Yin/Yang is a lovely idea. The counterbalance of opposites sounds so good on paper, but the expression of those heavenly ideas within the limitations and form of Earth brings a lot of suffering, strife and pain. And yet, when we look at the earth as a whole, when we look at human bodies as a reflection of the outer world. We can see how the interplay of opposites is essential to that balance from which Health arises.
In today’s conversation with Sharon Sherman, Jeri Steele and Charles Bishop we hear about their explorations with the Saam acupuncture method, it’s curious organ pairings, and how those can be used to help our patients bring forth their own resources for healing.
Listen into this discussion of what happens when you consider both five phase energies with six qi dynamics and how having an expansive vocabulary of each organ’s character can help you in your diagnosis and treatment and open previously unseen possibilities.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
- What keeps you interested in the Saam method?
- A treatment that seemed right, but turned out not to be
- When are we clearly seeing a patient’s condition, and when are we working out of our biases?
- It changes things to cultivate some quiet attentiveness before the patient arrives
- Asking how patients are doing, without leading them toward an answer
- How the Saam system is affecting people’s practice
- The trinity of organ systems
- Is it responsible to always give patients what they want, especially if that is part of the source of their problem?
- The Wolseley images of the Five Phases are different from the Saam perspective’s
- Thoughts on needle location and technique
- What is healing?
- Discerning between “pathology” and a person’s “nature”
It’s the seemingly broken aspects of our situation that provide the richest opportunities for innovation and growth.
My passion for Chinese Medicine is an ongoing inquiry and deep appreciation for what has shaped medical theory, biases and strategies. As a perpetual student of medical arts and practice, I am more than a technician; I operate as a critical thinker and a strong collaborator in the healing process.
My studies and personal exploration lead me on a continuing journey, alongside my patients, to unravel the mysteries and pursuits that create a life well lived.
You can find Sharon at her website: www.philadelphia-acupuncture.com
Wellness is largely under the control of the individual. Food is definitely the first medicine. How we order our lives is vitally important: physical movement, physical surroundings, mental outlook etc. Acupuncture and Herbal medicine are only a small part of this equation. It's very empowering and freeing for both the client and the practitioner to realize this.
I'm so new at acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine having graduated from The New England School of Acupuncture in 2014. The majority of my professional life has been in the field of Nursing. Since 1979 when I graduated from my first School of Nursing program and then from my Family Nurse Practitioner program in 1994 I have been on a quest to find the best ways of helping my clients find their desired level of wellness. Currently I'm working in both worlds but separately, and while that might seem confusing to some it works very well for me. I realize that people are basically wanting choices and I'm merely a part of their quest to finding ways to improve their health. It's all good and it all works to some extent but the control is with the individual, not me. I'm absolutely loving SAAM acupuncture because it seems to work more quickly. I just discovered SAAM not that long ago so I'm excited about seeing where it will take me with my clients.
In addition to my professional life I'm a mother of 2 and grandmother of 3. My husband of 37 years and I have lived in New England all our lives and take any free moment we can get to go hiking along the rail trails or just enjoying time with our family.
Your least favorite patients are very often your best teachers.
My first experience of Traditional East Asian Medicine was the discrete sensation of a puffball mushroom growing out of the sole of my foot and bursting outwards immediately after having Kidney1 needled. Or maybe it was my college philosophy professor teaching me Qi Gong after class overlooking the ocean. Or perhaps it was opening the Tao Te Ching for the first time as an eight-year-old child. Whenever this passion originated, it seems like everyone was more aware of my trajectory than myself. When I finally decided to study this medicine in earnest my best friend told me it was “like a fish realizing its swimming”. I am deeply indebted and grateful to all of the masters and serious students who share their knowledge and expertise helping us all along the way to being better healers.
I graduated in 2014 from AAHW in Roseville, MN. I operate Artemisia Acupuncture, a small acupuncture practice on the North Shore of Lake Superior in beautiful Grand Marais, Minnesota. Outside of the clinic I like to hunt for mushrooms in the forest, stack firewood into huge beehives, and pretend I have mechanical repair knowledge so as to impress my wife and two sons.
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