Watershed Wellness podcast

Digging into the Earth with the Spleen & Stomach

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 16:00:00 -0700

We're back to the organ systems podcasts, this time connecting two organ systems that are commonly discussed together - the Spleen & Stomach! These organ systems, commonly associated with the Earth elemental phase, are CENTRAL in more ways than one.

Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating world of Chinese medical symbolism, and learn a little about your digestion & immune system in the process.

Lots of supplemental information for you today, any/all of the links below will help you make the most out of this podcast:

Our main podcast page
The main Spleen organ system page, you'll find a Spleen associated herb and acupuncture point linked there
The main Stomach organ system page, you'll find a Spleen associated herb and acupuncture point linked there
The main Large intestine organ system page, which I referred to several times in the podcast
The page discussing this whole organ system conversation

Enjoy!

The Large Intestine organ system & letting go

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 09:00:00 -0700

We've reached the all-important Large Intestine in our cycle of the organ systems! In this podcast, I discuss the basic functions of the Large Intestine, the course of the Large Intestine acupuncture channel, and then move to explore some of the symbolism involved with this important, but sometimes ignored, organ system. We talk about letting go and touch into how Chinese medical symbolism can bring us into a new relationship with our bodies, as well as some of the ways this system is used in the treatment room when you see your acupuncturist.

As always, check out the resources below if you'd like to learn more about this organ system and you can always use the contact form on our website to submit questions or comments about this or any other episode.

Thanks for listening!

(Yes, the artwork for this podcast does feature both the small and large intestines. :))

Understanding & Treatment of the Lung using Chinese Medical Symbolism

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 14:00:00 -0800

In the latest installment of our 12 organ systems podcast, we discuss one of the most important organs in the body - the Lung. As with the previous entrants in this series, we use the symbolic information compiled by the ancient Chinese to come to a deeper understanding of the Lung and its use in treatment.

Eric talks about the Metal phase element, the course of the Lung acupuncture channel, some ancient text information of relevance, and the basics of how the Lung is used in the treatment room.

Use the links below to learn more & feel free to head over to our podcast page at any time to listen to other episodes and submit your comments about the show. We appreciate your support! Enjoy!

The Lung page on our website, with lots more information about this organ system
General overview of Chinese medicine organ systems

The liver organ system & the treatment of gynecological conditions

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0800

In this episode, the first in 2023 and the third of the organ system series by Eric Grey, we discuss one of the most important Chinese medicine organ systems - Gān 肝, the Liver!

I first discuss some slight changes to the series to make it simpler and more applicable to everyday concerns. Then we talk about the major symbols associated with the Liver & dive into the organ clock as it relates to this multi-purpose and regenerative organ.

Finally, we discuss the importance of the Liver in gynecological condition treatment including a little foray into differential diagnosis. Please feel free to leave feedback and suggestions for the next podcast on our podcast page!

Here are some resources related to this episode:

Primary Liver organ system page
General information about Chinese medicine organ systems
Liver - 3 acupuncture point referenced in the discussion
Chaihu - bupleurum chinensis, one of the herbs discussed in the podcast

Understanding the Gallbladder through the symbolism of Chinese medicine

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 16:00:00 -0800

It's another entry in our 12 organ systems of Chinese medicine series!

This time, we look at an organ some of you may no longer have in your body - the Gallbladder! Eric discusses why its removal doesn't much matter to acupuncturists and then explores the many fascinating symbolic categories of information associated with this important organ system.

To get oriented around the information Eric discusses, be sure to check out the intro podcast linked here. And use any of the links below to explore more deeply. If you ever have any questions or comments, visit our main podcast page and let us know!
Happy Solstice!

Amanda Koennecke discusses rosehips, winter skincare & our food drive!

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 11:00:00 -0800

I was happy to have Amanda Koennecke, LE on the podcast again - always a fun guest.

We have an enjoyable chat about winter skincare concerns, her annual harvest of Vitamin C rich rosehips & the winter skincare special that will be running through March. We also spent a little time talking about our 4th annual Winter Food Drive in partnership with Clatsop Community Action.

If you donate to the food drive, you can be entered to win a $100 gift certificate usable for products & services at Watershed Wellness. But most of all, you get the wonderful feeling of knowing you are helping friends and neighbors stay well fed during the cold season. If you prefer, you can also donate money directly to CCA.

Happy Winter everyone!

Eric Grey discusses the Triple Burner organ system of Chinese medicine

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 10:00:00 -0800

NOTE : In the originally uploaded version of this podcast I made a minor error in the dates on the Gregorian calendar associated with the Triple Burner. It was corrected and reuploaded on 12/2/22).

This is the second podcast in a 13 part series that will be released one per month. In the last episode, Eric provided a basic introduction to the Chinese medicine concept of organ systems. If you've not listened to it yet, and are new to Chinese medicine, you should go back and listen to that first.

The Triple Burner is a unique organ system not fully tethered to a recognizable biomedical organ system, which is one of the reasons we've started with it. But the primary reason is that the time of the release of this podcast - between November and December 7 - is "Triple burner time" on the Chinese medicine organ clock. So, get cozy with a cup of tea and your favorite blanket, and dive into a little Chinese medicine geekery with Eric.

You can find out more information about this organ system on the Triple Burner organ system page on our website.

If you have any questions or comments, head to our main podcast page and use the contact form to reach us.

Eric Grey introduces the Chinese medicine concept of organ systems

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 15:00:00 -0800

This is the first of a 13 episode series that will cover some rich and useful information about the Chinese medicine concept of organ systems. In this introduction to the series, Eric Grey discusses the basics of Chinese medicine symbolism with a particular focus on organ systems.

You'll learn about what makes the ancient Chinese way of looking at organ systems different from conventional biomedical ideas, and why that's important. This information will be useful as we unpack the 12 organ systems over the next 12 months.

You can use the links below to learn more about many of the concepts that Eric discusses.

If you have any questions about this, or any information in any of our podcasts, don't hesitate to head over to our podcast page and ask a question using the contact form.

We look forward to sharing this fascinating and clinically relevant information with you!

Basic overview of Chinese medicine foundational science (by Eric on the WW website)
A new page that gives an overview of the Chinese medicine organ systems, on the WW website.
7 Unique Facets of Chinese Medicine Organ Systems (old article by Eric on his Whole Life Practitioner website)
A basic intro to the organ clock (by Eric on his Whole Life Practitioner website)
The best version of the "Chinese organ clock" - this one by Heiner Fruehauf, he calls it a "holomap." We will reference this often during the series.
Wikipedia page on "Yin Yang" which is referenced in this episode, take a look at the image for a good example of a symbol used in Chinese philosophy.
A nice overview of the five phases, an important set of relational symbols related to the organ systems, from website TCMWorld.

From cruise ships to Texas to the rainy North Coast - An intro to Ryan McAfee, LAc

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we get to know new acupuncturist Ryan McAfee a little better. He discusses his education, his experience providing acupuncture on a cruise ship, and how he's finding life on the North Coast so far.

We discuss a special type of acupuncture known as Tung (pronounced Dung) style acupuncture, great for treating chronic pain, which we'll hope to follow-up on in a future episode.

Enjoy - and if you're looking for acupuncture treatment, Ryan has plenty of availability on his brand new schedule. Just give a call to the clinic any time at 503-974-0914!

Amanda Koennecke discusses autumn skincare, the spooky season & esthetics expansion

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I talk with Amanda Koennecke our local skincare master & now department head of the growing esthetics department at Watershed Wellness.

We discuss a delicious and seasonally appropriate facial special as well as some general principles of skincare in the autumn with an appearance by Chinese medicine theory. We finish up discussing our latest esthetics hire - Lilly Galles - and how wonderful it is to have colleagues in the work we do here at Watershed.

Enjoy - and act fast to take advantage of Lilly's schedule availability as well as the 15% discount we're offering new clients who schedule with her in October.

As ever, if you have questions, comments or ideas for future podcasts, check out the podcast page on our website. We appreciate you!

Tia McBride, LMT discusses the importance of therapeutic breast massage

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 15:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I bring on Tia McBride, LMT for her first Watershed Wellness podcast appearance. Tia has joined WW already prepared with a great new skillset for the North Coast community - therapeutic breast massage. Since most people haven't heard of the importance and regulation of this important modality, we wanted to hear from Tia how it works and what folks should look for when seeking it out.

If you'd like to learn more about Tia, you can visit our website. And for some additional reading about this potentially controversial topic, you might check out this article.

As I noted in the preliminaries for this podcast, we use the word "breast" to refer to these tissues, but some people, including trans masculine folks, may use other words to refer to this part of their body. Our use of "breast" is not intended to exclude those people in any way!

If you have questions about breast massage and its suitability for your situation, do not hesitate to reach out using the contact form on our podcast page.

Excellent Massage Therapy Goals & Principles with Amanda Barp, LMT

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0700

Amanda Barp has been practicing massage therapy for 17 years - a very long time for a profession that demands a lot from the practitioner! We start out this podcast talking about her career so far and how she's managed to stick around much longer than the average practitioner. After a brief visit to the changes brought by COVID-19, we begin a tour of the goals and principles that underlie the entire Massage Therapy department at our clinic.

Amanda lays out the basic goals and then explores four basic principles we use to guide the department:

Consistency
Quality
Safety
Attunement

We discuss each in turn, paying special attention to the ways that quality and safety interpenetrate and inform one another. Massage therapy is one of the founding modalities at Watershed Wellness, so we've had a lot of time to refine how we approach it until it brings maximum benefit to all of our clients.

Finally we finish up with a very important call to action - WE ARE CURRENTLY (AND ALWAYS) HIRING MASSAGE THERAPISTS! If you heard this podcast and are thinking of a job change - reach out and chat with us - we'd love to see if you're a good fit for the open positions. You can read more about working at WW, including all the details for these positions, on this page.

Staying inspired & bringing holistic skincare to the whole community

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 13:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I bring back holistic skincare & Eminence Organics expert Amanda Koennecke, LE. We start out talking about what it takes to stay inspired in a profession after a decade or two (hint: it has to do with our CLIENTS).

After a brief chat about the curious experience of being part of rural healthcare in America, we begin to talk about some of the special demographics that Amanda seeks out in her practice. While anybody can benefit from a great facial, Amanda has gone out of the way to try to reach out towards demographics that aren't typically served by this important part of healthcare. We focus our conversation chiefly on her work with teenagers and the opportunities she has had to work with people undergoing treatment for cancer.

We wrap up the podcast by talking about the deep value of this powerful, intimate service for people who are struggling or hurting. I hope we'll bring Amanda back soon to dig further into these important topics.

In the meantime, you can check out some of her past appearances on the podcast on our archive page. And you may want to take a look at our Youtube channel as well. Here are some specific links to help you learn more about Amanda, her practice, and how it might fit for you!

Amanda K discusses doing skincare on the North Coast
Amanda K talks about Eminence Organics products (the only line we carry!)
A brief discussion of "maskne" and how to deal with it

Naturopathic Medicine : Essentials & Peculiarities

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Melinda Nickels, ND, LAc, this time discussing some specifics about Naturopathic medicine, and her focus on homeopathic treatment.

Naturopathic medicine is a diverse system that includes many modalities - this episode will get you started in understanding it. But, if you want more information, check out the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, or this page created by National University of Natural Medicine, where Melinda and I both went to medical school.

We discuss the scope of practice available for NDs in Oregon and then discuss some of the peculiar features of natural medicine treatment, including why sometimes a patient gets worse before they get better.

Enjoy and as always, submit your questions or ideas on our website.

Always learning - a conversation with Dr. Melinda Nickels, ND, LAc

Fri, 13 May 2022 14:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I sat down with Melinda Nickels to discuss her training and her perspective on her profession. Or rather - her professions - as in multiple! Dr. Nickels is a licensed acupuncturist, but also a Naturopathic doctor. Naturopathic doctors have many of the same capacities as MDs and DOs with regards to scope of practice, but come from a different perspective. You can learn more about Naturopathic medicine by clicking this link.

Melinda shares the story of how she came to Naturopathic medicine in the first place, including her adventures in fields as diverse as computer programming and natural building. Throughout the story we discuss aspects of natural medicine philosophy, her current interests and continuing education, and more.

Please don't forget to rate and share the podcast & send along any comments, suggestions or potential topics via our podcast page on our website.

An intro to end-of-life care with acupuncture

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 17:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Todd Garrity, LAc, and I discuss the use of acupuncture during end-of-life care. Todd has a keen interest in helping people through this important phase of life and has sought extensive continuing education to help him be of most help to people facing the dying process.

Todd discusses the basics of how end-of-life acupuncture works, and discusses some of the theories behind why it is helpful. He also shares a little bit about his training and personal connection with this practice.

The links below will help you get the most out of this episode:

Certified Providers of Hospice and Palliative Care Acupuncture (CPHPCA) - the professional organization that helps to educate and certifies acupuncturists who want to do this work. They host a directory of available providers as well.
Link to a study about the use of acupuncture in palliative care settings
Another study looking at the use of acupuncture in home hospice care
Governing Vessel 20, or GV-20, or Baihui, the acupuncture point on the top of the head that Todd references
The contact form I reference, where you can submit any additional questions

Acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of all kinds of pain

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we continue the conversation with Todd Garrity, LAc, this time discussing how he approaches pain relief in his acupuncture practice.

While most people know that acupuncture can treat pain, there is a lot more to it than sticking needles into painful muscles. In particular, Todd's use of the Korean Hand Therapy system presents an alternative approach, which we discuss here as well as in videos on our Youtube channel.

Don't forget to leave us questions, topics and feedback on the podcast page of our website!

During this short discussion we touch on a variety of interesting topics including:

What sorts of pain acupuncture can treat
How an acupuncture microsystem works to treat pain
The role of burning mugwort - moxibustion - in treatment of pain
How surgical procedures can interrupt qi flow, and how treatment can help
How treating the root of a disease is different from chasing symptoms

Some things mentioned on the podcast that you might want to explore further:

Introduction to acupuncturist Todd Garrity

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 15:00:00 -0700

The Watershed Wellness podcast is back!

After a long hiatus, we're back to it and start off with a brief introduction to acupuncturist Todd Garrity, LAc. Todd came to the clinic from Colorado just before the pandemic changed all our lives. So, while he's been here a while - we've not been able to hear from him on the podcast. In this episode he discusses what brought him to the medicine - and his early career arc. In future episodes, we will dig into what Todd's most excited about in his practice and what's to come.

We recorded a short series of videos with Todd on our Youtube channel. A perfect companion to the current episode of the podcast would be this video where Todd discusses the path that brought him to Astoria.

Please do subscribe to the podcast & share with your friends and family. The more the merrier! You can give us suggestions and feedback using the form on this page. Thank you for listening & for being members of our wider Watershed Wellness community.

WW Podcast 17 - Rowan Everard and the anatomy of an acupuncture appointment

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 21:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Rowan Everard, LAc and Eric Grey, LAc discuss what an acupuncture appointment actually looks like. While every practitioner is different, Rowan articulates a flow that is fairly similar to most Watershed Wellness practitioners.

Rowan answers questions like:

What is the intake process like?
Does the practitioner leave the room during treatment?
What if the patient is nervous or having trouble with treatment?
What happens while you're getting acupuncture?
and more...

Please head over to our podcast archive to listen to all of our episodes and use the contact form there to make recommendations for future episodes! Thanks for listening!

WW Podcast 16 - Amanda Koennecke lays out the foundations of her unique approach to skin care

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 05:00:00 -0700

We're back in action with the Watershed Wellness podcast. We'll be releasing episodes every 2 weeks or so, and continuing on with our focus on highlighting our fantastic practitioners while adding some new content types and creative approaches to healthcare podcasting.

We've moved our podcast archive over to the Astoria website. You can find the full podcast archive there, as well as here on Buzzsprout.

In this episode, we bring Amanda Koennecke, licensed esthetician and WW PDX office maestro back to discuss the finer points of her healthcare approach. She also gives a great report back about her time at the latest Eminence Organics regional skin care conference. We spend a fair amount of time chatting about the difference between a more high end spa facial and the holistic everyday health approach Amanda takes in her practice. It's a fun conversation and features some new intro & outro music from the incomparable Tao Jones.

Thanks for joining us again!