topic with a lot patients seeing alternative health care, namely the issue of detoxification. 
Listen in as we continue this discussion of blood stasis and how it shows up in many aspects of clinical practice.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

  • The time Greg sent someone to the hospital
  • Changing the amount of an herb can create a whole different formula
  • You have factor in your patient’s emotional state 
  • Some thoughts on working with a patient’s Yi
  • There is more to coronary heart disease than blood stasis
  • Even Western medicine recognizes that cold can trigger a heart attack
  • Patterns and presentations for venous insufficiency 
  • Using formula pattern differentiation as a kind of shorthand
  • Blood invigorating medicinals that Greg likes to use
  • The delights of Dan Shen
  • Using cupping and guasha to move the blood
  • Many internal medicine problems have a structural component
  • Greg’s experience with guasha
  • Some thoughts on detoxification
  • What are your patients’ goals? Getting rid of a “problem,” or improving and extending their life?

Greg Livingston, PhD, LAc, is unique amongst Chinese medicine practitioners in the west. He completed a Chinese Medicine PhD in China, entirely in Chinese, and is one of the few westerners licensed to practice Chinese Medicine in China, where he spent over ten years in total as a student, teacher, and Chinese Medicine physician. Dr. Livingston has over 20 years of clinical experience specializing in general internal medicine with an emphasis on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. He especially enjoys the challenge of  working with individuals who have stubborn and difficult conditions.

Dr. Livingston earned his 4-year Masters in Chinese Medicine from Five Branches Institute (1997), in California, and his PhD in Clinical Chinese Medicine from Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University (2009), in Hangzhou, China. During his 10+ years in China he studied with numerous senior-level doctors, spending thousands of hours in clinic with them and seeing tens-of-thousands of patients. During the majority of this time he also practiced in local and international hospitals and clinics.

Dr. Livingston left China and relocated to Portland, Oregon in 2013. Currently he is a core faculty member at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM), and maintains a private practice at Root and Branch clinic in Portland’s west-side hills.

Links and Resources:

Get in touch with Greg over on his website www.drgreglivingston.com