Discovering What It Means to be a Doctor • Poney Chiang

In our last conversation with Poney, we talked about the neurological view of acupuncture points. In this Part Two conversation we’re exploring what got Poney interested in medicine in the first place and how he ended up becoming an acupuncturist when his first interest was in herbs, philosophy and metaphysics.

In this conversation we talk about the deep structure of Chinese medicine, kung fu movies, the Yi Jing, feng shui and how life takes unexpected turns. Poney also shares how Chinese medicine allowed him to grow as a person and how it helped him do things he never thought would be doing.

Check out the first interview with Poney about the Neurological View of Acupuncture

• The influence of kung fu movies and what it meant to be a doctor
• How our ignorance can come to light
• Poney’s interest in metaphysics, feng shui and the yi jing
• Doctor as polymath
• Working as a feng shui consultant
• Studying the Shang Han Lun and dermatology
• The elegance of Kampo and biochemistry
• Thoughts on how one can’t easily escape their destined path
• Using feng shui and face reading as part of working in clinic
• Non-rational ways of knowing
• How language creates mental models
• Considering the yi jing and ba zi
• The Dao that can be spoken is not the true Dao
• The wonderful things about Chinese medicine
• Thoughts on 虛 xu and 實 shi

My research with cadavers and MRI, together with translations of Chinese medical classics informs my view of acupuncture points from a neuroanatomical perspective. This understanding guides how I palpate points and the type of DeQi sensation I expect to obtain depending on the neuroanatomy associated with any point.   I love this medicine because neuroanatomy from Western Science and energetic anatomy from Chinese medicine, are in fact two sides of the same coin. I am grateful that this research and treatment method resonated with many of my colleagues and it has given me an opportunity to author a textbook and to travel the world as a continuing education teacher.  Aside from the sense of fulfilment when I am able to help people with health problems, what motivates me as a practitioner is that my research and teaching is helping to elevate our profession within the healthcare landscape. I am honoured to play a role in the advancement of Chinese medicine.

Links and Resources:

Poney talked about the Joey Yapp and his Mastery Academy