{"podcast":{"title":"Qiological Podcast","slug":"qiological-podcast-915251","podcast_index_feed_id":915251,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/qiological-podcast/","website_url":"https://qiological.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/d3b857d9-dd84-4532-9b50-c24cd612a149/Podcast-Cover-3000x3000.jpg","author":"Michael Max","episode_count":533,"summary":"Acupuncture and East Asian medicine was not developed in a laboratory. It does not advance through double-blind controlled studies, nor does it respond well to petri dish experimentation. Our medicine did not come from the statistical regression of randomized cohorts, but from the observation and treatment of individuals in their particular environment. It grows out of an embodied sense of understanding how life moves, unfolds, develops and declines. Medicine comes from continuous, thoughtful practice of what we do in clinic, and how we approach that work. The practice of medicine is more — much more — than simply treating illness. It is more than acquiring skills and techniques. And it is more than memorizing the experiences of others. It takes a certain kind of eye, an inquiring mind and relentlessly inquisitive heart. Qiological is an opportunity to deepen our practice with conversations that go deep into acupuncture, herbal medicine, cultivation practices, and the practice of having a practice. It’s an opportunity to sit in the company of others with similar interests, but perhaps very different minds. Through these dialogues perhaps we can better understand our craft.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T14:20:24.918062+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/qiological-podcast-915251"},"episode":{"title":"Realities of the Math • Ryan Hofer","slug":"realities-of-the-math-ryan-hofer","published_at":"2026-06-04T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/qiological-podcast-915251/realities-of-the-math-ryan-hofer","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/qiological-podcast-915251","url":"https://qiological.com","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/f4aead0a-6645-44ad-b20d-0b41da3b4868.mp3","summary":"We’re at a moment where the structure of loans and professional education is changing. Not just for the acupuncture profession, but across the entire educational landscape. While it seems the storm has suddenly blown in, it’s been brewing for a while. In this conversation with Ryan Hofer we discuss the reality of Grad Plus loans, the true cost of them in terms of the interest they generate, and why the \"math doesn't math\" for a lot of people entering the field right now. We explore the various ways loans can be resolved, and the shame and anxiety that graduates experience when they realize they are in over their head financially. There’s also this uncomfortable question about how we got here—how a business model based on student debt became the default, and what happens when that faucet finally gets turned off. Change is coming and our profession is going to have to find a way to work with far less money coming for student loans. And we also need to reckon with the unsustainable debt that practitioners of an earlier generation did not need to face.","meta_description":"We’re at a moment where the structure of loans and professional education is changing. Not just for the acupuncture profession, but across the entire educ…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4719,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/qiological-podcast-915251/episodes/realities-of-the-math-ryan-hofer/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/qiological-podcast-915251/realities-of-the-math-ryan-hofer.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}