Acupuncture students slowly lose the ability to sound normal in public. From asking strangers to stick out their tongues to casually discussing “Liver attacking Spleen,” this is a painfully accurate look at the weird, hilarious, and oddly profound things that happen when Traditional Chinese Medicine rewires your brain.
At some point in acupuncture school, your brain starts changing. You stop seeing symptoms separately and start noticing patterns everywhere — in posture, sleep, stress, digestion, emotions, and even yourself. A funny, slightly unhinged, and surprisingly profound look at how studying Traditional Chinese Medicine rewires the way you observe the world.
Ever wonder if your irritation is causing Liver Qi stagnation… or if the stagnation was already there waiting for a reason to show up? This honest, slightly unhinged look at acupuncture school chaos breaks down the TCM theory in real language, with a little humour and a lot of truth.
Studying Chinese medicine has changed how I understand postpartum placenta encapsulation. After years of preparing placentas as a doula, TCM college has given me a deeper framework for Zi He Che, postpartum depletion, milk supply, mood, timing, pattern differentiation, and why placenta medicine may be powerful — but not universally appropriate.
Acupuncture isn’t one thing anymore. From cosmetic acupuncture and mobile treatments to community clinics, nervous system care, and complex chronic illness cases—modern acupuncturists are building wildly different careers. Here’s why that matters for the future of Chinese medicine.
A reflection on generous teaching, “secret methods,” and why sharing real clinical details matters in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The more effective, skilled, and confident practitioners we create, the stronger trust in acupuncture becomes for everyone.
There’s a moment when studying acupuncture shifts into something more real. This is where I am right now, not just learning how to treat, but building the systems, clarity, and confidence to create a practice that actually works in real life.
People think off-grid life is about escaping modern life. But most weekends at our homestead in South Knowlesville look surprisingly ordinary: hauling coolers, pumping water, lighting fires, borrowing freezer space from neighbours, muddy dogs on the porch, and kids learning real responsibility. Somewhere between the woodstove, peepers, blackflies, and community potlucks, life slows down enough to remember what actually matters.
What starts as “just trying to survive acupuncture school” slowly becomes something deeper. In this honest guest post, Julie Tattrie-Johnson shares how Traditional Chinese Medicine helped her understand anxiety, nervous system overwhelm, and the fear of failure—not just in theory, but in her own life. From shaky commutes to herbal formulas and finding connection in clinic, this is a story about learning to heal while learning medicine.
For acupuncture students who are starting to realize this isn’t a traditional career path. Lessons from building a doula agency that will change how you think about branding, trust, and building a practice.